Adventures of vegetarianism

[josie54]

I've long wanted to be a vegetarian--for ethical and health reasons--but for years I just couldn't do it. I like the taste of meat, but I always thought about the meat industry and how it works and what these animals go through, so I always felt guilty about eating it.

 

So, for my 39th birthday this year, I decided that I was finally going to make the choice to eat a vegetarian diet, so I could "live honestly," so to speak. (I don't say "become a vegetarian" because I don't think I can make that claim until I'm into it for a few years!). So far, I've not been perfect (when all of your friends meet up at a BBQ joint, your vegetarian options are limited!), but I've been about 95 percent.

 

I know for some vegetarians, it's a simple choice--they don't eat meat, period, because they have such an aversion to the entire idea. For me, it's more difficult, because I grew up on a farm, in a hunting community. I love a good steak! My desire to eat a vegetarian diet stems more from the fact that I'm against the unnecessarily inhumane treatment of animals (as is the case in the meat industry), than from the fact that I'm against the killing of animals for food since it seems that's how all of nature works (I don't criticize those who hunt responsibly for food). But the meat industry is not nature, and that's what bothers me.

 

Some people have suggested to me that I simply look for meats from small, local farms. However, if I'm not willing to kill the animal myself, I figure I should not eat it.

 

So far, I've been doing this gradually. I'm still eating fish, for example. Eventually, however, I was thinking of giving up fish, eggs, and dairy, but I know that will be extremely hard for me.

 

So my question is to all of you meateaters-turned-vegetarian: How have you made the transition? What have been your go-to strategies to be able to maintain a vegetarian diet? Any cookbooks, recipes, ingredients, etc., that have helped?

 

I've been doing this for three months, but would like to make it permanent. So, I thought it might be helpful to hear how others have made this switch.

[kdark]

After a few months for me, I completely forgot about meat altogether...

 

In the grocery store, the brands Boca and Morning Star are both good for helping with transition when you first the diet. They make good tasting non meat chicken, bacon, and sausage.

 

I'm pescatarian too for social/economical reasons, and I must say making the transition wasn't as hard as I thought it was... The hardest part was having my friends and family know about it. At first they tried to always fix me meat things just to test me, but after a while, when they all saw that I was serious about it and went a year without eating meat, they accepted it.

[josie54]

Sorry, kdark, I just saw that you responded to my query! (I just thought no one on the forum was terribly interested in vegetarianism!)

 

You note that your friends often tried to get you to eat meat--for me, it's my fiance, a diehard meateater. And we live together. That means that he's always cooking steaks, chicken, and pork, and I have to try to resist the temptation. It's not his fault--he's not the one trying to be vegetarian, and I don't expect him to! But it's still so hard to smell what he's cooking and not eat any of it. Sometimes I can, and sometimes I can't.

 

I'm starting to think that most strict vegetarians may have the advantage that they actually don't like meat all that much! Then it would be easy (as it was when I gave up soda...that was no problem, because I wasn't all that crazy about soda in the first place). But I do like meat, and because I live with someone who eats it all the time, it's just incredibly difficult.

 

I do eat Boca and Morningstar products, and while they taste pretty good, they're just not the same. Plus, there's the protein issue. I get a little weak when I don't eat enough protein, and I can get only so much from beans, lentils, cottage cheese, and quinoa.

 

I'll keep trying though. Maybe my experience will be the same as yours, and one day I just won't want meat anymore. I will hope!

[Green]

first off if your still eating eggs, drinking milk, and eating fish you shouldn't have to much trouble getting enough protein... seriously life is to short why torture yourself. You could still eat meat where you thing the animal was treated humanely. And seriosly who cares if we "torture" animals... things in nature arn't so neat and clean. Spiders wrap up their prey so tight it destroys them and then leave them alive till they are hungry. Birds will peck out a persons eyes and eat them if your to weak to swap them away. I don't happen to believe in any kind of bird or cow heaven.

[quankanne]

I think that if the average person followed the Am. Heart Association's meal guidelines, they'd find their diet to lean toward vegetarianism rather than a meat-heavy one.

 

and maybe that's the way to explain/get it through people's heads, that you want to try eat a more healthily balanced meal because they KNOW that they're supposed to eat more vegetables for better health!

 

josie, have you looked into tofu as a protein source? My sister just had gastric band surgery, and one of the things she's done is to incorporate it into her diet because it's much easier to digest (and therefore less painful) than trying to eat her much-loved steak, barbecue or even chicken. I've seen her add it to her sweet potato then blend it into a kind of mashed potato, she says you really can't taste it but it does the trick for protein.

[Ocean-Blue]

I'm not vegetarian, but I can tell you that the BEST vegetarian meals I've had are South Indian ones. They have a great deal of variety that incorporate various flavours and ingredients. I wish I could point you to a local place to eat (one comes to mind)...but I have no idea where you live. But seriously, I lived in India as a young child and the food there was DIVINE! We rarely ate meat, but we were always so satisfied. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

[josie54]

who cares if we "torture" animals

 

Yikes, that comment distrubs on several levels. I hope you don't have a dog or cat KMT! Unlike a spider, humans have the capacity to feel compassion for another's pain, whether it's the pain of another human or an animal. So I do care. A lot. Plus, even though there are exceptions in nature, most predators kill their prey quickly.

 

That said, I also understand your underlying argument. I don't have as much of a problem with a process in which animals are humanely raised and killed (for the reasons you mention--nature is generally carnivorous), as a process that kills animals slowly and with no regard to their suffering (which includes most animals bred in the meat industry).

 

I also am not willing to kill any animal myself, so it just doesn't sit well with me, for personal reasons, to eat something that I've essentially paid someone else to kill for me.

 

Your comment regarding eggs, milk, and fish is true--I am concerned about getting enough B vitamins, but I can do that with a supplement. My main problem is getting past my enjoyment of meat dishes, and learning to withstand temptations and truly become a vegetarian.

 

I am trying to work with tofu more, although I am a bit worried about eating it in great amounts. Some studies have shown that it promotes estrogen production, which can be a precursor to breast cancer. Just had a good friend die earlier this year at age 35 of estrogen-positive breast cancer, and she pretty much pounded the whole soy thing into my head--not sure if it's right or not, but she definitely fed my caution about it.

 

And, oddly enough, this friend was also Indian, and she introduced me to Indian food as well! You're 100% right, Ocean-Blue...Indian food is the best thing in the world for vegetarians!

 

I don't know, maybe I should look for a vegetarian or vegan cooking class, so I can be inspired to create more adventurous food at home. If what's on my plate is scrumptious, I won't be so tempted by what's on someone else's.

[amaysngrace]

I use to love Morningstar Philly Cheesesteak burgers but they discontinued them.

 

I eat eggs. They aren't flesh. I do dairy too. Nobody is killed for their milk or eggs.

 

The trouble I have is iron intake. I'm anemic.(sp?) And right before and during my period I crave meat so badly. I usually eat it or I get extremely tired.

 

You can do protein drinks. There is one called muscle milk that is a soy milk I think but it isn't very bad tasting. It's high in protein. You can even buy the powder mix at GNC and make it up at home. But you should try it pre-made in the store first to be sure you like the taste of it before spending $60 on the GNC jar.

 

I need to know a food that's high in iron beside red meat. I don't like taking iron supplements because it's too much and it hurts my stomach.

[allina]

Hi, congrats on making one of the best and most honorable choices you can make

 

I've been vegetarian for a long time and currently I'm basically vegan. I have no desire to eat meat at all, to me it's like why would I want to feed on the flesh or a dead animal, that's so sad and unnecessary! I understand that humans were meat eaters when they were cave men, but I feel that as we've evolved there is zero need for it.

 

There are tons of delicious things you can eat, I LOVE flavorful, delicious food and I never feel deprived. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[quankanne]

I've been vegetarian for a long time and currently I'm basically vegan. I have no desire to eat meat at all

 

I think maybe a close analogy would be someone who ate sweets like cakes and cookies and candy switch over to fruit, then realize after they tried eating the old (bad) stuff they craved, their palate rejected it because it grew accustomed to the natural sugars in fruit. And I can see that process "work" in switching over to a diet that contained little or no meat.

 

amaysn, that's really freaky to think that your period would deplete your blood's iron to a point where a nice juicy steak would kickstart it again!

[amaysngrace]

amaysn, that's really freaky to think that your period would deplete your blood's iron to a point where a nice juicy steak would kickstart it again!

 

No I'm always anemic. Just worse when I get my period. This is what I think anyway because that's what the people at the blood drive at our church told me because I couldn't give blood when I was on day four or something.

[josie54]

Amaysngrace, I'm also borderline anemic (and cannot give blood at any time...I've been turned away twice because my blood floated in their little test). I cannot tolerate iron supplementation.

 

I know that leafy vegetables (like spinach, kale, etc.), beans, and fortified cereals are recommended to vegetarians to get their iron. I also take a multivitamin. If you eat fish, seafood also is a source of iron. Morningstar and Boca burgers also add iron to the mix.

 

Another question: Can anyone recommend their favorite vegetarian cookbooks and/or highlight their favorite recipes? I'm trying to mix things up so I can get to the point where quankanne mentions, and I no longer even want to eat meat!

[quankanne]

I've not exactly looked for vegetarian/vegan dishes on either site, but I've found allrecipes and recipeland (dot-com) a goldmine for recipes. You might also check to see if there are any cookbooks by Linda McCartney (yes, Beetle Paul's wife!), I know they adhered to a vegeterian diet and she even was marketing her own frozen foods before she died.

 

you might also try ethnic cookbooks since many of their meals are vegetable based ...

[quankanne]

a review listed on Amazon says this about Linda's cookbook

 

"Linda McCartney's immensely popular vegetarian cookbook stresses freshness and nutrition, as she uses her imagination to create 200 meatless dishes that are quick, economical, and sacrifice nothing in taste. "For those of you who are curious about vegetarian cuisine but don't know where to begin, this will answer your questions." – Lady's Circle.

[O'Malley]

The switch wasn't hard for me (when I was 19) mostly because my mom was a dietitian and always made healthier meals that weren't focused on meat dishes. We never consumed a lot of meat, except for fish and the Thanksgiving turkey; I can't stand the smell of barbecued meat.

 

As others have said, Morningstar and Boca both make good transition meals. Definitely second eating more kale, spinach, broccoli and taking supplements, if you feel the need to. I'm one of those weirdos that loves cabbage (especially sauer-kraut).

[josie54]

You might also check to see if there are any cookbooks by Linda McCartney

 

I've looked at several vegetarian cookbooks and hadn't even thought of Linda McCartney's. After I read the great reviews, I decided to go a bit crazy....I went over to a used book site and bought three of her cookbooks (Home Cooking, Linda's Kitchen, and 200 Meat-free Dishes from Around the World) for a cool $23 (including shipping...I love used books).

 

Thanks so much for the recommendation. I can't wait to try out the recipes--I'll let you know how they go!

[quankanne]

no kidding, 23 bucks for all those cookbooks? Girl, you DID GOOD!!!

 

don't know what made her pop into my mind, I think it was the frozen vegetarian line she had introduced, and her saying that meatless dishes didn't have to taste yucky. Or something to that extent!

 

let us know how the cooking goes, and please don't hesitate to share when you hit on a good recipe

[missdeathwish]

I've been vegetarian off and on for about 11 years, mainly for the same reasons as you (the industry bothers me, though for me there are also environmental considerations and human rights concerns along with the treatment of animals).

 

You have absolutely nothing to worry about if you are eating eggs, dairy, and fish. Just be careful not to make them your main source of protein. They all can be quite high in fat.

 

I think the "need" for meat is mostly psychological for a lot of people. If you are getting the nutrients, the source doesn't really matter.

 

I suggest eating a lot of vegetarian ethnic food. Italian, Mexican, Ethiopian, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese... all of these are relatively unfamiliar. (Basically, you won't miss the meat because it never was there to begin with.)

 

Try Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon. Lots of winners in there.

[josie54]

Just a note to say that the Linda McCartney cookbooks have been a great addition....thanks for the recommendation! I'd recommend these cookbooks to anyone who's looking for more versatility in a vegetarian diet. She does use a lot of oils, butter, and cheese (so it may not be the healthiest!), but not all are like that. And the recipes can be easily modified.

 

So far, her shepherd's pie, using a veggie burger crumble and portobello mushrooms, and the eggplant parmesan recipes have been hearty and fabulous. I'm looking forward to trying other recipes.

 

I've been able to go 100% veg for the last month....it's even getting easier at restaurants, where that chicken dish doesn't look so appealing anymore. I know I'll probably succumb to meat-eating now and again, but I feel as if I may have passed over a threshhold, where it's easier to stick with a meatless diet.