Tips in going vegetarian/vegan, and staying that way...

[Gertie]

Suggested by another group member, thought I would just get things started.

Do you have any suggestions for someone trying to go or stay veg?

[Hanna[h]]

Yay, thank you :D

[Hanna[h]]

Ok, umm, I'll try to give some that I heard from others, and have worked well on me, even though I don't have much experience haha.


1. Be self motivated. I know people who have tried going vegitarian and failed, because they just weren't into it enough.

2.Plan out you meals for the next few days, and if you stick to it, it's really healpful, especially if you're new(or so I've heard, and I personaly love doing it).

3. Keep a bunch of nuts around you, especially of your going vegan, you get hungry easily if your body is not used to it, and eating a few here and there are good for you, since your body needs protein replacements.

4.RESEARCH. Google has been my best friend for the last few days, I make sure that everything I eat, and use, is vegitarian friendly.

[Gertie]

If you are truly trying to commit to a veg*n diet but worried that you might fall off the wagon, I can think off a few things off the top of my head.

1. Get grossed out. Find information about the meat, or dairy, industry that makes you find certain items repulsive. When I was first looking into going vegan about 15 years ago I found some info online about how chocolate milk came to be invented, pus in milk, that sort of thing. That did the trick for me.

2. Keep the pantry fully stocked. Don't let your cupboards run low, because then you get into cravings & scrounge mode and are more likely to give into your whims.

3. Write down the reasons you are going vegetarian or vegan and keep it somewhere handy.

4. Remind yourself often of how much better you feel without meat. I don't just mean physically, but emotionally too - knowing you don't kill anything unnecessarily.

5. Get a veg-buddy. This can be someone else who is veg or trying to be. Support each other. Take your veg buddy to the store with you to have a backup conscience on hand. :-P

6. If you are really new to the whole veg thing, find lots of substitutes for meats, or dairy items, so you won't feel like you are being deprived.

7. Arm yourself with knowledge. This will not only reinforce your beliefs, but will help you deal with people asking rude or ignorant questions. Speaking of those questions, answer them for yourself before you have to do it when someone puts you on the spot.

[Gertie]

Haha we were writing at the same time. We both mentioned research/knowledge.

What really drives me nuts is that I can never remember the information I've looked up after the fact, when someone asks. It makes me think I should just carry a cheat sheet around with me.

[Hanna[h]]

Haha we did :)

And that sucks, I remembered a few things, like what is vegan and what isnt(from my favorite foods). I don't remember big things though like recipes...

[Josh]

One thing that helped me was getting veg*n cookbooks. I like to explore recipes and having so many at hand, for me, is helpful.

[Gertie]

That's true Josh! And if you are going vegan, some cookbooks have some great recipes for sauces and cheesy-type foods.

[Josh]

One thing I do is explore cuisines that are vegetarian friendly. Indian and Chinese are two that come to mind.

[Gertie]

Good point! Mediterranean/Greek often works well too.

I have learned that with Thai (and sometimes Chinese too) fish is often considered vegetarian, so even items on the Vegetarian section of a menu might contain fish sauce, anchovy paste, oyster sauce etc. So its good to ask anyway. Sigh.

One reason I moved to Seattle is so I could have more veg restaurants to go to. :-P

[Suneel]

I completely agree with many of the strategies outlined here.

1. Choose cuisines that are vegetarian friendly (which in all honesty are most good ethnic cuisines- from Italy to India)

2. Try to make friends with vegetarians

3. It probably helps if you live near a big city, but it's not essential

4. Keep up to date with all of the latest scientific and medical research, because most of it shows good outcomes for vegetarians!

5. Remember why you want to be vegetarian

6. If you are used to eating burgers and sausages, simply by the vegetarian e.g. quorn/tofu versions

7. Be proud of it, even when people may question you. I've seen an enormous change in perception in vegetarianism since I was a young boy, and it's only going to get more common

[Tia]

1. Get grossed out and lose that appetite! Youtube has some of the nastiest things you'll ever see.
2. Get a pet. An animal that depends on you for survival each day will open your heart to all animals.
3. Tell your family and friends. As bad as it sounds, a lot of people will want to see you fail. Proving them wrong is great motivation!
4. Learn to cook. Being involved in the process will get you excited to find new recipes and see what you can do.
5. Plant your own veggie or herb garden. That stuff gets expensive and you'll feel great knowing how veggies are fresh and hormone free.

[Hanna[h]]

1. Search on YouTube the "coca cola and pork" project and when pouring the drink on the meat, maggots will eventually rise out of it. I can't even drink any soda now.

[Sipiwe]

1. It is good to get a good cookbook and begin to experiment with recipes.
2. What worked for my family is that I gradually bought more vegetables and fruits and less meat, and encouraged my daughters to cook vegetarian meals.
3. As the family got used to the vegetarian meals and the kids could just grab lots of fruits as they dashed to varsity, we just dropped the meat till there was none.
4. I also talked continuously about health till the kids got it into their heads.
5. The great improvements in health and skin condition for everyone in the family was a great confirmation that we made the right decision.
6. The kids have moved away from home and they include very little animal products in their diet.

[Rai]

Great advice all around!

I recently saw an ad for the following organization:

http://www.chooseveg.com/

They've got a great campaign going about choosing a veggie lifestyle. They have a kitten and an adorable little chick side by side in the ad that says "Why love one and eat the other?"

Brilliant!

That idea and philosophy is what lead me to becoming vegan. I love living a compassionate and cruetly-free lifestyle :)

They've got some excellent resources on their site, including links and a handy free vegetarian starter guide.

Cheers,

Rai

[Rai]

There was also some cool news I came across today that says studies show veggie peeps might live longer. Here's a couple of the links:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-5...

http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/04...


What's good for us is good for mamma earth and the animals :)

Cheers,

Rai

[Hanna[h]]

Any tips for people that are trying to stay healthy and vegitarian without eating bread? I eat do much I seriously need to cut it down! I am vegitarian though, not vegan(:

[Gertie]

A couple of things... these are geared more towards bread reduction/healthier bread.

First, try to replace some of your regular bread with sprouted wheat bread. It's super yummy and a little healthier.

Also, if you are having a sandwich, try using just one piece of bread, then use a couple of lettuce leaves for the other side to hold it together. (I'll admit, I love the crunchy untrendy iceberg lettuce for this.)

[Hanna[h]]

Thanks! I already use normal wheat bread, and when I have veggie burgers I usually have it protien style, but it's very messy lol. I'll try the one bread thing though for sure (:

[Gertie]

How do you usually eat bread? That might help folks have ideas...

[Hanna[h]]

Like, sandwitches, pasta, rice, etc. I've been better the past few weeks, but I mean what's some high protein low carb vegitarian meals that I can quickly make for school? Lol

[Jo]

I am not a vegetarian but really want to be but I have digestive problems and don't eat gluten or dairy which is in most vegetarian options. I know people get annoyed when none vegetarians mention protein, but I don't want to make my health problems worse. I can eat beans but not a lot as I have IBS. What do I eat?! Eating out at restaurants near where I live (Derbyshire, England) is pretty much impossible because they either have gluten and/or dairy in their vegetarian options. I have made bean burgers before I kept them in my fridge, bulking them out with rice or quinoa so they are easier on my stomach but I get really stuck. Does anyone else have the same kind of problems?