I am trying to become a vegetarian, but I keep relapsing and eating meat.?!
Answers: Mostly because my family eats meat and it is always available and convenient. I want to do this strictly for health reasons. Each time I relapse I feel tremendous guilt which causes more relapses. Any encouragement or helpful words will be sincerely appreciated.
There's no one "right" or "wrong" way to go vegetarian... for some, it's a snap decision and they change overnight... for others, it's a process with many steps along the way. So just go at the pace that's best for you. It might help to have some vegetarian convenience foods available at your house... canned soups, frozen entrees (like Amy's), etc.
Also, here's some health info:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/i...
Good luck!
p.s. Please ignore the uniformed posters like the one above me. The American Dietetic Association, the nation's foremost authority on nutrition, writes: "...appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer."
You are a bad, bad BAD girl. You must offer a burnt sacrifice of spinach, parsnips and acorns to Lord Vega, God of the Vegans. The guilt is only normal, for you are morally no better than we meat eaters at the moment. Now, run young Padowan...gather the vegetables and make the sacrifice to Vega before you are one of us forever!!
Only when you really, really believe in your reason for not eating meat,,,you'll relapse over and over again. Stop beating yourself up, your simply not ready!
I also became a vegetarian for health reasons. My daughter and I are the vegetarians in our family and my husband and son both eat meat. Because of that, we have to make seperate meals most of the time. We share some of the dishes and then make our protein from beans or tofu to go with it.
As far as guilt, it doesn't help the situation at all. Better to treat it like regular dieting and just keep trying and picking up where you left off. Even if you don't go completely vegetarian all the time, you are still helping your health by doing it some of the time. Make sure that when you are eating vegetarian, you pick out healthy choices and don't just load up on carbs and fat.
Its all about planning, planning, planning. Sit down and genuinely think about what you are going to eat each day. Plan menus and a shopping list. Then go shopping.
Make sure that you are planning plenty of vegetables and fruits but you also need protein replacement. Don't forget, otherwise the health benefits are seriously reduced. Think portabello mushrooms, tofu, and veggie "meat."
Each evening remind yourself what you planned to eat the next day. Prepare anything or think about preparation that you will need ahead of time.
I know, it will seem like all you do is plan and think about food but eventually it will become second nature and take less time.
You can still eat meat and be healthy. It is just a matter of portion control and how it is prepared. So I don't think you need to feel guilty because you eat meat. I eat a lot chicken and fish mostly and have little red meat or pork. I eat a lot vegetables with my meals and lots of water and tea. I stay away from fried foods and use as little oil or fat as possible when preparing my food.
I still eat meat but I am very healthy I work out regularly and I don't think there is anything wrong with what I do. I think you are being to hard on yourself to try and be vegetarian when it is not working for you.
I do the same thing. I will say Im not going to eat mat..4 months later I give up. Mostly because of everybody around me eating meat. I know how you feel. Its ok =D
"Its all about planning, planning, planning. Sit down and genuinely think about what you are going to eat each day. Plan menus and a shopping list. Then go shopping"
IN OTHER WORDS DEAR --- Give up your life and plan, plan, plan, spend all of your spare time planning, planning, planning.
If you are ready to give up "living" at your age .... then do so and plan, plan, plan. If you are not ready ... then enjoy your life and the nice meals with your family.
If you are doing this for health reasons only, its not a very healthy choice. I have not yet met a healthy vegetarian.
Face it, unless you want to eat beans everyday, we need meat in our diets.
IF you want to stay healthy, vegetarianism is not the way to go.
Just cut down on your meat eating. Just accept you like a LITTLE meat now and then. And your guilt will disappear. Don't be so hard on yourself. Enjoy your life, your family and the meals you eat together. Plenty of time to make life hard on yourself, but for right now ... ENJOY.
EVERYTIME UR GONNA EAT IT ..REMEMBER THE ANIMAL .THE BLOOD...THE UNHEALTHYNESS ...BECAUSE A LOT OF COWS THAT EVEN HAVE CANCER ARE APPROVED SOOOOO THAT SHOULD HELP