I noticed some interest in an older post that Jul had written about good sources of protein for vegetarians and vegans. I thought maybe it would be helpful to touch on the subject again, as there are many new vegetarians out there looking for answers.

I remember when I first talked about going veg and my family questioned my choice – they were afraid that my kids would not get adequate nutrition. I did some research and explained to them that we’d be fine as long as we consumed a varied diet, …read more

When making a big change in your eating habits, it can be hard to decide where to start. While some people embrace the “cold turkey” approach to vegetarianism, others feel more comfortable easing into things. Here are five suggestions for how you can start your journey towards a healthier, delicious, vegetarian diet.

Only on Mondays. Eating vegetarian food forever might sound daunting, but anyone can hack it for a single day. Check out the Meatless Monday website for some great resources and support for reducing the meat in your diet. Once you’ve got Mondays down, add another day of meatless eating …read more

Depending in part on where you live, finding restaurants you can enjoy as a vegetarian shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. Assuming you’re still eating dairy and eggs, the only types of restaurants you should definitely avoid are BBQ joints and Argentinian all-you-can-eat-meat style places. And traditional fast food restaurants aren’t a good idea for anyone, veggie or not. Besides that, get out there and explore! Reducing the meat in your diet can open up doors to new favorite foods, dishes, and restaurants if you allow yourself the opportunity to try new things. Here are a few more tips …read more

So you’ve decided to make the switch to a healthier, meat-free diet. Good for you! But now what? What do you eat? A key part to the success of this transformation is to make sure you don’t feel deprived or bored with your food. Another key is to make sure you find a routine that works with your schedule, budget, and lifestyle.
You are opening the door to a whole new culinary world when you stop centering your meals around meat – allow yourself to explore new things! This post will focus on meals you prepare yourself; we’ll cover dining out …read more

I’ve been receiving a lot of questions lately from people who are curious about reducing the amount of meat in their diet, but who are unsure how to proceed. These questions make a lot of sense – a lifetime of meat-centered meals can be hard to unlearn. When you remove meat as the star of the meal, what is there left to eat?
Lucky for us vegetarians, there’s plenty to eat that’s not meat. After 17 years of vegetarianism, I have to say that my number one reason behind my food choices is taste, pure and simple. I love vegetarian food! …read more

I found this Beginner’s Guide to Vegetarianism interesting because it offers some very different advice from what you find in most ‘going vegetarian’ guides. I’m not sure I agree with some of the suggestions, but hey, different things work for different people. There are so many different ways to eat vegetarian, so of course there are a lot of different ways that people approach this diet choice. (I refuse to call it a ‘lifestyle’ – what you eat is not your lifestyle, it’s your diet. Plus, when people say things like ‘low carb lifestyle’ it makes my skin crawl. But …read more

A loyal reader (thanks, Hsien…) brought this site to my attention this morning. WARNING: it is not for the weak of stomach. Or those about to eat. Or those who love animals. Or… much of anyone, really. While purporting to be a vegan cooking site, some pages feature picture after picture of dead and dismembered farm animals, being butchered on their way to your plate (well, someone’s plate). If you want to see them, click on the Steak? Pork? Eggs? menu items.
While I really don’t like looking at sites such this, I can see the point. Isn’t it a good …read more

If your child suddenly refused to eat meat, how would you handle it? Make him sit at the table until he ate his chicken? Send him to bed without any dessert? Or educate yourself about keeping vegetarian children healthy?
The mother in this article about raising vegetarian kids chose the latter approach. Luckily for her, feeding children a healthy vegetarian diet is easy:

Foods that appeal to kids include veggie burgers and hot dogs. Soy milk fortified with vitamin D and calcium is also a good bet. Yeast flakes are an easy way to add vitamin B-12 to your child’s diet, and …read more

I was fascinated by this article about the hidden non-vegan ingredients in some foods. Who knew bread was such a danger?

[...] last week Britain’s leading organic baker, Andrew Whitely, wrote to me to warn of what he calls of “baking’s big secret” – the use of enzymes. Andrew describes the use of these enzymes as secret because they do not appear on the label. Industrial bakers use a loophole to classify them as “processing aids”. The problem for a vegan like me – or for that matter for Jews, Muslims and vegetarians – is that some of these enzymes are …read more

A little while ago I came across a blog written by someone who was talking about how he tried becoming a vegetarian several years back. He said he starting having severe cravings for meat, which he acted upon, never to attempt going vegetarian again. “My body knew what it needed, and was telling me in the form of cravings. It was telling me it needed meat.”
It was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read.