After my bout with digestion problems and having a colonostomy I finally decided to try going vegetarian. It doesn't happen every time but I can almost guarantee that if I eat meat, within an hour I'm going to have stomach cramps and then urgent (unmentionable). I haven't had meat since last week and I really do feel good.

I got a juicer before I decided on this and I've made WONDERFUL tasting drinks with lots of veggies and fruits.

I don't think I will miss meat. I went to lunch with 6 peoeple from work and I ordered a salad and a side of onion rings and I felt just fine. I know that I likely wouldn't have felt good if I'd had my previous choice at that restaurant, a BBQ beef sandwich.

Good for you, Pam!

There is a world full of great vegetarian dishes out there to try. I'm not vegetarian now, but I was once upon a time and still eat veg meals now and then.

There are also some very credible imitation meat products around. I was turning up my nose at them, figuring that when I was inclined to eat vegetarian, I wanted to enjoy real veg cuisine, not use meat substitutes. But hey. I tried the Tofurkey lunch "meat" and really liked it. It tastes like roast turkey with stuffing and cranberries, and the texture is like any thin-sliced lunchmeat. Today I had a veg lunch more for the lentil salad, but it came with a kabob of soy nuggets and veggies. The soy nuggets tasted like chicken, meaning that mild neutral taste, and the overall effect was like a non-greasy chicken McNugget.

Nothing like feeling well, and if eating right is all it takes... I only wish I had the willpower to do that, because I'd feel a lot better if I ate right, too.

If you like BBQ beef sandwiches, I'm sure you'll find something else to use BBQ sauce on and make a burger or sandwich out of.

Hi Going Vegetarian:

I have been a Veggie for the past 18 years. It IS Awesome and you DO have increased energy because your system is cleaner from not having to digest that Heavy protein. (To each his/her own) when it comes to the source of protein one chooses to live on. You will find you Sleep better, you Feel better and you think More clearly. You may live about 7 years longer than carnivores (statisticly proven), and people who know and see you will ask you "where you get all the energy from?" I actually Run to expell the energy I have and of course Quilt too. You will not miss the meat And if you slip up and do revert back, you will immediately feel the difference in your stamina and health. :thumbup: So UP with Vegetarians!! :thumbup:
One can eat Very well being a Vegetarian or a Veagan. Good Luck!
Yvette :-D

Thanks for the words of support :) One side effect is that I just weighed myself (just because the scale was right there) and I've lost .8 lbs since last week.

I have a lot of reading to do and I ordered some books from Amazon. I went shopping after work yesterday and got a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't normally get for recipes I printed from Food Network. Experimenting right now to find out what I like or not. I made some great lentil soup and homemade bread over the weekend and took it frozen to work for lunch too.

My son suffers from gout and he just went Vegie. My granddaughter climbed on board also to lose weight. As they live with me, guess what, most of my meals are vegie. My husband and I feel better with a lot less meat in our diet. We still go out for a steak or barbeque now & then.

I tend to have a high veggie diet, but I still have meat. I don't have beef very often, and stay towards chicken, seafood and/or fish.

There are a lot of different meat substitutes out there & they're pretty good. :)

Good for you. You can find lots of vegetarian recipes online. Keep in mind that most meat substitutes contain soy, which has been linked to thyroid disease and some other health problems. I was a vegetarian for about 25 years and found there are many ways of getting protein without eating soy.

I love veggies but am a true onmivore and eat meat. One thing to consider if you do want the occasional steak is your source of beef. Try to find a butcher that carries grass fed beef. Grass fed beef is actually good for you, low in fat and high in Omega 3 fatty acids which commerical grain fed beef does not contain. Or buy bison meat. Bison refuse to eat grain so they can only be grass fed.
All commercially raised meat is so bad for us with the indiscrimant use of antibiotics, growth hormones, feed by products (mad cow disease was a direct result of feed by products, feeding rendered infected sheep to the cows, shocking isn't it) etc. If you live in an area where you can buy direct from the farmer even better! I am very blessed that I have a direct farm source for chicken, beef and pork. You will pay more for it but as my friend the farmer says: "you can pay the farmer a little more now or pay the doctor a lot more later"

just had a Boca Burger (well 2) for lunch - delish!! Don't miss meat at all.
I eat very little meat and if I do I want to know where it comes from. NO WAY would I buy it in the supermarket (I call that section the aisle of death). I get some from the farmer down the street.

Read the book "Fast Food Nation" -- if that doesn't make you give up meat, nothing will.

put bbq sauce on drained tuna, tastes like real thing ...if u eat fish that is........