vegetarians?

Question

i was thinking about becoming a vegetarian... i was wondering what the steps are and what are the pros and cons of this decision? thanks so much for your input :)

Answer 1

i have been a vegetarian since i was around 6 years old. i am now 16, in good health, and i have no regrets at all. studies prove that vegans are the healthiest in terms of weight, cholesterol, etc, then vegetarians, and then meat eaters. the only diet-related problem i have ever had is low iron, but that was when i was little and i know plenty of little kids have problems with iron too because my friend did was she was little and still ate meat. all though i am sometimes questioned or teased for not eating meat, it doesn't bother me at all because i know i will have far less health problems when i get older. it's also ethically and morally right to be a vegetarian. we wouldn't raise fellow humans just to kill and eat so why do we do it to animals when they suffer just as much? sorry, i don't mean to rant on but i really think it's the right decision to make, even if it takes you a while. good luck =)

Answer 2

It's good to become a vegetarian. But don't get too rigid or obsessed with it. Once you have decided, it is better to become a vegetarian gradually, say over a period of 2 to 4 weeks instead of a sudden switch to being a total vegetarian. This will help your body (and your mind too) adjust to your new diet habits and you can accept the change easily. Vegetarians can also enjoy balanced healthy meals. Talk to a qualified dietician or a nutritionist who can give you the best advice.

Answer 3

I would like to add to what Irina C said... well, once you have decided what type of vegetarian you want to become, you can then substitute your non-veg diet with a vegetarian diet. You must assure though, that you get all the types of nutrition in your diet i.e. protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.
The best source of veg protein is tofu, pulses [lentils] and their products, cereals, milk and milk products,dry fruits. All this should be taken at least once a day. Then you must have at least 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables-this can be had in the form of salads, soups, fruit mixes, juices etc. Unprocessed raw fruits and vegetables are the best. Riceand its products, multi-grain breads-which are so easily available in USA[if you happen to live here i.e.} will provide you with all the carbohydates and vit B. Vegetarians normally eat all these things in the span of a day. You will feel lighter, healthier, wont have problems like acidity, constipation, ulcers.... its definitely a good decision.

Answer 4

After reading these answers I find that it has changed over the years. I consider myself vegetarian because I don't eat warm blooded animals but I do eat cheese , not often, and seafood for the Omega-3. I try to eat only salmon and tuna that is wild caught and not the salmon with all the color and farm raised. I eat nut meats and oils like Flax and olive and then I use a spread like smart balance. It is best to just stop eating meat and do it cold turkey! You need to take a daily vitamin mineral supplement even if you are not vegetarian because the ground has been depleted from all the farming and you don't have the nutrients in the food like we did before no till farming. Probotics can be taken to help too. I like organic if you can afford it but just wanting to start is great and you will start to have more energy and feel better. You don't absorb calcium from animal products so take your calcium too. Calcium Citrate is best absorbed.Take it with Vitamin C or orange juice to help your body absorb it . Use sesame oil or olive oil to cook with but remember that oil heated at high temp turns to trans fats and stay away from hydrogenated oils. I do like shrimp though:) There are many ways to get protein and you don't need alot. Tofu comes in many forms to try and you want to get plenty of fiber from whole grains like cereals and brown rice. Vegetables can have a lot of fiber . There are so many wonderful foods to try . Good Luck:)

Answer 5

You can start out slow or just go "cold turkey". Try just eliminating beef & pork & other red meats from your diet for the first month, then eliminate chicken the next month, then fish in the 3rd month. If you can do this, then the rest will be easy. You will need to learn how to replace your unhealthy proteins (meats) with healthy alternatives such as rice & beans, tofu, other protein sources that are going to be easier to digest & less fat content to clog your arteries. Start reading about replacement foods that will help you with your "cravings" when they pop up occasionally (& they will!). Good luck! If you can afford it, go out to a good vegetarian restaurant & take notes & ask questions. The menus will usually have a LOT of good recipe ideas & you will learn what food goes best with your personal likes & dislikes!

Answer 6

Pros: Help animals ( Did you know by 2022 half the animal population on Earth will be gone)
Healthier (Heart, Immune System, organs
Cons: none from my point of view

Become a vegetarian, You will become a better human being

Answer 7

I may only be 15 but I know what I'm saying. I was vegetarian for a year then decided to go vegan which I have been for a year. Being vegetarian means no eating meat, but vegan means eating nothing that comes from animals now there are some things(like milk, cheese, eggs) that are obviously from animals but some things are from animals people dont even know about. Now since im a nice guy i'll write these things down

Casein—Whey's cousin, casein is made from curdled milk. Yuck!

Gelatin—Rhymes with "skeleton." Coincidence? I think not. Gelatin is a protein made by boiling cows' and pigs' skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones. Jell-O? Hell, no!

Honey—Sure, honey tastes sweet, but you'll get a bad taste in your mouth when you learn how it's "harvested."

Lard—Lard is such a gross word, it almost makes you wonder why they just don't call it what it is: "Fat from hog abdomens."

Pepsin—If the thought of eating lard turns your stomach, stay away from pepsin, a clotting agent from pigs' stomachs, used in some cheeses and vitamins.

Rennet—Certain words just make you cringe, like coagulate, congeal, clot—which is what rennet, an enzyme taken from baby calves' stomachs, is used for in cheese production.

Stearic Acid—It may sound less gross than "lard," but stearic acid, which often rears its ugly head in chocolate and vitamins, comes from a fatty substance taken from slaughtered pigs' stomachs—or from cows, sheep, or dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters. Still want to chew on that piece of Fido?

Cetyl Palmitate—Check your head if you're using margarine that contains cetyl palmitate, the fancy term for the waxy oil derived from sperm whales' heads or from dolphins. "I can't believe it's not ... oh, wait. It is? Whale head wax?"

Urea—Urea comes from piss and other "bodily fluids." It's used to "brown" baked goods, like pretzels. Um, yeah. And the oven is for ...?

Gabriel,15
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Answer 8

By avoiding meat, eggs, and dairy, you can greatly reduce the amount of saturated fat and all the cholesterol that contribute to heart disease.
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/

1. Try three days a week for the first two weeks. Substitute a couple of ingredients in your favorite dishes to make them animal-free.
2. Now try five days a week for another two weeks. Add a couple more days of compassionate eating so you’re a five-times-a-week vegetarian for two weeks.
3. So, you’ve been a near-vegetarian for a whole month. Congratulations! By rounding out your week with two more vegetarian days, you’ve made it! Give yourself a pat on the back! You’re making wonderfully positive changes not only for yourself and the environment, but for the animals, too.
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=06making

Answer 9

So I guess that Vegans are like the Fundamentalists of vegetarians...

The cons are that you will be lacking things that your body needs to function properly and if you ever get pregnant they will probably ask you to start eating meat and nutritious food again for the health of your baby.

The pros is that you will probably feel healthier and good about yourself, but I think is normal to feel that way when you believe to have made a good choice, but mostly in one's head.

Answer 10

Vegetarians, as a whole, do not eat red meat. Some also choose to exclude poultry (pollo-veg) and/or seafood (pesco-veg). Because chicken and fish are indeed meat, it's debatable whether most would call it vegetarianism, but they are accepted forms.

Many veg's, in additon to actual flesh, eliminate non-meat animal products like gelatin and caesin. It varies a lot, though.

Drop all meat, but eat eggs and dairy, you're "lacto-ovo-vegetarian"
Drop all dairy products, and eat eggs, you're "ovo-vegetarian"
Drop eggs in all forms, but consume dairy, you're "lacto-vegetarian"

No eggs OR dairy, plus, no non-meat animal products, including honey, and you're, by definition, "vegan".

Go even further, and eat only plants and plant products (nothing grown with bacteria), and you're "macrobiotic" *please note, some macrobiotics DO eat meat. There's more to the philosophy than being non-meat-eaters. So, it's not technically a form of vegetarianism*

Vow not to cook your food, or do anything but pick and eat, and you're "raw-vegan", "raw-macrobiotic", or just "raw".

SO, to answer your question, there are, in fact, EIGHT forms af vegetarianism. (macro's don't count) pollo, pesco, pollo-pesco, ovo, lacto, lacto-ovo, vegan, and raw.

Source(s):

veg, myself (l-o-veg, in case you're curious)

There are no cons to being a vegetarian only pros.

http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/nutrition/veg.htm

Here is one of many great vegetarian recipe sites:

http://vegetarian.allrecipes.com/

This is the reason I quit eating meat:

http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-aninsidelook.html