Tips for going veg

People often tell me that they have thought about going veg, but aren't sure how to do it. I had trouble at first, too. Like many, I ended up eating a bunch of pizza and pasta and (obviously) feeling really bad. I now know how to cook veg and I eat a wider variety of foods than I did before (no, really!) but looking back, I would have been better off following these tips:

1. Spend a few weeks trying out lots of vegetarian foods you may never have tried before: tofu, hummus, and edamame were a few of mine.
2. You don't have to go cold Tofurky (he he). Try starting with a few meatless meals per week, then go veg for a few days in a row.
3. Think about how to change up the meals that you already eat. For example, if you like grilled chicken on top of your salad, try hard boiled eggs or throw a handful of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) on intead. You'll be adding meatless protein.
4. Eliminate one type of meat at a time. For example, I rarely ate pork, so that would have been easy for me to eliminate.
5. Take note of the meatless meals you're already enjoying all the time anyway... you might be surprized!

Everyone is different so what works for some won't work for all, but these are some ideas to try. Above all-- have fun with it!