Switching to a vegetarian diet is not for everyone. If you are, however, one of those people that can live off of vegetables and getting your proteins from vegetable-based foods, then switching to being a vegetarian may be a great choice for you. Vegetarian food is more clean, light, and has several health benefits. You need not switch to a vegetarian diet permanently, but if you are feeling that you need to take some time away from meat to cleanse, then going veggie could be what you need to feel better faster. Here are a few ways you can go veggie and still feel like yourself.
Plant-Based “Meat”
There are now several plant-based types of meat on the market. These alternatives have been flavored to taste just like the real thing, and many people who have chosen to switch to these products say that they cannot taste the difference. Switching to meat-less meat is good for you in that you are not getting animal products of fat or certain greases or oils into your diet. The meal will also rest lighter in your stomach and your digestion time will be faster than when your body has to use all of its enzymes to break down the animal meat in your body. It is recommended that you take yourself off of meat gradually so that you don’t fully shock your body. Start with pork and beef and then eventually get yourself off of chicken.
Eat Vegetarian Pasta
Not only can you get pasta made from vegetables like zucchini pasta, but you can also take regular pasta and make veggie pasta dishes. This alternative to meat pasta or pasta with meat sauces makes for a lighter dish that won’t weigh you down or make you feel tired. The veggie pasta is much lighter and the nutritional value is higher because you can mix soybeans for protein and taste along with carrots, peas, corn, asparagus, and a variety of other vegetables into the dish. With a light oil-based sauce mixed in with the food, you won’t have to worry about anything too high in acid that can affect the balance of your stomach. This dish will leave you feeling very light and full.
Popeye Was Right
If you have ever watched the Popeye cartoon series you know that spinach is what gave him all of his power. He was right. Spinach is a great source of iron, so if you are going off of red meat, which is full of iron, spinach is a replacement that will keep your iron levels up and keep you energized. Iron helps build muscle and helps with growth and development. Iron helps the red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body. If you are going vegetarian then you won’t have to worry about losing that very important mineral in your body. Spinach can be used as the base of a salad or it can be a great side dish at meals. If you are going off meat, then go to the store and get yourself a bag of spinach fast.
Now that you have seen some dietary changes you can make, what are the actual benefits of changing your diet?
Reduce Diabetes
When you eat a plant-based diet, you will have several health benefits and one of them is the reduced risk of diabetes. Because your diet will be virtually free from refined sugars, you won’t have to worry about the risk of developing blood sugar that is too high. You will find yourself getting sugars from other places like in fruit, but that can be easily managed.
Lower Blood Pressure
You will find a lower risk of having high blood pressure from having a vegetarian diet. Most fruits and vegetables are low in sodium, fat, and cholesterol so the risk of your blood pressure going up is highly reduced.
There are other benefits of vegetarian diets like lowering the risk of asthma by reducing the intake of foods that cause inflammation, good bone health by eliminating the loss of calcium from animal products, and good heart health by eliminating ingredients that can cause blockages in arteries. Overall, you will be making a good choice by going vegetarian. You don’t have to go vegetarian forever, but if you are prone to or have a family history of some of these ailments, going vegetarian for a short period of time can help you reduce these risks and help you get on track to a healthier lifestyle.
This is a collaborative post.
Melinda
Looking for the Light 
Reduced my meat consumption by quite a lot, and been balancing my meat and vegetable diet. Really happy with this decision and shifting to vegetables more
Great choice.
Tons of health benefits eating vegetarian. My wife and I have been eating this way for years!
It’s can also be good for the environment!
I am not a fan of fake meat and even though a vegetable diet might be okay at times-
Only vegetables is a pour source of fuel (read about Ann Louise share her hungriest year was as a vegetarian)
In addition humans need certain nutrients from animals (in my opinion and from what i have seen with Numerous peope in my life – glandulars to help heal auto immune disorders and organ meats for brain health and dense fortification- – i couid go on but will not because I am not trying to be snarky here 💜
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The only thing I really need to add is a tip I learned from Dave asprey of Bulket Proof
He noted that when you stop eating meats your body generates less enzymes and HCL and so to start back up on meats couid need some supplemental help.
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Check out a book called “dirt cure” to hear a powerful study from a physician who went back to eating meat for the dense nutrients / longer fuel source / and brain health it offers
Great points. I’m not a big fan of fake meat either. I’ve had few good veggie burgers but that’s as far as I go. I do eat tons of veggies but have to have meat several times a week. No 100% vegan for me. Thanks for the tip.
🙂
Reducing meat or cutting it out, along with other animal sources, can be beneficial for many people it seems, as well as seemingly being good for the environment. But I do worry with some restrictive diets that there can be a lack of some essential nutrients. I know it’s already been found that it’s more likely for vegetarians & vegans to be lacking certain things that are often found in meats or dairy, so it’s good to be mindful of what you’re getting and what you might be missing out on in case you need to supplement anything.
Caz xx
Yes, I agree. I eat lots of veggies but am not a vegan by any stretch. I can’t go without meat at least a couple of times a week. Speaking of nutrients, that’s another good question for your post. Do you have to take anything special in your diet?
I’ve cut down on meat dramatically… but I was forced to because my stoma doesn’t like it. I wouldn’t have given it up willingly or without a fight 😂 A very good question on the diet/nutrients side of things – thanks, Mel! xx
I thought it might be! Anything else change in your diet?
Aside from the meat issue, I’m just careful with other potentially problematic things. I eat fruit, but have to spit the skins out, like on apples and grapes. I refuse to peel either. I like the skins, so now I just eat them in the privacy of my room so I can spit it all back out 😂 Honestly, this stuff is ridiculous sometimes. i don’t absorb things well as they chopped off part of the small bowel on a few occasions, so I just use a lot of liquid supplements. And I eat a lot of chocolate because my insides like it (that’s my excuse anyway and it keeps the calories up well)!
We all need our chocolate! I eat several pieces a day. After lunch and dinner.
Eating vegetarian is a good thing to do. Thank you 😊
I do a decent job but not 100%. Have a great day.
Yes. Have a great day, too!