What advice would you give to somene who loves meat but has decided to become a vegetarian?

Learn how to cook really good tofu.

Well this is what got me…. try looking up how the animals are killed… its really sad.. it will make u think twice about eating meat. Plus think about all of the horomones they give the animals, do you want that in your body…but what really made me not eat meet was my dog….i wouldn’t eat him so why should I eat other helpless animals??

I have considered this before too. I like chicken though, so good luck with that.

My advice is to make sure your really ready to commit to a vegetarian lifestyle. Really think about the reasons you want to become a vegetarian. (i.e. if your not really sure why you want to become a vegetarian, you might be less likely to stick to vegetarianism as opposed to if you had strong moral reasons why not to eat meat).
Contrary to (semi) popular belief, protein in a vegetarian diet is really easy to obtain. There are a variety of brands that offer meat alternatives (morningstar being one of my favorites!). These meat alternatives are usually found in the frozen food section of your grocery store.
But you cant live off of meat alternatives alone, variety is really key to not getting bored on the vegetarian diet. Try to eat a lot of fruits and veggies too! Overall just try to maintain balance in your diet and you will stay healthy.
If fish is your only animal-based source of protein i would try to keep your consumption of it down to maybe one or two times a week, as some fish can contain a lot of harmful chemicals such as mercury.

I hope this helps, good luck!

I was a vegetarian for 5 years as a teenager, and again for the last year and a half.

Taking a B vitamin with iron really helped, but not everyone has the same experience. (In fact, a good general rule is that everyone has a different experience.)

Being creative and adventurous with food is helpful too. Standard American cuisine is centered around hot dogs, hamburgers, and steak. Asian food in particular tends to be way more inviting to vegetarians.

Learn to listen to your body and recognize when you need something like protein or iron or B12.

Be prepared for some awkward social situations. Sometimes you’ll have to plan ahead by bringing your own dish to a dinner party or gently nudging your friends into choosing an herbivore-friendly restaurant.

Buy tons of frozen edamame.

Don’t fall into the trap of just cutting out meat. Replace it with other forms of protein. I’m not gonna lie—most of them taste like shit. Don’t get discouraged—keep exploring, and find the ones that work for you.

If your friends are anything like mine, be prepared to have your decision challenged, criticized, and (lovingly) mocked.

Good luck to you, and please post back if you need more suggestions or support.

good luck? meat is awesome…

I go in phases personally, For the first eight years of my life I was almost entirely vegetarian, I just didn’t like meat. Then I turned into a bloody sirloin steak devouring monster for another seven, then I switched again.

I’m phasing out meat again, if you have no moral objections to the consumption of meat I really think the best way to go about it is to listen to your cravings. If once every few months you want that cheeseburger, have the fucking burger. If you deny yourself just cause you’ll only go crazy over it.

Good luck. :D

@as: The only thing about going and eating a cheeseburger after being vegetarian for a really long time is that you get some erm uncomfortable stomach problems, at least i did when i switched into a meat eating phase for about 3 months. Who knows though, its completely individual.

@jac-I’m the same way. I don’t eat burgers very often so when I do have uncomfortable stomach problems aka… **The Reah**

DUN DUN DUN!!

sorry for the over-share.

@krose:hahahah yes, the dreaded rhea!!!!
sorry everyone about the mild off-topicness!

@jacob: You’re right, some people do have discomfort switching back. Our bodies aren’t equipped for meat anyway, we’re fundamentally different from carnivores biologically speaking. But in my experience that only happens when you make a major switch, not indulge in the occasional hot dog.

I’m in a similar position. I decided in August that I didn’t feel I wanted to eat meat anymore, for both moral and environmental issues. (For years, I haven’t been eating veal and foie gras, etc.) I do eat fish, cheese and eggs. I felt that it would be too hard for me to go “cold turkey” as it were, so I told myself I would let myself eat meat once every couple of weeks or so. I also decided if I was invited to someone’s house, I would either avoid the meat if possible or eat some of it; I didn’t want to make a big announcement of what I was doing.

For the first few months, I hardly ate any meat at all and I have not cooked it at home since August. I did have some turkey at Thanksgiving and will cook one for Christmas. I have had cheeseburgers twice and loved them each time. (No stomach problems at all.) I have also had bacon occasionally. I feel that I have cut down substantially on my intake of meat and that with this program, I will be able to stick on it longer than if I swore off meat entirely.

Everyone is different and you have to find what works for you; being a “flexitarian” seems to be working for me.

Interesting, that you would just decide to give up meat today.

I hardly eat meat, but I can’t become a vegetarian, and I doubt I ever will. The only meats I eat are chicken, steak, and bacon, and I only eat them when eating out. In truth, I know it’s wrong. :( But, I am the most ridiculously picky eater ever (I don’t like salad, seafood, or sandwiches, to start! And I hardly like ANY vegetables), and I LOVE eating out at restaurants, that I can’t be a vegetarian. There would just not be anything else for me to eat. And I don’t like any of the food offered at vegetarian restaurants.

When I go out to eat, there are usually only 2 things on the menu that I like: the chicken dish or the steak dish. I don’t have many options to begin with (I seriously seriously could not eat anything else), so I don’t eat meat at home but do when out at a restaurant… :\

Read. Laurel’s Kitchen and Diet For A Small Planet sent me on my way 18 years ago. The more you learn, the more you will realize that it is the right choice for improving your health, for not contributing to animal suffering, for participating in a process that believes resources should be fed to people instead of animals, and for caring for the environment. It takes a while to absorb it all. Don’t expect that people will understand your motives, especially after a 10 minute conversation. As has been said, everyone is different.

you can always freak yourself out by checking out peta, that’s a great starter.
also, go get some of that tofu meat or whatever, some of it is pretty good, especially if you figure out a way to cook it that you really like.

i’m a vegetarian who loved chicken and steak, but i’ve been a vegetarian for about 4 years or so now (no fish either, but i’ll eat dairy and whatnot).

wish i could think of something more helpful. good luck. (=

For the sake of his vegan girlfriend, my son (most definitely a carnivore) has incorporated vegan meals into his diet and learned to cook them. He treated us to a number of recipes over Christmas break, including one based on a meaty substance called seitan, which I watched him make. It wasn’t hard. He used it as the basis for a delicious stir-fry.

I would think that including some substantial, chewy elements such as mushrooms (especially portabello), tofu, and stuff like seitan would help ease the transition and give you the sense that you are having a meal and not just grazing.

While in a doctor’s waiting room the other day, I read an article about a man who practices a diet he calls “vegan until six,” in which he restricts his diet to vegan food until dinnertime. He proclaimed good health and weight-loss effects from this lifestyle and said that for some a compromise is more effective than all-or-nothing.

I also really liked this comment from Peter Dinklage, who starred in the remarkable 2003 film The Station Agent:

“I like animals, all animals. I wouldn’t hurt a cat or a dog – or a chicken or a cow. And I wouldn’t ask someone else to hurt them for me. That’s why I’m a vegetarian.”

Did you decide to do it?

I’m a lacto-ovo-pescatarian, and it’s not that hard to get by.

Watch “Earthlings” or “Meet your Meat”. Though I really recommend “Earthlings” It will make you cry and commit you to vegetarianism. You can watch it for free. Google it! I’ve been vegan for over three years and vegetarian for 13 years. Simple as pie. If you care about something it is easy to stay committed to. Do it for your health, the health of the earth, and most of all the health of the thousands of animals you’ll save by not eating meat!

Well… I decided to become a Vegetarian last year.. I guess you have to have a really good reason to be one. Just because you don’t one day decide for the heck of it… I’m going to become a Vegetarian. Like for health reasons is mine, but I ended up being a diabetic anyways.. and I am only 17, for reasons due to them being inhumanely killed, and other reasons. Being a lacto-ovo-pescatarian is a great way to start off, for about 6–7 years I was a Pollo-vegetarian… I only ate turkey, now I am just a Vegetarian. When I was in 4th or 5th grade I was like.. no, no more meat.. and the doctor told me it was critical to eat meat at my age.. but when I was 15 I could become a vegetarian.. so in 5th grade I only ate chicken, turkey, (I hate fish so I’ve never eaten fish before), and beef. Then in 6th grade I only at chicken and turkey and from 7th grade to Sophomore year I only at turkey. New Years 09’ (really Thanksgiving of 08’) I decided that I wouldn’t eat meat… so I’ve been a Vegetarian for a year and a month now :) and I couldn’t be any more proud of myself. Short story, I went to a bar in Madison this last week and a waitress got my order and it was a Veggi Burrito and she asked if I wanted to add meat and I said, no… my brother gave my crap for that :( And at Hard Rock the waiter messed up my order and put beacon on my salad and had to make a new one. I have been tempted, but fought temptation multiple times. My family is not supportive at all, my friends on the other hand could not be any more supportive… and I love them for supporting me through a decision that I made! I bought 3 cookbooks from Boarders…. they have really cool cookbooks :) So that wil help get you started on recipes… go to Hard Rock their Veggie Burgers are amazing. It wasn’t easy for me at all but then I thought if you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit and I just kept thinking that… and it’s been tempting to eat some turkey but I turn my head the other way and tell myself that’s disgusting.. and eat tofu :) Yumms.

** NOTE: If you are going to be a Vegetarian don’t order soup with beef broth or anything. Get Campbell Soup—- Vegetarian Vegetable… that stuff is amazing!

Good luck!!!