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There was a time, say thirty or forty years ago, when vegetarians had a hard time telling non-vegetarians why it was so important to stop eating meat. The situation was made worse because vegetarians back then did not have the support from the food manufacturers and supermarkets that they do now either. In short, it was far harder to be a vegetarian than it is now.

Moreover, in those far off days, lots of hippies and others following an ‘alternative’ lifestyle were first generation vegetarians and so they could not look to their parents for support and advice. Those individuals are now in their forties and fifties with children and even grandchildren of their own, many of whom are also vegetarian.

Being second or even third generation vegetarian is very different from being first, not least because they have been able to see the effects of a vegetarian lifestyle on their parents and even grandparents. It may never cross such a person’s mind to crave a bacon sandwich with tomato sauce or a French dip beef sandwich au jus, because the idea is repugnant to them.

They have not had to take a conscious decision or a vast physical effort to cut meat from their diet after perhaps eating it for twenty years or more. My father gave up meat for ethical as well as practical reasons when he was sixty and he craved ‘bacon butties’ (sandwiches) for the rest of his life. He found it difficult.

His reasons for giving up meat were fairly typical: he objected to the cruelty to animals that is brought on by intensive farming techniques in some countries; he objected to the use of hormones and preservatives in live animals and he thought that eating so much meat was not a sustainable lifestyle for a burgeoning world population, that was growing steadily rich enough that everyone would want to eat more meat sooner or later.

Society does not help or encourage the would-be vegetarian. The farming industry has grown huge and they have a vested interest in selling us their dairy, meat and eggs. It is hard to escape pictures and hoardings marketing their products. Although the situation is better these days, restaurants still cater usually to the meat-eaters and vegetarian meals always appear small and expensive by comparison.

Luckily there are plenty of ‘Eastern’ restaurants that cater naturally to the vegetarian because numerous Easterners are vegetarian. You can always find vegetarian meals on a Chinese, Japanese or an Indian menu. Hindus are vegetarian. Thai restaurants will also have a high proportion of meatless meals.

However, if you do not like spicy food, you are back in the pizza hut or the sandwich bar in most towns. Society has moved on, but there is still a long way to go yet the vegetarian life is definitely becoming easier to sustain. There is support in numbers, so it would be worth taking vegetarian cookery lessons if your resolve begins to waiver.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on many topics, but is currently concerned with vegetarian recipes for kids. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our site at Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes.

Those who are not vegetarians almost certainly ask themselves how a vegetarian cook can make vegetarian meals stimulating with only vegetables at his disposal. This same thought may be preventing or at least deterring some meat-eaters from giving up meat and attempting to follow vegetarianism. The fact is, that vegetarian meals are not merely ‘meat and two veg’ without the meat, although forty years ago there were many vegetarians who began like that.

However, a routine of ‘meat and two veg’ without the meat is not sustainable. A person who eats meals such as these will soon become sick, particularly if there is no fish, dairy or eggs in the diets either. Many vegetarians choose to eat a small amount to dairy, fish or eggs to help provide much needed protein, which can be difficult to replace in a met-free diet.

Vegetarians have to plan their meals far more than meat-eaters in order to eat everything that a body needs to grow, repair itself and defend itself from disease. It will naturally take some time for the newcomer to vegetarianism to learn new recipes and how to cook them so in the beginning, lots of vegetarians do indeed cook meals which are of the ‘meat and two veg’ without the meat sort.

This is all right if you know what to exchange for the meat. There are several items in the stores, but one of the most helpful is soya in all its various types. Tempeh is a soya bean meat substitute and so is tofu. Both these can be used to supplant meat for a supply of protein.

The good thing about these substances is that they can be cooked to taste of anything you like – they take on flavours fairly easily. They can also be treated to resemble the texture of meat.

Seitan (wheat gluten) is a similarly flexible and useful product, but you have to be sure that you are not allergic to gluten first, because this allergy appears to be spreading. Soya bean products and seitan can be readily bought at health food shops and Oriental stores.

As you get more capable at cooking vegetarian meals, you will almost certainly rely less heavily on these things. Beans and nuts are also helpful substitutes, but you will almost certainly have to learn how to make use of them first. Take a look at chickpeas, lentils but kidney beans.

Soya by-products like soya milk and soya yoghurt and even soya margarine can be used to take the place of regular dairy products. You can also make a type of healthy milk from rice water or / and blended nuts. Apart from making milk and casseroles from nuts, some nuts are fantastic in salads. Have a go with walnuts, cashews and almonds and eat seeds too like sesame and poppy. Sunflower seeds and others are great for snacks.

Bread and sandwiches are tasty vegetarian fast foods. Experiment with different kinds of flour. Buy yourself a bread-making machine and make your own bread. Preparation time is minutes and you can set the timer to cook the bread for whenever you like. Seven in the morning is better than any alarm clock.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on many subjects, but is currently concerned with vegetarian recipes for kids. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our site at Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes.