Tips on becoming vegetarian?!

I went vegetarian around your age (a lot of people usually do) and you'll be fine as long as you eat right. It will help looking at a food pyramid for a vegetarian diet.

It may be healthier if you eat more vegetables then you do know. If your eating junk food and processed crap like oreos and morning star farm fake meats then it won't be. If you still want fake meats I suggest the gardien brand that has wholesome ingredients that you can actually read.

The different types of diets are
semi-vegetarians who sometimes eat seafood or poultry and not red meat
vegetarians who don't consume seafood or any meat
ovo-lacto-vegetarians who eat dairy and eggs, but no meat or fish
lacto-vegetarians who don't eat meat, fish, or eggs but consume dairy products
pescitarians who eat seafood, but not meat
vegans who don't eat anything from animals(including bees) and don't have any products tested on animals or with animal products

And some tips gelatin isn't vegetarian you can find it in most often in; yogurt(read ingredients for it), marshmallows, most gummy candies, jello desserts, altoids, and gum. I've also heard about some being in frozen vegetables oddly enough. Also look out for rennet or animal enzymes in cheeses. Rennet and animal enzymes come from the 4th lining of a baby cows stomach. Most all parmesan cheese is made with rennet as well.

As for what type of diet you should go by pick what one you think would be best for you.

Get some books from the library and go on the vegetarian web site for nutritional advice and recepe advice. Vegetarians dont eat any animal including fish, shellfood and poultry. Becoming a vegetarian will make you a lot healthier as long as you are getting the right balance of foods. Meat can be replaced with beans, lentils, pulses, nuts,eggs,cheese,milk,yoghurt,grains,see… and cereal. There are also fake meats, Quorn, soya and tofu, so you can still have veggie versions of burgers, hot dogs, bacon, pies, mince, fillets and nuggets. You also need plenty of fruit and vegetables. Get the support from your mum and offer to go food shopping with her and help with the food preperation and cooking. You are making an exellent choice and i wish you luck.

It is really sad to see animals being treated badly and slaughtered, but for a 12 year old, you still need a good diet to sustain your development...

Maybe you would consider just eating free-range meat, and sticking to the recommended intake for a 12 year old > teenager, I don't know how much meat you eat, but I'm sure most people who eat meat regularly, eat more for pleasure than to maintain nutrition.

If you feel so strongly about it, you should talk to your parents and see a nutritionist, who will be able to tell you exaclty how you can be a healthy vegetarian. There's a huge science behind food and the way our bodies use nutrients. It wouldn't be healthy to just stop eating meat all of a sudden without getting some proper advice on what foods will give you the highest amount of nutrients you need. Its also good to know what nutrients effect the absorption of other nutrients.

Be careful about changing your diet, especially when you are used to eating meat, as it has a lot of nutrients in it that are vital, I strongly recommend not to be over brainwashed by the TV, as the people who are celebrities do not have decent diets, and the packaging of too much sweet food in cereal commercials and junk food and even the mania of going veggie is a bit of a nasty false economy. To con young and foolhardy types fleecing them of their money, and not about information on eating well. A lot of the message from the main stream culture for girls is 'You have to be a starving skeleton, with no flesh on you OR we won't let you be famous' You can well do without it. I think Jamie Oliver's great, he is a very good chef and knows what he is doing about diets. Have he's stuff and you can't go wrong.

Most vegetarians are lacto ovo vegetarians. Lacto means milk and ovo means egg. These vegetarians don't eat meat (not even chicken and fish) but they will eat dairy and eggs. Vegetarians don't eat gelatin because it is made by using parts of slaughtered animals. Lots of yogurt has gelatin but not all of it so you would have to read the label.
Types of vegetarians:
There are lacto vegetarians who will eat dairy but not eggs and there are ovo vegetarians who will eat eggs but not dairy.

Some cheese is not vegetarian because it is made with animal rennet that came from slaughtered animals.

Vegans don't eat meat (not even chicken and fish) or anything that comes from an animal. They don't eat eggs, dairy or honey. They also don't buy things with wool, feathers, silk or leather because these things come from animals and they don't buy products that were tested on animals.

You can get a free vegetarian starter guide to help you:
http://www.tryveg.com/request/

Have you heard of the bacteria infections you can get from vegetables? Yes ? I don't know if you heard about the tomatoes, or spinach that was removed from the market because it caused people to be sick. How about the peanut butter? Do you know that the seasonal farm workers who have to harvest your vegetables don't get paid hardly enough to live on, and a lot of them are illegals working in the U.S. taking away jobs from the out of work U.S. citizens who live and try to survive in today's economy? Did you know that in the Bible, it says God created the animals, and then he gave us the authority over them to eat them to survive? Do you know that you being a vegetarian will not stop the eating of meat? Did you know that there are some cultures where Dogs are eaten? Why does any of this make you want to become a vegetarian? How about the animal testing to create drugs? How about the stripping of all the forests to make room for planting. Do you know what will happen when we don't have trees to produce Oxygen???? Maybe you should just be a 12 year old, try to recycle, don't get pregnant, or get anyone pregnant, and not worry about the rest? Animals were created, and given as food. They are not tortured before they are killed. Right now, they are better off then when we killed when we first started eating, because it is faster, and faster is always better if you are going to die.

Christian, believe in God's word, have lived where animals were killed for FOOD, eaten to continue life.

Okay, if you become vegetarian then you don't eat any meat or fish or products derived from these. If you are vegan you don't eat dairy or eggs either.

Learn how to cook (otherwise you will end up eating veggie ready meals), get a Vegetarian Student cookbook. They have easy and cheap recipes to follow. Eat plenty of protein (quorn, eggs, tofu, tvp), fruit and veg.

It will be healthier if you eat a balanced diet. You cannot just live off veggie pizzas and ready meals! I turned veggie at 15 and 18 years later I have still not turned back. Stick to your guns and learn how to make tasy food and it will be easy. But despite what others may say, veggies still eat cakes and chocolate and all those yummy things too!

dont become a vegetarian because humans were designed to eat meat. yes, SOME slaughter houses are really horrible but alot (at least in the us) are a little more humane.

becoming a vegetarian wont help to stop meat from being produced. theyll just keep producing it and itll end up going to waste so just eat it in moderation.



*cut down a lot if u want to but dont completely rule out meat.*

Lauren, please be careful and do not be afraid to discuss these concerns with your mom and dad. SOME, not all, of the answers given to you are very opinionated and being given to a 12 year old! Tomorrow someone will tell you to never eat greens and veggies that are not organically grown and that is your responsibility to save the rain forest. Why don't you do or be part of a school project that addresses this issue. Be sure to include the many local farmers and ranchers that raise their cattle and chickens free range and humanely. Just try to make it through middle school and make sure your parents know you are on this site asking questions.

If you're going to do it, do it properly!

"Will it be healthier?"
Health when it comes to food is about eating a good nutritionally balanced diet; this can include meat. If you just cut meat out of your diet it doesn't mean that you will miraculously become healthier. If you eat a poor vegetarian diet your health will deteriorate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKTsWjbjQ…

Just think of all the endangered species that vegetarians are killing. Were the Amazon forest is being felled to grow soya and quorum. Just plan Murder and killing the planet earth. Vegetarians want watch David Attenborough Natural World about the Amazon.

Don't eat meat.

In all seriousness, you need meat as a balanced diet, and killing animals is a nautral part of the life cycle, you'll get over it, Now go eat a sausageroll

a 12 year old can't be a vegetarian, because he is not going to be able to grow or develop muscles, being vegetarian at an early age is as bad as giving alcohol to a child

Don't. Plants have feeling too. Most little children go this phase. Ignore it and it will go away.

Great questions! :)

1. What kinds of vegetarians are there?
There are a few different kinds, and they have one thing in common: nothing that caused an animal to die is consumed. Of course this means meat of any kind, but some stuff, like gelatin and rennet (used to make some cheeses) come from dead animals so true vegetarians avoid them.

*Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian: this is the most common kind, and when someone says, "I'm vegetarian" this is usually what they mean. Lacto means dairy, Ovo means egg, so a Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian is a person who eats eggs and dairy in addition to not eating anything that came from a dead animal.
*Lacto-Vegetarian: this type of vegetarian eats dairy but not eggs. Most Hindu vegetarians are this type.
*Ovo-Vegetarian: this type of vegetarian eats no dairy but does eat eggs.
*Strict Vegetarian: this type of vegetarian eats no meat, dairy or eggs.
*Vegan: this type of vegetarian eats no meat, dairy, eggs, honey or anything else derived from animals or animal products. If it came from an animal, EVEN IF IT DOES NOT CAUSE AN ANIMAL TO DIE, vegans will not use or consume it. This means cosmetics tested on animals, body care products with animal ingredients (sometimes milk is used for lotions, for example), leather, wool, fur...vegans will not use it.
*Raw Vegan: this is a vegan who has a diet mainly of uncooked food. Since plant based foods are typically okay to eat without prior cooking (exceptions: beans and some grains), raw veganism can be pretty easy.


2. Will it be healthier?
Cutting out animal products will make you healthy IF you have a well-rounded diet. I suggest people add in as much nutrition as possible. For example, I'm a vegan and people think that if I want to eat, say, spaghetti then I can only have tomato sauce on noodles. No thanks! I start by dicing bell pepper (capsicum), onions, zucchini, potatoes and yellow squash and sauteeing them until the onions start to get translucent and soft. Then I add in garlic, cook that for another 2 minutes. Then I add in diced tomatoes (canned or fresh, up to you), quartered mushrooms, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and let simmer. About 5 minutes before serving, I like to add leafy greens, like raw kale, raw spinach and/or raw basil leaves. Then I serve this over buckwheat noodles (buckwheat has all your essential amino acids), or millet, sorghum or rice noodles. Pair this with a slice of whole-grain toast topped with vegan butter (or olive oil) and garlic powder and dried herbs and THAT is a meal!

Of course, you can be unhealthy as a vegetarian or vegan. You can only eat pizza, fried foods (fries, chips, etc.), processed fake meats, candy, soda pop and ice cream and that's not healthy!

If you want to check out some stuff I've made:
http://dailyveganeats.tumblr.com has nutrition information and recipes.
http://www.twitter.com/dailyveganeats is my by-the-meal Twitter account.
I'm also happy to veganize your favorite foods...just contact me on Tumblr, Twitter, or via the contact method here on Y!A...whatever works best for you.

This sort of reason to become a vegetarian really really p*ss me off, it is a pathetic and unrealistic excuse ever!!

When you watch the news about a oil silage and shows the animal suffering does it stop you using engine/heating oil, no!!

When you see rainforests being chopped down do you stop eating unethical resourced palm oil and meat!!

Does it stop you using your mobile phone when you watch a program people used and abused to mine for a part to make your phone vibrate, no!!

Do you stop buying designer and cheap clothes when you know that children as young as 10 work for nothing and abused making them, no!!

It is not your fault with the lack of knowledge it seems the way of the world now to be "ignorant" but at least when you do find out at least make the best and effective choices in life. Personally going vegetarian is a cop out, you will notice on this site quite regular the lack of decent common sense and too much one sided information. The information about slaughter/rearing will no doubt show the bad side of it all, extremist veg/vegans seem to focus on the bad practises and intensive farming, there are plenty of organic/free range and good practises but they do not show them do they!! Its propaganda, I have no clue what their aim is apart from fighting and mindless causes that makes things far worse. Do you know that intensive farming is winning due to the fact of the lack of support form people to promote the better, you would think at least these so called animal carers would opt for the better no matter what. Looking at it realistically meat will never ever disappear as it is unpractical and selfish to think it will.

At least choose better where you source your food from like local' organic, free range and known farms!!

Being vegetarian for the sake of animals is rubbish and a selfish act what does an individual being vegetarian do for an animal. Nothing at all it only makes the individual feel happy and guilt free!! Most on this site (not all thank god) seem to like fighting and talking drivel than do anything practical and effective for animals and the planet!!

No it does not make you more healthy, oh many will tell you it will but they will only compare their effectiveness to obese and unhealthy people not the healthy omnivores!!

If you want to stay omnivore choose:
ethically,
learn about the natural world,
learn about the impact on the world from humans what we can do better,
Learn about organic/free range farming (UK)
Find a local farm that has good practises and learn for, him/her
Recycle
Make your garden into a wildlife haven
Pick up rubbish around your area

There is so much to do

If you want to go vegetation do it for

Health reasons
Research about food to make sure you get the vitamins and nutrients you need!!
Again learn about food and the natural world
Recycle

MOST OF ALL FOR BOTH DIET CHOICES CHOOSE TO HELP AND SUPPORT ORGANIC AND FREE RANGE MEAT AND DIARY!! If you want to make a difference do this help make this be the norm than industrial farming!!

UK, Farm labourer, Gillie, Country girl, realist and care for wild and domestic animals!!

how about all the other animals that get killed for food fish etc etc the list could go on

just only eat green

my mom