1. Don't eat substitutes assuming they will taste EXACTLY like meat. Many are great and quite close. And some, like TVP when used in chili can fool meat eaters into eating veggie. But many, especially fresh tofu, no matter how prepared, will taste the same as the cheeseburger you're trying to replace. The texture is quite different. Eat it sparingly until your tastebuds begin to recognize the flavours you cook it with.
2. It usually takes 15-20 tries of something before your brain registers it not only likes it, but wants it. Yes, refined sugars and trans fats make things taste great right away, but that's a trick. Don't fall for it. Most fruits, vegetables, and nuts take time to create craving receptors.
3. Once you've gotten used to certain foods, your body will tell you when you need them. Keep your favorites handy so you can indulge your craving. Vegetarianism is about abundance.
4. Try many different meat substitutes over time. There's TVP (textured vegetable protein), tofu, seitan, tempeh, Quorn and eggplant. All these (except eggplant) are high in protein, low in fat and calories, and appropriate for a low-carb diet. Preparation methods are abundant. (As I've yet to make or try any yet, I'll have to get back to you about my findings)
5. Remind yourself what you are eating. Chickens, for example, are genetically bastardized. Their genetics for breeding required them to grow rapidly (add hormone laced feed to that) and often their frames fail them. Millions die every year just from being born genetically deformed. They're drugged with antibiotics, which affects the way humans response to these drugs as well. They frequently experience stress fractures during transportation. They are bled out, plucked and dumped into a vat of water infested with feces, blood, left over feathers, salmonella and e.Coli. In fact, according to Johnathan Saffron Foer, author of 'Eating Animals', chickens are sold with either or both diseases 97% of the time. They are then dismembered and plumped with broths and waters to make the chicken taste, well, like chicken. Since genetic engineering has messed these birds up so badly, they don't taste anything like what chickens did 50-80 years ago. When you eat chicken, you are not really eating chicken. You're really eating diseases and hormones. This image is what turned me off that chicken supper last Friday night.
6. Get a full array of colourful foods. Reds, blues, yellows, greens, dark greens, whites, oranges...eat them all. Your body wants and needs them. Frequently, when the body doesn't get what it needs, it craves what it remembers providing it with those nutrients. If you cover the full spectrum of nutrition, you're less likely to crave your old meat/dairy/egg standards. Be especially aware of deficiencies in iron, iodine, omegas 3 and 6, any and all amino acids, protein and B vitamins. These are most commonly missing from vegetarian lifestyles.
7. Don't call your new-found vegetarianism a diet. It isn't. Yes, there are health benefits, and I'm starting to feel them now. But in truth, it is a lifestyle change. A diet implies that once you're reached a certain weight or goal, you may eat the foods you cut out in moderation. Quitting meat is not temporary. It's supposed to be for life. Celebrate your milestones instead. One week, make a special meal. One month, go out with friends and try a new recipe on the menu of a favorite restaurant (always call ahead and confirm there are options for you on the menu, be specific about what you don't eat.). One year, and I intend to bake myself a cake. Like a birthday.
8. You can start slow too. Go meat-free on one day every week. Do that for a month. Then move to two days a week. Do that for a month. You can also cut out certain meats gradually. Say you want t stop eating red meat, do that for a month. Then cut out pork for a month. Eventually you'll get to chickens, fish and maybe dairy and eggs. Find your speed and go for it. And if you do fail, relax. You're human. Try again. Persistence helps.
No comments:
Post a Comment