What are the pros and cons of becoming a vegan?

Question

I am thinking of becoming a vegan....what all do I need to know? I usaully eat meat every day....how can I change this habit? How can I develop a healthy lifestyle that doesn't involve meat? I am 15 and my step-dad is a cattle farmer...so yeah this is going to be a bit hard for me also, I need some tips and other ways to not eat the cattle he brings home daily.
Please tell me everything I need to know on becoming vegan.
Thanks and God bless.

Oh wow lol...yeah I didn't really know the difference. I meant Vegetarian...thanks guys.

Answer 1

If I were you, I would start by cutting out the meat, and then little by little cutting out dairy products and eggs. But if you try do it all at once it might be too much of a change to deal with.

I think once you know what the animals go through in order for them to end up on your plate, that's all the reason you need to stop eating them. And I guess you know 1st hand. So just think of the stuff you know and have seen when you see a piece of meat, and ask yourself if all the animal suffered was worth it. I personnaly don't think it is.

Is there a health shop near where you live? If so, try going there to get in some veggie food. Get some soy products, for example. You should be able to get things like veggie burgers from your supermarket too. You probably won't like them all, so you need to try several and see which ones you like.

You can also try stuff like soy milk. I'm personnaly not too keen on that, I prefere rice milk. Once again, try several. You can also get some great soy yoghurts.

Also, eat a lot of fruit, veg and cereals. A lot of meat eaters always eat the same ones, but there are loads you can try out, so don't forget to do that too.

Good luck, you've made the right decision. If you have any other questions, you can always send me a message.


Go vegan!


Sorry, I forgot the pros and cons! Okay so here goes:

Pros:
- you'll be healthier: no saturated fats, no illnesses linked to meat, no chollesterol problems,...
- you'll be compasionate
- the knowledge that no animal was killed for you is all the satisfaction you need
- you'll be standing up for what you blieve is right
- you'll be ecological: animal farming uses up loads of water (100 000 liters for 1kg of beef), and 10 times more cereal and if you just ate directly the cereals

cons:
- it's not always easy standing up for things. You'll have to defend your believes and put of with people trying to talk you out of it and making fun of you. It's not easy being different in this world.

Answer 2

Um....

I'm going to assume there is the possibility here that you don't know the difference between vegetarian and vegan, because it's VERY difficult to jump straight from meat-eater to vegan... Just to clarify for you, a vegan eats absolutely NO animal products at all, including dairy, eggs, honey, etc. A vegetarian cuts out the meat, but may still keep the rest, if they so choose.

The main thing to think about when going veg, especially at your age, is to keep your protein and iron at acceptable levels, and don't rely entirely on junk food to keep yourself fed. Make sure to eat lots of dark green veggies, such as spinach, as well as a good variety of beans, on top of all the other veggies you should already be eating. Those items should take care of anything you might need which you've been getting from meat, at least nutritionally.

As for keeping yourself off the meat habit...that's harder. If you've been a big meat-eater, it's mostly going to come down to your own will power. It can be done, though. Although I never ate excessive amounts of meat when it was part of my diet, I definitely loved the taste of certain things. Honestly, I never stopped liking it, per se, but I just found it really sickening when I thought about exactly what it was I was eating. As such, I really understand the temptation you might be facing after you give up meat. I found the best thing to do was to not really change my overall diet much, but rather, to replace the meat in some way. There are a lot of fake meat substitutes you can use, at least when transitioning, if your parents will consent to buy them for you. Morningstar Farms, Boca, Gardenburger, and Quorn are all fairly big brands in that market, and relatively easy to find in your average grocery store. There are also many types of meals in which vegetables are great in that place. Portabella mushrooms, for instance, make great burgers. Eggplant is another one that works in many recipes, especially in something with cheese. There are lots of others you can find, too. Google vegetarian recipes, or go to the peta website, and you should find a good selection.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Whew... well... I became vegan when a teen and the only problems I had were with my own family. I had no problem with food, diet, energy, eating out, or etc. Very positive and life changing mind-opening thing to do. Just read all you can. Health is not just about food, so read everything you can get your hands on.

There's a good book called "Becoming Vegan". I don't agree with everything in there, but 99%. So, get that book.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sby=key&stext=becoming+vegan&sourceid=mozilla-search

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-5717611-5781443?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=becoming+vegan&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Learn about proper digestion and how, for example, you should not eat fruit with beans, or put oranges on your salad etc. People eat some really stupid combinations of things that just make them either sick, fart like mad, or who knows what. In other countries this is common sense, but not in N. America or Europe, that's for sure.

Some info that will help a lot:
http://www.bestbread.ca/QUICK_-_REFERENCE_NUTRITION_CHART.pdf

Answer 4

Vegan = not eating any meat, + not any animal producs (eggs, milk, honey).
Vegetarian = not eating any meat. I think here you want to be.
Well, it's going to be difficult, given your age and your family. They will probably try to convince you to continue eating meat, cause it's healthy. Just do a research on vegetarian nutrition, make sure you get all your proteins and vitamins and minerals.
In the end you will be healthier and feel better about not eating animals.

Answer 5

well, for starters, you need to know that vegetarian is when you dont eat meat and vegan is when you dont eat animal or animal-by-products. so, vegans dont eat anything dairy, eggs, fish, some stear clear from yeast, even honey... if your going to just be vegetarian, you cant just eliminate a huge part of your diet and expect to keep this habit for a long time. i suggest you stop eating meat but be sure to replace it with something else instead, like: beans, nuts, and peanut butter. if you still miss the meat, see if your parents are willing to buy tofu, soy, or immitation meat products...now, if you wanted to be vegan... i can only really suggest a salad or baked potato.. because you have to buy special breads, no cheese on anything, no eggs or milk in noodles.. its really a lot of requirements.. and remember! dont be too hard on yourself, your still young to be deciding your tastes and preferences!

Answer 6

pros-
- you will feel more vibrant and healthy.
- your body will become more lean.
- you will be promoting compassion and love for animals.
- you will be opened up to an entire new world of food, which can be fun.
- you won't be eating something that was once alive!
- it's great for the environment!
- it's great for you!
- it's great for the animals!

cons-
- there is none, as long as you make sure to follow a balanced diet to get all your nutritional needs, and realize there are people who won't understand and might be hard on you about it (forget what other people think, you're doing this for you and the animals, you're doing this for the world!). also, you must always be aware of what you're eating (which will come natural after a few months)

here are some resources for you! (explore all of them!)
http://www.peta2.com/
http://www.veganfoodpyramid.com/vegan-pyramid-800x600.jpg
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/09/why-vegan/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://www.goveg.com/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/
http://www.vegsource.com/
http://www.vegan.org/
http://vegweb.com/
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/

good luck! there are many vegans that would be so proud of you, and millions of animals that would be so thankful!
:)

Answer 7

good luck r

Answer 8

all you can eat is granola.