Just don't turn into a "junk food vegetarian" and it will be fine
Oh, yes. That is a very deep hole that is very easy to fall into. (*raises hand* Guilty!)
Also read ingredients, you'd be surprised how much animal fat and broth is in in things.
Yeah, you pretty much have to assume that all soups in restaurants have a broth base. When you ask, don't just ask if it's vegetarian. Ask if it has broth. Also, don't assume that everyone knows what you mean by "vegetarian." Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who do eat chicken and/or fish and calls themselves vegetarian, which confuses people. (They can eat whatever they like, but I wish they'd stop messing up the definition of "vegetarian"!)
Yep, beef fat in Hostess snack cakes and donuts, gelatin in Pop Tart icing, rennet in veggie pizzas and frozen dinners. Very annoying.
(I'm not a junk food vegetarian, really, I'm not. lol )
Cereals are one that took me by surprise. Gelatin is in a lot of frosted cereals. It's also in a lot of pills, particularly "gel" type pills. Also, check all sauces and dressings carefully for anchovies. Rennet is an enzyme from calf stomachs that is present in some cheeses, so you have to check anything with cheese. If it just says "enzymes," (not "rennet") it's okay.
humans are omnivores.. meaning we have a need for nutrition from both meat and vegetation. make sure you supplement properly to make up for what the meat products would be supplying you with, notably protein, iron, zinc, calcium, etc.
It's true that humans are omnivores, but that means that we
can get what we need from plants. Some animals, like cats for instance, are obligate carnivores. Without meat they would die because their bodies can't synthesize all the proteins they need from plant material.
Lentils and pumpkinseeds are awesome sources of protein and iron.
kuhliloach, do some research about "complete proteins." Certain combinations of food make complete proteins, which will help keep you healthy and curb cravings for junk. Multivitamins aren't a bad idea either, just make sure they don't have gelatin or any other non-veggie ingredients.
Good luck, and welcome to the club.
