Tips to Become Vegetarian

by Webmaster, All4NaturalHealth.com

Becoming a vegetarian is not easy, and I hope these tips to become vegetarian will be useful to you. When I embarked on a vegetarian diet, I, too, faced several obstacles.

Being a vegetarian entails commitment and sacrifices.

First and foremost, despite increases in awareness and visibility, vegetarianism remains very much the road less traveled; you are thus in the minority. This means that you will have more difficulty finding food, places to eat, snacks, etc.

It also means that you will have to battle the mindsets of others, especially family and friends. Some people will insist that you are depriving your body, or that you will develop nutritional deficiencies. Some will put pressure on you to revert to a more conventional or 'normal' diet. Some may even ridicule you and your decision to become vegetarian.

Very significantly, you will find yourself in dilemmas when it comes to social occasions, such as large family gatherings, where the food served is not suitable for you. Do you bring your own food? Will you be able to cope with the questions, pressure, comments, etc, from the others? Do you even turn up?

Not to mention, many meat products and meat dishes taste great. Therefore, unless you've been a vegetarian all your life and have never tasted meat, after you become vegetarian, you will face temptation from time to time to dig your teeth once more into some delicious animal food.

And of course, there are different types of vegetarianism - the more extreme the diet you choose, the more difficult it will probably be.

Most crucially, you have to ride out the initial period after you become a vegetarian. It gets much easier with time. After you become vegetarian, your taste buds will change, and your body adapts. If you consume a well-planned and balanced vegetarian diet, you will feel better and better too - both physically and mentally.

Many people who have turned vegetarian report that they gradually lose interest in eating meat and animal products. Others say that, after turning vegetarian, they feel great, but eating meat again makes them feel horrible, and they thus never want that bad feeling again.

In the journey to become vegetarian, I find that some of the following tips are useful.


Tips on personal conviction and attitude

  • Know and believe in the reasons which made you choose to become vegetarian; knowing the reasons why you choose this road would help you to decide on the specific type of vegetarian you want to be, and help to keep you focused and committed.

  • If you choose to be a vegetarian, be it for health, environmental, religious or humanitarian reasons (or more likely, a combination of these reasons), do it joyfully.

  • Treat your new dietary lifestyle as a positive and exciting new adventure. Never view it as a dread. Remember, it's your choice - absolutely no one is forcing you.

  • Learn about vegetarian nutrition. This way, you will be able to better plan your own diet, as well as be able provide polite answers when queried or even ridiculed - you can even inform and educate others on the merits of a vegetarian diet.


    Tips on having moral and physical support to become vegetarian

  • Be part of a community of like-minded people, whereby you can share knowledge and recipes, as well as provide mutual psychological support.

  • At the very least, have an advocate who understands your reasons and provides moral support.


    Tips on interactions with other people, in particular non-vegetarians

  • When people ask if you can eat something, tell them you can eat anything, but that you choose not to eat certain things, for certain reasons. This makes things clear that you are in control, and also serves to remind yourself that you are making a conscious decision to become vegetarian and that no one is forcing you into it.

  • Don't impose your views on vegetarianism on others. This may help in others also not imposing their views on you.


    Tips on physical necessities

  • Have a list of favorite places to shop for food.

  • Have a template shopping list which you would each time you need to go out and buy your food. You can group them into 3 main categories - grains, vegetables and fruits. A further 5 categories would supplement the main ones - nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and sprouts. You may also want to shop for herbs and spices.

  • Have a few favorite restaurants and cafes to dine at.

  • No major changes to the kitchen are needed to transit toward a vegetarian diet. In fact, food preparation, overall, gets simpler and quicker. Some appliances you may want to consider having or investing in are a blender, a juicer, an oven, a rice cooker, a slow cooker; a gas stove would be useful too.

  • A bread knife, a chopping block, a grater, pans, pots - there are useful utensils. Sprouting jars and lids would be needed if you wish to grow your own vegetable sprouts.


    Tips on food selection, preparation and consumption

  • Consume a broad mixture of vegetarian foods. This helps fulfill both the taste buds and your nutritional needs.

  • Eat as much raw foods as possible; eat as natural, as whole, as organic, and as unprocessed as possible.

  • Start the day with light food, preferably juices or blended food. This way, your digestive system is eased into a new day of work.

  • Use your imagination and creativity; also, be receptive about the new types of foods and recipes which you may try.

  • Learn new vegetarian recipes! This way, you can keep the whole experience alive and exciting.

  • Use generous amounts of herbs and spices to improve the taste of the foods you prepare.

  • Also use sauces and condiments (the healthy ones, of course) to make tastier vegetarian recipes.

  • Fruit and vegetable juices are very effective for refreshment, provide excellent nourishment, and also help to satisfy your sweet tooth. Yummy!

  • Use a good whole food supplement, containing some of nature's superfoods, such as wheat grass or barley grass , to give your nutrient intake a big boost.

  • Avoid the temptation to indulge in unhealthy vegetarian foods - fried foods, sugary foods, ice cream, etc - to make up the loss of tasty animal-food options. Healthy vegetarian foods can taste great too!

  • Learn to read food labels.

  • Have some healthy, ready-to-eat or quick-to-prepare foods and snacks with no artificial chemical additives and preservatives. These foods will help tide you through 'emergencies' and hunger pangs, and help prevent you from reaching out for unhealthy snacks.


    Miscellaneous tips to become vegetarian

  • In general, vegetarianism is a healthier dietary choice. However, take care not to allow your decision to become vegetarian to degenerate into a restrictive and dysfunctional eating pattern. Maintaining variety is one big key.

  • Be consistent! Even if you should stray, stay focused and return to the chosen path. It's what you do on a regular basis which counts!


    I hope that these tips will help you should you choose to become vegetarian, or even if you have already embarked on the journey to become vegetarian.

    It can be challenging to become vegetarian. Did you find these tips to become vegetarian useful?

    Read More: More on Vegetarianism | Understanding Nutrition and its Importance | Nutrition Health Articles - Foods, Diets, Supplements, Nutrients and more | Information on some Herbs | Favorite Herbs, Herbals Formulas and Foods | Natural Health Supplements - What to Consider | Home Page | Site Search




    Being a vegetarian does not have to be difficult. In fact, it should be simple, healthful and fun. Meals can be delicious, too. Click here for a step-by-step guide to a vegetarian lifestyle, which will help you to make a simple transition to a healthier diet.

    Also, if you wish to learn how to lose weight quickly and healthily with simple, cheap and easy vegetarian meal plans, click here.

    And if you love Chinese food or wish to learn healthy, delicious, natural, gluten-free Chinese vegetarian recipes which you can easily prepare at home, click here.


    Share YOUR Knowledge and Experiences on Vegetarianism

    Do you have any thoughts, experiences, knowledge and information on vegetarianism which would be useful to our other readers? These could include topics such as what is a vegetarian, what vegetarians eat, different types of vegetarians, why people become vegetarians, the benefits and advantages of vegetarian diets, the disadvantages of vegetarianism, the suitability of a human becoming a vegetarian, tips for going vegetarian, the challenges of being a vegetarian, suggestions on how to become a vegetarian, vegetarian nutrition, vegetarian protein, balanced vegetarian diet plans, the vegetarian food pyramid, vegetarian recipes, vegetarian health issues, vegetarian statistics, vegetarian quotes, and more. We invite you to share your natural health knowledge and experiences on vegetarianism here.




    Vegetarian-related Pages

    Introduction | What is a Vegetarian? | What Do Vegetarians Eat? | Different Types of Vegetarians | Pros & Cons | Why People Become Vegetarians - the reasons | Advantages of Vegetarian Diet Choices | Health Benefits of Vegetarian Diet Consumption | Vegetarian Diet Disadvantage - a discussion | Becoming a Vegetarian - does it suit humans better? | Being Vegetarian | Going Vegetarian Really isn't That Difficult | Challenges of Being a Vegetarian | How to Become a Vegetarian | Tips to Become Vegetarian | Nutrition Issues | Thoughts on Vegetarian Nutrition - is it adequate and complete? | Vegetarian Diet Health Concerns - are there nutritional deficiencies? | Vegetarian Protein - is there enough, and is it complete? | High Protein Vegetarian Diet - some thoughts | Planning a Diet | What's a Healthy Vegetarian Diet? | Achieving a Balanced Vegetarian Diet | Formulating a Vegetarian Diet Plan | Vegetarian Food Pyramid - details & discussion | Vegetarian Daily Diet - some ideas | A Right Diet for Vegetarians - are you on one? | More Information | Vegetarian Statistics and Studies | Vegetarian Quotes - for fun, information & inspiration | Vegetarian Websites, Books, Videos & Resources | List of some Famous Vegetarians









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