Steps to Becoming a Vegetarian

The time may come when you decide to give up eating meat and become a vegetarian. While this is something that is very simple in theory, practicing vegetarianism is much harder than you may think. You will now have to think about every meal you at home, at a friend's or relative's place or at a restaurant. You may struggle at first but after awhile you will learn to love your new lifestyle. Here are some steps to becoming vegetarian.

Instructions

1. Begin by deciding what type of vegetarian you want to become. The Veggie Table (see Resources below) divides vegetarians into five categories:"Flexitarians" or semi-vegetarians limit the meat they eat without completely giving it up. Most beginners choose to be flexitarians until they get the hang of their vegetarian lifestyle. Ovo-lacto vegetarians refrain from eating meat but still eat eggs and milk. Vegans eat absolutely no products that come from animals. This includes all meat, fish, pork, milk, eggs and honey.Raw or living foodists eat food that has not been cooked or processed. Fruitarians eat mostly fruits and vegetables and legumes. These people get protein from nuts and beans.

2. Give up one meat product at first. If you want to dive right into vegetarianism, give up the meat that you eat the most. This will be either chicken or red meat for most people. If you can go a few weeks without having either of these, gradually give up other meats such as pork and fish. Your goal should be to go one whole month without meat. Once you do this, sticking to you vegetarian diet should be a breeze.

3. Locate different vegetarian recipes and enter them in as substitutions for your meaty meals. Veg Web (see Resources below) and The Veggie Table have hundreds of vegetarian recipes any meat eater would enjoy, such as “General Tao's Tofu” and Vegan Lasagna.” These recipes will inform you on what you will need to buy as well as how to prepare your new meat-free meals.

4. Create a meal schedule for yourself at the beginning of each week and stick to it. Buy all of the food you will need for this schedule early so that you won't be tempted to “pick something up for dinner” at the last minute.

5. Make simple substitutions for meat products at the beginning of your conversion to vegetarianism. Beans,nuts (even peanut butter) and soy protein are two very easy ways to make up for the protein you lack when you don't eat animal protein.

6. Visit the frozen section of your local grocery store. Here you will find items such as vegetarian burgers and other vegetarian entrées that are easy to prepare. Use these as substitution for your regular meals that would have included meat in the past.

7. Find a local vegan restaurant in your area. This can be your getaway when you are craving meat. These restaurants serve all vegetarian meals and are even beloved by carnivores. Everything from vegan burgers to sweet and sour tofu can be found at vegan restaurants and they can serve as a good substitute for a meat-based menu.

8. Replace the vitamin B-12 you lose when you become a vegetarian. Most people get their vitamin B-12 from meat, milk and eggs. You can still find sources of vitamin B-12 even if you have decided to abstain from all animal products. Fortified cereals and soy milk are two vegetarian food sources that have vitamin B-12. You can also take a supplement, although you will need to inspect the label to ensure that it is made without any animal products.Gelatin capsules are made from cow's hooves: look for vegetarian capsules.

Tips & Warnings

• Tell your friends and family members about your lifestyle change. This will make things much easier for you when you have dinner with them either at a restaurant or at their home.

• Eat healthy vegetarian snacks during the day when you are hungry. Fruits and vegetables are nutritious and will help to quell your hunger before you are ready for a larger meal. This can help eliminate any chance of a slip-up, such as going into a fast food restaurant for a quick hamburger.

• Avoid regular and fast food restaurants at the beginning of your lifestyle change. Otherwise, you'll simply be tempting yourself. Avoid these places for a month or so until you get the hang of being a vegetarian.

• Don't punish yourself by being a vegetarian. If you desperately crave some meat, give in every now and then. You should be happy with being a vegetarian. If you are constantly annoyed with the fact that you can't eat meat, you should reconsider your decision to become a vegetarian.

Resources

• Veg Web
• The Veggie Table
• The Vegetarian Society - Nutritional Information for Vegetarians
• USDA Nutritional Information for Vegetarians on My Pyramid
• Vegetarian Resource Group - Plenty of Nutritional Information and Recipes for New Vegetarians