Beginner!?

[VeggieSince1/08]

Hi Guys,
I was reading some earlier posts, and I have a couple questions. (Today is my first day of being a vegetarian!) :pibo: Here are my questions:

1.) I really enjoy smoothies. I usually put some yogurt, milk, ice, and a banana in it. I read earlier that some of you like to put spinach in yours?
* Does this affect the flavor at all if I use the above ingredients?
* Doesn't it give you a stomachache with the fruit and veggie blenaded together?
2.) Im a teen and am hoping to have this be successful, because of the health benefits and to stand up against animal cruelty. Do you guys have any tips about being a vegetarian? Any tips and ideas are welcome? :angel:

Thank you in acvance for anything that you can share with me!

[Amira]

There are so many threads here that you will be able to find out anything you want.* My advice is investigate as many forums as you have time.* The Vegetarian Resource Group at VRG.ORG researches all the scientific material.That might help you too. Good luck and stick with it. To get you started, my advice is to try not to substitute cheese for the meat you are eliminating from your diet. Go for beans, rice, soy protein, tvp, pasta for your protein.

[hoodedclawjen]

i'm not sure that a creamy milky smoothie with banana and spinach would taste ideal.

maybe something dairy-free like orange juice and berries would work better with spinach. i think the stronger flavours would help take the spinachy taste out too. using an existing recipe might be a very good starting point.

fruit and veggies mixed together don't give me a stomach-ache- i have tomato pasta sauce with all kindsa veggies in it all the time (tomatoes are a fruit!), and salads with raspberry dressing or orange slices or raisins and cabbage in them quite a lot too. i bet you eat fruits and veggies together a fair bit more than you realise too.

think of it like the V8-type fruit and veggie juice blends you can buy in the shops- the ones where there is carrot in the orange and apple juice and you don't really know its there- the veggies aren't the main flavour, they're more kinda hidden and blended in.

[3LittleBirds]

I love to put kale, chard or spinach in my smoothies. I don't put milk or yogurt in them though, so I don't know if that would have an effect. You really can't taste it though. I put a banana, frozen berries, any other fresh fruit I have and greens. I blend it and then thin with water as needed (I don't need ice if I put frozen fruit in).

My advice to you is to rely as much as possible on whole foods and stay away from processed things. Fake meats may look appealing to help you get over any cravings, but they shouldn't be something you eat often. Check out the recipe forum, there are lots of great recipe ideas there.

[iceblueken]

Definitely if being a vegetarian is an ethical thing for you do some reading about animal rights and stay tuned to the forums around here about events. Also, and I can't keep telling people about this enough, there is a vegetarian podcast on Itunes called food for thought which is absolutely awesome and I would recommend you listing to it. Oh and Congrats for being a Veg.