Hi! Help please!!

[firedancer722]

I'm glad to have found this board. I am really trying to make the switch to vegetarianism but it's been a big struggle! I was raised by my cattle farming father and a family that believes if you don't have meat at every meal, you're going to wither up and die. For those wondering why I want to go veggie, basically, there are multiple reasons. For one, I am overweight and at a high risk for heart complications if I don't lose weight and get healthier overall. Two, when I really think about it, the fact that I am eating something that was once part of a living animal makes me really upset, sad, and grossed out, in a sense. Another couple of reasons, and probably the biggest ones, are the cruelty that is inflicted on animals just so we can eat, and the environmental impact of raising animals for food.

Anyways, I don't know why it has been so difficult for me to do this. Perhaps part of it is that I'm a super busy grad student and I barely have time to make it to Wendy's in between class and work, let alone, prepare meals and figure out how to get all my nutritional needs met. (although, I doubt wendy's is meeting all my nutritional needs either).

Okay, sorry this was such a long post, but I'd REALLY appreciate any advice or suggestions for what to do to make this transition go more smoothly.

THANK YOU in advance!!
Candace

[Libellula]

go grocery shopping and stock up on foods you can make the nightbefore and stash in your bookbag. Wraps are good, rice and beans are good!

[*AHIMSA*]

It sounds like you have good reasons and the motivation necessary to become a vegetarian. There are many threads on lunches/school lunches. Here's a good article on weight loss (it's for vegans, but you can adapt it if you don't want to eat a vegan all the time). http://www.vegfamily.com/health/vegan-weight-loss.htm

[HUDDY]

Hi Candace!
You've come to the right place for support and info. Good on you for making the change to becoming veggie. You'll find that alot of people in society will question your choice (Ive just mad the transition to vegan and Ive lost count of the negative reactions/comments that Ive received:brood:) , but dont let it bug you. They're the ones missing out! :p

[Peacefully_Anna]

my dad is a cattle rancher so I know how you feel
I thinks its great your becoming vegetarian :-)
I hope you have a good experience with it

[LucidAnne]

welcome and congrats!!

im sure you will find this board helpful...there are alot of people on here who are busy and are students w/ little funds... there are alot of threads.

you def will have to make some foods yourself, im sure... are you living at home? do you have access to kitchen appliances?
stock up your pantry w/ things like brown rice, beans in a can, salsa, tomato sauce, pasta, etc.
wraps are great for on the go... veggies and hummus! tofu and beans!
salad fixins and nuts, dried fruits.
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=78394

check out this site for recipes and vegweb.com too.

[Libellula]

veganlunchbox.com has some awesome lunch ideas :)

[rabid_child]

I am a super busy grad student as well, and I make sure I pack healthy snacks and food for school. I don't ever depend on outside sources for food because I know I'll eat healthier and cheaper and better on my own. The school cafeteria though does have a sandwich station and you can get veggie and hummus sandwiches, and they always have a vegetarian soup of the day, so I could find something healthy on campus if I needed to, but I'd rather not!

Don't be too hard on yourself if you make mistakes on your path to veg*nism. It's great that you're making healthier choices for yourself and the animals!

[firedancer722]

Hi all :)

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I went grocery shopping last night for a few "staple" items. I do live by myself in an apartment so I have access to my own kitchen and appliances. :) My school's cafeteria and food court do have a few things I could adapt for a veggie lifestyle, although I really wish they had hummus on the sandwich bar all the time. I once had a grilled cheese sandwich with hummus on it at school and WOW, it was DELICIOUS! I was pleasantly surprised. Too bad they don't have hummus more often. Needless to say, I bought some last night! I also bought some little snack squares of cheese, mini carrots, stuff to make mexican soup (it has lots of beans, corn, peppers, and tomatoes), bananas, chocolate silk (can't do the regular just yet), and i'm going to try one of the Amy's Vegetable Pot Pies to see how i feel about tofu. :)

One thing I realized after I got home and did some more reading, is that all cheese is not veg friendly. How can I know that what I'm getting wasn't made with animal rennet?

THANKS to everyone here for your help! I am really excited about doing this. :)

Candace

[LucidAnne]

http://cheese.joyousliving.com/

has a pretty extensive list and some info.

i know that you are just starting out, but be careful of falling into the "cheese trap"... its not neccessarily low fat, and has chol and saturated fat.

amys meals are sooo good.. though expensive, but awesome esp. when youre tired!! check the board here, about food products...there is alot of discussion of what good convienience foods are out there.
and dont worry about the soymilk! i still cant drink it!
i do love it in cappucinos/lattes, and cereal though!
you might be surprised, in time, if you are eating less dairy, you may find you have less taste for it and actually find it too rich.

soup is awesome to have on hand too... amys makes some really good ones!
that hummus and grilled cheese sounds good... i wonder if grilled hummus and avocado would be yum??!!!

[LucidAnne]

oh, and if you hit up some veg product websites...like amy's or cabot cheese (rennetless, for the most part)... write them about some of their prods (and give em your addy) they will probably send you coupons!!

[Sarasamsara]

Pprobably the best advice that I can give is for you to find a community that keeps you inspired. Once a week or so I listen to a podcast like the Compassionate cooks podcast or Vegan freaks podcast as a reminder of why I do all of this. Once you have the emotional commitment, the food should be easy, because vegan food is some of the most simple stuff on earth. Finding it just seems like a major challenge when we're not in the habit.