does anyone know anything about being vegetarian?!

There are many kinds and variation among vegetarians, just as there are a variety of practices among meat eaters.

Some people are vegetarians for ethical reasons. They do not want to harm animals. People who approach vegetarianism from that perspective will often avoid makeup that is tested on animals. They might also refuse to wear leather belts and leather shoes. Some even refuse to use regular medicine capsules (made from gelatin, an animal product) and insist on pills or non-gelatin capsules.

Other vegetarians do it only because it is healthier. They avoid meat, because it is bad for your health. They are less likely to care about thinks like leather and makeup.

Probably the majority of vegetarians are somewhere in between. They think there are both health and moral reasons to be vegetarian, but they also recognize that life involves compromise, so they are not always perfect in avoiding animal products. Everyone is different in this regard, and we all make our own decisions. There is no one single authority.

I suggest you approach your experiment with that kind of idea in mind. See if you feel better physically on a vegetarian diet. See if you enjoy the fact that you can eat without killing another being. In other words, don't approach it as if there were a rulebook you have to follow. Just see what feels right to you.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.

In general vegetarianism suggests a type of person that does not eat any meat, but they are still open to eating animal products such as dairy and eggs. Some people take it to mean that they don't eat red meat and still eat chicken or fish. Personally, that does not qualify in my opinion. Vegans are the extreme version of vegetarianism, in which the person eats no animal products whatsoever and may even eat their food raw.

Vegetarianism can be a very beneficial practice, particularly for those who live high energy lifestyles, need to be able to get up and go on the spot or those on a very tight budget. Produce is rather inexpensive. The key to remember is that humans are omnivorous and do well on a diet with ample protein. In being vegetarian this comes form eating nuts, beans, quinoa and there are a variety of protein drinks out there to help one attain their protein needs. Vegetarianism is excellent for improving overall wellbeing, efficiency of the body, younger looking skin and more energy.

Vegetarian/Vegan

Vegetarian is more related to diet, while being a vegan is more of a lifestyle.

Healthy body mind and spirit!

Good for you for exploring new things. Being vegetarian is kind of a joke these days. There are all kinds of people calling themselves some sort of "vegetarian". Most real vegetarians around the world are octo-lovo vegetarians, meaning they eat eggs and dairy products, but not meat. Then there are flexiterians, pescetarians, polloterians, vegans, freegans, strict vegetarians......and on and on.

So first you have to identify which group you want to join. Going octo-lovo isn't that difficult. You just need to cut out meat, but can still get iron, protein, calcium, B12, omeags from eggs and dairy products. Plus you don't have to hold the server hostage every time you go out to eat to check for eggs and milk secretly inserted in the food you order. Most major restaurants these days have vegetarian options.

If you're pretty healthy and only going to go vegetarian for a couple of weeks, I'd think you should be fine. If you decide to stick with it longer, take time to read about heme & non heme iron, protein, calcium, omegas. They are some of the things that vegetarians who totally cut animals out of their diet have problems getting enough of in their body.

There are a couple of registered dietitians on the net who also practice and promote the vegan diet. I'll link them and to VRG. It's probably the largest vegetarian site on the web. Good luck....

http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.theveganrd.com/
http://www.vrg.org/