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College Student Becoming A Vegetarian

Tips for successful, gradual transition to vegetarian diet

Question: Hello! I am a college student living with 2 vegetarian roommates. After being around them for the past month or so, I've had the ability to "sample" some of the vegetarian meals that they have and pick up a few pointers. Being on a vegetarian diet is new to me because I always assumed that vegetarian meals would be tasteless, bland and boring.

I'm researching vegetarian diet now, and I feel like it is something that I am interested in, since I already consume a lot of fruits and vegetables, and since I go to a large university, I can find vegetarian meals to eat easily.

I am really unsure of how to begin becoming a vegetarian. I plan to write out a "plan" and allow myself 3-6 weeks to get into the full swing of things. What are some pointers for a successful and gradual transition experience to a vegetarian diet? - K.J.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Dear K.J.,

It's great that you already live with two vegetarians - that'll be good support for you. Becoming a vegetarian is harder on your own, or living with meat eaters.

I think of the typical American meat & potatoes diet as tasteless, bland & boring! I think you'll find that vegetarian meals can be anything you want them to be - the possibilities are endless.

The Ten Tips and Veg Nutrition Reports will give you a good start on the transition to a vegetarian diet, and some resources for future reference. A couple of things I'd like to add:

First, I feel that your time frame of 3 - 6 weeks to make the transition to a vegetarian diet is unrealistic. Think 3 - 6 months, or even years.

Going vegetarian is a major physical, mental, emotional change, requiring more adjustments than you might think. It's also natural to go back and forth between vegetarian diet & non-veg for a while until you get the big picture in focus.

Second, you don't need a very elaborate schedule or plan, other than trying out new foods. Relax! Be flexible. Have fun with it. That's the best way to have a successful vegetarian transition.

Thanks for writing, and good luck with your new vegetarian diet - let me know if you have more questions later on.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian