Hi Nichol!

I would suggest looking into cuisines which are less meat-centric. Many people think of vegetarian meals as altered versions of meat-containing meals, but there are a lot of traditionally vegetarian dishes in Indian, Thai, and Middle Eastern cuisines, to name a few. Italian cuisine has a lot of great meatless meals as well. Just about every culture has at least a few, in fact.

I do enjoy some of the soy-based fake meats and such, but I think the best way to enjoy vegetarian food is to focus on real vegetarian meals that have been around for generations.

I have been a vegetarian for about 4 years or so, but even before going pure veg, I never ate much meat. My mother, who did most of the cooking in the house, was vegetarian, and so, the only meat I ate was from restaurants and occasionally someone else's home. So there is much meat I have never had. I've never had a steak, for example. Growing up in the Indian culture, I have never viewed meat as the centerpiece of a meal. I also have texture issues ... I hate meat that's lumpy, or squishy, or has weird bits in it ... So for all these reasons, giving up meat was not very difficult for me.

I gave up meat because I do not like the way most animals raised for meat are treated, and I couldn't be bothered with trying to figure out which meat was humanely raised and which wasn't ... easier just to give it all up!

Yes, I still eat dairy as well as eggs. I absolutely love them both, plus I do not believe the vegan diet is healthy.

Good luck!