How to be a Vegetarian
Over the past few months, I’ve had a lot of people tell me they want to start eating more vegetarian meals. Maybe it’s resolutions for the new year, or maybe it’s just curiosity, but I realized I haven’t really blogged much about being a vegetarian. That’s actually intentional on my part, because I never want to be the kind of vegetarian that stands on a soapbox and yells at people to stop eating meat. I feel like food choices are personal and what works for one person, won’t work for everyone. I don’t want other people telling me what I should or shouldn’t eat, and I feel like it’s simply respectful for me to do the same.
That said, when people ask me where to start, I try to give them some tips and tricks on “how to be a vegetarian”. Even if you’re just trying to incorporate a few more meals without meat, rather than give up meat completely, I hope these tips can help.
1. Start Small
If you’re used to eating meat at every meal, it’s going to be really difficult to suddenly give it up completely. For me, it was a gradual transition I stopped eating red meat in middle school, and then eventually that turned into chicken or fish just once or twice a week. Shortly after high school, I stopped eating it entirely.
2. Determine Your Goals
Trying to eat healthier? A 100% vegetarian diet may not be the answer. A pescetarian diet incorporates fish, and sometimes I wish I had an appetite for fish, because they can be loaded with nutrients and protein!
Want to lessen your impact on the environment? Pay attention to where your food comes from. Make trade offs when necessary, but you might not have to go completely vegetarian!
Looking to save money? A vegetarian diet can be a lot cheaper, but it can also start to add up. Try some of these inexpensive vegetarian meals, and stretch your dollar a little farther.
3. Plan Ahead
Like any goal, planning ahead will make you much more likely to stick with it! Stock your fridge and pantry with vegetarian staples, so you’re not stuck facing the drive thru window. I’ve got a whole list of recipes that are 5-ingredients or less, so you can’t tell me you don’t have time for that!
These are some of my favorite recipes that I’ve fed to lots of meat-eaters 😉
Click on the photos to view the recipes
This pizza crust is super easy to make, and you can top it with tons of vegetables!
These easy curried lentils are super filling and hearty. It’s also really inexpensive to make!
These continue to be a popular recipe, maybe because they look fancy, but are super easy?
I did the exact same thing as you.. and it’s one of my biggest tips– start small. I think it’s honestly the best way to do it so your body doesn’t go into that shock factor lol
I love this post. A lot of people think they need to start off huge and cut out many different things. These are great tips for anyone looking to add more vegetarian (myself included) meals to their diets.
Great post! I recently tried vegetarianism and lasted almost 3 weeks. It is definitely really hard going from eating meat to not. I loved being vegetarian but just can’t 100% commit. I’m more 90-95% and I’m okay with it, I am now a “flexitarian”and eat meat maybe once a week. But I agree with all your tips above, these all helped me and continue helping me have a mostly vegetarian lifestyle!
I love that you don’t PREACH vegetarianism. So classy of you. I played around with a veggie-only diet a couple of years ago, and it just didn’t work for me. To each their own. I was actually a little bummed, as I wouldn’t have minded being vegetarian. I don’t eat a lot of meat, and I am super aware/concerned/responsible about the meat I do consume.
I think the best advice for anyone is just what you opened with: in essence, don’t make judgements. We all make choices and should focus on what works for ourselves, and not try to preach to others (unless they ASK for information). I have done veganism in its truest form, but I like the flexibility of my outlook now, and I actually feel better eating Greek yogurt as part of that. It also keeps me from stressing too much. I guess the best advice is to be flexible, and not put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect all the time. [Which I guess is advice they give for people on ANY diet.]
Great post, Liz! One other suggestion I have for those wanting to try vegetarianism is to make use of spices. They make a world of a difference and may even make you forget that you’re not eating meat!
We eat mostly vegetarian since its what cheapest for us. I like to buy organic/free range/happy meat when I do, and since that’s not in the budget now we eat beans & rice. haha! it’s true. I don’t rule out meat – especially when on sale but it’s more of a one a week meat item perhaps, rather than meatless mondays.
I love your perspective on being a veg! I try to eat vegan/veg during the week (or at least bfast and lunch) during the week, and then do whatever on the weekends. I love how you put it ” I don’t want other people telling me what I should or shouldn’t eat, and I feel like it’s simply respectful for me to do the same.” Great quote!
Thanks, girl! Katherine and I were just raving about how awesome you are, at the meet up last night 😉 Hope you’re doing well!
love this post! I started to gradually eat less and less meat (for several reasons), and of recently I’ve decided to just “officially” be vegetarian, but I’m still eating seafood so I think the technical term is pescatarian? Either way, I really like it so far. It’s definitely motivating me to find creative meals with tons of veggies!
That’s awesome! I love when people find what works for them 🙂 I really do want to start eating fish at some point, because I think it’s so healthy for you!
I don’t eat a lot of meat on a regular basis, but don’t think I could do totally veggie either. I love chicken and seafood and I totally appreciate that you DON’T push veggies down everyone’s throat. That being said, I love your veggie recipes and look forward to trying some of them!