is it bad that i was eating meat all my live adn know i want to become a veg- head and im 14 what will happen?

Question

ok well im 14 and i want to turn veggan for my own resonses
but all my life i had been eating meat and my mom said that your body wont funtion right beacuse it needs meat is that true or not
if it is true what can i do to to get my body normal without eating meat

Answer 1

it is perfectly healthy to switch from eating a meat diet to eating no meat at all. your body won't explode or go into shock, as some overreact to make you think it will.

if you eat a well-balance, nutritious diet comprised of beans, legumes, nuts, fruits, veggies, and everything else vegetarian, you will be healthier than you were when you were eating meat. meat only contributes to saturated fats, cholesterol, and the ever-so-hyped protein. it is VERY easy to get your recommended daily dose of protein on a vegetarian diet... just look at the nutritional content of some fruits, veggies and grains.. almost all will contain some amount of protein in it.

if it will make you feel better, i was eating meat for 24 years of my life before i quit cold turkey in march. in june, i went vegan, and i have never, ever felt better in my life.

best wishes to you :)

Answer 2

I ate meat all my life until I last year, and I was 14... (now 15) and became a lacto-ovo vegetarian. My body has been acting the same way! I think a vegetarian diet is HEALTHIER...you are replacing fatty meats with healthy fruits and vegetables. And to get protein, drink milk, soymilk, have cheese, beans, nuts, etc. Read

"A Teenager's Guide to Going Vegetarian"
(Search on Amazon!)

My parents and I read it, it's a great book!

Answer 3

You do not need meat to be healthy; nobody does. Do some research on basic nutrition so you know what our body needs. There are many books out there on vegetarianism. Look for one with nutritional guidelines and some good recipes. There is absolutely nothing in meat that you can't get elsewhere.

Answer 4

Your mom is misguided, but she's been fed propaganda all her life. Going vegan is an adjustment, but you will get used to it, and so will she. I recommend a few books that will help you over the transition and then help you deal with people who will try to irritate you because of your compassionate diet:

"Being Vegetarian for Dummies" by Suzanne Havala Hobbs. She's a nutritionist who writes for Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org)
"The Vegan Sourcebook" by Joanne Stepaniak
"Living Among Meat Eaters" by Carol J. Adams
"Mad Cowboy" and "No More Bull" by Howard Lyman, a cattle ranger turned environmental activist and vegan.

Stepaniak and Adams are long-time vegan advocates.

You can get a starter guide from www.cok.net.

Recipes at www.vegweb.com and www.recipezaar.com (RecipeZaar, however, does not vet the ingredients the way VegWeb does, so be careful).

Good luck!

Answer 5

what will happen? you'll become much healthier--you'll have more energy, you will be guilt free when you eat your tofu, your cholesteral will lower,you'll feel refreshed, you'll be doing the world a favor.. your mom is wrong and uneducated about vegetarianism.

there are several protein soucres that you can use..
soy
beans
nuts
peanut butter
seeds
quinoa
tempeh
protein whey powder
milk/cheese/yogurt (if you're not eliminating dairy)

just to name a few.

go to a store like barnes and noble and get a book about vegetarianism. the one i have is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Becoming Vegetarian. it's a really good book and has several great nutrition pointers of how to go about being a vegetarian in a healthy manner.

good luck! ps: check out this site:: http://www.vegetarianteen.com i love it!

Answer 6

You can be healthy, but you need to find out about nutrition and how to substitute for protein. Beans and rice make a complete protein. You'll have to eat alot of those. You will need to find out what else is high in protein (like cheese, if you're going to include dairy) and other items that make complete proteins. You must have protein in your diet. Google it and find out what combinations work.

Answer 7

There's nothing wrong with being a Vegetarian. I've just recently became one myself. I'd suggest going Vegetarian before you go Vegan though. Just make sure you get all the nutrients you need.

Good luck =)

Answer 8

I've been off meat for a week. All these vegetables and fibrous soy products have given me lots of gas, and i go #2 at least once a day now.

Answer 9

I am with your mother on this one. This vegetarian craze escapes me.

You are one of a species that evolved over millions of years into an omnivore. Your teeth show it as does your digestive system. By forcing your body into a niche that it was not designed to occupy you are not doing it any good.

You may as well force feed a rabbit steak or make your cat eat lettuce. Either of those options makes as much sense as you trying to exist as an herbivore. Look at a horse’s teeth. Now there is a vegetarian. Notice the flat teeth; they are for grinding vegetable matter. Now check a wolf; sharp biting and tearing teeth. They are built to gnaw and rip meat from the bones. Now look at your teeth; a mixture of both kinds. You possess biters, rippers and grinders. No ma’am you are an omnivore. You are designed to eat a mixed diet and meat is part of that mixture. I have known a number of vegetarians and vegans in my life. Not one of them looked healthy to me. I knew one professed vegetarian who looked health but I found out he was a cheater.

As for your specific question, there is no right or wrong way to start. Just quit eating meat, eggs, milk and so on. When your body screams for something, i.e. you have a craving, ignore it. After all, vegetarians and vegans are much smarter than millions of years of evolution.

You say you are doing this for personal reasons. Are you going to save the world? Does the treatment of slaughter animals abhor you? Well little lady it may be abhorring to you but it is also necessary. If you are a Christian, check the Bible, the animals were placed here for our use. If, as I, you are an Atheist look to the science of nutrition. And not some obscure vegan handbook, check real scientific and medical research. If meat was unnecessary why do you suppose they server it every hospital I have ever had any dealings with? The meat in nearly any meal is the high cost item on the plate. If meat was unnecessary someone would eliminate the meat and pocket the money.

One more point. At 14 your body is growing, it needs what it needs and that includes a balanced diet. If you INSIST on forcing a square peg into a round hole why not wait until both the peg and the whole have matured physically. Wait until you are at least 20 years old, and 25 would be even better.

Answer 10

i am 14 and i was eating meat but last september i became a vegeterian and i ma fine.so i dont c a prob