Becoming a Vegetarian/Vegan?!
Becoming a Vegetarian/Vegan?
I've been thinking about becoming vegetarian a lot lately. About a week ago I started (with a friend) not eating meat for 'choice meals' (lol) - so not for lunch basically, but still eating what we are given for dinner. Mainly this was to kind of fade into being vegetarian, and so our friends/family don't think we are mental. But maybe this was a crazy idea and we should just tell them and get on with it? Any tips on doing that? (We are 18) How to tell our parents? How to make it so our meal doesn't have to be completely separate? Is there any important things, like supplements/vitamins we should know about?
And on another note, I originally was going to start with still eating fish/milk and stuff, but now I've seen a movie showing how bad these industries are too ... dammit. But one thing I'm still not entirely convinced to turn off is like, backyard grown eggs, whats wrong with them? If they lived in a substantial cage, and they are laying ther eggs anyway ...
1 week ago
Okay, some questions/comments on your answers:
How would gelatin/rennet be labeled on things? Is their different forms of them with different names?
How can you tell if vegetables are *fresh* or 'dead' when you buy them? Do you need to cook them in a special way? Is there a limit on how long to store them before they 'die'?
Stale urine smell/taste? What the? *People* smell like stale urine? How does that work? That is strange, I'm lucky I drink lots of water. LOL.
'Iluvmileycyrus': I've considered this, and I know it will not make a difference, but every time you eat meat you are eating an animal that probably lived a horrible life, just to be your dinner. This definately puts me off, if not you, then so be it. But the thing that really turned me was a quote I found:
"But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy."
-Plutarch (AD120)
Answers:
1 week ago
Okay, some questions/comments on your answers:
How would gelatin/rennet be labeled on things? Is their different forms of them with different names?
How can you tell if vegetables are *fresh* or 'dead' when you buy them? Do you need to cook them in a special way? Is there a limit on how long to store them before they 'die'?
Stale urine smell/taste? What the? *People* smell like stale urine? How does that work? That is strange, I'm lucky I drink lots of water. LOL.
'Iluvmileycyrus': I've considered this, and I know it will not make a difference, but every time you eat meat you are eating an animal that probably lived a horrible life, just to be your dinner. This definately puts me off, if not you, then so be it. But the thing that really turned me was a quote I found:
"But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light, and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy."
-Plutarch (AD120)
wel to the world to vegetarian - vegan because of you more animals will live on earth thanks for that,if your friends fors e you to eat non-veg tell them thanks and be proud of your self and do try and tell them the value of vegetarian here are soe tips
Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.
Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.
A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.
Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.
Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.
Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.
Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.
Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.
Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.
ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:
More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.
1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.
" Source: Seventh day Adventists study
2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.
3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.
4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.
5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.
CONLUSION:
When activists like M.K. Gandhi, sports personalities like Martina Novratilova & Carl Lewis, beauties like Brooke Shields & Kate Winslet, physists like Edison, Albert Einstein & A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, religious leaders & mystics like Jesus & Osho can be legendaries in there respective fields taking the advantage of being vegetarian, Is'nt it more prudent on our part to switch over to vegetarianism & enjoy better quality & longevity of life.
just show them the videos and tell them your grown now so you can might a good dicition! You will need a substitute for protien. Eat tofu,boca things(soy),morning star stuff like that. Remember that gelatin is also pig too(its made from the marrow) and rennet is made from animal stomach.
:)<3
Wow, what an issue! You should do some research on the Internet before becoming a veg. There are lots of things to consider before deciding what type of vegetarian you wish to become!
My advice is, if you feel strongly about doing this then just tell your parents! You don't have to be embarrassed by your values!
Secondly, if you're going to be vegetarian, then BE vegetarian. That means no chicken or fish or animals of any kind! It isn't hard to eat correctly if you are dedicated. If you still wish to consume dairy and egg products, just be aware of what you are buying. Do some research and decide what's best for you, the animals and the earth at the same time. :-)
If you are doing this for animal rights reasons, there is no reason not to eat eggs from home flocks. They are practiacally pets, and selling eggs is how they make their living - it pays for the feed. The eggs are much better, much better for you, and the chickens are happier than wild birds, because they are protected and doted on.
This can also be true of home cows. Nobody can drink a whole cow's worth (well almost nobody), so essentially a person gets free or cheep milk for their own children, and the sold milk supports the cow. Most home cows are also pets. Remember though that home cow milk is not usually pasturized *for* you, so you will probably have to do it to avoid disease, and that it is not fortified with vatamins A & D. you will need a lot more carrots, and a lot more sunshine to make your own vitamin D.
If you are doing it for health reasons, the above are generally safe, but ask after the feed they use. Even pet cow chow can have antibiotics or hormones.
Wild caught fish are no more of less caught by you than by their wild predators... and if you choose fish caught in clean areas they are clean fish: like alaska salmon.
Field raised beef is pretty clean meat, so are home raised hogs fed on grain and left overs.
You do not have to be a vegetarian to eat clean cruelty free meat/eggs/milk... but you do have to go to a little more trouble to buy it, and in some cases be willing to kill it and cut it yourself.
If you are a vegetarian, you have to be aware of 'complete protiens' which means you have to combine vegetable and grain sources of protein in specific ways to be sure you get the minimum amount of *every* amino acid you require for health *everyday*. This is not as much of sa hassle as you may think. humus on corn chips does it, or bean and cheese burritos... lots of options. Also be siure to keep an eye on your fat consumption. some of these options are so low fat you can 'fat starve' causing chronic diarrhea, dry skin and fat soluable vitamin deficiencies, while other choices are so high fat you will weigh 800lbs in no time! Depends on what is convenient and tasty to *you*. If you give up regular eating patterns, you will have to form your new ones consciously to remain healthy.
Vegans always, and vegetarians sometimes, become deficient in B12 and minerals normally got from meats, like iron. There are practically no decent non-meat/egg sources of B12. Being short of it will make you tired, and eventually screw up your nervous system. If you allow this to occur, you cannot reverse all the damage, so be careful.
If you become a vegetarian or a vegan, you will need to take more care to eat truly *fresh* veggies. There is a staggering nutritional difference between a dead veggie and a live one.
Overall, before you make complete or drastic changes, be sure you get a couple hardboiled eggs a day to go with your veggies until you have managed to *really thoroughly* educate yourself regarding these issues of proper nutrition.
Also be aware that in becoming a vegan or a strict vegetarian you will be choosing your company. Other people will all begin to smell like stale urine to you, unless they strictly limit their meat consumption and drink plenty of water.
If *you* decide to eat meat again after a long meatless period, it will taste like stale urine... And you will smell like stale urine to yourself for a couple days. You may be forced to eat, say, turkey... because your grandmother would be very sad if you did not 'enjoy' your holiday meal... Believe me, this comes up... and good manners and/or grandma may require you to smile and eat urine-flavored sawdust.
It is not stupid to do what you are talking about, and it is a kind and health aware place to be coming from, but you will need to prepare yourself to do it right.
why is this complicated?
you choose not to eat meat anymore. it's better for your health, why should you explain yourself to anyone. it's your body, it's your choice and that will cause some changes for the better.
you can cook your own food. tell your mom to buy you some boca/ morningstar products. it shouldn't be that difficult.
also, fish is still an animal why would you stop eating meat and not fish too? vegetarianism means eliminating fish AND meat.
also if you want to stop eating any animal product/ingredients then try going vegan. there are animal ingredients in almost every food. that's why veganism is a better way.
do some research and find out what you can eat.
Let me tell you. If you stop buying meat are you really going to save an animal? The package of meat that you don't buy will be bought by someone else. It makes no sense to be a vegetarian. And another thing, if you really do save an animal, the "saved" animal will too be made into my dinner soon. You know how peta says that not eating meat for a year saves 100 animals. well 100 out of 2 billion is squat. Care about your own life more than the animals'. You will only make it tough on yourself if you become a vegetarian. Please think about this.
if they offer you meat at dinner, say no thanks, i think il have more potatos or whatever. if you say you are a vegetarian then they might freak out. after avoiding meat for like a month or 2, casually say your a vegetarian, and they probably wont think much of it. be sure to get enough protein though. nothings wrong with eggs from chickens in your backyard, so go ahead and eat them.