Food Being a Vegetarian Dilemma...Long

ahs483

ahs483

Member
Jun 17, 2006
1,276
3
#1
I hope this is the right place to put this....

Ok so here's my problem. A couple of weeks ago I was driving on the highway and I had to pass one of those 18 wheelers made to transport animals :sad:... It really got me thinking so I started looking into becoming a vegetarian. . After researching how the animals are treated/how they are killed, I decided I no longer wanted to eat meat (no pork, chicken, beef, fish, etc).

However, this is where my problem starts. I am a VERY picky eater. I honestly do not like vegetables and I hardly eat fruit. I basically eat junk food all the time. But now, its even harder to find things I want to eat because all the vegetarian dishes are not at all appealing to me. So I don't know what to do. I really hate the idea of eating any sort of meat after reading about it, but yet I feel like I can't find ANYTHING that sounds good to me to eat....Has anyone gone through this before? Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

TIA.
 
#2
You should watch the new film "food inc". I'm not vegetarian myself, but I understand where you're coming from. I think new regulations need to be put in place for the treatment of animals in food production, and human consumption safety.

You can find vegetarian dishes in every type of food. Italian, Indian, whatever you like. Get yourself a few cookbooks that feature the type of dishes you like to eat, and experiment.
 
#3
Do you like soup?
Baked potatoes?

I do this a lot in the winter. Bake a ton of potatoes. I do an entire cookie sheet.
First dinner: baked potato with broccoli, cheese, etc.
Next night: Mash remaining potatoes with butter, vegetable stock, a little cream to make a thick creamy potato soup. You can add a little onion, leeks, corn, etc. Eat with tons of cheese.......I like hard parmesan shaved into the large curls. It makes a lot of soup so I can eat it for lunch or freeze for a lazy day.

Try roasted vegetables. They have a totally different taste than regular veggies.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut vegetables (potato, carrot, leeks, green beans, etc) into even pieces. Toss with salt, olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Spread onto cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. They are really delicious.

Easy mushroom/pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions.
Melt 1 stick of butter in skillet, add 1lb mushrooms (i like the sliced baby portobellos) and sautee. Sprinkle approximately 1-2 TBS of flour over mushrooms and slowly add water or stock (about 1 cup). Bring to boil and stir continuously for at least one minute to thicken. Remember, flour will not reach its thickening potential until it comes to a boil.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, etc.
Mix in pasta and enjoy!
 
#5
I don't cook till Im hungry then I have fun, but then I'm the creative sort anyway.

I don't like the fact that that thousand of millions of people die in car accidents either, but I must drive a car, I don't like the fact that the best medicine and Lawyers are for the rich.I still use both as I need. I don't like the fact that one innocent man goes to jail but jail is where I hope they keep Manson and those like him.

I was Vegitarian for 7 years the same cows that I didn't eat were still killed and the world didn't suddenly straighten out. But I did it for me, not for the animals that was a fairytale side benefit in my mind only.
Truth is I was okay with it, the thing that got me was, why I went back to meat is that I got tired of not being invited over because most didn't know what to serve me or had to serve me something different, some didn't mind, many were cool about it and accomodating but it got in the way one to many times and I valued my friends more than I do animals or any imagined health benefits for me beside Vegans and Vegitarians still die. Jack la lane is a healthy ole codger yet he too will be just as gone SO enjoy your life and don't sweat what you have no real control over anyway.
 
#6
Before I became a vegetarian (first for weight loss, and then for moral reasons) I hated cooking as well. Once I started playing around with it I found I enjoyed it. You'll need to do some cooking but you might actually surprise yourself and end up liking it! You can live on junk food, but you're not going to feel so hot...
 
#7
Im a veg and I've never had trouble finding something to eat. My parents and bf are omnis and I cook for them everyday. I make their chicken/meat and then I grill/bake/roast veggies for me. Pastas, couscous, grains are really easy to cook. For breakfast I usually have Total cereal (which gives me my iron, folic acid, b vitamins, etc) with a bit of soymilk. I don't eat tofu and I can be really picky so theres tons of veg recipes I wont try. But that doesn't mean that there is nothing to eat. Try tweaking your favorite recipes. The easiest thing is to try to have a fruit/veggie with every meal (banana with your cereal, strawberries with your lunch, veggie fajitas for dinner, ...)
 
#8
I hated cooking before I became a vegetarian but quickly realized how difficult it is to eat out (that's an understatement in some states). So I bought a few vegetarian cookbooks and began to LOVE making meals. Just try it out a few times...find a recipe, have fun buying new ingredients, learn as you go and I am sure you will be impressed with how tasty your meal turns out and will want to try it out again. Good Luck!
 
#9
In order to do the vegetarian diet in a healthy way... you're going to HAVE to cook... and you're going to HAVE to branch out of your junk food rut. I totally agree with the poster who suggested buying a few vegetarian cookbooks. I was veggie for many years and that was what made me learn to love cooking! Wishing you well!
 
#10
You don't want to cook? I know you're picky but without cooking the only other option is to choose junk food that says "suitable for vegetarians" on it. Get some frozen veggie pizzas, veg burgers, veg pasta dishes. But it's NEVER going to be as nice as something you can cook for yourself with a little practice. Buy a veggie cookbook!

Salads are actually really nice. Just get a bag of salad and chop some cherry tomatoes in half on top of it, cube some cheese too and put that on top. You can also add walnuts. The freshness of salad will be SO nice compared to the junk food you've been eating.

Baked potatoes are a good way to start off. Cooking a baked potato is about as easy as making a sandwich. When you've baked it (i.e. you stab it with a fork and leave it in the oven for an hour while you do something else) you can scoop out the inside and mash it with cheese, garlic, onion, peppers, then grill it for 20 mins to get it brown. It's delicious. If you're unwilling to even try baking a potato, you're doomed to a veggie version of your junk food diet.:biggrin:
 
#11
Yoghurt, Kefir, milk.

Eggs. (Boil up a half dozen at a time.)

Cheese and crackers or bread.

Wolfgang Puck and Amy's canned vegetable soup. Toss in some cubed tofu. Tofu takes on the flavor of the soup.

I hope you are taking lots of vitamins.
 
#12
The bottom line is, if you're really serious about becoming a vegetarian, you'll have to be prepared to do whatever it takes. A vegetarian diet doesn't necessarily require mad cooking skills, nor will it take a lot of time to whip something up. Things like soups and veggie bakes pretty much cook themselves once you've thrown in the ingredients. Grab some easy veggie cookbooks and go from there. Prepacked and prewashed salads and vegetables are another no fuss option. Best of luck, I hope it goes well for you.
 
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