New vegetarian, advice?

I read the book Skinny B*tch and it made a huge impact on me. I'm been doing more research into this whole vegan thing, and have decided that my diet was in need of a major overhaul. I'm 21 and have a 2 year old, and she had cavities which I'm sure are from too much sugar.





Anyways, I've decided that red meat is the first to go since I've never been a big fan of it anyways. Unfortunately, I LOVE chicken and it's going to take me a while to find a good replacement. I did make some tofu nuggets the other night, which, dipped in Wendy's ranch sauce, tasted almost like the real thing =)





This new diet is only a few weeks old, but so far it's included lots of fruits and veggies, which in itself is already an improvement. I'm having a hard time with food preparation and trying to find ways to replace the junk I used to eat. I've found a few good recipes already, but I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on veggie burgers and soy cheese and natural sweetners (I am slightly lactose intolerant, I'd like to cut out dairy altogether anyways. I love my soy milk and soy icrecream!)





I also sort of believe in the blood type diet, it has done absolute wonders for my mom. Will I be able to be a vegetarian AND follow the blood type diet? That means I can't have tomatos, bananas, oranges, cashews.. to name a few (it already tells me to cut out red meat and dairy anyways). I know some people think that the blood-type diet is a load of crap, but I've seen how many people its helped and wouldn't mind giving it a try.





Does cutting out red meat classify me as a vegetarian or do I have to have chicken and turkey cut out first? Vegetarians still eat fish don't they? I'd like to eventually work on becoming vegan, meaning no animal products period, but that'll take some time to work up to.





I guess I'm just looking for some good meal and snack ideas. Any advice is apprectiated! Thank you!New vegetarian, advice?
Sounds like you're doing great, the hardest part is having the mindset and willpower to attempt it. No, today if you eat any animal flesh at all, you are not considered a vegetarian, but it is a step in the right direction. People who only eat fish are called pescatarians I believe.





I haven't heard of the blood type diet, but I'm sure it can be done simultaneously. Depending on what is restricted, you may need to take supplements to meet your nutritional needs.





Here is a sample 2 week vegan menu to get you started. Most of the dishes are cheap and call for ingredients you probably already have on hand. http://www.vegcooking.com/veganMenus-1.asp





My favorite chicken substitutes are okara ';courage'; burgers (https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1%26amp;storeId=10052%26amp;productId=371752%26amp;catalogId=1%26amp;krypto=QJrbAudPd0vzXUGByeatog%3D%3D%26amp;ddkey=http:ProductDisplay), and seitan (http://vegweb.com/index.php?board=329.0), both of which have very meaty textures. Both can be made from scratch, or bought pre made. There are also breaded chicken substitutes, but I don't eat too many of them to recommend any.New vegetarian, advice?
Cutting out red meat is a step to being vegetarian, however, it is not vegetarian. And vegetarians do not eat fish, those are pescetarians. It all depends on you for what you want to cut out though, most start with red meats and pork, then go to the poultry and fish and things of that sort out of their diet. You may be able to work on the blood-type diet as a vegetarian, however, depending on what it is, it can have you miss out on some of your daily vitamins and nutrients and you have to be specifically careful with what you do.





If you want mock versions of the food that you eat, you can try Boca, Smartlife, Lightlife, or Morningstar. But if you want those little dinners you can try Amy's, Linda McCartney's,Amy %26amp; Brian, Annie Chun and a few others. If you want to make things for yourself for a snack you can try hummus, pita, guacamole, chips, salads, veggie dips, sandwiches(with or without fake meats), nuts, fruits, and vegetables.





For meals, you can have pretty much anything stated above. You can make curries, chili, spaghetti, lasagna, tacos, burgers, whatever you like. You can have mock meat in them, tofu, beans, or something of that sort if you like.





For Dessert(some contain gelatin or animal fat which is why i put this list up)-


All natural popsicles


Natural Valley bars


Tofutti


Rice Dream Ice Cream
A vegetarian traditionally is someone who eats dairy and eggs, but do not eat (or wear) other animal products. The definition of vegetarian isn't so narrow anymore though-- there are people who consider themselves vegetarian, but who eat certain types of meat, such as chicken or fish, eat meat occasionally, eat no meat but wear leather or wool, or who are closer to vegan, eating little dairy or eggs.





What's most important, in my opinion, is that you feel good about your diet, and respect animals and the environment as best as you can. Live by your definition of vegetarian :)





As for meal and snack ideas... hummus is rich in protein, vegan and very versatile, as it can be eaten on bread, with chips or pita, in sandwiches or as a dip. Peanut butter is also great (and cheap). Beans too.
Wow. We stand in the same position minus the kid. I'm 13 and became a veggie in June. But instead of chicken, I love subway.





Just don't get meat. We were on a mission trip before, and I got the sub and let someone else eat the meat. I also never really liked red meat. Ham, popcorn chicken, big macs, and hotdogs were about all the meat I ever ate. Balogna, sirloin, chicken hearts... ew.





I recommend just getting protein supplements (unless u like tofu; i don't really wanna try it. So I've basically had no protein since a PB sandwich I had like July 14. I'm totally healthy, though. IDK how.)


A good veggie burger (with additional protein supplements) is a bun with cheese, mayonnaise, and potato chips. Yummy!