Vegetarian questions

mamagooskie · March 2012

I NEVER EVER crave meat, and when I am in social situations such as the inlaws I do exactly that.....I tell them that I am NOT eating what they have prepared, they don't care, they know I do what I have to do be healthy and are proud of my weight loss so no offence taken by them. I sometimes even bring my own food. I have also had them over for dinner and served a vegetarian meal. If I am going to a restaurant I go online and look at menu first and try to pre plan what I'll have and we tend to stick to our few fave restaurants anyway.

doubglass · March 2012

Thank you everyone so much for the replies!!

My main reasons to go vegetarian are mainly for my health. I don't think meat is necessary and it causes many diseases and other ailments. I do enjoy meat but I don't think I couldn't go without it. I hardly eat red meat at all, maybe a couple times a month, I never eat pork, so chicken is my main thing. I think that would be pretty easy to replace, as many of you have said, with bean fritters & burgers instead. I love veggies, fruits, nuts & beans so it's no problem to me.

Just thinking of meat as a condiment is much easier. Being a vegetarian, especially a vegan takes a lot more planning than simply trying to eat wisely and less. You've pretty much evolved to eat a little meat and a lot of plant material. The problems arise when you eat animal products in large portions with every meal. And, who cares if you pass on the meat or ask for a small, small portion?

rml_16 · March 2012

Thank you everyone so much for the replies!!

My main reasons to go vegetarian are mainly for my health. I don't think meat is necessary and it causes many diseases and other ailments. I do enjoy meat but I don't think I couldn't go without it. I hardly eat red meat at all, maybe a couple times a month, I never eat pork, so chicken is my main thing. I think that would be pretty easy to replace, as many of you have said, with bean fritters & burgers instead. I love veggies, fruits, nuts & beans so it's no problem to me.

I'm glad to hear that most people are understanding. I most definitely wouldn't expect anyone to go out of their way for me. My mom is a big meat eater and I always go over on Sundays with my boyfriend and she cooks most of the time, so I can see her being a little confused with me about this.

I'm definitely going to go at this gradually. And thank you SO much for the website listing, awesome!!

If you want to be veg, go for it. But, really, you aren't going to be any healthier just because you gave up eating animals.

Meganalva · March 2012

Thank you everyone so much for the replies!!

My main reasons to go vegetarian are mainly for my health. I don't think meat is necessary and it causes many diseases and other ailments. I do enjoy meat but I don't think I couldn't go without it. I hardly eat red meat at all, maybe a couple times a month, I never eat pork, so chicken is my main thing. I think that would be pretty easy to replace, as many of you have said, with bean fritters & burgers instead. I love veggies, fruits, nuts & beans so it's no problem to me.

I'm glad to hear that most people are understanding. I most definitely wouldn't expect anyone to go out of their way for me. My mom is a big meat eater and I always go over on Sundays with my boyfriend and she cooks most of the time, so I can see her being a little confused with me about this.

I'm definitely going to go at this gradually. And thank you SO much for the website listing, awesome!!

If you want to be veg, go for it. But, really, you aren't going to be any healthier just because you gave up eating animals.

Why do you say that??? There is tons of evidence saying the American diet is killing us- the high fat diet. I've heard & read countless articles saying that with the overconsumption of meat we consume, it's causing a huge increase in heart disease, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease and much more. I already have high cholesterol somehow at the age of 24 and I'm pretty thin. I think the best choice for me would be to alter my diet as much as I can to help prevent that.

rml_16 · March 2012

Thank you everyone so much for the replies!!

My main reasons to go vegetarian are mainly for my health. I don't think meat is necessary and it causes many diseases and other ailments. I do enjoy meat but I don't think I couldn't go without it. I hardly eat red meat at all, maybe a couple times a month, I never eat pork, so chicken is my main thing. I think that would be pretty easy to replace, as many of you have said, with bean fritters & burgers instead. I love veggies, fruits, nuts & beans so it's no problem to me.

I'm glad to hear that most people are understanding. I most definitely wouldn't expect anyone to go out of their way for me. My mom is a big meat eater and I always go over on Sundays with my boyfriend and she cooks most of the time, so I can see her being a little confused with me about this.

I'm definitely going to go at this gradually. And thank you SO much for the website listing, awesome!!

If you want to be veg, go for it. But, really, you aren't going to be any healthier just because you gave up eating animals.

Why do you say that??? There is tons of evidence saying the American diet is killing us- the high fat diet. I've heard & read countless articles saying that with the overconsumption of meat we consume, it's causing a huge increase in heart disease, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease and much more. I already have high cholesterol somehow at the age of 24 and I'm pretty thin. I think the best choice for me would be to alter my diet as much as I can to help prevent that.

A balanced, healthy diet that includes meat products is no less healthy than a balanced, healthy diet that doesn't.

But if you want to argue the point, you can talk to my meat-eating grandmother who is 96 and only now starting to go downhill health-wise. She can tell you about her older sister who died last year at 97 who actually had no health issues, she was just very old (she died in her sleep) and her mother, who also died at 97 and never even had a cold. They all ate meat, every day. They even ate red meat and sausage and pepperoni. My great-grandparents were off-the-boat Italians and that's what they grew up eating and continued eating.

I am a vegetarian for ethical reasons, but I'm no healthier as a vegetarian than I was as a meat-eater.

Also, after being vegetarian for two years, being pretty thin and being 33, my cholesterol levels were close to 300. It's genetic, not diet-related, in many cases. And high cholesterol in itself is not an indicator of bad health. What's your blood pressure? What are your triglycerides? What's the ratio of your HDL to your LDL? My doctor wasn't that worried, but he put me in touch with a nutritionist who told me I was already doing exactly what she would have told me to do (eating and exercise-wise).

msps1973 · March 2012

Make sure you do research on a vegetarian diet. You need to make sure you are getting the right vitamins and minerals. I take a vegan pre-natal (not preggers), vegan omega, and a few others. I eat mostly vegan- I have seafood and cheese once and a while. But I think I will go 100% vegan again soon. I just fell better not eating dairy and fish are treated just as bad as other animals in factory farms.

A few people have mentioned ohshe glows.com ~ great blog!!! Also Veganonmicon (sp) is a great cookbook. As well as Appetite for Reduction.

I just let people know that I am no longer eating meat because of health reasons. And I will alwyas bring something to eat. My sister is vegetarian also, so my family is conditioned to have meatless options.

Good luck!!! And make sure you are going veggie for the right reasons!!

FlaxMilk · March 2012

Check out the Happy Herbivores group on here too.

The blog PeasandThankyou.com also talks about the transition from an animal product diet to a non-animal product diet.

TrillianJones · March 2012

I've been vegetarian since I was 13 (nearly 20 years now), initially I think it was for typical teenage-whim reasons, but over the years I've gotten to the point where I really don't like the idea of what meat is, if that makes sense, so I don't think I could ever go back. I think if I absolutely *had* to, I could handle doing a bit of fish, but I've not been stuck starving on a desert island yet, so who knows! :laugh:

I was lucky enough to have a mum who isn't big on red meat, so I never really had a lot of it growing up. I genuinely couldn't tell you what pork chops or roast beef or steak tastes like - I really can't remember! And as far as bacon goes (the classic vegetarian downfall), I always liked the smell, but was never that keen on the taste, so I certainly don't miss that!

Regarding visiting other people's houses for dinner, I always just let them know in advance that I don't eat meat or fish, and offer to bring a veggie dish for me to have if they want. My in-laws are really good - we normally have a big roast dinner when we go round theirs to eat, so all they have to do is stick a couple of veggie sausages in the oven for me to have with the rest of the trimmings.

I guess it doesn't hurt that I must be one of the most chilled-out veggies around - I'll happily cook meat for my OH and I NEVER lecture people on it, I don't care what other people eat. In fact, it's usually the other way round - all I have to say is "I'll have the veggie burger, please" and there'll be at least 1 ardent meat-eater who launches into a huge rant about why I should eat meat, even though I never said a word about it...

jcpmoore · March 2012

I'm really thinking about becoming vegetarian. But I have some questions...

What do you do in social situations? Like going to someone's house, like the in-laws for instance, and they serve meat at the main dish? You can't just be like NO, I'm not eating that. lol I just don't know how I'd handle those kinds of things.

My recommendation for social situations is to make sure your friends and family know in advance that you are vegetarian. When they invite you over, mention it. If you're the only vegetarian among friends and family, you can offer to bring the vegetarian main dish. "That's so nice, Aunt Sue! We'd love to come over. I'm not sure you're aware I became vegetarian recently and I would love to bring a dish to compliment the meal if that's okay." Rarely will anyone be offended when they realize that you're just taking the burden off of them.

samweee · March 2012

I've been a vegetarian for over 7 years, and I've found substitutes for almost every type of meat that you can think of.

Of course there are veggie burgers and such, some of the better brands are morningstar farms, and gardenburger.
Morningstar makes veggie bacon, chicken patties, nuggets, and fake ground beef as well, along with a ton of other stuff.
Tofurkey makes sliced lunch "meat" that is really really good and low in calories.
Quorn makes imitation chicken breasts that you can use just like chicken in recipes, they also make a turkey loaf that is amazing.
Yves makes imitation ground beef, veggie hot dogs, shrimp, tuna.
Match makes vegetarian crab, turkey, chicken (check out their website, it's hard to find in stores)
Gimme Lean makes a lot of the same stuff too.
If you have a kroger near by, they sell most of this stuff in their natural food section.

About the whole social situation thing, just let people know that you don't eat meat ahead of time, or offer to bring a vegetarian dish to share, that way you have something to eat as a main course.
Most people are pretty welcome to the thought, and don't get offended lol.

Good luck!!

suziecue66 · March 2012

Thank you everyone so much for the replies!!

My main reasons to go vegetarian are mainly for my health. I don't think meat is necessary and it causes many diseases and other ailments. I do enjoy meat but I don't think I couldn't go without it. I hardly eat red meat at all, maybe a couple times a month, I never eat pork, so chicken is my main thing. I think that would be pretty easy to replace, as many of you have said, with bean fritters & burgers instead. I love veggies, fruits, nuts & beans so it's no problem to me.

I'm glad to hear that most people are understanding. I most definitely wouldn't expect anyone to go out of their way for me. My mom is a big meat eater and I always go over on Sundays with my boyfriend and she cooks most of the time, so I can see her being a little confused with me about this.

I'm definitely going to go at this gradually. And thank you SO much for the website listing, awesome!!

If you want to be veg, go for it. But, really, you aren't going to be any healthier just because you gave up eating animals.

Why do you say that??? There is tons of evidence saying the American diet is killing us- the high fat diet. I've heard & read countless articles saying that with the overconsumption of meat we consume, it's causing a huge increase in heart disease, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease and much more. I already have high cholesterol somehow at the age of 24 and I'm pretty thin. I think the best choice for me would be to alter my diet as much as I can to help prevent that.

Yes, American diet of junk - processed junk, rancid oils, trans fatty acids, high fructose corn syrup. Meat, eggs, vegies, fruits,nuts and seeds - nothing wrong with that.
Re cholesterol - the body makes most of its cholesterol, so your high cholesterol is not usually coming from your diet. You need to see why your body making too much cholesterol and is it really too much. Cholesterol is not as bad as they would like you to believe. Higher cholesterol levels are actually protective into old age.

Vegetarian questions

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