I think I've decided..

I'm glad you are thinking about this but it may well take time for you to take that step. I've been vegetarian, often vegan, for nearly 20 years. Like you, I made this decision for animal welfare reasons. I think it's natural for people to eat meat, but I don't need to in order to fulfull my dietary requirements and so I don't. It's the intense farming methods, and some slaughter methods that made me decide to become a vegetarian. That said, beef is probably the "kindest" meat you can eat, and fowl and pig the "cruelest". If you want to change the way you eat for animal welfare reasons, increase the beef at the expense of pork, chicken and turkey. The dairy industry is not kind to animals, especially to male calves that are not intended for veal, so it's fortunate that you don't like milk - though you may well like cheese. I found cheese the hardest food to give up and I still buy goat cheese a few times a year.

It really is a big step to take and it's quite a shock when your body feels out of order for a few months as it adjusts to the changes. Once the change is made, it can be a very healthy diet. I don't take iron, or B12 or vitamins, but I always come out of my annual check-up with high marks. No anemia, and fabulous cholesterol results.

Becoming vegetarian is a very personal decision and you should think it over carefully, read a lot about the lifestyle. Little changes can be made over time. I remember that I gave up meats one at a time and it took a few years to give up shellfish, which I adored. I worked recently (I work at a university) with a young woman who thought about it for about three years before deciding to become vegan. She's a musician, hard rock, and it's part of her Straight Edge profile, but she had to take her time over making the change.

I would love to go completely vegetarian (the only meat I can stand to even smell is some very over seasoned chicken. I *hate* the look, smell, taste, and texture of meat at any and all stages.) but my husband would never go for it. He is not very fond of most vegetables and fruits (tomatoes, bananas, salads, cucumbers, squash, etc.) and *loves* steak and whatnot. I do get to vegetarian occasionally so, the whole point is, go for it if you can. It can be very rewarding for those who have the means to be able to do it.

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

Here's a question I have for all of you vegetarians/vegans:
Why are you a vegetarian/vegan?

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There can/could be/is a number of different decisions.

For theirselves, it could specific health reasons and/or overall health. Or maybe they just don't like meat (Like myself. I find the very smell of cooking meat a very nauseating thing). For theirselves and their views it could be, as it is also for myself, a number of animal welfare reasons.

In any case, to each their own, right? :)

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

Here's a question I have for all of you vegetarians/vegans:
Why are you a vegetarian/vegan?

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Personally I could never kill an animal myself so do not see why I deserve to eat them. And I cannot fathom the horror that is most slaughter houses. Granted, some places kill the animals humanely, but they are usually very expensive and it's cheaper to just cut out the meat :p

I do buy free-range eggs and milk from free-range cows, but I do not avoid dairy in other foods so it sort of defeats that purpose. I am a really picky eater though and my health would really suffer if I became a vegan.

I do feed my dogs raw food and at this time I buy mostly from the supermarket. However we're buying a freezer soon and I will be able to buy in bulk from some people I've met through the internet who sell humanely raised and killed animals, and this is what my dogs will get. I'll feel even better about what they're eating because it won't have the hormones and the animals will not have suffered. :D

EDIT: I also want to say that the main reason I became vegetarian was because of the videos of slaughter houses on PETA's website. No, PETA is not trustworthy, but in this case I think the videos are valid and it is truly an eye-opener. I continued to read things (from reputable sources ;)) about the horrors of slaughter houses and I was bawling the entire time. So this is what persuaded me to go vegetarian, but I had always been interested in it. When I ate meat it could absolutely not have a bone in it. I did not want to know it came from an animal. I basically hid from the truth.

Also, it can be a real pain in the a$$ sometimes. The first year or so I was ridiculed every day at meal time by my brother and dad. My friends always made fun of me. The meat still smells and looks appetizing. I can't eat fast food except for bean burritos at Taco Bell. Even the french fries at McDonalds are a no-no because they have beef in the oil. The restaurants I can go to are limited. I live in the south where no veggie is cooked without ham for flavoring, which is really annoying. But it is totally worth it. One vegetarian saves on average 95 animals a year from slaughter, vegans save even more. It is so worth it to me. And hey, the upside is my health is better, I've learned to stand up for what I believe in, and I have stayed thin - which was a battle for me before I went vegetarian.

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

Here's a question I have for all of you vegetarians/vegans:
Why are you a vegetarian/vegan?

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For me, I hate the idea that it was once roaming the earth and was slaughtered for my pleasure. Secondly, because many of these animals are fed chemicals to make them grow faster and are kept in terrible conditions during their life. And lastly, I really don't like the taste at all.

Good luck Bri! Just keep determined and you'll do fine. Nuts and pulses (beans) are good sources of protein and you could borrow a vegetarian recipe book from a library to see if there's anything that you would like. I would definitely become vegetarian before you go vegan, I've never tried it before but I think I'd find it very difficult.

Edit : just read Sarah's post. I completely sympathise with you about everything, especially the ridicule part. I always remember the time when I went to a wedding party and the meal ordered for everyone was roast beef. I was 10 at the time and had been veggie for nearly 2 years. I had to delay the meal for everyne by nearly an hour in order for the cooks to try and create me a vegetarian dish. I wanted the floor to swallow me up after people began checking their watches and complaining about the service. Also, when my brother eats meat, my parents often say that he'll be a big strong lad, not like his weakly sister who-has-decided-to-be-different-and-put-on-a-show-to-make-everyone-think-she's-something-special Zara. At that point I usually remind them that at the moment I am shotputt girl champion in my year at school for the girls (no i'm not muscly one bit so heaven knows how I did it) and I'd like to keep my figure thankyouverymuch.

I also read in National Geographic that vegetarians and vegans can live up to five years longer on average than other people.

Well, another reason I'm doing this is for my health, not just the animals. This means I can't eat fast food, which makes my mom have to cook, and which is IMO alot healthier!
Of Course I'm doing it for the animals, too. I've seen several PETA videos, and read quite a few things, and they all have me in tears.
Today my mom is going to look for some Vegitarian lasagna, and we're going to the store to get some other things, too.
At this moment, my mom said she wouldn't allow me to be a Vegan. I get over half of my calcium from Dairy, and I have to have it.
Thanks for all the advice and tips everyone! :)

Good Luck Bri. :)
I could never do it.

Briana, there are a lot of things you can still eat being a vegetarian! :) Just because you go vegetarian doesn't mean you have to eat just healthy stuff all the time. (Which is what most people think). You just have to make sure you get enough protein with the proper amino acids and of course all your other vitamins too. If you eat dairy products, it shouldn't be too difficult, and there are plenty of vegetarian food combinations which offer all of the animo acids, for example rice and beans.

Also, most Americans get too much protein, which can lead to obesity and osteoporosis (eating too much protein depletes calcium). I wish you luck if you decide to go veg, I went veg at 13, and after the first few weeks, it was easy! Plus, now my mom is a vegetarian and my husband too. I like to throw vegetarian dinner parties for vegetarians/meat eaters too and you'd be surprised how much soy protein can taste like meat. Good luck, if you you would like any good recipes or anything, you can PM me. :)

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

Here's a question I have for all of you vegetarians/vegans:
Why are you a vegetarian/vegan?

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Basically similar reasons as above. I believe those animals are treated inhumanely and do not have a proper quality of life. Also, it is easier on the environment to go veg. :D

A found a ton of Veg Recipes at http://goveg.com and hopefully I can get my mom to try some, too! For lunch we're having salad and Vegetable Lasagna :D.

I was a no-red-meat vegitarian for 3 years when I was younger.

Now MEAT (especially beef!) is my favorite food. I'm pretty sure my body wants to make up for those years I didn't have meat.

I started being a "vegitarian" because I just didn't want to eat cows anymore. I stopped because I wanted to eat them. Simple as that.

Most of the beef I eat is free-range, organic beef. But I don't refrain from eating restaurant (usually Angus) beef.

Basically, I view vegitarianism and veganism as simply a personal choice. I don't see my personal choice to EAT meat as something that is cruel. Of course, I refrain from watching slaughterhouse propaganda videos... that would make me want to stop eating ANYTHING for a good month, I'm sure.

Mmmm...
I just had Veggie Lasagna, and it's good :D.

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Originally Posted by Roxyluvsme13

Mmmm...
I just had Veggie Lasagna, and it's good :D.

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yeah you can get them at costco for really cheap. Also you can get alot of veggie burgers there too. There really good!!

ya i saw those at costco since myself i'm a vegetarian but i don't eat fish or seafood i will eat meat for protein if i reallly need to but that was when i never knew what else had the protein i needed now eat like corn for protein which I love. Mostly i became a vegetarian was mostly i was used to it because my aunts and uncles are vegetarians and i always ate what they ate and i loved it and when i saw the meat i would choose the healthy stuff more. I just do it because I love the food more than eating meat it makes me feel to not want the meat when i think of it or someone is eating it.

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This is alot easier than I thought, and for once I'm not hungry again 5 hours later!

Morning Star Farm has the best veggie burgers IMO. I love, love, love their grillers and the come in many different 'flavors'. Costco also has really good California Burgers that are made from all veggies that are really good, too.

Why am I a vegetarian? I could not stand the fact that I was eating an animal. I've always considred myself an animal lover, and I just couldn't handle the fact that I was eating them.