Heya firstly I would just like to thank all of you here because after reading through your posts I now know that vegetarianism is the right thing for me. Now to my first question, I have tried to go veggie several times in the past but due to my parents not understanding what it meant to me and there fears that I wasn`t going to get enough protein I ended up going back to my meat eating ways. However, I recently sat and talked with them about what I have read here and they are now OK with my decision ( thanks a load guys ). One of my problems is that that I don`t know where to get started, should I just cut out all meat or eliminate one type of meat at a time? My second question is what should I do about a school lunch. My school has basicly no vegetarian options other than crisps and over priced salads. I need something that wont be to expensive and is quick to make ( something other than penut butter and jelly sandwiches please ). My final question is how long did it take you to go veggie. I know that everyone is different but I would like to have an idea of how long it might take me to be a full vegetarian. Any advice would be greatly apreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read.

I think it's okay if you want to cut all meat out at once or gradually, it really doensn't matter. It just depends on how much you like meat. If you really hate it, like me, you can probably go ahead and stop eating all meat right now. Just remember to replace the meat you were eating with other healthy foods that have protein in them (meat replacements work very well). Or if you eat meat a lot right now and like it, than it would be easier to cut out one type of meat at a time so that you don't miss it so much and start craving it like mad.

Wraps are very easy to make, and you can pretty much put whater you want in them. Just roll your ingredients in a whole wheat tortilla, cut in two, and put in a plastic baggie. Cut up your favorite veggies, make your own salad, bake some chickpea crunchies (a favorite found in the recipe section). There are a TON of lunch ideas all over the site.

As to your third question: I never really liked meat, so when I finally decided to become a vegetarian, I did it the next day and never turned back. But going vegan is much, much harder for me because I do like cheese and other dairy. Technically I can't call myself vegan yet because it's only been a day!

All I can do is re-iterate what other people have said and say that whether or not you eliminate one meat at a time or go 'cold turkey' is entirely your decision. It might be a lot easier for you to take away one meat at a time, on the other hand, there's no point doing that if every time you go to eat your (insert whatever meat u leave til last to eliminate) you beat yourself up about it. Me personally, I stopped eating Sheep first when I was 12,then cows, then chicken and fish and lastly pigs, Less than a year had passed from beginning to full-fledged vegetarian. I woulda gone all out to start with but my parents, particularly my dad werent very supportive at that time. When they realised how much it was paining me to eat meat though, they accepted it.
AND...my number one tip in relation to all of this, is, don't give yourself grief if at some point or points you slip up and eat meat, deal with it and jump back on the bandwagon :)

for school lunches, even though you say you are oging vegetarian not vegan, this is a good website to look at: www.veganlunchbox.com

The cold-turkey vs. gradual change decision is quite a variable one... I went vegan overnight and was totally fine with it, but lots of other people like to cut out one or two things at a time. Just go with whichever makes you comfortable -- you'll get there either way. :up:

I had problems with packing my lunch at first, too, but there are lots of VERY quick lunchbox-stockers that I really enjoyed. My all-time favorite (and among the easiest to pack) is hummus and pita/rice cakes. You might also consider finding some veg*n lunchmeats (like Lightlife's Smart Deli turkey, ham, pastrami, etc.), which are a good transitional food and are very easy to prepare.

Good luck, and congratulations on your decision!

Thanks alot for helping me, I found all of your tips to be very helpful and encourageing! Now that I have a better idea of how to go vegetarian I feel much more confident in becomeing one.

You can go to your local store, walmart or whatever you have, and get cold packs that you freeze and put in your lunch bag.. My dh uses those, and they keep cold stuff pretty cold.. Then you can take any kind of veggies, fruits, whatever you want.

When I was in high school, the cooks would microwave something for you, if y ou wanted.

I quit eating meat all together in a day. I started out with a few of my favorite meat dishes and made them vegetarin while I educated myself on living a vegetarian life style. I purchased a book called ( Simply Vegan ). It has quick easy to fix meals that you can make at home or take on the road.

Somehow I missed seeing your original post last week, or I would have responded much sooner! Sorry 'bout that...

Overnight or gradual change really depends on you. I did it overnight-- I was so appalled by what I had learned about how meat really gets to your plate that I literally couldn't put it in my mouth. That left me very little tiem to figure out what I was going to put in my mouth instead, but I managed to make it work. If you're comfortable with it, you can do it gradually, by cutting out one type of meat at a time, or you can do it by days of the week. starting with one or two days a week, and gradually increasing the number of days you eat veggie. Either of those approaches will give you time time to plan what your new diet will be like.

As for lunches, I like to make some sort of marinated salad or a pot of soup on Sunday, then take individual servings with bread, like so:

marinated bean salad and pita bread
southwestern bean/pasta salad and corn chips
Chili and cornbread
gazpacho and crusty italian bread
Black bean soup and corn chips
Cajun red beans and rice

I have access to a fridge and microwave, but a thermos and insulated lunch bag should work fine for this type of lunch. A small container of green salad would help round it out if you like. I usually make a simple salad of raw spinach, shredded carrots, and glazed walnuts (I get Emerald brand) with store-bought raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

I also like to make veggie sandwiches on my favorite whole wheat bread, with a little onion and bell pepper, shredded carrot, baby spinach leaves, toamto slices, cucumber slices, and whatever else I have on hand with mayo or Vegenaise. These are good dressed up with a little veggie lunch "meat" or veggie bacon (I like Fakin' Bacon). You can also make this sort of sandwich in a pita.

(Now if I could just practice what I preach! :think: I've gotten out of the habit of doing either of these things lately, and I'm having to scramble to figure out what I'm going to have for lunch.)

thank u very much for your help. i have now been veggie for 5 days and my friend is even going veggie as well (she saw me on vb and has been getting really into it) which is great.

That's really good that you're sticking with it, and having a friend who is vegetarian will make it much much easier. I lived with/dated a lifelong vegetarian for two years, so my meat intake was fairly low to begin with, usually only when I went out to eat did I get something really meaty. For some reason, now that we're living apart, I woke up and decided not to eat meat again. I had some beef left from my last shopping trip and didn't want to waste it, but when I accidentally undercooked it I took it as a sign and never went back.

You can make sandwiches with anything-- I have been going crazy w/ avacado sandwiches. tinned vegetarian chili, 3 bean salad, beans and rice, and a lot of choices other than fancy meat anologues can keep your lunch filling and cheap. To keep your bread from going soggy, keep your fixings in a seperate container. That frozen ice in a plastic container will keep food cold, best to get a thermal lunch box or bag.