Are you considering cutting down on your meat consumption and wondering how to become a vegetarian successfully? You are not alone! More and more people around the world are changing their eating habits for a variety of reasons and going meat-free is becoming ever more popular. This beginner’s guide on how to become vegetarian will set you up with the information you need to get started!
I want to start by sharing my own food journey because you’re clearly thinking about making a big decision right now, and I want you to know that I’ve been there! Changing your diet is a big deal and it doesn’t have to happen overnight (it certainly didn’t for me), and that’s totally OK. Whether you do it gradually or all-in, know that it’s your way and noone else’s.
I wasn’t always a vegetarian either!
I used to be a full-on meat eater. I grew up eating meat for at least one meal a day, often two; I’d have ham sandwiches in my school packed lunch and then dinner was your typical meat-and-two-veg plate. I’m thankful that my mum enjoyed cooking and we always ate homecooked meals, but looking back I can’t remember many dishes that were vegetarian.
When I graduated and started my first “proper” job, I began incorporating a couple of vegetarian meals into my weeknight dinners because it was cheaper more than anything! I’ve never been someone who spends money mindlessly and I’ve always been good at saving, but I noticed that it made a noticeable difference to take two or three packets of meat out of my shopping basket.
I then turned to my cookbook collection for vegetarian recipe inspiration and browsed Pinterest and BBC Good Food for new ideas weekly. As someone who loves to try new recipes rather than eat the same meal twice in a row, this was great for me and I was surprised at how many delicious things I could do with vegetables! One of my all-time favourite cookbooks is Jerusalem by Yattam Ottolenghi and it’s FULL of vegetarian recipes!
At some point I started learning about the animal agriculture industry, specifically dairy, and I was horrified at what I saw. It was enough to make me switch to plant milks almost immediately. It wasn’t until I quit my job to travel in 2017 that the environmental reasons began to play a big role in my lifestyle and eating habits too.
My desire to reduce my environmental footprint led me to watch many documentaries, such as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Before The Flood, Cowspiracy and What The Health among others, and I decided to try eating a vegan diet for a few months. At first it was a challenge but once I realised how many things there acutally were to eat, a vegan diet didn’t seem so impossible anymore!
During this time I noticed a big difference in how much better my body and mind felt as a result eating so many more whole foods and fresh produce; I felt lighter and a lot healthier for eating a much more varied diet!
By now I had lots of reasons to become vegetarian. However, since I’ve been backpacking and moving around a lot over the past 3 years, my journey has definitely not been a straight line! Yes, I eat vegetarian or vegan most of the time, but I try not to be hard on myself if I choose to eat meat or animal products for whatever reason.
The point of this story is to remind you that this is YOUR journey and you should to do it in a way that suits you and for reasons that suit you!
What is a vegetarian diet?
Generally speaking, people on a vegetarian diet don’t eat any kind of meat from animals. This includes red meats, poultry and fish as well as by-products such as gelatine.
Most vegetarians do consume eggs and dairy products.
By comparison, a vegan diet excludes all food products that are made from animals.
Why consider going vegetarian?
There are several reasons why someone might consider becoming vegetarian. These reasons range from personal health choices to standing up for animal welfare, to trying to reduce their environmental footprint. Let’s take a look at each of these reasons in a bit more detail.
Health
Many people report subjectively that they feel better on a vegetarian diet. This is probably due to the fact that they are consuming more healthy fats and fibres from a wider variety of whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. A study has shown that a vegetarian diet may help people to lose weight, at least in the short-term.
Other research has also shown that vegetarian diets may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, vegetarians tend to have lower cholesterol.
Whilst there is a lot of scientific research being done in the field of nutrition and health, there is a huge amount that we don’t know. It’s important to understand how to make healthy food choices (read my blog post on what a healthy plate should look like), lead an overall healthy lifestlyle and remember that research studies demonstrate relationships and correlations; meaning these investigations indicate that being vegetarian may protect you from these diseases, it’s not 100% guaranteed!
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is a common deciding factor for people who become vegetarian. Various documentaries and social media accounts have uncovered the horrifying practices and cruel treatment of animals at industrial farms, so going vegetarian is a great way to stand against these issues.
If you’re interested in watching some food documentaries on this topic, head over to this blog post where I’ve shared seven eye-opening documentaries relating to the food industry.
Environment
It has been reported that animal agriculture accounts for almost one fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions. The industry also requires huge amounts of water; apparently animal agriculture is responsible for 20%-33% of all fresh water consumption globally, and we’ve all heard the estimates that it takes 2,5000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef.
Issues related to deforestation, habitat destruction, species extinction, water pollution and ocean dead zones can all be linked to farming practices world wide. A large amount of waste is created through animal agriculture, not to mention the plastic packaging that the majority of food products come in which are discarded and end up polluting land and sea.
Choosing a vegetarian diet can have significant positive impacts on the environment and reduce our own individual footprint.
Cheaper
Becoming a vegetarian can have financial benefits too! Meat products tend to be more expensive, so replacing them with vegetables and plant-based products, you might find yourself spending less and saving more money in the long run!
Nutrients vegetarians should be aware of
It’s totally possible to get all the nutrients your body needs to be healthy from plants (contratry to popular belief). However, there are some specific nutrients that vegetarians, especially those just starting out, tend to lack and you’ll need to consciously consume these.
Protein, iron, and vitamin B12 are found in high quantities in meat, so when people start to cut meat out of their diet, these are the nutrients that are often deficient. Let’s take a look at why these nutrients are important and which plant-based foods contain them.
Protein
Protein is like the building blocks for our body. Our body breaks proteins down into amino acids which build and repair tissues, or provide us with energy.
The recommended daily intake of protein is calculated based on your body weight and the general suggestion is around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound.
For example, I weigh approximately 65kgs, so 65 / 0.8 = 52g protein per day.
Please note that this is only a guideline since this calculation doesn’t take into account how active you are, your age, current health or your fitness goals.
10 great plant-based protein sources
It’s actually way easier than people think to get enough protein from plants. Some of the foods vegetarians can eat that contain high amounts of protein include:
- soy products (e.g. tofu, tempeh edamame beans)
- lentils
- chickpeas
- black beans & kidney beans
- chia seeds
- peanuts/peanut butter
- quinoa
- almonds
- oats
- nutritional yeast
Read this blog post to learn more about the quantity of protein each of these foods contains, plus some delicious recipe suggestions!
Iron
Iron is an essential mineral that our body needs to transport oxygen around the body via our blood.
We can only get iron from food, and there are two types of iron that we can consume: haem and non-haem. Haem iron is found in animal meats and is absorbed more effectively than non-haem iron, which is found in eggs and plant-based foods.
Top tip: foods that are high in vitamin C increase the absorption of iron if you eat them at the same time as iron-rich foods!
9 excellent plant-based sources of iron
Here are some vegetarian food choices that are high in iron:
- lentils
- chickpeas
- tofu/tempeh
- pumpkin seeds
- leafy greens
- cashews, almonds & pine nuts
- oats & quinoa
- dark chocolate
Read this blog post to learn more about the quantities of iron these foods contain as well as some recipe suggestions for each one!
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is crucial to our health because our nervous system needs it to develop and function properly; a deficiency in this vitamin can lead to weight loss, anemia and constipation. It’s normally found in meat, eggs and dairy products, so vegans tend to suffer from a vitamin B12 deficiency more than vegetarians.
The average person needs around 2.4 micro grams of vitamin B12 a day. Foods high in vitamin B12 that are suitable for vegetarians include:
- milk
- cheese
- eggs
- yoghurt
- cereals fortified with vitamin B12 (check the packaging)
- unsweetened soy milk
- nutritional yeast
How to choose good quality ingredients
Now that you know what vegetarians eat and which nutrients you should be consuming, how do you choose good quality ingredients for your meals?
Fresh, whole foods
The best foods are the ones that are fresh and whole. By that I mean foods that haven’t been processed or refined.
Fresh, whole foods tend to have a shorter shelf-life because they aren’t full of other (often unhealthy) ingredients designed to make them last longer! Choose fresh fruit and vegetables, brown rice and wholewheat bread and pastas. Frozen fruit and vegetables are usually fine too because they haven’t been processed in any way.
Common processed foods are things like ready meals, pre-packaged goods such as cakes and biscuits, breakfast cereals, tinned vegetables, savoury snacks such as crisps, and of course fast food. Refined foods are those that have been processed and stripped of their nutritional value. Examples of refined foods include white rice, white sugar, white flour and products made with it such as pasta and bread. I recommend avoiding processed and refined food where possible.
Seasonal produce
Fruit and vegetables are seasonal, which means that there is usually a specific time of the year that they grow and taste the best. Each country will differ in terms of which fruits and vegetables can be grown based on climate, but you can usually find a seasonal food chart on Google for your country!
If you can’t find a chart, one thing you can do is go to a local fresh produce market and look at what is available! Local farmers will tend to work seasonally, so take the opportunity to support your community and buy locally.
Supermarkets also stock seasonal produce. Fruit and veg that’s in season will be cheaper than usual because their is a large supply of it at the time, so low prices should be a sign of seasonal and good quality produce. In the U.K. many fruit and veg labels also display the country of origin, so it’s also easy to check for local ingredients that way.
Look, feel and smell
I know you might think it’s creepy to touch all the fruit and vegetables but it really is the best way to check for top quality ingredients. Produce should look colourful and appeitising, it should feel firm to the touch (not soft and squishy) and smell AMAZING. Try smelling strawberries in a U.K. winter and you’ll see what I mean.
Tips on how to become a vegetarian
Whilst you could try going vegetarian overnight, I recommend incorporating it gradually into your lifestyle, since it’s far more sustainable in the long-run! Here are my top tips on how to successfully become a vegetarian.
Get in the right mindset
When I tell people I eat mostly vegetarian and vegan foods, their first reaction is often “Oh, I couldn’t give up X,” or “I love X too much to be vegetarian”.
These phrases come from the perspective of seeing vegetarianism as restrictive, focusing on the things that you can’t eat. Instead, focus on all the things you CAN EAT. There are thousands of edible products out there and hundreds of different ways to cook them! Think positively and get excited about how much variety you’re going to add to your life!
Set yourself up to succeed
Invest in some basic, good quality kitchen tools and staple ingredients to get started. The healthiest food is always the kind you have made yourself because you know exactly what’s in it!
When it comes to kitchen tools, get yourself a couple of good chef’s knives and a big chopping board to cut, slice and dice those beautiful fresh veggies. An oven tray, a non-stick frying pan and one or two saucepans with lids are essential. Some other useful, basic tools include a vegetable peeler, a grater, a colander and a mixing bowl. A food processor is a bit of a luxury item but it’s a really handy appliance to have to whizz up hummus or veggie burgers – I use mine ALL THE TIME.
Staple ingredients that I always have at home include:
- brown rice
- polenta
- pasta
- dried legumes (e.g. chickpeas, lentils, black beans)
- onions
- garlic
- lemon
- olive oil
- chopped tomatoes
- dried herbs & spices
Incorporate one or two new meals a week
Start off by learning one or two new vegetarian meals a week. This way you won’t feel overwhelmed and you’ll grow your recipe library over time. It’ll become easier to think of meatless meals to fill the week as time passes, trust me!
Join in with free initiatives like meat-free Monday for motivation and to find other people who are also on their journey to becoming vegetarian!
I love meal planning to help me figure out what I’m going to cook and to encourage me to commit to learning new recipes!
Substitute meat with something plant-based
Choose 2-3 meals you cook frequently and simply replace the meat products with plant-based ingredients. For example, tofu makes a great chicken substitute in a stir-fry. Soya mince or lentils are a good replacement for minced beef in a bolognese, chilli or shepherd’s pie.
Don’t be afraid to buy pre-packaged vegetarian products like sausages and burgers once in a while to make your life easier. However, do check the ingredients label and try not to rely on processed foods; just because you buy something with “vegetarian” on the packet, doesn’t mean it’s healthy!
Best vegan meat substitutes and alternatives
Cut out meat, poultry and fish one by one
There’s no rule that says you have to become vegetarian overnight. If the idea of cutting out all animal meats frightens you, start with one and cut them out weekly or even monthly.
There is no rush to this journey, so do it in a way that works for you and is sustainable.
Don’t be too hard on yourself!
Noone is perfect. Do what you can on the days that you can and enjoy the ride!
If you go for a dinner and want to order the steak, order the steak! Food and eating should be enjoyed, not something to feel guilty about. Celebrate the progress, no matter how small.
Pinterest is your best friend
When I’m feeling stuck for recipe inspiration, I always turn to Pinterest first. It’s basically a visual search engine, so try typing in “vegetarian dinner ideas” and scroll through the results! Create a Vegetarian board and pin everything you like the look of, then fill your meal planner with a couple of them a week!
Check out my recipes too – they’re all vegetarian and vegan!
I hope this guide to becoming a vegetarian was helpful and you found everything you were looking for! Any questions? Ask away in the comments!
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