Last November I decided I was going to try going vegetarian for a month as an experiment to see how hard it would be, what things I would normally eat that I would miss, and to see how it affects the body. December was out since it was such a festive period and part of January since I didn’t want to miss out on certain food experiences whilst overseas, I’ve committed to trialling a month of being a vegetarian until February 6.
Here are the rules I’m playing by:
- All fruit, vegetables and legumes are fine.
- Certain meat products are okay such as all forms of diary products (cheese and milk).
- Eggs are okay.
- No meats including your standard chicken, lamb, beef and all types of seafood.
- Products listing animal rennet and gelatin must be avoided.
If you have any suggestions about making the move, some recipes or some other tips I should be aware of (maybe other things I should avoid), I would certainly like to hear about them.
Potato crisps often contain animal rennet so be careful there.
But the UK is great. All vege foods are marked with a big V for Vegetarian free.
I’ll definitely look out for the big V! Thanks for the tip.
Pat, make sure that you’re getting enough iron and protein in your diet. Think about including fish with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) mark or taking some multivitamin tablets.
There are also some really nice veggie restaurants around London. Mildreds is pretty good (and cheap) and the Gate in Hammersmith (http://www.thegate.tv) was splendid when I went there about 3 years ago, and the current reviews look good too.
I’ve heard good things about the Gate. I’m avoiding fish right now but I am thinking of taking tablets if I feel excessively tired.