i want to become a vegetarian?

Question

i am 14 years old .i saw on peta2.com how they slaughter these poor little animals and it made me sick to my stomach and cry.

my questions are

-how do i stop eating meat do i stop in one day or does it take time if so how long

-besides meat what other products cant i eat(can i drink milk or not, things like that)

-what can i eat(things that teens like to eat that does not have things i cant eat)

What made you become a vegetarian/vegan and what age did you switch over(am i to young)

how did your family react

and are you healthy

Answer 1

Its up to you whether you stop all in one day or just cut out certain meats slowly over time. If you don't think you can handle a sudden stop of all things meat, then stop eating your least favourite meat, then the next week or month cut out something else and so on until you no longer eat any meat. Just don't call yourself a vegetarian if you are still eating animals.
You can choose to drink milk and eat eggs if you like. This is called being an Ovo Lacto Vegetarian.
There are also different kinds of vegetarianism:
crusto-vegetarian - eats crustaceans
ento-vegetarian - eats insects
mollo-vegetarian - eats mollusks
pescatarian - eats fish

You can eat fries (as long as its not cooked in animal fat), vegetables, cookies, chips, veggie burgers, veggie dogs, beans, fruit, ice cream, basically anything you would otherwise except for caesar dressing because it contains anchovies which are an animal. But you can buy it without anchovies too :)

You are never too young to be a vegetarian. Despite what some people will tell you, its actually healthy to not eat meat growing up. As long as you get your protein, which is easily consumed through brown beans, soy products, many vegetables have protein, and nuts and seeds among many other foods.

When I told my family I was vegetarian they were very surprised--because I used to be very negative towards people who wouldn't eat meat. I didn't understand that animals feel pain and suffering and they are tortured so horribly before they end up on my plate. They told me that it was just a phase and it wouldn't last long.
I became a vegetarian when I was 19. I have a friend who became one when she was 14 and another when she was 16. We are all very healthy.

Check out this site for help dealing with the questions and pressure your family may put on you to eat meat: http://www.vegetarianteen.com/family.shtml

Answer 2

First off, good for you. It's the right way to go.

You can give up meat on one day. It's no problem. Discuss it with your family first; as you're only 14, your parents probably cook a lot of your meals, so give them time to get new food in.

Eggs and milk etc are fine, but make sure you get free range and where possible organic. Battery and even some free range chickens are treated terribly.

Just because something isn't meat, doesn't mean it's veggie! Most packaged food will tell you if it is vegetarian. If something doesn't claim to be vegetarian, assume it isn't.

Many chocolate bars, crisps and cheeses use rennet, an enzyme taken from the gut of a freshly slaughtered calf. Make sure your cheese has the big friendly V symbol! Incidentally, there is no such thing as vegetarian Parmesan, so whilst there are other hard Italian cheeses, that's one to give up. Crisps, especially cheese flavoured ones, also often use rennet, watch out for that. Most Cadbury's chocolate products are cool, by the way, so you won't have to give up chocolate altogether, and cheese flavoured Doritos recently stopped using rennet, at least in the UK.

Many jellys (jello if you're American) and jams use gelatin, which is gathered from pig or cow hooves. Same with gummy based sweets. Look for ones that use pectin (a fruit based substance) instead.

Whilst you're only 14, this is worth bearing in mind for the future; many wines and beers use fish bladders to purify them, so again, check to see if the label says they're veggie.

Also be careful when ordering food in fast food places. Burger King fry their spicy bean burgers in the same oil they use for chicken and fish.

The list goes on and on, but the trick is, always check the label. If it doesn't say it's veggie, 99% of the time, it's not.

I became vegetarian for the same reasons as you, about 2 years ago. I'm still in perfect health (though it wouldn't kill me to get more exercise!).

If you miss meat, quorn's a pretty good alternative, as is (veggie!) halumi cheese. Vegetarian bacon is notoriously bad, but the Real Eat brand stuff isn't bad. Vegetarian sausages and 'meat'balls are damn tasty. You can get meat alternatives at supermarkets and health food stores. There's one down the road from me that sells veggie scotch eggs, and I've even had veggie haggis!

I didn't go veggie until I moved into my own place, so my family didn't have much to say about it. Some of my friends, and committed meat eaters reacted badly. You will get stick for being veggie, so be prepared. You being veggie stirs up people's nagging guilt about eating meat, and sometimes they'll be crappy to you because of that, but that's all it is, and it's not your fault.

Good luck, and well done again.

Answer 3

hey!
im 13 and became a vegetarian at 12 i found/find it soooooo easy because im a huge animal lover and dont like meat because i know it is a innoccent murdered creature :'(
awww you are so brave watching the vids on peta2.com i love that site it really makes me determined to be a veggie,i watched a video on animal testing and was crying my eyes out and had to turn it off half way through anyway lol

1.
you can do it however you want i stopped eating meat altogether but if you cant do that just try not to eat as much then slowly work it up to not eating any at all dont worry its easy!
2.
to be a vegetarian you can drink milk and any dairy products
3.
i L.O.V.E quorn its my fave you can have:
quorn burgers,quorn sausages,chicken slices,ham slices,chicken style pieces and the best thing about it is that its made of mushrooms but has a great taste
or tofo which is ok
there are loads of things to eat!
4.
i became a vegetarian when i was 12 nooo your not to young lol i have heard of people bringing up babbies as vegans which is a no meat,no dairy produce nothing that comes from animals.
the reasons i became a veggie is
*i love animals and dont agree with any cruelty towards them
*i dont like the taste/smell/look of meat
*i like carrots hahaha

5.
my family were totally fine about it and supported me my mom has been a vegetarian for about 18 years so that really helped lol
6.
yeahh im fine since becoming a vegetarian i have lost alot of weight (i was fat before) hahaha LOL and now i look and feel happier
good luck and you can do it the animals depend on us to save them from being eaten
<3 sarah x

Answer 4

I'm 13 right now and i am a vegetarian since about 3-4 months ago. I quit eating meat all in one day. If you are a big meat eater than you could try it day by day. As long as you try. I am not a vegan, i eat milk,yogurt,cheese, and other dairy products. When i go out to eat or when im at home i usually eat a salad,pasta, or some type of carb. I became a vegetarain because my best friend is one too and he convinced me, and after a while it all made sense. At first my family wasn't supportive because they have always been know for thier BBQ's. If they fed me meat i cleary stated that i wont eat it and make myself some food. They are still not completly supportive but they are working on it. I am healthy, i play 4 sports and always have enough energy with my diet. I hope this helped you make the right choice.

=) P.s NO JELLO- its made out of animal bone marrow....oh and no marshmellows either....pig intestines gross

Answer 5

When I became a vegetaian I stopped every kind of meat besides fish immediatley but eventually I quit fish too.

As a vegetarian, you can eat eggs, dairy and honey. Anything from an animal, just not the animal.


You can still eat things like french fries, pancakes, ice cream, cake...etc. If you want to eat something like a burger or chicken nuggets I would try garden burgers, or boca chicken nuggets. (those are the brands I enjoy) You will definetley be able to find these at health food stores or maybe Ingles or Publix or whatever your local grocery store is.

What made me become a vegetarian was a first an article I read in a magazine with pictures and it just totally broke my heart and my friend who was also a vegetarian. I was 14 also and I would never think of switching back.

My family reacted very positivley. When I announced that I was no longer eating meat my mom and my brother immediatley agreed it was a good idea and they switched over with me. (by the way, my parents are divorced and my dad thought it was great too, though he didn't become one)

As for being healthy, I've never felt better and contrary to popular belief, I am never finding a loss for energy just as long as I eat protien like beans and soy (eggs are also a source of protein but I'm not a big fan of them). Also, when I first became a vegetarian I lost 25 pounds and I'm at my prime weight as told by my pediatrician and I'm excactly where I need to be. If you're very thin don't worry about becoming unhealthy because my brother (who was basically a stick) never looked like he was starving or anything when he switched. If you're a girl make sure you eat dark leafy green veggies like kale, collard greens and broccoli, because when you have your period every month you loose iron and you need to supplement yourself. And If you're a guy I probably made you feel really akward sorry. haha.

Go you for considering being a vegetarian!

Answer 6

Here are tips:

1. Take your time - my journey from meat eater took about a year.
2. Start out using some basic substitutes for the meat you are used to in foods where you won't even notice - ground meat replacements are available in the frozen food sections.
3. Leave meat off things that don't need it - pizza, salad, spag, etc.
4. Get some good cookbooks when you are ready to branch into more interesting foods - Moosewood books and New Farm Vegetarian are two of my favorites.
5. If you are worried about what to eat check out the book "Diet for a New America" it will cover many of the health questions.

Answer 7

Taking your questions from the last, up. Yes, I've never been more healthy in my life and I've been around for a while. My husband didn't much care in the beginning and now, because I made sure everything I cook is very, very tasty.
What made me first turn veggie when I was in my early twenties was a belief that eating animals is wrong. I moved to a place where if you don't eat meat, you don't hardly eat (there wasn't an internet back then to get good recipes from) and I fell away for a long time. I came back to being a vegetarian when I decided I was only going to become like my cousins, fat and diabetic, if I didn't go back to being vegetarian. As for the other questions, I have created a Yahoo Group, "Transitioning to Vegetarianism" that is especially for answering them. There are at least 12 kind, caring, "experienced' vegetarians there who want to help you figure out what to eat and how to transition to vegetarianism. I would like to invite you to join the group. There are a few other teenagers there who are working on the same issues with us. I'll put the link in the sources section.

Answer 8

Good for you!!!!There arnt many people with caring souls in this world.
I have never eaten meat-my whole family was vegetarian and my two year old son is also. I would say just stop eating it!!There is plenty of stuff to eat without eating a dead animal.I still eat all dairy products and soya and all other things people eat without meat on them!!In England these days it easy to be veggie
You have to check sweets like haribo and wine gum and jelly type sweets as they contain Gelatine which is crushed cow bones-and some yoghurts also have this, disgusting I know so its worth checking things from time to time
As I said I have never eaten meat.When I was a baby the doctor told my mum that if she didnt feed me meat I would have stunted growth.
Im now 22 and five foot 11, and have modelled for various different stores including topshop.
Go for it, dont be afraid and know that no more animals are going to die to fill your stomach!!!!
GOOD LUCK YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

Answer 9

I am a new vegetarian too, not a vegan, there is a difference. It is up to you how fast you want to switch over. I ate meat one day, then like you saw some gross stuff and wanted to become healthy and then the next day, I did not eat meat. I already have a vegetarian in my family, so I got help from her. Vegans don't drink milk or eggs. I still want to milk intake, so I still do drink milk. There are meatless types of meals, like veggie burgers and some things called Boca burgers. basically hamburger and chicken type of meals, but not really the meat. I eat those, and tons of fruit. I also really like beans and rice with my meals.
Also, don't let people tell you that you will not get enough protein. You will, protein is in everything you eat!!! not just meat. if you are worried, take some daily vitamins. I lost weight from going veg. and also feel so much healthier. Plus, think of all the animals that you will be saving. I am a member of ASPCA. look that up if you like animals, this place helps save them too.
anyway, good luck with your decision to change. It is good for everyone in the long run. Think of your "fair feathered friends"

Answer 10

Well, it's really up to you if you want to quit cold turkey or take meat out of your diet gradually. Personally i can't really remember how i did it it was long time ago but it's really not that hard to do. With the variety of food we have available it's very easy to switch. You can find tons of info at www.peta.org, www.vrg.org as to which foods contain animal products and which not. I am not a vegan so i still eat dairy and drink milk. I was 11 when i stopped eating meat and now im in my late twenties and i am very healthy. I don't spend much time trying to 'balance' my diet and eat pretty much anything everyone else in my family does minus the meat or anything that would have been cooked or touched meat. my family was fine with it and my mom would make sure there is enough groceries for me to choose from.