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Did you transition to vegetarian?

689 views 24 replies 20 participants last post by  jimblejamble 
#1 ·
I was thinking about starting out with something like every other day with a vegetarian meal, there are several we already have in our regular meal rotations and using those and perhaps a new recipe each week I think it would be real easy to do the first month half vegetarian for the whole family. Anyone else do something like this or did you go cold turkey, I mean tofurkey? :LOL
 
#2 ·
I think this is a great first start. On the other hand, what I did was a little different. I gave up one meat at a time. At first I stopped eating chicken b/c that was the easiest for me. After I got used to that, I eliminated beef, pork, and all the others. It might be an easier transition for everyone if you try something like that, rather than just factoring in a few vegetarian meals here and there. But hey, something is better than nothing and you should do what works for you. Just adding my 2 cents! Good luck!
 
#3 ·
I did similar to you, OP. I didn't focus on NOT eating meat/cheese (they went over the same period for me). I focused on finding recipes that didn't use meat/cheese. As I found recipes, I tried them, but I didn't stress about resorting to some other dishes if I had to. It took a while to phase out some old non-veg family favorites, but as I found new favorites, it was MUCH easier to just refuse to cook meat.
We had some trial and error, but I found a bunch of recipes that my family very much enjoys. The more recipes I got that we liked, the easier it was to cook those instead of non-veg meals.

My dp was very on board with eating veg (esp. after watching Earthlings), and has always liked most veggies, and ds was 2 and nursing a ton, and eating little, when I started cooking veg. meals. So I didn't have anyone fighting me on foods, kwim?
 
#4 ·
I'm still in transition.
What I've done is this. Once, for 3 months, I didn't eat any mammals. It wasn't that difficult, but my family got bored and I ended up going back to eating all meat. In the meantime, I collected vegetarian cookbooks (the Vegan handbook was really helpful) and I started making various dishes from those books. I started making my own beans and adding kombu to them. I started experimenting with other grains. Then, several months later, I tried it again, but this time kept only fish in my diet. That lasted for about 2 months and then my children and I all got sick (not from the diet) and I was pressured into putting meat back into our diets. Then, about 6 weeks ago, I decided to stop eating meat altogether. It's worked mostly, but I've had a few times where I get tired of the effort of making something different for me and the rest of my family.

After 6 weeks of having almost no issues with vegetarianism, I decided that it was too much trouble again and ate some meat. Well, the next day I was miserable, stomache cramps, gas, headache. I took it as a sign that my body is doing really well on the vegetarian diet. So, I got Veganomicon in the mail, watched some videos from the latest humane society investigation (extremely graphic). Then, I had a long talk with dh and I'm going to be making the same stuff for all of us.

It's hard to make the transition because once you start learning, it's an avalanche of learning. Then, you want to change so many aspects of how you live, like wearing leather, leather carseats, taking your omni kids to mcd's etc. Sometimes that avalanche is too hard to take and you think it's easier to just block it all out. But then, you get yourself ready to face it and you can successfully move onto the next steps of cruelty-free living.

What's helped me is to collect vegetarian recipe books, make extra and freeze some in ziplock baggies for later, collect cooking tools (I sell pampered chef and I'm obsessed with their products), forgive myself and move forward instead of hating myself and giving up.

Some good tools to have:
Pressure cooker for beans
pizza stones with handles (for pizzas, breakfast scones, french fries, etc)
iron skillets
stone loaf pan for lentil loaf
an immersion blender for soups and shakes
lots of ladels
enameled iron dutch oven for the best soups ever
3 or 4 very large bowls. One for potatoes and squash, one for fruit, one for tomatos and avacados and one for onions, shallots and garlic. These bowls make a huge difference in the organization of my kitchen. The kids love the fruit bowl.
Several large quart sized mason jars for grains and beans. I keep a good stock of bulk items such as quinoa, various rices and beans.
I buy cans of stewed tomatos every single time I go to the store. Italian, mexican, fire roasted and regular
I keep a bag of frozen mixed vegatables in the store for quick veggie soup
Good luck
Lisa
 
#8 ·
This is pretty graphic, but very eye opening. The Cheap meat one was the one that was the most upsetting to me.

http://video.hsus.org/?fr_chl=90bff3...cbf&rf=sitemap

It's a recent investigation by the humane society. It's not even on Peta yet, it's that new. It was on the news last night...well portions of it anyway. This slaughterhouse supplies a high percent of the meat that goes into our school lunch program. So, watch it at your own risk.
 
#9 ·
I tried to go "cold turkey" but fell off the wagon several times in the beginning. So I would beat myself up and tell myself I can't do this, it's to hard. I did not know what to eat after the first week....

At one point during the summar I decided to eat meat. It would be so much easier for me. I could NOT do it. My family eats meat, I cook it, but I don't eat it.

For me I just can't eat meat at all. It was/is a learning process. The more I know, seeing and reading, the more I feel it is wrong. Everyone deals with it differently, but once you know so much, there's no going back.


Good luck, hang out here.
:
 
#10 ·
I went cold turkey. I woke up one morning and said, "I hate eating meat. I hate the way it tastes, the way it smells, and I think it is unethical to eat it anymore." So I quit. I ate some chicken a couple months later, and got sick, and haven't since.

My DH transitioned (years ago, he's been veg for about 15 years now) into it though.
 
#11 ·
I kind of transitioned, but not by a plan or anything, I went vegan failry quickly I just started readin about what it is, what it does to your body, all the information I could gather. It became not food to me..... like eating it would be the same as eating poop to me.

I think knowing what you want to do and why is the best solution to make long term changes in any area@
 
#12 ·
I went vegetarian cold turkey. I had read some books (like Jane Goodalls 'Harvest for Hope'), and thought about it, and then I watched 'Meet you Meat' online, and just quit eating meat. (granted, this was only a couple weeks ago). That has actually been really easy. After that, I read 'skinny bitch' and watched 'earthlings', and that just reinforced everything. Earthlings was really tough to watch, but I now feel absolutely no need to eat meat EVER. I got some good vegan cookbooks, and am slowly working on finding some recipes that I like and are easy to make. In the meantime I am still using some organic dairy. I haven't had any urges for eggs at all.

I would just recommend doing whatever you feel comfortable with. There is no right or wrong way to become a veg*an. Every little bit helps, so if you fall off the wagon or feel you are eating too much meat, don't worry. Get some good cookbooks and work from there.

That video the pp mentioned that was on cbs last night would also be good to watch. It's not as bad as earthlings, but when I see those poor cows being hit with a forklift, I wonder how I ever could have been part of such a horrible system.
 
#13 ·
I was another woke up one morning and decided "no more meat". I found it a struggle (still do sometimes) only because my husband insists on eating meat and I cook it for him and because I have 3 kids who were raised for 7 and 4 years on a standard diet and they weren't happy at all.

After about 6 months I decided to just eat fish again, so I made it one night and spent the whole meal in tears trying to force it in. I just couldn't do it anymore, I knew too much and I haven't looked back since.

I think either way is fine though, you have to do what works for you.
 
#14 ·
i've transitioned before (and am currently!). For me the hardest thing to lose (since i'm going vegan) is cheese (man alive! that was hard for me the first time too.. i'm actually thinking being a "purest" might be too much and letting myself induldge on rare occosional might be best!) so i am actually working on that first... cause it woulve nothing to stop eating chicken (the only meat i do eat) and milk (which i only use to cook with and in cereal, i cant drink it as i'm Lactose intolerant anyways)... and other milk products other then cheese i have found excellent subs for that i like (ice cream, yogurt, etc).

what did it for me the first time was reading "Why Vegan" after picking it up at a local co-op (i was already vegetarian, not vegan). Though - i dont think there is a right/wrong to being veg*n.. or even some meat eaters too (i know a few who only buy frmo local farmers and not the mass market, for their milk, eggs and even meat)... but i digress...

Anyways... i think some do better cold turkey - but if you have a whole family - who may not be totally on board - transition might be better.
 
#16 ·
i gave it up for lent one year (when i was catholic in another life
) and never went back. this upcoming wednesday will be my 10 year veggie-versary! but before i went vegetarian we really only ate chicken and turkey, and we weren't particularly meat reliant at meal time to begin with.
 
#17 ·
I did it cold turkey. DP and I decided together that we were ready to cut meat out of our diets. So we picked a day that was about a week away and said after that day, we wouldn't eat meat anymore. We ate up the last of the meat we had in the house during those last few days, then we went shopping and started fresh.

We haven't gone vegan yet though. I have drastically cut down my dairy consumption, but I think that transitioning just doesn't work for me. So one of these days I'm going to have go cold turkey on that too!
 
#18 ·
I switched all at once to being vegetarian. I've been cutting back on dairy, but will likely pick a date after the new little one gets here to make a complete switch. I'm not very good at cutting back...tried to quit drinking diet coke for years by cutting back, then last summer I just picked a date out of the blue (June 17th) and went cold turkey.
 
#20 ·
i went veg overnight.. BUT i was single, no kids, etc. if you need time to transition, go for it! start by serving more meals that are naturally veg, then start veg*nizing some of your fave meat meals.

really, it doesn't matter how you do it! congrats on wanting to make the change.
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by zersha View Post
... Earthlings was really tough to watch, but I now feel absolutely no need to eat meat EVER. I got some good vegan cookbooks, and am slowly working on finding some recipes that I like and are easy to make. In the meantime I am still using some organic dairy. I haven't had any urges for eggs at all.

I watched earthlings on youtube immediately after your post. Wow! I'm so glad I found it because I have been needing that extra boost of truth. I'd definitely suggest watching it, but beware....I dreamt about it all night
It's really hard to watch.
 
#22 ·
I think that sounds like a great transition plan


I quit dairy and red meat first then about a week later dropped all meat. Dropped eggs about a month after that.
 
#23 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by lisa49 View Post
I watched earthlings on youtube immediately after your post. Wow! I'm so glad I found it because I have been needing that extra boost of truth. I'd definitely suggest watching it, but beware....I dreamt about it all night
It's really hard to watch.

I kept thinking about it all night too. (actually, several nights).

Another good thing it did was get my butt in gear to have this stray kitty that's been coming around for awhile spayed. She showed up a couple months ago, and was skinny so we fed her, and I guess now she's decided we're her 'people'. She was spayed last week and is doing great. And she won't contribute to the overpopulation of cats.

I think if I ever get an urge to eat meat, I'll force myself to watch it again.
 
#24 ·
I cut out all red meat cold turkey after reading an expose on factory farms. I quickly made the connection and began cutting out pork, then chicken, then finally fish. The whole process took about a year. I then cut out dairy which was also a process but not quite as long a process. I've been vegan ever since (almost 8 yrs). There is no race to the finish line and every little step matters. Go at a pace that is right for you
 
#25 ·
I weaned myself off of meat by limiting my intake to 2 or 3 servings a week for a couple weeks, then own to 2, then to 1, then none. This was in 2006.

Before, in 2004 I went cold-"tofurkey" (
) but I was not prepared and so went back to eating meat after 2 1/2 months. It was much easier the second time.
 
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