Vegetarian anyone?

Are you talking about vegan or ovo-lacto vegetarian? If you are thinking about going ovo-lacto then there should be no issue at all, as you'll get plenty of high quality protein from dairy and eggs.

But, even with vegan, you do not need to eat beans to get enough protein. They are an excellent source of protein, however. You can get protein from lentils, corn, rice, etc.

We have a number of vegetarian members here. While I have not gone vegetarian, I have greatly reduced my meat intake. We really do not need large quantities.

Jan

I'm not a vegetarian but I eat mostly a plant based diet. Quinoa and tempeh are great forms of protein that can be used in a variety of dishes. Quiona looks like a grain but it isn't. Tempeh is a better tasting tofu, in my opinion. You can grill it on a BBQ as it's dense. There are lots of recipes online that can get you started.

Sue

I kind of fall into the same category as Jan and Sue. I'm not strictly a vegetarian either, but I eat very little meat and virtually no red meat at all. For practicality, I will eat chicken or turkey if I am out somewhere and there are no other suitable options (if I'm not at home, it can get tricky at times to go meatless, as I have other dietary restrictions which I'll go over in a little more detail below).

I do consume fish, eggs, and dairy. And if you do eat dairy, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are both fantastic sources of protein. But if you are looking for good non-animal sources of protein, then tofu, quinoa, peanut butter (which I do eat a lot of), other nut butters, and lentils are all great. Hummus (chickpea) is also a really good source of protein, and it's tasty to boot. Chickpea butter, sunflower butter, and soy butter are other options and are now widely available in most grocery stores, as many schools have gone peanut-free and parents are always looking for suitable alternatives to peanut butter. There's a soy butter brand called Wow Butter which is pretty good.

With all of the above in mind, I have the added problem of adhesions which have caused a number of partial obstructions, so I have had to modify my diet accordingly. That basically means that most raw vegetables, nuts in excess, corn, or cooked vegetables with tough skins or casings are all out. Despite this, I have still be able to stick to a modified diet and eat very little meat at the same time. So even if you do have some dietary restrictions, it is possible to stick to a vegetarian/vegan diet if you know your options.

There is certainly a wealth of information online regarding vegetarian and vegan recipes, or if you choose, a dietician can be helpful if you are basically starting from scratch.

There is a science to it for us. Think about it, someone can not eat meat, but eat crap in place of it and not get anything your body needs. It's just about balance and it's really really simple if you don't have too many restrictions as far as fruits and veggies. Also, morning star makes fantastic meatless supplements that are packed with protein. There are so many meat alternative products out there now that 'vegan' is the thing to do. All the companies are trying to supply the demand.

I have 3 close friends that are vegetarian, they are happy healthy women with not a single issue from not eating meats. I do know, it's not cheap if you do it right. You open yourself up to a lot more pasta, potato, rice, bread if you go all in and not have a little plan in place.

Pintrest has been a fantastic help. Vegetarian times magazine is awesome also. They both have given great tips, recipes, substitutions, and so on that are really great. Take some vitamins like we should all be taking anyway, and pay attention to your body. If it feels any type of way then it's probably missing something. You can figure it out easily.

From personal experience, I tried to go complete vegetarian, but I have so many restrictions I found myself eating a bunch of crap and nothing that was doing me any good, and I felt awful. I had to concede and add chicken and turkey back in my diet. I haven't had pork or red meat in many many years, and I'm just fine. In fact, I felt better overall after I gave that up

Good luck!