please give me your opinion

jessica0danielle
jessica0danielle Posts: 70 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i am serisouly considering becoming a vegetarian..i only eat chicken and turkey any way.. give me some success stories or some not so successful stories or just any tips :) and please dont ask the one question i hate.." well why do u want to be a vegetarian , is it a religious choice or a personal thing?"

Replies

  • EEpling89
    EEpling89 Posts: 152
    I went vegan for a couple months a while back. I lost a lot of weight but gained it all back since. The only reason I did it was for weight loss and it definitely wasn't sustainable for me. It may be different if you do it for personal reasons, though. It's different for everyone.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    If you do it, make sure you read up on what you need to stay healthy.
    It is absolutely possible to be a healthy vegetarian but it does take a bit of work to learn and ongoing vigilance to make sure you aren't missing out on anything essential.
    I was mostly veggie for about 4 or 5 years but ended up severely vitaminb12 deficient which wasn't fun - and I thought I was being careful!
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    I love being vegetarian and vegan. I've been vegetarian since I was 11, so for almost 21 years now, and I'm in good health.

    People will point out that it takes vigilance to be a healthy vegetarian, but it definitely takes vigilance to be a healthy meat eater too, at least in today's culture. Certain things you may need to watch on one diet may not be an issue on the other. To me, it's a draw on that battle.
  • fudgebudget
    fudgebudget Posts: 198 Member
    I'll echo what previous posters have said and remind you to be very careful about making sure that you're getting all of your nutrients - that includes the ones that don't make the nutrition label (amino acids, etc.). You can be a healthy vegetarian, but it's more work.

    I am not a vegetarian, but I did give up dairy a few weeks ago. I thought that buying organic dairy meant it wasn't going to mess with my hormones that much, but it did. My acne pretty much disappeared a few days after cutting it out and hasn't returned. I did, however, have to go out and buy a calcium/magnesium supplement. It's a good idea to take a critical look at your typical foods and analyze the nutritional content - just make sure that you don't develop any deficiencies.
  • jenboyer
    jenboyer Posts: 10
    my parents went vegan a few years ago and since then have added in some meats just once a week or so..(just chicken or turkey). My dad lost about 20 lbs and stayed there...they did for cancer health reasons anyways, not weight. They enjoy it as for as i can tell.
    My only opinion is (not advice but what do i know?), do as they do by keeping some lean meat occasionally. I hear stories about how people cant eat it because it makes them sick because theyre bodies arent used to it. There will probably be times when you may not be able to avoid it, or maybe dont want to offend someone if they made you a nice dinner.
    I think its important to be balanced, but people eat meat wayyy too often. i know i do!
  • Tzippy7
    Tzippy7 Posts: 344 Member
    Try it out, see if it works for you! I eat a very plant based diet but I am neither vegan or vegetarian.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    I'm not sure what you define as a success story, but I have been a vegetarian for 19 years and have never been unhappy with my choice. I became a vegetarian when I was 11, and my parents adamantly refused to help me, so I was on my own from day one. I have been through every type of vegetarian, and my diet is still evolving- ovo-lacto, lacto, ovo, vegan, raw (for 5 seconds), processed garbage and pizza vegetarian (under recognized but wildly popular). In college I became very interested in vegetarian sports nutrition, and took quite a few classes on the various involved subjects.

    Because of all that, I love talking about vegetarian nutrition and would be happy to help you out with any questions or concerns. My tip would be that you don't have to make a commitment really, you might want to try doing one or two vegetarian meals a day, and a couple dinners a week for a while and see how it goes.
  • Bunnybeesweet
    Bunnybeesweet Posts: 165 Member
    I went vegetarian over 16 years ago and slowly transitioned to vegan about 7 or 8-ish years ago. I take a B12 supplement, Vit D during the rainy season, and I eat my veggies! and vega, hemp, and pea protein powders, and vegan pizza and a million other delicious things! :o)

    My success story is that I am 40 years old and feel fit and strong and fabulous!

    For some serious plant power transformation/success stories, see the movie Forks Over Knives.
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
    I'm not veg, but don't see anything wrong with it as long as you get all of the nutrients your body needs. Perhaps a good multi vitamin is always a good idea veg or not.
  • VeganJP
    VeganJP Posts: 32 Member
    After a lot of reading, I went vegan in 2010 and have never felt better. Down 40 lbs (still some to lose) and my overall health is much improved (BP, cholesterol, ya know...the measurables :smile: ). Despite what many think, it is quite easy to obtain needed nutrients from a plant based diet. You will need to use a fortified plant based milk for B12, but you can also find plenty of fortifiet cereals as well. My suggestion is read, read, read! :laugh: Some suggestions: The Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org), Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (www.pcrm.org). A book that helped me a lot, and I still reference: Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. Let me know if I can be of help!!
  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
    I used to be a vegetarian. I felt great, looked great, did fine other than having anemia which I have battled all my life and is much easier to control when I'm eating turkey.

    I'm not now, but it's mainly due to hubby not being that way. He's convinced it's unhealthy and it's not worth arguing about since I did it to feel better and not out of a moral dilemma.

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