For vegetarian newbies from a vegetable hater

[Guest guest]

For those who want to be vegetarian but are having trouble, I wish to offer

encouragement. I am an unusually picky eater who dislikes all vegetables except

potatoes, onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, celery, carrots, sweet peppers, and

hot peppers. I hate everything in the cabbage family except kale. I hate olives,

cucumbers, eggplant, mushrooms, rice, and all Asian food. While I don't hate any

fruits, the only fruits I love are strawberries, apples, bananas and raisins,

and I rarely eat any others. I share this because most likely you are not this

extreme, but if I can succeed at being vegetarian for a year and a half, anyone

can. Taste-wise, beef, sausage and chicken were my favorite foods. I now rarely

miss them. I use fake sausage and bacon made from soy, but haven't yet found a

substitute for beef or chicken that I can stand.

 

So how do I do it? Grains and legumes, and at this point, cheese and eggs. I

intend to become vegan within the next 6 months. I am gradually cutting back on

dairy and eggs. I love all beans and peas and other legumes, whether fresh,

frozen or dry. I love all starchy, doughy things. My diet is not as healthy as

it should be. I have lost 20+ pounds since becoming vegetarian, and my blood

pressure is lower, but my cholesterol is still a bit high and I need to lose

more weight. But I allow myself fattening, salty, high cholesterol, refined

sugar and flour-laden foods fairly often so I will feel satisfied. My reason for

being vegetarian is to lessen harm to animals and the environment, but health

benefits are a nice plus. For those who are doing it primarily for health

reasons, you have different priorities, but I still suggest allowing yourself

unhealthy non-flesh foods for a while so that it is easier to avoid meat. Once

you eliminate meat completely, and stop craving it, you can begin to work on

eliminating other unhealthy foods. Don't try to do everything at once.

 

Nothing in my entire 52 years has ever given me as much feeling of

accomplishment as remaining vegetarian for a year and a half. I first tried to

be vegetarian at age 14, and have felt guilty eating animal flesh ever since.

For years I allowed my taste buds to take precedence over my ethics. I never

lasted more than a few months as a vegetarian until this time, and I now believe

I'll never intentionally eat flesh foods again. My taste buds wanted meat and

poultry, but my ethics pushed me otherwise, and I have made the transition very

comfortably this time.

 

The recipes and support from this group will be a wonderful help. I wish you all

the best of success.

 

Karen in PA

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thank you SO much for your message! I am a picky eater, too. It is nice to know

I am not

the only one. I'm iffy on many vegetables but I'm learning to eat a few new

things. I have

to be careful not to eat too much bean and possibly soy because of gas issues.

Still, we

can find things to eat and be successful vegetarians. :-)

 

-ginger

just north of Boston

 

, " Karen Rath " <karenrath wrote:

>

> For those who want to be vegetarian but are having trouble, I wish to offer

encouragement. I am an unusually picky eater who dislikes all vegetables except

potatoes,

onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, celery, carrots, sweet peppers, and hot

peppers. I hate

everything in the cabbage family except kale. I hate olives, cucumbers,

eggplant,

mushrooms, rice, and all Asian food. While I don't hate any fruits, the only

fruits I love are

strawberries, apples, bananas and raisins, and I rarely eat any others. I share

this because

most likely you are not this extreme, but if I can succeed at being vegetarian

for a year

and a half, anyone can.

 

<SNIP>