Help becoming a vegitarian?

Answer 1

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

Here are some more veg people:
http://www.mikemahler.com/index.html
http://www.vegetarianbodybuilder.com/index2.html
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bios
http://www.andreascahling.com/andreas-about
http://www.billpearl.com/career.asp
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-23-27/Salim-Stoudamire-Runs-on-Broccoli.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Danzig
http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php
http://www.nfl.com/players/rickywilliams/profile?id=WIL271115
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/raceresults/index.html

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There is a Japanese analogy/proverb that goes like this, "The nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down". People are like this everywhere. When you tell your family that it is your personal belief that animals should not be eaten, they take a look at themselves and it can be subconsciously translated into, "What you do is wrong and I choose to be right."

Your parents have probably been taught a huge amount of misinformation by their parents and their teachers while growing up. You really need to research vegetarian diets and health before you even think about saying the "V-word" in front of your parents or anyone else.

When you have gathered enough information and feel confident in a vegetarian diet's ability to maintain or even improve health, you may mention to them that you have made the decision. They may be shocked, angry, worried, curious or many other things, but you must NEVER react to their behavior and always stay calm. If they are able to speak to you and respect your choice, please tell them everything and answer all questions. If they are rude, inconsiderate, judgmental, violent, or verbally abusive, refuse to continue any conversation until they can speak to you with respect.

The best advice is to study everything that you can about a healthy vegetarian diet and keep yourself in good shape (better than most people your age or than your friends/family if possible). If nobody that you know shows a genuine, positive interest in your choice, don't give them the privilege of the knowledge that you have gathered. Work your way around any attempts they make to trivialize your beliefs and if possible, go shopping with your parents and buy things that aren't obvious veggie fare. Instead of trying to sneak fake meat into the cart, toss in lentil soup, peanut butter, pasta, fruits & veggies or anything else that you have learned is needed to fill any gaps in your diet.

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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.

Snack: BRUSSEL SPROUTS =) no joke

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, baked tofu, BBQ homemade seitan (tastes like BBQ'd ribs), kabobs

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

Answer 2

Don't cut out all meat products directly from your diet, firstly. A gradual transition, substituting vegetarian substitutes for meat is far more healthy for your body, and will also make the transition smoother. Buying a good vegetarian cookbook or finding recipes online will make meals more interesting and will teach you how to cook more complicated essentials, such as tofu and lentils. Keep your diet balanced- don't rely on ready meals, or just eat vegetables. Multivitamin tablets can be a help, although you should be able to get all the nutrients you need if you carefully balance your meals.

Get into the habit of reading ingredients and checking labels to see whether products are suitable for vegetarians. Meat derivatives such as gelatine and cochineal are common in foods, especially sweets and other junk food. Eventually, it will become second nature, but it's easy to get caught out at first.

Good luck! I've been vegetarian for five years now, and it seems weird to think that I ever ate meat products.

Answer 3

It's really not that hard. I just stopped eating meat and made dishes without it. You could start with a book covering a broad base of info like "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Becoming Vegetarian" or just a good veg cookbook. Do a little research about your daily nutritional requirements and just try it out.

Note to you and to Emily (above): most brands of vitamins contain gelatin and other ingredients which make them NOT vegetarian. I can't recall looking at a Centrum label, but I'd be willing to bet there are animal ingredients in there. A good multivitamin never hurt anyone, but look for a vegetarian formulation. Schiff makes a Vegetarian Multi that should be pretty easy to find.

Answer 4

Honestly, just do it. I was afraid of becoming a vegetarian because I didn't think I liked many vegetables, but I eliminated red meat for a few days, and then just eliminated everything. If you're not afraid to try new things, then it's a lot easier. Try it once, and if you don't like it, then don't eat. Make sure you're getting enough protein. I eat a lot of peanut butter and a lot of cheese to help me get protein. I also take Centrium vitamins (you know, the ones with the "from A to Zinc" slogan) everyday to help me get more vitamins. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Be sure to get enough complete protein, and do not eat a lot of junk foods like french fries just because they are not meat. You may want to talk to a nutritionist or your family doctor to be sure you are on the right track. You may also want to read books about becoming a vegetarian and do some research on-line about it as well. I haven't eaten red meat since 1990, but I do eat chicken and fish.

Answer 6

Hi, Shelby. Congratulations on your decision.

Compassion Over Killing (www.cok.net) has a vegetarian starter guide that you can order.

VegWeb (www.vegweb.com) is an all-vegan website wtih tons of recipes, and RecipeZaar (www.recipezaar) has a vegetarian/vegan section.

Some companies that have veg*an convenience food: Amy's Kitchen (www.amys.com), Lightlife (www.lightlife.com), Tofurkey (www.tofurkey.com), Yves (www.yvesveggie.com), and for desserts, Turtle Island Soy Delicious and Purely Decadent soy ice creams (www.turtlemountain.com).

Good luck!

Answer 7

Stop eating meat.

I think many folks start off by "biting off more than they can chew" (pun intended).

There is the obvious meat - chicken, hamburger, steak, turkey, ham, pork chops etc. I would start there.

Then if that goes well, in a few months you can worry about whether your salad dressing have a trace amount of animal fat or the ethics of eating honey or exactly how jello is made.

Answer 8

You can do it, Shelby!! Today, I've been a vegetarian for 5 months and I've done good!! You can slowly, one by one, stop eating the different meats, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish etc... or you can stop, cold turkey... like I did! =D

I wish you all the luck in the world!! It'll be worth it... especially if you're doing it for ethical/moral reasons!!

Answer 9

Hey the big time companies are also starting to switch from animal product gelatin to vegtable gelatin so just be careful

Answer 10

Eat no more meat! Get your protein and essential amino acids from mushrooms, seeds, nuts, and legumes. Try eating more vegetables and fruit too, mix it up, eat a variety.

Answer 11

check out the hari krishna diet and the balance of the diet