A vegetarian diet is not for everyone, but is healthier than the average American diet and consists of legumes, nuts, grains, fruits, and vegetables. You may be interested in becoming a vegetarian but not know where or how to start. The key is to begin slowly, allowing the taste buds, body, and brain to adjust to the new diet. Making a fast transition will most likely result in failure. Instead, incorporate these tips to successfully transition to vegetarianism.
Step 1: Prior to eliminating meat from the diet, start eating fresh vegetables. Add one to two servings per day for a few days. Gradually incorporate more of these over the next several days, until you are consuming at least six servings per day.
Step 2: Look for appealing vegetarian recipes before giving up meat. This way, you will have something to make once you are no longer a meat consumer. Vegetarian recipes can be found on cookbooks or online. You may even want to take a vegetarian cooking class.
Step 3: Progressively lessen the amount of meat in the diet over several weeks. Do it in the way that seems most appealing to you. Some people first eliminate red meat and continue to eat fish, pork, and chicken for a few weeks, after which they reduce their consumption of those. Other people opt to decrease the amount of all meat simultaneously.
Step 4: During the first few weeks of switching from a diet based on meat to one that is vegetarian, the body will crave protein. Have legumes and nuts on hand to fend off the cravings. This will satisfy the need without biting into a hamburger.
Step 5: This transition represents a major lifestyle change. Do it only when you are not experiencing a lot of stress in other areas of your life. If you are stressed, the attempt at becoming vegetarian may not be successful, causing you to feel like a failure, which can lead to more stress. A new year is the perfect time to transition to a vegetarian diet.
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