tips for success

being vegetarian is a really hard thing to do, especially if you've been eating meat your entire life. for me, i grew up being vegetarian, but health-reasons made me stop when i was 10. however, i still had a little trouble switching to a vegetarian diet.

1. the main thing you need to do is toss the bad foods out of your kitchen. i know it seems like the food is going to waste, but the food will go to waste either way. so why would you tempt yourself like that? even with the best willpower, you can still fall. also- when i say bad food, i am not just referring to meats. i mean anything that is not natural or wholesome. these foods are mostly just snack foods, but they're the most dangerous to your diet. potato chips, cake, cookies... they're high in calories and in fat, and they're not very filling. and given the choice between having a bag of chips (200 cal) or an apple (80 cal), most people choose the chips. so trust me, if you throw them away, your switch will be much more successful.
2. pick up a couple vegetarian cookbooks. just because you're vegetarian doesn't mean your only options are tofu or salads. there's a huge variety of choices that we have available, and a cookbook will help open your eyes to this. i have found many great cookbooks that focus solely on vegetarian food, and i will post reviews of them on my blog.
3. realize what your intents are. are you just going vegetarian to be vegetarian or are you doing it for health or personal belief reasons? if you have a strong devotion to your choice to become a vegetarian, the switch is much easier to make. 

with any major lifestyle change you make, the first month is always going to be the hardest. just push through and stay dedicated.

the skinny vegetarian [an introduction]

[who i am]

my name is kelsie. i am a 20 year old student at the university of florida.
about three months, i decided to become a vegetarian. after consulting my dietician, i conceded into being a "flexitarian". this means that while i stick mainly to a vegetarian diet, i will eat meat once or twice a week, since a lack of sufficient protein in my diet will hurt me severely. since i am not being a vegetarian for animal-cruelty reasons, but only health reasons, it was only logical that i heed my dietician's advice and eat meat a couple times a week.

[what this blog is]

like many people my age, i live on the internet. i love to spend hours looking at my favorite blogs that talk about my interests. however, i was disappointed to see how very few vegetarian blogs are out there. knowing that i am probably not the only one of there looking for a vegetarian blog, i was inspired to create my own.
so what is my vision for this blog?

i want to provide other vegetarians, or others who are thinking about pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle, a place where they can come to find great recipes and great foods.

many health food blogs aren't really blogging about health foods; they talk about ice cream that's "low calorie". while it is a wonderful product for those who love their ice cream, but want to shed a few pounds, i was wanting something that focused more on the organic and wholesome side of food.

i was also disappointed to find that there are relatively few websites that provide delicious vegetarian dishes besides salads. and even fewer that show you want wonderful, low-calorie dishes you can find at restaurants.

and so, i hope to bring all three of these components to my blog. each update i post will feature a new vegetarian recipe, a great vegetarian meal that can be found at restaurants, and reviews on some healthy products that can be found at a grocery store.


happy eating,
kels