I think I've decided..

[Roxyluvsme13]

I think I've decided to be a Vegitarian/Vegan!
I really have been wanting to ever since I saw this one Animal awards show presentation, but I'm such a picky eater, and my diet consists mainly of meat so it's not going to be easy, but I *am* willing to give it a try.
Any other Vegitarians/Vegans have any tips?
(Something that will be easy though, is no milk, since I hate milk!)

[luvofallhorses]

good luck! I couldn't do it I love seafood and chicken too much.

[Vette]

*HUGGIES*

I wish you the very best of luck. ive tried to do that.. and erh...
well it didnt work out to well.. LOL

[Karen]

Be very careful about making sure you get a good balance of vitamins and minerals, plenty of dark green leafy vegetable to make sure you keep your iron levels up, etc.

[Craftlady]

I'd consult a doctor or dietican before drastically changing your diet. I agree with Karen, without the proper vitamin & mineral balance you can do harm to your body.

[Roxyluvsme13]

I just realized how much stuff I couldn't eat, I could probably live without the meat, but the Dairy products would be Really hard =\...
Someone said If I still ate dairy products I'm still supporting this, but honestly I can't go without dairy products.
So I dunno.
Maybe it's easier than it sounds..

[Karen]

That's the difference between being vegetarian (you can still eat dairy products) and vegan (no dairy).

[Roxyluvsme13]

That's the difference between being vegetarian (you can still eat dairy products) and vegan (no dairy).

Oh yeah o__O
So I'll just be Vegitarian ^____^ or at least try..

[chrissycat21]

Good luck Bri! I've been a vegetarian for about 7 years now. So if you need any good recipes, let me know!

Like Karen said, definatley make sure you are getting all the nutrients needed! If you don't take a multivitamin already, it would be a good idea to start taking them.

If you give me an idea of what else you like to eat I can find you some good veggie recipes.

If you have a store like Trader Joe or Whole Foods near you, you should check them out! They have so much great vegetarian food there. (Plus, sometimes that have really, really good samples! )

[Roxyluvsme13]

Good luck Bri! I've been a vegetarian for about 7 years now. So if you need any good recipes, let me know!

Like Karen said, definatley make sure you are getting all the nutrients needed! If you don't take a multivitamin already, it would be a good idea to start taking them.

If you give me an idea of what else you like to eat I can find you some good veggie recipes.

If you have a store like Trader Joe or Whole Foods near you, you should check them out! They have so much great vegetarian food there. (Plus, sometimes that have really, really good samples! )

I found a whole page of recipes, and I told my mom I would try some new things. In one of the recipes I found a ground beef substitute type thing, and my mom said she wouldn't eat it unless she knew what was in it .
Well, my main source of protein has been Hamburger and chicken..so..
I love cucumbers, strawberries, apples, bananas, grapes, grapples, oranges, pears,(oops need more veggies! =P), Er....Corn, I *love* eggs, (and I still plan on eating them whether I'm supposed to or not ) andd I guess that's All I can think of. I like alot more fruits than I do veggies though.

[Roxyluvsme13]

I hate to say this, but I don't think I can do it.
At LEAST not right now. I want to help the animals, but now is just a really bad time to start being a Veg...=\
Edit: I guess I can try for a few days, but I still don't know if I can do it.

[Catty1]

Roxy - mostly, you have to find a non-meat source of PROTEIN. Meat is a great source of vitamin B12, so make sure you are taking a good supplement.

Rule of thumb is 100g per day for a woman, 125 for a man.

One book you might find in your library is Diet for a Small Planet. It tells you what foods to combine to make a complete protein(all the amino acids).

Mexican recipes are great. Kidney beans and corn? Complete protein!

Lots of pre-made soy products are available. I like using unsweetened soy milk, adding a bit of Stevia for sweetening, and making a great soy fruit shake!

Just add a new recipe or two at a time. A sudden dietary change can freak out your system.

Vegan - no meat or dairy
Pecto-vegetarian - eats seafood and fish (also jokingly called "fishitarian" or "aquarian")


I would like to go back to vegetarianism one day...still procrastinating....

good luck!

Catty1

[buckner]

I'm a vegetarian who eats fish/seafood (I was told to by my doctor - my immune system was already weak enough, it wouldn't be able to handle the change without the Omega3's) and I have been for almost 2 years. In all honesty, it hasn't been that difficult. Most restaurants serve some kind of fish, and if not, it's no big deal. I love my fruits and veggies, so I can just have veggies from the menu. Of course, I don't eat anything fried, and I'm allergic to all dairy products, so being a vegetarian is a little more difficult. At home, it's pretty simple.. I buy foods I can eat.

I didn't really do it for the animals. IMO, you can't save all of the animals by one person not eating meat. Humans didn't get to the top of the food chain by eating carrots - it's the food chain, animals eat animals. That's how it works. Though, I do think there are better methods to slaughtering and I support the free-range farms and the private farms. I know plenty of people who only eat animals from a friend's farm (or something similar) because they want the meat, they just don't want to the animals to suffer when being killed.

I did it for health reasons. Heart disease runs in my family, and my grandfather died from heart failure. A week later, I became a vegetarian. I'm extremely aware of what goes into my body. On top of all of my picky eating habits, my gallbladder was removed back in February. I didn't eat any fatty foods before then, and I *can't* eat any of them now. So I have to be very careful about that.

So, if you want to become a vegetarian, that's great. I do suggest you just testing the waters a bit with it. See if it'll work for you. Don't drastically switch into veganism - doctors suggest to wait 1-3 years before transforming from vegetarian to vegan. It's such a huge thing for your body.

If I can get around being allergic to all dairy products, not eating any type of meat except fish, not eating any fatty/fried/greasy/blah foods, and not liking the taste of chocolate or anything too sweet, then you can easily handle finding enough foods to support your vegetarian habit. It's whether or not you're willing to go that extra mile to figure out what you like and what you can eat.

PS - Veggie burgers are wonderful.

[Flatcoatluver]

PS - Veggie burgers are wonderful.

I completely agree with what everyone said. The first month of me being a vegetarian, I was so sick. Why? Because I wasn't eating the proper foods. It was a struggle and a lot of studying and I found out what I personally need. I spent a lot of money on special foods and vitamins, but it's worth it now because I feel so much better. I also agree veggie burgers are better then real burgers!!!

[BC_MoM]

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