Curious about being vegetarian in general...?

Question

All of my life I've never really enjoyed eating meat. I don't really crave it but I can't seem to make a transition to becoming a vegetarian. I think I have a very negative perception of it and I would LOVE to know the truth about it. I've always been told that vegetarians eat Tofu, soy milk, meals that look like the "real" thing (veggie burgers, veggie patties made to look like chicken, etc).

I want to look into becoming a vegetarian b/c I'm disgusted by the industry and I'm not a huge fan of meat to begin with. I want to become healthier and make better choices about food. I've read the PETA website info and looked through the links but I'm still very confused as to what I could and couldn't eat and are there really "levels" of vegetarianism?

Am I being ridiculous? Please, no condescending remarks. You can just as easily click off this question. I'm really curious about this subject and would prefer not to sort through rude comments.

Thanks in advance to all those who help

Answer 1

Now I might seem to rant but please know that I support whatever someones choice is no matter how I feel. First of all I am a meat eater. I love it , I crave it. But there is something natural about it. Your body needs some of the proteins that are found in meat and also other vitamins and minerals. They can be substituted but in the end eating a steak or a piece of chicken is easier. Now you said vegetarian not vegan so your lines are a little more blurry when it comes to eating meat. You can eat eggs, cheese, and other things that comes from animals but on the other hand you might be able to get the same vitamins and minerals through multi-vitamins but you might need to try something else in the pursuit to make you more healthy. Just a suggestion. I hope things work out for you.

Answer 2

Well, there are "levels". A "true" vegetarian wouldn't eat meat at all, but in the real world many people go part of the way. Pescetarians eat fish. Pollo pescetarians eat both fish and chicken (though I'd consider neither a true vegetarian.) Then there are lacto-ovo vegetarians, who eat diary and eggs. And vegans - who abstain from all animal products. (For years, I ate everything except mammal, and ended up as a full fledged vegan. But it took awhile.)

There's tons to eat - both healthy and junk food. Breads, pastas, fake meats made from soy and tempeh, and veggies fruits and legumes. In general, the less processed, the better. Really, I seriously haven't missed animal products at all. Especially if you start to get into ethnic foods, which widens your choices. For instance, there are tons of veggie options in Southern Indian food.

Good luck with it - read the book Becoming Vegan, it'll answer some of your questions.

Answer 3

Vegetarians don't eat any meat, eggs and milk are okay, unless you're a vegan. Vegans don't eat anything made with eggs or milk such as mayonaise.
I found it easy to become a vegetarian, personally I like the morningstar foods. Peta is a pretty good place to start. I have friends that simply don't eat red meats (they eat fish and chicken), but that's of course entirely up to you.
I think to some extent there are levels, when I began, I totally stopped eating meat, but would wear leather, then I stopped buying anything that has harmed animals such as leather, down, and even silk. Good luck with your choice :)

Answer 4

There are different levels of vegetarianism.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians are probably the most popular. They don't eat meat but eat dairy and eggs.

Lacto vegetarians only eat dairy, no eggs.

Vegans strive not to eat or use any product that comes from an animal.

There's also some fringe ones like fruititarians who only eat things that will not kill the plant and "freegans" who are vegans but will eat non vegan if it is free. Freegans are seen as not actually being vegan by many though.


Vegetarians do eat soy products, but they certainly aren't limited to soy. If you don't like soy, there's always veggies, fruits, pastas, beans, rice, grains, dairy etc. to choose from. Soy provides a cruelty-free option to foods that are made from cruelty that many loved before they went vegetarian. And they are an excellent source of protein. That's why many vegetarians love them.

As for what you can and cannot eat, vegetarians typically try to steer clear from things like gelatin because it is made from the bones of animals. Things like Jell-O, marshmallows, some yogurts, some chewy candies, and many more are made with gelatin in them. Many foods can be fried in lard which is gotten from the fat of pigs. Rennet also comes from the stomach of animals and is used in many cheeses.

This might sound like a lot. It's up to you to decide what your comfort level is in your vegetarianism. You won't be perfect all the time; no one is. If this is something you want to do then just try your best.

Answer 5

Yes, there really are "levels" of vegetarianism as you put it. That is recognized world-wide although you get the crazies who are rabid about who is or who isn't "vegetarian".

For instance, the Okinawans have the "healthiest diet" and they are considered pesco vegetarians. They eat some fish.

PETA really is a poor source for unbiased and intelligent information.

You can't beat a well-balanced, moderate diet with exercise and meditation. What I see on here are mostly extremists who are obsessed with vegetarianism and veganism.

It's really not that hard. Eat what you want, but do it in an intelligent way and because you want to, enjoy it, rather than to make a political statement. That's just cosummately stupid.


Again . . . a well-balanced, moderate diet, excercise and meditation and you will be health in body, mind and soul.

Answer 6

PETA is an interest group that has its own agenda, so I wouldn't listen to them too much.


Just eat what you are comfortable with. There's no need to "officially" declare yourself a vegetarian or vegan or anything. I became vegetarian over a period of several years. Even if you never go that far, you can reduce or eliminate certain types of meat from your diet.

Tofu, soy, etc. are popular for vegetarians, but there's no reason you have to eat them if you don't want to.

Answer 7

http://www.veganlinks.org/

start there...

nah this is normal for some... don't let it bother you.
those who chime in and want to tell you what to do aren't thinking.

either or.. these people really should introduce more veggies and fruits to their diets... we have to eat that ruffage. we must have our minerals and vitamins. (natural)

it's just the way omnivores are. we can do without the meats (because we can get our proteins elsewhere) but we surely can't do well at all without the veggies, fruits, nuts, grains, bean, tubers.... so on.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=vegan

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=vegetarian

these links will give you a plenty of other links to research.

they should also help you realize that not all vegan products are VEGAN friendly.... so on. watch out for those companies who mass produce.

take your time, you've got plenty of it.


and no vegetarians don't eat any meat.. nothing from animals.. such as eggs.. milk, cheese... any dairy.... vegetarians surely do not eat fish.. sorry that's an animal.. so on... and some are very strict like vegans and don't do that eating insects and getting product from insects like bees.

Answer 8

It's very simple: as a vegetarian, you can eat fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, beans/pulses. Some vegetarians eat analogues, others don't, and it would be entirely up to you whether or not you eat them. If you don't like one type of veggie burger, try another flavor or another brand; you're sure to find something you like. Tofu is an acquired "taste," so to speak--I have tips on how to avoid mushy tofu in my profile--but I love the stuff.

I wouldn't call it levels of vegetarianism, but there are ovo-lacto vegetarians who avoid flesh foods, gelatin, and rennet, but eat dairy and eggs; ovo vegetarians eat plant foods plus eggs; lactovegetarians eat plant foods plus dairy; vegans avoid all animal products not just in diet, but in their lifestyle. There are raw foodies who won't eat food heated above 118 degrees. There are fruitarians, who only eat foods botanically classified as fruits (tomatoes and avocados count)--they only eat food they can take without harming the plant.

I'm an imperfect vegan would-be foodie.

Go to www.vegweb.com for recipes--you'll find tons. And I've listed a couple of sources for you to get more information.

Good luck!

Answer 9

vegetarians dont eat: poultry, fish, red meats or things that come from animal fat (like mono/di glycerides) or animal bones (gelatin) oh, one more thing to watch out for is animal rennet that is found in some cheeses.

vegans, which is what i think you were confusing vegetarians with, dont eat the above and : milk, eggs or anything that comes from milk and eggs(like whey)

there are also lacto- vegetarians which only consume dairy and there are ovo- vegetarians which only consume eggs. if you need any other help, you can always email me :]

Answer 10

There are no levels.

There is only vegetarian and vegan.

Vegetarians dont eat meat and vegans dont eat meat or any animal products at all.

---edit
And for the rookie, no, there is nothing in meat that inst just as easily available from a plant based source.

the protien in nuts and seeds is just as good for you but it comse with essential fatty acids not saturated fat and trans fatty acids.