Vegan,Vegetarian, or Pescetarian?

MsCyone

Are any MFPers vegan, vegetarian, or pescetarian. If so how long, how have you benefitted from this lifestyle, and can you offer any tips for someone transitioning to it?

Fat_Chopper

Vegan +1

Benefits too numerous to mention. Easy to stick to.

Beans become your best friend.

achbarrow

I've been vegetarian for going on 2 years now. One of the best things I've noticed since converting over is that it has seriously broadened my eating horizons. I've actually tried a lot more new foods than I ever did when I was eating meat. Weird I know. There are some great books out there about eating healthy and vegetarian. Diet for a small planet is one I have. One thing I will caution you about is that being vegetarian doesn't mean healthy eating. Just like when eating meat there are many unhealthy vegetarian options out there. You still need to make sure you are eating a balanced diet. Which I still struggle with at times. Depending on how strict you are going to be you have to be very careful about what you eat out and always read labels. I don't know if this helps but if you have any questions you can always message me. I'm no expert but I'm always willing to try and help.

achbarrow

Vegan +1

Benefits too numerous to mention. Easy to stick to.

Beans become your best friend.

Very true, beans, bean, beans!

VialOfDreams

Vegetarian! Since May of 2009. I am vegetarian for purely ethical reasons, though. After deciding to finally venture on a weight loss journey, I noticed it was a lot easier for me to lose weight as opposed to the other folk in my class. (Lost 42 lbs during the TEAM weight loss class.) I think it's because I didn't crave any BBQ chicken, burgers or fatty meats due to being vegetarian. I can see how omnivorous people can crave these things, especially since all fast food places are very keen on advertising their very appetizing (and unhealthy) foods.

As far as transitioning to it, I had tried that prior to becoming vegetarian, but it never worked for me. I had to just go with it. One day, I decided not to eat meat, cheese with animal rennet or any other food items that requires an animal to be killed. No transition whatsoever. Just did it.

One VERY important thing is to GET YOUR PROTEIN. And if I could bold and underline it, I would. Vegetarians often times don't get enough protein in their diet. Great sources of protein for vegetarians are egg whites, Greek yogurt, beans, lentils, hemp oil, flax oil, nuts, tofu (watch the fat intake).

Depends on why you want to become vegetarian or vegan. If it is for health reasons, things like gelatin or rennet may not be important. But if you become vegan/veggie for ethical reasons, these are animal derived ingredients that requires animals to be killed, so watch out for those. The key thing is to read the labels.

(Disclaimer: vegetarianism is my choice, so please don't give me grief for it, just like I don't mind if you have an omnivorous diet. )

frenchfri87

I have been a vegetarian since I was 4 years old.. love it, won't ever have it any other way.

For anybody wanting to go vegetarian or vegan to lose weight be careful!! Its really easy to turn into a "junkfooditarian" if you don't research healthy choices

superhippiechik

I choose not to label myself but I am not a big meat eater and have gone two years without missing it. If I feel like I want a piece of meat I eat it. As for the transition I would eliminate one thing at a time,like red meat or white sugar and flour. Dont season foods with butter or bacon fat,not even those beans! I think I enjoyed more benefits when I gave up soda,white sugar and flour than I did when I quit meat...
Good Luck!

meaghanls

Yesterday was the beginning of the fourth year of being vegan.

I've never felt happier and I'm on my way to looking even better!

It's amazing to know that the way you eat affects everything within you and around you.

If you have specifics, let me know! I'm totally up for any questions or helping you out.

TheMaidOfAstolat

Oh heck yeah! We are all over the boards, lol. Lacto/ovo veg here. Was a vegan for 5 years...might go back to it...just depends.

*edit- should specify...been a vegetarian my entire life (25...almost 26 years).

blazin_j

Budweisarian!

anovasjo

Vegan! Four years and counting. My partner is a vegetarian (we live together).
I love how delicious and healthy well-prepared vegan food is.
My favourite food is chopped avocado on whole grain flax bread with olive oil and balsamic drizzled on top. Add some shredded fresh basil on top... MMMMM

anovasjo

And to respond specifically to your questions: If you're having trouble with the transition, just get excited about foods that aren't animal based. The sheer variety of plant-based foods in this world is amazing.
Read some good vegetarian/vegan food blogs for ideas. Some of my favourites include:
http://vegandad.blogspot.com/
http://happyveganface.blogspot.com/
http://www.tastespotting.com/search/vegan/1

Have fun!

KTGator

I've been a pescetarian for 10 years, primarily a vegetarian for 3 years since I moved to the desert (surprisingly, no good fish here! )

I've found it definitely broadened my food base as I'm always trying new foods that are excellent sources of nutrients I need (iron, protein, etc.) But for me the decision was made entirely based on the fact that I didn't like the texture of taste of any meat I ate, so I stopped eating it. That also reduced my need for condiments, which is a definite plus.

Good luck making your decision!