Vegetarians & Vegans Support Group
Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming the flesh of any animal . Veganism excludes all animal products from diet and in some definitions from attire also. Vegetarians have varied motivations including religious, cultural, ethical, aesthetic, environmental, social, economic, health, political, and personal concerns. Join many others in sharing your experiences to...
I've tried to become Vegetarian numerous times when I was younger and it just never worked because I didn't have enough will and quit before I even got started. So I'm asking anyone for some tips to make the transition a bit easier. I'm on the second day already and made it through alright, but I've already realized how much of a change it's already gonna be when I went out to eat with my family to sonic, and I almost couldnt eat anything at all except for jalapeno poppers and my mom had to take me to subway instead. So any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you. :)
You might fall off the wagon. If that happens, dust yourself off and get back on it! (Unless you decide you don't want to be vegetarian, do what feels natural for you).
After that- Planning.
Meal plans for any change in diet are helpful, so that you're not stressing out and taking an easy (and most often less nutritious) option.
I found my four favourite meals and then converted them to vegetarian recipes. There's a recipe thread on this support group already, so you might want to check that out for ideas. But really, there's plenty of simple options and the broader your term 'vegetarian' the easier it is to work out what you can/can't eat. At least in the beginning.
We promise we won't take away your Vegetarian Membership Card if you eat a little meat here and there.
Then again, it's easy for me to say these things, I was raised a vegetarian and this is my natural condition... there is nothing that I "miss" or would feel weak about.
But, I may miss cheese when I go fully vegan, which I am doing in the slow way that I describe for you goring vegetarian.
As far as sushi, I'm not the one to talk to. I think fish is... well... fishy.
I never acquired that flavor so I can't imagine wanted to eat that smelly gross stuff. Just being around fish I start to lose my appetite.
I've seen 'vegetarian sushi' mentioned before. I have no info other than that... b/c I would never want sushi, so have no interest in 'fake sushi'
Good luck!
My boyfriend and I used to go to sushi all the time. Then when I started the vego thing, we didn't go for ages. He knew hard it would be.
We went recently though (I must have looked like a cat staring into a fish bowl!). He ordered us a tempura vegetable roll. It tasted AWESOME.
As for bacon, the boyf keeps saying "Oh there's a vegan version" but I've yet to see it. Tried one by Sanitarium last week, it tasted okay. But it's not bacon.
I'll have to find the bacon. Sigh.
the way they do it, according to online sources is to layer red and white seitan dough, press, then bake.
I've been making a more peperoni / jerky style seitan for years now, it always works out well.
going to try to make vegan cheese at some point.
but it's actually not hard to make. Sometimes called "wheat meat" its main component is vital wheat gluten (also bought at most health food stores)
I've got a recipe for what I normally make here
http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/holiday-cookies/discussions/messages/11172131
It makes good jerky (if you dry it some after cooking and slicing) and is good in sandwiches... and for some reason, it is my dog's favorite treat.
Sometimes, even now after nine years of being veggie, i still get cravings for meat, so i tend to eat quite a bit of 'fake meat'. Burgers, sausages, bacon...etc. It's mostly soya but tastes just as good as meat, well, better when you consider no animals had to die for you to eat it!
Good luck, don't rush yourself. Experiment with meat free meat replacements and just see how you go. I'm taking it slowly with my transition to becoming vegan, just cutting out the things i won't miss so much first and build from that.
Which is great. I've seen them in Woolworths and Coles (I'm in Australia) which is pretty cool. But they're hidden near the TV dinners or chicken kieves and that sort of thing.
Frys and Sandian are also great and they're vegan.
Sanitarium (good 'fake meats' selection, I'm having their bacon now) and soy products are usually, I've found, near the cheese section.
I live in a small country town, so to find these things here was wild. I don't do the 'make your own food' thing. I barely know what my oven is for.