Going vegetarian in 2026

[Windigo]

January tends to be the month for trying a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle for a month (i appreciate you're trying for permanent) so there are plenty of resources around to help out.

Yeah, this is intended to be permanent. As soon as my freezer is empty there will be no more new meat or fish. And not outside the home either. I know we will have less options when dining out, but we prefer Asian food anyway and that's easy to find vegetarian options for.

There first place to start, is to look at your diet now and establish what can really be changed or switched without a huge impact.

Most people turning vegetarian make the mistake of relying on dairy for flavour and protein. That's unhealthy as you know due to the saturated fats and quantities of it that can total during a single day.

I wasn't intending to use dairy to replace other proteins, I know it doesn't work loke that. And I know enough about other vegetarian food.

Second step is to examine everything pre-made from sweets, to full meals. A lot of them have hidden animal ingredient such as gelatin. Unless it states vegetable gelatine, assume it is beef gelatine. Same with cheese, animal rennet features a lot in cheese unless it is specially marked suitable for vegetarians. Plant rennet comes from a fungus.

Other hidden animal products include beef dripping or tallow on frozen chips, meat based stock in seemingly vegetarian soups or stews for example. Another is wine. Fish swim bladders are often still used to clarify wine.

I rarely drink wine, so that helps a lot. Alcohol free wine I will check. I hate the flavor of tallow or dripping but it's also banned for commercial use in the Netherlands. That makes this easier. Rennet I knew about.

Your next step, is not to beat yourself up if you fail to spot a hidden ingredient. Take it as a lesson, and learn from it. Don't consider yourself "a failure" because of an industry that has had decades to hide animal ingredients in products. It's a learning exercise not an exam.

There are other things than help and assist, but I don't want to overwhelm you.

But you do need to sit down and work out how strict you are going to be and how you are going to deal with eating out or at family events.

We've agreed to be strict about it, we don't have many family events anyway. We just need to gradually ease into that as I have a ton of jello and gelatin at home I will use up.

I would also suggest you look into getting a couple of cookbooks/blogs/websites to aid the transition. I love reading cookbooks and I do find they help considerably. I used to use a monthly vegetarian magazine to help with ideas and learning about where the hidden traps are. The UK has a huge number of these (which ironically ship paper copies of these magazine from Germany) and they really do help in the beginning. There is also a mass of Asian/Indonesian vegan cookbooks nowadays where people had modified traditional recipes.

I have signed up for the national vegetarian collective indeed for this reason.

One tip i would say, is to try to find a tofu brand that you like, and also learn how to use tofu. It is a really valuable ingredient, but just like all produce, vegetarian or otherwise, there are good versions of it and bad versions of it.

I do really need to learn more about tofu, indeed. I am not that good at making it taste great.

Tempeh is another really great product. Very versatile and available in many different pulse bases nowadays, not just soy.

Yeah I use it frequently as a part Indonesian person, it's very tasty.

I know seiten has been suggested, but I'm not certain how suitable it is for you given your intestinal issues (coeliac) because it is solid wheat gluten. We personally avoid it, only having it very rarely when out, because we struggle with digesting it and we have no issues with gluten normally.

I have Crohns disease, not coeliac. Seitan is my favorite vegetarian food and I have made it before. I've got two jars of active wheat gluten at home. It's never given me problems and I plan to make it my main meat replacement.

And there is always here you can post queries to. I'm more than happy to help, but I do also suggest you consider talking to your nutritionalist/dietitian as well. You need them on your side, helping you not trying to talk you out of it.

I am definitely planning to discuss this at my next meeting with my RD, though they advice a more plant based diet anyway so I am sure they will be supportive.

Thank you for making the effort to write all this down!

 

[badjak]

but we prefer Asian food anyway and that's easy to find vegetarian options for.

Careful of fish sauce....
It's one of the reasons I would never become full vegetarian .
Eating more veges and less meat, sure. But no fish sauce

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Yeah, this is intended to be permanent. As soon as my freezer is empty there will be no more new meat or fish. And not outside the home either. I know we will have less options when dining out, but we prefer Asian food anyway and that's easy to find vegetarian options for.

I wasn't intending to use dairy to replace other proteins, I know it doesn't work loke that. And I know enough about other vegetarian food.

I rarely drink wine, so that helps a lot. Alcohol free wine I will check. I hate the flavor of tallow or dripping but it's also banned for commercial use in the Netherlands. That makes this easier. Rennet I knew about.

We've agreed to be strict about it, we don't have many family events anyway. We just need to gradually ease into that as I have a ton of jello and gelatin at home I will use up.

I have signed up for the national vegetarian collective indeed for this reason.

I do really need to learn more about tofu, indeed. I am not that good at making it taste great.

Yeah I use it frequently as a part Indonesian person, it's very tasty.

I have Crohns disease, not coeliac. Seitan is my favorite vegetarian food and I have made it before. I've got two jars of active wheat gluten at home. It's never given me problems and I plan to make it my main meat replacement.

I am definitely planning to discuss this at my next meeting with my RD, though they advice a more plant based diet anyway so I am sure they will be supportive.

Thank you for making the effort to write all this down!

My apologies for confusing the two (Crohns disease, not coeliac.)... I often remember the first letter of the name of something, but can't place the rest of it.

I have to say my preference is tempeh and tofu. We made seiten once and only once. It tasted great, but our bodies did not appreciate it one bit!

I know you use food colouring a lot, too. One of them (red) is made from ground-up beetles, cochineal. You will need to look up its E number to be able to ID it. Often other stuff like Vitamin D is added, again something to cover.

the chips thing is an interesting one. In the UK and Australia it is common to find this Crispy & Fluffy Triple Cooked Chips | M&S This is from M&S frozen chips with an added extra making them not suitable for vegetarians.


How far are you going?
Lifestyle or just food? I ask because there are loads of hidden locations for animal fats in things like soap, (all forms) detergents, shampoo, conditioner, cosmetics and so on. It is another place that it is easy to trip up on. Handcream, moisturiser, Q10 and so on...

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

But no fish sauce

they make a very decent alternative that is fish free. I use it.

 

[Windigo]

Careful of fish sauce....
It's one of the reasons I would never become full vegetarian .
Eating more veges and less meat, sure. But no fish sauce

I rarely use fish sauce now, so I will be able to go without. Trassi is unfortunate, but a sacrifice I am willing to make. Prawn crackers have very good plant based alternatives by now, so I should find my way around.

 

[Windigo]

My apologies for confusing the two (Crohns disease, not coeliac.)... I often remember the first letter of the name of something, but can't place the rest of it.

I have to say my preference is tempeh and tofu. We made seiten once and only once. It tasted great, but our bodies did not appreciate it one bit!

That’s unfortunate, it is really versatile like tofu.

I know you use food colouring a lot, too. One of them (red) is made from ground-up beetles, cochineal. You will need to look up its E number to be able to ID it. Often other stuff like Vitamin D is added, again something to cover.

I actually only use it for cakes or curries. I'll check which ones are animal free.

the chips thing is an interesting one.

Our government banned those kind of fats for commercial use for health reasons. You can buy it for private use, but not for a commercial one like a factory or chippy.

How far are you going?
Lifestyle or just food? I ask because there are loads of hidden locations for animal fats in things like soap, (all forms) detergents, shampoo, conditioner, cosmetics and so on. It is another place that it is easy to trip up on. Handcream, moisturiser, Q10 and so on...

I can't completely eliminate all sources of animal derived ingredients ( mainly medication) but I am going to watch soap , laundry detergent, cosmetics etc. And I won't use wool or leather either. I currently don't own leather shoes, purses, furniture or clothing anyway. We don't have pets anymore so no dillema about that either.

 

[badjak]

I rarely use fish sauce now, so I will be able to go without. Trassi is unfortunate, but a sacrifice I am willing to make. Prawn crackers have very good plant based alternatives by now, so I should find my way around.

And there is emping
I'm sure you do well!
Maybe look into Indian cooking as well. India has a high percentage of vegetarians and vegans, so obviously loads of available recipes

 

[Windigo]

And there is emping
I'm sure you do well!
Maybe look into Indian cooking as well. India has a high percentage of vegetarians and vegans, so obviously loads of available recipes

Yes I am intending to do that, a lot of our favorite food is Indian anyway

 

[Herbaceous]

No real advice here, but I’m watching this thread with interest. We’re not planning to become vegetarian, but we are looking to incorporate more vegetarian meals into our diets. Unfortunately, my husband has developed gout, and meats (especially beef) are something he’ll need to reduce to keep the gout under control.

We’re currently eating a lot of vegetarian pastas (pasta is good for gout) and soups/stews for main meals. When he does eat something that he probably shouldn’t, he feels it within 30 minutes. He had a glass of wine before dinner today and mentioned when we finished he could feel it in his toe already.

 

[SoCalZone10]

We eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. I’m a fruit lover, I have 160+ fruit trees in my small garden for a reason. But I think to be a complete vegetarian would be hard for us. In fact, I have to add more protein for my husband to eat at night, since I don't eat at night.

 

[badjak]

And I won't use wool or leather either.

Just out of curiosity: why won't you use wool?

 

[Windigo]

Just out of curiosity: why won't you use wool?

Because it's itchy and if I don't need to use an animal why would I? That would be the thought process.