For the Vegetarians & Vegans...?

Question

I am just curious how long have you been a vegetarian or vegan?
Also.
How has it positively affected/changed your life?

Great answers everyone. I just like the story of why some people chose this lifestyle compared to what is really shoved down our throats unless your parents were a veggie/vegan.
Thank you to everyone so far. :)

Answer 1

I have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 6 months so far. I feel healthier and have more energy. Personally, I also feel better mentally for not eating animals, but that's just my personal feelings. I have lost 35 pounds, and am now not considered fat. W00t!!! The only downside is getting crap from narrow minded people who think I'm dumb for being compassionate towards all living beings.

Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. ~Albert Einstein

Answer 2

Almost 2 years - just veg - not vegan. I eat vegan at home, but not usually out in restaurants.
I have a hyperthyroid disorder called Grave's Disease. Medication no longer worked for me and they were going to have to surgically remove my thyroid. Once I went vegetarian though, it regulated itself. It's still not perfect, but it's a lot better than it used to be. I find the healthier I eat, the better my symptoms are. Seems like a no brainer, but I think people forget that how you feel is directly related to what you eat.
I also have a lot more energy. My skin is a lot smoother, better tone, and less breakouts.
On top of all that I feel much better about myself. I think it's the best thing i've ever done in all aspects.

Answer 3

I've been a veggie for 5 years. I love it! Like another poster, I eat a vegan diet at home, but every now and then, when I'm out at a restaurant, I'll eat cheese.
I used to have horrible allergies to pets, pollen, grass, mold and dust. They are all but gone since I've eliminated meat from my diet. I feel much healthier and I'm more regular. I rarely have stomach aches. I cannot tell you the last time I was actually sick - in terms of missing work and the like. Since becoming a veggie, I just don't catch whatever's "going around".

Answer 4

i have been a vegetarian for basically my whole life. my parents tell me i have been since i was about two, and i am seventeen now. i used to eat bacon occasionally when i was a young child, but don't anymore. it has positively changed my life because it puts me at a lower risk for cancer, which is caused by red meat (i already have a high risk of it because it's in my family), i have managed to stay at a good weight, and i don't have to worry about all the other health problems that go with eating meat. i'm also happy that i have a set of beliefs and standards that i adhere to and that i have taken a stand against something i believe is wrong, whether others will agree with me or not.

Answer 5

I don't know, I used to hear a lot of things that were pretty ignorant or stupid, but I can't think of anything that made me angry. Sometimes it made me laugh, though. "You don't eat meat? Not even bologna?" "Go ahead and eat it. It won't kill you." (from the same guy who said the first one) "My daughter used to be a vegetarian, but she gave it up because she went on a camping trip and got hepatitis from drinking bad water." (I never did understand how being vegetarian had anything to do with getting hepatitis from "bad water.") "I thought vegetarians were skinny." (I get that one a lot.) "You'll be anemic, and your muscles will atrophy." (my mother said that, she was a nurse) "Who do you think you are? Gandhi?" (also my mother) I work in medical records and one time a doctor wrote "vegetarian diet" on a patient's diagnosis list as if it was a disease. Vegetarianism is not recognized as an illness by World Health Organization, AMA or any other professional health care organization.

Answer 6

I have been a vegetarian for almost a year. I feel better, look better, care more about animals, and just care about the environment more. It's a great experience and I don't feel like I am missing a thing. It's also great to save so many animals and be the different one out of my friends.

Answer 7

I've been a vegetarian for a few years but about six months ago I quit eating dairy and now I have no allergies. At all. And I live in one of the mold and pollen capitals of the world. I feel great.

Answer 8

Ok so I've wanted to become vegetarian since I was 7. However it only became official about 1 week ago. i feel sooo much better. Eating meat and being an animal activist made me feel like a hypocrit. I don't have to worry about that anymaore!!!

Answer 9

23 years

I still have great skin, shiny hair and loads of energy. In the early years eating out was tricky as few places catered very well for veggies but now it's easy apart from in France, where they have no understanding at all of vegetarianism.

the only other factor is that it's made me more aware of environmental issues, I think if you are veggie because of beliefs about use of chemicals, fair treatment of animals it's not a great leap to extend that to other environmental issues

Answer 10

hey :) i went vegetarian in october because i thought i couldn't do it so i wanted to test myself. then i got really in to it and started searching about the meat, dairy and egg industries. i switched to veganism in november because of what i learned and i have never (and never will) look back. i am healthier now, i have more energy and eat three normal sized meals a day (rather than non stop eating because i would never feel full). because of first going veggie and being curious about animal exploiting, i learned how flawed the industries are and how the egg and dairy industries lead to the meat industry.
basically im happier, feel better about myself and am closer to nature now.