So i decided to go vegetarian, i dont eat red meat but i do eat chicken sometimes. I decided to do it because of moral reasons. Anyway, is there any way to ease into it or should i just throw myself in to no meat whatsoever? For now i am going to eat dairy, i dont like eggs and i dont drink milk, but i love cheese and yogurt and all that good stuff. Also, what should i be eating to take place of the meat i was eating?
Do you like tofu? A lot of people think it's weird, but tofu is a great substitute for meat in a lot of dishes (burritos, tacos, stir-fry, etc). It's really versatile and good for you. Other good vegetarian sources of protein include whole grain/whole wheat products (breads, tortillas, bagels, etc), dairy or soy yogurt/cheese, beans, nuts and nut butters, meat substitutes (veggie burgers etc), and so on. Getting enough protein can be challenging as a vegetarian, but it's totally possible. Good luck!
Can I just say that schneider's makes the BEST meatless chicken nuggets, EVER? They're better then real chicken nuggets. So good.
Soy is used in a lot of meatless alternatives too; I tend to like soy alternatives rather than tofu. I like tofu plain on it's own, but it ends up tasting weird when they try to turn it into something else. Tofurkey? Never try it. Ever. It's gross ;)
Meat alternatives can be a tad more expensive, though. A pack of 4 meatless burgers is usually around 6.50 (here anyways). Schneider's is a bit better, you can get a full bag of "chicken" nuggets, "steak" tips, or meatless meat balls which are all amazingly good for around 7 bucks, and they have a lot in them.
Lentils and kale are really great for you if you're a vegetarian. They help make up for what you're lacking for not eating meat, so it's really important to have them.
Eww, I hate tofu, too. The texture makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and shudder. I am a big fan of the soy "meat" alternatives (Morningstar Farms spicy black bean burgers...mmmm) though some of them can be weird if you are really used to the actual meat (I think Boca burgers are gross). I've never heard of Schneider's brand...maybe they don't have it in Minnesota??
I have been vegetarian for about a decade, but it was easy to quit everything almost cold turkey (no pun intended). I basically cut out hamburger (ick...I never really liked it anyway) first, then chicken/turkey, then ham/bacon/pepperoni and that was about it. I never ate fish or seafood anyway so that was easy. You may want to try soy or rice milk. They're actually really good and could be an added source of protein/nutrition while you're easing your way into a vegetarian lifestyle. Most grocery stores (even the main ones like Cub and Rainbow) have "healthy"/"natural"/vegetarian sections in them and you can find lots of good stuff there.
Good luck!
I have been veggie since I was 14. For me, I stopped eating read meat and only would eat chicken once in a great while, but that only lasted a month about. I haven't had milk & stuff since I was about 19 or 20. I love yogurt, but it has gelatin in it and I don't really like the soy yogurt. Trent has been veggie since end of 2002 and he quit cold turkey and it was easy for him. I don't like the fake meat much because it reminds me way too much of meat, but Lyric and Trent love it. I love soy milk and other soy products (except yogurt) and at the grocery store the other day I found this wonderful alternative to eggs FINALLY! Or when you bake you can use soft tofu (like i do) or 2 tbsp of corn starch per egg you need. Also, if you do like eggs (i don't, never have) but Trent misses eggs and he has this really great recipe for making tofu that tastes exactly like eggs. Plus, there's alternatives to sandwhich meat, pepporrni, bacon, sausage, cheese, chicken, everything... it's pretty cool actually. When I did eat meat I only ate chicken, beef & turkey... never liked anythign else and maybe ate meat like a couple times a week. Plus I LOVE veggies and fruit. Any questions PM me... and good luck!
Hey Naivete, where in the store do you find the Schneider's products that you mentioned? Most stuff, like the four-packs of burgers and tofu, etc., is in the produce section and I know that the things you mentioned aren't found there. Would they be near the frozen foods/meat section? Tenzin recently tried the boca chick'n nuggets, and really liked them.
He recently tried the Scneider's "Au Naturel" hot dogs (is that what they're called?) and he liked them a lot more than he likes the Yves or the PC hot dogs.
The Schneider's meatless stuff is usually in the meat section here, not with the raw stuff, but along the boxed meat items.
Meatless hot dogs are sooo good. :)
The Schneider's line is way better than boca, hopefully you can find it :) Even my meat eating hubby and friends really love the Schneider's lines products.
I guess you could say I'm in the midst of cutting back on my way to being a vegetarian. I still eat meat occasionally, but its the exception not the norm. I don't like most 'fake meat' type things. To me, it isn't meat, why is it pretending to be? I like tofu cut up in mixtures and stuff, but I like eggs, chickpeas, kidney beans, and lentils even more. I love kidney beans. Dessert tofu is so good too. I just did this 50 km bike ride thing, and at the end they give you a lunch which included dessert tofu, and most of my family doesn't like it so I ate most of them heh. I don't miss lunch meat, I just fill my sandwich with cheese, pickles, tomato, lettuce, green pepper etc. I don't think I could give up my milk, eggs, cheese or yogourt though. I'm not cut out to be a vegan although I suspect I will eventually be a vegetarian.
The only thing i am really wanting is chicken. I dont think there is fake chicken though is there?
yes there is, tons of it.
chic nuggerts
buffalo wings, etc...
check the boca burger section
Schneider's has fake chicken nuggets and chicken patties for chicken burgers
yeah i read that in your post i just had a brain fart or something. sorry. the fake chicken nuggets sound good! I will have to try them. ARe they really expensive?
if you hate tofu go to the library and check out "tofu cookery" *drool*
i absolutely have to believe that if you hate tofu youre just not cooking it right...
i love scrambled "eggs" made by crumbling a pound of tofu in a pan and sauteeing it in olive oil and sea salt(melissa's makes one with herbs in it) on really low for kind of a long time. flip it when it startsgetting browned, it will absorb the flavour of anything it is cooked this way in. *drool*
if you dont cook it for long its like...bland... and it tastes like...white...
lol
its like bread, it absorbs flavour.
also there are some awesome recipes for home made veggie burgers all over the internet. oats are great for thickening recipes. ive also used barley a few times on accident with great results.
its pretty easy to eat everything you need a vegetarian, just remember to limit your dairy, alot of vegetarians lean a little to heavily on the dairy than is healthy.
and dont be too worried about protein, the average anerican is eating 3 times the healthy ammount of protein a day. and dairy is loaded with it. seeds ,nuts and beans are better for you sources. nuts are a great snack too. mmmm hazelnuts!
poxybat this is way ot, but i noticed your bds name is justin case as in just in case right? my bds name is justin tyme, like just in time. lol
My Ex-boyfriend/best friend/possibly sort of boyfriend (confusing eh??) is Justin Parker. No where near as cool as your BDs but I still like to make funny names with Justin. Like since Rancid is our favorite band, Justindestructible.
I hate tofu because of the texture (and I've tried it many times), not the taste.
I like tofu okay, but can't cook it myself. No clue how to do it so it tastes alright. The only times I usually eat tofu is if I order in vegetarian chinese food, and then I always order tofu and mixed veggies, and a thing of salt and pepper tofu. Those are good :) I'm more of a soy alternative girl myself, I agree Erika, the tofu texture is kind of odd no matter how you cook it. I like tofu on it's own, but as soon as you start trying to turn tofu into something else, it doesn't work too well (tofurkey? yuck!), but soy is a much more adaptable alternative.
wow lol i know its hard to think up middle names but... lol
that can also be solved... if you freeze it then thaw it and cook it, it will have a much different texture. i hear its more meaty, thicker and makes great 'tuna'. also you could try crumbling or cutting it so thin you can see through it... there are many ways to get around the tofu feel... that is if you feel like fighting with it lol
tofurky freaks me out but i absolutely love peppered tofurky jerky. my boyfriend says it tastes like dog food... pffft it tastes good...
and tofu is soy, and highly processed meat alternatives are just tofu trying to be something it never should be lol... i dont eat them so much because sometimes they freak me out and i think theyre real(alot of the faux meat i try ive never had the original, i was a toddler when i went veggie) and i dont really believe eating alot of highly processed foods is healthy so i consiously try to cut back... when i was pregnant i was really into 'turkey' sandwiches though yum. and vegenaise! ive even converted the omnivores onto it. i think grapeseed oil tastes best. and soyrizo, thats stuff is the veritable bomb with scrambled tofu, in a burrito, mized with beans...yum!
argh im making myself hungry.
Oh my god, Soyrizo is so good! I went out and found a recipe for an actual chorizo seasoning blend and I put it on everything. I don't eat it anymore but I still crave it ocassionally. Honestly, processed "meats" are extremely unhealthy and you really shouldn't eat em no matter how good they taste. It's easy to make your own veggie burgers and there are recipes out there for homemade "sausages" and "chicken nuggets". Soy can really mess you up hormonally if you eat too much of it (which is easy for vegans to do) because of the phytoestrogens it contains. I'm a soy-free lacto-ovo organic whole foods vegetarian myself :lol: and I let my son eat as much meat as I can stomach cooking for him, I consider it healthy I just don't like to eat it myself. I would never even think about putting him on a restrictive diet again (we're former vegans).