Vegetarians/Vegans

Options
13

Replies

  • SarahR77777
    SarahR77777 Posts: 21
    Options
    Just need to quickly get this off my chest....

    If you eat chicken, fish or seafood....you are not vegetarian.
    If you eat cheese, butter, eggs.... you are not vegan.

    /end
    :flowerforyou:

    Very well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • swirl121
    swirl121 Posts: 13
    Options
    I watched the documentary Forks over Knives and it convinced me to look into a plant-strong diet. I suffer from a mental disorder and several physical issues that can have some symptom relief (I'm not looking for a cure) by cutting out animal products. At age 27, I also have high triglycerides, and I'm hoping for a positive benefit in that area as well.

    The animal rights aspect is an issue for me, as well. I have worked in 2 different pet stores for the last 5 1/2 years. I have owned hermit crabs and rats, and still own fish and a cat, none of which I would ever think about eating. My shifts are spent teaching people how to take care of their animals to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, around 10% is spent trying to explain to individuals why they shouldn't cram a fish that gets huge into a tiny tank, or put a guinea pig or rat in a small cage, etc, and having way too many people argue with me or try to 'bargain' with me in adding more fish/getting a smaller cage. If I fight so hard to get these animals into an environment where they can thrive (yes, I will even go to bat for the 13 cent 'feeder fish', as they don't deserve to be in a bowl either), why would I turn around and tuck into a lovely piece of meat for dinner? It is a strange dichotomy, in my mind.

    Hey thank you for all your hard work in the pet stores to try and educate prospective pet owners! I'm sure you have made a real difference to many animals ensiring they have much better living conditions. :-) xx
  • morganfox5
    morganfox5 Posts: 52
    Options
    I agree!
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    Options
    :bigsmile: 33 yrs & counting!!!!! no red meat!!!!- sry I do eat chicken & fish-When I started I didnt eat chicken or fish!!! that was hard-& fattening!!!-lots of cheese& bean nachos-etc....This world has come along way since then....My reasons are purely ethical, gotta love the 4 legged friends!!!! hope this helps:)

    You are not a vegetarian or vegan if you eat chicken or fish.
  • daklex
    daklex Posts: 93 Member
    Options
    A few years ago I went to an animal conference. I thought that it would be about puppies and kittens. I was so far off track, and blown away by what I saw. Day 1 taught me about health issues associated with eating meat - hormones, antibiotics, etc. I was disgusted. Day 2 taught me about the cruelty side of it. That was enough for me to start to adapt a new lifestyle.

    I would love to follow a vegan lifestyle but I do happen to love cheese. I severely decreased how much dairy I eat, but I still do have some. I do eat fish a maybe once a month. Once in a while I buckle and have meat (usually chicken), maybe 3x a year. I do go out of my way to only buy organic, farm fed, etc. meat. Because of this I am not a vegetarian, but I do try to live a natural, mostly plant-based lifestyle. I am not labeling myself. To each his own.

    The clincher for me was Meet Your Meat. I'm off to check out the other documentaries mentioned above.
  • srm1960
    srm1960 Posts: 281 Member
    Options
    :bigsmile: 33 yrs & counting!!!!! no red meat!!!!- sry I do eat chicken & fish-When I started I didnt eat chicken or fish!!! that was hard-& fattening!!!-lots of cheese& bean nachos-etc....This world has come along way since then....My reasons are purely ethical, gotta love the 4 legged friends!!!! hope this helps:)

    You are not a vegetarian or vegan if you eat chicken or fish.
  • srm1960
    srm1960 Posts: 281 Member
    Options
    I didn't say that I was either one!!!-Just commented on my life choices in food!!!
  • RawTriGal
    RawTriGal Posts: 190 Member
    Options
    I have been vegan for almost 13 years... there isn't any one reason... it's more a combination of what people have already mentioned here... health, compassion for the planet and for living things.

    If you are someone who likes to read info from 'experts' here area few you can read:
    Good news! Science supports a compassionate diet. Not only is a vegan diet good for you, it’s also good for the planet and all the creatures that live here. Get the facts on healthy vegan diets from the experts:

    Neal Barnard, M.D.
    T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
    Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D.
    Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
    Michael Greger, M.D.
    Julieanna Hever, M.S., R.D., C.P.T.
    McDougall, M.D.
    Ginny Messina, R.D.
    Jack Norris, R.D.
    Jeff Novick, M.S., R.D., L.D., L.N.

    and a couple other books I highly recommend: Diet for a New America by John Robbins, and Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr.
    A fun vegan blog: itseasybeingvegan.com

    Anyone looking for vegan friends, feel free to send me a request with a short note... happy to share the journey!

    ...scatter joy...
  • morganfox5
    morganfox5 Posts: 52
    Options
    Thanks for all the posts! and the info- I will be looking into books on the subject to learn more!
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    Options
    I didn't say that I was either one!!!-Just commented on my life choices in food!!!

    You are however on a vegetarian/vegan thread which makes people believe you think you are vegetarian. A lot of people think cutting out red meat makes them vegetarian.

    If you have no issues with where it comes from red meat isn't a bad thing to consume as long as you aren't consuming large amounts daily.
  • brookelynhoneycutt
    brookelynhoneycutt Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    I have been a vegetarian since 2009. I was already on a kosher diet, watched "Food, Inc." on Netflix, AND went Thanksgiving grocery shopping with my mom and saw the turkeys all piled up in a bin, and that was it for me. I was only 18, and though I had help from my mom who is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist, I still did not do a great job of balancing my foods. That should really be the biggest focus in not only a vegetarian diet, but any diet. In the very beginning, I had some difficulty with feeling tired and lethargic, but I was not eating all the right foods to support my lifestyle.

    I still eat some dairy products (except for milk: I use almond) and eggs, but only hormone free, non gmo and free range. In a more rural area, you can find local organic farmers that you know treat their animals humanely =)

    Make sure you are getting your b-12 (I take a supplement), since it is common among vegetarians/vegans to suffer from anemia because of a lack of this vitamin. Also, chia seeds are my VERY BEST FRIEND! They are a fabulous little super food that you can throw into anything and they are just chock full of protein, omega-3s, digestible and non-digestible fiber; all sorts of goodies!

    Good luck, girlie! You can definitely do it as long as you are balancing your diet, even in a small town =)
  • s_wilson84
    s_wilson84 Posts: 74 Member
    Options
    P.S. I have an amazing recipe for something called Spicy Peanut Lime Cilantro Soup, totally great vegan recipe. Inbox me if you're interested!

    Your soup was AMAZING!!!! I added some sriracha for an added kick but it was absolutely amazing. I had a bowl last night for supper and I brought a bowl to work. Which I only ended up getting to eat about 1/2 of it because EVERYONE wanted to try it. Thank you so much for sharing.
  • freckles_cmj
    freckles_cmj Posts: 205 Member
    Options
    I was vegetarian for 5 years (still ate dairy and eggs) but dropped both of those from my diet back in October and transitioned to vegan.
    There are a lot of ways to get plenty of protein, you can eat nothing but potatoes and get every nutrient you need to survive (except b12) the problem is probably that you are trying to consume more protein than you actually need. I know weight lifters and such need more and there is plenty of info out there how to get more protein with supplements and such but the average person does not require as much as the average person on a western diet consumes. Lots of info out there..someone listed all the Drs and such from Forks Over Knives, thats a great place to start i live in a small town too and there is plenty to eat...the only downside being that choices at restaurants are limited.
    A note about B12 as well...the average person has about a 2-3 yr supply stored in their liver, and B12 is actually produced in the ground, not in animals, but they consume it because they dont wash their food :) There are supplements and things like nutritional yeast that will provide plenty of B12, the yeast is my fave choice...its great dusted on popcorn since it has a cheezy flavor :)
  • eosabraxas
    eosabraxas Posts: 1
    Options
    I've been a vegetarian for 11 years (since I was 9) and it has been 2 years since I became a vegan...but it's not difficult at all, there are so many yummi things that we can eat that are also good for our body!! :)
  • charismanoodles
    charismanoodles Posts: 343 Member
    Options
    Hmm, my reason is that eating meat makes me feel like a zombie and I think meat tastes disgusting...never liked it as a kid, so my mum never made me eat it and I'm still the same today!
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
    Options
    I agree about getting your B-12, but I wouldn't say it is *common* among vegetarians/vegans to suffer from anemia because of it. In fact, the only people I personally know with B-12 problems are not vegans, but celiacs.
    Make sure you are getting your b-12 (I take a supplement), since it is common among vegetarians/vegans to suffer from anemia because of a lack of this vitamin. Also, chia seeds are my VERY BEST FRIEND! They are a fabulous little super food that you can throw into anything and they are just chock full of protein, omega-3s, digestible and non-digestible fiber; all sorts of goodies!
  • tjhstjhs
    tjhstjhs Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    I'm cooking more vegan recipes lately just so I can cook vegan when my bro in law comes to visit. It is a blast for me to try to come up with faux meat. I just tried vegan crab cakes and now I made some seitan. The seitan was the best and most versitle meat replacement I've found, but it's gluten. What's the deal with gluten? Is it all out bad for you or is it just some people have problems with it? Wow.. I made some fake anchovies with it today and put it in a ceasar salad and it was great! Oooops... I did detract from the veganism by using fish sauce but it was good. I know hard core vegans usually don't think about meat substitutes per se...but I'd love to hear your experiences with tofu, tempeh, seitan..etc...
  • brookelynhoneycutt
    brookelynhoneycutt Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    There are supplements and things like nutritional yeast that will provide plenty of B12, the yeast is my fave choice...its great dusted on popcorn since it has a cheezy flavor :)



    LOVE NUTRITIONAL YEAST ON POPCORN!! So yummy =)
  • britkneemeyer
    britkneemeyer Posts: 54 Member
    Options
    I've been a vegetarian for around 5 years, i was vegan for 3 of those. I am currently a vegetarian but i still eat vegan meals often. I plan on going back to vegan pretty soon but im taking it slow so i don't fall off the wagon again. I've lost about 115 pounds since i was 18 so it's been decently successful. I went veggie for the animals though. Meat and fish now gross me out.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    Options
    I have gone to a "plant based" diet. I guess the proper term is flexatarian. I can't say vegan b/c I still eat honey from time to time.

    I will still eat meat and cheese again in my life, so I wont say vegan b/c it's a lifestyle that I dable, but not fully submerge in.


    Also for those who talk about protein and B12 issues - The guides are wrong, and someone my size should be eating 180g of protein (not true) I do very well on 80-120g/day & the B12 thing.... B12 DOES NOT come from animals - the animals get it from their diets which is... PLANTS! The big difference - they dont wash their food before they eat it, and we do.

    B12 also takes up to 5 years to deplete from the system, so even taking a supplement once every month or two is good - meat eaters have a whole magnitude of their own problems.

Categories