Calling all vegetarians...

[shady825]

So here's the deal. I'm a LONG time meat lover and i seriously like almost NO veggies. I do like corn, potatoes,.. well thats about it. My whole diet is pretty much meat. I really want to become a vegetarian but I just dont know how I can without liking any vegetables.. Any tips for getting started would be greatly appreciated. I'm a total animal lover and have gotten to the point in my life where i cant justify an animal being raised to be killed to feed me. If most people knew the way these animals were treated they would probably want to become a vegetarian as well. These animals do not ask to be put in these situations. It really breaks my heart! (yea yea i know, call me a wussy or whatever you guys wanna say! )
I'm pretty much just looking for some advice to get started.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Surely]

Are you still going to eat fish?

How about lamb?

 

[shady825]

Are you still going to eat fish?

How about lamb?

I didnt eat lamb or fish in the first place..

 

[EricNau]

The three food groups: rice, beans, potatoes.

 

[Solemony]

So here's the deal. I'm a LONG time meat lover and i seriously like almost NO veggies. I do like corn, potatoes,.. well thats about it. My whole diet is pretty much meat. I really want to become a vegetarian but I just dont know how I can without liking any vegetables.. Any tips for getting started would be greatly appreciated. I'm a total animal lover and have gotten to the point in my life where i cant justify an animal being raised to be killed to feed me. If most people knew the way these animals were treated they would probably want to become a vegetarian as well. These animals do not ask to be put in these situations. It really breaks my heart! (yea yea i know, call me a wussy or whatever you guys wanna say! )
I'm pretty much just looking for some advice to get started.

Thanks in advance!

I don't eat beef or pork..I'm more of a fish lover and some chicken and that's about it. Maybe you should plan your diet out on what to eat and what not to eat. It's kind of hard to switch over to eating vegetables when you have been eating meet all your life..Maybe you should start out slowly and eat less meat per week.

 

[shady825]

I don't eat beef or pork..I'm more of a fish lover and some chicken and that's about it. Maybe you should plan your diet out on what to eat and what not to eat. It's kind of hard to switch over to eating vegetables when you have been eating meet all your life..Maybe you should start out slowly and eat less meat per week.

Thanks! Some vegetarian sites i was checking out suggested something similar.
Start out with 1 vegetarian plate a week, then move to 2, then to 3, and so on..
This is something i REALLY want to do but i think its gonna be one of the hardest things ive ever had to do!

Thanks for the advice! Anyone else with advice please feel free to post! Im open to any tips/info!

 

[.Andy]

So here's the deal. I'm a LONG time meat lover and i seriously like almost NO veggies. I do like corn, potatoes,.. well thats about it. My whole diet is pretty much meat. I really want to become a vegetarian but I just dont know how I can without liking any vegetables.. Any tips for getting started would be greatly appreciated. I'm a total animal lover and have gotten to the point in my life where i cant justify an animal being raised to be killed to feed me. If most people knew the way these animals were treated they would probably want to become a vegetarian as well. These animals do not ask to be put in these situations. It really breaks my heart! (yea yea i know, call me a wussy or whatever you guys wanna say! )
I'm pretty much just looking for some advice to get started.

Thanks in advance!

Probably my best advice would be to go and buy vegetables from a real greengrocer. Don't buy vegetables from a supermarket. They'll cost a bit more (remember you're saving money by not buying meat!) but the quality and flavours will likely be nothing like you're used to. You might find you actually like the flavours . Also explore different ways of cooking your veges. Stir frys for keeping the crunch of greens, blanching peas and beans for sweetness, roasting for caramelisation for pumpkins or squash and onions, or BBQing slabs of eggplant in olive oil.

Some other good tips I can give is to explore asian supermarkets for sauces and soy products. Kekap Manis (sweet soy) and soy sauces and sweet chillis can lift a lot of dishes. They also have a great variety of noodles and asian veges. Indian food stores are good for spices and rices and lentils and interesting beans and pulses. Really just have a wander and be amazed. it's great fun. Becoming a vege opened up my culinary range many times over.

p.s. Also buy some good quality extra virgin olive oil to cook with .

 

[shady825]

@ .Andy

Thank you! Im just trying to get as much info as i can right now. I think im gonna have a few more weeks of meat and try to start something different for the new year. Do you suggest quitting cold turkey or slowly merge over?

 

[Abstract]

Just get 10 vegetarian recipies to foods that you're likely to enjoy. Start from there. Don't just become a vegetarian and think, "Ok, now what the hell am I supposed to cook?"

 

[shady825]

Just get 10 vegetarian recipies to foods that you're likely to enjoy. Start from there. Don't just become a vegetarian and think, "Ok, now what the hell am I supposed to cook?"

So from your post I guess your saying "phase it in" ?
Start with a few vegetarian dishes and slowly work my way off meat?

(Sounds like im trying to quit some kind of drug! haha!)

 

[.Andy]

@ .Andy

Thank you! Im just trying to get as much info as i can right now. I think im gonna have a few more weeks of meat and try to start something different for the new year. Do you suggest quitting cold turkey or slowly merge over?

Up to you! I think you should do whatever suits and what you feel comfortable with. I went pretty much cold turkey (haha) about 6 years back and have never looked back. At the time I was eating a vege meal a few times a week anyway. I was a already a keen foodie at the time so just took it as a bit of an adventure. I was always ready to fall back on fish if I needed it but it's never come to that. So it is doable .

Also with your motivation and reasons for becoming a vege (same as mine) even if you eat meat a fewer times a week you're already significantly reducing your impact on animals. Measures like buying free range eggs (which taste much better) or non-farmed meats will also be in tune with your ultimate goal if you can't do it in one shot .

Just get 10 vegetarian recipies to foods that you're likely to enjoy. Start from there. Don't just become a vegetarian and think, "Ok, now what the hell am I supposed to cook?"

This is good advice . You can start with a base of solid recipes you like and then freestyle with them over time. Try substituting your recipes with different nuts, tofus, veges, mixes of sauces, noodles, pasta, rices etc etc and before you know it you'll have quite a range.

 

[shady825]

@ .Andy
Thanks alot man! I really appreciate it! Im really gonna make an effort to do this! My 'reasons' for doing this will help make it easier like you said!
Thanks again!

 

[EricNau]

Just get 10 vegetarian recipies to foods that you're likely to enjoy. Start from there. Don't just become a vegetarian and think, "Ok, now what the hell am I supposed to cook?"

Whole Foods has some delicious vegetarian recipes on their website.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/index.php

For the vegetarian items, select "vegetarian" under the speciality diets.

 

[shady825]

Whole Foods has some delicious vegetarian recipes on their website.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/index.php

For the vegetarian items, select "vegetarian" under the speciality diets.

Thanks for the input!!
I worked with a guy who's wife worked at Whole Foods. I was under the impression that that place is ridiculously expensive. Is that true?

 

[nadyne]

Probably my best advice would be to go and buy vegetables from a real greengrocer. Don't buy vegetables from a supermarket. They'll cost a bit more (remember you're saving money by not buying meat!) but the quality and flavours will likely be nothing like you're used to. You might find you actually like the flavours .

I think that this is great advice. Shop at a farmer's market or the like and buy what's in season -- you'll learn what vegetables are really supposed to taste like. Since we've come to expect having most fruits and vegetables around all the time, they're shipped in from far away, so they're not as fresh or as ripe as when you buy locally and seasonally. There's a huge difference in buying strawberries in the summer when they're just picked, as opposed to getting ones that were picked in the other hemisphere and shipped halfway around the world to your local Safeway.

 

[shady825]

I think that this is great advice. Shop at a farmer's market or the like and buy what's in season -- you'll learn what vegetables are really supposed to taste like. Since we've come to expect having most fruits and vegetables around all the time, they're shipped in from far away, so they're not as fresh or as ripe as when you buy locally and seasonally. There's a huge difference in buying strawberries in the summer when they're just picked, as opposed to getting ones that were picked in the other hemisphere and shipped halfway around the world to your local Safeway.

I really hope i can acquire a tatse for veggies!! Ive gone my whole life with out eating them really!

Thank you for your input!

 

[mgguy]

Try cooking your veggies in a pressure cooker. The taste stays in the food due to fast uniform cooking at high temp/pressure. It also cooks very quickly, so if you cook brown rice, beans, winter squash, etc., it is great. Well, off to the fridge ...

 

[shady825]

Try cooking your veggies in a pressure cooker. The taste stays in the food due to fast uniform cooking at high temp/pressure. It also cooks very quickly, so if you cook brown rice, beans, winter squash, etc., it is great. Well, off to the fridge ...

I think my mom has one of those! Im gonna have to go "borrow" it!
Thanks!

 

[QuarterSwede]

Also, be very careful if you choose not to eat any meat at all. There are proteins in meat that are very hard to get from vegetables and even legumes (beans). I've seen too many people that are vegetarians that aren't healthy simply because they don't know how to eat right. I'd honestly think about continuing to eat at least chicken since you don't seem to like fish. You can get dangerously unhealthy quickly if you don't know what you're doing.

 

[bassproguy07]

I really hope i can acquire a tatse for veggies!! Ive gone my whole life with out eating them really!

Thank you for your input!

if you have gone most of your life with eating meat and not liking veggies, why stop now and become a vegetarian? I love animals as well, but believe that there is a purpose for animals on this earth and that is to eat them, not befriend them. I have nothing against vegetarians, just converts who used to eat meat and now don't because someone told them some bogus crap about animals getting treated badly to be slaughtered and eaten. I don't quite get how a cow in a field is getting treated badly or whatever. now chicken, I eat free range eggs when I can, and I do know that chickens are among the worst when it comes to care and treatment. so my question is, are you really bothered by the treatment of the animals or is it because you got a new puppy or you saw something published by PETA and thought that it was true.

Just my 2 cents

 

[shady825]

Also, be very careful if you choose not to eat any meat at all. There are proteins in meat that are very hard to get from vegetables and even legumes (beans). I've seen too many people that are vegetarians that aren't healthy simply because they don't know how to eat right. I'd honestly think about continuing to eat at least chicken since you don't seem to like fish. You can get dangerously unhealthy quickly if you don't know what you're doing.

I know this is something im worried about! I need to research other good sources of protein.
Thank you!

 

[shady825]

if you have gone most of your life with eating meat and not liking veggies, why stop now and become a vegetarian? I love animals as well, but believe that there is a purpose for animals on this earth and that is to eat them, not befriend them. I have nothing against vegetarians, just converts who used to eat meat and now don't because someone told them some bogus crap about animals getting treated badly to be slaughtered and eaten. I don't quite get how a cow in a field is getting treated badly or whatever. now chicken, I eat free range eggs when I can, and I do know that chickens are among the worst when it comes to care and treatment. so my question is, are you really bothered by the treatment of the animals or is it because you got a new puppy or you saw something published by PETA and thought that it was true.

Just my 2 cents

Im TRULY bothered with the treatment of these animals. You must of seen/heard about those cows that they had to scoop up with a bulldozer just to get them into the slaughter house. They also were having to use tazer guns on the cows to get them to respond and move. Ive also seen how these chickens are raised in a cage barely big enough to breath for there whole "life". Thats not a life and above all its not right! As ive said, these animals dont ask for this.

 

[.Andy]

Also, be very careful if you choose not to eat any meat at all. There are proteins in meat that are very hard to get from vegetables and even legumes (beans).

This isn't true. You don't need any specific proteins in your diet. You need essential amino acids which make proteins. You can easily get all your essential amino acids from a simple vegetarian diet with little effort. All you need is a varied diet as you would an omnivorous one.

I've seen too many people that are vegetarians that aren't healthy simply because they don't know how to eat right. I'd honestly think about continuing to eat at least chicken since you don't seem to like fish. You can get dangerously unhealthy quickly if you don't know what you're doing.

This isn't true. It's extremely hard to get ill from a vegetarian diet. Just eat a varied one as you would a omnivorous diet. Anaemia is the most colloquially well known side-effect and even then it's next to impossible if you're male.

 

[SkyBell]

Well, I wish you luck. I've been trying to go veg for over a year now, but it's hard because I love meat so much.

 

[bassproguy07]

if thats how you feel i cant argue with that, but I do suggest going out, getting a cattle prod and touching yourself with it then reconsider your post about the "tasers" its not even that bad, and people like PETA make it a lot worse than it is. I raised pigs all through HS, and have been around prods and all the such so I know why they are used. I must agree with you on the chicken part but you can buy chickens in a lot of stores that are free range chickens, no cages. You sem to have done some research on the vegie side but try doing some research on the meat side as well, and not through biased sites like PETA and what not.