Thoughts on being a vegetarian. I am not a vegan. I do eat dairy and eggs. I avoid gelatin and cheese that is not “vegetarian” meaning it’s been processed with cow enzymes. And fwiw, I am not a big fan of salad.
Becoming vegetarian has been a process for me, just like losing weight and running. It did not happen overnight. Growing up, the only vegetables I liked were corn, potatoes, canned peas, lima beans, and broccoli if it had a lot of cheese on it. We only ate white bread, white rice, etc. My family had tomatoes, and tons of other veggies, but I just didn’t like them. I think it was a texture issue. Anyhow, I got married, got older, and slowly started trying new things.
The last maybe 5-7 years I would have periods of time when I would “lose my taste” for meat. I just didn’t want it. So I would go “vegetarian” for a couple of weeks and eventually start eating meat again. I never was really sure why. About 21 months ago, it happened again. I didn’t eat meat (except hot dogs at the ballpark, and bacon--I know great choices
) for about two months. We went out to dinner for DS’s 18th birthday and Mike and I split a chicken entrée. It was very dimly lit in the restaurant and I kept thinking, this tastes funny. It was RAW in the middle and that was it for me. So I have been meat free since July 24, 2009—except for bacon. I finally gave that up in October 2009. There is just something about bacon!
I don’t have any huge moral issues with eating meat, I just don’t see the point in it anymore and I normally feel way healthier as a vegetarian. I have expanded what I will eat way beyond where I was 18 months ago. Pretty much the only thing I won’t eat is mushrooms (texture issues) and I’m not a big fan of eggplant. As a vegetarian and a runner I am much more thoughtful about what I eat. I know I need protein, and I know getting it all from cheese is not a good idea.
I actually see cheese as a garnish more than a staple—though I will get a cheese quesadilla with tomatoes when we go out.
I also find being a vegetarian to be very inexpensive. Sure fruits and vegetables are expensive, but not if you aren’t buying meat. Beans and eggs which are the two main ways I get my protein are very inexpensive and adding fruits and veggies in makes for a very affordable meal. Even nuts (not the processed kind with salt, just plain nuts) are pretty reasonable once you realize what a serving is. I have nuts probably twice a day--they are a good source of omega3s along with eggs.
The hard thing was, I didn’t have a big collection of go to vegetarian recipes, so I have had to work on this. We eat very interesting food now. And the nice thing is very rarely is there anything to defrost!
My DH is a “flexetarian”. He eats meat out, but not at home. He mostly has chicken or fish when we go out. This has made life a little easier, but really most of the things I make I could just add chicken to. Mike stopped eating beef about a year ago.
So if you are thinking about having a few vegetarian meals a week, what do you need to do? One get a good food processor. It makes life so much easier. We use ours on average 4 or 5 times a week. Make sure you have sharp knives and a good cutting board, and most importantly plan your meals. Let’s say you want to make a veggie pizza with roasted vegetables. Roast a huge pan on Sunday, and you will have roasted veggies for the entire week. Planning insures you won’t throw away produce (which is pricey at this time of the year.)
I have protein at every meal, but I would not say it’s the center of my meal most times. Protein is important, but if you are consciously making sure your vegetarian meal has either beans, eggs, nuts or dairy in it, you are probably good to go. They used to tell you that you had to combine protein at meals, but studies have found this isn’t true. You just need to eat a variety of foods including whole grains. And in my opinion you can add beans and spinach to almost anything!
A word about tofu—I don’t eat a lot of tofu, but I have used it as a substitute for ricotta cheese—and you can’t tell the difference. I will eat tofu that’s cut up in things. I am not a big fan of a slab of tofu—even with sauce it’s kind of boring.
So that’s my thoughts on being a vegetarian. There are tons of recipes out there. But it takes a little while for a vegetarian meal to become normal—in that you don’t have to put a lot of thought into what to make other than salad. My doctor told me that there is only one vitamin that vegetarians don’t get—one of the B’s I think. And she said it’s fat soluble, so if you’ve had meat in the last several years, it’s available to your body. I feel very healthy as a vegetarian, and to be honest, don’t really miss meat at all.
I hope the corner is short because I cant stand this weather anymore.
Jeanette
, but I'm just a tad taller than you so maybe I should. 
for maintaining during these last few weeks.
