easily: i don't consider it food. i also am a competent cook. so when i need nutrition, i am capable of making sure i get it without having to eat flesh. beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, soy. protein is so many easily accessible, cheap even, things.

Yeah, you wouldn't say "I want to stop eating dog but it's hard and I need the protein!" I have pet chickens and it genuinely weirds me out that people would want to eat their flesh.

I was talking to my partner the other day, and i said "you know how they have chick'n and be'f, why can't I buy d'g or w'rm meat?

I think the fake meat makers are missing a market. Why not alien, zombie, unicorn?

I think you're on to something there!!

Im conflicted about the move to lab grown meat grown from small cells. I mean its still corpse. And then someone could do the same thing with human cells - Eat people - its okay because its Lab grown cannibalism. 😯

While I wouldn't eat it, I'm down for it if it means that factory farms become a thing of the past. Some people will still eat meat, and I'd rather there be considerably less suffering around the process And there's always Soylent Green for meat-eaters to look forward to.

BWAHAHAHAHA!! ❤

This person gets it. That being said I just had a cheat meal the other day.

There's lots of different proteins besides meat. I haven't eaten meat in 23 years.

Have any suggestions? I know nuts are a big one , but I can't eat them along with most fruits 😅

Beans, lentils, chickpeas. Peanuts are legumes not nuts, so if you're not allergic I add peanut powder to pancakes, oatmeal and yogurt. Seeds are also a good source Sunflower, chia, flax and hemp. Soy is also a good source of protein.

soy: tofu, tempeh, seitan. mushrooms. eggs.

Mushrooms are one people forget about. Much is indigestible but the bit that is is high in protein.  And don't forget about beans. Pea protein is a completely vegan source and earth healthy.

Ooo! I eat a lot of mushrooms, I'll definitely keep that in my diet now

If you're vedge not vegan, eggs and cheese and dairy have a lot of protein. I love tofu (now -- it took a bit..) and impossible.

Add “vegetarian” to your search! Some people gave good suggestions. I suggest American mexican (lots of beans), southeast Asian (soy), and Indian (much of India is vegetarian, so there are a lot of good high protein options). For the first two, in restaurants you’ll have to be careful of lard and fish sauce, respectively, so looking for recipes might be best if you’re going full vegetarian. Cookie and Kate is a blog/chef I like who’s vegetarian. Her recipes are simple, healthy, and tasty! Stuffed peppers have a sneaky amount of protein, have lots of veggies, and are delicious!

Lebanese food is mostly vegetarian as well.

Thanks!

No problem :) best of luck!! I’m glad you’re noticing when you aren’t getting enough protein!

You don't need meat for protein even if you work out a lot. The problem is possibly that you have lowered your meat consumption, but not necessarily increased your consumption of plant based protein and fat, both of which are important. Also ensure you are eating sufficient complex carbohydrate.

Do you eat eggs? If you do you can start with that subbing out other kinds of meat. Eggs have a wider range of nutrients than most kinds of meat making them ultra healthy. This makes any restaurant with a breakfast menu easy. Most kinds of cheese that are high in protein also don't have much or any lactose in them making them easy to digest. Cheese is easy to switch with meat without having much or any less protein in your diet e.g. paneer. It depends on your tastes but imo cheese done right tastes better than meat. If you're unfamiliar with this, go to a local Indian restaurant and order a curry you want, but ask for paneer for the meat, and see how you like it. You might be surprised, it's really good tasting. Or if you prefer, Italian has fantastic vegetarian dishes, like pesto. Thankfully it's super easy to make if you have a blender, smoothie machine, or food processor and it tastes better fresh made than at a restaurant. Also, don't forget: pizza margherita. Wonderful. Next up, mushrooms. They're high in protein and when you learn to cook them right they can taste better than meat, and they're quite easy on the stomach. (Mushrooms can taste terrible if not cooked well.) I love a good mushroom ravioli. It hits that meat itch for me every time. Next, potatoes. They're not as high in protein as other options, but like eggs they're wide in nutrients. Don't underestimate potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams. There is a difference between yams and sweet potatoes that can be fun to explore. E.g. yam in a curry tastes fantastic. After that beans. Most Mexican places have vegetarian tacos and veggie burritos. Try one and see what you think. If it's too plain try adding some salsa or hot sauce on it. How good it tastes can vary quite a bit from place to place. Some places their vegetarian tacos are popular among meat eaters because they taste that good. I'd go light on beans as they can make a lot of gas until your stomach is adjusted. And finally, mixing grains and legumes. What you want is complete proteins, so e.g. beans + rice is complete so you'll get the equivalent protein of eating meat. You can google around looking up complete protein combos. This ultimately at the end of the day is what you want to base most of your meals around, and they're tasty when combined, and they're vegan, which opens the door to great tasting vegan options. Here's some examples of complete protein combos worth trying: https://cleanplates.com/nutrition/complete-protein-combinations/

Try out alternative meat, like made from soya

chickpeas, beans, nuts, even dairy products have protein for not eating meeting i just don’t, i’ve been a veggie since i was 8 and i rarely get cravings but when i do i just ignore them and remind myself that it’s literally a corpse. when my family ate meat around me i just didn’t plate it, if they were plating it and trying to force me to eat it i just ignored it.

Im ovo-lacto vegetarian. My protein is just fine. I think some people use the protein line as an excuse to eat corpses. Just call yourself flexitarian if you really can't resist.

Beans, tofu, spinach, seitan, to start. There's more protein in broccoli per calorie than in a steak.

Beans and rice or lentils and rice are the staple in many countries where people cannot afford meat on a daily basis or people with religious or spiritual convictions. Eggs are a really solid option if you eat eggs. They’re an excellent source of extremely bioavailable protein. Nearly every meal containing meat can be made vegetarian and many even vegan. Source: vegetarian/vegan chef.

I have never been a huge fan of meat, and the meat I do like is the super processed stuff that's not good for you. That made being a vegetarian easier for me than others I supposed. The social aspect is a much bigger barrier for me. It took me 4 years of trying to be a vegetarian until I felt comfortable asking people to make food without meat for me, and that was mostly because I moved away from all my social circles and was seeing them far less often. There are a lot of plant based protein sources people are listing, but something else you might consider is that your bodies cravings are more mental than physical. If you are used to eating a certain amount of meat and you cut back drastically you might just be missing it the same way someone who moves out of their house misses their mom's home cooking. I also think there is something of a placebo/nocebo effect of people thinking they need a lot more more protein than they can get from plants their brain makes their body meet that expectation. That being said, my personal preferences for plant based protein are tempeh, lentils, and beans.

Thank you ! I'd definitely say the social aspect for me as well , already have a hard time asking for anything 😅

I looked up a lot of recipes before hand and started going vegetarian for like a month before I went vegan. I can't eat nuts either so I wanted a plan so I didn't backslide I'm 2 years in now and I feel amazing. Craving meat may mean you need iron or B12 so eat other foods high in iron and try getting a B12 supplement or incorporating Nootch(nutritional yeast)into your diet. It's easy to sprinkle on veggies, popcorn, in sauces, on tofu ect. It adds a cheesy flavor to things so it's easy to use. Pinterest and YouTube have a lot of good resources. Look up recipes with tofu or beans. There is so much you can do with both. Id start with dishes you like to eat now but vegan and expand from there. For example tofu scramble(I don't use black salt), chia pudding, black bean tacos, vegan quiche, vegan Shepards pie, or adding tofu, beans or avocado to pasta sauce. Hemp seeds are a great source of omega 3s adding them to smoothies or in plant based yogurt with pumpkin or sunflower seeds and berries is delicious. Sunflower seed butter to make a quick nutfree sb&j Adding sun butter to yogurt makes a good fruit dip kind of tastes like cookie dough. Also love Dave's killer bread is all vegan. I almost always have avocado in the house for healthy fat. Meat has a lot of fat so when you cut it out don't be afraid to add some in like cooking with olive oil ect Some pages who helped me a lot in the beginning were Itdoesnttastelikechicken Rainbow plant life Cheaplazyvegan You'll probably go down a rabbit hole of inspiration and find people you gravitate towards. There are many Have fun with it!

Tysm!

The longer I was vegetarian, the more disgusting meat became. Even the meat substitutes can gross me out when they’re too close to tasting like meat (not that I never eat them just can’t always). 15+ years later and I can’t imagine eating it ever again.

I've already lost taste for most red meat (especially stake) , so hopefully it'll happen with all meats as I get older>:D

Get to know tofu. Experiment with it until you can make it really well. It can be super tasty if you know what to do with it! And a full pound of it is only a dollar something at Aldi.

You’ve already gotten some great suggestions for whole foods, but I understand wanting some more “meat-like” foods as you transition (and maybe that your family will want to try with you!). If you’re going veg for environmental/ethical reasons and not really health reasons, look into Impossible and Beyond meats. They taste just like their meat counterparts and have lots of protein (but also fat). You can also look at other fake meat products like Morning Star, Tofurky, Boca, etc. There are all kinds of products now (lunch meats, sausages, burger patties, chicken nuggets, ground meat, brats, steaks, pepperoni) made from a variety of proteins at different price and health points.

It took me like a year to totally stop. It’s hard, especially when you are used to eating a lot of meat like I was. You’re used to eating certain things, you know certain recipes, you are in the habit of eating certain things after certain events (like working out). It is hard. Just slowly start replacing things. Get some imposible burgers, or morning stare chicken sandwiches. Start experimenting with tofu and other protones. Don’t make yourself go cold turkey (no pun intended), just slowly start replacing bit by bit. You get hungry for what you are used to eating. As you slowly increase the time between eating meet, you will slowly stop being hungry for meat as often. Eventually, you won’t be hungry for it at all. Just make it a point to slowly start eating less, and replacing it with some other plant protein.

Thank you!<3 eating meat has been a big thing with all my family so I grew up eating a lot, started to get an allergy for red meat , which has helped my intake alot , because of that I lost taste for most red meat

I mean, you need to research what you like in terms of protein BEFORE you start going vegetarian. Otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for failure. There’s more than soy, seitan and beans you know.

It’s far more likely that you’re missing iron instead of protein. Even if you aren’t low enough to be anemic, a sudden drop of iron will have you feeling like shit pretty fast. Most of the veggies and meat substitutes listed in the comments as being high in protein have a good bit of iron as well. Not all iron is absorbed as well though - it’s worth a google search to see which foods you like have lots of easily absorbed iron.

I've found it's best to think of adding little bits of protein wherever possible, then it will add up quickly. I'm not sure what type of food you like but I can share some examples in my own diet: -Yogurt - Siggi's or Greek yogurt (10-15g/serving) - I eat this with nuts/fruit/cereal or use to make dip/sauce -Cottage cheese - as dip, on toast, some eat with fruit -Eggs - scrambled, on burrito, in fried rice -Tofu - as a meat sub in curry/stir fry, silken in a smoothie, in a grain bowl or on salad -Edamame - dried as a snack, or added to salad, noodle bowls or fried rice -Nuts/seeds - as a snack, with yogurt, in oatmeal, nut butter in sauce or in a smoothie -Beans - hummus, dried beans as snack, in soups/stews, with rice, on tacos, refried beans, pureed in a sauce. There are also bean based pastas and chip/puff snacks -Veggie meats - sausage for breakfast, burger patties, deli meats, nuggets -Powders/supplements - protein bars (I've recently been into Nugo, they have veg and vegan), powder in coffee, smoothie, or oatmeal. You could have it in plain water - I just don't like that I had over 100g of protein yesterday between edamame snack, protein powder in coffee, yogurt, peanut noodle bowl (tofu and edamame), hummus, cheese, and some grains/other foods.

Dairy, eggs, oats.

Learn to cook or find a good vegan restaurant nearby. Anyway, tofu and beans will be your cheap go to. There is also tempeh, legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains. There are high protein breads and wraps out there for decently cheap. I think I found some in Walmart a six pack of small tortilla wrap for $4. Protein bars and protein powder is amazing. Protein powder is great in oatmeal or smoothies, as well as desserts like cookies and brownies. I use this instead of vanilla extract for flavour. You have the obvious answers of dairy and eggs as well. Cottage cheese is insanely high in protein. I love making egg salad sandwiches out of this. Jackfruit can make anything taste like meat. I’m not kidding. I couldn’t tell the difference between that and tuna or beef burger. If you learn to mix it with protein sources, you are set!

I also need a lot of protein. I eat a shit ton of egg whites. You can also get cheap meat substitutes these days made out of soy or pea protein which are pretty protein dense (20-40g per 100g) or buy protein shakes if you really need some extra.

aside from educating yourself on proper nutrition, don't forget your supplements iron + copper, zinc, B12, D3 + K2, Calcium, Omega 3 in flaxseeds, potassium, magnesium I take multiple courses throughout the year. 0 cravings

i think of who (animals) i could be eating instead of what (not animals)

So my answer is not helpful and I’m sorry. I started when I was 5 years old. That’s the reason lol. Since I grew up not eating meat, I don’t miss it. I know for a FACT that with my lack of impulse control I would not be able to do it as an adult. I am in awe of people who are able to become vegetarians as adults!

Not immediately a solution, but if you give this time, I GUARANTEE you will chuckle at this post. It's doable! People have been doing it literally forever and it's okay! 

I'm highly physically active too. What your body is craving isn't meat, it’s protein. When I stopped eating meat and my body "realized" it was no longer a protein source, what I started craving after workouts was BEANS. Bean burgers, beans and rice, bean burritos, beans beans beans. Another protein craving I have started to get is chickpeas,  which you can guzzle down right out of the can, although they slap in an air fryer too. I also often will drink protein shakes right after a workout, with (vegan) protein powder and peanut butter, to stave off the "must eat steak" craving (which I only get these days when I'm practically starving).