Vegetarian Lifestyle
Our family has been contemplating switching to a Vegetarian Lifestyle, does anyone have advice or tips on this?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
14 Comments:
Protein, protein, protein. You say, "family," so I'm not sure of the ages and tastes that would be involved, but the most important part of giving up animal protein is making sure you find it elsewhere - and there are degrees of vegetarianism. Will you be eating eggs? Milk/cheese? Would you consider going "pescatarian" and eating fish?
There are lots of reasons to go veg - price of groceries, ethical concerns about the treatment of animals, the detrimental environmental effects of factory farming, personal health. Your reasons will have a lot to do with how you ultimately end up eating. (I, for example, am no longer a vegetarian but avoid meat in general for all of the above reasons.)
Stock up on lentils, chickpeas, dried beans, nuts, and quinoa, and experiment with tofu and tempeh. Don't think of them as "meat substitutes," but as food in their own right, with unique flavors and textures that can be brought out with the right techniques.
Check out Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" as a great starter cookbook. He has *everything* in there, and it got me through a penurious, meat-free year of graduate school quite comfortably.
GirlFromJetCity at 6:18PM on 11/05/09
I did it in stages, not all at once. I started by cutting out all red meat, then all poultry, then seafood, and last was fish. While I was "cutting out" I was reading everything I could find on Vegetarian Nutrition, and began agging vegetables and grains to my diet that I'd never had before. I experimented with different cuisines and flavor profiles. It took me about 6 months, but the slow transformation was well worth it. I am now trying the same approach with a transition to Vegan. I have stopped drinking milk, and I use agave nectar instead of honey. Next I will stop eating and cooking with eggs, and last to go, because I realyreallyreally love it, will be cheese.
I live with my daughter and son-in-law, who are not vegetarian, and I cook for them, so I do cook meat. Almost all my grown grandkids are either Vegetarian or Vegan, but not their parents, so we still have meat on the table for all holidays, as well... there are just a lot more vegetables and a few vegetarian and vegan dishes and desserts along the turkey or roast.
Read everything, discuss it thoroughly, and best of luck!
Brownie at 6:24PM on 11/05/09
Actually, protein requirements aren't nearly as high as most people think. Yes, it's important, but it's easy enough to fulfill your needs so long as you eat a balanced diet. Make sure that most of your protein comes from plant sources, because loading up on cheese isn't going to do you any good.
For me it was a bit of a gradual thing, but there's no reason you can't start whenever you want. Arm yourself with some cookbook and get cracking!
KarynMC at 7:40PM on 11/05/09
We started going lessmeatarian by having a family meeting. We talked about what veggies we liked, didn't like and didn't like but were willing to try again. Same with grains etc. It was so surprising--my 15 year old said, "We loved the lentil soup but you only made it that one time"--Who knew?
It's been great --we still have chicken and pork but it's never the main focus of the meal. Everyone seems to eat more too.
PoorOldMama at 8:01PM on 11/05/09
Some folks find it easier to go "cold tofurkey," as it were, rather than being gradual. I've cut way down on meat, but I've never succeeded in becoming vegetarian, even though I often think I'd like to. Eating meat is a habit.
I agree with KarynMC - most of us eat way more protein than necessary. Not good for our kidneys, in fact. If you're eating plenty of legumes and whole grains you won't need to worry about protein at all, and you don't have to make sure you have complete proteins in one meal.
I think that personally I wouldn't want to think of this as a "lifestyle," but just as the choices I'm making about what I eat (but maybe that's why I haven't become a vegetarian).
Find some really appealing recipes, here and in books. Laurel's kitchen and Sundays at Moosewood are old favorites. I've just gotten a new cookbook called "Rice, beans and grains," by Andrea Chesman that I am loving - lots of food that a nonvegetarian would be/would get comfortable with.
Broccoli and nuts are very high protein. Combine with rice and you're all set. Make stir fried veggies and rice, top with nuts. Add curried sour cream or yogurt and you won't notice it's a vegetarian meal. How about that sweet raw broccoli/raisin/nut salad? Chances are that a lot of family favorites would fit right into vegetarian meals. Don't rely on cheese too much.
lemonfair at 7:10AM on 11/06/09
As many vegetarian dishes as I prepare, I don't think I could ever dedicate myself to vegetarianism as a lifestyle. How many beans and tofu can a person eat?
Unless your family has a deep, burning desire to adopt a meat-free lifestyle, try eating lighter meats, chicken and fish; or making 3 days a week "non-meat/fish" days.
therealchiffonade at 7:42AM on 11/06/09
I would also recommend taking a multivitamin if you don't already. It's not hard to get enough protein from vegetable sources, especially since you'll probably replace the meat you're used to eating with other protein rich foods. But it can drive you crazy trying to remember which foods have good amounts of vitamin B12, iron, magnesium, zinc, etc, and making sure to get enough of those every day.
vkaf253 at 10:02AM on 11/06/09
@therealchiffonade While I am inclined to agree with you, it is strange that we feel tired, or think we will feel tired, of beans/tofu, but never seem to think that way about chicken/beef. I think most people's meat consumption is probably as unvaried as the popular, but perhaps incorrect, view of a vegetarian's protein consumption.
PrettyNicola at 11:45AM on 11/06/09
I applaud you for deciding to follow a more natural, vegetarian lifestyle. These links might help you out...
how to become vegetarian
types of vegetarians
vegetarians are real people too...
MadelynRodriguez at 1:49PM on 11/06/09
I would have to say that the most important thing is to keep a balanced diet eating a variety of vegetables, grains, and legumes prepared in a variety of ways. The worst thing that people can do is assume that as long as they are eating vegetarian it is healthy. Also, I eat beans in some form pretty much everyday. I could never tire of them. They are delicious and you can do so many things with them. YUM!
kplays at 2:36PM on 11/06/09
@shawnamarie:
The best way to decide "what kind of vegetarian" you'd like to be based on your motivations.
@Madyln f. karma free - I like some of your links. You should consider including a Pescetarianism on your list :D
>> I choose this eating-pattern on occasion to cleanse
hungrychristel at 2:49PM on 11/06/09
Try new things! Different cuisines. We make a lot of veggie burritos, rice and beans, fried rice with seitan, risotto with veggies. Vegetarian proteins like tofu and seitan (and veggie sausages, burgers and the like if that's your thing - it's definitely mine) keep much longer than meat, so they're easy to throw in the fridge for pantry meals. Beans keep even longer. There's great meals based around eggs - frittatas, eggs in purgatory, breakfast burritos.
Also, if there's multiple members of your family and some are less enthusiastic than others (or less willing to go cold turkey), you can try a "kosher kitchen" type approach. Make and stock vegetarian food around the house, but don't enforce rules outside of the house.
Neither me nor my partner is vegetarian, but we're both former longtime vegetarians (20+ years in his case, veganism in my case). We're at the point where most of our weekday meals are vegetarian simply because it's easier.
tangledgray at 3:09PM on 11/06/09
I've been vegetarian my whole life (I was raised that way) and I think something that most people forget about is ethnic cuisine. I've found that many people who are accustomed only to American food have a very hard time cutting out meat.
In addition the the books mentioned above (Mark Bittman's is excellent for new vegetarians), check out some Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cookbooks - all of these cuisines are very vegetarian-friendly and use lots of spices and bold flavors, so they're very satisfying.
charm city cupcake at 8:16PM on 11/06/09
I think meat eaters get tired of chicken, beef, pork, et al. I know my mom cooked about 8,183,007 chickens, seemingly all in a row for a while - and I couldn't even EAT chicken till about a year after that. I'm not against occasionally having all-vegetarian meals, I like to do that a couple of times a week.
therealchiffonade at 5:26PM on 11/07/09