Calling all Vegans and Vegetarians...etc...

When I was 3 my mom was cooking us chicken I said "mom that's not the same chicken that goes bawk bawk is it?" of course she said yes, it freaked me out and I haven't eaten meat since. I've been vegan for 4 months now and that was just because I was interested in what it would be like I also don't like milk and eggs anyway lol plus I think cheese is what made me so over weight hah. If you want to be vegan tofu is a great egg replacement =]

I was a vegetarian for about 5 years. I've since quit it (mostly due to stress/laziness, to be honest...)

I decided to become veggie because of sustainability reasons... i.e. it takes a lot more resources/land/feed/etc to raise a cow than a carrot. puts a huge strain on the eco-system.

I also have sympathy for animals in slaughter houses/poor conditions/etc, although the actual act of killing is less bothersome to me. I can rationalize killing a cow for meat, but I can't rationalize letting it live its life in a cramped, dirty, underfed condition.

I also have sympathy for animals in slaughter houses/poor conditions/etc, although the actual act of killing is less bothersome to me. I can rationalize killing a cow for meat, but I can't rationalize letting it live its life in a cramped, dirty, underfed condition.

I'm with you here. Although I am not interested in eating meat, I respect people who can hunt and eat an animal. I could only do that if I was desperate.

During college of course, I decided i was against GMOs - Genetically modifying foods with unatural processes, i became a vegan, organic only. Now i'm a balanced vegetarian, I don't drink milk, i don't like the taste or the idea of it so i drink soy milk or almond milk, i do eat cheese ocasionally and egg whites all the time.

I became a vegetarian at 15 and a vegan at 35 (15 years ago). My decision was totally driven by my desire to not harm my fellow creatures. However, it has turned out the be the very best choice for my body, too! My cholesterol is always low, energy high, and I look at least 10 years younger than I am. I just needed to get away from the fattening peanut sauces and exercise more to lose that extra 20lb.

I've been a vegetarian for 20 years. I was vegan for about 15 of those years, but during my pregnancies I had some crazy egg cravings, so I started eating them again. Throughout my teens I was bothered by eating meat. I loved the taste of it, but the idea of killing animals really disturbed me. Then when I got into college I realized that if I couldn't kill an animal myself, I shouldn't be eating animals other people have killed. So that's when I became a vegetarian. It was totally for ethical reasons, but I have been generally healthier since becoming veg than I was before.

Read Skinny B***h cover to cover when I first got pregnant, and never looked back. It utterly disgusted me. I immediately went downstairs and threw away half the ingredients of my fridge and pantry. It was easy to omit these things from my diet "cold turkey" (pardon the pun) when considering the health of my unborn child. I decided to at least continue throughout my pregnancy and breastfeeding. By the end of that time frame, I was hooked. There was no going back for me, and I am the healthiest and most energetic I've ever been.

I run half and full marathons on a plant-based diet. I lift weights on a plant-based diet. I cook delicious and tasty meals on a plant-based diet. It can be done. I say give it a try!

I became a starch and veggie person when I became sick with type 2 diabetes. I was told cut out meat, dairy and fish to get better. Well, I read about it when I lost my insurance, I wasn't told by my doctor at the time. It is very difficult to cut out categories of food for me, but I no longer believe in moderation when it comes to eating. Instead of trying to explain the whole mind shift, I suggest you read The Pleasure Trap to understand why if you are inclined. Watching the movie Earthlings brought the morality of animal cruelty into the spotlight. Earthlings, as Ellen puts it, makes Food Inc., look like a Disney movie. I will no longer buy leather but I will keep the leather shoes and belts I do have. Sounds rushed and dramatic I know but this took a while for me to learn and really understand and value.

The principle of moderation allows, say, you can take recreational drugs such as smoking, cocaine, alcohol, what amounts are good for you? The answer is none. So, the principle (as Dr. Lisle puts it) if something affects your body's nervous system artificially, then that should be avoided. Admittedly, it is extreme and I am trying to practice it when it comes to food. Sage advice otherwise, moderation is.

I chose to drastically cut out my animal intake when I saw the PETA video and read skinny *****! (awesome book) I started this weight loss due to health problems and it only made sense to cut out these products which are really bad for you, cause cancer, weight gain, heart and cholesterol problems, promote cruelty to animals and make you feel sluggish. Of course I was raised on meat so it isn’t always so easy to say no when I am at my family members house and they made one of their “famous” dishes with meat in it. I can say that my body has become accustomed to the way I feel after eating a vegan or vegetarian meal. You just feel lighter, don’t feel guilty because you “shouldn’t have eaten that!” and you eventually have an almost non-existent meat craving. My GYN told me to make my diet more Asian and I did and I couldn’t thank her enough for that idea! I am living proof that a healthy diet, weight loss and little to no meat intake can help rid your body of the unwanted (toxins, weight, cancer)! I have a great tofu recipe for you that might help you in your transition.
Fried “chicken”
¼ packet -Good Seasons Italian dressing seasoning mix
¼ cup –breadcrumbs plain
Mix together in a bowl
Cut up tofu into ½”X2” pieces and cover with breading mixture. No need for an egg wash for this, the tofu is already wet and the breading sticks perfectly.
Fry with very little vegetable oil until each piece is golden brown
Once finished, place on a paper town to soak up any extra oil and sprinkle a little salt over top.

Also worth pointing out I'm the opposite of most people. My mum has been a vegetarian most of her life as she thought meat made her ill (turned out to be a different allergy) anyways I was basically bought up as a vegetarian all through my childhood until late teens. After seeing how fanatical and damn right fascist some of the more hardcore V&Vs are it put me off for life ever joining that crowd again. Plus after 18+ years of no meat... Steaks taste damn fine now

Also worth pointing out I'm the opposite of most people. My mum has been a vegetarian most of her life as she thought meat made her ill (turned out to be a different allergy) anyways I was basically bought up as a vegetarian all through my childhood until late teens. After seeing how fanatical and damn right fascist some of the more hardcore V&Vs are it put me off for life ever joining that crowd again. Plus after 18+ years of no meat... Steaks taste damn fine now

I think some animal rights vegetarians and vegans don't realize that pushing their beliefs on somebody else is often just going to turn them away from it! While I do try to educate friends to things, I never preach or try to force my lifestyle on anyone. I have known a few of those types, so I totally get where you're coming from!

I think some animal rights vegetarians and vegans don't realize that pushing their beliefs on somebody else is often just going to turn them away from it! While I do try to educate friends to things, I never preach or try to force my lifestyle on anyone. I have known a few of those types, so I totally get where you're coming from!

And if anyone was to ever convert me in the future it would be someone like the above!
Its much like religion and politics I do not appropriate anyone trying to force anything on me and most people don't realise I am quite spiritual I just approach it in a much less oppressive way!

I buy from free range and local sources where I can and I've previously been a member of animal rights organisations like Stop huntingdon life sciences (before they went psycho). I try to do my part I just enjoy meat and cheese too much!

I did forget to mention I feel bad for animals. Meat has always grossed me out, but it's soooo sad to see what happens. I watched Food Inc. with my boyfriend the other day and they had a HUGE cow they were pushing with a crate mover because it had fallen down, probably from not being able to move and they wouldn't give it a minute to stand up. I hate that people assume I'm stuck up because I'm vegan my boyfriends step dad is CONSTANTLY making comments about me being stuck up because I won't eat their meat or pizza. I don't tell anyone what to eat and I still get bombarded because of my eating habits. Bleh, whatever I guess! I agree with a previous post about the PETA stuff, I love the general idea of them wanting to protect animals however they go about it in an almost overly aggressive.

I was a vegetarian briefly, but we only eat meat once or twice a week now. I just feel better when I'm eating a mostly plant/legume etc diet. My good friend has been a vegetarian for about 12 years now. She simply doesn't like eating meat and is grossed out by many of the hormones given to the animals. If you think you might like to try it, I suggest trying new recipes that look good rather than digging into all of the faux meat products, which some are good to help transition, but there's such a wealth of tastiness out there!

My aunt and uncle had a cow named Bumper. And I was 7.

I had never really been around cows before. They would let us go see the cow, pet the cow etc...

Then the cow was gone. They said the cow ran into the woods and got lost.

Later that night, I heard my mom say (after Easter dinner) "wow, Bumper was really tender."

To my mom's credit- she didn't know I was in the room.

However, I have not ate meat since.

True story