A vegetarian diet... It's so hard, Any suggestions?

The weird thing is whenever I eat meat, I'm more sluggish or tired, I don't know why, but it's just really hard on my stomach to handle when I eat it on a daily basis... I asked myself questions like, why is my stomach hurting so much? Is eating meat everyday causing this?

So I did a little research online on becoming vegetarian... blah.. blah.. blah. Anyways, the thing is when I was eating more fruit, beans, soymilk, cheese, and seaweed everyday, I just noticed something changed in my body... I'm like a new person whenever I eat a vegetarian diet everyday... I'm not moody or depressed at all, I feel more energetic physically and mentally.

I just hope I can stick to this diet, but it's hard... not so easy because I grew up eating meat all my life, but I'm trying to change.

Anyone facing a similar situation?

I'm actually not facing a similar situation, but I've been vegetarian before for moral reasons (I still refuse to eat anything not free range) and yeah, it is hard at first. But it gets much easier. The thing that helped me when I first started was having a lot of eggs. Buy free range organic eggs and drink lots of organic RSBT-free milk so that you still get those animal proteins in your diet to keep that part of you satisfied. Also, there are many vitamins that can only be found in meat, eggs, and milk, so you don't want to miss out. Continue eating healthily and cut down slowly on dairy and eggs as you go and switch to soymilk and scrambled tofu. Also, to get motivated I suggest trying out delicious vegetarian entree recipes to see how good it can be! Nuts can make any dish amazingly hearty.

Well, I dont suggest the vegan way... your body needs protein...
And if you dont have it, you will lose alot of muscle matter...

you can take protein and vitamin B supplements to recoop that... but its still hard...

You can basically eat anything but meat...

Have you checked with the doctor?
Maybe you have an ulcer or something...

Hmmm...well, I'm a vegan and I freaking love it. I couldn't imagine going back. Congratulations, by the way, for taking control of your diet and your life. I'm glad you're feeling better, but I admit, it was really hard at first. I had to re-learn everything about eating and habits...pretty much like food amnesia, lol.

If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, you have to go. It's so easy to be vegetarian/vegan if you can shop there, and cheaper than being a meat eater anywhere. I feed my family of 3 for about 175$ a month, and we eat well.

If not, look around your town and find your local whole food store. Look for brands like Morningstar Farms, Boca, Tofutti (my fave) Double Rainbow, Amy's, Smart Dogs, Silk...all of these things will make you forget that you're not a meat eater. Good luck!

don't go on any diet at all thats not healthy. simply eat a wide variety of foods. eat a lot of vegetables and fruits but eat meat and fish every once in a while. the reason you get tired and depessed when you eat meat is because your body has a hard time digesting it and because you probably didn't eat enough vegetables and fuits before which have a lot of vitamins, minerals and nutrients which help every part of your body. that is one of the "myths" of the vegetarian diet. humans are not vegetarians, they are omnivors so eat like a human. humans eat a lot of vegetables and fruits and a little meat and fish so do that and you will feel great.

I never really liked meat that much but here is some stuff i eatr that is vegetarian.

I like eating cheese sandwhichs which is just sourdoughbread,jack cheese, lettuce, and tomato. It has high protein.

Salads, salsa, chips, fruit smoothies from Jamba Juice, chips, cookies, and protein bars are good.

Try Tofu some people like it others dont.
Good Luck

I am glad that you found a healthy diet for yourself. If you really miss meat, fish or poultry, eating a very small amount should not cause problems. Try to look up new recipes and try them at least once a week.

I have been vegetarian <ovo-lacto> since 1970. I had some really bad feelings about eating flesh from the time I was about six. My reasons for my diet may be different from yours.

My daughters have been vegan for 8 or 9 years now. They are both excellent cooks.

Eat well and prosper!

http://vegweb.com/index.php?action=recip...

http://www.recipesource.com/special-diet...

omg yes i am facing the exact same situation! well, what i did to start out was this: if i had a choice between meat and vegetables (or something vegetarian) like at a restaurant i would get the vegetable one. instead of ribs or something i would get a salad. just force yourself to order the salad over the ribs. after you haven't had meet for about a week or so, it should prolly become a LOT easier to eat veggies instead of meat. after you dont have meat for a while the thought of it seems gross.

after you can get yourself to make the better decisions at restaurants etc you can do the same @ home by only buying vegetarian approved items like esparagus, salad stuff, etc. if you live w/ ppl who arent a vegetarian you need them to help you. like if u still live at home and your parents make ur meals, have them make something that you can eat. it may take a little extra work, but then u should learn to make it yourself so you dont put the burden on anyone else.

usually for most ppl after they dont have meat for a while they dont really want it or crave it so i just suggest for a week or longer until you dont crave meat just force yourself to make the right decisions.

make sure you get enough protein in your diet!!! dont cut out dairy or beans because you need protein to function properly.

well, hope this helps!! good luck w/ ur vegetarianness!! lol

.::*sARaH*::.