So, you wanna be a vegetarian...?

[FirstLight]

Ya, that's me.

I have just hit the wall with meat products and the farming industry. I thought if I was eating grass fed cows or free chickens it was somehow better. and maybe it *is* hen it comes to carbn footprint & all. BUT killing is still killing and the fear in those animals cannot be good for me & my kids...karmically or even biologically. Think of the fear hormones and their effect on the body, should I be ingesting THAT...? no way.

So, I have seen the light - Now what do I do?

I know basic nutrition, but as far as 'meat subtitutes' they cook differently and some are WAY better than others.

any advice, good links to get started are appreciated....

[GirlAfire]

1. I Started with...

...PETA's free Vegetarian Starter Kit. Now, for vegan or vegetarian food, I find a recipe I'd like to cook at VegCooking or VegWeb, and then cook it! You can get some awesome vegan products from The Vegan Store and ... I'll have to update with the other I use. I know you mentioned vegetarian, and not vegan, but, of course, the vegan stores sell meat replacements and such, so it should do okay for a vegetarian diet.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Hopefully, flvegan will visit the thread; he's the master at this sort of thing!

EDIT: The other store was Vegan Essentials.

Also, hopefully, this (that's a wonderful site anyway; they've got an article on alternatives to animal experimentation) will be a helpful list to you. I've never used it myself since I just use those online stores for most of my food, so don't kill me if it's not as helpful as I think it sounds, please. :P

[FirstLight]

2. Right on!thanks!

I am also seeing a nutritionist/dietician because I am supposed to lose weight to lower my blood pressure, so I know she will ahve some resources too.

I am really glad I am making the transition, from a compassionate piont, it just feels right. It is "time"...I've fought against my better judgement on this for a long time, and look forward to making the shift.

Did you do this transition all at once, or slowly? dod you notice feeling different in your digestion and body?

:) thanks for the info...and the support

[flvegan]

3. This is going to sound a bit corny

but if you want to become vegetarian, hang out here and read our archives. I may be really biased, but although this forum is much smaller than say, Vegsource, I actually TRUST the folks that post here and I respect their opinions more than any other group I belong to. There's also the killer recipe thread as a sticky at the top of the forum.

As a transitioning omnivore, there are very few things that haven't been veggiematized by now. DUer LeftyMom and I even made a vegan turducken a few years ago.

The links that girlafire gave above are all excellent as well.

The biggest thing to me is to learn to cook and like it (if you don't already). Being more involved with your nutrition also gives you a better connection with your body and well being, at least to me. A couple of my favorite cookbooks are Vegan Vittles and the series beginning with How It All Vegan.

I subscribe to VegNews to keep things changing. It's a vegan mag for the most part, but I still recommend it. When I went vegetarian, I got a subscription to Vegetarian Times to help me get started. Check out http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

Your knowing basic nutrition is going to benefit you and your kids a great deal. Hope you stick around, and good luck!

[Codeine]

4. Tell me about VegNews.

Is it all New Age-y and obsessed with alt-med, or is it really more food/recipe/cooking focused? I may be a vegan, but I get seriously sick of all the silliness promoted by much of the vegan community.

I'm interested in food, not fuckin' homeopathy! :evilgrin:

[flvegan]

5. I'd say that it's 60% recipes/food/cooking

10% vegan travel, weddings, social stuff. 10% "notable vegans" with brief interviews with cool folks that also happen to be vegan. 10% vegan ads for stuff you may have never heard of. 10% editorials, book reviews, stuff about readers, etc.

[Codeine]

6. That actually sounds pretty good!

Thanks! :hi:

[flvegan]

7. I enjoy it quite a bit.

They describe themselves "VegetarianNEWSFOODPLANETTRAVELBUZZ" but for the last couple years, it's really been a vegan mag.

[livetohike]

8. Congratulations on your decision

:hi: Here are some tips to get you started:

* Think of all the meals you already eat that are meatless, or ways to make those meals meatless. Simple, but for example spaghetti with a meatless sauce, chili without the meat, tacos using Yves Crumbles in place of ground beef, etc. Build your food choices around the things you like.

* Borrow from the library or buy some vegetarian cookbooks. Some of my favorites are Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home (these recipes are made in 30 min. or less), Horn of the Moon Cookbook, any or all of Mollie Katzen's cookbooks, Vegan Planet, and any of the Moosewood Collective cookbooks

* Check out this website www.moosewoodrestaurant.com They post their daily menu there and I often check in for ideas of what to make for dinner.

Also, as flvegan said, if you have time to read through the archives here (and check the recipes thread), you'll get some great ideas. Have fun!