The number one complaint I hear about when people are trying to transition to a healthier diet is that thier friends, partner or family are not supportive of their new choice of lifestyle. Although family and friends may not agree with or follow you on your quest for a healthier life, it is important that they at least understand and respect your decision. Many people get right back on the meat gravy train because of the pressure they feel from the people around them.
Social Solutions
1. Join a vegetarian club and go to potlucks.
2. Have a good amount of reading material and educational videos lying around not only for you, but for those you share your living space with. This might help them understand your choice and who knows, they may come around as well eventually.
3. Take charge of the kitchen on occasion and make something you think they would like as well as yourself. Also consider taking them out to lunch or dinner at a good vegetarian restaurant.
What do I eat?
The best thing to do is to just browse your local health food store and simply see what looks good to you and try it! For most people who are switching to a more plant-based diet, the following list of foods are the most appealing and easiest for transitioning to:
Veggie burgers and veggie hotdogs
Vegetable soups
Pastas
Potatoes
Vegetables
Rice
Salads
Fruit
Grains
Beans
Nuts
FAST FOOD & EATING OUT
Most good restaurants these days offer cholesterol-free options. Ask the waitress/waiter if there are any animal-products in the item you are interested in before you order it. Although limited, in a pinch you can get acceptable cholesterol-free items at most fast food establishments. Below are some examples.
Salads (without cheese)
Plain baked potato (Wendy's/Carls Jr.)
Pasta (Wendy's)
Bean buritto or taco (without cheese and ask if the beans are lard-free)
Don't be shy about taking your organic raw fruit and veggies with you in a backpack if the restaurant you are going to does not provide healthy choices. Your eating partner may freak-out, but if you are not blatant about it, no one will even notice. I have found that most restaurants don't really even care if you do this as long as you are purchasing some food. I always bring my own avocado with me when I eat out because the restaurants always charge at least double of what an avocado sells for on the open market. For a person who eats a primarly organic/rawfood diet, the only choice many times is to bring their own food with them where ever they go, even into restaurants!
Shopping
Seek out your closest health food store for items that you may not find in a supermarket such as, rice and soy milks, garden hotdogs and burgers, organic produce, etc.
Become a label reader! Look out for hidden animal-products like casein. And try to stay away from hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oils act like animal-fats in the body and can contribute to the clogging of arteries.
Stock your kitchen with plenty of rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, and most importantly... fresh organic fruits and vegetables!
READ, READ, READ!
Read as much as you can on the subject. I recommend the following books for someone just starting out. They are usually available at most libraries:
The McDougall Program, John Mcdougall, M.D.
Diet for a New America, John Robbins
Vegan Nutrition Pure and Simple, Michael Klaper, M.D.
