Reasons to become vegetarian or not?

Answer 1

GO MEAT

Answer 2

There are a lot of factors to consider. Firstly, what do you enjoy eating? What are some foods that you would want to have at least once a month?

Personally, I think it would be far easier to be a vegetarian when you simply do not like the taste. This brings us to the question of what you consider meat to be? Meat like beef and pork are obvious, but are you considering fish, chicken, and turkey in this as well?

Meat can be very healthy for you as it's a good source of protein which keeps your body strong and healthy. Vegetarians must seek out alternative forms of this, one of which is the bean family. Do you like beans? Are you willing to see a dietician or doctor to make sure your new lifestyle is giving you all the nutrients you need? Being a vegetarian can be good, as long as you make good informed decisions on what nutrients you are eating.

There are some heart healthy red meats out there, and fish is extremely healthy for you. Experts say that you should have three meals of fish a week to get enough Omega three from the fish oil into your system. The omega three works in a number of ways, the first is it reduces the LDL, which is your bad cholestrol, and it raises the HDL, which is the good cholestrol. This measure helps to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and artery buildup. If you take the fish out of your diet, then you still can have those healthy nutrients by taking fish oil capsules and cinnamon supplements over the counter.

The major things to avoid to be the healthiest, is anything with pork. Bacon is really bad as is fried ham. Your lean red meats are actually healthy, as is chicken. The unhealthy part comes in if you have a lot of bread in your meals, like with sandwiches, etc. Bread is as bad as bacon, especially if you are trying to lose weight, or if you wish to keep a good cholestrol. Whole grain breads are okay in a small quantity.

And lastly, worse than anything, is soda. If you are a soda drinker, then before you consider being a vegetarian, consider limiting your soda intake.

You're already going about this in an intelligent way, by making an informed opinion. If you do choose to be a vegetarian, make sure you check out some diets that will provide you with the nutrients to being healthy. My prof always ended the class with a saying, "Everything in moderation." I believe this holds true in all aspects of life.

Good luck with your decision!

Answer 3

there is never a good reason to become vegetarian there are some vitamins and minerals that arent present in plant life. and some you'ld have to eat like a cow to get the same amount.there are the hypocrit vegetarians that think dairy;fish and fowl dont count. simple science animal,vegetable or mineral. humans were meant to have both. eating say only meat is just as unhealthy as eating all vegetables. and mercury isnt present in all seafood. and things like cholestorol u can eat greasy foods and not have a problem. science has tested caveman remains and never found one that died from eating to much meat.
now some ppl may have an actual physical condition that wont let them eat meat. well thats understandable. some use the excuse plants dont have feelings or suffer stress. well yes they suffer stress but its a chemical reaction. i think all wanna be vegetarians should go smack a lion. and say dont eat that elk it has family

Answer 4

My friend became a vegetarian because she just felt grossed out by meat

Answer 5

If u become a vegetarian you'll smell like a carrot ! So i say no !!! just eat fish , chicken , lots of rice .... u no dat cuz

Answer 6

For:
Health - Better energy, feel better, move better... more happy. Calmer. Problems with weight and muscle mass... feelings of something missing (sometimes). Possible problems with males drinking soy. Dairy=not good for you. Anemia. Mercury in fish and chemicals in dairy. Worrying about non-happy vegi's.

Against:
Health - Less energetic, full most of the time, overly-proteined. Balance off, dilapitated common sense/smarts. Generally well rounded, good muscle mass.. normal diet, etc. Long-term lies in blood clots, stroke.... poor nutrition despite eating everything. More aggressive attitude (thats there, I've been both and noticed it). Chemicals in beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk... etc.

Thats all I can think of right now.

Answer 7

If u become a vegetarian you'll smell like a carrot ! So i say no !!! just eat fish , chicken , lots of rice .... u no dat cuz !

Answer 8

everyones putting really long answers well ill put it straight and simple, i can not beleive how cruel non-veg are, no offense but how can you honestly slaughter helpless animals and eat them you'ud never eat dogs would ya, dogs are the same as any other animals man, about nutrition well we get alot more veggies anf fruit and you say we lose protien or summin, well its covered with milk and cheese

Answer 9

beeing a vegetarian is a good choice but u should eat some meat ... u can't aviod meats becouse some vitamins are only found in red meat like vit B12 ... plus there are an important oils that body needs it to avoid some nutritional disorders ..

Answer 10

They only eat plants. They don't kill bambi, cows, and other animals. However they sometimes have to supplement for the nutrients they lose.

Answer 11

If done wisely, there is a dramatic reduction in risk of cardiovascular diseases and many cancers.

Have you seen this http://meat.org

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/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML_(Draft).htm

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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/index.html
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/food_groups.html
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/eating.html
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-ingredients.html
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.

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: 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

I use these sites to find recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com
http://vegweb.com
http://www.recipezaar.com