Why go vegetarian or vegan?!
Answers: hello, im considering going vegetarian for a start, global warming and helath reasons. I would like to know how vegans and vegetarians remain strong to stick with it and not eat meat or dairy.....
first of all, congratulations on taking that first step and thinking about going vegetarian. what you're doing is wonderful, both for you and for the environment (and of course the animals!). i have been a vegetarian practically my whole life, so giving up meat was never really an issue for me, but from what i've gathered from the friends around me who became vegetarian in their early teens, if you really believe strongly in the reasons behind being a vegetarian, you will be able to resist the temptation to eat meat. it may be hard, sometimes you may have relapses, but trust me, if you really feel passionate about giving up meat one day you will not even dream of eating it again. my advice would be to take it slowly, maybe start with eating meat every other day, then every two days, etc until you don't eat it anymore. but even this will not work if you don't feel strongly enough about what you're doing. good luck! and i'm sorry this was so long. remember, even eating less meat than you used to means you're going in the right direction! =)
If your beliefs are stronger than your tastebuds, and you're willing to try new things it's usually not an issue. You learn to find vegan alternatives and it becomes second nature rather quickly.
as soon as you start educating yourself on just what's in meat and dairy products, and how horrid the commercial farming industry is for global warming, you'll lose your taste for meat and dairy pretty quick.
the only thing i miss is cheese, but there are a lot of cheese substitutes out there, just not where i live! everything else is pretty easy to replace.
Hi, I'm a non-vegetarian with a boyfriend who used to be a strict vegetarian for 20 years.
He said first 1~2 years were very hard to remain strong around family and friend who enjoy meat and seafood. After that, it went OK as long as he avoided discussing & argueing about his diet with non-vegetarians. Talking about it with others often made him depressed because it made him realize that there will never be a day that all human becomes vegetarian, and he had made his choice for moral and enviromental reasons.
It is also hard to keep up with enough proteins and calcium. You have to eat considerable amount of eggs, soy, cheese, etc to stay healthy. I do not recommend you to give up dairy if you're a woman be cause we need lots of calcium.
When I met my boyfriend, he was eating so much cookies, ice cream, and chips between meals, so he can feel full without spending so much money and time (Not healthy!)
Now we both enjoy small servings of organic bacon on Sunday breakfast and 1 or 2 seafood dish a week, and the rest is tofu, vegetables and rice, etc. He is not depressed any more.
I'm not trying to convince you to remain as a meat-eater but just showing an altanative way to stay healthy and enviromental without giving up all the good stuff!
Have you watched any of the videos about meat production, animal farming, etc?
I find that the images stick with me enough to keep me going.
Besides that, I was never fond of meat as a child and dairy always left a heavy feeling in my chest, so I know that I'm a lot healthier now. Sometimes I find it a little difficult when I'm eating out with my friends, but that doesn't last for long.
You just need to remind yourself that you're doing what you feel is right. I hope it goes well for you =]
it can be hard. the substitutes do help kill the cravings, and the cravings do get better over time. eventually, meat and dairy just start to taste pretty gross. they still smell yummy when cooking, though.
i fall off the wagon sometimes, but each bout is less and less because i start to feel gross and unhealthy a little faster each time, and the animal products just sort of don't taste as good as i remember them.
vegetarians r just lazy hunters