Is it possible to go vegan if you love meat?
Replies
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I didn't even read the entire post.... :indifferent:0
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Vegans can still be unhealthy, it's not a solve everything solution. If you enjoy eating meat, eggs, dairy, etc, eat them.0
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I was vegetarian for a decade, then pescetarian for over a decade, and started eating meat again quite recently, when I started craving it badly on starting strength training.
I am fully aware of what goes on in the slaughterhouses, but also aware that this is not going to change because a small % of the population shun meat and dairy. In fact, I could almost think of it as my being wasteful of the horrible death these animals did suffer, by avoiding the product. As it is, a load of meat goes to waste, so in essence, that animal suffered and died needlessly because no-one consumed the end product. There are many ways to view the ethical and moral side of things, I suppose. If I were in the position, I would hunt my own food and use every part. As is, I aim for free range, organic, grass fed etc.0 -
Just a thought to those who are confused as to why OP would give up meat if she likes it, but maybe she just got thinking about how vegans get protein and calcium without easy resources like meat and dairy.0
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IDK ..is it possible to be a Virgin if you love sex? you gotta love lifes little mysteries....0
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I had to decide to find a different way to live my values.
I'm careful about where my food comes from, but I would never cut out animal products again.
That is such a beautiful statement!0 -
Yea because those fitness industry folks eating all that lean chicken, fish, and tuna look so bad.0
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I am a vegetarian, which is nowhere near as restrictive as veganism. I also loved meat before I gave it up. There is no real health benefit to becoming a vegan or a vegetarian and in fact you need to be more conscious of what you eat (especially for vegans) to ensure you are getting the appropriate nutrients. In my opinion, health reasons, assuming a balanced diet (omnivorous or vegetarian) otherwise, are not a reason to become a vegan or a vegetarian. It is restrictive and unless you have strong convictions regarding it as a 'lifestyle', then it will be very very hard to adhere to, and for what reason?
Thank goodness for Sarah.0 -
I do not necessarily hate vegetables, but I do love meat and I cannot imagine life without dairy or eggs. I was just thinking about a butternut squash soup I like to make and I thought, I could go vegan perhaps. But, then I thought about the chicken broth I use in it and the cream to make it rich and I wondered how would I replace those if I were vegan. So, then I thought it would be torture to try and be vegan. Anyone a meat lover who is now vegan and what are you thoughts about the vegan lifestyle? Is it hard to find substitutes for dairy and such? Do you have to go and purchase a gazillion supplements for all the things you do not eat? Does that cost more than just being a typical eater?
@Amazn
It might help you make a decision one way or the other, watch:
Vegucated 2012
Nutrient Density is the Key to Good health - Joel Fuhrman MD
Got the Facts on Milk (2011)
Forks Over Knives (2011)
Farmageddon (2012)
TheTruth About Your Food with FOOD, INC. Filmmaker Robert Kenner (Iinterview)
Olive Oil Is Not Healthy - Michael Klaper MD (2012)
River of Waste: The Hazardous Truth About Factory Farms (2010)
If you need any links, message me privately and i will send to you.
Good luck in your studies!
Holy horrible sources batman.
some of those titles are hilarious though..
Farmageddon LOL
River of waste ...OMG Hilarious..
Vegucated ...is that a freaking porn???
F'ing hilarious ....0 -
I had to decide to find a different way to live my values.
I'm careful about where my food comes from, but I would never cut out animal products again.
That is such a beautiful statement!
Thank you! It was a challenge, but I feel good AND I feel good about it now.0 -
It's possible but going vegan for health benefits is difficult, and not all people experience them. Perhaps consider adding more vegan meals into your diet if you want to experiment with it?0
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I've been a vegan for over 7 years so I'll add my opinion
To address your specific questions:
Soup: use vegetable broth (a low sodium variety!) and to make it creamier you can add soy milk soy creamer, almond creamer, coconut cream, rice cream, hazelnut cream, etc... You could also soak and puree your own nuts to make a "cream" or even just add in a pureed potato (I make a yummy "creamy" soup with just broth, sweet and white potatoes leeks, carrots, and onions)
Milk substitutes: soy, almond, coconut, hemp, rice, etc... Tons of possibilities! There are good vegan cheese options too (daiya, tofutti, teese, etc) and omgggg there are some amazing ice creams. I also eat vegan yogurt, either coconut milk based or almond milk based.
Egg substitutes: vary depending on the use of eggs (scramble, baking etc) but they are all out there and easy to find too!
Meat: There are so many options! You can go for packaged products like Boca or Gardein (which I love!) or more whole products like seitan, tempeh, tofu, etc. As you gain experience with plant-based meals you'll stop thinking of meals as the traditional "animal protein+sides" and get more creative too. Keep in mind all food has protein so instead of having a slab of meat you can have roasted veg+chickeas+quinoa and more than fill all your requirements!
Supplements: I've only rarely had to take supliments and never for reasons related to veganism. I had to take iron supplements as a teenager but anemia ran in my family (of omnivores) and since then I have gotten more than enough iron from my diet. Other than that I take a multivitamin when I remember but that's it. People will try to scare you about protein or B12 but if you eat a healthy balanced diet that includes some enriched foods you'll have no problem.
Expense: Like any diet, it depends on what you buy. If you purchase whole foods and cook from scratch it's so cheap (think about what the poorest people in the world eat, it's rice and beans usually!) In that case, veganism usually works out cheaper than an omnivore diet because eggs/milk/cheese/meat are expensive. If you opt to buy more organic food or packaged and prepared foods it will be more expensive of course but still favourably comparable to an omnivore's grocery bill. If you meal plan then you can save a lot on groceries by not wasting perishable produce.
In terms of liking meat, I used to but I didn't think that a superficial desire like taste was worth the pain eating animal products caused. I have no desire to eat meat at all these days. My husband is still an omnivore and is completely satisfied by the vegan dinners I cook at home.
If you're interested you can look into the movies Forks Over Knives and Vegucated for more info on vegan diets (Vegucated is great for a lot of the questions you had and shows meat-lovers trying out veganism). There's a good website on fitness and veganism called http://veganbodybuilding.org which you might want to check out too? If you want cookbook suggestions just let me know what you like and I can tell you some of my favourites.
Hope that helped! Let me know if you have any more questions!0 -
I love the taste of meat but haven't eaten it since January and I don't miss it. I never really enjoyed dairy as much, but I have been having dairy every day because its an easy source of protein. As for going vegan, in my opinion the only thing that is next to impossible to replace is cheese! All kinds:). However I do often have Mac and cheese that's dairy free ( using nutritional yeast flakes, coconut milk and optional ground nuts)
Btw: Vegans MUST research B12 !! This is very important.... Also important for meat eaters who are over fifty!0 -
Vegans can still be unhealthy, it's not a solve everything solution. If you enjoy eating meat, eggs, dairy, etc, eat them.
This is soooooooooo true!!!!^.
(I heard that Oreos are vegan:) )0 -
I think lasting change is gradual change.
I cut out beef (I couldn't afford grass fed beef and I didn't want to plow weird bovine growth hormones into my body)...and I felt better...I didn't feel "loggy" all the time. So, I cut out chicken, and I felt better. Then fish when I was pregnant due to the mercury risks and I never added it back.
For the last 10 years I've been a vegetarian...dairy in the form of low fat yogurt, skim milk, cheeses. I'm in my 40s and I've noticed that as I've gotten older animal foods tend to 'sit" in my stomach and not in a comfortable way...so I'm working on cutting back on dairy.
You don't have to go vegan overnight. It took me 10 years to become a vegetarian and it will probably take be another 3 to be pure vegan.
Something else I've noticed: When I'm not eating animal products, I tend to crave sugar and fat less.0 -
I don't believe the health benefits of a vegan diet are because of the meat. Vegans tend to shun processed foods, white flour and sugar as well as meat and I think that's what makes the difference. No disrespect to vegans, I just think they're blaming the wrong thing. If you like meat, I wouldn't advise avoiding it.
i don't really know any vegans (and i know a ton) that plainly state 'eating meat is unhealthy' or that vegan is 'naturally healthier'. neither is remotely an absolute truth -- there are certainly healthy meats, and certainly 'junk food vegans'.
BUT... and this is important,
Vegans:
1) read ingredients. on everything. everything!
2) and like you say, if it's processed, it's likely not vegan. refined sugar? nope. so in that way, vegans do avoid a lot of inherently bad items. people that don't care about what they eat are more likely to eat bad food. do all meat eaters eat badly? of course not. but obviously, many do.
3) Vegans avoid cholesterol. It's a nice bonus. In exchange, vegans need to be careful about a few vitamins that are actually easy to get vegan if you know what you're doing, but easy to miss if you don't.
4) Vegans avoid 'bad' meat. By that, I don't mean rotten meat, but the stuff chock full of hormones. Industry milk, eggs, and meat are chock full of hormones and antibiotics because many factory animals are living in filth and disease so need to be chock full of medicine 24/7, and then they use hormones and stuff to turn poor little hens into egg laying machines and cows into milkers and... on and on. It's heartbreaking. Vegans avoid all this. But of course, a meat eater can source all their meat (or hunt) and avoid all of it too. But... that means no more eating meat at random restaurants... and it ends up being expensive.
I visit small farms on a regular basis. Very happy animals! It's nice. If someone sources their cows or goat milk from them, it's far better than the grocery store variety. But those little farms are not where most people get their food from. Like I said, it ends up being just as much research as being vegan is to avoid all of it.
5) And of course, if you want to get all hippy, it's less cruel... and we are what we eat. The last minutes at a slaughterhouse are, well, awful.
The word 'meat' itself is just one more abstraction. It's a cow, or a chicken, or whatever, that most likely spent birth through death in awful conditions, being force fed food and drugs.
This is NOT meant to be a condemnation of meat eaters. I get that. Like I mentioned earlier, i loved meat/seafood growing up. It is, however, a condemnation of what the animal industry has become. There are ways around a lot of the worst offenses, but it ends up being just as much research and dietary carefulness as being vegan. You can't even believe labels, because the regulations for labels like 'cage free' are corrupt as well.
Hunting (for food, not sport) doesn't bother me. It's certainly not my thing, but it's natural. It's those damn factories.
All that said? I don't think being vegan is 'inherently' healthier. I do think spending time researching what you eat is healthy, though, and that's a mandate of veganism.0 -
My nickname growing up was "T-Rex" (thanks, Dad) because I loved eating meat--roasts, burgers, grilled chicken so much. Then I realized that my eating habits were costing several "lives" a day. http://www.veganoutreach.org/EIYLM.pdf
I am happy to say I've been vegetarian close to half my life now, and vegan the last two+ of it.
Yes, not denying meat tasted "good" when I ate it, but the variety I have now in my diet is a zillion times more tasty and satisfactory--and the best part is losing FAT has never been easier.
Today--treated myself to BLACK BEAN chocolate mousse, I make a killer cashew "alfredo" sauce regularly, mastered tofu fritattas--I'm telling you food just tastes better when you can eat with a clean conscience, and eat LOTS of whole, healthy foods and still lose fat. Banana raspberry sorbet in my Vitamix? Kicks Ice cream's @ss any day. :-) I love to eat--if anything I am vegan now because I really love and enjoy eating food that much. :-) There is great FREEDOM in a healthy vegan menu.
check out this blog for great recipe ideas:
www.lunchboxbunch.com0 -
(I heard that Oreos are vegan:) )
refined sugar -- animal bone charcoal.
go with newman o's or even hydrox or better yet a local variant if you're lucky enough to live in or near a city with a strong vegan presence (like most of the pacific northwest).0 -
Vegans tend to shun processed foods, white flour and sugar as well as meat and I think that's what makes the difference.
Uh, not any vegan I've met. They frickin' love processed wheat and sugar and crap. I guess we know different folks.0 -
Vegans tend to shun processed foods, white flour and sugar as well as meat and I think that's what makes the difference.
Uh, not any vegan I've met. They frickin' love processed wheat and sugar and crap. I guess we know different folks.
many do, some don't. but you're right, lots of vegans eat processed food. i know when i was vegan i did (and i'm still pretty close, and still do). but generally the core ingredients are healthier in most vegan products. for example, raw sugar vs. refined sugar, no chemicals, etc. i absolutely love fake meats (no surprise, i loved meat growing up). my wife eats healthier and uses beans and other alternatives instead.0 -
I don't eat red meat, dairy or eggs because they all trigger my IBS. I still eat birds and fish, though, so I'm not vegan. I
cheese but I have managed to keep myself from eating it, because the effect it has on my bowels makes it just not worth it. So yes, it is possible to give up something you love. But in your case, if meat doesn't hurt you and you love to eat it, why not just eat it? :drinker: 0 -
...In fact, I could almost think of it as my being wasteful of the horrible death these animals did suffer, by avoiding the product. As it is, a load of meat goes to waste, so in essence, that animal suffered and died needlessly because no-one consumed the end product...
I'm not a vegetarian, but I just couldn't let this one go. Economics 101. If a significant number of people stopped consuming a product, the producer would not just continue to produce the same amount of product and then let it rot. That would cost them a crap ton of $ to produce the extra product that would not sell. Eventually, the meat market would adjust down to the lower demand, while more non-meat markets would expand to fill the void. (But whatever helps you sleep at night...)0 -
If you love meat, then eat meat. You could also try a hybrid approach.
1- eat real fruits and veggies
2- remove all processed foods
3- remove salt, and NON fruit sugars
If you did the above and still ate meat, you would likely feel good.
4- Eat meat only a few days a week
Being vegan is not an all or nothing thing. Anyone who says it is, is on a high horse. Everyone has bad days, even if they are vegan. Try eating meat 3-4 days a week and a plant based vegetarian or vegan diet the other days. Then you can have both. After doing that for a while, if you decide to go vegan, you would already be half way there. It gives you a chance to see if it would work for you.
This is great advice. I'm in the process of making #3 a habit. Removing processed foods was easier than I thought it would be because I concentrated on what I COULD eat that I loved! I keep contemplating going vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian but haven't decided yet, as I eat meat for the protein source, as well as I hate cooking two separate meals and my family likes meat. I have been finding new ways of eating healthy fats and protein that are not animal-based. I will probably start eating meat only a few days per week and see what happens from there. There is nothing like de-junking your diet and eating a whole foods, majority plant-based diet!0 -
My nickname growing up was "T-Rex" (thanks, Dad) because I loved eating meat--roasts, burgers, grilled chicken so much. Then I realized that my eating habits were costing several "lives" a day. http://www.veganoutreach.org/EIYLM.pdf
I am happy to say I've been vegetarian close to half my life now, and vegan the last two+ of it.
Yes, not denying meat tasted "good" when I ate it, but the variety I have now in my diet is a zillion times more tasty and satisfactory--and the best part is losing FAT has never been easier.
Today--treated myself to BLACK BEAN chocolate mousse, I make a killer cashew "alfredo" sauce regularly, mastered tofu fritattas--I'm telling you food just tastes better when you can eat with a clean conscience, and eat LOTS of whole, healthy foods and still lose fat. Banana raspberry sorbet in my Vitamix? Kicks Ice cream's @ss any day. :-) I love to eat--if anything I am vegan now because I really love and enjoy eating food that much. :-) There is great FREEDOM in a healthy vegan menu.
check out this blog for great recipe ideas:
www.lunchboxbunch.com
This has actually been something holding me back from trying it more seriously - wondering if I could do it and still lose fat? My daughter tried it one summer and instantly gained weight... but she replaced all her meats with bread carbs. I'm an animal lover and it's bothering me more and more that I eat meat. I changed my freakin' hair dye because I found out it was tested on animals, but I will eat animals that were raised in horrible conditions, pumped full of drugs to grow bigger and faster and then slaughtered so I could have a hamburger or steak. I'm being so inconsistent and its getting harder and harder to ignore. I am a foodie and love to make new foods and your menu sounds awesome! Thank you for your post!0 -
...In fact, I could almost think of it as my being wasteful of the horrible death these animals did suffer, by avoiding the product. As it is, a load of meat goes to waste, so in essence, that animal suffered and died needlessly because no-one consumed the end product...
I'm not a vegetarian, but I just couldn't let this one go. Economics 101. If a significant number of people stopped consuming a product, the producer would not just continue to produce the same amount of product and then let it rot. That would cost them a crap ton of $ to produce the extra product that would not sell. Eventually, the meat market would adjust down to the lower demand, while more non-meat markets would expand to fill the void. (But whatever helps you sleep at night...)
The fact is, a significant proportion of people have not stopped consuming the product. If anything, the meat industry has only become larger over time.if you seriously believe there will ever be enough vegetarians to outweigh the demand for meat, then you are pretty deluded.0 -
I was vegetarian for a decade, then pescetarian for over a decade, and started eating meat again quite recently, when I started craving it badly on starting strength training.
I am fully aware of what goes on in the slaughterhouses, but also aware that this is not going to change because a small % of the population shun meat and dairy. In fact, I could almost think of it as my being wasteful of the horrible death these animals did suffer, by avoiding the product. As it is, a load of meat goes to waste, so in essence, that animal suffered and died needlessly because no-one consumed the end product. There are many ways to view the ethical and moral side of things, I suppose. If I were in the position, I would hunt my own food and use every part. As is, I aim for free range, organic, grass fed etc.
That is a very good way of looking at things.0 -
IDK ..is it possible to be a Virgin if you love sex? you gotta love lifes little mysteries....
Well, we know there are ways around it or other substitutes for it, until you get the real thing lol!0 -
I've been a vegan for over 7 years so I'll add my opinion
To address your specific questions:
Soup: use vegetable broth (a low sodium variety!) and to make it creamier you can add soy milk soy creamer, almond creamer, coconut cream, rice cream, hazelnut cream, etc... You could also soak and puree your own nuts to make a "cream" or even just add in a pureed potato (I make a yummy "creamy" soup with just broth, sweet and white potatoes leeks, carrots, and onions)
Milk substitutes: soy, almond, coconut, hemp, rice, etc... Tons of possibilities! There are good vegan cheese options too (daiya, tofutti, teese, etc) and omgggg there are some amazing ice creams. I also eat vegan yogurt, either coconut milk based or almond milk based.
Egg substitutes: vary depending on the use of eggs (scramble, baking etc) but they are all out there and easy to find too!
Meat: There are so many options! You can go for packaged products like Boca or Gardein (which I love!) or more whole products like seitan, tempeh, tofu, etc. As you gain experience with plant-based meals you'll stop thinking of meals as the traditional "animal protein+sides" and get more creative too. Keep in mind all food has protein so instead of having a slab of meat you can have roasted veg+chickeas+quinoa and more than fill all your requirements!
Supplements: I've only rarely had to take supliments and never for reasons related to veganism. I had to take iron supplements as a teenager but anemia ran in my family (of omnivores) and since then I have gotten more than enough iron from my diet. Other than that I take a multivitamin when I remember but that's it. People will try to scare you about protein or B12 but if you eat a healthy balanced diet that includes some enriched foods you'll have no problem.
Expense: Like any diet, it depends on what you buy. If you purchase whole foods and cook from scratch it's so cheap (think about what the poorest people in the world eat, it's rice and beans usually!) In that case, veganism usually works out cheaper than an omnivore diet because eggs/milk/cheese/meat are expensive. If you opt to buy more organic food or packaged and prepared foods it will be more expensive of course but still favourably comparable to an omnivore's grocery bill. If you meal plan then you can save a lot on groceries by not wasting perishable produce.
In terms of liking meat, I used to but I didn't think that a superficial desire like taste was worth the pain eating animal products caused. I have no desire to eat meat at all these days. My husband is still an omnivore and is completely satisfied by the vegan dinners I cook at home.
If you're interested you can look into the movies Forks Over Knives and Vegucated for more info on vegan diets (Vegucated is great for a lot of the questions you had and shows meat-lovers trying out veganism). There's a good website on fitness and veganism called http://veganbodybuilding.org which you might want to check out too? If you want cookbook suggestions just let me know what you like and I can tell you some of my favourites.
Hope that helped! Let me know if you have any more questions!
Thanks, great information!!0 -
I was vegan for a month last year. I could live without meat by eating vegan substitues like Tofurky. Same with milk swapped with almond milk. But I'm a huge cheese lover and I found vegan cheese just didn't measure up. I'm sure if you are able to find the right substitutes (to satisfy the taste and texture of meat) and get your daily protein from beans for example, you will be okay.0
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Vegans tend to shun processed foods, white flour and sugar as well as meat and I think that's what makes the difference.
Uh, not any vegan I've met. They frickin' love processed wheat and sugar and crap. I guess we know different folks.
That depends how strict they are with their veganism - refined sugar is not technically vegan as stated elsewhere in the thread.
To the OP, it's been said already but to be healthier is not a reason for following a vegan lifestyle. It is restrictive, takes a lot of forward meal planning, makes it very important to keep tabs on micronutrients intake, can make eating out socially a 'chore' (depending where you live I guess) and expands beyond food choices - are you going to give up wearing / buying any leather products? And will you buy only vegan shoes and accessories (glues used in the manufacturing of these products can contain animal products)? Veganism is the decision to remove the use of animal products entirely, for ethical reasons. To do it purely for 'health' reasons alone, especially if you 'love meat' seems unnecessary. Indeed a vegan diet can be pretty unhealthy. There is no reason to cut out meat, fish and dairy entirely to be healthy.0
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