10 Steps to Becoming a Vegetarian
by Nicole Wargo

In the grocery store and restaurants, you may have noticed recipes that are meatless. The vegetarian diet has become more popular than ever, and becoming a vegetarian may be easier than you think. Here are ten steps to help in the switch to a meatless diet:

1. Stop eating meat.
This sounds easy but you need to decide what kinds of meat, if any, you will eat. Some vegetarians decide to continue eating chicken and only cut out red meat, while others continue to eat seafood while cutting out all forms of land animal meat.

2. Do your homework.
To be sure of your decision, research the reasoning behind vegetarianism, its benefits and its faults. Be aware of what abstaining from meat will mean for your body and what nutrients you will lose.

3. Talk to your doctor.
Don’t try to understand the workings of your body and nutrition by yourself. The best person to help you learn about your body and what foods are best for you is your doctor.

4. Eat plenty of dairy products.
Meat contains a great amount of nutrients which, as a vegetarian, you will lose. Dairy provides a good amount of iron and vitamin B12, which are important nutrients, especially for a vegetarian diet.

5. Other good foods to eat.
To make sure you get the nutrients you need, eat a variety of nutritious foods. Nuts, soy, dark vegetables, tofu, whole grains, among many other kinds of food, can benefit your diet.

6. When shopping, be aware of what you put in your cart.
Many foods which do not appear to have meat may have forms of it. For instance, some vegetable soups use chicken broth as an ingredient. Always look at the ingredients of a product before you buy it.

7. Get vitamins.
Vitamins can be good for everyone, especially if you do not eat right all day long. Vitamins are a great way for vegetarians, as well as meat-eaters, to get the nutrients not acquired in their everyday diets.

8. Get new meatless recipes.
Finding the best foods for your body does not end in the grocery store, so have fun finding new recipes to try and experimenting with foods and spices.

9. Be aware of who you are eating with.
Just as you would want someone to accept your vegetarianism, there are others with different diets, including meat-eaters. Be aware of dishes you can make for yourself as well as for those with other nutritional needs or beliefs. For example, you can make pasta for yourself with tomato sauce, and meatballs can be cooked separately for those who wish to eat meat.

10. A vegan diet.
If you decide to further your vegetarianism, you may decide to become a vegan. Vegans do not eat any animal byproducts, such as dairy. Many of the above steps can also be used when thinking about becoming vegan.

ROCHESTER RESOURCE
The Rochester Area Vegetarian Society is an active group that offers lots of information to new and practiced vegetarians. Visit their website at www. ravs.enviroweb.org for more information.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nikkie Wargo is a senior journalism major at Syracuse University. She is interning with RHL for the summer. She’s also a vegetarian.