Considering going the vegetarian route!

Are you a vegetarian?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 1 11.1%
  • I'm a vegan.

    Votes: 1 11.1%
  • No.

    Votes: 5 55.6%
  • I'm considering trying a vegetarian diet to see if it might be right for me.

    Votes: 1 11.1%
  • I already eat vegetarian/vegan often

    Votes: 1 11.1%

  • Total voters
    9

niemela23

Veteran
Joined
27 Nov 2015
Local time
7:24 AM
Messages
128
Location
Ontario, Canada
Hello to all fellow Cooking Bites members! It's been a while and it feels good to be back. I hope everyone is well!

I have been thinking about eliminating meat products from my diet (for the last year, roughly), for a number of reasons. The animal-cruelty aspect of things, the health side of things, the environmental factors, etc. My boyfriend of over 10 years is on board with me, so this should be a very interesting journey, shall we decide to embark on it.

A few problems are: I have a limited budget due to being on a disability allowance, I have little to no knowledge about how a proper vegetarian diet truly works (I realize I am going to have to do a lot of research, and I have started), I am uncertain of the best places to find quality, yet affordable ingredients for a diet like this where I live.

My advantages are: my willingness to try new things, the fact that I have a 'partner in crime' who will be going along with the changes with me (support and feedback, yes!), my decent cooking abilities, and a somewhat well-stocked pantry to begin to build on.

Some fears are: that myself and my boyfriend will become deficient by not getting all of the nutrients we need, that we will not enjoy the taste of a lot of the dishes (although we do currently enjoy some vegetarian dishes as it is), that my boyfriend especially, may have a hard time adjusting to things like lentils, tofu, meat substitutes (if we choose to try them)

I was hoping that maybe you guys (and gals) might have some advice regarding this whole switch we are considering undergoing, or any tricks/tips for converting from a meat-eating diet to a vegetarian one, any great recipes, any 'dos' or 'donts', any success stories or horror stories, or hilarious ones...

If so, please feel free to share, any feedback would be appreciated greatly, and I also look forward to hearing about others' experiences with the big 'switch'!


-J
 
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Whilst not a vegetarian (although I could see it happening) I have gone through the same thought processes as you, and decided initially to reduce my consumption of meat. Previously, almost every meal included meat, now probably less than 50%. Breakfast and lunch is easy, evening meals less so, but a commitment to two vegetarian and two fish based meals a week seems to be working. The meat I still eat I now probably enjoy more, with less guilt. The biggest mistake I found was trying to replace meat in recipes designed for meat (apart from quorn chilli, which works quite well). You can't just substitute meat with chunks of tofu and expect not to be disappointed. Instead, I would suggest turning to cuisines that build recipes around veg and pulses as the main ingredients. Middle Eastern and Southern Indian recipes offer lots of tasty options, and don't leave you feeling that something is missing!
 
I would suggest turning to cuisines that build recipes around veg and pulses as the main ingredients

I agree with all of that. I would add - as someone who has been either mostly or wholly vegetarian since the early 1970s - that eating good bread (preferably wholemeal, with nuts and seeds added) and exploring the use of grains and cereals, such as rice, millet, bulghur wheat, will provide a healthy and interesting diet. If you eliminate or significantly reduce the amount of meat in your diet, then you need to replace that protein by eating eggs, pulses and/or fish.

I don't think it's necessary to completely eradicate meat from your diet (but great, if you want to). As part of a move towards a fairer use of the planet's limited resources, it would be better if everyone ate a little less meat. It seems to me to be about having a social conscience, rather than thinking that you should become vegetarian because it's 'healthier'.
 
I would not consider a whole vegetarian or vegan life style. We do eat vegan dishes on occasion. Too much of a love for seafood, cheese and charcuterie beside meat and poultry.
 
I would not consider a whole vegetarian or vegan life style. We do eat vegan dishes on occasion. Too much of a love for seafood, cheese and charcuterie beside meat and poultry.

Seafood is my downfall - I could never give up oysters and lobster! Cheese I can live without although I enjoy it. Many cheeses are vegetarian anyway.
 
I'm vegetarian/vegan a lot of the time - maybe 5 out of 7 days a week? But I love cooking so much that I cook meat for others to eat and for recipe development/photographing.
 
I too love seafood, I get for nothing, (swaps) with friends. Crayfish, oysters scallops, although I think the beds are still closed in Nelson. I do love vege curries , bhajees, etc. samosas.but I couldn't live without meat. Lamb or a thick juicy fillet steak. I'm happy in both worlds.

Russ
 
I'm veggie...ovolacto not vegan. I do a lot of beans for protein...red kidneys drained and garliced are tasty sprinkled on salad and in pasta. Beans and rice dishes are classic and i usually prefer black beans with my rice. Green Lima beans, buttered and seasoned with salt and pepper is a yummy treat for lunch. And giant dried white lima beans cook up to make a nice bean stew. Chick peas to make hummus and spread on pitas or na'an bread with some sauted peppers and onions...yum. And cooked down pintos for refried bean for refried bean pizza on flat bread with asiago and feta cheese and bell peppers. And of course meatless chili...extra red beans and fix just like regular chili just leaving out the meat. The occassional meat replacement is fine like i occassionally use chickenless chick patties ontop of mashed potatos as a nice warm comfort meal or pigless pulled pork for a barbq sandwich. And if you don't have time a quick egg is always a good protein source and i do love an egg sandwich with cheese and ketchup.

Don't forget iron, leafy greens pair lovely with beans and are a good source of iron.

And a bit on the delicate topic side...you will be gassy at first but as your body gets used to processing more fiber filled food that will go away and you will become very regular :eek::dance:
 
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Not a vegetarian, but do like vegetables. Gave up carbs (pasta, bread, sugar) for awhile, for health reasons. Definitely was a challenge, but I felt better and lost weight. Like yourself, I did lots of research. Farmers markets might help w price, inspiration, & trying new foods. Asian markets are often lower in price than the large chain markets. Good luck.
 
And a bit on the delicate topic side...you will be gassy at first but as your body gets used to processing more fiber filled food that will go away and you will become very regular :eek::dance:
You can considerably lessen this with the correct use of herbs and spices. The main one I use is the herb savoury . Winter savoury is a perennial and summer savoury is an annual. You can also get it in dried form ,but the truth is you'll have to hunt around to find it. In the UK ,you're lucky with the shop in Herefordshire that specialises in herbs and spices (plus dried pulses iirc) they also have an online store which was excellent.

Edmame beans are also an excellent source of protein .you usually purchase them frozen and zap in the microwave to reheat. Serve as is, but you only eat the bean, not the pod.
 
...Edamame beans are also an excellent source of protein .you usually purchase them frozen and zap in the microwave to reheat. Serve as is, but you only eat the bean, not the pod.

Do you like Guacamole? I think the market has shelled edamame. Mash them up and prepare like Guacamole, w or w/o Avocado, w pico de Gallo and lime juice.
 
I would never go vegetarian or vegan, but I do work on eating LESS meats, and as often as possible, to source the meats from local farmers who don't do the factory farm thing. In fact, that's one reason I'm a beginning farmer here. I now raise my own eggs.

I admit there is too much meat in my current diet. I cannot eat most tree nuts due to unpleasant digestive issues, and I prefer to eat soy in its fermented forms (miso, tamari, tempeh), although occasionally I'll indulge in a bowl of edamame... I can be very full on eggplant, mushrooms, okra, cauliflower and sweet potatoes. Also black beans and lentils.

What I want to do is turn to a vegetarian diet two full days a week, and a piscevorian plan for one meal for the third (the other part of that day being vegetarian). It is a bit difficult right now for complicated reasons I may talk about later, although a hint in the following sentence. Right now I just plan to cut out eating ground meats at any of the many local community meals, since that stuff can be sourced from multitudes of factory farmed animals. One step at a time.
 
What I want to do is turn to a vegetarian diet two full days a week, and a piscevorian plan for one meal for the third (the other part of that day being vegetarian). It is a bit difficult right now for complicated reasons I may talk about later, although a hint in the following sentence. Right now I just plan to cut out eating ground meats at any of the many local community meals, since that stuff can be sourced from multitudes of factory farmed animals. One step at a time.

Sounds like a good plan. :okay:
 
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