How to Be Vegetarian in a Non Vegetarian Country,Vegetarian Breakfast Tips

Let your local supermarkets know if they are not carrying the types of vegetarian products that you wish to purchase. Such supermarkets are always ready to accept any reasonable changes. Stress the qualities of the products which they like most - popular, quality, price, brand, tasty, delicious, cheap, a brand they already stock. Find similar places in the area and write the same message to them. Do same for one month or two. Simply keep on and be persistent. If you have vegetarian friends in the area, ask them to campaign the supermarkets as well. Many supermarkets have product request postcards available around the store or at the cash register. Start by filling out one of those as well.
Choose how "strictly vegetarian" you want to be. A vegan diet can be more difficult to pursue than a lacto-ovo one.
Research local farms in your area. See if the farmers will sell directly to you, or if they participate in a farmer's market. If you follow a lacto-ovo diet and animal cruelty is a concern, ask the farmer about their animal care practices. Look for free-range and vegetarian fed chicken eggs in your local dairy section if you choose to include eggs in your diet.
Cook as often as you can at home. If you are staying in a rooming house and don't have consistent access to a stove, ask if you can keep a microwave or rice steamer in your quarters. When eating at restaurants, ask in detail the ingredients of the dish. Not all people assume vegetarian to mean the same thing. You may want to ask if the dish is flavored with animal derived broths or contains gelatin.
One way to make people more accepting of your dietary choice is to cook foods you enjoy and share them. Many people are under the false assumption that eating vegetarian means surviving mainly on salads and bland unseasoned vegetables. You may be surprised at your friends' or family's positive reactions after eating a tasty, filling, yet healthy and 100% vegetarian meal.

Tips

• India has the most amazing and diverse variety of vegetarian food cooked in ways that you may never imagine, pick up an Indian cook book and see the recipes. The most foolish and common fallacy of people who are non-vegetarians especially out of Asia, is that a vegan diet consists of just boiled and unappetizing vegetables and nuts whereas the truth is that spices and butters make most vegetarian dishes, made in countries having a long-standing tradition of vegetarian food, unforgettably tasteful!
• If you are staying in a country or area where you are unfamiliar with the language, learn a few key words like "meat", "animal", or "fish." Learn about the culture so you know what you can expect in regional cuisine.
• If you do end up eating something that isn't vegetarian by accident, don't beat yourself up over it! Everyone makes mistakes!
• If you find yourself in a mainly meat-focused restaurant, look to the appetizers and sides choices for a few items of which you can combine to make a meal.
• Take Boca, Veggie burgers, or other such brand name meat substitute products when grilling out with friends. They likely won't mind if you ask kindly for them to add your food to the grill.
• Don't try to defend your choices to non-vegetarians who question you. Just simply say, "I don't like to eat meat". You can save your politics and philosophy for people who really care to hear about it.
• Do some research on the internet to find products you might like to eat. Fill out a product request form at your local grocery store, and if they bring in your product, be sure and support their effort by buying it regularly. The produce section often seems to have control over ordering many vegetarian and vegan products as does the frozen food department. Thank the department manager or employees if you get a chance.
• Be brave and try some of the vegetarian recipes on the internet! There are great ways to use potatoes, tofu, beans, and hummus. You can also use textured vegetable protein (TVP) products to prepare some of your old favorite recipes just like you did when you ate meat. Tacos, chili, even Hamburger Helper can be made with TVP products.

Live Without Dairy Products, Living Without Dairy Products

Polish your willpower. You may love cheesy pizzas, cream soups, fettuccine alfredo, and ice cream. It can be hard to try to resist those favorite foods in the beginning, but you just have to keep telling yourself, "It's just not worth the agony of eating dairy." This will become your new mantra.
Know what to avoid. Avoiding dairy isn't as simple as no longer drinking milk. Here's what else will no longer be on your list of safe food items (check with your doctor the ones which you should most definitely avoid):

• Butter and most margarines (contain whey, casein, or lactose)
• Chip dip
• Most baked items (sadly this includes cakes, muffins, and doughnuts unless made with soy, rice, or hemp)
• Some breads (there are a few made without milk/dairy)
• Most flavors of potato chips (except plain and salt and vinegar sometimes)
• Cream sauces and soups
• Cheese in all forms
• Ice cream, gelatos, and sherbets (sorbets contain no dairy products)
• Most chocolate (Even dark chocolate often has hidden dairy ingredients, but make sure to read the ingredients list! Trader Joe's has wonderful dark chocolate that is dairy free. Tropical Source makes dairy-free dark chocolate candy bars, and there are dairy-free chocolate items to be found.)
• Whey protein powder
• Non-dairy coffee creamer (casein)--how misleading this is!
• Some mayonnaise, mustard, and other condiments
• Canned chicken broth often contains whey, so food with chicken broth should be avoided by those with a dairy allergy (canned tuna, for example)
• Most canned ready-made foods (like Chef Boyardee pasta meals)
• "Cold cuts" or deli meats (they are injected with casein, whey, or sometimes other dairy derivatives)
• Be wary of chicken and turkey, sometimes they are injected with butter (especially the breast portion).
• Look for kosher turkeys for your Thanksgiving dinner. Food can be certified Kosher by different organizations and each has its own symbol. One of the most common symbols used is the "U" in a circle. If it has a D near it, that means there is dairy in the product. So check for the different symbols and the word "dairy" or a "D" to quickly find which product may have dairy or exclude it.

Try out some of the alternatives. You don't have to leave a gaping hole in your diet once you've sworn off dairy products. Here are some yummy substitutes.

Milk: based on soy, rice, almond, hemp seed, and oat, fortified or not, are available in such flavors as plain, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla
Cheese: based on soy, rice, and hemp, are available in flavors such as cheddar, cheddar-jack, mozzarella, and provolone. Be careful with cheese -- even vegetarian brands can contain milk products, usually in the form of caseinate. Goat's and sheep's milk cheeses seem to be okay for those with relatively mild intolerances.
Ice Cream: based on soy, rice, and hemp in many flavors #* Yogurt: soy and rice based with a small selection of fruit flavors
Margarines: there are a few good alternatives to butter:

• Vegan websites often maintain a list of dairy-free margarines
• There is also Vegetable Oil Spread, but you still must be careful; not all are dairy-free
• (Unrefined) coconut oil.
• Earth Balance & similar products, which consist of a blend of medium-chain fatty acid oils (healthy fats) and are solid at room temperature.
• Ghee, a refined butter that is often entirely casein/lactose free

Know where to eat out. Where do you dine? Where can you take your date? Well, Italian is pretty much off your list. Indian food is too, as ghee (ghee is clarified butter, which means the dairy is naturally separated from it, but those with a low tolerance to dairy should be careful just in case) is a common ingredient. Think East Asian: Chinese , Korean and Japanese foods are generally speaking; free of dairy, but always ask about the ice cream, as it's not always made of soy. Vegan restaurants are reliable for not using dairy ingredients if you can find them, and most vegetarian restaurants have non-dairy alternatives. It is also possible to eat out at chain restaurants. Steak, grilled chicken, fresh fruit, and steamed vegetables are usually okay. If you are unsure of ingredients and seasonings, ask your server or a manager. Salad bars are an excellent option -- just bypass the cheese and choose a dairy-free dressing, such as oil and vinegar.
 Make sure you're getting enough calcium. Luckily for you, fortified nut and grain milk offer similar key nutrients as dairy milk. You can also buy calcium-fortified orange juice. This is also a good time to get acquainted with some calcium-rich foods like dark leafy greens (kale, bok choi, collards, broccoli), sardines, and almonds.