Comments on: I’m thinking of becoming a vegetarian. What advice to you have for me?

By: Megan Isenberg

Megan Isenberg — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:32:48 +0000

The biggest thing to remember about becoming vegetarian is that it’s not about finding substitutes for meat in your current diet, but about building a healthy diet around a variety of grains, legumes, and vegetables. I’ve found that the most helpful vegetarian cookbooks divide main dishes into categories like “pasta,” “beans/ peas/ lentils,” and “grains.” This is great because it allows you to think outside the meat-potato-vegetable paradigm. Plus, legumes and whole grains are great sources of vegetable protein.

If you’re interested in more tips and meal ideas, check out my blog at Ethivore.blogspot.com!

By: riot reality

riot reality — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

What do I eat? Well, whatever I want to, as long as it isn’t a dead animal. As in, fruits, vegetables, pastas, grains, legumes, seeds and nuts.

Do I take vitamins? Heck no. Never have and I never plan to. I just eat other things for protein, iron, ect. Check out this site here for vegetarian diet tips: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4777

Where do I go shopping for my food? The only large grocery store we have left in this sorry excuse for a city, Price Chopper. Look through the freezer sections, there should be a spot labeled "vegetarian" in most major grocery stores. Also, I shop at The Mustard Seed, my local health store.

How does it effect my everyday life? Well, I eat healthier and exercise more now, and I eat a bigger variety of things. I answer a lot of questions, and that can get annoying sometimes. Other than that, no real big things.

Other? Uhh… hahaha. Not sure what to put for this. If you have any questions, feel free to message me about them though.

By: Hcar=p

Hcar=p — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

Obviosuly you can buy Quorn,, its a vegetarian food from supermarkets.. includes vegeterain chicken nuggets, quorn pieces, mince (for sheppards pie etc..) etc..
also! a mistake my friend made, she stopped eating meat and lost some important nutrients and became anemic through loss of iron in her body.. so u need to research it pretty well! Quite a lot of vegetarians take vitamins to keep up the things they are loosing from not eating meat

hope this helps

By: Letitia L

Letitia L — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

Being Vegetarian is easy, it is only if you want to go Vegan that you will have a lot to learn. Basically eat no meat that includes poultry and fish (just encase you are one of the annoying people that do not realise that is all meat).
You do not need to take any vitamins, it is all just a load of expensive rubbish that makes no difference.

By: toxicink8

toxicink8 — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

Tell everyone you’re vegetarian, ’cause there have been so many cases where I’ve visited friends houses, or whatever… and they didn’t know, so I ended up leaving hungry.

By: origamimark

origamimark — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

The main risk you run is lack of protien, iron, calcium, and other things normal people get from meat. You need to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, and make sure your friends know you are a veggie, to avoid embarrassment at parties etc.

By: lovisawhite

lovisawhite — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

I’m a vegetarian, simply because I don’t like the taste or texture of meat and how unsafe it can be when you consider food poisoning and things. Plus all the little lumpy fat bits and blood puts me off. However, I would advise looking into what other foods are rich in iron or taking iron supplements, despite anaemia being harmless in the majority of cases, (I don’t see the big deal, supposedly having the disorder myself). I do not take vitamins and don’t even take iron supplements anymore, and I’ve never felt healthier. Being vegetarian does not effect my everyday life, I buy a lot of Quorn which is healthy and you can replace almost any meat meal with Quorn, they even have recipes on their website. Practically all supermarkets cater for vegetarians with their own brands like ‘Vege-Deli’, so the best thing is to shop around and see what you prefer. I know a lot of people who have decided they want to be vegetarians and kept it up for about 5 months before ‘craving’ their favourite meat dish. So good luck

By: Ἔρεβος

Ἔρεβος — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

- I eat food with no Animal products in them
- I occasionally take a B-12, it really depends on how awake I am at the end of the day
- Stop & Shop, and occasionally a health food store. I grow a lot of food as well.
- I’m fuller throughout the day

By: Dominique

Dominique — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

advice: don’t stack up on junk food like chips, cookies, that kinda stuff. that was my first mistake when i became a veg head. ha ha
your going to need to take vitamins, i take multivitamins that have a lot of protein, i also eat protein bars.
i go shopping for my food at wal-mart, super target, stator bros, trader Joe’s. they have brands like morning star, boca, amy’s, and garden burgers. they make a ton of fake meat & swear it tastes ike the real thing!
the only effect i would say it really has on my life is that when i go out with friends to fast food restaurants theres not much to eat. but some are starting to make veggie foods. like ‘hot dog on a stick’ at the mall, now they have veggie hot dogs. the first week will be the hardest but it will get easier.
-go to peta2.com. they have free vegetarian starter kits you can order and it gives you ton of yummy recipes to try out, plus alot of inspiration for when you feel like quitting.
good luck hun!!
=]]]

By: lexi m

lexi m — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

I think being vegetarian is easy. Being vegan (no dairy and no eggs) is hard in my opinion though.

For protein I eat:

Eggs (mostly egg whites with one whole egg)
Cottage Cheese (1% fat– very high in protein)
Non-fat plain yogurt mixed with yoplait 99% fat-free yogurt
Soy Milk (Soy Dream Vanilla Improved Flavor is the best I’ve found so far)
Protein Bars (South Beach Peanut Butter Protein bars taste the best in my experience)
Protein Chips (Kay’s All Natural from bodybuilding.com)
Protein Drinks (GNC 50 Gram Slam Vanilla is pretty tasty, but it’s expensive, also I drink Syntrax Nectar’s Twisted Cherry. I want to try Snytrax Nectar’s Lemon Tea next.)

Right now I’m using fitday.com to get my macros to 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat. I want to do body building and they recommend that 40/40/20 split.

Fitday.com is free and it’s a great way to track your macros (macronutrients) and your calories. (Also tracks micronutrients & vitamins).

I do take a multi-vitamin.

I have been vegetarian for years though. It’s really not hard to do.

Getting 40% protein is sort of hard, but getting 30% protein is not hard for me.

I shop at my local Jewel and also shop online at GNC and bodybuilding.com. Also I want to go to a health food store to pick up some Ezekiel bread. Supposed to be very tasty and healthy.

By: Kim N

Kim N — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:05:30 +0000

I shop mainly at Shop Rite and Stop&Shop. If you follow a balanced vegetarian diet you don’t need any suppliments. Get the Vegetarian Starter Kit from –
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/