thinking about going vegetarian 🥦

[Beaversabout]

You'll notice something when you go vegetarian. Your mind and emotions will feel different. I was calmer all of a sudden after two weeks, my mind felt clearer. I think this has to do with not eating the animals fear too, I know it sounds silly to most people but it is a real thing. They say animals fear, sadness and misery are stored in their cells which you are then eating. Your absorbing their energy which then affects you.

 

[no-no]

I’ve been vegan for a few years now and I’m still learning. Found out the other day Sharpies aren’t vegan not that you’d be eating those, but it just goes to show how insidious animal “by-products” are. I started off pescatarian then veggie and now vegan. IIRC Italian cheeses and foods cooked with chicken stock/seasoning were sneaky when I was pescatarian. Good luck!

 

[strawb]

thank you guys! so far it's been easy, haven't really even thought about it. tomorrow i'm working from home so i'll batch cook some veggie meals for the week

 

[WeepingCassandra]

I ate haribo for a couple of weeks when I went veggie before I realised it had gelatine in

My OH is a omnivore still, I’m a flexible veggie - try to avoid eggs and dairy where I can but don’t stress too much about it and very very occasionally eat fish (mainly fish and chips tbh!) but I’m trying to go plant based soon as I notice such a difference with my IBS symptoms when I cut out all animal products. In our house if my OH wants meat, he has to buy it and cook it - if we’re out he’ll normally have a meat meal.

We eat a lot of tofu (make sure you press and season it properly) and enjoy making seitan for meals. Also like a lot of meat substitutes - it’s just a matter of trying things!

 

[Nelly's mum]

I've been veggie for 30yrs, no fish, no meat, l'll eat egg occasionally as an ingredient eg in cake etc.

If in doubt if a product is veggie I just check the back of the pack, look for Suitable for Vegetarians (or vegans). If in doubt read the list of ingredients. I don't eat out much but there are always a couple of veggie options on a menu. I enjoy cooking and I can always make something eg a curry or pasta and sauce, try following a few recipes to get you started. There's also loads of ready meals and frozen food to try.

It's so easy these days to be vegetarian - good luck to you !!

 

[soymilk]

You'll notice something when you go vegetarian. Your mind and emotions will feel different. I was calmer all of a sudden after two weeks, my mind felt clearer. I think this has to do with not eating the animals fear too, I know it sounds silly to most people but it is a real thing. They say animals fear, sadness and misery are stored in their cells which you are then eating. Your absorbing their energy which then affects you.

I love this!!

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

Shit. What?!

The cheese flavouring has rennet in it. Apparently, doritos are now veggie, I just googled it

 

[1001 others]

Good on you!

My only advice would be to ease into it, and see a nutritionist if you're able to (just to make sure you're getting all the nutrients your body needs).

Also, so your partner doesn't feel deprived, I would have nights where you can have the same meal together, and nights where he can have meaty stuff. We do that in our house, which works well.

 

[WeepingCassandra]

oh no, wine why is that?

They filter a lot of alcohol through isinglass (fish guts). There’s a good website call Barnivore that can tell you what alcohol is veggie!

 

[strawb]

i had my first (i think) slip up today my bf got me breakfast and he got me a sausage roll and i just automatically ate it 🥹 i started feeling bad but then i thought of this thread and how many of you said not to

 

[strawb]

i've been thinking about going vegetarian for a long time, and something reminded me of that this morning so i started thinking about how realistic that is for me. i think it is realistic because i'm not a big meat eater/lover - my partner is but i wouldn't mind making meat separately for him.

my question is mainly about the foods i'd be surprised to find meat/animal ingredients in - i know about the obvious ones but i have a feeling there's a lot of food i'm not aware of that i couldn't eat. what surprised you the most when going vegetarian? what did you find the hardest?

*also i should note i'd actually be going pescatarian not fully vegetarian!

 

[Piff paff puff]

Congrats on your decision (if you choose veggie)
My comment is more about the vegetarian lifestyle. I didn't find not eating meat difficult as I always preferred other foods but I live in a very cold part of the UK and would really benefit from a good pair of leather boots! As I wear boots for almost 6 months of the year. My none leather boots only last for that time.

 

[ljh1006]

Just chiming in to agree with what others have said - if you find out after the fact that you've eaten something with a surprise animal ingredient it's okay. There's no veggie police that will come to lock you up!

I've been vegetarian for erm...uhh.... no idea but at least 10 years and in that time I moved from the US to Korea where fish broth / shrimp extract / you name it is in everything. 99% of the time I am confidently cooking at home or eating things I know are animal-product free but I also know that if I'm out for dinner and slip up with a mouthful of something cooked in stock it's not going to kill me. It's all about doing what you can and to not guilt yourself just for trying to get nutrients.

Best of luck in your journey!

 

[strawb]

It was almost a dealbreaker for her. That and Percy pigs.
She uses this instead. Not Parmesan but she reckons it’s close enough. Parmesan is also in things like pesto

Parmesan style Cheese Wedge | VEGEX

www.vegex.co.uk

Smoky bacon crisps are vegetarian though

funny about the bacon crisps

Congrats on your decision (if you choose veggie)
My comment is more about the vegetarian lifestyle. I didn't find not eating meat difficult as I always preferred other foods but I live in a very cold part of the UK and would really benefit from a good pair of leather boots! As I wear boots for almost 6 months of the year. My none leather boots only last for that time.

very good point! i do live in an extremely warm climate so i wouldn't really have an issue with this but thank you for the heads up about the lifestyle as i'd also like to use only cosmetics that don't test on animals, which i think i pretty much already do but would like to be more educated on the topic!

 

[chickhicks86]

I've been veggie for 30yrs, no fish, no meat, l'll eat egg occasionally as an ingredient eg in cake etc.

If in doubt if a product is veggie I just check the back of the pack, look for Suitable for Vegetarians (or vegans). If in doubt read the list of ingredients. I don't eat out much but there are always a couple of veggie options on a menu. I enjoy cooking and I can always make something eg a curry or pasta and sauce, try following a few recipes to get you started. There's also loads of ready meals and frozen food to try.

It's so easy these days to be vegetarian - good luck to you !!

It really is! I remember as a fussy vegetarian child being pretty much limited to chips if eating out on holiday etc. Now there is so much delicious veggie and vegan food out there!

 

[strawb]

They filter a lot of alcohol through isinglass (fish guts). There’s a good website call Barnivore that can tell you what alcohol is veggie!

thank you so much! that's the important stuff

i've been "veggie" for about 12 years now, in that time i was also vegan for 5 years; in the last 6/7 months i've started to eat fish so now i would call myself pescatarian. I don't eat dairy, with the exception of cheese every now and again but that's it - that's just bc i find it a bit sickly! I always think it's a good idea for people to cut out / reduce their meat intake as I do believe it's not the best for us or for the planet! my bf eats meat but he eats a lot less since being with me, for him it's something he can enjoy in a restaurant etc.

try not to worry about the transition, it's okay to make mistakes at the beginning when you're not sure what you can or can't have!

thank you so much! i think it's a very similar situation we're in


starting tomorrow!!

 

[Welshgal]

@Welshgal thank you so much! actually, gelatin is the very thing that inspired me to ask this it made me think there could be more similar examples that i don't know of. i would also not rely on soy alternatives a lot because i have an intolerance to it so only have it in small amounts - any other alternatives that you've found to be nice?

I like Quorn! We don‘t have it in Germany so I didn‘t eat it a lot but I remember absolutely loving their bacon. And pea-based stuff is also nice imo. definitely takes some time getting used to though!
Maybe try starting out by going veg a few days a week? I started doing only veg breakfast and then breakfast+lunch.

 

[Welshgal]

I was pescatarian (mostly fully vegetarian) for two years and I definitely think the first few weeks are the hardest as your body is used to meat and craves that salt/fat from it. Once I was passed that I found it surprisingly easy and started to prefer the meat alternatives. However I over did it on soy products and started to have health issues which eventually lead to my Dr suggesting to cut out soy completely for a few months and to eat a bit of meat again which I did.

If you „only“ plan on eating vegetarian/pescatarian I don’t think there are too many hidden foods. Gelatin is tricky but I can‘t think of anything else right now. It‘s going vegan that‘s a bit more difficult at first because there‘s milk powder (or whatever it is) in lots of stuff.
Oh and double check when getting tortellini or similar at restaurants. I once got meat filled ones even though it seemed to be a vegetarian meal from the menu!

 

[Giggling Squid]

My sister went strict vegetarian a few years ago and the thing that surprised her most was the fact that Parmesan is not vegetarian

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

Tangy cheese doritos aren't veggie, nor are cheesy cheetos. Lots of wines and some beers/lagers aren't veggie.

However, if you eat something accidentally, it's not that big of a deal, just start again with your next meal