I'm about to be 19, and ive been thinking about becoming a Vegeterian for some time now. I wanted to know , what do vegeterians eat and how are Vegeterians healthier than people who eat meat. I eat meat but im willing to give it up, cuz I always thought it was wrong for an animal to be killed just so man could eat.

darkknight10 said:

Think twice youngster. Statistically, 87% of those convicted for bestiality are also vegetarians. You have been warned.

darkknight10 said:

vegetables

momentsofbliss said:

I new that, but can they eat anythingelse, like ..Maccoroni or cheese sticks? a friend of mine told me they cant.

darkknight10 said:

it's up to you really... some people don't eat meat... and some choose to not eat products that come from animals... which would kill the cheese deal

darkknight10 said:

Vegans don't eat any animal products, so that includes eggs and dairy and such. Vegetarians generally do eat those. But you're going to spend a lot of time reading labels, as you'd be surprised how often they sneak meat into something you would think would be "safe", like vegetable soup.

If it's something you'd like to do, I'd suggest doing a bit of study first, to ensure you're replacing meat with proper amounts of protein and such. If you're not already cooking a lot of your own meals, now would be the time to get ready to embrace that as a new hobby.

That said, an easy way to go is to start with veggie replacements for meat products you'd normally eat. Veggie burgers, veggie "chik" patties, stuff like that. Morning Star Farms and Boca both are great brands with super yummy veggie products.

I'm still not considering myself full blown vegetarian, but I've eaten a 95-98% veggie diet for the last 3-4 years and I've gone full-time pescetarian (veggie who still eats fish) since June of this year. It was a really gradual process for me.

If you own a meat eating pet like a cat or dog you'll either need to put them to sleep or wait until they die. Otherwise, you won't be a true vegan/vegitarian.


At least I think that's how it works. Others will offer spirited rebukes of my post but it's desperation and guilt that's driving those responses.


Good luck my friend

Imago said:

CarrieMpls said:

I'm not dealing with your plant-based desperation and guilt today

Imago said:

Imago said:

or you could just...


nevermind

darkknight10 said:

the first thing i will say is that you're doing a good thing by looking before you leap. i think the best way to go into it is to experiment with different vegetarian foods and meals and figure out what you like and how you can make a regular diet that would work for you, not only in terms of your health and nutrition, but in terms of what you would LIKE eating on a day by day basis.

as far as what you CAN eat, it's not just vegetables. there's pasta, rice, soy products...and yeah, some soy products are dodgy and gross, but SO many of them are really tasty. for example, try the morningstar farms buffalo wings. GOOD stuff.

check out some vegetarian cookbooks. there are a lot of "on the go" cookbooks that have easy and tasty recipes. good luck!

Anxiety said:

i've been a vegan since i was 11...

yeah i eat ummm potatoes and once i think i ate pasta

Imago said:

CarrieMpls said:

yeah it's not a decision to be made lighty you should lots of research. in college i knew a guy who was part of the Raw Foodist movement of Veganism. he was very intense.

sermwanderer said:

I've been a Vegetarian for the past 5 years, and don't even notice it. It's not like I wake up in the morning and think "oh yeah, I'm a vegetarian!". I just buy my regular stuff at supermarkets and I'm used to it just like anyone else. The only time it becomes noticeable to myself is when I am subjected to the smells from some really gross sausage / fried fish / hotdog / whatever -stand in public. Most restuarants here serve pretty lacklustre stuff for their vegetarian customers - which is why I am often relectuant to go eat out with my friends if they happen to ask me, it's just usually not worth what you'd have to pay for. Frozen pizzas / take away sandwiches are better than what you'd get at most of those places. Most of my friends are vegetarians though, it's just really typical in university / art geek circles.

The main problem with becoming a vegan for me is that it can get stupidly expensive these days (my grocery shopping most often relies on rather cheap stuff, even 50% off things and build on that). Eating healthy in the current food manufacturing climate can get expensive, because ultimately it has to follow the rest of the norms of the capitalist system. Which by the way, has completely gone down the shitter in the last several years.
[Edited 10/26/08 11:15am]

A vegetarian diet will tend to be healthier than your average American diet, but you can certainly fuck it up! Pepsi and potato chips are totally vegan! If you live off spaghetti and peanut butter sandwiches, you're also not doing yourself any great favors. Eat a varied diet that includes lots of vegetables, fruit, whole grains (the "whole" part is important), and beans (including soy, if you like it). Don't live off of starch/sugar and processed foods. If you can manage that, you'll be eating a healthy diet that will reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. You'll probably also feel good. If you don't, listen to your body.

Wade in slowly, read books (Animal Liberation, by Peter Singer, is a good place to start with the ethical side of things). Try new foods; don't just take things out of your diet, find new things that you like. Browse vegetarian cookbooks and learn to cook. If you live in or near a major city, there are probably vegetarian restaurants nearby, so that can be fun to check out.

For the record, I don't think it's wrong to kill (killing to eat is part of life; all animals kill SOMEthing to survive). I think it's wrong to cause suffering in massive factory farms that torture animals, destroy the environment, and produce "food" that is full of chemicals and unhealthy fats. A person can source animal products that come from humane, organic farms (FYI, "humane" and "organic" are not synonymous), or a person can be vegan. I'm lazy and opt for the latter.

Oh, and I can tell you from experience that you'll save yourself a lot of time and energy if you skip the self-righteous veg evangelist phase and go straight to not giving a fuck what your friends/family eat and just being proud of yourself for making a choice that you're happy with.

darkknight10 said:

I'm a vegetarian. Some cheese contains animal rennet so I always look at the label to check that it says "suitable for vegetarians" on it. I don't know what the labelling standards in your country are but it may be worth finding out.

I think it's admirable of you to consider a vegetarian lifestyle. All I would say is that you should ensure that you look into it and eat a balanced diet, including vitamins from the B complex group and iron. I take multivits and iron supplements because I do tend towards anaemia.

Good luck!

tackam said:

that's some good advice.

novabrkr said:

See, while groceries have gotten expensive, I don't feel like being vegan makes it worse, personally. I buy organic beans/lentils for well under $2 per pound. . . what kind of meat can a person get for that? I'd assume not much. Crappy factory-farmed non-organic hamburger, maybe?

I've found that I can eat a healthy vegan diet for less than $5 per day if I try. But it does rely on a lot of dried beans and rice, and making everything from scratch.

Anxiety said:

shit!!!

Oh sorry. I should mention that I live in Finland, it's a country located in Northern Europe - thus it means that fresh vegetables / fruit are imported, and have gotten very expensive over the recent years. The prices shift considerable during the year.

The making everything from scratch part is the hard part for me. Not that I wouldn't enjoy cooking, but most of the time just don't have the energy for it. I want to toss something into the oven / on the frying pan if I am tired when I get home. -- and most of the prepackaged stuff just isn't suited for a vegan diet. There's a lot of things that I really do enjoy too much that contain milk, and replacing such with the vegan options gets wayyyy out of my budget.At least for daily consumption.

Although for the past year or so, dairy products have gotten expensive as hell in the EU too.
[Edited 10/26/08 11:41am]

novabrkr said:

Ahhh. Yeah, eating vegan convenience food and imported vegetables is a different matter. That sucks.

.
[Edited 7/7/09 3:41am]

I'm not a vegetarian YET. The master says I might as well just become one, because it would be more convenient or less confusing for OTHER people



I don't mind meat, I just don't seek it out. I won't buy it or prepare it, if it weren't for the master and his BBQ, I WOULD probably be a vegetarian.

Lot's of great advice here from the vegetarian and vegan orgers. I've been vegetarian for about 8 years ~ this is the third time in my life I've been vegetarian and there will not be a time I'll eat meat again. Family can put a lot of pressure on you ~ especially at holidays ~ but it is possible to eat what you chose without people being upset. There is a great product avaiable at some stores called Quorn that is fabulous. It's made from fungi and tastes great. www.quorn.com Lots of the MorningStar Farms products are pretty good. Go to a good bookstore and browse through the vegetarian cookbooks and read labels. Carrie is right ~ things are snuck in everywhere that you would never imagine contain meat or by-products. Things like gelatin in yogurt and cheesecake, rennet in cheese, even beef broth in mushroom soups etc. Good luck to you!

JasmineFire said:

except men should avoid soy products.

ehuffnsd said:

I heard soy carries the female hormone estrogen.

I doubt it's going to shrink ehuff.