More and more people are choosing to follow a vegetarian diet everyday, for a variety of different reasons. A vegetarian diet is usually much lower in saturated fats and cholesterol than a meat filled diet. If you eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, and alternative protein sources a vegetarian diet can be one of the healthiest diets. However, if you aren’t careful a vegetarian diet can be extremely unhealthy, due to a lack of protein and vitamin B12. Transitioning to a vegetarian diet doesn’t have to be difficult if you follow these simple tips.
Make sure to eat lots of high protein beans and nuts. Since most people receive a majority of their protein from meats, some vegetarian’s diets lack an adequate amount of protein. It is easy to incorporate nuts into your diet by tossing them into you salad, or even by adding some cashews to your vegetarian chili. Bean burritos are delicious as is black beans and rice. Protein also keeps you from being hungry, so a simple handful of nuts between meals can not only be a great source or protein, they will also help prevent you from giving into cravings.
When becoming a vegetarian you should also consider taking a vitamin supplement. Getting all the correct nutrients is important to your health and a vitamin supplement can fill in some gaps that a vegetarian diet may create.
When one of my best friends decided to follow a vegetarian diet in high school, she foolishly just removed meat from her diet. She continued to eat the same things sans meat, therefore her vegetarian diet consisted of zero vegetables and tons of sweets and carbs. This resulted in a weakened immune system, moodiness, and a general decline in health. Once she began to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and beans her health improved, and she was able to stick to her vegetarian diet for years. So don’t live on french fries and candy when becoming a vegetarian. Go to the produce section and try a variety of fruits and vegetables that you may have never seen before. Not only will this result in you eating more vitamins and minerals, your taste buds will also feel like they are being rewarded with your new vegetarian diet rather than being punished. The best way to stick to a vegetarian diet is to have delicious food.
Adjusting to cooking a vegetarian diet can be easy. Go to the library and check out some vegetarian cook books. Try at least two new vegetarian recipes a week. You can also easily adapt your favorite recipes into vegetarian diet friendly foods. Chili can be turned into vegetarian chili by substituting the beef with mushrooms, veggie “meat” crumbles, or tofu. Chicken Parmesan can easily become eggplant Parmesan.
One of my favorite vegetarian recipes is french onion soup, instead of beef broth I use a high quality vegetable broth. Better than bouillon makes a great no beef base as well as a no chicken base, and vegetable base that make delicious broths and flavor addition to everyday foods.
When adjusting to becoming a vegetarian, one of the first things most people do is buy a bunch of prepackaged meat substitutes. While these can be tasty, many of these vegetarian meats are not. I have found that the vegetarian riblets are great, (maybe its the bar-b-que sauce) as well as the meat crumbles. I could never get used to the vegetarian hot dogs, but some of my friends love them. You have to find what is right for you. Don’t go crazy with the meat substitutes, instead learn to love tasty vegetarian dishes that don’t resemble meat and you will be not only be enjoying a more flavorful meal, you will also not be thinking of meat as you eat them.
Reading the ingredient labels at the supermarket is essential when following a vegetarian diet. If you are becoming a vegetarian because the thought of killing animals for food seems wrong to you, make sure you learn the secret names for meat in ingredient labels. Foods like marshmallows, jell-o and some candies all contain gelatin. Gelatin is almost always made from animals. You will also need to read the labels on your foods to make sure that they are nutritionally sound. Don’t assume that because it has no meat in it it is healthy.
Remember, becoming a vegetarian is a process. If you slip up and accidentally eat a marshmallow or give in to a chicken nugget now and then it is not the end of the world. Simply recommit yourself to your vegetarian diet at the next meal and remind yourself of all the reasons you became a vegetarian in the first place.
