28-11-2015, 04:05
Hi isobasic, I think you have a good idea here!
I am in a similar boat as you actually. I've been vegetarian or vegan off and on since I was about 16 (I'm 25 now.) It was so much easier when I lived by myself, I had no desire to buy or eat meat or any other animal stuff, and I was totally fine with it. Now that I live with my boyfriend, it's a lot harder to stick to, because he eats meat. I just graduated school and am still looking a a job in my field, and he is currently working on starting up his own business at home, so money is too tight to budget for two very different diets. I love veggies and he doesn't, he likes meat and I don't, so we compromise and meet somewhere in the middle.
I find myself skipping a lot of meals, for instance I almost never eat breakfast. I don't think I eat enough calories, which probably contributes negatively to my breast growing dreams. Since I don't have time (or money) for a lot of meals, I make a big pitcher of green smoothie for him and I, with different fruits, spinach/kale, and then I add maca powder to mine. For a while I was also adding a vegan protein powder, that you might be interested in, called Garden of Life Raw Protein, that was all veggie protein, but it was really expensive so I had to stop buying it.
I don't know what tips to give to an aspiring vegetarian, because I've fallen off the wagon many times because of the convenience and money factor of living with a meat eater. I guess my suggestion would be that if you are going to be a vegetarian, try not to be a junk food vegetarian. Avoid those processed meatless chicken fingers and soy stuff. What worked for me was keeping it as simple as possible with lots and lots of veggies (I love veggies anyway so that part was easy for me) and some carbs like quinoa and rice. Look up the "superfoods" and try to add those into as many meals and snacks as you can. And, I found that finding and talking to other vegans helped me stay on track a lot more. They kind of inspired me to keep going with it and remember what it was doing for my body and for the environment.
I am in a similar boat as you actually. I've been vegetarian or vegan off and on since I was about 16 (I'm 25 now.) It was so much easier when I lived by myself, I had no desire to buy or eat meat or any other animal stuff, and I was totally fine with it. Now that I live with my boyfriend, it's a lot harder to stick to, because he eats meat. I just graduated school and am still looking a a job in my field, and he is currently working on starting up his own business at home, so money is too tight to budget for two very different diets. I love veggies and he doesn't, he likes meat and I don't, so we compromise and meet somewhere in the middle.
I find myself skipping a lot of meals, for instance I almost never eat breakfast. I don't think I eat enough calories, which probably contributes negatively to my breast growing dreams. Since I don't have time (or money) for a lot of meals, I make a big pitcher of green smoothie for him and I, with different fruits, spinach/kale, and then I add maca powder to mine. For a while I was also adding a vegan protein powder, that you might be interested in, called Garden of Life Raw Protein, that was all veggie protein, but it was really expensive so I had to stop buying it.
I don't know what tips to give to an aspiring vegetarian, because I've fallen off the wagon many times because of the convenience and money factor of living with a meat eater. I guess my suggestion would be that if you are going to be a vegetarian, try not to be a junk food vegetarian. Avoid those processed meatless chicken fingers and soy stuff. What worked for me was keeping it as simple as possible with lots and lots of veggies (I love veggies anyway so that part was easy for me) and some carbs like quinoa and rice. Look up the "superfoods" and try to add those into as many meals and snacks as you can. And, I found that finding and talking to other vegans helped me stay on track a lot more. They kind of inspired me to keep going with it and remember what it was doing for my body and for the environment.