BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Vegetarian Having a hard time

I have been trying to go the vegetarian route but am having a terrible time. My whole life meals were centered around meat, I can't get the knack of making a meal that will satisfy me without this main entree.

I eat a lot of wholewheat bread, pasta and rice. I do eat cooked veg's and salads. But something is missing for me, I like tofu but don't think I could eat any of the vegetable burgers, etc.

I'm always hungry, I'm overweight and have HBP. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Hi,
I have been vegetarian for 15 years, and it was difficult for me at first, because I felt like I was missing a major part of the meal by not including meat. After awhile, I discovered all kinds of new foods, which helped me to get away from that mindset.

It might be helpful to incorporate some of the meat substitutes in entrees. For example, you could make soft tacos with a meat substitute (Yves makes something called Veggie Ground Round) or beans. A hearty vegetarian stew with lentils and lots of veggies could also make a satifying main dish.

Good luck!

When we switched to meatless ten years ago, we had to make a break from the "three part meal" (veggie, starch, meat) and go for things like casseroles or stews like lemoncat mentioned. It helps you feel more satisfied and less like there is an empty part of your plate.

Good luck! You're doing something really great for your health.

Pherhaps you could try some dishes that even nonvegetarians eat.

Good examples could be eggplant parmsesan, portabella mushroom burgers, any type of Mexican dish with just pinto or black beans, girl cheese with tomato, mac and cheese, bean soups, pizza without meat toppings (I love eggplant and artichokes), egg salad sandwiches are good also.

There are quite a few receipes that you could alter as well. It doesn't hurt to give a meat substitute or tofu a try. Trying a vegetarian cookbook could help to give you some new ideas. Maybe if you were putting the meat substitute in a receipe with a sauce and spices it could make it easier to adjust to. I really like Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. I believe it won an award. There is quite a variety of different ideas for foods I had never even thought of in it.

Good luck and don't give up. I think it just requires a change in thinking and some new habits. I grew up veg though and my husband didn't so sometimes the whole idea of meat seams odd to me.

I had another thought, I really love the Vegetarian Times magazine. I don't subscribe, but will pick it up quite a bit at the book store. They have some really great receipes. Couldn't hurt to check out some different vegetarian magazine publications. I just checked and you can go online to www.vegetariantimes.com and they offer a huge receipe list that you can search through. I've found it helpful.

Dot, when i went vegetarian, i eased into it and i think that made it easier. At first, I picked one day a week that i would eat only vegetarian meals... i was cooking for my husband then, also, and he was not keen on the idea. I did one meal a week for about 2 months and then added another day, and then another, and then another. This gave us a chance to find meals we liked and were used to. You're already started, so you'll have to figure out what might work for you... four days a week?

You can also, if you find yourself eating meat sometimes, choose meals where the meat is only a small portion of the meal. Bits of chicken and lots of vegetables over rice or noodles has less meat than a chicken breast.

So that you don't feel as hungry, you might want to really watch your protein for a while and make sure you're getting enough at each meal. Tofu is not the only option. You did not mention if you are still eating dairy, but a small bit of dairy at your meals might help. Quinoa is also very good... it's a complete vegetable protein. It looks and cooks a lot like couscous... very quickly. There is also something known as TVP (texturized vegetable protein), which i liked very much and which i used in place of meat in sloppy joes, spagetti sauce, swedish meatballs and other dishes. Most people can't tell the difference between it and hamburger once it's cooked. Interestingly, if you're trying to lose weight, studies have shown that people who eat more protein are more successful.

I found also that my ex and i were more successful at eating vegetarian when the meals were more familiar to us, so i started experimenting converting some of our old favorite recipes to vegetarian versions. Chicken Paprikash, for instance, became Cauliflower Paprikash. Burgers became Mushroom Burgers.

I hope these tips help, and good luck!

I am as a well a veg. it can be difficult but you will get use to. I eat a good amount of hummus too. I make sandwiches with the hummus and wraps. Plus, I snack with it too. I also love,love the spicy black bean burgers..yum....I make them up like a hamburger w/sweet potatoe french fries on the side. I make homemake soups.., beans. There are tons of website out there you just have to be patient. Like tonight, no idea what I am going to make. Also, make sure you are eating whole grain pasta, rice, etc. If you are trying to loose weight I would eat those during the day so you can burn off rather than at night. Also, I got that book "Skinney [censored]", it sounds like a diet coke and cigerette diet..BUT IT IS NOT. It is a great book and made me glad that I am a veg. THere are some ideas of things to eat as well. Good luck!