Going Vegetarian

I did the Daniel Fast for three weeks. I could only eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Water was the only beverage I could drink. It was hard at first, but it got easier as the time progressed. The fast made me really think about the food I was eating.
.-= Mocha Dad´s last blog ..Mocha Dad and Moms: Make Your Kids a Priority =-.

Veganism is just one type of vegetarian. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including dairy products, eggs and honey. I’ve been a vegetarian for almost eight years, but took it in stages. I first gave up all meat except poultry and fish, and continued to eat honey, dairy, and eggs. Then, about 3 years ago, I gave up poultry, but continue to this day to eat dairy, honey, eggs and seafood (which makes me a pesco-vegetarian). There are a lot of great vegetarian recipes out there, as well as inexpensive cookbooks that I’ve found at Borders. One of the most important things to do once you’ve given up meat, is to replace your loss of protein with foods high in protein such as legumes, nuts/seeds, beans and grain. (I have a great recipe for a lentil loaf whose flavor closely resembles meatloaf.) I also eat a lot of wild caught boneless/skinless salmon steaks, which I’ve found can be cooked well-done on a George Foreman grill to resemble the texture of chicken. I also grill it on the outdoor grill with some bbq sauce. I enjoy making quick and easy personal pizzas, made on pita bread and topped with lots of sauteed onions, red/yellow/green peppers, olives, etc. I’ve basically taken meat recipes and changed them up with salmon steaks, canned pink salmon (like Starkist) or vegetables. All in all, if you and your family decide to commit to vegetarianism, there are options. You’re body will definitely thank you for it!

Lauren I love your idea of trying it in one meal or having a vegetarian day. I recently found out I’m expecting and am nervous about the weight gain. This seems like a great idea, except I’ll probably switch it off to every other day. Meat..no meat…meat…no meat etc.
Luckily I have a small local Natural Health Grocery right around the corner.

@ Tara, one healthy alternative I use for keeping hydrated is coconut water. I loved it as a kid and it’s healthier than Gatorade and Pedialyte. Yet also replaces lost electrolytes and has more potassium than in two bananas. But I by the Vita Coco or O.N.E. brands that come in the cartons. Not the sugar filled Goya cans that you typically find in the super market. The calorie content in Goya’s is 120 with 22g of sugar as opposed to 60 calories and 11g of sugar. Whole Foods also carries them. Also, Vita has other flavors they can add to the coconut water like passion fruit or pineapple.
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Let me clarify: I am not switching us to a vegetarian diet forever. Just this one week. Yes, I could have eliminated things gradually, but we were almost out of meat, save for a package of ground turkey and a pork roast in the freezer. Rather than rush out and buy meat, I figured I’d take advantage of our almost meat-free fridge and try a little experiment.

@Avery – Thanks for your advice – The coup has already started….lol. You should’ve seen his face when I made black bean burgers yesterday. I have to admit – I didn’t like them. It was missing something. *cough* FAT *cough* But he did try them and he managed to get one down. From here on out, it will probably be two or three vegetarian meals a week…
.-= Tara @ The Young Mommy Life´s last blog ..Rich young moms – Do they need love too? =-.

You don’t really have to think that far out of the box. Everything that you made before you can make again. They have really really good meat substitutes out there. I started out slow but made the decision early on that I would only exclude red meat, pork and chicken. I love fish and seafood. I included vegetables in everything, every pot of rice I made I would cut up bell peppers and onions to add to it. Whereas before I would steam broccoli, now I steam broccoli, carrots, tomato, and peppers together. When I bake fish I slice up tomato and onion and it turns into a stew to go over rice.

My fav is spaghetti (look into spaghetti squash) with italian “sausage” (I use the tofurkey brand with sun dried tomato and basil). I put it in my food processor to grind it. He could tell something was different but couldn’t put his finger on it. Again I loaded itup with veggies.

Instead of having regular lettuce (including romaine, it gets boring) with salad, try fresh spinach, radicchio, frise, arugula, bell peppers (I’m BIG on peppers, red, orange, yellow), english cucumbers and any raw veggies (skip the corn though.) You can even make tuna salad (sans mayo) with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and any herbs and spices and have that be your dressing.

Oh and try rice or almond milk to replace regular milk; I use rice milk and add vanilla (they sell vanilla rice milk but since I use it for other things I just buy regular.) Try your hand at homemade fruit juices or shakes using coconut water.

There are sooooo many choices out there, just start small; compromise and use ground turkey to make burgers for starters. It’s really trial and error, you’ll find out what works for you and your family and you’ll notice a difference in the way you feel.

Kudos to you! I’ve been wanting to switch to just one day a week without meat and my husband reacted as yours did. I would like to do it for health AND financial reasons. Buying less meat is a little cheaper.

Can you share your menu with us?

While my husband and I have been vegertarians for the past 10 years who are on again/off again vegans we are not attached to any label, we even eat fish on occassion. We have raised our son now age 5 vegetarian since birth. I’ll skip the food sugesstions since your readers have already provided some great ones. I would suggest though before going cold turkey (excuse the pun) that you gradually make the transition perhaps serving organic/free range chicken or wild fish once or twice a week. This would help get you bodies adjusted to the shift as well as curb cravings that can undermine your efforts.

I recently attending a fasting/cleansing workshop where it was discussed that making the change too quickly to vegan/vegetarian and especially raw food can have damaging effects since the body is now exposed to “awaking” foods that trigger the body to release the toxins that were once stored away. So to avoid being graphic the most important thing is for your family transition is to make sure that regular bowel elimination is occuring. If not instead of the benefits you seek (clearer skin, less bloat, more energy) you may experience the opposite skin eruptions – due to the toxins finding an alternate route out of the body, more bloat – due to gas and waste buildup and less energy – due to your body trying to deal with all the changes.

My final note is if you don’t have one already invest in a good juicer (or find a reasonably priced juice bar closeby) and incorporate fresh vegatable juice in your daily diet.

I am a strict vegetarian, which means I basically eat a vegan diet except if I wanted, I could enjoy honey. I do not prepare meat in my home, however my family is free to eat non-vegetarian meals when we visit family and sometimes my husband will bring home a rotisserie chicken. I always allow my children to skip the meat, but they are required to eat all their vegetables. I feed them nutrient dense, delicious meals and since meat is not something we need to survive and thrive, I don’t feel any guilt for not serving it.

I applaud your efforts to decrease the amount of meat you eat. It is better for your body, your wallet and your planet.

I’m of two minds about this. First and foremost, if you are the one who does all the cooking at every dinner, then your husband needs to just be quiet, say thank you, and eat what you have taken the time to fix for your family.

But, and this is a mild objection, if you and your husband share the cooking responsibilities then he should have been consulted before this meal schedule was put in to place. My wife and I have a rule: You don’t give orders to the chef. So on the three nights I cook, it is whatever I want and on the three nights she cooks it is whatever she wants. If this was a permanent lifestyle change you all would have to have a major discussion about it. I applaud your efforts in changing your lifestyle. Now that our daughter is born, my wife and I are on the road to losing the baby weight we picked up.

We eat a mostly vegetarian diet in our household, although I do buy fish or chicken or beef once or twice a month. My husband used to grumble about it, but he’s learned to eat and like (and in some cases, love) meatless meals.

If you’re looking for meal ideas, I highly recommend Bryant Terry’s cookbook “Vegan Soul Kitchen.” Everything I’ve made from it has been absolutely delicious.