Vegetarians!

Burning a hole in your pocket with Boca, Morning Star, and other processed soy products?
Gaining weight, lacking energy, and feeling generally cruddy?
You may have fallen off track, tumbling on to the road to bad vegetarianism.

I know I have before, and I am sure I am far from the first-made a few bland and/or disappointing meals, can't really cook, or just don't have the patience or time to learn and experiment, and the list goes on...

Pasta, frozen meals, and pricey soy products are too convenient and simple, so they become the way of 'vegetarian eating.'

It's too easy to indulge in carbs and boxed meals. Therefore, it's also too easy to physically balloon up and miss out on vital nutrition.

So, if you fear you are going down this path, I hope to offer some personal tips that helped me be a healthier, satisfied and happier herbivore.

What to consider:

-Firstly and importantly, reduce intake of processed vegetarian food (soy burgers, bacon, sausage, chik'n). Buying one box of your favorite boxed meal a week will help reduce
the urge as well as your grocery bill.
Remember, vegetarian or not, these are heavily processed foods, so consuming less is better.

-Don't be afraid to try new vegetables and fruits. Seems like it should be a no-brainer, right? Not always.
When I became a vegetarian, I limited myself to little more then tomatoes, carrots, onions and corn.
New things were intimidating.
And, from other vegetarians (often newcomers) I've spoken with, this trend isn't rare.
Being a successful, healthy vegetarian calls for experimentation and a colorful diet.
Some superb, overlooked veggies are meaty eggplants, varieties
of mushroom, bean sprouts, and so much more! Be open. Be bold.

-Be sure to have a good vegetarian cookbook or two. Yes, this can be a toughy. Books are pricey, especially cookbooks. And, some vegetarian books just don't deliver the most exciting recipes.
To avoid this, use Amazon.com, search and read cookbook reviews. Or, go to the library and borrow before purchasing.

Some of my recommendations would be Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer's cookbooks, like How It All VEGAN or La Dolce Vegan!: Vegan Livin' Made Easy.
Another, and probably my favorite book so far, is The Mediterranean Vegan by Donna Klein.
Why? Because it offers simple, wholesome dishes without any soy or tofu.
This is great for those, like me, who don't like the taste of soy, or those allergic to it.

You may wonder why I pick vegan cookbooks.
The answer is I find that they understand how to easily make veggies taste great
without all the cheese, and dairy. Dairy can be added quite easily anyway.
So, if you are like me who is vegetarian partially for weight loss, it's great to have yummy recipes without fatty dairy.

-Don't want to go out and by a book? Need something now? There are plenty of vegetarian recipes online. Google is truly a gem.
One of the best sites for veg-recipes is www.vegweb.com.
It provides thousands of vegetarian and vegan recipes from users with ratings and reviews for free.

-And, lastly, be considerate of your nutrition. Get to know the nutritional benefits
of the food you eat, especially the protein, B12 issues that could arise. A detailed reference on nutrition in veggies,
fruits and nuts can be found at http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php.

Remember: color, variation, patience and experimentation.

Don't limit yourself ever on your quest to be a healthier, happier, animal and veggie-loving person.