What is the easiest way to become a vegetarian?

Jump to Last Post 1-6 of 6 discussions (17 posts)
  1. wellspoken profile image60
    wellspokenposted 11 years ago

    What is the easiest way to become a vegetarian?

    All suggestion are welcome here. I want to give up meat and other things that are seeming to be unhealthy for me? How did you become a vegetarian? What made you make the decision?

  2. Theophanes profile image90
    Theophanesposted 11 years ago

    Stop eating meat. Just kidding. If you want to become a vegetarian you must learn how to cook! You must also become very knowledgeable about your produce isles as this is where you get most of your food from. You do not have to eat meat to be healthy so long as you are still getting the vitamins and nutrients you need from other foods. For instance portabello mushrooms can be cooked up and eaten like a hamburger (and they do taste very beefy) or you can use baby bellas raw in salads - they taste exactly like the white button mushrooms most people use, but they are a MUCH healthier option. Either way, cooked or raw,  you are getting a rich source of B vitamins, Iron, and a few other things that people like to tell you only come from meat.

    You need to know how to cook because if you become a vegetarian and resort to eating pre-packaged vegetarian foods you are going to end up really deficient in a lot of things. You can tell these vegetarians apart from those that can cook - they're often under weight, have sickly pale skin, and no energy. Packaged food, vegetarian or otherwise, are usually loaded with all the things you shouldn't be taking into your body and lacking in minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, amino acids, you name it. You're only going to find this in foods you know people ate in the generation before TV dinners and packaged foods was invented!

    This sounds like a lot of work but you can just cook one day a month and package your own dinners - throw them in the freezer and warm them up when you need them. It's satisfying and convenient. Good luck!

    1. wellspoken profile image60
      wellspokenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I like your sense of humor! I am an excellent cook so that wont be an issue for me. I think the issue that I am having the most is cravings for meat. I am very creative and selective choosing good foods. However when I stop meat I have dreams of it.

    2. Theophanes profile image90
      Theophanesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Ah, well then you already have won half the battle. I am always startled at how many people can't even scramble an egg. I wasn't raised with meat and the smell of beef cooking literally makes me want to vomit, so I'm no help there! Good luck though!

    3. Claudia Tello profile image67
      Claudia Telloposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      smile

  3. Claudia Tello profile image67
    Claudia Telloposted 11 years ago

    I would suggest a gradual conversion which will allow you some time to discover vegetarian dishes you love, and build up a good, expanded repertoire. The idea is to avoid feeling like you are sacrificing anything. You won't miss meat if you are eating vegetarian food you enjoy.
    The other important factor is to make your diet as varied as possible. There are lots of nuts, grains, legumes, mushrooms, fruits and veggies to enjoy, alternate among them. Do some research once in a while to discover new recipes that make you feel enthusiastic! Hubpages has some great food writers that can inspire you.
    Last but not least, cook your veggies in an interesting way, don't settle for boring steamed stuff which is absolutely dull, a vegetarian diet can be much more exciting!!!!!

    1. wellspoken profile image60
      wellspokenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      thank you for this wonderful comment. i will do my homework and develop a list of my favs and go from there. i am excited to see that changes in my body and healthy from doing this. are you a vegetarian? if so please share some of your own favs

    2. vandynegl profile image82
      vandyneglposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well said!  Making the diet varied is key smile

    3. Claudia Tello profile image67
      Claudia Telloposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am mostly vegetarian but not in a very strict way, which means that I sometimes eat fish and I do eat eggs and dairy on a regular basis. Regardless of the kind of vegetarian you want to be, I have written many recipe hubs with, what I consider, gre

  4. Christine P Ann profile image61
    Christine P Annposted 11 years ago

    Hi wellspoken,
    I gave up dairy first, and then about ten months after, gave up meat. I did this because of the animals, however the health benefits have been remarkable. I have more energy, no bloating, less colds and flu, no hayfever or sinus problems, and I lost over 10k in weight. I found it quite easy and at age fifty five I wondered why I had not done it before.
    Don't get me wrong I love the taste of meat- I have eaten it all my life, however once the connection was made, for me there wass no going back. It has been 12 months since a piece of meat has crossed my lips and longer for dairy. It is easy to find healthier options for all your dietary requirements but as Theophanes pointed out be wary of eating too many packaged and processed foods. Humans do not need dairy at all and dairy is in fact responsible for a lot of health problems due to the mucus it creates. I replaced milk initially with soy milk but then discovered that soy is not all that great and is used in so many other packaged foods so I switched to almond milk which i just love, there are many other milks to try (and make yourself) so experiment.
    I eat eggs only because I have three chickens who free range on an acre and will still be loved even when they stop laying. I still eat fish, however this will be phased out over the next few months. Fish is really good for us however, for me at least I made the inhumane connection not long ago and know that I will eventually give this up as well. Good luck, take it a day at a time. You might find it easier to cut back at first rather than give up cold turkey so to speak. Regardless of why you chose to change your diet, just be proud that you are helping the planet, the animals and your own health smile

    1. wellspoken profile image60
      wellspokenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      thanks for the comment. i love my salmon and rely on it alot now to stop with beef and pork. i am in love with soy milk but will try the almond milk. i want the benefits of this change so i will make it to the finish line. best wishes and thanks

    2. Claudia Tello profile image67
      Claudia Telloposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That is fantastic Christine!!!! Giving up beef, pork and chicken was natural and easy for me, in fact, I did not feel I was sacrificing anything, I just don't feel like eating it anymore. However, I do not know how you gave up dairy; I can't imagine

  5. vandynegl profile image82
    vandyneglposted 11 years ago

    I became vegetarian/vegan by "default" like many people say!  I am a nutrition consultant and was quite aware of the goods and not-so-goods of foods.  Three years ago, I learned the ugly truth about dairy and gave it up, which was easy.  Digestive issues stopped for me at that point, so it was a good direction.  I began to only buy farm raised meats and eggs from my local farmer and ate them about once or twice a week. 
    In 2011, I was experiencing strange symptoms, as well as severe anxiety.  My physical reactions to this anxiety led me to begin researching the vegetarian and vegan diet.  In October 2011, I officially became vegan and within 2 months, my symptoms stopped.  I am not a strict vegan, since I will still eat some chocolate that has milk in it.  I also still have an occasional egg from my farmer.  So, I am 100% vegetarian, mostly vegan.
    The key is knowing your ways to get protein.  It is not all about soy either.  Protein can come from legumes, such as beans and lentils, as well as nuts and seeds.  Protein is necessary to keep you from feeling hungry all of the time.  We can also get protein in smaller amounts from whole grains, like rice, barley, and quinoa.
    In addition, vegetarians should really focus on increasing their vegetables.  Too often, people just give up meat, but still eat in an unhealthy fashion.

    Good luck!

    1. Claudia Tello profile image67
      Claudia Telloposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Great input, voted up.

    2. wellspoken profile image60
      wellspokenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      oh how I love my soy milk and yogurt.

  6. CrescentSkies profile image64
    CrescentSkiesposted 11 years ago

    Try looking at all those posters of baby cows or calfs...doesn't work for me but maybe it'd work for you........for whatever terrible reason those things just make me hungry.

    1. wellspoken profile image60
      wellspokenposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I gave up cigarettes cold turkey so I assume meat will have to be the same way. thanks for your comment wink

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)