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Becoming a Vegetarian: The 10 Best Tips for Beginners

More and more people want to become vegetarian. There are often health or ecological reasons behind it. Here are some tips for starting a meatless diet.

Becoming a vegetarian: These are the reasons

Deciding on a vegetarian diet can have different reasons.

  • A vegetarian diet has many advantages. For example, if you approach it properly, she is very healthy. Many people adopt a vegetarian diet to prevent or prevent disease.
  • Less meat consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
  • Others eat vegetarian food to lose weight permanently. Because by not eating meat in combination with a healthy diet, you consume a lot less fat.
  • But a religious background can also be decisive in not eating meat. Many Indian religions, such as Buddhism, reject meat consumption.
  • In the west, many people, in particular, abstain from meat because they reject factory farming. You don’t want animals to suffer for your own consumption.
  • Furthermore, the consumption of meat is harmful to the environment. Cows produce a lot of methane gas. Farming uses a lot of energy and transporting the meat increases CO2 emissions enormously.

Becoming a vegetarian: How to get started

If you have decided to become a vegetarian, you should start slowly and gradually so as not to immediately lose your stamina.

  • Tip 1: It is best to start by avoiding meat on one or two fixed days a week. You then slowly extend this to the entire week.
  • Tip 2: Start with a vegetarian diet and change your entire diet at the same time. Because you now have to absorb missing nutrients from other products. Whole grain products, legumes, nuts, and lots of vegetables are now on the diet plan.
  • Tip 3: As a vegetarian, you no longer eat meat. However, eggs and dairy products are part of the new diet. If you want to continue eating fish, you are a pescetarian.
  • Tip 4: Italian cuisine is particularly good for a vegetarian diet. Because Italy’s dishes such as pasta, pizza, or salads can easily do without meat and fish and are still nutritious and tasty.
  • Tip 5: If you are a flexitarian or are still converting to a vegetarian diet, buy organic meat. In this way, you ideally guarantee species-appropriate animal husbandry.

Becoming a vegetarian: For advanced learners

If you now eat a vegetarian diet permanently, you must ensure that you are getting enough of the right nutrients.

  • Tip 6: If you do feel like having a bratwurst, buy alternative products. Soy sausages or burger patties made from mushrooms resemble the hearty taste of meat. Products like “Beyond Meat” can now hardly be distinguished from meat.
  • Tip 7: As a vegetarian, make sure you eat a balanced diet. For protein intake, eat lots of dairy, eggs, or soy. Grains, legumes, nuts, potatoes, seeds, and mushrooms also contain enough protein.
  • Tip 8: Vitamin B12 is just as important. However, this cannot be produced by plants. It is therefore important to increase the number of milk products and eggs or to take in vitamin B12 from dietary supplements.
  • Tip 9: Meat contains a lot of iron. This is important for efficiency. Green vegetables such as spinach, fennel, chard, and legumes as well as whole grain products can cover the iron requirement. Additional vitamin C facilitates the absorption of iron.
  • Tip 10: Get in touch with other vegetarians. You can find numerous events in your area on the Internet. Here you can exchange ideas about delicious recipes or alternative products. Cooking courses are often offered.
  • Bonus Tip: You don’t have to become a full vegetarian to make a positive impact on health, the environment, and animal welfare. Questioning and curbing your own meat consumption is already worth a lot.
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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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