On the transition - It’s much easier than you might think. Especially if the focus is vegetarian not vegan.
There are so many cheaper protein alternatives: beans, dairy, nuts, eggs, etc. And good subs like veggie burgers, non dairy milks, etc.
Instead of a meal with a meat protein and veg, you can easily sub beans or something with eggs. You also tend to load up more on veggies (like on pizza)
In fact I find it’s kind of easier to NOT eat meat. Less worry about foodborne illness or parasites. Lower cost.
I did not try to go vegetarian, but out of interest I tried to expand my eating habits and I find it very hard to replace meat with an adequate source of protein.
* Beans and lentils give me digestive problems, so I can have them maybe twice a month at most.
* Dairy is fine, but it is not better than consuming meat at all in any respect, so what's the point? Chicken and pork are better than diary if you care about ecological impact.
* Nuts are very expensive, I have them anyway, but I could not see them as a reliable source of protein due to cost.
* Eggs are fine, but I can only have so much in a week before I get fed up.
* Veggie alternatives taste and smell terrible in my experience.
* I liked tofu, nothing to write home about in terms of taste, but I can see myself having it once a week.
* I also eat canned herring and wild caught salmon. Haven't checked on their ecological impact but it is a good source of protein for once a week.
But really, there is nothing that can match the nutritional density of a piece of chicken, pork or beef. It is packed with protein and easily digestible, you can buy it at any store, you can cook it very easily in a variety of ways, and you can rest assured you have a complete meal if you have it with a side of greens and some carbs.
With the beans / lentis thing - your body does seem to adjust to this eventually. You can also try putting a few pieces of Kombu (seaweed) or Savory in with these dishes, I think there's a few other herbs and foods that help with digestion. Also throw away the water if your soaking dried ones, it's got quite a lot of good flavour but for some people it makes the digestive issues worse.
There are different types of lentils, the most protein heavy is called "toor daal", the one you get in restaurant dishes because it tastes good but is difficult to digest; the most light on the gut is "moog daal" because, compared to toor daal, it has less protein, with just little less "tasty".
Comments
On the transition - It’s much easier than you might think. Especially if the focus is vegetarian not vegan.
There are so many cheaper protein alternatives: beans, dairy, nuts, eggs, etc. And good subs like veggie burgers, non dairy milks, etc.
Instead of a meal with a meat protein and veg, you can easily sub beans or something with eggs. You also tend to load up more on veggies (like on pizza)
In fact I find it’s kind of easier to NOT eat meat. Less worry about foodborne illness or parasites. Lower cost.
I did not try to go vegetarian, but out of interest I tried to expand my eating habits and I find it very hard to replace meat with an adequate source of protein.
But really, there is nothing that can match the nutritional density of a piece of chicken, pork or beef. It is packed with protein and easily digestible, you can buy it at any store, you can cook it very easily in a variety of ways, and you can rest assured you have a complete meal if you have it with a side of greens and some carbs.With the beans / lentis thing - your body does seem to adjust to this eventually. You can also try putting a few pieces of Kombu (seaweed) or Savory in with these dishes, I think there's a few other herbs and foods that help with digestion. Also throw away the water if your soaking dried ones, it's got quite a lot of good flavour but for some people it makes the digestive issues worse.
There are different types of lentils, the most protein heavy is called "toor daal", the one you get in restaurant dishes because it tastes good but is difficult to digest; the most light on the gut is "moog daal" because, compared to toor daal, it has less protein, with just little less "tasty".
Also try soya chunks for protein.