Ive been a vegetarian for almost 15 years.
Heres what I wish I knew before I gave up meat.
Like what will you eat instead of meat and where will you get your protein?
Getty Images / Claudia Totir
Will you lose weight?
Will you be able to enjoy meals with your omnivore friends?
Before you dive in head first, learn from my mistakes.
Here are seven things I wish I knew before I started eating vegetarian.
Protein Is in Almost Everything
People constantly ask me where I get my protein.
But for vegetarians, and even vegans, there areplenty of high-protein foods to eat.
But even foods like pasta, bread and Brussels sprouts have protein in them.
What does that look like in real life?
Have some high-protein meal ideas in your back pocket, like ablack bean taco bowlor atofu stir-fry.
But those health perks aren’t guaranteed.
There’s no meat in donuts, cookies, cake, grilled cheese, french fries, ice cream…
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
All of us, veg or not, should aim to make half of our plates fruits or vegetables.
Try fruit with yogurt for breakfast, adding carrots to lunch and serving up dinner with a side salad.
If you’re finding it hard to eat more produce, start small.
Restaurants Can Be Tricky
More and more restaurants are catering to people who don’t eat meat.
Now I often see options like veggie burgers, tofu or beans.
Pair twovegetarian side dishesor appetizers to make something more filling if you don’t love the mains.
Let me just say, I am always so gratefulif someone wants to cook me a meal.
Choosing too many desserts or refined grains could lead to weight gain.
And almost all vegans will need to supplement with vitamin B12.
Welcome to The Beet.
