Should I stay vegetarian?

czmiles926

I've been vegetarian (I eat fish about once a week so technically I'm pescetarian) for over a year now but I'm not sure if I should stay vegetarian. I'm starting to feel like I'm denying myself things that I would enjoy because of a label I gave myself.
I stopped eating meat and gelatine when I started university to reduce my environmental impact. But I suppose it was also a way of me embracing the new indepence that came with living away from home for the first time.
It was also a good excuse to get out of eating some of the awful meat dishes my mum makes when I came home during the holidays.
My vegetarian friend has taken a break from being vegetarian at the moment.
If I did stop being vegetarian I would still use Quorn instead of meat in my cooking as I prefer it (0% chance of gristle). I would probably only eat meat when I go to fast food outlets because that's when I feel the most like I'm missing out.
Am I weak for not sticking to it though?
I suppose this is more of a philosophical question than a nutrition question, but oh well,I wanted to hear some other opinions.

psuLemon

You should eat the way you enjoy. And that doesnt always mean following a specific diet all the time. You can still eat mostly vegetarian, but incorporate other foods.

VeggieBarbells

What do you think your denying yourself off?

nic_27_grassisgreener

This is going to be an impossible question for people to answer for you.. yet here I am typing

For reference I have been pesc. for around 10 years. But I am 99% of the time not tempted by meat. Personally I think it'd still be pretty awesome if you were mostly vegetarian, I.e. only eating meat out to eat. It would still make a big impact on the environment. I wouldn't call you weak. You could always change your eating habits again in the future if you change your mind.

Alatariel75

I think you can reduce your environmental impact while still eating meat just as effectively, as long as you are mindful about it.

apullum

I agree that it's not really a nutrition question. People can get all of the nutrients they need with or without meat.

I think it comes down to your reasons for being vegetarian. It might help to journal about why you're vegetarian and what you want to achieve by being vegetarian. Would those personal goals and beliefs be compromised by eating meat sometimes? How do you think you would feel (emotionally as well as physically) if you ate meat? Do you actually want to eat meat, or is there something else you miss about fast food, like the social aspect of going out to eat?

You don't have to fit your dietary choices into a particular label. You can eat as many meatless meals as you'd like without having to commit to eating only meatless meals. You can re-evaluate your choices anytime and decide to eat differently, no matter what "differently" entails. Everybody can eat Quorn regardless of what else they choose to eat (well, unless they're allergic to Quorn, that is).

For what it's worth, I've been vegetarian for almost 13 years now, but I think everyone bases their choices about food on a different set of values. My values probably aren't the same as your values, and that's okay.

livingleanlivingclean

I wouldn't be worrying about the opinions of random people on the internet... Or even people you know. You do you. Whatever you decide to eat is the right thing for you, at this time.

I find there are many benefits to not labelling the way I eat.

perriwinklejones

Eat whatever you want!

I was a veggie from 14 to 22 (admittedly not a very good one since I ate gravy? ) anyway, I do eat meat but not very often and mostly only chicken. I never liked the taste even as a kid and only really ate it because mum made it.

Not everything needs a label and if you do, you could simply say you eat mostly plant based.

AnnPT77

I'm a vegetarian. I've been a vegetarian for 43 years. Even so, I don't encourage others to be vegetarian, unless they have strong ethical motivations.

Being vegetarian is slightly less convenient socially (imagine being invited to dinner at your non-vegetarian new boss's home, travelling in meat-intensive foreign countries, finding your vegetarian lifestyle possibly limiting your choice of life partner . . . ), and it requires slightly more attention to get proper nutrition (B12, possibly calcium, etc.).

These are far from unresolvable issues, but why would you do that to yourself unless your motivation is quite strong?

Ultimately, it's your call. But there are lots of ways to limit your negative environmental impact. And the lifetime impact of a vegetarian vs. a mindful mostly-plants rarely-meat flexitarian eater? Not very different.

gearhead426hemi

As many others have already stated it really comes down to your reason for going vegetarian in the first place. Was it an ethical decision or just something you wanted to try? If you are going to start eating meat I would stay away from fast food because most of that isn't real meat. I would suggest going to a local farmer, meat market or butcher if you are going to eat meat again. Another thing to watch out for is since you have been vegetarian for such a long period of time you have different bacteria in your stomach so eating meat especially fast food will probably give you stomach problems. Your body will have to build up the proper bacteria for digestion again so eat lighter meats such as chicken or turkey and occasionally some red meat.

I have a small farm so I would say if the only reason you went vegetarian was environmental impact you are wasting your time. There are better ways of making positive environmental impacts than being vegetarian. I laugh when someone comes to my farm to buy fruit or vegetables in their Prius but then I see their car parked in front of a 5,000 square foot home with a 4 car garage and a pool. The so called enviro impact from eating vegetarian and driving their Prius is a moot point when it comes to the energy required to heat and cool their home and pool.

Just do what makes you happy and ignore what everyone says. Don't be a sheeple and follow fads and trends. Best of luck in whatever you choose!

sytchequeen

You can eat ethically and responsibly AND eat meat - if that was your motivation in the first place.
However, can I suggest that the meat served in fast food restaurants is possibly not the best sourced.

jenilla1

czmiles926 wrote: »

...I would still use Quorn instead of meat in my cooking as I prefer it (0% chance of gristle)...

I use ground turkey because I can't stand ground beef gristle. It's revolting. I rarely eat the meat of four-legged creatures anyway and I never buy it. It's not that delicious in my opinion. If I do eat it, it's because I'm a guest and it's being served. I do eat birds and fish, though. (Farming meat from larger animals makes more of an impact than raising meat from smaller ones, if that matters to you.)

If you want to try taking a break from being a vegetarian, go ahead. I think that if you want to be a vegetarian it should be because you want to, not because you think you have to. You might take this break and find out that meat isn't as amazing as you thought it would be and go back to being vegetarian. Who knows?

Lean59man

No.

TavistockToad

czmiles926 wrote: »

I've been vegetarian (I eat fish about once a week so technically I'm pescetarian) for over a year now but I'm not sure if I should stay vegetarian. I'm starting to feel like I'm denying myself things that I would enjoy because of a label I gave myself.
I stopped eating meat and gelatine when I started university to reduce my environmental impact. But I suppose it was also a way of me embracing the new indepence that came with living away from home for the first time.
It was also a good excuse to get out of eating some of the awful meat dishes my mum makes when I came home during the holidays.
My vegetarian friend has taken a break from being vegetarian at the moment.
If I did stop being vegetarian I would still use Quorn instead of meat in my cooking as I prefer it (0% chance of gristle). I would probably only eat meat when I go to fast food outlets because that's when I feel the most like I'm missing out.
Am I weak for not sticking to it though?
I suppose this is more of a philosophical question than a nutrition question, but oh well,I wanted to hear some other opinions.

you're doing it because your friend is doing it... :huh:

rybo

The decision is yours, but if you do decide to eat meat, why would you choose the lowest quality fast food garbage to enjoy? If you are going to do so, eat some good, grass fed beef or higher quality meats.

Sunshine_And_Sand

Who cares what any of us say? You have to make the decision based on what you want. You are ultimately the one who has to live with whatever decision you make.

janejellyroll

If you became vegetarian for the label, it doesn't make much sense to continue it.

If you became vegetarian because you were concerned about the specific impacts of behaviors you were choosing (environmental impacts), then I would think you'd want to continue (unless you are no longer concerned about those impacts or you have determined that your new behavior doesn't reduce your impact).

If you simply don't want to cook with items that might have gristle and avoid eating your mom's food, you can do those things whether you are vegetarian or not.

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AnnPT77

I read a study (no, don't have the cite) - small study where vegetarians agreed to start eating meat, and meat-eaters agreed to give it up. Finding: There was a significant change in gut microbiome, but much of it happened quicker than expected, on the order of a week or so. No further stuff, they just looked at what changed & how fast, IIRC.

lemurcat12

It really depends on why you are vegetarian, as others have said.

laurenebargar

I eat vegetarian maybe 95% of the time, I dont label myself as anything though, if anyone has asked I just say I eat less meat now. We dont buy meat at my house, but we went to nice restaurant this past weekend and I did order a dish with meat in it.

czmiles926

rybo wrote: »

The decision is yours, but if you do decide to eat meat, why would you choose the lowest quality fast food garbage to enjoy? If you are going to do so, eat some good, grass fed beef or higher quality meats.

I'm a student, I can't afford that!

czmiles926

TavistockToad wrote: »

czmiles926 wrote: »

I've been vegetarian (I eat fish about once a week so technically I'm pescetarian) for over a year now but I'm not sure if I should stay vegetarian. I'm starting to feel like I'm denying myself things that I would enjoy because of a label I gave myself.
I stopped eating meat and gelatine when I started university to reduce my environmental impact. But I suppose it was also a way of me embracing the new indepence that came with living away from home for the first time.
It was also a good excuse to get out of eating some of the awful meat dishes my mum makes when I came home during the holidays.
My vegetarian friend has taken a break from being vegetarian at the moment.
If I did stop being vegetarian I would still use Quorn instead of meat in my cooking as I prefer it (0% chance of gristle). I would probably only eat meat when I go to fast food outlets because that's when I feel the most like I'm missing out.
Am I weak for not sticking to it though?
I suppose this is more of a philosophical question than a nutrition question, but oh well,I wanted to hear some other opinions.

you're doing it because your friend is doing it... :huh:

I was already thinking about it and when I learned that my friend had stopped and that the world hadn't ended when she did it made me think about it more.

heatherannAZ

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Lounmoun

czmiles926 wrote: »

I've been vegetarian (I eat fish about once a week so technically I'm pescetarian) for over a year now but I'm not sure if I should stay vegetarian. I'm starting to feel like I'm denying myself things that I would enjoy because of a label I gave myself.
I stopped eating meat and gelatine when I started university to reduce my environmental impact. But I suppose it was also a way of me embracing the new indepence that came with living away from home for the first time.
It was also a good excuse to get out of eating some of the awful meat dishes my mum makes when I came home during the holidays.
My vegetarian friend has taken a break from being vegetarian at the moment.
If I did stop being vegetarian I would still use Quorn instead of meat in my cooking as I prefer it (0% chance of gristle). I would probably only eat meat when I go to fast food outlets because that's when I feel the most like I'm missing out.
Am I weak for not sticking to it though?
I suppose this is more of a philosophical question than a nutrition question, but oh well,I wanted to hear some other opinions.

I gather you are fairly young. It is normal to try different things out. If you want to change your diet then do it. It is not about being weak or strong. Just find the way of eating that is right for you. If it is not change it as many times as you want.

Hopefully you have not been walking around lecturing people eating meat or something for the last year.

Iamnotasenior

I've been a pescatarian for about 20 years now. A couple of years ago, I "took a break". My husband had prepared a roasted chicken that had a mouth-watering aroma and I had a taste. A taste morphed into a serving on a plate. Then, I indulged in chicken for the next few days. After a few days, I lost my taste for it and went back to a meat-free diet. My advice would be if you are craving the taste of a cheese burger from a fast food place, go get one, eat it and see how you feel. If you are feeling "deprived" only when you are with your friends, that's different. Go to a fast food place like Burger King that offers a veggie burger or come up with a different strategy to combat those feelings of being deprived. My husband is a meat eater and loves barbecue so when we go to a barbecue restaurant I order a plate of "sides" and indulge in some mac and cheese, baked beans and potato salad and maybe even a dessert and I don't feel "deprived" at all.

iheartralphie

No way. Eating a dead carcass is nothing your missing out on.

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janejellyroll

iheartralphie wrote: »

No way. Eating a dead carcass is nothing your missing out on.

Except OP literally says she feels like she is missing out by not eating meat.

You can argue that she can feel this way but should resist it for other reasons. You can argue that you wouldn't feel this way. But I'm not sure how you can conclude that she isn't missing out on anything when she clearly states that she is.

It's the kind of statement that just isn't helpful when it comes to advocating for vegetarian/vegan lifestyles, telling people that they don't have the feelings and desires that they clearly state they have.

We don't know OP's mind better than she does and if she feels as if she is missing out by not eating meat, I think we're better off clearly acknowledging that desire and feeling and proceeding from there.

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misnomer1

eat whatever you feel like.