What to eat??

madbev90210

Hi everyone, I would be very grateful for any advice on how to do this vegetarian thing properly. Il try to be brief in explaining my situation.
Was a pollotarian? (ie just ate free range chicken) up until Dec last year. My diet mainly had chicken everyday.

Now I cant face eating chicken anymore and my attempts at quorn and fish have been unsuccesful. I feel physically sick at the thought of these and kidney beans and chickpeas.. I wouldnt know where to even buy some of the foods iv seen mentioned such as quinoa, molasses, tempeh etc, let alone what to do with them!

Consequently I am living on bread, crackers (surreal amounts of cheese), peanut butter, choc and choc spread, chips, the odd egg or omelette, veg soup or takeaway veg curry and some fruit. The only 2 veggie recipes I liked that I made were butternut squash risotto and a spinach lasagne but am so tired some days cant even muster energy to cook. Looked at many recipes in boooks etc but many of them make my stomach turn.. Im desperate. Where do I start??

sweet-rasmus

There are heaps of ideas in past threads such as this one, where the OP had decided to turn veggie and wanted ideas of what to cook. recipes and links are listed in this sticky. and get ideas from dinners cooked up and described here. We get similar questions to yours often enough, so if you just go back through some of the threads, such as the ones above, hopefully you will get some inspiration. Maybe wander into you local book store and check out the vegetarian cookbooks to get a good grounding for yourself.

There are plenty of veggies, like yourself, who are repulsed by a variety of foods. This can be a problem as it limits what you can eat, but perhaps in time you will enjoy trying and eating these new foods.

madbev90210

Thanks sweet rasmus, I had looked through a few past threads, i'll have a better look now. I have some cookbooks already but Im bogged down by the amount of ingredients sometimes needed for recipes and where to even get some of these things.. Ah well, i'll have to try harder eh!! Thanks again!

sweet-rasmus

"If at first you don't succeed, try try again "

sweetoblivion

Don't put too much pressure on yourself to try new things at first - try and keep things simple. If you think of it in terms of eating vegetables, a grain and beans/pulses in one meal, that can help. But I would say stock up on your favourite spices and herbs, they're a life saver!

So for example - try a can of chickpeas (or half a can for one person), cook them in a saucepan with tinned tomatoes and italian or Indian herbs, and serve with a salad and brown rice, or a wholemeal pitta. Or buy a falafel mix (one with natural ingredients), and have that with rice and a salad.

Pasta, roasted veggies and pesto is another one, quite easy to do.

It's funny how your idea of a 'meal' changes - I'd happily throw loads of veggies and some sweet potatoes into a roasting tin with olive oil and spices, and have that for dinner! Think simple, and go on from there. You don't have to be a cordon bleu chef don't worry

ps. Your tastes will really change - I say that as a former veg-hater, hummus-hater, etc....who's about to eat some raw peppers with hummus! The more you eat something, the more you will learn to like it, usually.

I think you might get more help, if you opened a thread specific to food phobia.
Either in the main nutrition forum, or in phobias.
It is well worth the effort though, It is terrible to be an adult and limited in your choice of foods. I used to have problems eating in restaurant that cooked meat. It had a terrible effect on my social life and travel plans. Ultimately it is all in your head....It is not as if something is disgusting your gonna die from eating it.

Maybe some people here can recommend specific brands of meat replacement products that are good. I really like Veggie Delli Sage and Margoram Sausages.
Eggs are very nutritious though, you should try eating more of them.
Maybe a whey supplement might be an easy to take way to get protein.
If you aren't taking supplements, fortified breakfast cereals are a way to get Iron and B vits.
I know the only meat I ever liked was tuna. Have you tried that?

It sounds like your eating bits and no real meals.
Getting a routine, avoiding sugar and switching to wholegrain carbs. Would help your energy levels.

John Mason

madbev90210 wrote: »

Hi everyone, I would be very grateful for any advice on how to do this vegetarian thing properly. Il try to be brief in explaining my situation.
Was a pollotarian? (ie just ate free range chicken) up until Dec last year. My diet mainly had chicken everyday.

Now I cant face eating chicken anymore and my attempts at quorn and fish have been unsuccesful. I feel physically sick at the thought of these and kidney beans and chickpeas.. I wouldnt know where to even buy some of the foods iv seen mentioned such as quinoa, molasses, tempeh etc, let alone what to do with them!

Consequently I am living on bread, crackers (surreal amounts of cheese), peanut butter, choc and choc spread, chips, the odd egg or omelette, veg soup or takeaway veg curry and some fruit. The only 2 veggie recipes I liked that I made were butternut squash risotto and a spinach lasagne but am so tired some days cant even muster energy to cook. Looked at many recipes in boooks etc but many of them make my stomach turn.. Im desperate. Where do I start??

oh okay, first off take a big deep breath:)

you are looking at a major life style change and its fecking scary

you are not the only one out there - so its okay - relax:cool:

people assume because i dont eat meat i will eat everything else but i hate courgettes and aubergines - which apparently alll veggies love !!


just think about the foods you love rather then hate - you got that ?:cool::cool:

now think about your favourite food and what you can do to subsitute the foods you dont like for the foods you hate.

its really easy but just remember spices, spices and more spices.

now spices - this doesnt mean chilli. i cant eat chilli and ginger, so i put paprika into my food instead.:o its the little things that make difference:)

you are going to be fecked if you go out to dinner in ireland - usually one rubbish dish with a load of ingredients you hate. the only way this is going to change is if you speak up. if i go to resturant that has a really nice recipe, i send a letter saying that i love but it would be really nice if it is changed on a weekly basis, as i seen no reason to back again, if i have tasted the only veggie recipe on the menu. likewise if it is ****,e, they will also get a letter why is it crap - probably off topic but anyway we need to stand up and shout really loud that we are here .:rolleyes::rolleyes:

anyhoo - if want some ideas please feel free to pm me, i dont post here were often because i am not an fanatic and have never cooked tofu :pac::pac:

Tusky

You should try get over your dislike for the aforementioned foods by trying them in various recipes.

Why dont you try burritos or enchiladas ? What you put in them is pretty much up to you.

Example:

Fry an onion slowly with plenty of oil
Add a couple of cloves of garlic
Add some chili powder/seasoning
Add either some finely chopped peppers or chilis
Add 1 tin of drained kidney or pinto beans and leave for a few minutes, stirring
Mash the kidney beans in the pan until they are almost all smooth, but leaving a few intact
Spoon contents of pan into tortillas and add some chopped tomato, lettuce, grated cheese and maybe some guacamole or sour cream (could use greek yogurt if you want to be healthier)

Should be enough for 3 tortillas and you can serve it with a salad. Quick, easy, tasty and you shouldnt be able to taste the kidney beans as you can season it how you like.

In keeping with the mexican theme, what about chili ?

Fry an onion and a few cloves of garlic on the pan
Add a sachet of chili powder + other seasoning and leave on the pan dry for a few minutes
Add kidney beans
Optional: Add quorn mince
Add a tin of chopped tomatoes
I like to chop up some cherry tomatoes or some chilis and add also
Serve with rice, or you could put it in a tortilla and eat it that way.

frecklz

The easiest veggie dish to make and the one I practically lived on at the start (15 years ago!), is a stir-fry. Just throw your fav veggies in a pan, stir in some sauce and serve with rice or noodles. Easy! And quick.

Beware of shop-bought sauces though - you really need to read the ingredients as there might be hidden fish bits. :cool: Although you mentioned fish in your post, so you might be a pescitarian...

smellslikeshoes

Tusky wrote: »

You should try get over your dislike for the aforementioned foods by trying them in various recipes.

Why dont you try burritos or enchiladas ? What you put in them is pretty much up to you.

Example:

Fry an onion slowly with plenty of oil
Add a couple of cloves of garlic
Add some chili powder/seasoning
Add either some finely chopped peppers or chilis
Add 1 tin of drained kidney or pinto beans and leave for a few minutes, stirring
Mash the kidney beans in the pan until they are almost all smooth, but leaving a few intact
Spoon contents of pan into tortillas and add some chopped tomato, lettuce, grated cheese and maybe some guacamole or sour cream (could use greek yogurt if you want to be healthier)

Should be enough for 3 tortillas and you can serve it with a salad. Quick, easy, tasty and you shouldnt be able to taste the kidney beans as you can season it how you like.

Read that last night and had it on my mind all day today so made some this evening. It really is amazing how the flavour of the kidney beans is covered up nicely and you wouldn't know they are there.
Ended up making way too much so went the enchilada route, had them with a plate of chips. Was easy for someone like me who's cooking skills are not the best