How do i become a vegetarian?

Question

How do i stop eating meat? Is there anything that will make me stop eating meat?

Please share,
your help is very much appreciated!! :)

Answer 1

I recently became vegan (and vegetarian for that matter). I made the transition rather quickly but some people do it slowly- w/e works.

I found that it was easier to stick to that diet by 1) having strong reasons for doing so and 2)having yummy foods to eat

1) Think of the ethical, environmental, and health reasons for eating veg. Whatever you feel most strongly about, delve deeper into. I found that my personal ethics drove me to vegetarianism, and then a combination of ethics and health to veganism. That is what I thought about and read about to motivate me. Inform yourself- go to animal rights/ welfare websites and particpate (or lurk :P) on veg forums.

2) You still want to eat food you like. You aren't going to keep it up if all you eat are carrots (and you hate carrots), etc. There are lots of nifty meat analogs Gardenburger, morningstar, boca, etc. That offer things that taste meat like, but aren't. Instead of going to KFC, buy some fried chik'n. In my area there are a few restaurants that have veg food that tastes like non veg food and is even better than the original. www.happycow.net/ has a searchable database if you are interested.

Answer 2

The only thing that will make you stop eating meat is your desire to stop eating meat. Where there's a will, there's (usually) a way.

Check out www.cok.net to get a starter guide. It will outline the reasons for going vegetarian. If any of them resonate with you, great! Also check out www.vegweb.com for recipes and resources.

Most grocery stores have all sorts of analogues. I love tofu, and I freeze mine to give it a chewier texture (tips in my profile). Tempeh is good either crumbled into chili or marinated and pan-fried or grilled. I also like to have seitan (a.k.a. wheat meat) and there are many ways to prepare it. Find the method of preparation that works for you--it's an excellent meat substitute.

Good luck!

Answer 3

personally i did it over many years and did it gradually - but then I was 9 when i started and am 34 now.

you need to read lots and find out all the reasons why people do this - this will give you the conviction you want.

Believe this - its amazing - i was about 5 years old and i remember not wanting to eat the christmas turkey but i kept on breaking my resolve until i was 9 and i started my journey then,

you will need to experiment - i am still discovering vegetarian cuisine that i love and i love food!
I have recently fallen for firm tofu in a big way.

If i can encourage you to get some firm tofu (the water packed kind in the refrigerator) not the one in the carton! just slice some into a 'steak' and fry it and season it.That experiment will only cost you about $3 max and could change your eating habits.

Good luck

Answer 4

there are so many alternatives now.
shop for soy products. there is meatless taco meat that tastes great! also use substitutions........like when making spaghetti use a lot of mushrooms in the sauce instead of meat. You can find meatless hotdogs that taste great. so many ideas. look for vegetarian websites that will offer you some recipe ideas.

Answer 5

start by gradually reducing your intake of meat, start with smaller portions and fill up on the veggies, in time you may be able to stop eating meat all together, it takes will power

Answer 6

Well obviously dont eat meat!!! Go with so soy and go little by little!

Answer 7

Just say NO. You make up your mind for your reasons and just do it. It isn't rocket science or anything.

Answer 8

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5932123060214126731&q=meat+industry&total=334&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3

Answer 9

Will power and dedication. That's all there is to it.

Answer 10

You won't miss red meat. The veggie-meat substitutes and chicken clones made into patties, nuggets, ground round and steak available in health food store delis, frozen food and produce sections have a great meat-like texture and taste. They have far fewer calories than the "real thing" too.

Nutritional value. Flesh foods are essentially protein and saturated fat. Plant foods are protein, unsaturated (essential) fat, nutrient-rich carbohydrates and life-saving enzymes.

Flesh foods are acid forming in the body, have no fiber, contain cholesterol, have naturally occurring toxic waste and cause unhealthy putrefaction bacteria in our intestines (which may contribute to indigestion, illness and disease)

Plant foods are alkali-forming in the body, contain abundant fiber, have no naturally occurring toxic waste, little or no cholesterol and they don't putrefy as readily because they are much easier to digest. (Living Vegetarian website: www.jtcwd.com/vegie)

Our instincts are carnivorous. Most humans would not be able to kill an animal. They have to cook and disguise it so that it bears no resemblance to its original state. Unlike carnivorous animals, we do not naturally salivate at the sight of raw meat (though we do for raw fruit).

If everyone in North America reduced their animal food consumption by just 10 percent, the grain we would save from animal feed could be used to feed all of the hungry throughout the world (Earth Save)

Why do people become vegetarian?

Moral Reasons Nobody would argue that animals don't feel pain, fear or enjoyment. This gives them the basic right to be treated in ways that respect their own personal value, just as humans are. This includes the right to live, not to be slaughtered or treated unjustly.

Political Reasons Another argument is that there is so much famine in the world, and rearing cattle to be slaughtered is a waste of resources - including their feed, and the land for them to graze upon. It would be a far more economical use of resources for humans to eat the grain and use the land to grow more. If the west reduced their meat consumption by just ten percent, it would free up enough grazing land to grow food for up to 40 million people.

Religious ReasonsVegetarianism was probably first practiced in connection with religious purification rituals. The idea of a fleshless diet for normal use arose in India and eastern Mediterranean lands around 1000 BC. Hindu and Buddhist sects consider all animal life sacred and teach that human beings should avoid harming animals. Some Jewish and Christian groups followed the principles of vegetarianism and considered eating flesh gluttonous, cruel, and wasteful. In the Roman Catholic church, Trappist monks have practiced vegetarianism since 1666. Among Protestants, the Seventh-day Adventists observe strict vegetarian guidelines.

Reasons against becoming Vegetarian People who are against becoming Vegetarian tend to have three main reasons why they should not or can not become Vegetarian. The are: 1) Humans are naturally omnivorous which is true, but there is no need to eat animals. Humans are naturally violent, but most are not, or try not to be. 2) Vegetarians are anaemic. Which doesn't have to be true if you keep a balanced diet and take regular vitamin supplements. 3) "I'd miss my meat too much". Apart from the reasons stated above, people will miss meat to begin with, but after a week or so, most will wonder how they ever ate it in the first place.

The Hunger Argument

Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20
Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80
Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90
How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16


The Environmental Argument

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more
Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million
Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds
Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year


The Cancer Argument

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times
For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3.25 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times.


The Cholesterol Argument

Number of U.S. medical schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours
Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds
Average U.S. man's risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15 percent
Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent
Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl
Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent


The Natural Resources Argument

User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production
Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000
Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78
To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2
Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33
Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2


The Antibiotic Argument

Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support


The Pesticide Argument

Common belief: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection
Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues
Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99
Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8
Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher
Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level


The Ethical Argument

Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 660,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker
Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job-injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker


The Survival Argument

Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner)
Food choice of Dave Scott: Vegetarian
Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Where is he today?)