Thread: What are important things to know about becoming a vegetarian?

I've decided to become a vegetarian at the start of the new year but I'm a little under prepared for how to make the switch. If you have any advice I would love to hear so please share.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has a Vegetarian Starter Kit which should answer most of your questions-
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/

VegSource is a great site for expert information,
http://www.vegsource.com/

VegWeb is the best recipe site-
http://www.vegweb.com/

And Vegetarian Teen is a good site for advice about dealing with parents, kids at school etc.-
http://www.vegetarianteen.com/

Congratulations!

Bad idea. Humans are omnivores. We need meat for protein in order to stay healthy. Vegetarians have to take supplements in order to make up for it, and still they are usually weak vs. a meat eater.

You will likely experience a bit of detox symptoms, so be prepared. Also, don't fret over meeting certain amounts of nutrients everyday and whatnot. Humans can live perfectly fine without meat and not have to sit and calculate how much B12 is in every meal. Just consume the appropriate amount of calories for your body weight everyday and try to avoid adding fat to your meals. Also, keep in mind that humans only need 5-10% protein in their diet. Anymore than that causes health problems. Of course, avoid processed foods and things high in sugar as much as possible- these things are really detrimental to health. Read The 80/10/10 Diet by Dr. Douglas Graham and The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell.

I'd say start tracking how many calories you're eating every day. Veggies contain a lot of cellulose which is difficult for humans to digest. But many of them don't contain a lot of calories, so you may wind up eating only 1,000 calories per day because you feel "full." Eventually you'll start feeling poorly because you're not getting enough of the nutrients you need. Iron, calcium, protein, B12 are some of the biggies that you need to watch closely. Good luck....

BTW, Vitamin B12 is NOT available from any plant source. So if you're giving up ALL animal products, you'll need to supplement with shots, pills or eating a lot of highly processed foods fortified with B12.

The most important thing is to remember why you're doing it. Your firends might tease you and you've got to put up with it and don't let it get to you. I certainly gt it from my best friend and it gets on my nerves at times. But i just remember and keep my head held high.


Don't worry about not gettin enough nutrients. Veggies have protein, iron, calcuim and all that. So as long as you're not eating junk you'll be fine!!


When I first became veg it was hard I had to admit. I sure love a burger but I keep telling myself it's not worthe an animal dying just so I can taste a burger. There are so many other cruelty free deliciouse things out there for you to discover. These days anything with meat in it just doesn't seem like food to le anymore.

It keeps getting easier as you go on. Being vegetarian has changed me in so many different ways. I feel amazing inside and out. I've lost weight and I love it. I feel healhier and have so much more enegy!! And my love for animals have just grown, I feel connected in a way. Now I can look at a pig, cow, chicken, lamb or even my dog in the eye wihout feeling guilty! Animals have feelings, just like we do.


Good luck

don't,not worth it, exercise to stay in shape
course if you have other reasons please share else i have nothing to argue