A New Vegetarian's Guide to Meat Substitutes
There are a variety of meatless products that can be substituted for meat in vegetarian cooking. Boca makes a wide variety of frozen products that are suitable for vegetarians, and some are even suitable for vegans which means, in addition to being meatless, they also don't contain any dairy or eggs. Morningstar Farms also offers a variety of meatless products including vegetarian hotdogs, burgers, and "chicken" patties. Lightlife is a well-known company that offers a variety of meat substitutes including lunchmeat versions of ham and turkey.
If you don't want to rely on prepackaged convenience foods either because of their cost or because of the added preservatives they contain, there are a variety of options for making meatless meals at home that can satisfy your cravings for something substantial as you transition to a vegetarian lifestyle.
Textured Vegetable Protein, or TVP, will quickly become a staple of your diet. TVP can be eaten with beans and rice for a quick meal, and it can also be added to chili in place of meat. It is a great soy-based meat substitute that has many uses in the vegetarian kitchen. You can usually find TVP available at high-end grocery stores and natural food stores.
Seitan is another vegetarian option. Seitan literally is "wheat-meat" and is made from vital wheat gluten. With a surprisingly meaty texture, seitan can be used in chili, stews, and on hoagie rolls to make a mock cheesesteak. Seitan is available commercially by brands such as Whitewave, but it is surprisingly easy (and incredibly cheap) to make an enormous batch of seitan in your own kitchen.
The great thing about meat substitutes is that you can enjoy them and avoid high fat content all at the same time. Plus, you will not feel ill or overstuffed when you're finished eating. As you transition to a vegetarian lifestyle, you should anticipate and be prepared for the fact that you will go through a detox process. You will probably feel ill, somewhat feverish even, and you might overwhelmingly feel the need to eat meat depending on how much you previously consumed. These feelings are almost guaranteed to happen if you didn't previously eat organic meat as your body is adjusting to purging the antibiotics and hormones that the meat contained. Keep in mind these feelings will eventually subside. Going vegetarian gave me an appreciation for any individual battling a drug addiction as I can imagine their withdrawal symptoms are one hundred times the magnitude of what I experienced by eliminating meat from my diet.
In addition to the obvious health benefits of following a vegetarian diet, you will also enjoy and possibly be surprised by the wider variety of foods you will likely eat as a result of eliminating meat. Once meat is no longer vying for space on your dinner plate, you will discover a whole new world of taste and flavor combinations that you might never have imagined were possible.
Published by S.V.
Sharon has been a freelance writer and editor for the past three years. View profile
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22 Comments
Post a CommentI'm vegetarian, was semi vegetarian for years, but made the total switch a year ago. I need help I can't find anywhere! I still want to make my old recipes! Where on earth do I find a pancetta substitute which is what I made carbonara with?! And what about steak? No I would never touch any of that but I want to make stews or steak on the grill with my family, we are all vegetarian except my husband--I'm not going to divorce him, he does eat much of what I make, but I need to do even better! Help on Pancetta & steak! (?)
I love the Morningstar Farms products.
My husband and I had a lapse recently (thanks to kinesthetic testing my chiro did and IgA, IgE blood work). Since I was "supposed to be" avoiding wheat, corn, and several others, my diet quickly fell apart. We're back to vegan now. I didn't introduce dairy (with the exception of ice cream) to my daughter until she was 2. She doesn't like red meat or fish, but she does eat chicken. I honestly don't tell or what to eat (it's not in my personality), so if she wants ice cream for breakfast, that's what she eats. Fortunately, she does like vegetables, oatmeal, barley, etc.
Sharon - curious - is your husband and your daughter vegetarian (or vegan) too?
There are so many vegetarian, meat alternatives on the market, that new vegetarians should not have too many problems finding what they want in the supermarket.
Sophie
I'm concerned about the new revelations concerning melamine and other substances found in wheat gluten, corn gluten and rice. It seems it does not just affect the pet food products which has already caused the death of my young kitten. What meat substitutes use ONLY organic, USA grown ingredients. I think NAFTA needs to be abolished where food and supplement imports are concerned. Especially now with security issues in this country.
Halina, btw, I'd love to complete a 30-day fruit fast. I only lasted 12 hours last time I tried.
I'm inclined to say that if you previously ate organic meat then you wouldn't experience detox symptoms, but it might depend on how efficient your digestive process is, and I know mine definitely wasn't. I recently introduced meat again because I've had to reorganize my diet due to food sensitivities, after about one week, I tired of it. I just don't like meat that much and find that I eat a much wider variety of foods when I eat vegetarian.
Great article, but I couldn't possibly be swayed away from my Johnsonville brats! I've tried soy products, even unknowingly...they just don't do it for me. I did go on a complete fruit only fast, though, for 30 days, and never had any detox symptoms.
Yes, organic, grass fed, free range meat is definitely a healthier alternative, although the surest way to have a signigicant drop in cholesterol levels is to eat vegan, and I have the cholesterol results to prove it works. Essentially, if you eat meat, it should be the best possible kind you can find/buy. I do think that individuals who are "warned" to modify their diet because of high cholesterol would see the most dramatic results with a vegan diet.