Becoming a Vegetarian in 4 weeks: Week 2

"People who go vegetarian overnight are often not prepared and may end up living on iceberg lettuce salads," says Suzanne Havala, R.D., author of Good Foods, Bad Foods: What's Left To Eat? As nutrition advisor for the Vegetarian Resource Group in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Havala sees the results of drastic, uneducated moves to vegetarianism. "They know what they don't want to eat, but they don't know their options yet. They end up tired, hungry, grumpy and discouraged. They are also the ones most likely to go back to their old eating habits."

GOAL: Get out of the iceberg lettuce rut by replacing poultry and seafood with plant-based proteins, such as beans or soy products.

TIP: To incorporate more meatless meals, begin with foods that normally include little or no meat, such as minestrone soup or pasta with vegetables and marinara sauce. Progress to vegetarian lasagna, bean and rice burritos, meatless chili, veggie burgers and other soy products. Depending on your activity level, you may need more calories; pay attention to your body's cues as you make these changes.

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Sunday	Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, onions and peppers served with oven-fried potatoes and whole-grain toast	Veggie burger with grilled onions and barbecue sauce on whole-grain bun with baby carrots	Pizza with your favorite veggie toppings, tomato sauce and lowfat mozzarella cheese
Monday	Toasted plain bagel with lowfat cream cheese and fresh fruit	Mixed greens salad topped with cubed, seasoned, baked tofu	Tempeh Reuben sandwich on rye bread with sauerkraut, mustard and Swiss cheese
Tuesday	Smoothie made with frozen fruit, lowfat yogurt and lowfat milk with whole-grain toast	Tofu “egg” salad sandwich on whole-grain bread with vegetable crudités and lowfat dipping sauce	Meatless Cobb or chef salad with lowfat dressing
Wednesday	Lowfat bran muffin with lowfat cheese and fresh fruit	Mixed greens with vegetables and vinaigrette	Bean soup, cornbread and cooked greens
Thursday	Lowfat granola with lowfat plain yogurt, lowfat milk, fresh fruit and whole-grain toast	Cheese and veggie submarine sandwich with baked chips	Thai rice noodles stir-fried with cubed tofu, bean sprouts, cilantro, peanuts, ginger chilies and scallions
Friday	Hot mixed-grain cereal with lowfat milk and applesauce and whole-grain toast	Veggie burger with the works and vegetable crudités with lowfat dipping sauce	Macaroni and cheese casserole with green salad and cooked greens
Saturday	Breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs and salsa and fresh fruit salad	Vegetable and bean minestrone soup with crispy garlic bread	Seitan “chicken” and vegetable pot pie with mashed potato crust and carrot raisin salad