To ask how easy it was to become vegetarian?

[Greatdays2233]

I’d love to be vegetarian but would struggle with giving up chicken How easy did other folk find the transition?

I did it gradually. I was never a fan of red meat or fish so that was no problem. I got to the stage where I only ate poultry when eating out (this was a long time ago when you were lucky to get a plate of veg as a vegetarian). I eventually got to the stage where I felt nauseous when I ate it as my body wasn't used to it anymore.

Truthfully, I'd been thinking about it for a while but one night I made the decision, and then next day I just jumped right into it. Unexpectedly, it was one of the easiest things I've done - I was never an extensive meat eater but I don't miss it at all. Not sure where you're living but the UK especially has a fantastic range of vegetarian options in supermarkets, so even things like sandwich fillings aren't really an issue. Good luck!

I did it cold turkey (so to speak) but I wasn’t a huge meat eater before. I thought I’d just try it and if I really missed meat I’d just give it up. It’s been 11 years and never missed it

I found it extremely easy to be honest, but obviously it depends on your 'starting point.' I don't miss meat at all.

If chicken is your thing, try cooking with Quorn products for a few weeks and see if you still want the real stuff. You can get "chicken" pieces, pies, fillets etc so plenty of choice.

Really easy, and I loved meat. I did it 2 years ago and haven't looked back. I tend to have 2 or 3 meals a week which are typical meat meals made with substitutes - Quorn spag bol or veggie sausage and mash say. Then a couple of meals that are pulses based eg lentil curry. Other meals are egg / cheese based.

Very easy. I did it gradually, without any conscious plan, stopping red meat, then poultry, then fish, and then realising I had become fully vegetarian without actually intending to. That was almost 25 years ago. I’m married to another vegetarian, and have a vegetarian six year old.

I found it really easy too. There is so much choice in the shops and restaurants. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere without a vegetarian choice. I have some food allergies too and always manage to find tasty food to eat whether eating at home or out and about.
I guess you might miss the taste at first but as time goes on your palate will adjust and you’ll forget the taste or find you don’t even like it any more.

I found it very easy tbh. I put it off for a really long time because although I wanted to do it I found the idea overwhelming and I'm not good at meal planning etc which I thought I needed to do (I didn't, once I got used to what I could eat). For some reason, I found sausages the hardest thing to give up. These days, years down the line, I can't stand the smell of them or bacon or anything else meaty.

My advice is to meal plan for the first couple of weeks if you don't already just to retrain yourself. After that you should be fine b

Ignore the random b. Was supposed to be a full stop!

Been veggie since I was 13 (I'm 45). I don't do meat substitutes. It's about changing perceptions of how a meal should look. A spicy bean and veg chilli with a bit of cheese and soured cream has protein, a big 5 a day hit, the thing in cooked tomatoes that's proper healthy and tonnes of flavour. It fills you up, it's cheap and freezes brilliantly.

For me, easy. I've never once missed meat. Tried vegan January and found that a challenge. Very happy being vegetarian. I try and avoid cows milk as I'm mildly intolerant to it but am happy with oat milk now my taste has adjusted.

Pretty easy, if you don't eat meat very much - there are so many meat substitutes available now that it's quite easy to 'swap' one for the other. Agree with Bex that Quorn is a great substitute for chicken/turkey, but you do have to use more spices/herbs/sauces with it than you do for chicken because it doesn't have very much flavour by itself.

My family went veggie overnight in the early 80s and a lot of early meals revolved around pasta, lentils, beans & chopped tomatoes . I went over to the dark side as a teenager and eat meat again now, but when my parents stay with us/us with them I go entirely meatfree again and don't really miss it. Probably only cook meat once a week when it's just me and DC - who say my dad cooks their favourite food, and he's practically vegan!

I thought the same op. Throwing chicken in with a meal is easy and it has been a challenge changing my mind set. Especially when quorn chicken is not great. As a family we eat pretty much the same 7 meals every week so basically all that was needed was to come up with 7 new meals. Spinach and ricotta cannelloni is the favourite of mine.

Ive also discovered some restaurants i frequent have a couple of veg options on their main menu but they actually have a separate vegan / vegetarian menu! So i always ask now.

Why do you want to be vegetarian? You could simply have a predominantly vegetarian diet but just eat chicken now and again. Would that be a problem?

I went pretty much cold turkey and I was surprised how quickly and easily I adjusted!

If you don't fancy that, I would begin by trying some of your favourite meals with replacements for meat so you know you can do it. Sweet potato and paneer are both excellent substitutes in curries and fajitas. There are also good soya replacements for chicken.

It's honestly easier than you think - there will be meals you find harder to replace (took me a while til I found a vegetarian roast dinner replacement ) but you will be amazed how little you miss it.

It's a lot easier now than it was in the 90s when I gave up meat. So many more options, especially when eating out. I too did it gradually, gave up red meat and then got sick of the taste of chicken and gave that up too. Maybe you could start off only having chicken a couple of times a week?

It's certainly a lot easier nowadays than when I did it aged 14, 28 years ago ! I'm pescatarian for the last 10 years though.

I'd suggest doing a little research eg have a look at the Vegetarian Society site. Then think about meat free meals, there are loads of cookbooks available but you can also get lots of recipes and inspiration online. The bbc good food site is good but even just googling will give you loads of ideas.

There are plenty of meat substitutes available which imo certainly have their place, especially if you're looking for a meat (substitute) potato & veg type meal but I'd suggest that if you don't already eat various beans and lentils then try out some recipes using these. I'd avoid being overly reliant on cheese too.

I use Pinterest rather than have stacks of cookbooks. Most sites now will have the option to Pin the recipe. Mine is sectioned into eg curries, pasta dishes, stews & casseroles, tarts/pies/pastries, salads and so on. I find it really helps with meal planning and we're far less likely to get bored with the same meals on repeat.

I just swap real chicken for quorn, so didn't have to cook any differently.

Went veggie in my teens and found it incredibly easy. Never was a meat fan tbh, the only things I have ever missed are a cornedbeef, tomato and mayo sandwich and pepperoni pizza. Like an above poster I don't do substitutes but adapt dishes with lentils and the like.

There is so much information out there now from recipes to diet guides, it's never been easier. Although you might have to suffer when out, there is only so much goats cheese and mushroom risotto one can eat before getting fed up!

Oh! Lardy cake, boy I miss lardy cake!

Thanks for the replies so far . At the moment, I don’t tend to eat red meat at all Tend to choose chicken dishes when I eat out
Anyone know much about quorn ?How healthy is it or is it very processed?

I have only just started really but I'm pescatarian... I've never really been a big meat eater and feel like I have eaten in for the sake of it because others were.. I have thought about it for years and then I went out for dinner with the girls a few months back and just thought no I don't want it, i have had a few tastes of stuff (obviously eating fish still) and I haven't found it difficult at all really, I feel so much better and less bloated etc

someone upthread suggested lots of good sandwich fillings. I can mostly think of egg or cheese with salad type stuff. What am I missing?

I read something and basically went vegetarian overnight, that was around 10/11 years ago. I found it surprisingly easy. I used Quorn a lot at first as a meat substitute but not for years now - actually the last few times I had it I got crippling stomach pains so I think it stopped agreeing with me. I love Linda McCartney sausages when I want something a bit "meaty" and if I'm craving a bacon sarnie the Sainsbury's Meat-Free range does smoked bacon style rashers that are gorgeous. But mainly I just cook "normal" meals with lots of veggies - chilli, cottage pie, curries etc bulked out with lentils and chickpeas instead of meat. Eating out is trickier where I live, although it's getting better. I don't like goats cheese which tends to be used as a veggie option but luckily I love a mushroom risotto

Very easy for me, but I don't like meat!

Will you still eat fish or be totally vegetarian?

I try to keep quorn to no more than once a week, but you can make some lovely chillis etc with it. Lentils are your friend too; lentil spag bol or shepherds pie are yum.

I'm vegan but went veggie at 5 and didn't find it hard at all because I was genuinely repulsed by it- same as non vegan things now.