What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a vegetarian?

Question

I've researched it I guess. I'm somewhat vegetarian- I eat meat about once every other week.
My family does not like this.
I constantly eat almonds and walnuts for protein, because they give me buckets of them all the time.

I guess what I'm looking for, is a definate answer. If i should be a vegetarian or not. I can't do this anymore. I'm debating. It's been months! Maybe a year, and I'm still not sure.

Any vegetarians? Can you give me some advice??

(ps. the reason i dont want to eat meat is because of animals, but i love the taste of it. but when i do eat meat, i feel guilty, and i can't stop thinking of bloody images of animals, and it really upsets me)

Answer 1

I was in my 30s when I went veg--my body stopped being able to digest meat as I got older. Nuts are good for protein, but they're also high in fat. Can you get beans and make beans and rice or bean tacos? You can even make chili with beans and tempeh or TVP.

I can't tell you whether or not you should be veg; it's a decision you have to make for yourself. I can only give you ideas to make your transition easier. Vegetarians do have lower rates of heart disease, cancer, gout, diabetes, obesity, and other so-called diseases of affluence. A vegetarian diet is the best for the planet, as meat production is highly resource-intensive. If your family cares about the environment, they'll want to know that animal industry contributes more greenhouse gases than all the cars in the world (this according to the U.N.).

Disadvantages: you will have to always read labels. At omni restaurants, you will be a pain in the butt making sure there are no animal ingredients in such-and-such a dish. You will have to deal with idiots asking "How do you get your protein?" ("How do you get your fiber?") and "What about the plants?" (Well, considering it takes between 3 and 17 pounds of grain to create one pound of meat, you're killing more plants than a vegetarian. Next!) "Can you eat animal crackers?" ("As long as they don't have lard, why not?") And I'm sure that every day, the anti-veg folks come up with more questions to try to trip us up. Ignore them. They're just trying to justify their nasty habit of animal consumption.

Check out www.vegweb.com for recipes and resources. There are tons of analogues out there, so if your family is willing to get them, you can cook those while they cook their meat and have the side dishes.

Answer 2

I've been a vegetarian since I was 12, I'm 31 now so its been a couple years. I too stopped because of animals. At dinner time I would look at my plate and not see food but instead see cooked flesh BLECH! So I made the decision (much to my families dismay) to not eat meat anymore. My family didn't change their diet, so I became in charge of my own food pretty much.

Advantages, Grocery stores have a pretty good selection of veggie foods now. I noticed when I stopped eating meat I had more energy. A lot healthier diet. I've never had a weight problem. I love the fact that my not eating meat saves animals from being killed.

Disadvantages, Ignorant people who ask stupid nosy questions. Not many options at most restaurants. The look I get from some people when I tell them I'm a vegetarian. Some of my family members, after all this time still think that I'm doing this just for attention.

Good luck with your choice!

Answer 3

I think vegetarians and vegans are crazy. They are stuffing a body that evolved over millions of years to be an omnivore into a herbivore box. You may as well force a rabbit to eat nothing but steak. Your teeth are designed to eat both and your digestive system is designed to handle both.

The only advantage I can see is you can stick your nose a bit higher in the air and pretend that you are politically correct. All the while wearing leather shoes that some cow had to die for, wearing a down coat in the winter that some goose had to die for, not to mention the alligator bags or the reptile accoutrement's. And never forget that the drugs you take and the makeup you use were tested on laboratory animals. One last thing, the space program has sacrificed many animals so you can have those nonstick pans and Pyrex cookware.

I probably shouldn't even have answered this as I am not a vegetarian so the answer I gave you is not the one you want to hear, it is the truth but it isn't what you want to hear.

Answer 4

The advantages of a strict vegetarian/vegan diet are that you cultivate an appreciation for a variety of healthy fruits, nuts and vegetables and not over doing your meat intake.

The disadvantages of a strict vegetarian/vegan diet is that it is an unbalanced diet, socially awkward, and open to "errors" resulting in nutrient deficiencies that go unnoticed and contribute to long term health issues.

That is why flexitarian vegetarianism/veganism, pollo-lacto-pesco-ovo vegetarianism are much more advantageous. They are based on balance, and moderation.

Answer 5

Do it for the animals, do it for the environment, but definitely do it for yourself. It's a very healthful diet. I have two sons who have thrived for the last 25 years as lacto-vegetarians. They are now 27 and 30, and they are very healthy, very successful and very smart. Just keep researching it, and you'll know that you're doing the right thing.

Good luck!

Answer 6

i'm a vegetarian, and i'm 14 right now. so far its been alright but i've been a vege all my life and what its given me is to be very skinny, and to be mocked by my friends for being a non-meat eater. also if you dont eat meat sometimes your iron level in your body goes way down.

Answer 7

I know this sounds weird. But the main reason i don't eat meat is because it makes me feel sick - to know i have cows meat in my teeth, to know i have gelatin in my mouth makes me want to throw up.. haha weird i know it's kind of like a phobia of meat i think it's just sickkkk.

Answer 8

Advantages--better health (less likely to get heart diseases, prostrate and colon cancer, Alzheimer's disease, etc. etc., go to goveg.com for full list), better for environment (again, go to goveg.com), better for the animals.

Disadvantages--friends who mock you, will miss the taste if you ate it a lot before, won't die so easily if you want to die without committing suicide

Answer 9

You should read this
http://www.myspace.com/vegexpress
I think it'll answer your questions