Going vegetarian...how?

One day the light goes off. You hit the light switch. You see the light and think "I want to go vegetarian"...then, you're feeling blind because you have no idea how to make the switch.

Here are some tips from both personal experience and anecdotal:

Decide what type of vegetarian you want to be. Some people decide they simply want to cut out meat but still consume milk, eggs, anything that isn't pure animal flesh. Some people decide to go pescetarian and so they cut out all animal flesh but fish and may still consume milk, eggs, and other dairy products. Others choose to go vegan or even raw. You don't have to research what type you want to be, but you do have to avoid products that you are not comfortable eating (for whatever reason!). You can view types of vegetarians at http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/tp/TypesofVeg.htm

I suggest, for your own sanity and well-being, you do some research on the foods you are eliminating. Find out what is "bad" about them (i.e. unhealthy levels of fat or cholestoral, encourage animal cruelty, go against your religious or spiritual beliefs and so forth). Also, look at what is "good" about them so you can try to get their good nutrients elsewhere. This will also help you decide what diet is right for you and WHY. When you do research like this, you learn a lot which will help you stay healthy, stay focused on what you want, and alleviate questions from others who may worry about your decision.

READ! This means you should consider buying a book or two (or just use the local library because it is free) to learn more about your dietary choices. Read articles online (most will probably be biased because they are from companies/organizations that promote vegetarianism- while this isn't wrong I always suggest considering objective sides as well as other point of views). Personal choices of reading are: "Becoming Vegan" (nutritional guide book) by Brenda Davis, R.D. & Vesanto Melina, M.S.,R.D. and "How it all Vegan" ( a cookbook with related information) by Sarah Kramer & Tanya Barnard.

For articles written based on scientific research in the world of dieticians and nutritionists, I suggest going to the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group at http://www.vegetariannutrition.net/articles.php. I have been reading about studies done related to vegetarian diets and their articles. So far, they have been the most objective and have given the best information- in my opinion. Yes, there is a lot of terminology but the conclusions are a good place to summarize what is good for you, what isn't, and what isn't known yet. Their site offers a lot more than these articles as well and links to the ADA which will also be helpful with dietary information.

You can obtain a free vegetarian starter kit from http://www.mercyforanimals.org/vegan-starter-kit.aspx and http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/index.html

Decide HOW you want to go vegetarian. For me, I went cold turkey. The first three months were a struggle (not because I was craving meat- I wasn't- but I was struggling trying to find things I *could* eat). This is why I say research first. You could of course slowly cut out meat/dairy products at a pace your are comfortable with. If you choose to go at your 'own pace' I suggest having a little bit of a plan though. For instance, try Week 1 & 2: No red meat, Week 3: Substitute milk with alternative milks like rice milk, soy milk, or almond milk, Week 4: No poultry, etc. Keep it on a calendar to remind yourself. This way your body will gently get used to your new diet WHILE you research. What is great is, you can use each week for research: If Week 1 you cut out red meat, learn about the pros AND cons of red meat as well as healthy alternatives.

As for alternatives, when I first went vegan, I happened upon a wonderful site called "I Can't Believe it's Vegan!" which has lists of regular foods by companies like Progresso and Old El Paso that are vegan. The link is http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
There are a lot of faux meats out there, also. If you're thinking "What can I eat?" just think about what you'd normally eat. If you are in the mood for steak, make a tofu steak (you can get pregrilled/precooked/flavored tofu blocks at some chains or you can do it yourself.) If you are craving a burger, you can choose a veggie burger in a number of textures and flavors. Personally, I enjoy veggie hotdogs from LightLife (see http://www.lightlife.com/index.jsp).
There are brats, deli meats, and dairy products (rice ice cream, soy milk, and so on). Of course, if you try something and don't like it, don't be discouraged. Each product is different (I have had some nasty veggie burgers and I have had some that I could have sworn were meat!). Also, trying something once vs. trying it a few times over a period of time, you may find that your taste buds will come to enjoy the new food. So, if you try something and hate it- it's not the end of the world. You just need to find what works for you!

I *ALWAYS* suggest seeing a dietician/nutritionist. ***I am not a doctor/health practioner/dietician/nutritionist*** There are a lot of dieticians and nutritions that specialize in vegetarian diets. There are also programs like Nutrisystem and Weight Watchers that offer vegetarian diet programs. The American Dietetic Association has a search tool for finding a professional dietician/nutritionist at http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_fanp_consumer_ENU_HTML.htm

Join a vegetarian-friendly group: online, offline, or both. I have joined a number and it has really helped me with support and helpful information. A great site to meet vegetarians is http://vegetarian.meetup.com/

Cook for yourself! Buy a cookbook, get one from the library, or search the millions of vegetarian/vegan recipes floating around on the internet. It's the healthiest, most affordable thing you can do for yourself in my opinion. You KNOW what is going into the food. You don't have to stress over not having something nutritious to eat. You don't have to worry about cross-contamination. Caution: While there are a lot of yummy faux meat products out there, I urge you to eat more whole foods than processed ones.

Grocery chains with decent vegetarian selections are: http://www.traderjoes.com/Attachments/Vegan.pdf, http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/, http://www.target.com/ (some have vegetarian sections), http://www.dierbergs.com/dierbergs.com/Dierbergs.com+Homepage.htm, http://www.publix.com/, http://www.kroger.com/Pages/default.aspx, and others.

Invest in some great kitchen equipment! A food processor, a blender, a really sharp knife or two, a handy cookbook, a soymilk making machine, a bamboo mat (for sushi) and other tools in the kitchen will make your life much easier. You just need to find out what types of meals you enjoy and then decide which items you need (by far, the food processor has been the most helpful in vegetarian recipes for me!). I also suggest a soy milk making machine because you'll make milk as you like it, from the whole soy bean, and for cheaper in the long run.

Keep a diary/blog about what you learn. That's what I am doing = ) It makes it easy to print off a list of items I like, can eat, cannot eat, etc. to take to the grocery store so I don't stand there lost.

Find your local Farmer's Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or other vegetarian-friendly place to shop. You'll find these to be just wonderful- especially if you like organic food. You can search for Farmer's Markets and related in your area at http://www.localharvest.org/

Scout out the local vegetarian-friendly restaurants and stores. I had to research companie's customer service responses for a few places I like to eat to ensure that they were "vegan friendly". This doesn't always mean your food won't touch a surface that had meat on it, etc. but if you don't want to cook every day of your life, you might enjoy some vegetarian-friendly restaurants. Of course, if you're lucky to have full vegetarian restaurants in your neighborhood, you got lucky = ) You can find local restaurants/health stores at http://www.happycow.net/

Monitor your health. Excercise, consider taking multi-vitamins, and try to eat as many nutrients as you can. If you don't feel well, I always suggest seeing a doctor, dietician, nutritionist, etc. You need to make sure you take care of yourself, no matter WHAT diet you have.

If you plan to become a strict vegetarian, vegan, or just want to end animal suffering in any way you can, you will want to make yourself aware of vegetarian-friendly beauty and clothing products. Both can easily be purchased online from places like: http://www.veganessentials.com/, http://www.veganstore.com/, http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/, and others.
Beauty products can be found in a number of local stores (mostly I have seen them at grocery stores). My favorite is Avalon Organics (http://www.avalonnaturalproducts.com/) but other known products (from companies that have vegetarian or vegan-friendly items but you'll need to see which are which): http://www.kissmyface.com/kmfstory.html, http://www.jason-natural.com/, http://www.jonathanproduct.com/ (found at Bath & Body Works- this is a vegan brand last I checked), and of course you can consult an Arbonne Representative for which products would be ideal for you: http://vegetarian.myarbonne.com/.

Ask questions. This is a great thing about joining a group. Ask questions or read other's questions. You'll learn a great deal- but it may take time. I have a list of helpful links. Always feel free to ask me a question also- if I don't have the answer I will try to find it for you.

Top questions people ask are (from what I have gathered):
What can you eat?
How do you get enough protein?
Do you have to take vitamins/pills?
How do I explain to my parents that being vegetarian is safe?
How do you get enough calcium?
Aren't humans meant to eat meat- we are omnivores/carnivores, aren't we?
Why don't vegans eat honey?
My religion encourages us to use animals- so why shouldn't I?

I will add more to this as I can but I felt this was a good foundation. Comments are welcome if you have tips on making the switch!