What are the benefits of being a Vegetarian?!
What are the benefits of being a Vegetarian?
I have only stopped eating meat, fish, chicken in the last month. I would like to know what to expect as benefits if any?
Answers: The benefits are totally dependent on how much knowledge you seek out and obtain and whether you use it or not.
If you are careless in the changes that you make, you may make things worse.
There have been vegan Olympic gold medalists and a vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/carl_lewis...
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada...
Here are some more veg people:
http://www.mikemahler.com/index.html...
http://www.vegetarianbodybuilder.com/ind...
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=b...
http://www.andreascahling.com/andreas-ab...
http://www.billpearl.com/career.asp...
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-23...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mac_danzig...
http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php...
http://www.nfl.com/players/rickywilliams...
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/raceresult...
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If you want to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, the transition should be quite simple. Almost all meats have widely available commercial replacements. All that you have to do is replace any flesh in your diet (beef, pork, poultry, seafood) with meat analogs or just leave it out altogether.
You should keep in mind that a journey such as this can be quite short but should just be the beginning of a longer one to a plant-based diet with no animal products. This is because of the reality of factory farming in which animals that are kept alive to produce milk, eggs, etc suffer much more and longer than animals that are raised to a certain weight and then slaughtered.http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/...
http://meat.org
Some people use the word "vegan" in reference to this idea, but be aware that applying that label to yourself should always come with the inclusion of wise activism and advocacy.http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/in...
Two extremely important examples of this are that you should never speak to someone about vegetarianism/veganism without their consent and genuine interest or as a comment on what they are eating AND your dietary beliefs should never be used as an introduction or explanation of who you are as a person. Veg*ism should be something that comes up AFTER people get to know you and they offer you a situation that makes it confusing to withhold the information/discussion. Also, if you are presented something that you choose not to eat or you are
ordering food/eating together somewhere/picking the best place to eat.
When you you hold off on the subject until it's necessary and then act like it isn't a big deal at all, people are usually surprised and WAY more interested and curious than if you were to bring it up when someone's eating or just using it as a conversation starter.
A responsible vegan ALWAYS studies the subject of their own health and how to keep their body completely provided for in every sense. http://www.veganhealth.org/sh
To neglect their body is to define a plant-based diet as unhealthy and is the opposite of helping the animals.
Just to clear things up, the vegetarian/vegan diet is not composed of salads, vegetables, fruit and fake meat. Fruits and vegetables are always important but they DO NOT make up the largest portion of any healthy diet.
A balanced plant-based diet includes grains(breads, pasta, rice,cereal), legumes(soy, beans, peas, lentils), fruit and vegetables.
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/f...
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyvegan/...
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/ea...
Being vegan can be an art, one whose challenge is to take things that involve the suffering of the innocent and change them into something free of cruelty.
A vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.
Technically the term "vegetarian" does imply that you don't consume anything that comes from the body of an animal that requires killing it. Many ingredients such as gelatin and glycerin are found in many candies, Fig-Newtons, and many of other foods as well as rennet found in many cheeses.
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-in...
The best thing to remember is to take your time so that for example: when you are comfortable not eating beef and pork you can then give up chicken when you are sure you can make the commitment permanently.
Depending on your age or reliance on parents or regional options, it may not be best to give yourself a label. The important thing is to do your best to make progress and be committed to your compassion towards animals. Never put your focus onto what you or other people use to describe yourself.
If you meet someone that talks down to people for eating meat, dairy, etc or to you because they think they are "more veg" than you, laugh in their face and tell them they are a disgrace to the entire philosophy. People like this only hurt the idea of veg*ism AND the animals. The point of all of this is to live compassionately and and as free from cruelty as you can, all the while maintaining your health and a positive attitude. People who don't maintain either, need not open their mouths and represent our beliefs.
If you actually choose to read all of this, I hope it helps. If not, feel free to e-mail me if you have questions.
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I'm vegan and these are some of my favorite things to eat:
Breakfast: bananas, cream of wheat with brown sugar and soy butter, cereal, pancakes or french toast with real maple syrup, vegan "sausage" patties, smoothies.
Snack: BRUSSEL SPROUTS =) no joke
Lunch: vegan "sausage" sandwiches, sandwiches with vegan deli slices(Tofurkey is the only one that's kinda funky), fruit, dinner leftovers, couscous salad, vegan sushi, potato or pasta salad.
Dinner: homemade veggie burgers, sloppy joes, "sausage" and gravy with homemade biscuits, Spaghetti and Trader Joe's "meatballs" or TVP, lasagna, Thai pad see ew, pad khi mao(drunkard's noodles), pad prig king, tofu+eggplant with basil sauce, yellow thai curry with tofu or vegan chikn and veggies and jasmine rice, Indian dal with homemade roti or dosai, channa masala, aloo gobi, vegetable or minestrone soup, pizza, STEAMED "PORK" BUNS with potstickers or spring rolls, sweet&sour/orange/lemon chikn, vegan pho or wonton soup, baked tofu, BBQ homemade seitan (tastes like BBQ'd ribs), kabobs
I use these sites to find recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com
http://vegweb.com
http://www.recipezaar.com
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There is a Japanese analogy/proverb that goes like this, "The nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down". People are like this everywhere. When you tell your family that it is your personal belief that animals should not be eaten, they take a look at themselves and it can be subconsciously translated into, "What you do is wrong and I choose to be right."
Your parents have probably been taught a huge amount of misinformation by their parents and their teachers while growing up. You really need to research vegetarian diets and health before you even think about saying the "V-word" in front of your parents or anyone else.
When you have gathered enough information and feel confident in a vegetarian diet's ability to maintain or even improve health, you may mention to them that you have made the decision. They may be shocked, angry, worried, curious or many other things, but you must NEVER react to their behavior and always stay calm. If they are able to speak to you and respect your choice, please tell them everything and answer all questions. If they are rude, inconsiderate, judgmental, violent, or verbally abusive, refuse to continue any conversation until they can speak to you with respect.
The best advice is to study everything that you can about a healthy vegetarian diet and keep yourself in good shape (better than most people your age or than your friends/family if possible). If nobody that you know shows a genuine, positive interest in your choice, don't give them the privilege of the knowledge that you have gathered. Work your way around any attempts they make to trivialize your beliefs and if possible, go shopping with your parents and buy things that aren't obvious veggie fare. Instead of trying to sneak fake meat into the cart, toss in lentil soup, peanut butter, pasta, fruits & veggies or anything else that you have learned is needed to fill any gaps in your diet. No blood on your table. Weight loss and green poop! Take vitamins to make up for the b12 you are losing. oh yea more energy your skin turns green and you feel a strange compulsion to join any sort of rally involving picket signs and KFC u can fit in a 1/2 foot toob It is healthier for you when you get older.
Your skin should be a lot nicer and smoother.
You don't kill animals! You might lose weight, your body will be cleaner inside, your liver and kidneys can repair themselves and you need not feel guilty for contributing to murder anymore.
Jkaaz,
What does vegetarianism have to do with protein deficiencies? There is protein in everything, be it of plant or animal origin. The only people with protein deficiencies are those who don't get enough food (poor people in Africa) or those with really bad diets (soda, twinkies, chips). You are a biology major, aren't you? How do you think a cow gets its protein? more of a meaty feast for the rest of us thanks for your consideration Lots more roughage and gas. Apparently, you need meat.
???
I was thinking of becoming a vegitarian to avoid fat.
I guess i don't know much on the subject. Well, according to Alicia Silverstone, you "poop" better. Pros:
you might lose some weight, depending on how you were eating before and what you are eating now.. but meat is fattening.. so cutting it out may help you lose weight, depending on what you replace it with!!
You'll feel better
The only con:
Your body may be sending weird signals, because anytime you drastically change the diet, your body has to ajust. that guy told u to take b12. dont forget protein is important too and iron. there are no benefits you need meat protein is important.your putting your body at big risk for a lot of health problems You don't have to pay really high prices for organic meat !
Or gamble on the cheaper supermarket stuff that is pumped full of chemicals and crap and then flown round the world, frozen, defrosted, frozen again then sold as farm assured chicken in your local supermarket !
I think i might go vegetarian and save myself ￡50 a week ! You get to give me thumbs down whether I post a good answer or not.
Depending on how you prepare your vegetarian dishes, you can cut out a lot of fat from your diet. bowels should float better be4 flush Well, according to vegetarians, vegans and some dieticians, you should experience some sort of weight loss and initial boost in your energy level. Not to mention, if your conscience bugs you when you eat meat, then that won't be an issue anymore.
However, most doctors agree that vegetarians and vegans can suffer from severe protein dificiencies, if they are not careful. Supplements are needed and even then, it's not a substitue for eating meat. From a scietific perspective, humans are mammals and are specialized to be omnivores. That means that we have evolved to eat both plant and animal material and our bodies need a varied diet to function properly. Take any microbiology class, and you'll learn that proteins are fuel for our bodies on a cellular level. Without the proper amount of protein, our bodies have trouble doing all sorts of things and will eventually begin to shut down.
So, if you plan on being a vegetarian or vegan for very long, please consult your doctor. You will have special nutritional needs. Good luck! Just a response to jakazz's answer:
I don't doubt your knowledge in Biology, but it is different than being a nutritionist. Obviously, our cells need protein, but that doesn't mean vegetarianism is unhealthy or dangerous, as you have implied. First of all, the average American gets WAY too much protein, we don't actually need that much. Secondly, there are plenty of ways to get protein besides meat. Pretty much everything has protein in it. Even a half-decent vegan diet will yield all of the nutrients you need, at least as much as most meat eaters get. some benefits include;
-less fat in you diet.
-lower risk of heart disease.
-lower the risk of cancer.
-you live longer [by about 10 years.]
look it up on like google for more info.