Becoming Vegetarian: What Will I Miss

By Jennie

I haven't officially announced this yet (well, until now) , but I recently decided to make a pretty big leap: I've become a vegetarian.

I've experimented with this before, and I've always loved our vegetarian posts on Food Lush, but I'll now be a more active contributor to this section of the site.

Still, for anyone who has made this particular leap, there are perhaps a few particular dishes you'll miss most, right? Here are mine. A goodbye, of sorts!

1. Crab cakes.

2. A well-grilled steak.

3. An In-N-Out burger. (This was my last supper, so to speak!)

4. Lobster. (I know, if you're going to miss meat, might as well miss the good stuff!)

5. Thanksgiving turkey. This just means I get to have an extra serving of mashed potatoes, right?

I hope to share my favorite snacks, dishes, and restaurants for this new veg-friendly diet with you as I journey on! Feel free to share YOUR favorite vegetarian dishes in the comments.

Comments

[Allison]

Go, you!

I cheat now, as I reintroduced seafood/fish into my diet several years back. But I was a strict vegetarian for about 6 years, and maintain a mostly vegetarian diet now. I found, after a while, that there was very little meat foods I really missed. Most became unappetizing after a while. But popcorn shrimp, and my family's fabulous "crabbies" appetizer recipe? Those, I missed.

BTW, found a really great BBQ mushroom sandwich recipe recently - super easy and super delicious (my husband the meat-eater loves them, too). I've made them twice already, and WILL be making them again. A must have for the vegetarian summer grilling season: http://pinterest.com/pin/206250857904770805/

I really found that my palate expanded hugely when I became a vegetarian - I ate so many things I never thought I would (which is also a bit ironic, as I also eliminated a huge number of foods I no longer eat, but eh, you can't win them all!).

[ariel]

Wait! Wait! Don't you live in Texas? Don't they kick people out for that? This is funny because I just talked to a Texan associate the other day, and he was talking about his love of steak in the awesome Texan drawl that I adore.

But seriously, good for you! It's a great lifestyle choice, I just can't bring myself to commit to (bacon). I've been sticking to meatless Mondays, but that's the extent of it. Can't wait for some new recipe inspiration!

[Kate]

I was a vegetarian in Texas for several years (have gradually introduced seafood back into my diet in the last year or two), and once you get over the initial feeling of "wow, there's nothing I can eat here!", you'll find pretty much everywhere you go, there is always something you can have, and enjoy. I also found myself trying new things I assumed I wouldn't like in the interest of not wanting to eat the same four vegetables all the time. Plus, I slowly tried most of the brands of "meatless meats" and some of them are pretty good! The Morningstar farms "beef" crumbles can replace ground beef in pretty much any dish, and my meat eating husband sometimes couldn't tell the difference. Good luck, can't wait to hear more about it!

[Katie]

Ooh! Let's talk about this more please! Former (10+ years) vegetarian here, think often about going back to it, would be so interested to hear your take.

[natalie]

So, you aren't going to eat seafood?

[Emily]

I was a vegetarian for about 11 years and I've been a vegan for almost three. I think the thing I miss most isn't the food, but the convenience. A plant-based diet requires more planning, in my experience.

I'd love to see a post about your reasons for making the change! It seems like people have all sorts of reasons and I'd like to hear about your experience.

[jodifur]

I've been a vegetarian since I was 14. That's 22 years. You basically just stop missing stuff, I promise!

[Ashley // Our Little Apartment]

YAY! I'm so excited for you. I've been a vegetarian for 7 years and Mike just hit his decade anniversary.

I miss absolutely nothing (not to be gross, but meat reminds me of flesh, and after I realized that, it could never be apetizing again!) but Mike misses sloppy joes.

Honestly, I think it's a lot like budgeting - if you have less money, you somehow spend less (or get into debt...which is not good). If you can't eat meat, you somehow get more creative in the kitchen! I really think Gabe is exposed to way more variety than if we would eat just meat and potatoes.

I agree with the commenter who said something about being vegetarian in Texas - we've talked about moving south, but I am always afraid they hate vegetarians! ;)

Also, Thanksgiving: MORE DESSERT, yo!