I Think This Book Is Making Me Want To Go Vegan

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ohohraptor
ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm reading the book, Skinny *****, and am mortified at the treatment of animals in farms. I have always been "weird" about meat, I don't like touching raw meat(or even looking at it), won't eat it off the bone, and am kind of picky about what pieces I will eat, but after reading this I am seriously considering becoming vegan. I am a little hesitant though, about how to approach this to my husband and how hard it will be to maintain. My husband loooves meat, and will most likely complain if I stop cooking it. How do I talk to him about this? Also is it a lot more challenging to cook vegan meals? I'm not very patient in the kitchen and prefer quick, easy meals. How do you vegans cope with eating out etc? Do the cravings for meat and dairy eventually stop? Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!
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Replies

  • Dteg
    Dteg Posts: 86 Member
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    I read that book too, and it scared the crap out of me. I think you should really think on this decision, but good luck either way. As for your husband, if you don't eat much meat, like to cook it, and are picky about it all ready. This shouldn't come as a surprise. Just remind him that just because you stop eating certain things doesn't mean he cant. Hope this helps and good luck
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
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    i still have to have meat, but i refuse to eat @ kfc..i haven't for about 5 years because of a video i once saw..it mad my cry harder than i have in a while ( at that time ) maybe you could go kosher instead..best of luck
  • jalara
    jalara Posts: 2,622 Member
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    If you want more information you can go to the PETA website. They have some recipes and a lot of information that can scare the crap out of someone.
  • miss_jamaica
    miss_jamaica Posts: 376 Member
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    I was a vegan for quite a while, and you will be surprised at how do-able it is. However, getting your guy to switch over could be quite the challenge... they can be hard to sway. The internet is swimming with great recipes, and stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods label their vegan fare. You can easily research which items at a restaurant are vegan friendly... surprisingly Mexican food is often a good bet (think bean burrito with tons of veggies, yum).

    Dating a meat eater was the biggest challenge to my veganism and why I ultimately started eating meat again. I hope you do what makes you happy. Best of luck!
  • JMuzzy
    JMuzzy Posts: 63
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    all the things you are saying ("I don't like touching raw meat(or even looking at it), won't eat it off the bone, and am kind of picky about what pieces I will eat....") are exactly how i was as a child. i have now been vegetarian for years and its easy to commit to if you dont have a strong attachment to meat. i do not crave meat in any way and im guessing that after a while you wouldn't either. :)
    dairy is a whole other story for me, though. i did read that book and it changed my perception of dairy but i dont think I could be vegan at this point in my life.
    as for your husband, mine is a carnivore :). we just make it work. he respects what i eat and vice versa! you can email me or look at my food diary for more info.
    good luck! :flowerforyou:
    jennie
  • alexbowser
    alexbowser Posts: 322
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    I'd suggest incorporating a few vegan meals into your week, see how it goes. Vegan cooking can be delicious and hearty. I'm not vegan personally, but I enjoy having meatless meals (unfortunately I can't get my family on board with it).
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    I was a vegan for quite a while, and you will be surprised at how do-able it is. However, getting your guy to switch over could be quite the challenge... they can be hard to sway. The internet is swimming with great recipes, and stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods label their vegan fare. You can easily research which items at a restaurant are vegan friendly... surprisingly Mexican food is often a good bet (think bean burrito with tons of veggies, yum).

    Dating a meat eater was the biggest challenge to my veganism and why I ultimately started eating meat again. I hope you do what makes you happy. Best of luck!

    I don't care if he still eats meat, I just don't want to hear him whine about it if I stop cooking it. He already makes fun of my earth balance spread. :/
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    all the things you are saying ("I don't like touching raw meat(or even looking at it), won't eat it off the bone, and am kind of picky about what pieces I will eat....") are exactly how i was as a child. i have now been vegetarian for years and its easy to commit to if you dont have a strong attachment to meat. i do not crave meat in any way and im guessing that after a while you wouldn't either. :)
    dairy is a whole other story for me, though. i did read that book and it changed my perception of dairy but i dont think I could be vegan at this point in my life.
    as for your husband, mine is a carnivore :). we just make it work. he respects what i eat and vice versa! you can email me or look at my food diary for more info.
    good luck! :flowerforyou:
    jennie

    Right, I think dairy would be the hardest for me too. That book is just, disgusting though. I was totally not expecting to read about animal cruelty etc.. in Skinny *****, lol. I'm gonna add you so I can peek at your diary every now and then.
  • spatticus
    spatticus Posts: 230 Member
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    Get more information, read The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. It is very good and convinced me. I was vegan for about 11 days. It can be very hard to do right and healthy especially in a small town. Good luck!
  • deathtaco
    deathtaco Posts: 237
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    Eat fish. Can't mistreat a fish.
    Look for a local butcher that may sell meat hunters bring in, such as venison, elk, wild turkey, etc.

    Humans are meant to eat meat, no sense giving it up. Just find a way to eat it that doesn't compromise your ethical feelings.
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    Get more information, read The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. It is very good and convinced me. I was vegan for about 11 days. It can be very hard to do right and healthy especially in a small town. Good luck!

    Agreed. Back home in LA veggie friendly places were all over the place, but here in Charleston it's a little harder to find. :/
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    It's not as hard as you think. Sadly LOL a lot of junk food is vegan :-p
    As far as eating out.. you just think about things like how rice is usually cooked in chicken stock, or no cheese on top, or guac, or knowing what's usually in a corn tortilla etc.
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    Eat fish. Can't mistreat a fish.
    Look for a local butcher that may sell meat hunters bring in, such as venison, elk, wild turkey, etc.

    Humans are meant to eat meat, no sense giving it up. Just find a way to eat it that doesn't compromise your ethical feelings.

    Maybe you should read the book and then get back to me on that. There is a lot of evidence showing that humans may not be meant to eat animal proteins, and you can very well mistreat a fish.
  • Redheadedsunshine
    Redheadedsunshine Posts: 102 Member
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    While possible, it's very difficult to go from meat eater to vegan (physically and mentally) and while I don't know you personally, I think you will be more successful in the long run if you go vegetarian first. (no meats/chicken/fish/etc, but allow eggs/dairy) It will also help your body through the transition and give you time to figure out how balance out your nutrients/needs and how to eat properly without relying on meat products. I know several vegetarians/vegans make the switch just to eat junk food b/c they either don't know what to eat and/or lazy. Plus, your husband time to adjust to your new eating habits. I don't blame you though about not wanting to cook meat. I won't cook meat of any sorts. And when I have children, I will be solely cooking vegetarian food. (If my partner wants meat, that's up to them) That book is definitely an (disgusting) eye opener.

    I wish you the best of luck!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    I applaud your desire to eat in a more healthy, sustainable, humane manner! For most people, it's very challenging to make the transition from meat-eating to vegan in one fell swoop. Vegan is pretty strict (no eggs, cheese, gelatin, etc...), and there are a lot of foods that have animal products that you wouldn't think of (baked goods, most prepackaged foods). You might consider starting with vegetarianism (dairy, eggs allowed), or even a flexitarian (sometimes vegan/vegetarian) or pescatarian (fish/seafood allowed, but no animal meats) lifestyle first. You'll find a lot more ready-made foods that fit into this category. I wouldn't try to force it on hubby, because that will make him even more resistant, but maybe start with a meatless day once a week, to let him see that the foods can actually be pretty good. Also, try shopping at Whole Foods or other grocery that caters to vegans/vegetarians - they will have a lot of easy to make or ready made foods. And you might get hubby to switch to products that are made in somewhat more humane ways (organic dairy products, cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef). And share what you've learned about how foods are made, or on the health benefits of a plant-based diet with him - over time it will sink in. Rent movies to watch together like King Corn or Food Inc which are pretty shocking exposes of our factory farming methods - they may motivate him to make some changes too.

    Also if you stick with it for awhile, you do lose your taste for meat. Good luck!
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    I applaud your desire to eat in a more healthy, sustainable, humane manner! For most people, it's very challenging to make the transition from meat-eating to vegan in one fell swoop. Vegan is pretty strict (no eggs, cheese, gelatin, etc...), and there are a lot of foods that have animal products that you wouldn't think of (baked goods, most prepackaged foods). You might consider starting with vegetarianism (dairy, eggs allowed), or even a flexitarian (sometimes vegan/vegetarian) or pescatarian (fish/seafood allowed, but no animal meats) lifestyle first. You'll find a lot more ready-made foods that fit into this category. I wouldn't try to force it on hubby, because that will make him even more resistant, but maybe start with a meatless day once a week, to let him see that the foods can actually be pretty good. Also, try shopping at Whole Foods or other grocery that caters to vegans/vegetarians - they will have a lot of easy to make or ready made foods. And you might get hubby to switch to products that are made in somewhat more humane ways (organic dairy products, cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef). And share what you've learned about how foods are made, or on the health benefits of a plant-based diet with him - over time it will sink in. Rent movies to watch together like King Corn or Food Inc which are pretty shocking exposes of our factory farming methods - they may motivate him to make some changes too.

    Also if you stick with it for awhile, you do lose your taste for meat. Good luck!

    Great information, thanks!
  • TCrawford70
    TCrawford70 Posts: 59 Member
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    I started being mostly vegan after reading Dr. Fuhrmans "Eat to Live". He is really extreme on most of it but it really had some great information. I have also found useful info. at peertrainer.com. Good luck.
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    I started being mostly vegan after reading Dr. Fuhrmans "Eat to Live". He is really extreme on most of it but it really had some great information. I have also found useful info. at peertrainer.com. Good luck.

    I'll look into both of those, thanks!
  • lazyvegan
    lazyvegan Posts: 2
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    i would recommend grabbing some vegan cook books (such as Vegan with a Vengeance, Veganomicon and Joy of Vegan Baking) and i would really recommend finding and listening to the podcast- Compassionate Cooks (or something like that....i can't totally remember right now) and just start trying things out- being vegan is as easy or as hard as you make it- i call myself a lazy vegan because my sweet tooth usually overrules my desire to be a hard core vegan- i love brownies, cookies and cakes. although i must say trying to be vegan has helped me make much healthier food choices and be more aware of what i'm really eating. i'm 100%vegan at home and about 90% out- i've never missed meat and now cheese smells and tastes really funky to me- milk smells gross- that sort of thing
    as for the hubby- tell him to shove it :) j/k if he wants meat let him cook it- thats how it is in my house- i don't cook or spend my money on animal products and if my bf wants something he can buy and cook it himself- which he is totally fine with- i don't lecture him about it and he doesn't give me grief about my food- which he usually totally eats and loves-
    good luck-
  • Nailrep
    Nailrep Posts: 966 Member
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    Yeah - I read it! It will totally change your perspective on animal protein.

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