mollydotw: Vegetarian Q&A

It's been seven months since I decided to stop eating meat and see what being a Vegetarian is like - and for me it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I was never a big meat-eater before anyway and usually went for the Vegetarian option in restaurants anyway so in October - after mine and my boyfriends anniversary meal (which I ordered ribs and didn't enjoy at all) I thought - what the heck lets cut meat out all together and see what happens!

Since I've stopped eating meat I've been asked many questions about what I eat and what is on option at meal times, so I thought I'd answer a few quick questions!

1.) Do you just eat salad?

This is a question I get asked A LOT, and it's purely because people don't realise what is on option once meat has been cut out.

In the first few months of being Vegetarian I ate nothing but pasta and Quorn items, because I hadn't done enough research to find out what meals I could make without using meat or non-meat products (such as Quorn sausages etc).

Eating these two foods was nice, but not the healthiest and soon became boring.

To teach myself new ways of cooking I bought myself a Vegetarian cook book and also tried out food I had never tried before when going to restaurants.

For example I went to a steak house (ironic as that is) with my family and their non-meat options were very limited but foods I has never ever heard of so decided to go for the most exotic and ended up with ravioli filled with Pumpkin and blue cheese and it was amazing! And inspired me to try more dishes like this one.

P.S Halloumi is amazing and so quick and easy to cook - and can be presented in so many different ways - burgers, skewers, salads - if you're thinking of going Veggie give halloumi a try!

2.) Do you miss eating meat?

For me this is a fine and definite no.

I wasent a big meat-eater before going Veggie so therefore wasn't cutting out that much of it, but for others who may eat meat often and daily you are more than likely to miss meat and crave it in the first couple of months.

Even in my first month I would wake up and think about having a bacon sandwich for breakfast but then didn't and wasn't really bothered about not having it. It all depends on what you like and how determined you are to cut out meat completely.

3.) Does cutting out meat make you feel healthier?

Yes yes and definitely yes!

Since going Veggie I feel less bloated after meals and generally healthier in my self.

Some meals containing meat can have a lot of fat in especially those on the cheaper side which are bulked up with other products rather than being 100% meat such as mince meat.

When cooking Quorn meat - mainly Quorn bacon - I always notice how there is nothing left in the bottom of the pan when I've finished cooking - just the left over vegetable oil, whereas when cooking normal meat bacon you can see the fat left in the bottom of the pan which the bacon has been cooking in - and overtime of not eating meat you start to realise how much fat you have cut out of your diet.

But it's still all about controlling yourself what you eat - being Veggie isn't your easy ticket to being healthy because meat is not an unhealthy food it contains protein which is required in a healthy diet - it's up to you to find a supplement for protein and also stick to the healthier side of Vegetarian.

For example pasta although being a tasty non-meat meal can be mixed with lots of different items to make lots of different meals but eating pasta everyday would still give you a bloated feeling due to the carbs in the food.

The easiest thing to do is buy a Vegetarian cook book - trust me!