Vegetarian or Vegan?!
Does anyone have any advise for me ?
Answers: How is the best way to become a vegan or vegetarian, I live with my fiance who loves red meat but I am tired off eating all that stuff but I still like fish and chicken, (white meat only) How can I become a vegan or vegetarian ?
Does anyone have any advise for me ?
Well, if you still want to eat meat, fish and fowl, you will still be an omnivore, and not a vegetarian. Vegetarian do not eat meat.
BUT your concerns and questions are commendable, most people don't want to think about it, don't want to care. So this is what I would suggest.
Doing some research on why you want to do this is the best way to go about it. Why is it exactly that you want to cut out meat? Here are a few facts that made me change my diet...
In the U.S., four companies produce 81 percent of cows, 73 percent of sheep, 57 percent of pigs and 50 percent of chickens.[27] In 1967, there were one million pig farms in America; as of 2002, there were 114,000,[28] with 80 million pigs (out of 95 million) killed each year on factory farms as of 2002, according to the U.S. National Pork Producers Council.[26] According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74 percent of the world's poultry, 43 percent of beef, and 68 percent of eggs are produced this way.[18]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_far...
1. farms are polluting our air...the greenhouse gases (400 different gases) that come out of these factory farms tops automobiles in the US.
2. Polluting our water: And estimates that more than 335 million tons of manure are produced annually on farms in the United States, which is polluting out water. Some say that the bird flu is caused by corporate farming (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/...
3. They are cutting down the rainforest to grow corn and soy, which feed the cows that get slaughtered and shipped to fast food chains.
3. the majority of grain that we grow goes to cows....it takes about 11-13 pounds of grain to get one pound of beef, If Americans would reduce meat consumption by just 10%, enough grain would be saved to feed the 60,000,000 people who die of hunger each year.
4. I work in environmental law and have found out some really crazy things,,,,,like they give this hormone to pigs that is so toxic to humans, that it is law that they stop administering this hormone at least 3 months before human consumption, but who knows if they are doing this? And that is just one piece of info that I know, and really, I know very little.
And well to me, giving my money to these people who don't care if the meat is healthy, they don't care of you or your family, or our communities or our environment. They want your money. I can't support them anymore.
(sorry this is so long....)
So, you want to change but your fiance doesn't, this doesn't, you need to go about this gently, this doesn't need to be a controversy. You can cook meat on the side and not eat it. You can find some good tofu/fish/chicken recipes he/she likes and make those a few times a week, then make some meat and veggies separately. Be open and talk about it, you don't want to change your loved one, but you want to make a change for yourself, so go at it as something that you need his/her support, because you will.
If the US alone would cut their meat consumption by 15-20 percent, they would save 60,000,000 pounds of grain...we could put a huge dent into world starvation with that....I challenge people all the time to go veg 2-3 times a week and they do and love it.
Keep an open mind, I found that when I wanted to go vegan and my guy didn't, he thought that I wanted to make him change too, but I told him that I couldn't do it without his support, I wanted him to understand why, and I wanted to try it out for a month, see how it went. It went well, and now he is vegan too, because it felt so good.
Good luck....and make sure that your fiance knows that you don't want to change him/her, that you want to better your life.
:) again, so sorry this long.....I do to much research for my own good
Read "Skinny B*tch," it's the perfect guide to going on a veg diet and being healthy. The book has a list of all the great stuff you can eat, and you can pick up the companion book "Skinny B*tch in the Kitch" that has some delicious recipes. I love it!
Well, it's not as if vegetarianism is a religion or anything. :) If you find that you dislike certain foods (i.e. red meats), you're free to omit them from your diet as long as you look into what those foods were providing you with in terms of nutrition, and research some other, more appealing foods that will fill that gap in your diet (i.e. something rich in protein to make up for the decrease in meat). If you still like fish and chicken, nobody's going to stop you from continuing to eat them. It's not so much a question of "adhering" to vegetarian or vegan guidelines, but finding a diet that you like and that fulfills the needs of your body as well.
Do lots of on line research.
Read some books. I thought Peter Singer's "Ethics of What We Eat" was a real eye opener. "Animal Factories" also by Singer
Get some great cook books and recipes on line. Learn how to cook new tasty meals.
Stay connected to other vegers and vegans. If you don't know any personally use YA...it's a godsend.
Subscribe to vegan/veg news letters (check out enewsletter@veganoutreach.org )
Watch you tube videos on factory farming and the dairy industry.
Most of all... stop eating meat (free range if you feel you can't go without)
Good luck =0)
My partner eat meat too. Thankfully, he's respectful enough to only do it when we are/he is outside of the house.
Your best option would probably be to either make separate meals or make meals that can be with or without meat.
E.g.
Roast veg. You can accompany yours with some pasta, garlic bread, whatever and he can accompany his with a steak.
Make a veg stir fry and he can stir fry his meat separately and add it to his own bowl/plate at the end!
ecparano is right on - get a copy of Skinny ***** - it will help jump start you on the road to vegan/vegetarian.
I'm a vegan, my husband eats meat. we've been married for 12 years with no probs - just sometimes takes a bit longer to make dinner. he is pretty good about eating whatever i have, just grills a chicken breast or steak to throw on top of it.
eat what you want, you don't have to fit into a category. you won't be a bad person if you cut out red meat but continue to eat chicken and fish!
I'd definitely start with being vegetarian... and then work towards being vegan. I lived with probably the biggest meat eater on earth (my mom's ex) and it's definitely possible to be vegetarian with someone like that. Hamburger was the only thing that kept me from being vegetarian though, and it was easy for me to give it up. What you'll probably want to do is look for vegetarian recipes so you can get a variety so you won't get bored eating the same thing everyday.
The easiest way is to cut back and gradually eliminate the foods you don't want to eat, while increasing suitable replacements. Check out the magazine Vegetarian Times--there are lots of great recipes in there that you can try. As you begin to get used to cooking vegetarian or vegan, it'll get easier.
Stir-fry is a great thing for mixed-eater homes. You can cook all the veggies in one pan, and then cook meat and your protein substitute separately. Your man can add beef to his plate, while you add bean curd to yours. It still works with fish and chicken.
Trying to go straight-veg can be daunting, and it sounds like that isn't exactly what you're after anyway--so just work on incorporating more vegetarian meals into your cooking repertoire. You can eat them as main dishes, and your fellow can use them as side dishes.
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Vegan-Com...
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Freak-Being-...