How to Become a Vegetarian Including What to Eat

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. Learn about the vegetarian diet benefits and get a vegetarian diet plan, too.

A vegetarian is a person who won’t eat anything that can have children. — David Brenner

How to Start a Vegetarian Diet

I tried for years to become vegetarian, and I also failed miserably at it too.

I would start 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’m 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 vegetarian that you can use to help to 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.

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Reasons for Going Vegetarian

So, when I finally made the big switch, it helped 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 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.

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Alternatives to 100% Veggie

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 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 to Frosted Mini-Wheats to 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 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’s some of my favorite resources on how to transition to vegetarian:

• The Vegetarian Society How to Go Veg provides resources for helping people consider a vegetarian diet.
• You can sign up for a free Veg Starter Kit.
• Namely Marly I offer tried and tested Veggie/Vegan Recipes in my Recipe Finder.
• Learn about 10 Types of Vegans.

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Vegetarian Meal Plan

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!

Veggie Diet Day One:

Day one of your new veg diet will begin with blueberry overnight oats. For lunch, you’ll make this tasty Vegan Tuna Salad recipe, followed by Vegan Beef Stroganoff for dinner!

Blueberry Overnight Oats

Make this simple vegan blueberry overnight oats recipe topped with healthy granola and lots of fresh super food blueberries! Serve these nutritious refrigerator oats for breakfast or dessert!

Blueberry Overnight Oats Recipe

Vegan Tuna Salad

This Vegan Tuna Salad Sandwich makes a vegan twist on a popular, yet fishy kind of sandwich.

Vegan Tuna Salad Recipe

Vegan Beef Stroganoff

Easy vegan beef stroganoff offers a creamy, garlicky sauce served over noodles. It's ready in thirty minutes and is perfect for Meatless Mondays or any day you desire to go meat/animal product free!

Vegan Beef Stroganoff Recipe

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Veggie Diet Day Two:

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.

Tofu Scrambled Eggs

This super easy, healthy tofu scrambled eggs recipe can be ready with less than 10 ingredients and about 10 minutes. Serve it over toast, on salads, or even as a meat substitute in casseroles.

Tofu Scrambled Eggs Recipe

Vegan Black Bean Burrito

This easy vegan black bean burrito recipe is made with brown rice, potatoes, corn, and salsa. Served in a crispy burrito shell and topped with guacamole.  It's good, clean, plant-based food that you'll want to serve on repeat!

Vegan Black Bean Burrito Recipe

Vegan Vegetable Lasagna

This vegan vegetable lasagna uses no-bake noodles to make this dish easy to make with minimal ingredients. Imagine layers of pasta, red sauce, and a cheesy beet filling for a colorful, savory, healthy, and yet still easy vegetable lasagna.

Vegan Vegetable Lasagna Recipe

Vegan Chocolate Chia Pudding

If you love healthy desserts, this vegan chocolate chia pudding is for you. You'll love the rich, creamy, chocolatey flavors.

Vegan Chocolate Chia Pudding Recipe

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Veggie Diet Day Three:

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 Tea Banana 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!

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Delicious and indulgent, this Chocolate Pudding Cake delivers a cake you'll want to make on repeat!

Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe

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Veggie Diet Day Four:

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 the Green Piña 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.

Vegan Taquitos

Vegan Taquitos are super easy to make. A tortilla has creamy plant-based filling and is rolled and baked until crispy. Then serve them with a delicious avocado sauce for the ultimate vegan comfort food!

Vegan Taquitos Recipe

Peanut Butter Date Balls

These chocolate chip peanut butter date balls are packed with lots of good-for-you ingredients such as flaxseed, oats, coconut, and dark chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Date Balls Recipe

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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!

Vegan Pumpkin Donuts

Enjoy these fluffy Vegan Pumpkin Donuts that are baked, not fried, and coated with cinnamon and pumpkin-spiced sugar. They're sure to please!

Vegan Pumpkin Donuts Recipe

Vegan Egg Salad

Make yourself a tasty and easy vegan egg salad sandwich! It's ready in less than 10 minutes and has the same flavor and mouthfeel as the traditional version!

Vegan Egg Salad Recipe

Vegan Chickpea Curry

This one-pot wonder dish, the vegan chickpea curry, is made with basmati rice and a splash of lime. It's so easy and so delicious!

Vegan Chickpea Curry Recipe

So, I hope you find this guide helpful. If you have tips to share or feedback, I’d love to hear it!

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