Became a vegetarian today, help!
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From the American Dietetic Association > http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf
From the mayo clinic > http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/2009_ADA_position_paper.pdf
Key words: "well planned". I have followed a mostly vegetarian diet for abut 5 years. I occasionally eat seafood, and rarely, like once a year or less will eat some type of meat. I made this decision due to a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol among other things. Combined with exercise, I think it is the best preventative medicine for me.
I do care about animal welfare, but that is not my soap box, and I am not sure if vegetarianism is the solution to that problem. Plus I strongly dislike PETA and their marketing, so that might have something to do with it.
All in all, Good luck on your journey OP and if you want to have friends who follow similar diets, feel free to add me
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If you really want to go healthy vegetarian, here are two resources.
First: A quick guide to getting enough vitamins and minerals: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vegan-sources-of-vitamins-minerals.html?page=1
Second: Sources of Protein: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein/0 -
Sometimes you can't get past good genes.0
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Sometimes you can't get past good genes.
A real nice heatlhy home made dinner and movie have helped me get past good genes.... :bigsmile:0 -
agreed. people who practice this for animal welfare, thats great. thats your belief.
When you say this "I just truly believe vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters", what do you expect?I'm surprised so many people are defensive on this issue.
My sister is vegan, has been for nearly 20 years. She's healthy, but she's also a vegan chef so she's cooking all the time and aware of her macros. We live on opposite sides of the US now but for a few years we lived in the same city and I was vegetarian, but not healthy. I eat whatever I want now and am healthy.
My opinion/obersvation is most vegan's conviction comes from animal welfare. I "became" vegetarian during a time my work responsibilities took my "inside" commercial chicken, turkey, and hog farms and processing plants. I try not to think about that anymore. Chicken wings and Carolina BBQ won't kill you.
And if I do I because my belief is they live simple lives, then it bothers people? Lol, why does it matter what my belief is? People on here who dot even know me personably are commenting like they're offended by my opinion. I think it may be a personal issue.
Simple lives? What are you talking about? Of anything becoming vegetarian has made my life more complicated. Where do you get this impression that they live simple lives? I'm genuinely curious.0 -
agreed. people who practice this for animal welfare, thats great. thats your belief.
When you say this "I just truly believe vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters", what do you expect?I'm surprised so many people are defensive on this issue.
My sister is vegan, has been for nearly 20 years. She's healthy, but she's also a vegan chef so she's cooking all the time and aware of her macros. We live on opposite sides of the US now but for a few years we lived in the same city and I was vegetarian, but not healthy. I eat whatever I want now and am healthy.
My opinion/obersvation is most vegan's conviction comes from animal welfare. I "became" vegetarian during a time my work responsibilities took my "inside" commercial chicken, turkey, and hog farms and processing plants. I try not to think about that anymore. Chicken wings and Carolina BBQ won't kill you.
And if I do I because my belief is they live simple lives, then it bothers people? Lol, why does it matter what my belief is? People on here who dot even know me personably are commenting like they're offended by my opinion. I think it may be a personal issue.
that does not mean it is healthy.
you're opinion is simply an uneducated opinion. You think that not eating meat is healthy? lol0 -
agreed. people who practice this for animal welfare, thats great. thats your belief.
When you say this "I just truly believe vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters", what do you expect?I'm surprised so many people are defensive on this issue.
My sister is vegan, has been for nearly 20 years. She's healthy, but she's also a vegan chef so she's cooking all the time and aware of her macros. We live on opposite sides of the US now but for a few years we lived in the same city and I was vegetarian, but not healthy. I eat whatever I want now and am healthy.
My opinion/obersvation is most vegan's conviction comes from animal welfare. I "became" vegetarian during a time my work responsibilities took my "inside" commercial chicken, turkey, and hog farms and processing plants. I try not to think about that anymore. Chicken wings and Carolina BBQ won't kill you.
And if I do I because my belief is they live simple lives, then it bothers people? Lol, why does it matter what my belief is? People on here who dot even know me personably are commenting like they're offended by my opinion. I think it may be a personal issue.
that does not mean it is healthy.
you're opinion is simply an uneducated opinion. You think that not eating meat is healthy? lol
You're incredibly rude aren't you, she has a belief that has absolutely no impact on you and your life...what's wrong with you?
For future reference it's "your" not "you're"...that's a bit embarrassing when you are calling someone else "uneducated" isn't it.0 -
I've been vegetarian for over 10 years. It's for moral reasons.
I would say, with being vegetarian, you still have to make healthy choices. Vegetarians can still eat cake and chocolate! But if you are used to standard meals it may be worth looking at meat alternatives available where you live. Quorn is a healthy substitute.
I haven't read everyone's comment on this thread, but some people may try to tell you that you are being unhealthy and you aren't getting everything you need because we NEED meat in our diet. This simply isn't true. Everything we "need" from meet can be found elsewhere. Look for high protein snacks -like hemp seeds and spirulina shakes. Make sure you get your iron -a green smoothie in the morning is great for this.
If you need any help/tips/advice feel free to message me 0 -
Ok so I just read the whole thread anyway... There seems to be a lot of meat eaters here who have no experience of vegetarianism. They won't be able to give you the tips and advice you need. From experience, people who eat meat are quick to tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing and tell you how unhealthy it is... Jeez, they seem to know a lot considering they've never done it.
Anyway like I said above, if you feel you need any help or guidance (or if anyone else reading this feels that way) feel free to message me
Dee x0 -
If you really want to take it to the next level - go vegan and then don't wear leather shoes or use leather purses.0
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The issue is that the OP seems to be using their un/badly-educated 'opinion' as a factual reason for making a major lifestyle choice.
Lets say I post on a forum "I want to become a school teacher because they get all the chicks, help."
If it was people's experience whether or not I was a school teacher had nothing to do with how much girls were attracted to me and that in fact the place I had read it was from a recruiting for school teachers organisation, you'd hope people would mention this and advice me I'll planning to make major changes to my life for entirely the wrong reasons.0 -
Wow why is there so much negativity? :huh:
I think you made a great choice! Of course, every diet is only healthy if done correctly, but I believe we should all know that. And generally spoken, red meat can have a lot of bad effects and it does increase the risk for several diseases. And generally, you decrease your risk of heart disease with less/no meat in your diet. Also, it is no problem to get enough protein as a vegetarian or vegan, you just have to do some research and preparation. When i changed to a vegan diet (out of moral beliefs) I found myself eating more protein and still do. I often have to problem of getting too much protein and too little fat, I know actually have the opposite issue than that i had as a meat eater
If you want to, you can message me anytime :flowerforyou: and dont let people put you down, I dont know why they always try to stop people from not eating meat.0 -
OP, you can eat healthy or unhealthy both as a vegetarian and as a meat-eater, but it would be good to read up on potential deficiencies, especially if you go full vegan. The warnings about B12 deficiencies might be a little overwrought if you're going to continue eating/drinking dairy and eggs, and if you eat commercially prepared bread and cereal products, which generally seem to be fortified with a host of vitamins, including B12. Calcium (especially as a vegan) and iron (especially as a vegetarian if you rely on dairy more than legumes and other plant sources for protein) are other nutrients you might come up short on. Years ago when I had progressed from french fries and veggie pizza to pasta, lentils, and part-skim mozzarella as the mainstays in my sometimes-vegetarian eating pattern, I started getting turned away from blood donations because my iron level was too low. Too much mozzarella; not enough lentils
These days I'm an omnivore, and what that works out to for me (not from any conscious plan, just from eating what I feel like, and from what's available, and from what's convenient) is that close to half my meals are lacto/ovo vegetarian (usually just lacto, primarily from milk and yogurt, although I usually have one or two eggs a week), another third are vegan, and the remaining 20% of my meals are evenly split among fish, poultry, and meat, seldom more than 4 oz. at a meal, and often less (e.g., one pork or shrimp dumpling along with the veggies and tofu at a food bar or buffet, an ounce or two of lean turkey or ham in my salad or alongside my wholegrain waffle and fried egg). I'm pretty good (but nowhere near perfect) about eating whole grains, veggies, and fruit whether I'm eating carcasses or not.
Now that I've been tracking macros on MFP pretty religiously, I find I often come up short on on my protein goals on days without any animal flesh, but it's also pretty unlikely that I'll go over 11% of calories from saturated fat limits or even come within spitting distance of 240 mg of cholesterol when I'm having a vegetarian or vegan day. It's also falling-off-a-log-easy to hit and pass my minimum fiber targets when I'm getting most of my food from plant sources, which I find I need to do to keep my digestion running smoothly. Given my particular health concerns and issues I'm trying to avoid, the improved fat, cholesterol, and fiber numbers are worth the trade-off in coming up a little short on protein occasionally. Plus, when I do have meat, I find that I can indulge in reasonable amounts of the really tasty stuff (a slice or two of bacon! a bit of ham! a fried chicken leg or thigh!) and still have the fat and cholesterol be OK (for the week, if not the day).0 -
And generally spoken, red meat can have a lot of bad effects and it does increase the risk for several diseases. And generally, you decrease your risk of heart disease with less/no meat in your diet.Wow why is there so much negativity? :huh:
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Haha yeah I realised that afterwards :laugh:0
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Congratulations on embarking on a cruelty free, environmentally sound, and ethical journey! There is no downside of eating a well planned plant based diet. Strive for veganism. As some one who was a vegetarian for many years before going vegan, you don't get all the benefits until you go vegan. The peace of mind that you get knowing no one had to die for your meal is incredibly reassuring. People on the internet like to attack people who choose to opt out of conventional food structures, but in the end there is no down side to veganism.
Veganism is in arguably better for the animals and for the planet. Many believe it is better for your health as well, but people like to controdict that with fat vegan/vegetarian anecdotes. I will say it was much easier to be fat as a vegetarian than a vegan. Vegetarians tend to load up on cheese and with that is usually carbs. It was funny, I used to buy cage free eggs and local artisanal cheeses trying to be cruelty free, but the truth of the matter is the dairy and egg industry, even the small scale places treat life like a commodity and that doesn't sit well with me.
Now you asked for tips, not philosophical lectures like many have been providing you, so I will give you some of mine. These are all with a vegan tilt since that is what I know best.
First off, suppliments! Most carnists are woefully lacking in many major nutrients as well, but as vegans we have to strive for overall excellence in our health since the moment we get the sniffles a carnist will want to throw it back in our faces. Amazon carries DEVA vegan vitamins, I highly recommend this brand as they are relatively cheap and certified vegan. Every day I take their mega multi, B complex, vitamin D, omega 3, omega 3 DHA, and Calcium/magnesium vitamins. It's hilarious to me that the first thing a carnist throws at a new vegan is the B12 thing. Well B12 is actually produced by bacteria in grass that would be eaten by cows and then found in meat. Well 99% of cows don't eat grass anymore, so guess where the carnists B12 comes from? If you said suppliments you would be correct! Vegans get ours from the same place, we just cut out the death in the middle!
Protein! There are tons of places to get a lot of protein as a vegan. Many whole grains, ect. Personally I make my own seitan and soy proteins that are just brimming with protein. Seiten couldn't be easier to make. Just pick up a box of vital wheat gluten at your local health food store or off of amazon, add in some vegetable stock, I like to mix in hemp seeds to for an extra crunch, kneed into a dough like consistency, and then boil in stock for 2 hours. Really simple, but makes really convincing feeling and tasting wheat meat that is high in protein low in fat... And death. I have a food dehydrator, so with many batches I take my home made seitan and marinate it in a variety of sauces and then dehydrate it for a few hours. It makes amazing vegan jerkey that has 200 cal and 30g of protein!
Variety! This I think is the hardest part of the vegan lifestyle. Most people get stuck in food ruts. Heck, I ate the same thing the past 3 nights in a row (my wife was out of town so I was bacheloring it up is my excuse...), and it does happen to the best of us. We can feel like there are so few choices that we end up eating the same thing over and over again, but that isn't healthy either. It is always good to remind yourself that there are many many more commercially available varieties of vegetables and grains than there are types and cuts of meat. A new kitchen gadget can help spark things up. I recently bought a spiralizer from which I can make all sorts of amazing vegetable ribbons or things like zucchini noodles.
Eat fresh, eat local! There is a time and a place for vegan processed foods, and it isn't all the time and everywhere... Go to the farmers market and load up on cheap and local veggies, that way you will know that food you are eating isn't causing the collapse of the amazon or some other disaster.
People will tell you it is hard. It isn't. People will tell you it is dangerous. It isn't. People will tell you you are being silly. You aren't. But like everything that is against the mainstream it will be easy to slip up. There is meat and animal based stuff everywhere. When you slip up, and you most certainly will, forgive yourself and move on. Striving for perfection is what causes most vegans to give up and quit. Strive for it, just be ok with not being it.
I really hope some of this helps, what you are doing is going to be the best for you, your family, the animals, and the planet. Like I said at the beginning, if done well there is no downside.0 -
Sorry I quickly through this post together, I don't have w documet that says they are healthier just my personal opinion. Also, obviously it depends what exactly you put into your body, I've just noticed people who have cut meat out d their diets for years tend to look much much younger in old age, and that and other reasons is why I made the seitch
That is probably more due to genetics and staying away from excessive sun exposure, smoking and alcohol/drug abuse.0 -
You seem to be the doing that?Now you asked for tips, not philosophical lectures like many have been providing you, so I will give you some of mine. These are all with a vegan tilt since that is what I know best.
Other people have pointed out that there isn't a decently proven causation between cutting out these food groups and being healthier. That the observed correlation isn't useful information.
I rather suspect a lot more (albeit smaller - does that mean they don't matter?) animals are killed during grain harvesting than are killed for food. And then there's animals that die 'in nature', which is truely horrific by the standards most veg's put forward.0 -
vegetarians are so much healthier than meat eaters that you will have to hunt down and eat some exotic and obscure plants as well as multivitamin pill supplements just to not get any malnutrition symptoms from missing micronutritients
I wonder if any vegetarians put their cat or dog pets on veg food to be consistent with their moral convictions?0 -
I believe being a vegetarian is healthier for me and more ecologically sustainable for the planet. And after seeing how we too often treat the creatures we share this planet with, I KNOW that my soul is more at peace once I stopped taking life to sustain my life.
But, I make no judgements on what others may choose. I always try to live by the motto..
I could be wrong.
What amazes me the most are the number of people that attack my personal choice.0 -
vegetarians are so much healthier than meat eaters that you will have to hunt down and eat some exotic and obscure plants as well as multivitamin pill supplements just to not get any malnutrition symptoms from missing micronutritients
I wonder if any vegetarians put their cat or dog pets on veg food to be consistent with their moral convictions?
What a helpful post, congratulations :drinker:0 -
vegetarians are so much healthier than meat eaters that you will have to hunt down and eat some exotic and obscure plants as well as multivitamin pill supplements just to not get any malnutrition symptoms from missing micronutritients
I wonder if any vegetarians put their cat or dog pets on veg food to be consistent with their moral convictions?
I have heard of people feeding their dogs a vegan diet. Not cats, though. Cats are carnivores - not omnivores.0 -
You seem to be the doing that?Now you asked for tips, not philosophical lectures like many have been providing you, so I will give you some of mine. These are all with a vegan tilt since that is what I know best.
Other people have pointed out that there isn't a decently proven causation between cutting out these food groups and being healthier. That the observed correlation isn't useful information.
I rather suspect a lot more (albeit smaller - does that mean they don't matter?) animals are killed during grain harvesting than are killed for food. And then there's animals that die 'in nature', which is truely horrific by the standards most veg's put forward.
9 billion animals are killed per year in factory farming, that number triples if you add in sea food. There is no comparison with accidental killing in grain harvesting. So your suspicions are wrong... and dumb. Also they are not horrifically mutilated and tortured for years and years. That is such a bull**** carnist thing to say. Eating meat is a choice for humans, not a necessity like it is in the wild for animals. Troll.0 -
and the human Earth population keeps getting larger and larger because we keep sustaining that growth, requiring ever more and more food to be produced and animals killed to feed the hungry mouths. but surely you'd flinch at the idea of doing something about that rampant population growth?9 billion animals are killed per year in factory farming, that number triples if you add in sea food. There is no comparison with accidental killing in grain harvesting. So your suspicions are wrong... and dumb. Also they are not horrifically mutilated and tortured for years and years. That is such a bull**** carnist thing to say. Eating meat is a choice for humans, not a necessity like it is in the wild for animals. Troll.
also how is eating meat a CHOICE for humans, but a necessity for animals? we have enzymes to digest meat, chemical reactions to absorb every nutritient out of it, buckteeth to grind it down and we seem to be having problems with malnutrition if we don't eat it and have to hunt down supplements just to not suffer malnutrition. humans are omnivores, just like some other animals. it's not a choice. it's biology. nature has done that choice for us.
also I'm pretty sure you're using a nice smartphone, wearing some sneakers and using Wal-mart bought tools that get produced by child labor somewhere in Asia. what's up with that? no tears for humans?0 -
I was a vegetarian for about a year before I got pregnant and decided it wasn't in my best interest anymore. I went from meat eater to vegetarian overnight and did pretty well so here are a few of my tips.
Define what you will or will not eat. I did not eat meat but I still ate fish and seafood. That was my lifesaver. Also I could never have gone completely vegan. I ate a ton of eggs, cottage cheese, and cheese. I ate a lot of protein. Be careful not to eat too many processed veggie foods. It is so easy to buy a bunch of frozen soy patties and veggie burgers but that is just as bad as frozen chicken patties. I ate a lot of salads and beans.
I did lose weight but not because I stopped eating meat, because I ate better and made healthier decisions. Since I had all the crap out of my system I rarely even had cravings for things I shouldn't have been eating.
Good luck, don't make it about losing weight, but being healthier, like you said.
If you are doing this for health reasons, the above post makes much more sense. You don't have to cut out all animal products, just choose healthier ones. A diet high in red meat, has been shown to not be so good for most people, so trade off that burger for some baked fish. You get high protein with a much healthier fat source. Omega 3s are so good for you.
Be sure you eat lots of leafy green veggies to get enough iron to compensate for the loss from red meat.
Like others have said, a vegan diet is not necessarily healthier. You must make good choices and watch your macros and micros carefully. I would suggest easing into more slowly as well, otherwise it may be too overwhelming and you find yourself breaking into a McDonalds at 2am looking for cheeseburgers!0 -
Claiming someone's a troll because they are offering a contrary opinion to yours would suggest that in fact YOU are the one trolling.9 billion animals are killed per year in factory farming, that number triples if you add in sea food. There is no comparison with accidental killing in grain harvesting. So your suspicions are wrong... and dumb. Also they are not horrifically mutilated and tortured for years and years. That is such a bull**** carnist thing to say. Eating meat is a choice for humans, not a necessity like it is in the wild for animals. Troll.
Claiming 'there is no comparison' is rather a strawman-style argument.
You can ALWAYS compare any two things.
So, tell me, how many animals ARE killed during production of non-animal food for humans?
How many more would be killed if no humans ate meat?
You really SHOULD have these figures if you're willing to dismiss my questions like that.
There are various ways you can eat meat that has had a fairly 'natural' life. There are also many more ways that you can eat meat and animal products where the animals have a much less stressful and more pleasant experience than the rather cruel world that is nature.
Do you believe an animal being eaten alive by a predator is thankful their death is 'natural'?0 -
I just have to say this. Vegetarians/vegans are not inherently healthier than omnivores. You can be vegan and eat oreos, pop tarts, chips, breads, cakes, biscuits, etc. You still have to make healthy choices. Meat/animal by-products don't immediately make a person unhealthy. I've met plenty of obese vegetarians and fit and healthy meat eaters. It's all about the food choices you make, not just the diet you choose to follow.
YES to this.0 -
- Don't be elitist. Life is not a contest. Level 5 super vegans who passive aggressively put people down for not making the exact same life choices as them are just not cool and give the rest of the the veg community a bad rap.
THIS THIS THIS.. a million times THIS!!!0 -
Sorry I quickly through this post together, I don't have w documet that says they are healthier just my personal opinion. Also, obviously it depends what exactly you put into your body, I've just noticed people who have cut meat out d their diets for years tend to look much much younger in old age, and that and other reasons is why I made the seitch
Or it could be, oh I don't know....genetics too? Hmmmmm..........0
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