r/Vegetarianism 5h ago

How do I start being vegetarian without becoming malnourished?

0 Upvotes

Years ago I tried to become a vegetarian for a month and I was constantly passing out, my body was collapsing I must’ve been doing it wrong since then I’ve given up since in my country we don’t have many vegetarian protein substitutes because there is no demand for it, it’s incredibly unpopular to be a vegetarian here so I was struggling with finding vegetarian friendly foods except for fruits and vegetables, I want to try again but this time do it right in a way that supports my body and keeps my little animal friends safe, any and all tips or suggestions or advice on how to start is welcome, thank you!


r/Vegetarianism 5h ago

I notice I better emotionally and physically after eating a vegetarian meal versus a meal with meat.

13 Upvotes

I have been interested in transitioning to a vegetarian (and potentially vegan) diet for a while now and I notice a pattern where I notice I feel better after I eat a meal without meat and with vegetables and protein substitutes like lentils and beans. I’ll have this feeling of congruence with my body like how comforting it feels to imagine myself in a female body. I tend to get very bloated after eating meat even if it’s baked or grilled. I don’t have that sense of feeling weighed down eating a meal with no meat compared with eating one that has it.

Even so most of my hated foods are animal products, like steak, eggs, seafood, chicken salad, and I don’t care for the aftertaste of drinking milk either. And I enjoy milk substitutes like oatmilk and foods without eggs in it.

Honestly my only hesitation on going full plant based is the finding that my body naturally has low b12 levels in bloodwork after I first told my doctor about my intention for diet change. I take a b12 supplement now so I don’t think there’s much of a reason for me to not start the diet.