Why did you stop eating meat?

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13

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  • lanie25
    lanie25 Posts: 42
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    Can anyone tell me the titles of a few vegan cookbooks? I'd love to be able to prepare meals for my family. Thanks!
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    I'm not against meat eating per se, but the way meat is "produced" in today's society is nothing short of disgusting.
    I don't eat meat or animal products because I can't excuse the impact on the environment or turn a blind eye to animals' suffering.

    This is how I feel as well. I have tried off and on to eliminate meat over the years but I have been at it for a while now due to a book called "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. It had a powerful impact on me and when I find my resolve wavering, something he wrote will pop into my head and I can't do it. I tried adding fish back to my diet recently, but I am thinking I don't need it, still on the fence...
  • RuthAne
    RuthAne Posts: 130
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    I experimented with vegetarianism on and off in highschool because it seemed like the fashionable thing to do. Then about 10 years ago I read Fast Food Nation and stopped eating meat after reading how meat...particularly how beef is manufactured.

    Now I eat meat once in a great while while if i'm out at a restaurant or a guest in someones home, but I don't buy it or cook it at home. Still beef is one thing I will never ever touch again. It just grosses me out.
  • NeverTry
    NeverTry Posts: 26 Member
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    I don't know why i made the decision really.
    I moved to north america for a while, and basically just felt weighed down by my diet.
    So i stopped eating meat.
    It just seemed like what i needed to do.. And I was a huge red meat fan!!
    But its about 12 years without it, and my reasons are more ethical now.
    (If people got to hang with a cow or farm animals like i have, they would know how epic they are)
    Now, I don't need them inside me to have a happy healthy life...
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
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    I am not a vegetarian, but I don't eat any red meat... I eat chicken, turkey, fish and shrimp. I stopped eating red meat about two years ago and honestly I don't miss it!
    same here but gave up red meat and pork about 10 years ago. I did it initially because I was scared of mad cow disease. Then I realized how much better I felt and kept going. Now I only want it if I smell it being cooked. I will have some but very rarely.

    I wish I could give up chicken and fish, too. I need to aquire a taste for beans and other high protein non-meat foods.

    Now that I've seen Forks Over Knives I would like to be a vegetarian proper. I don't think I could ever give up eggs, though. Grocery store eggs yes, but fresh from the chicken eggs, I love them so!

    I don't drink cow's milk too often but I do love yogurt and cheese and ice cream. I like meat analogs but dairy analogs just don't do it for me. :frown:
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    Vegan here. Reasons: ethics, environment, health. Simple, really.
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
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    I became a pescetarian because i'm more of a seafood girl :) Up until about a day ago i was doing just fine... Now all i can seem to think about is chicken soup.. No chicken.. just the broth..lol Really thinking of turning back over to the dark side..lol Just scared because i heard if you don't do it right you get sick.. that may all be a bunch of bull though... I could still care less about anything except seafood... just really want that darn soup :)
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
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    I became a pescetarian because, for me, it's a cheaper and easier way to maintain a healthy diet.
  • alexandradeyl
    alexandradeyl Posts: 67 Member
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    i went vegan a few months ago for ethical and health reasons...but i still have sushi sporadically
  • andersonm3
    andersonm3 Posts: 11
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    I was vegetarian all through high school and now am vegan.

    I choose not to eat meat and other animal bi products because, animal cruelty aside, the food industry is doing some pretty disturbing things to foods we consume every day. I prefer not to put hormones and other harmful things into my body. Why do you think 9 year old girls are getting their periods? It's what's in our food.

    If this interests you, books to get an idea of what is going on in the food/meat industry:

    Skinny *****
    Eating Animals

    If reading isn't your thing:

    Earthlings
    Food Inc
    Super Size Me


    I also love animals and cannot even consider eating them now.

    Going back to eating animals isn't an option for me.
  • krystico
    krystico Posts: 104
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    Currently - I AM a meateater. BUT, I could go veggie one day - because of how the animals are treated. Anyone ever read 'Skinny *****'? The book is definitely pro-veggie. One specific chapter tells all about what happens in the slaughterhouse. I was in tears; the animal treatment is awful.
  • andersonm3
    andersonm3 Posts: 11
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    One year in high school I hosted a separate meal for my vegan and vegetarian friends. It was potluck style with everything from tofurkey to peanut butter and jellies. It was a great way to feel more comfortable.

    My family gave me a hard time but honestly, I'd rather do what's socially responsible than socially acceptable. I don't feel that eating meat and dairy in today's food industry is the right thing to do. That gets me through it.

    Also, prepare some vegan/vegetarian dishes for your family to try.
  • andersonm3
    andersonm3 Posts: 11
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    oppps. this was in reply to the woman who asked what vegetarians/vegans do for thanksgiving.
  • lovetowrite73
    lovetowrite73 Posts: 1,244 Member
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    I only gave up beef and pork and it was purely a financial decision. Seemed that they're more expensive than chicken. But now I eat mostly fish and, well, that's the most expensive. :laugh: I don't go back though because I'm afraid of how my stomach would react.
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
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    I would love to learn more about this. I've been contemplating this for several months now. I recently had my gall bladder removed and have only been able to eat chicken. I am allergic to seafood and fish, so i can't go that route. Any advice for me on becoming a vegan or vegetarian would be welcome!
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
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    I became a pescetarian because i'm more of a seafood girl :) Up until about a day ago i was doing just fine... Now all i can seem to think about is chicken soup.. No chicken.. just the broth..lol Really thinking of turning back over to the dark side..lol Just scared because i heard if you don't do it right you get sick.. that may all be a bunch of bull though... I could still care less about anything except seafood... just really want that darn soup :)

    As long as you're willing to put in the work, it's pretty easy to do it right. I've ended up eating some stuff I probably wouldn't have, before, but I feel better for it and I have yet to get sick.
  • autumn20111
    autumn20111 Posts: 15
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    Seems the more veges I eat, the less meat I want. Now to the point of only wanting fish, I can't imagine knawing on a piece of beef. When my children were small and I was married, I tried it for 6 wks, but it was very difficult as my husband wanted beef. Now, I am finally able to eat what I want, which doesn't include beef. Have been doing this for a month, and I noticed my face is developing a nice shine. I also read type A + blood prefers more veges in the book, Eat for your blood type.
  • jenocelot
    jenocelot Posts: 47
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    Back in the 80s John Robbins (of the baskin-robbins ice cream family who all were dying of heart disease) wrote a book, Diet for a New America. As I read of the horrors of what goes on in factory 'farms' I knew I would never eat dead creatures again. 25 years later I am a healthy, fit vegetarian, near-vegan. And so is my daughter, yay! Glad to see there are many of us here who care about the plight of animals. I am not a fanatic, I accept others as they are but I am not afraid to answer questions honestly when approached. : )
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
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    I stopped for my health, for animals and for the environment. There is less saturated fat in my diet and I honestly never really cared for it. My grocery bill is cheaper since I stick to buying beans and veggies. I usually make everything fresh and soak and cook my own beans.
    Another concern was I didn't know where meat was coming from when I ate out. I could control this at home, but it is expensive to buy and meat is expensive to raise and uses a lot of resources.
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    god, i love meat. burgers, ribs, korean bbq! and poultry. chicken, turkey on thanksgiving. and fish. yum! HOWEVER, i have been able to cut back on meat in the past and stick to poultry and fish...and then recently i started dating a vegetarian and i really thought about what my reasons were for eating poor little animals who've been treated inhumanely. there are so many things to eat that don't involve killing animals--so for the past 2 months i've been on a pescatarian diet. i still can't seem to give up fish. not sure if i'll get that far either....one day at a time!!!

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