I have been wanting to do this for so incredibly long and I've only been at it for a week. I've been eating a lot of boca burgers and spaghetti with no meat and a lot more vegetables in general.

My question: how can I get some interesting meals without using soy? I have some thyroid issues and I know that soy can make those issues worse. Any ideas?

Another question: my BF thinks that vegetarianism isn't any healthier than a balanced diet with meat. are there any studies that back up vegetarianism as being healthier?

Welcome, pix - glad to have you here, and that you're making a very positive change to your diet and impact on animals and the world we all share.

For most people, you really can't eat too many veggies. One way to spice things up is to explore new fruits and veggies that you've never tried before. Are you acquainted with mustard greens, for example? Jicama? If you can find a cherimoya at a local grocery, try one, but let it get good and ripe and brown on the outside first.

There is some controversy over soy, especially with regards to phytoestrogens. Some folks drink a lot of soy milk and eat a lot of tofu and Soy Delicious (vegan ice cream) etc, and while soy can make great analogues to animal products to help transition, I try to not eat huge amounts of it myself. If you want milk for cereal, say, you could choose rice milk instead and save yourself a bit of fat too -- or oat milk or even hazelnut milk which is :lick:.

For meatalikes, you could look for products made with seitan (wheat gluten) instead of tofu, or incorporate more beans and lentils into your diet instead. There's often a serious concern about adequate protein that leads people to eat a lot of processed soy products, but by and large a healthy balanced veg diet will get you all the protein you need.

For ideas of what to eat, you can find lots of great recipes in the recipe forum here on VB, and also at http://www.vegsource.com

A good balanced veg diet is incontrovertibly healthier than a meat diet. For lots of evidence of this, check out T. Colin Campbell's "The China Study", which you can buy inexpensively here:
http://product.half.ebay.com/The-China-Study_W0QQprZ46738820QQtgZinfo

Strong correlations are shown between animal fats / proteins and a wide variety of ailments, including diabetes, osteoporosis, and various cancers.

Two other books that are good to read are Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" and Howard Lyman's "Mad Cowboy". You'll learn for example of the strong possibility that much of what's diagnosed as Alzheimer's is actually CJD -- Mad Cow Disease.

On a more personal note, I've not once been constipated since I gave up meat, and when I gave up milk products, I stopped forming kidney stones.

There's actually quite a lot of protein in whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, etc.) As long as you have plenty of variety in your diet, you'll get adequate protein (seriously, have you ever heard of a single person with a protein deficiency?)

lp;l;;

There's actually quite a lot of protein in whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, etc.)
It's utilized better by our bodies too. Quinoa and amaranth, for example, have an amino acid profile that compares with that of meat, supplying a good bit of methionine and lysine without the myriad health detriments of animal proteins.

How comfortable are you with cooking from scratch? Also - are you going vegan, or just vegetarian at this point?

You can get really creative with beans (I recommend "Lean Bean Cuisine" by Jay Solomon), making beany sauces, bean salads, bean burgers, etc. I love pasta with marinara, some extra veggies, and a can of drained, rinsed beans. Some other good cookbooks are the "Student's Vegetarian Cookbook" (easy recipes) and "Passionate Vegetarian" (more complex recipes). I use many of the Moosewood cookbooks (the low-fat one is really good) and "American Wholefoods Cuisine" (by Nikki and David Goldbeck) as frequent references, too.

Spaghetti and Boca Burgers are a good way to start, though. It also helps in the transition to make some of your favorite meals vegetarian/vegan. Have a cheeseless veggie pizza (very good), or have refried beans instead of meat in your mexican food (make sure they don't use lard in their refried beans, though). Try your pasta with olive oil, garlic, and veggies.

Have fun experimenting!

Another question: my BF thinks that vegetarianism isn't any healthier than a balanced diet with meat. are there any studies that back up vegetarianism as being healthier?


THE CHINA STUDY
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932100385/002-0492342-9508006?v=glance&n=283155
READ IT
READ IT
READ IT!

yay! try beans, nuts & tell your boyfriend to be open-minded. hands down, he is going to learn a lot from your new lifestyle and lose some of that ignorance. i got my meat-loving girlfriend to give it up, did not force her or ask her either, after months of being together. he'll understand soon, i hope!

<3 veggies.
Just for some examples:

Today for
breakfast: I had a bowl of Kashi Puffs, and a Banana sliced
lunch: broccoli,a carrot, and a few slices of bread - dipped in hummus
snack: few spoonfulls of hemp seed and an orange
dinner: Farfalle noodles, with a bunch of olive oil/basil and some grilled tofu.

and for a late night relaxer: mug of White Jasmine Tea.

thanks everyone!! I am excited about being vegetarian because this is something I've wanted to do for SO long and have never taken action.

I think many years from now people will look back on our society and think people were barbaric for eating animals.

I will definitely show those studies to my boyfriend!! I am incorporating more veggies in my diet and am eating healthier already. It hasn't been very long and I don't plan on making this huge announcement about my change in diet but I am very excited about joining the vegetarian community!!!

THE CHINA STUDY
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932100385/002-0492342-9508006?v=glance&n=283155
READ IT
READ IT
READ IT!
Hmmm, where have I heard this before? :think:

Also - are you going vegan, or just vegetarian at this point? (emphasis mine)

You make it sound like "just vegetarian" isn't good enough...:juggle:

Last night I had peanut butter pasta with peas and maple and apple glazed baby carrots and asparagus.
Tomorrow night I'm making roasted vegetables with pecans and chickpeas and a rice pilaf.

Just a few ideas of soy free veg meals! (Though I did use a few tbsp soy sauce in the pasta.. hmm.. I guess you could go without there!)

(emphasis mine)

You make it sound like "just vegetarian" isn't good enough...:juggle:

Not intentionally, as I'm "just vegetarian" myself. I only meant it in the sense that it's not as extreme(?) of a step from omni to vegetarian as from omni to vegan.

In the same way you could say to someone,
Are you a fruitarian or just a vegan?

I found out that the boba in the boba tea I've been drinking has honey in it. Honey in everything! (*runs for the hills!*)

Hmmm, where have I heard this before? :think:

I bet you haven't heard. Read the China Study.

Tonight I had chickpea ratatatouille over brown rice, some asparagus, and some applesauce. The chickpea recipe comes from Vive le Vegan by Dreena Burton. It is a great cookbook without being full of soy recipes. The recipes are also fairly simple.

Also, you should pick up a copy of The China Study.