All vegetarians out there, help please?!


Question: All vegetarians out there, help please!?
ok i'm a REALLY big meat eater and so is my family!. my family would never ever ever go for it so i know it's not worth trying to convert them but i have been thinking about going vegan!. um well first what is teh difference between vegan and vegetarian!? can i still eat fish or seafood!? i'm just really confused!. and you know how everyone says meat substitutes and tofu taste bad, well can you reccomend anything like that, that actually tastes good!? cause i'm gonna miss themeat a lot :'( but whenever i miss it i'll think about all those helpless animals!. :) and wouldn't you miss a lot of nutrients!? how would you get the nutrients you need to stay healthy!? and what are some good recipes to try!? thanx! :DWww@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Veganism is technically more than just a diet!.

Veganism involves not using animal products or byproducts of any kind!. So vegans don't eat animals of any kind, and they don't eat eggs or any dairy products!. They also don't use leather, down (feather) pillows, or various other products!.


There are various products that can replace meat, but it is really up to you to decide what you like!. I've liked Boca burgers, but there are also some vegetable-like burgers that have been good!. Go into it with a positive attitude and try different products, and you'll find out what you like and what you don't!. Many foods that are common to you now are probably acquired tastes, and it might seem strange to have some that you haven't before!. If you really don't like something though, move on and try something else!.

The best recommendation I could give you for not missing nutrients is to avoid heavily processed food as much as possible and to have a variety of food!. If you do that, you should be okay!. Should you feel more comfortable with something beyond that, certain foods (like soymilk) are often fortified, and you can also take vitamin pills!.

Give a chance to many different foods!. A lot of people who go vegan realize that they feel there are now many more options available to them just because they were living in a very small world and eating the same things as everything else!. Try out dishes around the world and find some things that you never would have before!.

Remember, there are only a few animals that are commonly consumed in the world; there are far more plant products in the world!. So don't think of it as limiting yourself, and open your eyes to a world of variety that you had never experienced before!.

Best of luck to you!Www@FoodAQ@Com

If you are a vegan, you don't eat ANYTHING that comes from an animal, such as dairy or even honey!.

Vegetarians just don't eat meat, including fish!.

I recommend gradually eating more fruits and vegetables, and finding substitutes for meat as often as you can, such as veggie burgers or tofu!. I haven't been able to become a total vegetarian, but I mostly am, and only eat fish when I do eat meat!.

See the documentary "Earthlings," narrated by Joaquin Phoenix!. It will give you motivation for being a vegetarian!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

good for you! ok well a vegetarian (like me) does not eat fish or seafood or ANY form of meat, a vegan is just someone who eats fruits/veggies, nuts!. no milk, meat, cheese, butter!.!.!.no dairy!.!.umm as for food!.!.!.this book looks good http://www!.amazon!.com/gp/reader/01403850!.!.!.

and i usually eat morning star and quorn!.!.good food!.!.!.!.oh yeah!.!.!.avoid the gelatin and keratin!.!.!.its crushed animal ligaments tendons and bones in a white powderWww@FoodAQ@Com

if your not educated on it correctly dont do it!. wait til you are and then persue it!. go to the library and check out some books on vegetarianism and veganism, it helps!. and also try educating your family, so they support you and buy you the necessary foods!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

im a vegetarian, and i think that Boca & Morning Star products taste almost the same as real meat!. especially the hamburgers !Www@FoodAQ@Com

well vegan means NO animal products, no milk, no ice cream, no cheese, no cookies (because they're made with milk in some cases), no milk chocolate!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

try tofu burgers, tofurky!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

The difference between a vegetarian and a vegan is that a vegetarian eats no meat, but may still eat dairy products, etc!., while a vegan eats no meat, dairy, or anything else from animals (yes, that includes seafood)!.

In my opinion, tofu doesn't taste bad!. If you cook it in a stir-fry with other veggies or something, it's very good!. You just have to know how to experiment!. The only meat substitute I like the taste of is veggie dogs, but it depends on your tastes!.

If you eat properly and make an effort to stay healthy, you won't miss out on anything you couldn't get from meat!. Just eat foods with a lot of protein (beans, nuts, etc!.)!. It also wouldn't hurt to take a multi-vitamin!.

Finally, here are a few sites with some good recipes:
http://vegkitchen!.com/
http://allrecipes!.com/Recipes/Everyday-C!.!.!.

Good luck!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Vegetarian is when you don't eat meat (including seafood), but you eat eggs, drink milk, use butter, etc!.
Vegan is when you don't eat anything that comes from animals, at all!. Most vegans include honey in this (but since honey comes as naturally to bees as pooping does to cows, I wouldn't cinsider it un-vegan of someone to eat it!.) This means no milk, no eggs, no butter, no cheese, no yogurt, no sour cream, no Jello!.!.!.
Tofu is great!. Look up some tofu recipes!.!.!. It is actually quite good, and there are a lot of uses for it!. My favorite frozen meat substitute is Morningstar Farms!. It's a bit pricey though!. I'd say it's worth it!
You would not miss any nutrients as long as you keep your meals balanced!. Legumes like beans have a lot of protein, which meat also has, but meat also has fats and often has hormones that can mess with your body!.
Vegetarianism and veganism is a lot of work!. If you're not up to cooking for yourself, by yourself, every day!.!.!. You might want to wait to go veggie until you live by yourself!. Your parents may not be too excited about the extra cost either!.
Talk to your parents about it, and see how they feel!. If you work together, you could create a menu that satisfies both your needs and theirs!. :-)Www@FoodAQ@Com

Hi, Judy!. I'd suggest you think about why you want to go veg--health, the animals, the environment!?--and do research to support your case to your parents!.

A vegetarian does not eat the flesh of any animal--this includes sea creatures, by the way--and they avoid gelatin (made from the bones, connective tissue, and hides of slaughtered animals) and rennet in cheese (rennet is made from the fourth stomach of veal calves and is used to coagulate cheese)!. Vegetarians may eat dairy products, egg products, and honey!.

Vegans avoid all animal products in their diet and in their lifestyle!. Vegans do not buy products from companies that test on animals, including non-food items, and they avoid animal ingredients in their toiletries, cosmetics, and household cleansers!. Vegans strive to live a life that avoids exploitation of animals!.

I like many meat analogues--you'll have to find which ones work for you!. And I like tofu--freeze and press your tofu (see my profile for tips) for optimum texture!. Tofu is rather tasteless, and it takes on the flavors of the foods cooked with it!. I also enjoy tempeh (an Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans) and seitan (wheat gluten)!.

As long as you eat a varied diet, you won't be missing any nutrients, except maybe cholesterol and saturated fat!. Check out www!.vrg!.org for nutritional information and www!.vegweb!.com for recipes!.

good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com

Vegetarians do not eat meat, that includes gelatin (food product obtained from boiling animal bones; found in most deserts), rennet/rennin (an extract from the stomachs of calves and lambs which contains the enzyme; is found in most cheeses) and fish or any seafood, as they are considered animals!.
Vegans don't eat meat, milk, eggs, any dairy products - or any product derived from an animal (i!.e!. milk chocolate, milk icecream etc)!. Vegans also don't wear leather, suede, wool, silk or any other product that comes from an animal!.

So if you decide to go either vegetarian or vegan - make sure you check the ingredients of food and check your clothing!. I'm seventeen and a vegan, I was actually vegetarian for a month before I turned vegan, and I found the transition to be really easy for me because I absolutely adore animals!. Even though as a carnivore, I did once love those oysters!. But you learn how to deal with it and you no longer have a desire to eat those things that you once loved!. It's easy!.

People are going to give you a lot of crap for being vegan or vegetarian, simply because it's different!. And it's unkown and usually the unkown scares and threatens people!. You being a vegetarian or vegan for them is like looking into a mirror image of how wrong they are in their choices etc!. That's how they feel and they often have negative opinions towards it, even though vegetarianism and veganism are the most healthy and nutritious diets in the world!. The best thing you can do is not preach to people, although I haven't once come acrosse a vegan or vegetarian that has tried to shove their beliefs down someone's throat!. Read a lot about it and make sure you've got the facts to back you up in a conversation or argument!. Because they will come, trust me!.

I still get them now, and sometimes they are from my closest friends!. Even though they may be joking about it, it's not fair to bully someone about their beliefs!. I don't bully them about eating meat, so they should be a little more considerate!.

Here are some handy links for more info:

http://www!.vegansociety!.com/html/
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Vegan
http://www!.peta!.org/
http://www!.vegetarianteen!.com/
http://www!.goveg!.com/

I hope I've helped a bit, I know I've rambled on!. But congratulations on your decision anyway!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Haha!. I recommend not going vegan straight off the bat!. Vegan means NO animal products, no milk, no ice cream, no cheese, no cookies (because they're made with milk in some cases), no milk chocolate!.

A lot of vegetarians still eat fish and sea food, but never vegans!.

Boca Burgers usually taste pretty good, and so do Morningstar burgers!. The Burger King in my neighborhood actually sells Morningstar burgers!.

You do miss nutrients like iron and protein!. To supplement the iron I recommend eating spinach (cooked or raw) and to supplement the protein you can always eat peanut butter!.

Yeah, don't recommend going vegan right away!. It took me a while to be detatched from all the animal stuff :)Www@FoodAQ@Com

How old are you!? Listen to your parents!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com





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