Why did you become vegetarian/vegan?

Amberh82

After watching a few documentaries and thinking about my health, I'm thinking of leaning towards trying to make more vegetarian choices.

What was the reason you became vegetarian or vegan or just started making more vegetarian choices?

Also, as a newbie to all of this, do you have any tips or suggestions for me to help me get started?

sitaraxox

Hey well i'm vegetarian because i just can't stand the taste of meat, i love how clean a meat free body feels, that being said under doctors orders i eat fish because of alot of my health problems, but anywho..
A good start to being vegetarian if you like meat are vegetarian meat sustitutes like QUORN (they make mince, sausages, pies, sausage roll...etc) and there is also Vege D'Lites which are bacon rashers, sausage and the likes. Anyways many of these alternatives (if not all) have a low calorie intake and provide a large amount of the nutrients the body requires as well as getting rid of that meat craving and giving you a base to a meal. They're a very healthy choice and don't contain the same animal fats that cause alot of weight gain

hope i helped and GOOD LUCK!! xxx

bobemmer

I am a good vegetarian and a sloopy vegan - I have not had meat, fish, and chicken for more than 3 years now. i struggle as I shove the donut in my moouth that i know it has eggs and probably dairy. The sugar calls my name but now onmfp i log what goes inmy mouth. i look to live as simply as possible which benefits me and the animals in the world!

jmilian825

I spent a weekend with my vegetarian friend and ate like she did went to hot yoga with her and realized I didn't miss meat and my body felt soooo good so I decided to try it for myself and stick with it. I'm a newbie too its only been 58 days so far so good. I also don't agree with the the animals are processed it is very cruel! that has some factor into why I went vegetarian but it's not the main reason.

ValerieMartini2Olives

I recommend reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian. I also listened to Fast Food Nation on audiobook.

I chose to become vegetarian because:

1) Plant based diets are healthier (lower in cholesterol and saturated fats)
2) I love animals - I hate how the food industry massacres animals
3) Plant based diets are greener
4) I love to cook, so being meat/chicken/fish/egg free forces me to be more creative in the kitchen.

hajjcomb

I still eat meat, but very rarely, and when I do it must be humanely raised and local/regional.

The documentary Forks Over Knives got me thinking about it more, and then the documentary Food Inc. made my wife and I swear off store bought, industrial meat.

Amberh82

I recommend reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being Vegetarian. I also listened to Fast Food Nation on audiobook.

I chose to become vegetarian because:

1) Plant based diets are healthier (lower in cholesterol and saturated fats)
2) I love animals - I hate how the food industry massacres animals
3) Plant based diets are greener
4) I love to cook, so being meat/chicken/fish/egg free forces me to be more creative in the kitchen.

I already have the book, just need to start reading it . I haven't watched Fast Food Nation yet (its on my watch list) but I saw Food Inc. That was enough lol. I also watched Forks over Knives and Vegucated. Both good documentaries on the benefits of "no meat" diet

Amberh82

I still eat meat, but very rarely, and when I do it must be humanely raised and local/regional.

The documentary Forks Over Knives got me thinking about it more, and then the documentary Food Inc. made my wife and I swear off store bought, industrial meat.

Yes! I saw both of these and Vegucated. I never thought about it before, but now I can't stop thinking about how gross it is.

grrrlface

I love animals and they way they are treated is disgusting! The guilt of eating an animal itself was the main reason. My second reason was I wasn't keen on meat anyway, before I went veggie all I ate was chicken that I couldn't even prepare myself so I just gave it up!
Feel much happier and healthier for it!

Reducing meat gradually is the easiest way, i just dived straight in and it was kinda hard at first because I didn't give myself time to plan what I would replace meat with in my meals! :-)

lahstrand

Hey there! We have a lot in common I grew up in a vegetarian household. We weren't banned from eating meat so if I went to a friend's house I'd eat bacon (my favorite!), but I grew up eating very little meat. In high school through college I was a complete vegetarian. I started eating meat again when I got married...probably contributed to my weight gain. Now I'm trying to only eat meat once or twice a week. My husband is a great cook who loves meat so it is a little difficult. here are my tips:

Stock up on veggies, fresh, frozen, canned
Cook lots of whole grains and freeze it in 1 cup servings: brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal
If you aren't going vegan eggs are great
Beans are extremely versatile
All kinds of nut butters are wonderful too

I try to stay away from the pre-packaged fake meat products. Most of them are overly processed with an extra long ingredient list. I make my own black bean burgers that freeze well.

I will say when I don't eat meat, but eat a healthy plant diet with good protiens I feel like I have more calories to use.

tomhancock

It is pretty difficult to get adequate levels of protein eating a vegetarian diet. You have to be very well educated on it, and very careful, and eat a LOT of beans, quinoa, and other protein-containing grains. I eat vegetarian for lent, and its really tough to eat a healthy vegetarian diet, it gives you a lot of respect for the vegetarians that are actually healthy, and gives you a lot of insight into why so many vegetarians are skinny fat. One year we may try going vegan, but I think that will be even harder!

For those of you from the "guilt" school of vegetarianism, or from the anti-meat industry school, this may seem a little counter-intuitive, but look into buying some local venison, turkey, or squirrel meat. These animals are 100% free range, eat completely organic, and the process used to harvest them is far more humane than commercial slaughterhouses. No hunter wants to chase a deer, so we all ensure they are killed instantly with as little pain as possible, since pain=adrenaline=running=chasing. They are also cheap and leaner than store bought meat, and you can make sure that 100% of the animal is used. Hunting also takes the place of natural predators in the ecosystem and prevents unecessary amounts of roadkill and other accidental animal deaths which are in almost every case more painful ways to die for a deer than a bullet.

EmCarroll1990

I simply don't like to eat cute things. So, with that said I have cut out all meat minus chicken / turkey. It's something I'm working on.

_VoV

I'm veg*n because I think it's the kindest way to feed myself. It doesn't require someone else to kill an animal for my sustenance. And plants make for some mighty good eating!

I have been veg*n since 1973. Back then, I was a meat-eater who fussed about the aesthetics of certain types of meat--like steak, whole chickens with bones, etc. At a work-related BBQ, I said 'Ewwww' when I saw the rare sirloin steak. My boss said, "You are such a hypocrite, sitting there eating a hamburger and being so sensitive about this steak." The truth of this statement hit me immediately, and from that moment on, I have not eaten meat.

ValerieMartini2Olives

It is pretty difficult to get adequate levels of protein eating a vegetarian diet.

I have never once had a problem getting enough protein as a vegetarian.
If that were true, you'd have TONS of people walking around with protein deficiency.

(Number are as follows: calories/fat/carbs/fiber/protein)
El Milagro - Corn Tortilla, 2 Tortillas 100 0 24 2 2
Casa Mamita - Fat Free Refried Beans, 1/2 Cup (124g) 100 0 18 6 6
Sargento - Reduced Fat Colby-Jack Shredded Cheese, 1/4 cup (28g) 90 5 2 0 7
Boca - Mealtess crumbles - 60 .5 6 3 13
Nature Blessed - Fajita Vegetables, 2/3 cup 25 0 5 1 1
Pampa - 100% Pure Vegetable Oil, 0.5 Tbsp (15ml) 65 7 0 0 0

You're telling me that 29 grams of protein is not enough for a meal?

Bentley2718

It is pretty difficult to get adequate levels of protein eating a vegetarian diet.

I have never once had a problem getting enough protein as a vegetarian.

I have had issues, but that was due to me not eating right, not due to me being a vegetarian. If you eat a reasonable variety of vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, protein will not be an issue.

As for why I'm vegetarian (actually I'm about 99% vegan), I don't like the idea of an animal suffering and being killed so I can eat it. There are also a plethora of health, environmental, and humanitarian arguments for being veg*n--even the World Health Organization has made arguments for plant based diets.

yogsvr4

It is pretty difficult to get adequate levels of protein eating a vegetarian diet.

I have never once had a problem getting enough protein as a vegetarian.
If that were true, you'd have TONS of people walking around with protein deficiency.

Of course, anecdotal evidence supports both sides.

ValerieMartini2Olives

It is pretty difficult to get adequate levels of protein eating a vegetarian diet.

I have never once had a problem getting enough protein as a vegetarian.
If that were true, you'd have TONS of people walking around with protein deficiency.

Of course, anecdotal evidence supports both sides.

I edited my response and copied a recent meal of mine.

Skeels

I simply don't like to eat cute things. So, with that said I have cut out all meat minus chicken / turkey. It's something I'm working on.

Same as me.................hard to kick my chicken and Turk

skinnybearlyndsay

Maybe I'm just ignorant, but do vegetarians eat eggs?

NaturalinCO

I went vegan because I was tired of feeling bogged down, tired, and just plain blah. That kicked off my healthier eating, but I refuse to be so strict with food so vegetarian it was about 2 weeks after going vegan. I remain vegetarian because I love how I feel - fish makes me happy and I still feel the way I like to feel so I eat fish. Plus I like feeling full when I eat a meal, I don't like to have to eat throughout the day because I'm never full - that's how I felt before adding fish back to the mix. It's probably just me, but that has been my experience. Also, try not to eat a ton of processed "vegetarian" crap - in my opinion, if you're eating a bunch of processed junk you're better off eating organic meat!

For me, food is not something that I have these huge strong beliefs in. If it makes my body feel good, it is allowed. My family still eats meat, but knowing what I know I prefer to buy organic as often as I can. Good luck on your journey! You'll feel great, guaranteed, then you'll decide what works best for you

Just don't become a CARBOtarian - that will make it very hard to get good stuff in, like protein and vitamins. I fell into that trap for a bit

NaturalinCO

Maybe I'm just ignorant, but do vegetarians eat eggs?

Vegans don't. Some vegetarians do, some don't. I do - since I started working out more and lifting heavier weights, I NEED the protein and eggs are just easy. *shrugs

FungusTrooper

I became a vegetarian when I was 6 because I realised other people actually liked eating meat at Xmas and whatever, and I didn't. I hated the taste.

Last year, at 25, I decided to try meat again since I was living in Texas - didn't hate it anymore. So I'm no longer vegetarian!

You can be healthy no matter if you do or do not eat meat. All the science for and against eating meat can be shoved aside when you think about the fact that people have been both eating and avoiding meat for centuries, and their life expectancies don't seem to vary that much.

So just do whatever you want to do. Just do it healthily.

lukeout007

After watching a few documentaries and thinking about my health, I'm thinking of leaning towards trying to make more vegetarian choices.

What was the reason you became vegetarian or vegan or just started making more vegetarian choices?

Also, as a newbie to all of this, do you have any tips or suggestions for me to help me get started?

While I commend you for wanting to take your health seriously I would highly recommend doing more research than just watching documentaries.

Documentaries are always biased one way or another.

Now that doesn't mean they are wrong...I'm just saying do more research than just watching documentaries. Becoming vegetarian is something I've thought about but I just don't know enough about it...all I know is what I've learned from documentaries and talking to other vegetarians.

n23robinson

I've been a vegetarian for about 15 years. I don't remember why I became a vegetarian but I love it. I do, however, eat meat if my body craves it... that doesn't happen very often but for example, after I ran my first half marathon, I was craving a cheeseburger so I ate one. This is a very rare occasion but it does happen. I started by stopping all meat entirely but became anemic and weak so I added chicken and turkey back into my diet. I've since stopped eating those things too. I love Morningstar Farms veggie burgers and other foods. I've tried many different brands and I think this one is by far the best.

Good luck!

momtokgo

Vegan, for health reasons mostly.

After my last doctors appontment and being told I had IBS and to find my triggers, I found my triggers. The big ones (besides greasy foods) are steak, bacon and dairy. All dairy. Since I only ate steak, bacon and chicken anyway, I just cut it all out. Chicken has been really hard to eat since I had my second child, it was a major morning sickness trigger (I couldn't even look at it in the grocery store) Its just never gotten better, so it was easy to walk away from it.

Then I figured since I was already dairy and meat free, I might as well go egg free as well and go full vegan. I didn't eat eggs anyway unless they were in a baked good, eggs on their own make me pretty sick. Probably a good sign that I shouldn't be eating them.

Honestly I miss steak. I want nothing more then to eat a big half rare bbq'd steak when my husband is bbq'ing, but I know how sick it will make me and its just not worth it.

skinnybearlyndsay

Maybe I'm just ignorant, but do vegetarians eat eggs?

Vegans don't. Some vegetarians do, some don't. I do - since I started working out more and lifting heavier weights, I NEED the protein and eggs are just easy. *shrugs

Ok. I've been going meatless (aka vegetarian) once a week and wanted to make sure. Thanks!

TKHappy

I went vegan because I was tired of feeling bogged down, tired, and just plain blah. That kicked off my healthier eating, but I refuse to be so strict with food so vegetarian it was about 2 weeks after going vegan. I remain vegetarian because I love how I feel - fish makes me happy and I still feel the way I like to feel so I eat fish. Plus I like feeling full when I eat a meal, I don't like to have to eat throughout the day because I'm never full - that's how I felt before adding fish back to the mix. It's probably just me, but that has been my experience. Also, try not to eat a ton of processed "vegetarian" crap - in my opinion, if you're eating a bunch of processed junk you're better off eating organic meat!

For me, food is not something that I have these huge strong beliefs in. If it makes my body feel good, it is allowed. My family still eats meat, but knowing what I know I prefer to buy organic as often as I can. Good luck on your journey! You'll feel great, guaranteed, then you'll decide what works best for you

Just don't become a CARBOtarian - that will make it very hard to get good stuff in, like protein and vitamins. I fell into that trap for a bit

This x's 100!! I can't remember why I started but that was 15 years ago! You have to really think about what you eat, getting complete proteins and enough B vitamins. I know some very unhealthy vegan and vegetarians because they live off processed foods or just carbs! Take it like you would most healthy eating...balance, very little processed foods, lot of fruits, veggies and nuts...and listen to your body!

goncountry

I am going vegan because my doctor suggested that I cut back on dairy and meat due to my multiple sclerosis. He recommended a book called The China Study which I have been reading.

kerri76

Health, animal rights and to get this excess weight off.

msgremmy

I became vegetarian when I was 8 years old because I loved animals. My dad and brother were vegetarian, but my mother ate animals, so I was exposed to both lifestyles. I chose vegetarianism once I really understood what I was eating and was able to ignore my mother's pressure to eat animals.

When I was 12, I became vegan. My dad had me read a magazine article about chickens being bread with beaks and no legs because they go crazy and peck each other to death is coups. After reading that, I headed to my friend the internet to see what I could learn. After determining that I didn't want to consume eggs or milk, I found veganism, and I've been vegan since (about 13 years).

What I've found is that, at least in my experience, you have to have a reason that you truly believe in to maintain veganism. If it's your health, great; if you're like me and it's for animals, great. Either way... being vegan is not for the weak hearted, as there remain challenges, even though it's a lot easier now than a decade ago. Man, I was lucky to have a side salad and plain baked potato in a restaurant when I was little. Now, there are all sorts of options.

noirnatural

I just got turned off from eating meat.