How to Become a Gradual Vegetarian

Cutting out animal-based foods from your diet may be the fastest way to becoming a vegetarian but it may not be the wisest or even the healthiest way. Making gradual changes to your diet will be easier to adjust to and maintain in the long run. A proper vegetarian diet can reduce certain health risks, assist in weight loss and convey your respect for animals.

Instructions

• 1

  Decide what type of vegetarian you want to become. A partial vegetarian still eats some animal-based foods but on a limited basis. Other vegetarians -- lacto-ovo -- eat no meat, poultry or fish while still consuming egg and milk products. Lacto vegetarians eat no meat, poultry, or eggs. A vegan diet consists of only plant-based foods, consuming no animal products at all. Adjust your diet gradually in accordance with the type of vegetarian you want to become.

• 2

  Choose one or two evenings a week to make a vegetarian meal. Use one of your regular recipes and eliminate the meat. For example, leave out the ground beef from your chili recipe and either add more beans or substitute vegetarian ground beef. Continue this practice for a month.

• 3

  Convert those one or two vegetarian evenings a week to an entire day. Follow a vegetarian diet for all of your meals on those days. Continue this practice for a month.

• 4

  Increase the number of your vegetarian days by one per month until you spend your entire week as a vegetarian.