How to become a vegetarian

Vegetarianism - eating foods of plant and dairy origin with the renunciation of fish, meat products and eggs. If you've decided to become a vegetarian but don't know where to start, our article will help you. 

Switching to vegetarianism

Before becoming a vegetarian, you should first prepare your body by gradually eliminating smoked and sausage products, introducing boiled ones instead, switching to dietary meat. It is better to avoid the meat broth itself, as it contains cholesterol, hormones, and salts.

To switch to vegetarianism without injuring your body and getting all the benefits from it, follow these steps:

1. Avoid fried, smoked and fatty meat and switch to boiled meat. You can eat up to 100 g per day. Gradually reduce consumption, first every other day, then every two, three days, and so on until you give up completely.
2. After you stop eating meat, you must eliminate all other animal fats. Use regular vegetable oil instead. It is very useful if you do not heat-treat it, but eat it raw, for example in a salad.
3. Replace meat soups with vegetable ones.  To improve the taste, use vegetable seasonings, mushrooms, celery.
   
4. Switch to lean porridges. You can add cottage cheese, fruits, and vegetable dressings to them.
5. Be sure to eat boiled or stewed vegetables once a day.
6. Once a week, do one fasting day, completely giving up all food except vegetables. If your body responds positively to this action, you can gradually increase the number of days per week.
7. When preparing dishes, try to use a minimum of ingredients.
8. Follow the rule: do not fry what is boiled, do not cook what is eaten raw.
9. Limit the amount of food you eat per day.
10. Try to eat as many fresh vegetables, fruits and berries as possible.

If you do everything gradually, you will eventually feel comfortable, full of energy and lightness.

It is worth noting that vegetarianism is divided into several types:

• ovo-vegetarianism - includes the rejection of all types of animal products, with the exception of eggs;
• lacto-vegetarianism - only milk products are allowed in the diet;
• Lacto-ovo vegetarians - eating milk and eggs;
• Pesco-vegetarians - food includes fish, vegetables and fruits;
• pollo-vegetarians - eat chicken;
• vegans - completely avoid all types of animal products, without exception.

Vegetarian menu for the week

If you eat a vegetarian diet, you should have breakfast with cereals: oatmeal, rice, wheat, barley. You can add fruits, berries or vegetables to them. To cook porridge you can use: milk, soy milk, water. This breakfast will help you feel full without feeling heavy. In addition, you will receive all the necessary vitamins.

For lunch, a thick vegetable soup is perfect for starters, or you can make a puree soup. To prevent its taste from becoming boring, add new ingredients each time. For example, one day cauliflower and mushrooms, another broccoli and carrots. Use different seasonings.

For the main course, prepare potatoes, pasta, spaghetti or rice with salad, vegetable cutlet, and baked mushrooms.   To dress salads, use simple unrefined oil, and it is better to fry with olive oil.

Dinner should be low in calories, but at the same time satiating. Use legumes, peas, mushrooms. And treat yourself to a delicious dessert in the form of a cake or pie.

Based on all of the above, we offer you a vegetarian menu option for seven days.

Monday

Breakfast: oatmeal porridge with honey, compote.

Lunch: pureed carrot soup with the addition of croutons, boiled rice, salad, tea.

Dinner: stewed olives and potatoes, cabbage and apple salad.

Tuesday

Breakfast: rice porridge with cottage cheese, juice.

Lunch: beet soup, boiled potatoes with zucchini cutlet, coffee.

Dinner: Salad of radish, apple, lentils and carrots, a piece of pie, tea.

Wednesday

Breakfast: porridge with milk with berries, coffee.

Lunch: puree soup from several types of cabbage, rice with stewed vegetables, tea.

Dinner: baked zucchini with tomatoes, rice.

Thursday

Breakfast: pearl barley porridge, fruit, tea.

Lunch: mushroom soup, baked vegetables, juice.

Dinner: spaghetti with wheat germ and sauce, yogurt.

Friday

Breakfast: millet porridge with grated apple, juice.

Lunch: borscht with mushrooms, a piece of pastry, coffee.

Dinner: vegetable stew, boiled potatoes, tea.

Saturday

Breakfast: rice porridge with pumpkin, juice.

Lunch: carrot soup with zucchini, buckwheat with gravy, tea.

Dinner: pearl barley with eggplant, casserole, tea.

Sunday

Breakfast: oatmeal with berry puree, tea.

Lunch: vegetable soup with peas and tomato paste, salad, tea.

Dinner: rice porridge with vegetable cutlet, cake.

Vegetarian cuisine: recipes

Vegetable soup

To prepare you will need:

• liter of water;
• potatoes 300 g;
• carrot;
• celery;
• tomato;
• sweet pepper;
• spinach 200 g;
• cream 100 ml;
• turmeric tsp;
• salt;
• pepper.

Preparation:

1. Prepare vegetables, wash, peel. Cut carrots, peppers and celery into strips, tomatoes and potatoes into cubes, spinach can simply be torn.
2. Heat a frying pan and fry all the vegetables except potatoes.
3. Add a spoonful of turmeric and let it simmer.
4. Pour water into a saucepan, put on the stove and bring to a boil, add potatoes, cook for ten minutes.
5. Add stewed vegetables, spinach, pour in cream, cook for a few more minutes.

Teriyaki beans

To prepare you will need:

• tbsp rice vinegar;
• soy sauce 100 ml;
• brown sugar 80 g;
• sesame oil tsp;
• bulb;
• a glass of beans;
• red bell pepper;
• vegetable oil;
• ginger powder tsp;
• corn starch 2 tbsp;
• sesame tbsp

Preparation:

1. Soak the beans for four hours, then put on low heat and cook for an hour.
2. While the beans are cooking, prepare the dressing: mix 100 ml of water with vinegar and sauce, add ginger, sesame seeds, sugar, and heat. Bring to a boil and leave for three minutes.
3. Add starch and cook until thick.
4. Cut the pepper into strips, onion into half rings, fry for 5 minutes, add beans and 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce, sauté a little.
5. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit for another ten minutes.