If you’re wondering how to become a Vegetarian, this informative post breaks it down! You’ll love these easy-to-follow tips for How to Go Vegetarian. Discover the benefits of a vegetarian diet and receive a personalized plan to support your journey.
A vegetarian is a person who won’t eat anything that can have children. — David Brenner
I tried for years to become a vegetarian, and I also failed miserably at it.
I would start being a vegetarian, and it would last for a while. Maybe a few days? A week? And then I’d give it up when the next family dinner rolled around.
Or if we went out with friends.
Or I had a stubbed toe or any other little excuse that came to mind.
I mean, I think it just took me a while to work up the nerve to say the words, “I’m a vegetarian.” Living in the Midwest, meat is a big deal here, and I was a little too worried about what others would think of me.
I’ve recovered from that condition now. In fact, I even took it one step further and became vegan.
Learning Through Failing
However, the beautiful thing about failing at something is that you learn a lot, too. As a result, I compiled some resources with tips for becoming a vegetarian that you can use to help you go through the same thing.
Of course, there are some great reasons I think being a vegetarian is a great way to live. So, here are the resources on how to do it.
So, when I finally made the big switch, it helped me to really understand why I wanted to turn vegetarian. Here are some of the reasons that motivated me:
Meat is gross. I’m sorry, I’m starting here because it’s true. Can you imagine eating your dog? Your cat? Of course not! But they do that in other parts of the world. Millions of cats and dogs around the world are kept in cages and slaughtered for their meat. People go to the market and pick the one they want to take home and cook for dinner. It’s hard to imagine that. Eating the flesh of any animal is gross, whether it be a pig, cow, chicken, dog, cat, or gecko.
Vegetables are Cholesterol Free! You can eat as many vegetables as you want and not worry about cholesterol.
Veggie is Green! Meat has a heavy carbon footprint. The Environmental Defense Fund suggests that “if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off U.S. roads.”
Don’t Support Industrial Farming. Factory farming has found a way to turn cows, pigs, and chickens into production units, and the result isn’t pretty. Today, over 9 billion animals are slaughtered each year. Linda McCartney once said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole world would be vegetarian.” Don’t give factory farms your dollar vote!
Weight Loss. Studies show that vegetarians weigh less. Dr. Dean Ornish calls the vegetarian diet the “eat more, weigh less” strategy for weight loss. Learn more about veggie diets and weight loss.
Most people can see improvements from having at least some meals that are meat-free. Other alternatives to going 100% veggie include:
Meat-Free Mondays. The goal is to experience one meat-free day a week. Monday is good alliteration, but if another day of the week works best for you, that’s fine.
Weekday Vegetarian. Graham Hill spoke at a TED conference about his Weekday Vegetarian program, where (you guessed it) he’s vegetarian Monday through Friday. You can learn more about Weekday Vegetarians on Tree Hugger.
Almost Meatless. Another resource that can be helpful in a transition to more vegetarian dining includes Joy Manning’s cookbook called Almost Meatless.
Virtual Vegan. I had a conversation with Dianna Fleischmann about being a Bivalve Vegan. She suggests that you can have the same impact environmentally and with less impact on animals by taking steps to become a vegetarian and eating occasional seafood. It’s an interesting discussion!
So, if you’re ready to learn how to start being a vegetarian, let’s get started!
Tips on How to Become Vegetarian
If you’re really inspired and curious about how to be a vegetarian, it helps to have some steps to get you through the early days. Here are some favorite tips for when you’re ready to go vegetarian.
Good Recipes. If you’re craving meat-based meals, there’s a vegetarian recipe for that! Find resources for good vegetarian recipes. See below for my Vegetarian Meal Plan.
Bring Food to Share. Whenever I’m invited to a party or dinner, I explain my diet and offer to bring something to share. That way, I get something to eat, and I get to share delicious veg dishes!
Plan for Health. Being vegetarian isn’t an automatic pathway to healthiness. Oreos, potato chips, and French fries are vegetarian. Sure, you can have an Oreo or two, but plan to eat lots of fruits and veggies too.
Read Labels. As a vegetarian, it’s important to read food labels. There are sneaky ingredients to avoid. One is gelatin, which is made from animal parts and is in Jello, Frosted Mini-Wheats, and marshmallows. See the Vegetarian Resource Group’s list of ingredients to avoid.
Be Your Own PR. People will ask questions about a veg diet. For example, “Where do you get your protein?” In The China Study, Dr. Campbell discusses the link between animal protein and diseases like cancer and heart disease. However, if someone attacks you for being a vegetarian, it’s more about them. Say, “Thanks for sharing,” and move on.
Modern Vegetarian: Today’s vegetarians have lots of tasty meat substitute choices, from chicken wings to BBQ “ribs”. You can even enjoy the Impossible Burger at many restaurants nationwide!
Feel abundance: Starting a veg diet is not about deprivation! Michael Pollan suggests avoiding the center aisles of the grocery store because that’s where the processed food resides. As a vegetarian, you’ll prefer the produce section and take short dives into various parts of the store — for bread, canned beans, peanut butter, etc.
Resources on How to Start
Here are some of my favorite resources on how to transition to vegetarianism:
The Vegetarian Society How to Go Veg provides resources for helping people consider a vegetarian diet.
Look, it’s not enough to have the best intentions; you need a plan for your new veg-focused diet! At the core of your interest in how to be vegetarian is food. So, here’s a 5-day Starting Vegetarian meal plan to get you started!
Let’s look at day two of your new veggie diet. Breakfast will include this protein-rich 10-Minute Tofu Scramble is amazing over a slice of toast.
Lunch will consist of this Vegan Burrito recipe because it’s so easy, tasty, and filling! For dinner, enjoy this easy Vegan Lasagna and enjoy the deliciousness all week! Finally, for dessert, make this healthy Vegan Chocolate Chia Pudding. It’s a great way to include something sweet in your diet, but it’s also whole-foods focused, and that makes it healthy.
This vegan black bean burrito recipe makes the best burrito in town! You’ll love the simple ingredients, from black beans, brown rice, potatoes, corn, and seasonings to make it just right.
Day three of your plant-based diet introduces leftovers. But first, it’s time to get your greens in. In fact, I recommend having a salad with all your meals, especially using healthy romaine lettuce.
So, today you’ll have a tasty Green Smoothie. I open my eating window with green smoothies every day! For lunch, you’ll have leftover Vegan Tuna Salad. For dinner, you will have leftover Vegan Burritos from the recipe above. It’s a nice, simple day. If you want, make this simple Chocolate Pudding Cake for dessert!
Day four continues with some more leftovers because it’s all so good and saves some time in the kitchen. But first, let’s have another smoothie for breakfast, this time, it’s thePiña Colada Smoothie.
For lunch, enjoy leftover Vegan Lasagna. Delicious! For dinner, these easy Vegan Taquitos will impress your taste buds. If you need something sweet afterward, try these Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Balls.
Plus our latest vegan recipes, delivered right to your inbox!
We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
Veggie Diet Day Five:
Wow, it’s day five already! I think that means we should celebrate. So, let’s start this day with these amazing Pumpkin Donuts. You know, they’re baked, not fried, so that makes them easier and even healthier!
For lunch, make a simple batch of this Eggless Vegan Egg Salad. It’s made from tofu and is ready in around 5 minutes! Make this delicious One Pot Chickpea Curry for dinner. Wow. It’s hard to believe this is plant-based, it’s so good!
You’re gonna love this Best Ever Simple Vegan Egg Salad recipe that’s low carb, healthy, and delicious. Use it to make sandwiches, add to salads, and more!
This easy vegan chickpea curry is made with rice, potatoes, and all the right seasonings. It’s a perfect weeknight vegetable curry because it’s an easy one-pot recipe with a creamy, spicy sauce.
Hi! I’m Marly McMillen. I’m the founding editor, author, recipe developer, vegan home chef, and food stylist behind Namely Marly. I’m so grateful to you and every member of my audience for your support and dedication. More about Namely Marly ›
20 Responses to How to Become a Vegetarian Including What to Eat
This is a great post, with so many resources. I especially liked the Weekday Vegetarians piece since it gives people the flexibility to eat some meat when they go out on the weekends. I took Dr. Colin Campbell’s China Study class on plant based nutrition, and made significant changes to my family’s diet. However, it is really hard to change over 100% to vegetarian for many. I also make sure that I bring a dish I can eat when I’m invited to someone’s house. People are always happy to have a healthy alternative and I know that I’ll have something to eat.
I absolutely love this post! So much great info – I can’t wait to share it with everyone. I recently went back to being a vegetarian (long story) and I don’t want to push my ideas/beliefs onto others…. but…. come on! I’ve never felt better (and I mean that in so many different ways) in my life and that’s thanks to being a vegetarian!
I just love love love your posts, but this one is wonderful 🙂
Good ideas and tips all around.
Here, I wouldn’t have a prob becoming Vegetarian, the meat and chicken just tastes like nothing (but so do most of the veggies).
Back ‘home’ in Hungary, different story 🙂
great post Marly – the points you’ve listed are on my own list as well. and even though we’re not ‘complete’ vegetarians (we still eat meat occasionally) we do eat a vegetarian diet more than 80% of the time – in fact, we might only eat one meal out of the entire week that is meat based. you are correct in that when making the change from a meat-based diet to a more vegetarian diet, it’s really important to plan – at least this has been true for us. but i also believe that planning helps to refocus our thoughts about food rather than mindlessly plowing through the food on our plates. we’re getting there!
Marly
October 6, 2010 at 9:59 am
Hi Debra – I agree there are plenty of options besides 100% vegetarian or vegan. I think it’s important to note that if everyone reduced the amount of meat it would be so much better for health, animals, and the environment. Oh, and let me tell you about mindlessly plowing through food. I have my days!
joudie's Mood Food
October 5, 2010 at 5:08 am Reply
Hey Marly, thanks for stopping by my blog… This is such an informative post and also very very interesting. I am a meat eater and always have been. I tried to be a vegetarian but unfortnately it didnt suit me at all. Although i totally get what you have written about and understand it. But either way your post was great!
Excellent post Marly! You offered valid reasons why to become a vegetarian…many of which I use when I explain my choice to friends and family. I’ve found so much joy in NOT using meat to sustain me. And I hope that more people can start to make a switch to eating less animal products. Thanks for sharing.
I ate vegetarian for about five months and didn’t feel that deprived at all, in fact I ate way more variety of foods than I did as a meat eater. Overall it wasn’t a good fit for our lifestyle, but we do eat way less meat now, and all the animal flesh we do buy comes from well cared for animals. I fully support part time vegetarianism though.
Hey Marly! This is such an awesome post. Plus, you do such a good job of conveying how rational a vegetarian diet can be and is for so many. I often think that vegetarianism makes so much sense in just so many ways-kind of a have your cake and it eat it too type of diet (smile). I mean any diet that involves lots of veggies but also allows for cheese is just kind of awesome! I must admit I’ve almost kicked my cheese addiction though. I just buy it for Cauldron Boy at this point…
p.s. I made vegan pizzas with Daiya the other day. It’s so expensive though!
Marly
October 6, 2010 at 10:02 am
Have I told you this already? I can’t remember, but I LOVE Daiya cheese! It is the best. We have a local pizza joint that serves vegan pizza so we go there. I’ve been wanting to do a post on Daiya cheese and talk about it. That said, my hubby still prefers the Follow Your Heart brand of vegan cheese. So when I make pizza I just make lots of it and we have some pizza with the Daiya and some with the Follow Your Heart. Did I tell you I’m a short order cook? Not really… but I do aim to please!
well I’ve just found your site recently and want to thank you for this thorough list of resources. As I transition from meat to vegan it’s very helpful and supportive.
growing up I couldn’t stand the taste of meat and rarely ate it. as an adult I found that it was easier to go along than go against; those were my choices. after listening to Prez Clinton talk recently about his diet I’ve made the choice to go vegan. i’ve had enough. I need to lose weight and I just generally feel not well. after 56 years, the time for change has come. thanks so much for the guides.
Marly
October 6, 2010 at 10:07 am
That’s great news! I was surprised to learn about Clinton’s new diet as well. Good for him! I tell you, I can’t imagine eating any other way now. I really love it!
Let me know if you have any questions. I’m wishing you the very best! Marly
Trudy ~ veggie num num
October 4, 2010 at 3:58 pm Reply
Yay Marly!! Great post!! You’ve shared some fantastic information and resources, what a great way to support and inspire others!! I agree, vegetarian food is so much more about what you eat rather than what you don’t eat!! Being veggie is the best!!
Marly
October 6, 2010 at 10:10 am
Thanks! I like that – it’s about what you eat rather than what you don’t eat. There’s definitely no need to feel deprived.
This is a great post, with so many resources. I especially liked the Weekday Vegetarians piece since it gives people the flexibility to eat some meat when they go out on the weekends. I took Dr. Colin Campbell’s China Study class on plant based nutrition, and made significant changes to my family’s diet. However, it is really hard to change over 100% to vegetarian for many. I also make sure that I bring a dish I can eat when I’m invited to someone’s house. People are always happy to have a healthy alternative and I know that I’ll have something to eat.
I absolutely love this post! So much great info – I can’t wait to share it with everyone. I recently went back to being a vegetarian (long story) and I don’t want to push my ideas/beliefs onto others…. but…. come on! I’ve never felt better (and I mean that in so many different ways) in my life and that’s thanks to being a vegetarian!
I just love love love your posts, but this one is wonderful 🙂
Good ideas and tips all around.
Here, I wouldn’t have a prob becoming Vegetarian, the meat and chicken just tastes like nothing (but so do most of the veggies).
Back ‘home’ in Hungary, different story 🙂
(((Perfect Post)))
Thanks. Hey, love your blog too! Thanks for coming by!
What a great post with so many resources. I am so impressed by the amount of great vegetarian recipes available these days.
I agree. It makes it a lot easier to be vegetarian or vegan!
great post Marly – the points you’ve listed are on my own list as well. and even though we’re not ‘complete’ vegetarians (we still eat meat occasionally) we do eat a vegetarian diet more than 80% of the time – in fact, we might only eat one meal out of the entire week that is meat based. you are correct in that when making the change from a meat-based diet to a more vegetarian diet, it’s really important to plan – at least this has been true for us. but i also believe that planning helps to refocus our thoughts about food rather than mindlessly plowing through the food on our plates. we’re getting there!
Hi Debra – I agree there are plenty of options besides 100% vegetarian or vegan. I think it’s important to note that if everyone reduced the amount of meat it would be so much better for health, animals, and the environment. Oh, and let me tell you about mindlessly plowing through food. I have my days!
Hey Marly, thanks for stopping by my blog… This is such an informative post and also very very interesting. I am a meat eater and always have been. I tried to be a vegetarian but unfortnately it didnt suit me at all. Although i totally get what you have written about and understand it. But either way your post was great!
Thanks Joudie!
I agree! This is such an excellent post and resource!!
Excellent post Marly! You offered valid reasons why to become a vegetarian…many of which I use when I explain my choice to friends and family. I’ve found so much joy in NOT using meat to sustain me. And I hope that more people can start to make a switch to eating less animal products. Thanks for sharing.
I ate vegetarian for about five months and didn’t feel that deprived at all, in fact I ate way more variety of foods than I did as a meat eater. Overall it wasn’t a good fit for our lifestyle, but we do eat way less meat now, and all the animal flesh we do buy comes from well cared for animals. I fully support part time vegetarianism though.
Hey Marly! This is such an awesome post. Plus, you do such a good job of conveying how rational a vegetarian diet can be and is for so many. I often think that vegetarianism makes so much sense in just so many ways-kind of a have your cake and it eat it too type of diet (smile). I mean any diet that involves lots of veggies but also allows for cheese is just kind of awesome! I must admit I’ve almost kicked my cheese addiction though. I just buy it for Cauldron Boy at this point…
p.s. I made vegan pizzas with Daiya the other day. It’s so expensive though!
Have I told you this already? I can’t remember, but I LOVE Daiya cheese! It is the best. We have a local pizza joint that serves vegan pizza so we go there. I’ve been wanting to do a post on Daiya cheese and talk about it. That said, my hubby still prefers the Follow Your Heart brand of vegan cheese. So when I make pizza I just make lots of it and we have some pizza with the Daiya and some with the Follow Your Heart. Did I tell you I’m a short order cook? Not really… but I do aim to please!
well I’ve just found your site recently and want to thank you for this thorough list of resources. As I transition from meat to vegan it’s very helpful and supportive.
growing up I couldn’t stand the taste of meat and rarely ate it. as an adult I found that it was easier to go along than go against; those were my choices. after listening to Prez Clinton talk recently about his diet I’ve made the choice to go vegan. i’ve had enough. I need to lose weight and I just generally feel not well. after 56 years, the time for change has come. thanks so much for the guides.
That’s great news! I was surprised to learn about Clinton’s new diet as well. Good for him! I tell you, I can’t imagine eating any other way now. I really love it!
Let me know if you have any questions. I’m wishing you the very best! Marly
Yay Marly!! Great post!! You’ve shared some fantastic information and resources, what a great way to support and inspire others!! I agree, vegetarian food is so much more about what you eat rather than what you don’t eat!! Being veggie is the best!!
Thanks! I like that – it’s about what you eat rather than what you don’t eat. There’s definitely no need to feel deprived.