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NPR: sdbmjm and other vegetarians
I'm toying with the idea of eating vegetarian. Not because I have a moral problem with it, but because I won't afford the organic, free range, vegetarian/grass fed versions of meat and eating food that I don't know what it ate (or was injected with) is starting to gross me out to an extent that I think it may just be time to remove meat entirely from my diet.
Anyway, I'm looking for good resource materials to research it and see if it's something I want to commit to (websites or books). I'm not sure what I need nutritionally or what to eat to get it.
Thanks in advance!
ETA: This is what I get for posting pre-coffee, I forgot to put in my questions. Do you have any suggestions of good research materials? I really have no idea where to start - there are so many books out there!
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"Wanna go for a run, Momma?"
Re: NPR: sdbmjm and other vegetarians
Fast Food Nation isn?t about vegetarianism, per se, but it?ll probably make you never want to eat meat again.
Also, PETA (I know they?re crazy, but bear with me) has a Vegetarian Starter Kit with lots of info in it.
I didn?t really research going veg before I did it?I just stopped eating meat. I worked at Outback Steakhouse during college, and one particular anecdote about their meat just did me in. I was no longer able to see my cats and dogs as any different from cows, pigs, and chickens.
I started out just eating a lot of meat substitutes. Slowly I started to learn to cook other things, and I broadened my tastes a little. I really recommend doing it slowly. Maybe you cut out red meat first, but add in tofu. Then chicken goes, but you learn a few recipes with beans. Then fish/seafood, but you add in tempeh and seitan. Something like that. We always choose whole wheat pasta over regular because it has more protein. We choose quinoa over rice for the same reason (and it?s one of the only vegan sources of all essential amino acids).
Also, FWIW, I take vitamins every day. I don?t know that I really *need* a vegetarian multivitamin (it has extra B12 in it) because I still eat dairy. Chobani is my best friend?tons of protein.
Let me know if you have more specific questions!
My Lunch Blog
I'm not vegetarian anymore, but I loved the PETA vegetarian starter guide. I know, they're crazy, blah, blah, blah, but it's a nice starting point.
Some of my favorite cookbooks (I still use them regularly and I love them) were Betty Crocker's Easy Everyday Vegetarian (but watch these recipes---one of them listed golden mushroom soup as an ingredient and every one I found was chicken broth based. I just subbed something else in), The Reader's Digest Vegetarian Cookbook, Okay; So Now You're a Vegetarian (this one is for teens, but it had a ton of easy, healthy recipes), and something called Perfect Vegetarian. I can't remember who wrote that last one.
Beyond that, I didn't do too much research. Like Katies, I started out eating meat alternatives and kind of learned how to really cook vegetarian from there. Actually, I still eat the Morningstar farms corn dogs sometimes, and I grill with their veggie burgers occasionally. I like them.
Good luck! I have the thought about once a day that I should go vegetarian again, but I haven't done it yet.
Snow!
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home DThanks! I've already cut out red meat (not deliberately, it just happened) and have been easing off of chicken lately (also not deliberately, I just feel quesy buying it now). I'll try adding in some tofu and beans. I'll have to look up some of those other foods you mentioned, I'm not familiar with them.
Thanks so much for the tip on the PETA starter kit! I saw that last night and wondered whether it would be helpful or just propoganda.
Thanks for the cookbook suggestions! There are so many out there - I was having a hard time figuring out which would be worthwhile. I think I'll be buying the PETA starter guide tonight.
It seems like a much healthier way to eat given that I can't raise my own meat.
I like the Terry Walters cookbooks. They are vegan, and focused on whole ingredients ("eating clean").
I don't really do tons of cookbooks. Rather, I think of foods I want to make (like chicken a la king), search for recipes, and veganize or vegetarianize them.
Also, this blog is awesome, and the carrot spice muffins are delightful: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/
My Lunch Blog
http://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarian/
And if there's one piece of advice that will stick... Morningstar is way better than Boca brand! Lol.
As far as cookbooks go, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman is awesome, as well as any of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's books (which are vegan, but really cool). Moskowitz also has a website, theppk.com (Post Punk Kitchen).
If you are looking for a meat replacement, Gardein is AWESOME. You can mostly find it in the frozen section.
At first, you have to "replace" the meat. Throw cheese, nuts, lots of veggies, etc on salads. Make "new" meals that you rarely make, like Indian curries, hummus wraps, falafel and pita. You have to sort of get away from the "meat/side/side" rule of eating. "Ethnic" food makes this pretty easy, because there are a lot of one-pot sort of meals you can make.
Good luck!
40/112
I do this too. Gardein chicken scallopini is great for that. Chicken piccata? Sure. Chicken marsala? No problem. Chicken panini? Delicious.
40/112
I totally forgot about Gardein! Their "chicken" tenders are seriously the best I've found, and I cooked with some of their other stuff at times. It was really good.
Snow!
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home DI am so excited to try these new recipes and Gardien (hadn't heard of that one before)! That website suggested by Katies looks a-mazing.
Thanks for the direction, I feel much less overwhelmed at where to start now.