Vegetarian.

[Taylor527]

So - I'm thinking about going Vegetarian.. Any suggestions, advise, things I should know, etc?

 

Thanks!

[melrich]

Just read up on books that will let you know how to get a balanced diet without the animal protein.

[greywolf]

Lots of soy.

[hers]

WILL POWER! I was veg for nearly 3 years but my sense of smell killed it...I love the smell of burgers and bbq and all of that. Have some will power.

 

Don't know if that's helpful or not...

[RayKay]

Lots of soy.

 

You still have to be careful with soy, some is fine, but too much (just like too much meat!) is not good - it for example contains estrogen which in higher levels can increase risks of certain cancers in some individuals or have other side effects.

 

I agree with melrich - get some books, read up on it, and do your research. I was a vegetarian for 12-13 years or so and to do it properly (a.k.a. healthily) you really do have to ensure you get a very broad spectrum of foods (which you should of course do if you eat meat too, but it becomes even more imperative). A vegetarian whom survives on Dorito's and Coca Cola is certainly NOT healthier than someone whom likes a steak now and then along with their big salads and healthy carbs for example (though they of course may feel morally okay....but then again there is a whole other gamut of moral issues that come along with Coca Cola and other food processing/industry that bring their own moral dilemmas!).

[hers]

 

A vegetarian whom survives on Dorito's and Coca Cola is certainly NOT healthier than someone whom likes a steak now and then along with their big salads and healthy carbs for example (though they of course may feel morally okay....but then again there is a whole other gamut of moral issues that come along with Coca Cola and other food processing that bring their own moral dilemmas!).

 

 

This is the vegetarian I was...not for health reasons but for animal rights reasons. When I was eating a whole box of Little Debbie snacks, I justified it with "Little Debbie doesn't have meat in it..."

 

Yeah, take the healthy route.

[sophie274]

Depending on how much meat you eat right now, it might be a good idea to scale back the meat consumption first before quitting cold turkey. Maybe eat vegetarian every other day at first to see how it is, and then gradually progress it it's working out?

[jengh]

This is the vegetarian I was...not for health reasons but for animal rights reasons. When I was eating a whole box of Little Debbie snacks, I justified it with "Little Debbie doesn't have meat in it..."

 

Yeah, take the healthy route.

 

me too. I didn't really care WHAT I ate, as long as it didn't have meat in it. I gained a lot of weight.

 

Buy a couple vegetarian cook books. Eat foods high in protein (legumes). I used to make a lentil loaf.

 

For awhile, I was vegan--now THAT was tough.

[greywolf]

This is the vegetarian I was...not for health reasons but for animal rights reasons. When I was eating a whole box of Little Debbie snacks, I justified it with "Little Debbie doesn't have meat in it..."

 

Yeah, take the healthy route.

 

Except for the animal shortening.

[CynicalGuitarist]

I used to be vegetarian... like everything else, it had its upsides and downsides... I get a lot of epiphanies on days where I haven't eaten any meat, but I don't feel full. I used to catch colds easer when I was vege. I also didn't eat very much, either.

 

Maybe start slowly? Stop eating beef, then pork, then chicken, then turkey, then fish... that's what I did for a while.

[greensleeves]

My best friend was a vegetarian for several years (probably about 25 years) and is nutrition conscious to the extreme. She has gone back to eating chicken and fish because her health was suffering severely from being a vegetarian...at least that was her and her holistic doctor's conclusion. (She's very tiny and has trouble keeping weight on) You have to be extremely careful and make sure you're getting enough protein. Be sure to educate yourself and get some really good cookbooks. A good website is link removed. Good luck with it. If you want to do it for humanitarian reasons and you're having trouble giving up meat, go on the PETA website.

[RayKay]

Except for the animal shortening.

 

Do they still use lard in those though? We don't get those up here so I have no idea...

 

Most these days use vegetable shortening (any package of anything I read does anyway - I do eat poultry and chicken now but won't eat read meats so still check).

 

I was a healthy vegetarian, I am also healthy now eating chicken and fish. I love local, fresh, organic etc food. I eat only a little meat (and choose free-range, local farmed or caught stuff). My boyfriend eats beef but just as with me he knows where it comes from (his family's farm) and how it was raised, fed, slaughtered.

[greywolf]

Do they still use lard in those though?

 

Most these days use vegetable shortening (any package of anything I read does anyway - I do eat poultry and chicken now but won't eat read meats so still check).

 

I remember when I was a kid they used lard. I don't know about now though.

[greensleeves]

I just made a quick visit to the peta site and they'll send you a free vegetarian starter kit...it should be very helpful for you.

 

link removed

[Enigmatika]

Went vegetarian at 14 years old. Parents freaked....lol

 

15 years later...chicken and seafood sometimes...

Never had a problem.

 

More energy...

 

Don't like the smell or feel of red meat...can't eat something that I can hug and hugs back...

[ghost69]

just make sure you get all your vitamins. some people become vegan after being a vegetarian. then their tummy starts to bow out. it's weird. lack of protein i think causes that.

[chrissykissy83]

I think it is far easier to go veggie now than it was back when i started. I went veggie 12-13 yars ago, and back then there was only a few things like linda Mc Cartney pies in the freezers at tesco. these days supermarkets do their own versions.Plus foods usually state whether or not their suitable for veggies.

When i feel like im lacking i make myself smoothies and baked beans are a good source of protein and contain iron.

im proud to be veggie

[Bob3000]

If your health deteriorates when you switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet, it's not because you've switched to a vegetarian or vegan diet, it's beacuse you've switched to a bad vegetarian or vegan diet.

 

Conventional, vegetarian and vegan diets can all be completely healthy.

 

But an over reliance on processed food or a lack of variety can cause health problems with any diet.

 

One issue that some people may have when switching to a vegetarian and vegan diet is that they significantly increase their wheat intake. A lot of "fake meat" products are wheat based (as are bread and pasta, of course). And a lot of people are sensitive to too much wheat. However, this can be remedied by using corn pasta, rye bread, and "fake meats" based on soya, tofu, and other ingredients.

 

So as long as you eat a balanced diet, you can be healthy with or without meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dairy.

[Brittanyxvx]

I was Vegetarian for two years before I went Vegan.

It seems to me that going Vegan is more logical,

whether your going Veg for your health or for the animals..

I mean, Vegetarians still drink and eat some animal products,

whereas Vegans do not. And I didn't lose much weight when I was a Vegetarian, and I've lost 47 lbs since being a Vegan (Since January 31st)..

 

Try link removed

It's my fav. They have so many helpful links on there.. and

you can order free info/dvd's and stickers.

Read up on what's going on in the world of Animal Rights and

get helpful advise. =]

[Jeremiah Johnson]

I was a strict vegan for a while, but it ended up causing a couple major problems for me. The first was eating out with friends... we'd end up at restaurants where there was almost nothing I could eat except maybe celery sticks... couldn't even eat chips because they were fried in animal fat. Another problem was I lost a lot of physical strength. I tried to get my protein from taking soy protein supplements, but it just wasn't enough. I know there are some vegan body builders, but body builders have the goal of of aesthetic hypertrophy and not strength gains. For the strength I needed for my goals, I knew vegan was going to be a steep if not impossible battle. So in the end, I went back to a diet of pretty much anything and everything.

 

I'm glad I had the experience of being vegan... it opened me up to a lot of different kinds of food. Now I put tofu and soy milk in my diet whereas before I did not. But I also eat steak and drink cow's milk as well. I enjoy the variety.

[ghost69]

i used to know a vegan. her belly sticks out all funny. probably from the lack of nutrients. and she is super skinny. it's scary.