Making the Transition to a Vegetarian Diet

People decide to eat a vegetarian diet for a variety of reasons. But how they make the change requires they take one of two routes -- the overnight approach or the gradual one.

"Most people fare best by taking the gradual approach to adopting a vegetarian diet -- changing their diets at their own pace as they master new skills and educate themselves about this new eating style," says Suzanne Havala Hobbs, R.D., nutrition expert, clinical assistant professor at the University of North Carolina and author of several nutrition books, including Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies . "But sometimes people are motivated to make the change as soon as possible and don't want to drag things out."

The following suggestions can help you make the transition to a meat-free diet using either method.

The overnight approach

Changing from eating steak to veggie stir-fries overnight isn't easy, but people who like to take immediate action when making lifestyle changes prefer this route.

"The pros of making the change overnight are that you'll enjoy the benefits of your decision sooner rather than later, plus you're less likely to get stuck in a rut," says Ms. Hobbs. "The cons are that you haven't had time to learn how to eat a healthful vegetarian diet or how to deal with practical issues, such as eating out at a restaurant or at a friend's house when there's not a vegetarian dish in sight."

If you decide to give up meat in a hurry, Ms. Hobbs suggests "doing the best you can while you look for some resources -- cookbooks, magazines and Web sites -- from which you can learn how to shop and cook vegetarian foods."

The gradual approach

People who take the gradual approach to a meat-free diet are more likely to stick with their new eating habits. "By slowly making changes to their diets, they have more time to adapt to each change and to build a strong foundation of information and support," says Ms. Hobbs.

The following plan can help you make the change gradually:

• Start by educating yourself. Gather information from vegetarian magazines, Web sites (http://www.vrg.org is a good one) and vegetarian cookbooks. Doing so will make it easier to shop for food, prepare meals and deal with social situations, such as business meals.

• Reduce your meat consumption slowly for a month or two. Eat a few meatless meals each week."When you do eat meat, make it a minor part of the meal rather than the focal point of the dish," says Ms. Hobbs. "Use meat as more of a side dish."

• Reduce your meat consumption even more. Add a few more meatless meals to your weekly diet. Set a date a few months down the road when you'll start eating only vegetarian meals.

• Continue to seek new information and new recipes. "From about six months on, it's all about continuing to expand your knowledge and experience," says Ms. Hobbs.

Easy modifications

To make the transition easier, "don't feel like you have to come up with totally new recipes," says Ms. Hobbs. "Instead, modify your favorite meals to make them vegetarian."

For example:

• Bean soup -- leave out the ham or bacon.

• Beef burritos, enchiladas and tacos -- instead of beef, substitute beans and lots of shredded or sauteed vegetables.

• Stir-fry -- use a variety of vegetables in place of meat.

• Chili -- make it with beans instead of meat.

• Hamburgers -- dress up grilled or pan-fried veggie burgers with all the trimmings.

• Lasagna -- substitute spinach or other sauteed vegetables for the ground meat.

• Pasta sauce -- substitute sauteed mushrooms, red and green peppers, and onions for meat.

• Stuffed cabbage -- substitute rice, garbanzo beans and seasonings for ground pork.