I want to become a vegetarian. But I'd like to hear other people's opinions on the subject. Vegetarians: comments on your life, do your eating habits affect your health, and is it easy? So far, I've found it difficult to resist some meat products. I quess I'm not motivated enough...

Humans are designed to be omnivores - meaning we are designed to eat fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, fowl and fish.

Your mouth tells the story, you have canines which are designed to tear off chunks of meat, you possess molars which are designed to crush and grind down hard nuts and seeds.

Your stomach and intestines are designed to process both vegetable matter and animal matter.

Research has shown that though we can find protiens in vegetable matter (Soy beans for one) the human body does not absorb and process it as effectively as animal protiens (Red meat).

There are meat and potato men in the world, they usually kill themselves off at a fairly early age through cholestral problems associated with a diet high in animal fats.

Then we have the other extreme, vegetarians, who find that they remain skinny and are prone to other health issues due to improper understanding that their body needs proteins in high numbers. They may find that they have less muscle mass and they will find that their brains (based primarily on fats and protiens) start to mis fire and function improperly and die one cell at a time.

Then we have those who follow the Food Groups in the proper order, basing their foundation on grains, on top of which fruits and vegetables are placed, on top of which meats, fats are placed, balanced on the tip top with dairy products.

This is a formula for success - it works.

The human body needs carboydrates first and formost. Carbohydrates are converted into sugars which are released into the blood stream slowly and at a steady pace.

Sugars are the bodies energy source. Carbs or the sugars from carbs is what gives us the energy to think, climb a set of stairs, walk across a room - live.

Fruits and vegeatables provide the body with all the essential minerals and vitamins which hold us together - A to zinc.

Meat provides the body with the protien it needs to build muscle mass and to maintain the rest of the body organs.

Fats are essential for good joints, lube of all the organs and digestion.

Build a wall of bricks (no mortar) and start kicking out individual bricks, you will cause the whole structure to collapse if you take out even a few bricks.

Think on that.

Cheers

David

Well silver I am a vegetarian and I must say I have no problem doing it. I am only 17 years old and I have been practicing vegetarianism for 3 years. At first being veggie was a little hard, but think of this, if you truly want to become meat free, just think of where it comes from. If that dosen't bother you then perhaps your just not meant for this lifestyle. My suggestion is go to your local grocery store, if you live in an area where there are lots of stores, check them out and see if you can find things in the brand Morningstar Farms. They are a very good subsititude and some of the stuff it's hard to tell the difference. (the chiken patties are good, also the veggie crumbles (a subsititude ground beef) are good with tacos, sloppy joes, or chilli). I don't eat a ton of vegetables but I eat alot of rice, and pasta. Try eating alot of that stuff instead of eating meat. It dosen't say how old you are but if you shop for yourself don't buy meat products. If your living with your parents either a. ask you mom to make you something meat free, or don't be in the house or in the same room when they are eating. It helps. I never had much of a problem but even as a small child I was never a big meat fan. My advice is to take things slowly. Stop eating red meat, then stop eating chicken, then eat fish, then just quit it all together. My advice also is take alot of vitamins. When I get sick, I get really sick b/c I don't have a strong immune system. I hope this helps, and good luck!!!!!!

ps. don't listen to what people say, just b.c they eat meat, dosen't mean you have to!

quote:

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Originally posted by J*Bean:
Well silver I am a vegetarian and I must say I have no problem doing it. I am only 17 years old and I have been practicing vegetarianism for 3 years.

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J, I am a 36 year old man who has studied all forms of diets and exercise routines, Vegetarianism runs a high risk of causing health issues down the road if one is not careful. Unless you fully understand the difference between a protien and a complex protien, or understand how to make a complex protien with vegetable matter, you run a high risk of suffereing from a form of malnutrition that affects organs and musclemass.

Did you include that in your answer?

You are in the youth of your life, your body is more forgiving (you actually have yet to reach your peak, therefore your body can and will still compensate for any lacks in your nutrition) The person who wrote this will not be 17 for ever and will, in time, reach a point where they will see the need to include a well balanced diet in their daily routine in order to stay active and healthy.


Cheers

David <><

PS: Your immune issue may be directly or indirectly related to your diet, unless you have an diagnosed immune deficency disorder, I would check it out and see what it is that you are lacking in your diet. Request a refferal to a Diet Specialist from your doctor.

quote:

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Originally posted by DvdGStwrt:
...on top of which meats, fats are placed, balanced on the tip top with dairy products.

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I've been indoctrinated by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture that we need an equal amount (2-3 servings) of meat/poultry/fish/dry beans/eggs/nuts AND milk/yogurt/cheese, BUT we should "use sparingly" fats/oils/sweets. USDA Food Guide Pyramid

Do you think we need more fats (and meats) than dairy?

My Bad, I associate fats with the dairy products - since dairy products are the fattest percetage wise.

oils, shortenings, lard, sugar is of course placed above the dairy fats)

Cheers

David

I was a meat eater for 36 years and I've been a vegan for nearly 10 years. (A vegan eats no flesh at all - not even eggs. If its got a face or could have a face I don't eat it.)

So here's the lowdown from experience - not from books!!!

In my first 36 years I thought having a poo once a week was normal. When I became a vegan I thought I was losing myself!!! However I soon realised that after becoming a vegan my system actually started to work properly. Interestingly enough the poos don't smell as bad now either!!! (so much for someones theory that we are made to be meat eaters!!!)

Other advantages I have found, I have more energy, I have more endurance. I have NEVER had a sick day since becoming a vegan - not even the flu which I used to get each season. My food is more interesting, because I make more effort. I don't do without cakes, icecream etc - its quite easy to make your own and there are some great recipes around if you look for them. They don't have to be these dry crusty looking things I sometimes see people producing.

Once you become a vegetarian after a while you won't actually like the smell of flesh (meat) and you can actually smell if a person eats meat or not!!!

I'm all for it. Other kickoffs from being a vegetarian are that you don't contribute to third world countries being used to graze cattle for the richer nations (to their detriment). You can produce more beans per acre than you can feed cows, thereby feeding the world as opposed to a few rich nations. You don't incur the subtle karma produced when an animal is killed and you don't contribute to the disgusting way animals are bred and kept for eating these days. i.e. battery hens, pigs, grainfed cows etc. If you could get yourself a hold of one of those videos it would put you off eating meat for life!!!

Anyway I hope this real life experience has helped in your decision to become a vegetarian - you won't regret it.!!!

One more thing I forgot to add in answer to your question. I became a vegan slowly over I guess a period of 6 months to a year. First I stopped the meat (had a friend who kept nagging me), then I stopped the chicken, then the fish, then the eggs last of all. So just do it slowly. Your body will adjust. The biggest thing to remember too is to make sure you eat protein i.e. nuts, beans, tofu. Its very easy when you first start to forget to have any protein at all. Iron you can get from spinach (must be eaten with tomatoes tho), strawberries (which has more iron that meat!!) and broccalli is great for it as well, but iron really comes from a lot of foods, the biggest thing is BALANCE.

One of my best friends is a vegetarian. When she first became a vegan she gained 70 pounds. She ate breads, sugars, cakes, pastas, and processed foods and just packed on the pounds. Many fruits and veggies are high in fat so you do need to be careful also. Stay away from the alvacados.
Realize that just because you are a vegetarian does not mean you will be thin. You still have to watch what you eat and exercise. My friend did end of losing a lot of the weight. (through changing her eating habits) Just be careful. Jak is right. Take it slowly.

silver85,
My first thought when I read your question was "What is your reason for wanting to become a vegetarian?" In my opinion, your reason will determine whether or not you will be motivated to stick to a vegetarian diet.

Most people become vegetarians for one of the following reasons:
1. ethical reasons (animal rights, environmental, etc.)
2. religious or spiritual convictions (Hinduism, yoga practitioners, etc.)
3. health concerns

In my opinion, only the first 2 reasons will give a person the motivation to stick with vegetarianism as a life-long diet. If a person is only doing it to try to be "healthy", there will be too many temptations to give in. Human nature being what it is, it would be too easy to say "just this once" you'll have a hamburger, or "just this once" you'll eat turkey at Thanksgiving, etc. . If you have a strong conviction that eating meat is "wrong", you will find it much easier to resist the peer pressure to eat meat.

In my case, I became a vegetarian because I came to the conclusion that I did not want to participate in the slaughter of animals for food (even more disturbing than the actual slaughter is how the animals are forced to live before they are killed). I've always been what you might call a "new-agey" type person, and was getting into yoga and exploring spiritual ideas when I was in my early 20s. I really have not had a hard time sticking to vegetarianism because I thoroughly believe that it is the right thing to do. Not only do I believe that using animals for food causes misery for them, but I believe that it does something to the human psyche; it causes a disrespect for all life and hardens the human heart. At the bottom of my post, I will list some sites you might want to visit. If you are interested in any of these ideas, you can always email me, and I'd be glad to talk with you about them.

Now, I'd like to address your concerns about how a vegetarian diet would affect your health. When I first started, I was young and had not grown up eating healthy foods; I was a typical junk-food junkie! It does take time to adjust and get used to eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. I would suggest that you go slowly; gradually reduce the types and amounts of meat you eat, while gradually increasing the types and amounts of fruits/vegs/whole-grains/nuts/beans, etc. that you eat. I'd also suggest that you do research to learn about proper nutrition. It will be well worth the effort. Here's a site where you can have your diet and lifestyle analyzed; they will tell you your strong points and what you can do to improve your health: realage.com

As for the protein issue that was raised:
I have no reason to believe that I am protein deficient, even after being a veg. for 12 years. I do not suffer fatigue or muscle weakness; I exercise 5 times a week at a fairly intense level, and have no problem keeping up. I have no reason to think my brain is malfunctioning (although some people may disagree ); I took an IQ test in 1986, and then again in 2000. I scored very highly on both of them, so I don't think my thinking/reasoning abilities have been damaged by my veg. diet. I also don't have any physical problems that might lead one to think my brain is not functioning properly (nerve problems, etc.). I also have a strong immune system, and rarely get sick. If a person seems to have low immunity, it may have nothing to do with being a vegetarian. I just don't want you to be scared and think that you are destined to keel over at any time (even if you feel good) if you become a vegetarian. Many people have lived long, healthy lives as vegetarians. If you follow basic, sound nutritional principles, you should be fine. I will try to find nutrition sites to refer you to, and will make another post here.

As for the USDA guidelines:
The government has always included beans/nuts/seeds as an alternative choice in the "meat" group. The "meat" group is basically the "protein" group, and veg. sources of protein are acceptable. It is not difficult at all to combine veg. foods to make "complete" proteins (peanut butter on whole-wheat bread, beans and brown rice OR dairy products with veg. foods, all fit the bill).

To close, I encourage you to try vegetarianism. You'll never know if it's the right thing for you until you try. If you have a strong conviction for it, and follow healthy eating habits, I think you will be glad you chose a vegetarian diet.


ivu.org
protein discussion
vegweb.com
peta -- look for veg. starter kit and ask carla features
allveggielinks.com
yoga and vegetarianism

I saw this article today at Time.com and thought it showed a lot of arguments on both sides of the issue:

Should We All Be Vegetarians?: Would we be healthier? Would the planet? The risks and benefits of a meat-free life.

I was a veggie for about 10 years. I went off the veggie diet around 3-4 years ago.

I can only speak from my own experience so I shall.

I went on a veggie diet for health reasons and it didn't work. I was sick more often and I also lost a lot of muscle tone. Now, you may say, oh you were not getting enough protein, blah blah blah, but I was. I had a veggie protein with every meal. I spoke to my doctor about this and he said that one's body is more able to absorb the protein found in meat than the protein found in veggies. Not for nothing, but I also gained around 20 pounds and my skin was terrible too. I discovered that my tofu and beans were packed with more calories than a lean meat or fish. Also, veggie diets tend to be high in carbos which can lead to weight gain. I was exercizing more than I am now and I'm 20 lbs lighter now. I have never experienced the type of defecation problems that were mentioned earlier.

Now, I'm not saying it can't be done healthfully I'm just saying it didn't work for me.

Also, it's a lot of work and frankly, meat tastes good, yummy. Clearly, I still eat healthfully. I avoid red meats although I enjoy a steak about two times a year. I eat primarily fish and skinless chicken cutlets and egg whites as my proteins. For the most part I avoid all processed carbos (like bread and pasta) and also beans which are terribly high in calories. My problem is that I LOVE bread and pasta so I make sure to indulge once a week or so. I also use dairy sparingly (and I'm originally from Wisconsin, so cheese and I go way back).

I guess my point is, if you are giving up meat for health reasons, you don't need to, nor is it advisable (from my point of view anyway).

So, I'm off to lunch, I think I'll have sushi.

I'm curious as to what you decided. Did any of the replies you received help you?

I said in my earlier post that I would find nutrition sites for you. Since you didn't make any additional posts to this thread after your initial question, I wasn't sure if you were still interested. Let me know if you want more info about planning a healthy vegetarian diet.

Let's take a poll. How many of you that find vegetarianism easy are blood type A? And those that cannot imagine the idea of giving up meat (particularly red meat) are possibly blood type O. I wonder how often this might be true?

There is a fasinating book, "Eat Right for Your Blood Type" (D'adamo). It relates our ancestors diets to what our bodies needs to ingest now. First came the blood type O - the hunter-type
, and later A incorporated more of the vegetarian type way to eat, later B and then AB, etc. I'm not good at book reports, but found it fasinating.
Maybe we are not all meant to eat the same way.

I don't know about blood type, but there are plenty of factors that affect how good the vegeterian lifestyle is for you. two of the big ones are age and sex. teenage and young women (who are most likely to be vegetarians) are put at risk by a vegetarian lifestyle. This has to do with blood (and therefore iron) loss and nutrients needed for a still growing and developping body. Middle-aged men (who i would guess are close to the least likely to be vegetarians) could really benefit from a vegetarian lifestyle. In either case, a vegetarian diet requires more planning to pull off because you won't get a lot of the nutrients that you would normally get through meat unless you specifically plan them into your diet.

as a side note, the ethical argument for vegetarianism is on thin ice. more animals are killed to support a vegetarian (in terms of destruction of ecosystems to create farmland and in terms of the rodents killed by farming equipment as the land is plowed, etc.). it becomes a question of whether you want to save the cows, chickens, turkeys, and pigs, or the rodents and other animals that crop farming kills.

Here is some information about the Vegetarian Lifestyle:

Information

I, too would be very interested to hear your opinions on some of the very interesting and informed work put into this thread on your behalf, by DvdGStwrt, J*Bean, Referenth, Jak, Clarebear, MsSueM, Sushaf, Julia0802, Methos5000 and Sherasi.
Don't forget that, although you request information, it is nice for others to have some idea as to whether they have helped, and whether the hard work in researching and answering your queries has been helpful or not. Cheers! Ritz.