Transitioning into a vegetarian lifestyle can be a real challenge for those starting out. Between the cravings and the major adjustment to your lifestyle, it can be a hefty task to eat in a way that is much more cruelty free, but still good for your body. Whatever your reason for transitioning, these tips can help make your newfound lifestyle stick.
1. Don't go cold turkey
If you eat a variety of meats every day, and decide to suddenly cut out all of them, you're going to have a much tougher time sticking with your new diet. The cravings can become overwhelming, and can make the transition much harder than it has to be. The easiest thing to do is to cut out the meats you eat the least first, and then slowly cut out the meat that you eat more frequently. This will allow your body to adjust without becoming too overwhelmed at once
2. Make sure you're still eating healthy
A big mistake that new vegetarians make, is not eating foods that are good for them. While a diet of nothing but grilled cheese and french fries is definitely vegetarian, it's not providing your body with the nutrients it needs. You've grown accustomed to a certain amount of vitamins from your meat intake, and if you don't keep up those levels through other foods, you could at best have some terrible cravings, and at worst make yourself pretty sick.
3. Keep a variety of veggie's in the house
As with any diet, if you don't have the food in the house, you are tempting yourself to eat fast food, or eat whatever remaining meat you've stored in your freezer somewhere. Especially if you're just beginning the diet, you need to make sure that you still have plenty of foods to cook with, to snack on, and to enjoy. The easiest way to transition your lifestyle, is to make sure it mirrors the life you had before.
4. Find veggie recipes
Going out to eat can be expensive, and now that you've limited your options, you're going to want to be able to cook. There are thousands of simple recipes online that don't contain meat, and are still very delicious. You can also augment old recipes to contain different proteins such as tofu, eggplant, or artichoke. It's honestly amazing how much can be substituted in a dish, and how amazing it can still taste. Here are a few to start you out.
5. Scope out veggie friendly restaurants
When starting out as a vegetarian, it can be disheartening how few options you may have at restaurants you've gone to for years. It can be very helpful when you're starting out to map out what you can eat and where. Most restaurants have vegetarian options, but they are often fried, unhealthy, or are the dreaded salad. Try to find places that have healthy and delicious options, and maybe even seek out vegetarian restaurants in your town, or nearby. Don't think of this limitation as one that deprives you of flavor, think of it as a way to try a whole new world of food!
6. Have a good support network
It may sound silly, but vegetarianism can be a difficult transition if you don't have people who are supporting you. You need people to talk to about this, or at least people who won't sneak meat into your veggie patty at the next BBQ. It's a life change, and you need people around you who observe and accept that.
7. Don't be disheartened if you fail
It can often take many tries to go vegetarian. You may have given into your cravings, accidentally ate meat, didn't want to feel left out at a dinner, or a variety of other things. This is not a failure, this is just a part of the process. Or, maybe vegetarianism is not for you, which is alright too. The most important factor is that you are healthy, and if this diet will deprive you of that, then it's best to avoid it. If you still want to be a vegetarian, just continue trying to avoid meat with every meal. It is a conscious decision you make every meal to avoid meat, and sometimes that is a difficult task.
8. Remember why you are going vegetarian
What helped me most during my transition was the constant reminder of why I was going through this transition in the first place. Whether your reasoning is your own health, animal rights, environmentalist reasons, economic reasons, or a variety of other reasonings, it helps to keep that in mind, especially when you're having a hard time sticking to your diet. Watch documentaries, read articles, learn everything about the subject that has fueled your decision to change. Turn your decision from one that is begrudging, to one that is empowering.
