Semi-Vegetarian...yay or nay?

I wouldn't go around calling yourself a semi-vegetarian. If you don't want to eat meat as much I'd say go pescatarian (spelling?) where you eat fish/seafood. Chicken is one of the worst things you can eat- did you know if not cooked properly all foul have diseases communicable to humans?! Doesn't sound like nature's food at all! And all cattle (if not organic) are infested with E-Coli- YUM! Also- dairy doesn't ever need to be consumed and most people are lactose intolerant (but may not even know it!) especially if you're a PoC.

I'm a vegan and went lacto-ovo vegetarian for six months before I made the switch. Living at home and not being in charge of buying your own groceries makes it difficult, but after the new year I went vegan (a long with getting rid of/stopped buying products that tested on animals) and I'll never look back.

It was hard not eating meat when I went out with family and friends, but if you want to eat healthy you better learn how to cook anyways! At home it was pretty easy.

Most people think they are going to continue to eat an "omni" diet, just with out the animal products- this is wrong! You'll have to change your diet completely. Of course, there are alternatives to your favorite foods, but you'll just have to eat them in moderation.

This website has a whole bunch of information in one place:

http://happyherbivore.com/get-started/

I wouldn't go around calling yourself a semi-vegetarian. If you don't want to eat meat as much I'd say go pescatarian (spelling?) where you eat fish/seafood. Chicken is one of the worst things you can eat- did you know if not cooked properly all foul have diseases communicable to humans?! Doesn't sound like nature's food at all! And all cattle (if not organic) are infested with E-Coli- YUM! Also- dairy doesn't ever need to be consumed and most people are lactose intolerant (but may not even know it!) especially if you're a PoC.

infested???? Doesn't E-Coli get destroyed in the cooking process? Let me think, was it beansprouts or cucumbers that were infested with E-Coli in Germany a couple of years back....

Please, lets not scaremonger and make over-exaggerated claims.


to the OP. Why label yourself? Eat more plant-based food and reduce the number of portions of meat you have (as another poster said).

I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 5 years now, but I slowly transitioned to that diet over about 5 years to get there. I started by not preparing meat much at home, then not at all. I still ordered it when eating out or as a guest in someone's home. Then I slowly stopped ordering it out. I finally decided to cut it out for good.

Why not try increasing your meatless meals for a while and see how it goes? No need to do it overnight.

My bf is a meat eater, I'm still a veggie. I do not cook meat for him. He's very open and will eat whatever I make for dinner (and loves my cooking) and when he cooks for both of us he makes a veggie meal. If he wants a meaty dinner he lets me know in advance and we each do our own thing that night.

I've never heard of this, but either way it is confusing when people use the word vegetarian and also eat meat. If you are looking to cut your consumption of flesh-based meals I encourage and applaud you.

This is just a mens health article....but online is not where i learned about it. Through documentaries and recently attended a Tony Robbins Conference and as hokey as it sounds the guy is a huge health nut. The last day he spends entirely on health, food, meds, fitness, weight loss, etc.

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/foodborne_illness/Chicken.php

either you are or you aren't

I just started a pescatarian lifestyle, move to veg and then vegan. I tried going right to vegan last year but definitely was not creative enough in the kitchen, was eating the same stuff over and over, got sick of it and fell off. I actually enjoy cooking now, so I am giving it a go once again at a slower pace. Day three no meat, I feel great

I am not a fan of Tofu, and I am trying my best to stay away from soy and "meatless" replacement products, so I will have to research a bit to make sure I am getting enough protein, still having the fish I don't think it will be an issue at this moment. I also love beans, so that definitely helps with the protein!

If you are unsure, start slow and gradually take things out of your diet or trying making some meatless dishes for dinner a few times a week, see how it goes.

Good Luck in whatever you decide to do

Do you like Veggie ground? You can use it in spag or chili??? Or try the Tofurkey Deli slices, not bad! I HATE TOFU TOO. But there's alot of options available...kinda just try it all and stick to what you do like!

Are you avoiding them causr you think you wont like them? Or another reason? Try quinoa, great for protein

I would just request that you think about your motivations for doing this. Is it for ethical reasons? Or because you have some sort of intolerance? That's perfectly fine, to each their own

But if it's because you're assuming it will be "healthier..." I would be very careful. There are unhealthy vegetarians! You can even be a vegetarian and barely touch vegetables. If this is your goal, I would instead focus on how much carbs/protein/fat you're getting and perhaps not be as concerned if it's coming from meat or from other sources. Just my two cents

And as for there being unheallthy vegetarians yes....being a vegetarian doesn't mean you don't smoke, drink, eat bad stuff with lots of sugar, doesn't mean you can't be diabetic or have any other conditions either.

I've been veg now 4 months and it's the GREATEST i have ever felt. Period. I also cut out regular milk, yogurt, and most cheese.

I agree with a lot of the comments... See what works best for your body. In late July 2012 I made the decision to remove meat from my diet. I am Pescaterian now - I eat fish 2 times per week. I eat yogurt and sometimes eggs or cottage cheese. I'm just slowly seeing what my body likes and what it doesn't.

It was really easy for me to cut out cow, pig, chicken etc because I am a huge animal lover. But the dairy products are much harder for me. I recently moved from milk to almond or coconut milk (Which is delicious!!) but I still love my greek yogurt/cottage cheese.... so it's a learning process.
I do eat the alternatives - morning star, quorn, dr. praeger... and enjoy them! Not all the time but 1-2 times a week. I also learned to love fish! I was a tuna girl LOL But now I eat shellfish, mahi, cod, scrod etc!

I think it's a one step at a time kind of thing. And it matters why you're doing it. Even when I think I might want a hot dog - I know I really don't b/c of what I've seen. Take it step by step and see what your body wants. My MD said nobody should eat red meat... bad for the heart and cholesterol... what that's just one opinion. I'm still obese, but since adapting to my mostly veg lifestyle my blood work has improved and I feel better....
Good luck whatever you decide to do :-)
xoxo