How to be a vegetarian?

[smurfalicious]

Me and the BF are instituting a lifestyle change as well - although I will never get him away from his red meat entirely, and frankly, the man cooks a mean steak so it's okay every once in awhile. But we both love fish so we're basing our meals on replacing the hormone filled red meat and chicken with mercury laden fish instead.

And I love a big glass of ice cold milk way too much to ever give it up. And I have never eaten tofu.

Like nowhereman said, salads are awesome if you dress them up with the right stuff. As for salad dressings, most often I can't stand the 'lite' or 'fat-free' versions, but take honey and add either lime juice (great on salads with fish or chicken) or honey and spicy brown mustard for dressing. I prefer the natural honey as a sweetener over processed sugars. And the honey, as long as you purchase local honey, helps with your allergies.


Tip: cutting the meat/protein portion in half, then doubling up on the veggies is helping him deal with less meat - and eating the veggies first, the meat last so he's less likely to not finish the veggies because he's too full. Also, instead of using breads for sandwiches, use whole lettuce leaves.

[lizzymahoney]

Some people really don't tolerate a veg diet well. Look at Paul McCartney, for instance. He has the advantage of wealth and all, but his skin and hair began to change when he went all veg. It's probably a lack of complete proteins and B vitamins.

Pay attention to the things you eat and the food that makes you feel good. If you feel bloated or tired or crampy after eating something it may not be good for you.

Such as dairy. You like milk, but there's a reasonable chance that you are lactose intolerant. Not absolutely true, but a lot of women are. So if you go to cheese and milk for protein, you may have some problems tolerating larger quantities of it.

Try and eat whole grains for the vitamins and minerals, and I'd suggest you take a good multi-vit tablet with minerals.

Veggies will go through you more easily than a meat based meal. You might have to adjust to the less full feeling. It doesn't mean that you are hungry really, but our minds interpret the lack of fullness as a lack of satiety. It isn't, but you'll adapt.

Stuff like your urine and poop will change, too. Try and deal with it with the foods you eat rather than altering body chemistry with medications. Sure many meds have natural ingredients in them, like the kaolin clay in some anti-diarrheals, but drinking blackberry tea or blackberry brandy will slow the rush too. Just slower and more comfortably metabolized.

ok, this is like my third post and I'm already talking about poop. sheesh.