It's hard to ignore the latest nutrition news: A diet rich in soy may help reduce the risk of breast cancer, and a diet filled with fruits, vegetables and grains has disease-fighting potential. No wonder more Americans are trying to become vegetarians. However, few people know how to begin.
To make the transition easier, PHYS has created a four-week program to ease you into the veggie lifestyle. Our plan is adapted from SELF's "Want to be a Vegetarian?" by Karen Cope Straus. Each week provides a goal to aim for, tips to help you accomplish that goal and a menu so you can plan delicious veggie meals. Even if you're certain you'll never give up meat entirely, following our program will help you cut back and reap the benefits of the amazing variety of foods available to vegetarians.
Week 1
As you get started, decide what kind of vegetarian you want to be. Many people today are "almost" vegetarians, eating meat occasionally, usually when dining out. They avoid red meat but will eat seafood, poultry, dairy products and eggs. Ovo-lacto vegetarians avoid red meat, poultry and seafood but eat dairy products and eggs. Vegans forgo all animal products — meat, dairy, eggs and honey — often out of concern for the ethical treatment of animals. Radical vegans — called raw or living fooders — believe food shouldn't be cooked prior to consumption. Whichever approach you choose, it's crucial to develop eating habits that will not only meet your nutritional needs but also satisfy you in the long run.
"No one should have a health problem going vegetarian," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., professor and chairperson of the department of nutrition and food studies at New York University. For years, people mistakenly worried that a vegetarian diet could not possibly contain enough protein. The only nutrient, however, not available from plant sources — a concern primarily for vegans — is vitamin B12, which assists in cell and blood development. Vegans can get B12 from algal, yeast or bacterial supplements and fortified cereals.
GOAL: Start by losing the red meat (beef, pork and lamb). This is the first step to getting all the meat out of your diet.
TIP: Need more time to wean yourself off steak and hamburgers? Ease your way by cutting back on the number of times you eat red meat in a week. If you've been having it at every meal, then indulge only once a day; if you normally eat it once a day, space it out every other day. This may take a while, so move at a pace that feels comfortable. It's all right to substitute leaner meats, such as chicken, turkey or fish.
ANOTHER OPTION: Find out how large a serving you're currently eating and cut it in half. Continue halving your portions until you've removed meat completely. At the same time, increase the size of your side dishes, especially grains and vegetables.
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | |
| Sunday | Scrambled eggs with vegetarian “sausage” patties and whole-grain toast | Veggie burger with the works, with oven-baked skin-on potato wedges and a pickle spear | Grilled chicken breast with lemon-herb glaze, baby greens salad withraspberry vinaigrette and grilled asparagus |
| Monday | Lowfat granola with lowfat plain yogurt, fresh fruit, lowfat milk and whole-grain toast | Mixed greens salad and whole-grain pita with hummus and baby carrots | Three-bean chili with salsa and guacamole, and corn tortillas |
| Tuesday | Smoothie made with frozen fruit, lowfat plain yogurt and lowfat milk with whole-grain toast | Tuna salad on whole-grain bread, vegetable crudités with lowfat dipping sauce and fresh fruit | Seasonal vegetable stir-fry with cubed tofu served over rice |
| Wednesday | Toasted bagel with lowfat cream cheese and fresh fruit | Tofu “egg” salad sandwich on whole-grain bread and coleslaw | Black-bean and rice burrito with lettuce, tomato, salsa, onion and cheese and corn and pepper salad |
| Thursday | Oatmeal with lowfat milk, raisins, apples and cinnamon with whole-grain toast | Cheese and veggie submarine sandwich with baked chips | Corn, potato and onion chowder sprinkled with lowfat cheese and coleslaw |
| Friday | Smoothie made with frozen fruit, lowfat plain yogurt and milk with whole-grain toast | Caesar salad with dressing, croutons and Parmesan cheese | Linguine with clams, broth, garlic, shallots and parsley with steamed veggies |
| Saturday | Muesli with oats, apples, lowfat milk, dried fruit and honey, and vegetarian “sausage” links | Black bean soup served over rice, topped with tomatoes, onion and cilantro | Fajitas with red, green and yellow peppers, red onion, zucchini and garlic wrapped in whole-grain tortillas |
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