Going vegetarian, Support needed.

[Fay]

So after watching many, many animal cruelty videos and almost throwing up numerous times. I had enough. Lately I already been feeling less and less like eating meat but now I'm pretty certain I can't see any more meat without thinking of the way the animal suffered. I also learned that fish can feel pain as well which I didn't realize before even though it is very logical when you think about it.

I have some problems with this though, I'm no fan at all of pasta, mushrooms, rice and foreign dishes. I usually always stick to potatoes with vegies and meat or fish. The occasional wrap with either chicken or beef or things with bread like cereals with milk (free range) and sandwiches and fast food.

What should I look out for with buying food and what would you recommend for someone with my kind of taste.

I'll definitely will have a hard time with beef, salmon and Brie (french cheese) which are my favorites.... Yes yes I know I have an expensive taste but I also like cheap things just not as favorites.

It's going to be hell....

How else can I support animal welfare? I already tell people and show videos about breeding, petstores and animal cruelty.

[Terekins]

Congratulations, Fay!!
The important thing to remember is to take it one step at a time, and you've already taken the first step-you've decided you're going to do something.

As far as your taste in food goes, I wouldn't worry too much because:
a) there are tons of fake meat products out there that resemble fast food, even fake sandwich meats. You can use this to your advantage when first starting out as a vegetarian. I think it is important to keep changes small in the beginning, sticking to things you know you like. You have lots of time to learn to like different things.

b) By looking at some of the cool veg cookbooks that are out there now, you will in fact learn to like things you don't now. This may sound hard to believe, and perhaps you will always dislike indian food no matter how many times you try it, but it's true that tastes change.

When I first started out I couldn't imagine what I would eat--I just knew I had to give it a shot, for the animals. Now, I'm pretty much vegan. I started out just modifying things I was already eating, then became inspired by the many recipes out there. Eventually it became fun to try and come up with things I knew were animal free (and hence usually very healthy). In fact, I learned to love cooking by becoming a vegetarian.

Sometimes it can be difficult to stay motivated. In those moments, I remember passages from a book I read about factory farming, and that does the trick. I still have a hard time with things like chicken nuggets, or other meat products that don't look "meaty", because they are so far removed in appearance from the animals they came from.

Good luck. You will feel so good about yourself by going vegetarian, you'll see
Tere

[JarBax]

That's great news Fay! Good for you!

In response to a couple of your questions:

A lot of packaging now in the UK has a 'V' for vegetarian on the front - which can help when determining whether it is suitable. Do they have a similar scheme in the Netherlands?

Baked potatoes with any number of fillings are good starting point for many a quick meal for us, hummous is my favorite, whilst my son can't see past beans and cheese! I use quorn a lot in my cooking, with it's many forms, it is a fantastic substitute for meat.

http://www.quorn.com/nl/default.aspx

So you can still have your potatoes and veg. - just use quorn instead of meat. (...are you planning on being vegan? Quorn does contain rehydrated free-range egg white.) It is amazing in wraps too.

Buying cruelty free cosmetics/toiletries/bathing and general household products really 'should' go hand and hand with a veggie lifestyle. You may not be supporting animal welfare directly - but by not buying products tested on animals, you are taking active steps in not supporting companies who do use animals.

Ecover is probably the best known, but brilliant company selling a wide variety of enviro, and animal friendly products:

Ecover United Kingdom - Animal products - Animal Testing

Don't know how much you already know, so will stop now - but hope this has been even a wee bit helpful! Take it one day at a time, remember the pictures and videos you have seen in moments of temptation. Don't beat yourself up if you give in - you've got to take it at your own pace, and do it your way!

Good Luck!

[Susan9608]

Congratulations! Welcome aboard the meat-free wagon.

I feel your pain because I don't like mushrooms or eggplant or a lot of foreign foods either. I'm also not much of a fan of the fake meat (it looks too real - it freaks me out.) Fortunately, I do like pasta, but still, I know how hard it is when you feel like your options are limited.

Just remember - any contribution you make is worthwhile. Animals need your advocacy more than they need your personal purity. So if you have occasions where you slip up or where you feel you just have to have a former favorite food, don't despair and don't give up. The most important thing is to keep going. Every little bit you do helps.

As far as food goes, I know how hard it is to find new things that you like. But you'd be surprised how many recipes you can just leave the meat out of and still have a good meal. That's one way to start. Finding new ways to cook the stuff you enjoy is helpful also. (there are millions of ways to make potatoes. I have a cookbook called 1001 things to do with a potato.) Also soy milk is a wonderful addition to a diet. You can use it in most recipes without noticing much of a difference, and you can eat it with cereal. Most people who object to the taste say it's okay with cereal.

My advice to you would be to start new things slowly. It's just like any kind of new diet - if you rush in, full force, and completely change the way you eat in one day or even one week, those changes are not going to stick. But if you go about it slowly, making small, sustainable changes, I think you'll have much better success.

Good luck!

[PiggieMamaKelly]

Good for you Fay! Giving up meat was hell for me too. I envied people who said "they never liked meat anyway" because I craved turkey sandwhiches and orange chicken. But if you take it day by day it will get easier with time.

I probably wouldn't worry too much about having a limited number of foods you like. I don't know if it is true for everyone, but for me, giving up meat REALLY changed my palate. (Is this true for anyone else?) As a meat eater I hated a large number of things like bell peppers and anything spicy and I especially hated cucumbers. Now I love all that stuff and I eat cucumber sandwhiches. So I think your diet will evolve over time. Just make sure to get lots of protein or you will feel awful.

Good luck!

[Fay]

Thanks for the support, I think I'm going to start out with being just vegetarian, It's a big enough step as it is and maybe when I feel ready to take it a step further take out the diary and egg products.

As for the "V" I have no clue, I never actually seen meat substitutes in the store but that's probably because I never looked at where the vegetarian products are.

I do of course come at the vegetable section almost daily for my guinea pigs so I'm pretty familiar with what they have. They also have a lot of nuts right now, like wall nuts which I like but is it good source of protein?

I like those "healthy" sandwiches with tomato, lettuce, cucumber and usually cheese. Being a vegetarian is cheese okay for now? If it is I could later on leave out the cheese. I also eat all bran cereal flakes with milk for breakfast. I checked the company I always get the milk from and they are free range or so they say. I never had soy milk so I'd have to try that.

I'm not worrying too much about slipping off the vegetarian road because I know it will probably happen and I'll just have to keep trying and I'll get there with time.

[jabberwock]

Nuts are great! They are a good source of protein, a good source of Omega-3 and a low glycaemic index. Brilliant food.

[thalestral]

Cheese is fine as long as it is vegetarian cheese which uses an alternative to rennet (rennet is from the stomach lining of calves).

Good luck in your vegetarian quest, I've been vegetarian for a few months now and have discovered that my food tastes have changed a lot. I think perhaps when you stop eating meat you are able to appreciate a lot of foods that previously didn't appeal. I'm not vegan but I do only buy organic milk, and organic free range eggs to relieve the guilt somewhat.

Also, whenever I felt myself slipping to begin with (which surprisingly didn't happen that much) I just made myself watch the whole of Meet Your Meat again.