Alright, so if you didn’t know I have been a vegetarian for over a year now. I randomly decided in November of 2016 that I was going to cut out meat for a week. A week turned into a month, and months turned into a year! After a whole year of cutting out meat, I kind of sat down and had a meeting with myself about my health and whatnot. Not an actual meeting, but you get the point.
I asked myself if I felt better after cutting out meat. The answer was not just a yes, but a HECK YES! I felt overall healthier. I was feeling slimmer than ever before and never had any bloating after meals. A girls dream basically?
I knew I didn’t want to 100% put meat back into my diet, but I also wanted to see how I felt eating it again. So out of the blue, one night in December I went to Whataburger and got a 3 piece chicken strip meal. Yup, Whataburger was my first meal introducing meat back into my diet after a full YEAR! Everyone thought I was crazy. Honestly, I expected to feel awful, and thought that I was going to throw up or something. But, no I felt fine. I slammed that meal down, and didn’t feel any repercussions. From there I kind of told myself that I would go back to not eating meat, but could have it as a convenience factor. Sometimes, there just isn’t anything for me to eat while I’m out.
Now that you have a little backstory on why I became a vegetarian, I want to share some of my advice!
WHERE TO START
When I first cut out meat, I had no idea what to eat. At first, I was just eating the side of meals that had meat. So I would eat mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner… Or a side salad and rice. Whatever it was. I think it’s pretty common to grow up thinking meat is your only source of protein, and that every meal should be based on whatever meat you are having.
TIP #1 Just because something is vegetarian, doesn’t mean you should eat it constantly. For example, pasta… When I first started eating vegetarian I didn’t know what to eat, and resorted to eating white pasta with marinara sauce way too many times a week! So unhealthy. The key to eating vegetarian is all about the balance. You still need to keep your protein up, and stick to a well-rounded diet. Eat lots of fruits, veggies, rice, quinoa, beans, oats, etc.
Get used to hearing “but how do you get enough protein?” from EVERYONE who hears you are a vegetarian. I have been asked that question more times than I can remember. It’s so funny to me that that’s something everyone is so worried about. Getting your protein fill isn’t as hard as people may think. Trust me, you aren’t going to go to bed hungry just because you cut meat out of your diet. There’s plenty of vegetarian approved proteins. Some that I always keep on hand: black beans, peanut butter, nuts, hummus, eggs, spinach, and greek yogurt. There are plenty of ways to get protein outside of meat! Don’t assume you are going to be unhealthy, and have to take a bunch of vitamins. You will feel fine, and feel better than you did before eating meat!
TIP #2 Pinterest and YouTube were my best friends about a year ago, and still are! They’re great for finding recipes, and snacks. Try searching for beginners vegetarian meals, or simple vegetarian meals. Everyone is different, so you have to play around and figure out what you like to eat. Something that is a filling meal for me, that I enjoy might not fill someone else up! It will take a little bit of getting used to, but it can be fun changing up your meals.
FAQ
What do you eat at restaurants?
This totally depends on where I am.
Mexican is the easiest to eat vegetarian, in my opinion. I can get nachos, fajitas, soup, quesadillas, taco salad, etc. Most Mexican restaurants have a ton of options, and you can always substitute out meat for beans and rice! Eating Italian, I will get some type of simple pasta. Chinese, I’ll order vegetables and rice and a veggie egg roll.
Again, this all depends on where I am but above is a good starting point!
How do you eat vegetarian if you’re traveling?
To be honest, I don’t travel a ton so I don’t have to deal with this a lot! But, I have traveled a few times while becoming a vegetarian, so I do have a few tips.
Pack a lot of snacks, and always have your favorite protein snacks wherever you go. You won’t really know what you’re going to be able to eat, so it’s nice to know you at least have something to hold you over. I like the Justin almond butter packets or the Sargento Balanced Breaks. Either are great to always have around!
If you’re traveling on the road, pack meals ahead of time! If you will be at an airport, find somewhere with smoothies, or rice bowls! Either are great options.
Fast food vegetarian options?
Taco Bell Definitely the best fast food place for a vegetarian. You can easily make anything on the menu vegetarian approved by replacing meat with either beans, rice or potatoes. I usually ask for a Crunchwrap Supreme with no meat, and add beans and potatoes. But, you can basically have the whole Taco Bell menu, just ask for beans instead of meat and you’ll be good to go!
Wendys Salad, french fries or a baked potato.
Subway Load up a sandwich with a ton of veggies! I was actually against veggie sandwiches until a week ago. Now, I’m obsessed!
ChickFilA Veggie wrap, any salad without the chicken nuggets added or waffle fries.
Sonic Grilled cheese, mozzarella sticks, french fries, tots, most breakfast items.
Burger King They actually have a veggie burger!
McDonald’s Most breakfast items you can get with just cheese and egg. Hashbrowns, pancakes.
And that’s a wrap! I tried to include most of the basics on how to easily transition into becoming a vegetarian. If you want to see any specific vegetarian related blog posts, let me know!
