Why are you a vegetarian? Is it because your against eating animals? OR........?

Question

Is it because you are against eating animals, or is it because of all the garbage fed to livestock?

What kinds of meals do you eat? I need help because I refuse to eat meat after the horror Ive read tonight. And I realy dont know what kinds of dishes I could make for a variety.

Dirtyleg , Please. Do us all a favor and troll somewhere else.

Answer 1

The same thing happened to me a few months ago, I had been a dairy eating vegetarian for many years, then one night I enlightened myself to the horrors of the dairy industry and became an overnight vegan, with a fridge full of food and nothing to eat. It's difficult at first, because it's not just meat you have to avoid, animal fats and derivatives seem to be in everything, but once you get a good idea of what to look out for it gets a lot easier. And i'm a vegan because farm animals feel pain, fear, loss, happiness, have memories and form bonds just like the average americans cat or dog.
http://www.goveg.com/ has alot of useful info.
Cooking and Recipes.
http://vegcooking.com/makingthetransition.asp
http://vegweb.com/ Is my favorite.

Answer 2

My #1 reason for not eating meat is because I believe it is simply not SAFE, from a health standpoint.. the animals are fed all that garbage, and as a result, they are sick.. Westerners eat way too much protien anyway, and that causes health problems

My #2 reason is how horrible the meat industry is in the way it treats live animals.. I came to the conclusion that it was hipocritical of me to enjoy a nice... KFC drumstick, for example, If I would be unable to chop the chicken's head off myself.. I knew I could never do such a thing, and have always had a passionate love for animals.. then I found out what goes on in the meat industry and it made me sick to my stomach...

My #3 reason is the environment.. I did some research and found out how bad the meat industry is on the environment. I won't go into any further detail here, because this answer is allready long enough

after 17 years, vegetarianism is a part of my identity.. it's who I am.. to change now would be to try to make myself a different person.. to be somethnig that I'm not.. may sound weird, but that's the way I feel...

This is typically how I eat when I'm not dieting:
Meals.. For breakfast I typically ( eat fruit and a bowl of oatmeal and a piece of toast... Or I make scrambled tofu

Lunch: I like some nice rice with sweet and sour tofu over it, eaten with Korean toasted seaweed.. Or maybe bean burritoes for lunch.. or maybe a little pizza made out of a pita bread, topped with sauce, tofu, tomatoes, and veggie burger crumble.. salad is always nice, either a small one on the side.. or a large fancy one (with kidney beans) eaten as a meal in itself..

For supper I try to keep it light.. air-popped popcorn, fruit, juice, maybe a bowl of cereal with rice milk..

I also enjoy spaghetti, sandwiches, lasagana..soups.. indian curries (mild ones!!) Korean food...

Answer 3

I became a vegetarian because I abhor cruelty to animals. I'm still trying to get use to eating healthy, I had some awful habits for a long time. This is my clean up year. I quit smoking cigarettes in Feb., I became a vegetarian in May and I am currently on my way to being a vegan.

Buy lots of fresh fruit and veggies so you always have them on hand. I don't know if you are used to eating healthy or not. Tofu is good as are nuts, legumes, lentils, beans, rice (brown), pasta (made without eggs), wheatgerm, and dried peas.

Here are some helpful sites:
peta.org
peta2.org
vegcooking.com
goveg.com
recipezaar.com
vegetariantimes.com

Answer 4

A vegetarian diet can be very interesting and there is plenty of recipe books You can make some quick and easy meals if you want Pasta dishes are great there's a huge variety from Macoroni cheese to Italian tomato dishes . Any amount of nut dishes and rice ones. MMM vegetables hundreds of things you can do with them I love my salads home made coleslaw yum. I do eat fish and chicken but chicken not very often . the reason I eat it as sometimes when travelling it makes food choices easier and I do adore fish and know its good for me I eat eggs as they are not fertile so I'm not taking a life there and cheese so I'm getting more than my fair share of protein as I have a very varied diet and fruit is wonderful

Answer 5

I'm vegetarian because I've never felt particularly good about eating animals. I have read about the ways in which mainstream meat is produced and the use of feedlots/antibiotics/hormones, as well as conditions most meat packers are faced with just trying to do their jobs. It adds up to be an industry I don't particularly care to endorse with a product that I'd rather not consume. Plus, as a side-benefit, the absence of meat in my diet has led me to focus more heavily on vegetable-based meals.

I will occasionally eat meat if I can find free-range organic, or if I find a dish in front of me that I'm certain would go to waste otherwise...but this doesn't happen too often. I do continue to consume dairy and eggs, though I make sure the dairy is organic and that the eggs are free-range organic.

As far as meals go, being vegetarian doesn't have to be terribly different from eating meat. You can find soy-based replacements for meal ingredients like chicken and beef. One great thing about tofu is that though it doesn't have much of a taste on its own, it absorbs seasoning incredibly well and can come in a variety of textures. I've made smoothies with a silken tofu base, and have eaten orange sesame tofu that was flavorful and had an incredibly satisfying texture. It's good stuff, and there are some amazing recipes out there that use it.

Mostly, though, I look for recipes that focus on vegetables rather than going for pre-packaged meat substitutes. I've tried a pasta primavera that was out of this world, have experimented a bit with indian food (there's a great recipe for a veggie biryani I'll link in a second), I've found an all-veggie guacamole that I can't get enough of. Red pepper, portabella mushrooms, and onion sauteed with a little italian dressing is easy and tastes wonderful.

Snack-wise, I'll cut up some vegetables and use ranch dressing as a dip. Hummus makes for great snacking. Fruit, of course, is convenient and always tastes good. Cheese and crackers still works if you're careful about the ingredients in the cheese. Yogurt, too (extra delish with some fruit mixed in).

There're so many possibilities, even without meat. You'll just have to dig a little harder. Good luck!


A few great recipes:

Pasta primavera: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/No-Cream-Pasta-Primavera/Detail.aspx

Guacamole:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Guacamole/Detail.aspx

Matar Paneer (green peas and cheese curry): http://www.food-india.com/recipe/R026_050/R049.htm

Qinoa and Grilled Zucchini: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/quinoa-and-grilled-zucchini-recipe.html

Veggie Biryani (substitute chicken bullion with vegetable): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegetable-Biryani-2/Detail.aspx

Answer 6

I became veggie years ago gradually at first as i was thinking about what animal i was eating all the time and it got harder and harder. Then my daughter told me sme things about animal welfare that i just couldn't ignore and became completely vegetarian.

There are lots of nice things out there now unlike a few years ago, i like quorn mince which is so versatile and lots of my meat eating friends use this now instead of mince as it tastes so nice and is defiantely healthier.

Answer 7

Please watch the documentary "Earthlings". It is quite disturbing. After I watched it I never ate meat again. And they show you many reasons not to. You can google it on google video. It is about an hour and a half long and narrated by Phoquim Pheonix. The bad guy from Gladiator. All people I suggested this to became vegatarians. It is that powerfull. Good Luck!

Answer 8

I don't eat meat because the animals shouldn't be treated the way they are.

The meals I eat are:
-Protein substitutes (veggie burgers/hotdogs)
-Tofu stuff (I'm asian, so I <3 tofu)
-Lots of dark greens (artichoke spinach dip, stir fried broccoli)
-Vegetarian Chili (beans are good for you!)

Of course I eat more than that. There are lot of options available if you want to go vegetarian.

Try this:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-Cooking/Vegetarian/Main.aspx

Answer 9

I don't eat animals because I don't like killing and it isn't necessary.

I'm not sure what you mean by "all the horror you've read."

What's with Dirtyleg? Who said anything about political candidates? I'm about to be cruel to my dog; I'm going to give her a bath.

Answer 10

I don't eat meat, because I don't really care for it. I don't like the texture or the way it tastes.