What's your biggest challenge as a vegetarian or with becoming one?

The cost of food, My son and his family are Vegans. I would love to eat the way they do But it cost so much I have a hard time just trying to eat healthy, Because the cost of food

Hi Rosie,

I know up close and personal how the cost of healthy foods can be overwhelming and even obscene at times. I've experienced my own budgetary pinches in times past and I think I may have some solutions for you, but first so that I know that we're on the right page together...

Tell me...

What type of things does your son and his family eat?

And even more relevant questions would be:

1. What types of foods do you want to eat?

2. If I may ask, what budget would be a reasonable fit for you to work within?

If I can get those answers I may be able to help troubleshoot this process with you and come up with some suggestions that'll knock your socks off. It may be wishful thinking, but I'm up for the challenge. How 'bout you?

I think it's possible that with a few considerations and adjustments you may be able to eat a pretty good vegan diet everyday.

I think we'll call this one:

Operation : Eat Great Cheap

Let's have some fun with this one.
We'll start a new topic on it.

Hi Jason, They eat NO animal at all, No eggs,No milk, they drink soy i believe
As For myself i get the veggie cheese, hot dog, burgers, i love salads, beans, whole grain cereals, no added sugar, 12grain whole Wheat breads. i hate to cook so making meals i don't do for myself.I am on a very tight budget and have less than 150.00 to spend on food for the month. i would like to buy more fresh fruit but buying fruit i have to give up something else. oh my, i want to eat healthy to be healthy,

Okay...

This is going to be fun! You've given me a few challenges here Rosie, but I'm up for the task.

The $150.00 budget is going to be I think a lot easier than the hating to cook part; but let's see if we can even tackle that successfully.

I'm going to need to ask you some more questions to get a full picture of what we can and cannot create in the midst of this program we've gotta flesh out.

What do you like to eat most?

When you say you 'hate' to cook how deep does that hatred run?

Is it to the point that you don't even like to step foot in the kitchen kind of hate?

Is it the I won't even boil water kind of hate?

What will and will you not do when it comes to food?

What is your biggest aversion to cooking?
[ex. My mother used to HATE to cook years ago until I went over some surefire techniques with her and created a 1 shot seasoning staple for her to not have to think about what she's doing in the kitchen, she's on autopilot, and she now enjoys the process and has found that she has latent chef skills.]
So what exactly gives you such strong emotions against cooking?

and

Where are you willing to compromise?

Talk back -

lol I can boil water
I will be living along in September when my grandson goes off to college, Yippee
I like pasta, (but hate to cook it lol)
something fast easy and microwaveable I'm getting lazy in my old age.
What is there for meals in stead of all these veggie hot dogs and burgers,?
If its gonna taste good, And doesn't take a whole lot of stuff i can't afford I will probably try to cook it ;o) I like left overs, sandwiches, potatoes, I have some sweet potatoes fries, hey i'm getting hungry see what your doing to me

That's the hazards of foodie talk Rosie.

I'm going to transition this portion of the conversation to the Operation : Eat Great Cheap topics post. Click on the link and that way we can move through the process there for others to see how this can unfold.

I am thinking of some possibilities though [being that you don't mind boiling water ] and I'm sure over the next few days or so I'll have even more along with a stepped out process.

Thanks a bunch Jason!

My biggest challenge in being vegetarian is that I have Celiac Disease and can't eat most grains. Rice is nice (lol) and I don't seem to have a problem with oats, but almost all "mock meats" are off limits.

My other challenge is strangely weight. I'm one of those people that lose weight like crazy on a high protein diet and gain once I cut out the meat. I wish my ethics were more in tune with my physiology!

I really like what I've seen in your posts and will continue to look for guidance!

My biggest vegetarian challenge is meat. I start out great at the grocery store with the best of intentions. I get fruits, veggies and that "pretend meat" - which I like!

All I have to do is get a whiff of outdoor grilled steak and I "need" meat.

Mine used to be living with carnivorous men.

Now, it's several:

iron--I have anemia,
concern about weight gain--I eat mostly low-carb because I can really binge on breads/grains, and
designing a healthy diet for me without reliance on meat for protein/iron/satiety.

I'm not a big meat lover, and don't care much for red meat. Chicken I can take or leave. I love fish and ground turkey. And, eggs.

Dairy--I do love cheeses and low-carb (low-sugar) yogurt. I drink soy milk occasionally, mostly in protein shakes.

That's a lot of challenges, huh? I really don't have ethical issues with eating meat, but I am concerned about the quality of meat (well, all commercial food, really) re: hormones, antibiotics and so on.

Hey SqueakyWheel!

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement. I pray that I am able to continue to give you great info.

Now as for your celiac and all, what can and / or can't you eat?

Funny enough... [and I don't know if you've had a chance to look at the Operation : Eat Great Cheap post, but if you haven't click on it and take a look. Rosie put a challenge to me and yours [the celiac] happens to be one of the things I took into consideration for those who may be dealing, such as yourself, with celiac and want to be able to make dollars and 'sense' out of the whole getting healthy food without selling off your firstborn.

The ingredients I'm looking at are:

• vegan
• gluten-free
• low fat
• no refined sugar
• simple to put together
• variety
• healthy
• organic
  and
• inexpensive

Do you eat tofu, mushrooms, root starches, exotic fruits?

When you cut out the meat, what are you eating in its' place? What do your meals consist of when there isn't meat involved?

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Hey Robin,

Can you tell me what it is about meat that does that for you?

With fragrance and aroma being your area, you may be able to isolate certain aspects of what triggers in you when you catch a whiff of a steak grilling.

What do you think it is for you? If you can... walk me through the experience.

For me it's the nostalgic qualities.

When I smell a grill going and I'm driving or riding through an area...

I have to stop and take it all in.

I mean, if someone is talking to me, I'm talking to them, watching something...

it doesn't matter what it is, I have to stop and breathe it in deeply.

It's one of my favorite aromas.

It reminds me of growing up; block parties; backyard get togethers; family; summertime back east; and shear, undiluted, unadulterated and uncompromised joy.

Hey Deb!

Actually, it doesn't sound like a lot to me. I think that those are very real and legitimate concerns that many people face whether vegetarian or not.

When it comes to quality it can be a difficult thing to know exactly what you're getting whether it be animal, vegetable or mineral and with all of the conflicting information out there it makes it all the more challenging.

Let me pass a few questions to you, if you don't mind, just so I can get a clearer picture.

What do your meals consist of on average on a day to day basis?

How long have you experienced anemia?

Are you currently supplementing for your health? and if so, What type(s) of supplements? and have you checked to see how well your system is absorbing them?

Do you currently have any food / other allergies?

Jason - I am going to have to think about that "need" for meat. What triggers it? I don't know. Perhaps it is also psychological.........."I'm not eating meat and I should be"...or something like that.

I used to have anemia like BellaDeb - but I was still in high school. My last physical showed I was OK in that area still - no anemia.

This was mentioned above... my biggest challenge avoiding meat is when my husband cooks a steak.

I was a vegetarian for over 10 years and a vegan for several before I met him. Then, I returned to eating meat.

Now, I'm back to veggie. I think it's easier to fall astray depending on your reasons for going veggie in the first place. It just grossed me out. I wasn't an animals rights activist (even though I like animals).

Now, my primary reason is I believe it's healthier. But, like everything else that's "good for you" (exercise, etc)... it's not always easy to stay on the path.

Hey everybody,

I just published another article that touches on a few concepts that may be helpful. If you click the link it'll take you right to it.

I hope you find this helpful!

Jason, great article, you are truly putting so much of your self into helping all of us.
Thanks a bunch!
"Rosie"

Jason - thanks! I will check out that post. I can eat tofu, mushrooms and root vegetables and love them all (in fact, the only food I don't like is BEETS!) One thing I've done that has been a huge help is that I joined a farm co-op this year. Each week I get a big bag of organic local produce and it forces me to be a creative cook (I also love to cook).

I think that in all honesty, if I got a bit more exercise my body could deal with a little more carbs, and I do tend to eat a lot more cereal, fruits, gluten-free breads and such. Certainly there are a lot of thin vegetarians and I can't have THAT unique of a constitution - right?

To the poster who gets tempted by the smell of grilling meat, I hear you - it is magnetic. One little thing that I say to myself is "boy, that smells great and I would LOVE to have a burger - but would I love it SO much that I would be willing to kill an animal to have it?" It works every time.

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you know that for those of you who work with tofu I've got a great set of techniques for you here. Just click on the link.

It's about tofu and some of the principles and techiniques I use to prepare it.

Bon Appetite!

There's more to this than i thought. No wonder my tofu was just tofu
Great tips
My son does all the vegan cooking at his home, some of you guys are great cooks. I raised him alone so he didn't learn from me.

I have a tip on the grilling thing.

Yes, grilling meat does smell wonderful - but if you get the wood chips (mesquite, maple, hickory) and grill your veggies using the chips in addition to charcoal, and you can still get that wonderful smell (and a grest taste) on your veggies, too.

You can also throw some herbs onto the fire to add an aromatic flavor to your vegetables.

It's not quite the same as meat, but just having that smoky flavor and smell can help satisfy.

Michelle, thanks for sharing

Thanks Michelle,

This is very true and there's nothing like that nice smokey flavor to get the appetite going.

Now for those of you who may not have a grill or are in an apartment that doesn't allow grilling on the patio and such you can get a similar flavoring from adding a little chipotle to your tofu, veggies, even some of your non-sweet fruits like zucchini and chayote squash.

It's a beautiful way to both ground and lift your meals. Almost sounds like a contradiction, but once you try it out you'll see what I mean.

And Rosie...

By the time we're finished with this challenge I would be surprised if you haven't developed a love for cooking.

Once you get your system down and the food comes out so mouthwatering good and you see just how simple it can be, I think it'll make a convert out of you.

But I'm only speculating.

I thought we'd take a poll to get a feel of some of your biggest vegetarian challenges.

I picked the first 2, but Jason gonna change that, and show me differently
Right Jason!

I picked none of the above. My biggest challenge is balancing vegetarian--protein and carb restriction--for a type 2 diabetic family member. And I should add that it is also about variety, so meals are more about what he can have and not always about what he can't have.

Right Rosie LOL

Hi Marilyn,

Thanks for sharing. We'll have to explore those avenues as well.

I just published a new article on shortcutting your cooking process. Let me know if you find it helpful.

There will be a follow up article to build upon this one.