Find Top 5 Tips for Transition to a Vegetarian Diet

Making any transition to a new way of eating should be something that you do slowly and steadily. When you make a huge change all at once, or cut something out of your diet completely, it’s less likely to be something that you are going to be able to stick to for the long term. If you want to quit eating meat and become a vegetarian, easing yourself into the change is best.

Your body will be used to eating the foods that you normally consume, and when you stop eating them, you’re naturally going to crave them more often since you are used to them. Gradually switching over to a vegetarian diet will make it easier for you to succeed.

1. Take It Slowly:

You don’t have to wake up one morning and decide that you are suddenly a vegetarian. Also, You will likely feel better and find it easier to take things slow. You could start out by doing one or two days a week meat-free, or switching to eating vegetarian fast food from Native Foods rather than having a cheeseburger. After a couple of weeks of switching some of your meals over to veggie, you can start gradually leaving meat out more and more often until you’re not eating it at all, giving you time to adjust to the changes.

2. Omit One Animal Product at a Time:

Instead of completely cutting out all meat straight away, you might find it easier to just start out with not eating one type of meat. Consider a meat that you don’t eat very often, perhaps red meat, and stop eating that first. Then, cut out poultry, and finally cut out fish. When all meat isn’t off-limits completely all of a sudden, easing into your new vegetarian diet will be easier.

3. Find Meatless Alternatives:

The good news for vegetarians and vegans is that the range of meat-free alternative products now available to buy is larger than ever. Whether you want veggie mince, fake chicken or beef pieces, or even veggie bacon, it’s gotten much easier to find plant-based alternatives to your favorite meat ingredients that taste great too. Try out different options to find the ones that you like the most.

4. Get Plenty of Protein:

When switching to a vegetarian diet, you might notice that you need to pay more attention to the nutrients that you are getting from your foods. Along with getting vitamin B12 supplements to replace the nutrients that you would normally get from meat, it’s worth considering different ways to load up your meals with vegetarian sources of protein such as beans, legumes, tofu, nuts, seeds, and quinoa.

5. Try New Foods:

Switching to a veggie diet is a great way to try something new. Consistently add new foods to your diet and try out new recipes; you may be surprised as to just how much you will like them. Once you’ve quit eating meat, it’s often easier to start trying out things you might not have thought about adding to your diet before.

Going vegetarian is great for your health and the planet. If you’ve decided that you want to stop eating meat, ease yourself into it with these tips for the best chance of long-term success.