I decided to become a vegetarian!

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Sooo... a few weeks ago (before the Netflix show) I decided to become a vegetarian!

Are there any other vegetarians in here! I REALLY enjoying it and feel so much better for it but really struggle, especially when eating out to find appealing options!

Where’s the best? So far I’m loving pizza express and the harvester!
 
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I have been vegetarian for 4 weeks and hubby has for 5 weeks. yes I also saw that programme. We started off as vegan but it was too much for us so we just stuck to no meat. I occasionally have fish but I ain’t touched meat in 4 weeks and I’m feeling so much healthier. The programme was a eye opener. Most restaurants are getting better and most will have options for both vegetarian and vegan. Me and hubby have just booked a evening show over Xmas with three course meal and we have selected the vegan option. Frankie and bennys have a vegan menu too and Chiquito too x
 
I have been vegetarian for 4 weeks and hubby has for 5 weeks. yes I also saw that programme. We started off as vegan but it was too much for us so we just stuck to no meat. I occasionally have fish but I ain’t touched meat in 4 weeks and I’m feeling so much healthier. The programme was a eye opener. Most restaurants are getting better and most will have options for both vegetarian and vegan. Me and hubby have just booked a evening show over Xmas with three course meal and we have selected the vegan option. Frankie and bennys have a vegan menu too and Chiquito too x
Ahh we’re pretty much at the same stage! Don’t think I’m ready for vegan, seems too much! But thanks for the suggestions!
 
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I haven’t eaten meat in over three years and don’t miss it at all. I still sometimes have fish. I’m experimenting with different soya milk types have not found one I really enjoy yet.
I wish I had been more aware of the cruelty involved in the whole animal industry. That is one of the good things about social media and someone showing me a video which I will never forget 💔
 
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I have been veggie for over 20 years, I just didn’t like meat so at 13 decided not to eat it anymore! It has become so much easier to eat out now, it used to be a broccoli bake or goats cheese tart were the only veggie things on offer! It does annoy me that there aren’t more veggie ready meals tho. You can get every variety of Chinese or Indian dishes in the supermarket but a vegetable noodles or saag aloo only for me!
 
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I’ve been veggie for 12 years. I’m not huge on dairy, I use oatly barista milk, I really like the Collab’s coconut kefir instead of yoghurt and I could be sponsored by Quorn 😂

Most places you eat out do decent veggie options, try paneer dishes instead of meat in Indian places, crispy tofu or bean curd in Chinese or Japanese.

Main thing is don’t stress too much or try to eat too differently. You’ll get into the swing of it. Often I’ll google recipes and use a meta analysis of a lot of them and just sub in my fave meat sub if they call for meat.

Minimalist Baker is really good for recipes, todaywecooked on insta is also a fave! Well done for making the switch 😊

Also sometimes when I’m out and the veg dish doesn’t appeal to me I ask for a big bowl of chips and accessorise it with suitable sides like it’s being veggie in the 90s 🙈
 
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What’s the Netflix show? I’m a vegetarian too but becoming one because you are opposed to animal cruelty is misguided if you continue to eat dairy. That industry is probably crueller. Unlike a beef cow, the product itself, dairy animals exist to make the product so their well-being is even less important and all sorts of nasty things are done to make them produce as much as possible before eventually being discarded.

Of course if we are talking about environmental morals, beef is definitely worth avoiding.
Please don’t think I’m being a know it all, or trying to shame you. I’m a vegetarian who consumes dairy , despite knowing what I know, because I have low willpower and like dairy products much more than meat. So no judgement at all from me. Of course the meat industry is cruel too, one less consumer isn’t a bad thing. Especially if you don’t supplement that with an excess of dairy...

It’s definitely much easier to be a vegetarian than even 5 years ago.
I recommend quorn mince for spaghetti bolognese or shepherds pie. Since mince is so processed this tastes almost exactly the same - just less greasy. I love it. Lentils are also a great substitute for mince in shepherds pie - I KNOW that sounds weird but TRUST ME.(google a recipe that’s how I first discovered it)
 
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It doesn't matter what form of diet style you choose, make sure you have all the necessary nutrients.
 
i’m vegan, been vegetarian for 6 years and vegan for nearly 2 (vegan on and off before that). i agree with the other posters saying about the dairy industry and would defo recommend looking into cutting out dairy too, but for now i’d say just be gentle on yourself. going vegetarian is a big step on it’s own, so try not to compare yourself to others and if you slip up and eat meat that doesn’t mean you’ve ‘ruined’ your vegetarianism, just pick yourself up and forgive yourself because you’re still making a big difference as is. i know for me going both vegetarian and then vegan it took a bit of going back and forth and cheat days before i settled. most places have veggie/vegan options now so my best advice would just be look in your local supermarket. you could probably take most ur current meals and swap out the meat for quorn or soy meat. i use asdas own brand most of the time. pasta/rice/noodles, jar sauces, potatos, veggies, beans, nuts, ready meals, falafels, fake meat and veggies are your friend. also, linda mccartney sausages, greggs vegan sausage rolls and vegan subway haha. all the vitamins you need you can find naturally in plant based foods or fortified into things like cereal but if you’re still concerned you can take a multivitamin. good luck!!
 
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I have been veggie since I was a teenager, and have avoided dairy for the past five (i am not completely dairy free as I know some restaurants / friends hosting struggle with avoiding it). It is definitely getting easier, there are loads of great recipe books on Amazon!
 
i’m vegan, been vegetarian for 6 years and vegan for nearly 2 (vegan on and off before that). i agree with the other posters saying about the dairy industry and would defo recommend looking into cutting out dairy too, but for now i’d say just be gentle on yourself. going vegetarian is a big step on it’s own, so try not to compare yourself to others and if you slip up and eat meat that doesn’t mean you’ve ‘ruined’ your vegetarianism, just pick yourself up and forgive yourself because you’re still making a big difference as is. i know for me going both vegetarian and then vegan it took a bit of going back and forth and cheat days before i settled. most places have veggie/vegan options now so my best advice would just be look in your local supermarket. you could probably take most ur current meals and swap out the meat for quorn or soy meat. i use asdas own brand most of the time. pasta/rice/noodles, jar sauces, potatos, veggies, beans, nuts, ready meals, falafels, fake meat and veggies are your friend. also, linda mccartney sausages, greggs vegan sausage rolls and vegan subway haha. all the vitamins you need you can find naturally in plant based foods or fortified into things like cereal but if you’re still concerned you can take a multivitamin. good luck!!
I don’t even know where to start with this.
i’m vegan, been vegetarian for 6 years and vegan for nearly 2 (vegan on and off before that). i agree with the other posters saying about the dairy industry and would defo recommend looking into cutting out dairy too, but for now i’d say just be gentle on yourself. going vegetarian is a big step on it’s own, so try not to compare yourself to others and if you slip up and eat meat that doesn’t mean you’ve ‘ruined’ your vegetarianism, just pick yourself up and forgive yourself because you’re still making a big difference as is. i know for me going both vegetarian and then vegan it took a bit of going back and forth and cheat days before i settled. most places have veggie/vegan options now so my best advice would just be look in your local supermarket. you could probably take most ur current meals and swap out the meat for quorn or soy meat. i use asdas own brand most of the time. pasta/rice/noodles, jar sauces, potatos, veggies, beans, nuts, ready meals, falafels, fake meat and veggies are your friend. also, linda mccartney sausages, greggs vegan sausage rolls and vegan subway haha. all the vitamins you need you can find naturally in plant based foods or fortified into things like cereal but if you’re still concerned you can take a multivitamin. good luck!!
PLEAE don’t believe everything that online vegan activists spout about dairy/beef etc. Hardly any of it is true and almost none of it applies to the U.K/Western Europe.
I’m just as worried about what goes into a Linda McCartney/Greggs vegan sausage roll! They’re processed crap, just because they don’t contain animal products doesn’t mean they’re either healthy or sustainable.
 
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I don’t even know where to start with this.

PLEAE don’t believe everything that online vegan activists spout about dairy/beef etc. Hardly any of it is true and almost none of it applies to the U.K/Western Europe.
I’m just as worried about what goes into a Linda McCartney/Greggs vegan sausage roll! They’re processed crap, just because they don’t contain animal products doesn’t mean they’re either healthy or sustainable.
Yeah, most of what people read is about the USA. Here in Canada (and maybe the UK too) it is actually illegal to add antibiotics, hormones etc to dairy products. In the USA, it isn't.

And I don't understand why people use jars of sauce when making your own is so simple. Jars are full of preservatives and sugars.

One thing I've noticed about vegan insta accounts (deliciously ella comes to mind) is the HUGE amount of sugar they eat daily. And yes, most of it is from fruit but the amount they have isnt healthy either. I wonder if it's they don't use eggs and other products for baking so they use huge amounts of dates, etc. Even their breakfasts can look very sugary.
 
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I was a vegetarian for about 10 years, about 20 years ago, and for me it was definitely a part of an eating disorder, so I guess that’s one thing to look out for. I had to start eating meat because I became quite unwell overall and started eating everything, as part of regaining healthy relationship with food. I still prefer veggie options and recently I realised cow milk protein doesn’t suit my digestion, so I changed over to goat’s cheese/butter, which I have rarely, and oatly barista milk which is really tasty. My advice would be to avoid unnatural, highly processed ingredients, such as ”meat substitutes”. So try to stick with whole, real food, and if you are desperately craving something, even if it’s of animal origin, eat it, because it’s your body telling you it needs it. Some people do better on plant based diets than others and it’s not a competition, and perfection is not important. The point is to eat healthy and to be healthy and to do the best you can. All the best on your food journey! xx
 
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I was a vegetarian for about 10 years, about 20 years ago, and for me it was definitely a part of an eating disorder, so I guess that’s one thing to look out for. I had to start eating meat because I became quite unwell overall and started eating everything, as part of regaining healthy relationship with food. I still prefer veggie options and recently I realised cow milk protein doesn’t suit my digestion, so I changed over to goat’s cheese/butter, which I have rarely, and oatly barista milk which is really tasty. My advice would be to avoid unnatural, highly processed ingredients, such as ”meat substitutes”. So try to stick with whole, real food, and if you are desperately craving something, even if it’s of animal origin, eat it, because it’s your body telling you it needs it. Some people do better on plant based diets than others and it’s not a competition, and perfection is not important. The point is to eat healthy and to be healthy and to do the best you can. All the best on your food journey! xx
Yes to all of this! Very sensible advice. Agree re disordered eating and re processed foods.
 
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I was a vegetarian for about 10 years, about 20 years ago, and for me it was definitely a part of an eating disorder, so I guess that’s one thing to look out for. I had to start eating meat because I became quite unwell overall and started eating everything, as part of regaining healthy relationship with food. I still prefer veggie options and recently I realised cow milk protein doesn’t suit my digestion, so I changed over to goat’s cheese/butter, which I have rarely, and oatly barista milk which is really tasty. My advice would be to avoid unnatural, highly processed ingredients, such as ”meat substitutes”. So try to stick with whole, real food, and if you are desperately craving something, even if it’s of animal origin, eat it, because it’s your body telling you it needs it. Some people do better on plant based diets than others and it’s not a competition, and perfection is not important. The point is to eat healthy and to be healthy and to do the best you can. All the best on your food journey! xx
Yes, we eat balanced too. Not much red meat as I have endometriosis and it irritates it. I also use almond milk instead of cows for the same reason. But we eat lots of chicken and fish. We buy all our veggies, eggs and meat from the farmers market which is nice as we know where it is coming from. I used to want to be veggie but buying from the farmers market meets in the middle as I know the animals being used for meat aren't from a big factory. I feel like people fall for fads like processed veggie meals without doing much research into all the chemicals added to them. I will maybe have a beyond meat burger if we are at a fast food restaurant but won't have it at home.
 
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Yes, we eat balanced too. Not much red meat as I have endometriosis and it irritates it. I also use almond milk instead of cows for the same reason. But we eat lots of chicken and fish. We buy all our veggies, eggs and meat from the farmers market which is nice as we know where it is coming from. I used to want to be veggie but buying from the farmers market meets in the middle as I know the animals being used for meat aren't from a big factory. I feel like people fall for fads like processed veggie meals without doing much research into all the chemicals added to them. I will maybe have a beyond meat burger if we are at a fast food restaurant but won't have it at home.
Be really careful about chicken! It is fed on GM soya (responsible for huge environmental devastation), and farmed really intensively. Eggs too.
 
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Be really careful about chicken! It is fed on GM soya (responsible for huge environmental devastation), and farmed really intensively. Eggs too.
Good to know. We get our eggs and chicken from a farmer that we know, they are very responsible. They are pasture raised. We only switched to this a few months ago and the meat is so much nicer than the stuff from the supermarket.
 
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Good to know. We get our eggs and chicken from a farmer that we know, they are very responsible. They are pasture raised. We only switched to this a few months ago and the meat is so much nicer than the stuff from the supermarket.
It will be - will actually taste of something! Enjoy.