I am interested in switching to a vegetarian diet. I have done some reading online and have talked to a few people who have tried (and failed) to switch. What I am finding is that for people (like me) who have mainly high-protein/fat, low veggie diets it is very hard on your system to just go cold turkey (no pun intended). Headaches, blood sugar issues, and digestive problems seem to keep coming up. What I am looking for is a practical, medically safe approach to easing into this new diet. I am the sole income provider for my family, and my job requires me to have a sharp mind while at work, so I can't afford to have any down time due to side effects. Can anyone please suggest good books or websites where I might find guidance?

I'm not up on nutrition like some around here so I'll leave that to those who are more qualified but... A good way to ease into it is try it one day the first week, two days the second week, three days the third week, and so on. You could even stretch it out and add one day every two weeks or even every month. Cutting back makes a difference so I'd say do it in a way that gives you the highest likelihood of sticking with it. You should probably also take a multi-vitamin. Get the ones labeled "vegetarian" though, many "regular" vitamins contain gelatin.

Congratulations and good luck and welcome to VB! We'll help in any way we can. :)

^Agreed!

Another idea on how to ease into it would be to start by cutting out one type of meat at a time, and introducing say....3 vegetarian meals a week in your diet....

-Educate yourself on nutrition, and if you don't already, taking a daily multi-vitamin will ensure good health
Info on health benefits/concerns and tips for the veggie lifestyle
http://www.eatright.org/Member/PolicyInitiatives/index_21026.cfm
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4777
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/faq.html
http://www.gnc.com/health_notes/healthnotes.aspx?ContentID=1301007&lang=en
http://www.vegkitchen.com/vegtips.html
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/
http://www.vrg.org/
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/

Recipes!
http://vegweb.com/recipes/
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/list_veg.html
http://www.pcrm.org/health/recipes/

Also, click on any food, herb or supplement listed to find it's benefits to your health-I think it's pretty neat.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthinfo/list_library.html

Pick up a couple free starter kits to help you along
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/CompassionOverKilling/OnlineRegistration.html
http://www.goveg.com/vegkit/order.asp

Transition tips:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=06making

I wish you best of luck with everything!

How about just starting to try different foods before deciding to go all veg? Maybe a couple of days a week you could try out different veggie recipes that sound appetizing to you and your family. Then you can gradually add more veggie foods until you're all-veg. Rennee gave you some good websites to start with above.

I have heard of some people having some digestive troubles when they first go veg, probably because they've dramatically increased their fiber. If this is the case with you, I recommend drinking a lot more water. People generally say they adjust to increased fiber intake, and plus fiber is so good for you!

I've never heard of anyone suffering from low blood sugar or headaches when eating a healthy veggie diet, however. These sound more like symptoms of not eating enough. Keep in mind that a veg diet shouldn't just be your regular meat-based diet minus the meat. You need to make sure you're not just eating lettuce, but are getting protein from legumes, soy, nuts, seeds, whole grains; good carbs from whole grains, fruit, starchy vegetables; good fats from healthy oils, nuts, seeds, avocados; and lots of vitamins from a variety vegetables, including dark leafy greens, and fruit. There's no reason you have to go hungry or feel deprived.

I tend to make meals that cover a lot of bases. For instance, I'll make a soup that is full of good carbs, protein and a variety of vegetables, especially green and orange ones. Examples include: lentil soup with barley, kale and sweet potato, among other veggies; or brown rice with broccoli, carrots and tempeh. I use garlic, onions and spices liberally in most things I cook, so everything is yummy. Also, since you're a busy working person, it's a good idea to make large batches of things so you and your family can have leftovers to eat for lunch or that you can freeze to use on days you don't have time to cook.

Good luck and ask more questions if you have them!

Thank you all for the information and advice. I have cut my meat down to one small portion a day and am doing fine so far.

that's great matheda!

most people go through some transitional process. it's a great idea to study nutrition as you are transitioning so that you nderstand the choices that you're making and how they help (or hinder) your health. :)

please come back here for support and more questions!

I've very proud of you, Matheda, keep up the good work!

Yeah, I feel how you feel! My brother and I went cold turkey... We were sort of "zoned-out" for a time period. It felt like fasting - only worse. We are fine now, though.

Like everyone is suggesting, just ease into it. Eventually, you will find yourself just not wanting meat at all anymore.

I guess I am lucky....I went vegetarian cold-turkey, and had no problems. Of course, I kind of set it up that way....on the day that I decided to go veg, I surfed around the net for information about slaughterhouses, animal testing, etc....after that, there was no way I was going to take even one more bite of meat!

I didn't have any problems going veg cold turkey, but i already ate a diet that involved vegetarian dishes and a lot of veggies and grains.

I think if you really want to go slow with it, start by increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat until you get up to the quantity that you're supposed to be getting a day (5-8 servings, whether you're veg or not!!). Experiment with new grains as well, and find some things that you like. Start eating more beans. Once you're eating a balanced diet, then start reducing the amount of meat in your diet and replace it with more veg protein sources. I think the biggest problem you'd have is the shift to FIBER! Even if you don't make it all the way to veg*n, your body would be happier and you'd do better by eating enough fruits/veggies/whole grains.

I think rabid_child's advice is excellent. I really think one of the things that helped me the most was that I had already done the South Beach Diet and learned to eat more whole wheat bread, brown rice, less of the white versions, and more fresh fruits and veggies than before. When I went vegetarian literally overnight, it was very easy and I felt fine. Much better, in fact.

Good luck on the progress you're making so far!!

I went straight from a fairly high-fat, high-protein junk-food-filled lacto-ovo vegetarian diet to a primarily whole-foods vegan diet, and while I realize this is a bit different than your situation, I think it is still a fairly drastic change.

I didn't suffer any ill effects at all.
Also, I have several friends who have gone vegan "cold turkey" (I love that term - HA!) and if anything, they felt better almost immediately, definitely not worse in any way ...

As others have said, get a balanced and varied diet, read, read, read and educate yourself - especially about ntrition and the myths and misconceptions people often have about a vegetarian diet, and take a vitimin if you think it's needed.

Best of luck, you've come to the right place for info and support.

I hope you are going well Matheda however you are doing it. :pibo:

I wouldn't be too worried about any adverse effects but I can only speak from my experience
I stopped all animal products straight after watching Peta's "Meet your Meat" Dvd about 6 months ago. My wife did too. Neither of us suffered any ill effects whatsoever & we both started feeling very good soon after giving up all animal products.
My wife used to have a small weight problem & has tried allsorts of diets over the years & I have always supported her (the worst one was the Atkins diet - even as a meat eater I hated it). I have never personally suggested any diet until I announced that I wasn't gonna eat meat, dairy or eggs any more & she went along with me. She says it's the best diet ever but I still say I'm not on a diet as I eat what I want whenever.

We have 3 kids & we aren't forcing them to change their diet too much. We buy cows milk for the kids (they just don't like soy milk) & they eat veggie burgers at home but if we go out they can get real sausages etc & go to MacD with their friends if they like. We can still have a family pizza (we get a veggie one with no cheese for us & a 'real' one for the kids) but they get a varied diet from us too. When they are older they can make their own minds up - at least they have had a bit of variety & know a little about food & heathy eating & where meat comes from (unlike some of their friends)

I'm taking a long time to become vegetarian. I still eat meat every other week or so, almost exclusively chicken. I don't eat pork at all, rarely eat beef or fish. My primary reasons for changing my diet is that I disapprove of the factory farming system. I want to have control over my own food supply, so I am gradually moving toward raising all my own food.

I'm doing this gradually as well. A couple years ago, I went "cold turkey". I felt great, but it was too much transition with trying to please the meat eating family and myself at the same time and I gave up.

After recently reading a couple books, I've been reinspired to give it a second try. This time, I've given up beef and pork and will slowly transition to the rest.

Meals I eat by myself (breakfast & lunch) are easy. I've always loved grains and veggies anyway, so it's not that I miss the meat, it's just that family dinners tend to get complicated for me. DD & DH eat just about anything, though they don't share my enthusiasm for a vegetarian lifestyle. DS is the meat and bread man.... getting him to eat any veggie other than raw carrots is a losing battle.

That's why I'm looking forward to participating in this community - it will inspire me to live/eat in line with my own beliefs. The kids and DH get to choose their own path - unfortunately, I still have to cook for them!