Becoming a Vegitarian?

Question

I really like meat. But thinking of the Animal Abuse and killing hurts me so bad! I want to become a vegitarian, but don't know how to give up meat!

Answer 1

I was like that but have been vegetarian for so long now I cant remember what meat tastes like so I dont miss it at all.

What really really makes me stick to it is hearing the abuse stories - eg. Peta have a really good Vegan Starter Kit they send you - it contains tips and recipes and a newsletter (its free) and some horrific true stories that make me so determined never to eat meat again.

Also, in my town (which is very small) we have an amazing asian vegetarian restaurant/take away shop. They use products like seitan (pronouned satan and made from wheat gluten) that so yummy. Also products lke soya strips, chunks, pretend meats (i dont mean those nasty ones you get in a regular supermarket) but really amazing ones are awesome and so tasty.

Try your local asian food store and check the frozen section - they usually have a good range of mock meats. Experiement with them. My meat eating husband still thinks I cook him pork stir fry but it is soya strips - that is how good they are!

Join a vegetarian society - they often have dinner where everyone brings a meal and you get ideas. Join an animal rights groups and hang out with them.

Just keep reminding yourself of the horror of the meat industry and you eating it contributes to the suffering of an animal that has done nothing to deserve being hurt and killed.

Answer 2

Just do it!!! You will feel so much better! Do some reading and look up some vegetarian society web sites for nutritional advice. You want to make sure that you do it in a healthy way. If you really like the taste of meat you could start off with meat substitutes but you will soon find that vegetarian food is delicious! You may eventually become more serious and try and avoid all animal abuse by becoming vegan and cutting out dairy also but you can do this gradually because it is a big lifestyle change. If you like cooking go out and get a great vegetarian cook book.

Answer 3

I loved meat too. I ate it all the time. I haven't had meat in one entire month and now when I see it and smell it I am not at all interested in eating it. I think we love it because we've always eaten it and gotten used to it, but that we weren't meant to eat it. If we did, then I'm sure I'd still really want it. Just try giving it up for awhile. Try a few days or a week. You can get a lot of fake meat stuff at the grocery store, veggie burgers, meatless chicken, and other things are really tasty. See how the week without meat goes and I'll bet you'll find out it's easier than you thought.

Answer 4

To be honest, if the killing hurts you so bad it will not be an issue giving up meat. Its just a habit.

Maybe check out the vegetarian society, they have some great info packs for new veggies: www.vegsoc.org

Its so easy, just stop, now. you would be best as thinking of it as widening your food choices. If you contuinually think of it as "giving up meat" then you might find it a struggle as you are reminding yourself you are doing "without something" rahter than it being a positive move.

meat has nothing in it thats makes it addictive, its just down to your wilpower.

daglas69 asks the right idea.. Say to yourself "Am i really so sellfish that i am willing to be responsible for all that cruelty, pain , torture and death just to satisfy my tastebuds".

fi you are happy with that, fair enough but be honest with yourself and don't pretend that all that killing "hurts you so bad" while you chomp on a burger.

If you are not happy with that, then go veggie now. It might just be the best decision you ever make

Answer 5

There are a variety of "fake" meat products available at your supermarket to help you wean off of meat. Try Morningstar Farms products--some of their items, like their sausage, are so much like the real thing you can hardly tell the difference. Others are pretty poor substitutes, experiment. When cooking, try substituting either tofu or Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) for your meat items and cook the dish the same way otherwise. I also found that keeping up a lot of dairy and cheese made vegetarianism easier. I can't say you won't get some pretty bad meat "pangs," but it's just like quitting any other "drug."

Answer 6

There are plenty of alternatives such as tofu, soy, tempeh, and seitan. There are also a lot of misconceptions out there about vegetarian diets. The protein scare is the biggest misconception about vegetarian diets. There are quite a bit of misconceptions so here are some web sites I think will help. The first is a list of vegetables with protein and how much the second are calcium sources in raw veggies. The third is an article about B12. It is actually a microbe found in soil and is abundant in seaweed, tempeh, miso, and root veggies. The last one is a list of foods with iron and how much.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

http://health.rutgers.edu/factsheets/iron.htm

http://www.carrotcafe.com/f/calevel.html

http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html

Answer 7

I am Vegitarian for three years now
i used to love meat
untill i understood I can live with out it ( my mom is a Vegitarian for years)
i ask my self the Question-= is my pleasure is important for me so that i am willing to harm other living being
my answer is-NO
it was very difficult in the beginning, and for once or twice in the first 3 month i fell to temptation.
but now i am a fall time Vegitarian
for three years now, and i dont see my self eat meat again.
and dont have ant need for it, i dont want it.
life is good with out it.
go Vegitarian.

Answer 8

It absolutely is an addiction and a habit. Congrats for taking that first step: Wanting to stop. Your local natural foods store, Whole Foods, or Wild Oats should have meat analogues that are just as tasty as their cruel counterparts. The taste we like is really the seasoning, and more and more companies are finding ways to make vegetable protein patties, chops, and fillets to mimic meat.

Other resources: Compassion Over Killing (www.cok.net)

Online retailers www.veganessentials.com, www.veganstore.com, www.foodfightgrocery.com

For recipes: www.vegweb.com

For dining out: www.happycow.net

Good luck!

Answer 9

I understand--it's hard to imagine not eating meat when you've been doing it your whole life. I stopped eating meat gradually, and now i see how easy it is to eat a vegetarian diet. I don't miss the meat at all.
So stop gradually---like, first, stop eating beef for a few weeks, but still eating poultry, pork, etc.
Then, cut out the pork, but still eat poultry.
And then, you can eventually get to where you're ready to cut out the poultry.

Doing it gradually allows you to get used to not eating meat, and figuring out how you need to eat instead to get your protein. So learn what you need to eat to be healthy (it's not very hard once you get used to it) and good luck!

Answer 10

For some encouragement you can order a free vegan starter pack from Action for Animals. Their address is:
http://www.afa-online.org/starterpack.html
Available for Australia USA and Canada.

All the best with going veg :)