Going back to veg! Help!

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

I was a vegetarian for 4 years. The man I lived with was a voracious meat eater. After about 9 months together, I went back to eating meat. And I went back big time! I haven't felt as healthy, but it was comforting to be able to share a meal (he loved to cook for me and wasn't too knowledgeable about veg at all - I ended up going back to the darkside ).

Now, we have come to a point in our relationship where he has moved out and we are starting over. I would like to transition back to veg, but I find it is even harder this time than it was when I did it originally. I will be shopping and cooking for myself now, so I know I can just resist buying meat, but before I wasn't that in tuned to the health aspect. Now, that is one of my primary goals - to be much more healthy in order to feel better, have more energy and aid me with my other goals of self care and self esteem.

If anyone has some advice, I would love to hear it. I have been reading the other posts on veg as well (and I really miss the VegFamily forums of which I was a member!). Thanks in advance!

Also, I want to start an exercise program. Do you find it helpful to join a gym? It's the only way I would have access to fitness equipment, but do I really need it? Thanks again.

[Erin Pavlina]

Hiya, the VegFamily forums will probably be coming back soon. Stay tuned for more details on that...

But regarding going back to veg... I would concentrate on a whole foods veg diet. So whole grain breads instead of white breads. Go easy on refined white flours like pasta and rice, and opt for brown rice or whole grain pastas.

Nuts, seeds, legumes are all good for fat and protein.

Meat substitutes like tofu, tempeh, seitan, and the occasional processed food like veggie burgers or gardenburger products.

Lots of fresh fruit and veggies. Drink lots of water. Limit sugar.

I really need to take my own advice.

As for exercise, you could start out by walking or jogging in your neighborhood and see how that grabs ya.

[joey m]

If you are truly interested in health, try to make it your main focus to consume high quantities of vegetables (raw and steamed), fruits and legumes. Use nuts/seeds/avocados as your main source of fats, and take a high quality vitamin mineral supplement that has ample B-12 (in the form of methylcobalamin preferably) and Vitamin D. It should not have synthetic iron, isolated beta-carotene or preformed Vitamin A.

Best,
Joey

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Thanks to both of you.

Erin, I am so glad to hear of the possible return of the VegFamily forums. I rarely posted, but always took a lot of useful information from simply reading others' posts.

Thanks, Joey. I have to get to eating more veggies. I have always loved grains, pastas and such, but only when I was a vegetarian previously did I really eat many. When I went back to meat, I rarely ate a vegetable!