13 Important Lessons For Every New Vegetarian

These will make your life so much easier.

1. Check if the veggie burger on a restaurant's menu is homemade.

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Hint: If the burger is the only vegetarian option on the menu, it's likely to be a store-bought, slightly defrosted bland slice of hell. It's best to just skip it.

2. Make sure to keep up with your vitamins, especially B-12.

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Cutting meat out of your diet means eliminating certain vitamins and nutrients as well; just make sure you eat the right foods to give you what you need (or take the right supplements).

3. Carry hot sauce with you everywhere. You never know when it could totally save a meal.

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Hot tip: Tiny packets of hot sauce are a girl's best friend.

4. If people give you crap for being a vegetarian, take it with a grain of salt.

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Your energy will be better spent on other things besides worrying about the foul attitude coming from other people. You do you.

5. Keep hummus in your fridge at all times, because you should be putting it in and on everything.

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Use it as a spread on sandwiches. Use it as a fancy dip at parties. Use it as a not-fancy dip when you're home alone and need to use up the last of your weird pretzels.

6. Yes, people will remind you of this all the time, but: Make sure to get enough protein.

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Nuts, beans, tofu, yogurts, eggs. Ya gotta lock it down.

7. Pizza can be sneaky, so maybe check under the cheese for any meat that tries to surprise you.

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8. Check. The. Ingredients.

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Some vegetarian "meat" products aren't vegan, so please be careful if you're full veg and double-check it all. You might be surprised.

9. Bring a snack with you everywhere, especially when traveling. And especially when traveling through non-vegetarian friendly locations.

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Some well-placed trail mix can be a real lifesaver.

10. Always, always ask about the broths and bases that make up soups in restaurants.

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If you don't, then be ready to apologize to your butt immediately.

11. If you're trying new cuisine and have NO idea what something is, be sure to google any words or dishes you're unfamiliar with.

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Knowledge is power! And sometimes what you learn will be great news.

12. You'll really want to, but try not to just load up on pasta all the time.

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Pasta is both easy to cook at home and find on a menu, but try not to rely on it as an entire food group. Carbs and more carbs don't make a balanced diet.

13. Just find the foods that work for you and make you happy!

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Unlike your shitty boyfriend, Todd, who won't stop criticizing you over your new lifestyle.

Do you have more awesome tips for beginning veg heads? Let us know in the comments!