Vegetarians?

Question

I just finished watching a documentary oin HBO entitled "I Am An Animal" and I just think its really disgusting what they do to animals in fur farms........ I'm think I wanna become a Vegetarian.......And I wanna know if any of you are vegetarians? What are the Pros and Cons?


Please help me, I trying to take this seriously!

Answer 1

Being a vegetarian has many health benifits and is considered to be the best in the world for curing terminal illnesses. The added bonus is that you save animals - i never really thought about it before the xmas and easter is the biggest demand for slayed animals - not merry for them is it. this is a list of things that need to be kept in the pantry to make a great animal free meal.

Bacos (or other bacon like bits)

Balsamic vinegar (great for a salad dressing)

Braggs Liquid Aminos (Made from soybeans, a concentrated protein, flavor enhancer, great for salads, sauces, etc...found in small bottles at health food stores)

Canned or dried Beans/ garbonzo, kidney, black, red...

Canned spaghetti sauce

Canned vegetarian/vegan Baked beans and refried beans

Canola oil

Fruits

Garlic

Garlic salt

Jam/ Jelly

Juices

Lemon juice

Meat analogs... burger, tofurky, whatever...

Mustard

Nutritional Yeast (A MAJOR product for vegans and vegetarians. A nutty/cheesy flavor Sprinkle on salads, popcorn, casseroles, pizza, sauces.... Found in all health food stores, bulk section) (NOT BREWERS YEAST!) (See side bar for more information)

Nuts/seeds

Olive Oil (For basic cooking and salads)

Pasta

Peanut Butter

Pickles

Popcorn

Ramin soup (Nissin brand, oriental flavor)

Rice

Salad makings

Soy Milk (sweetened for cereals and plain for sauces) See side for more information.

Soy Sauce

Spices

Spike or Vegit seasoned salt

VEGAN Sugar (unrefined) Like "Sugar in the Raw", Turbinado, or a brown rice syrup, unbleached cane sugar, etc....

Tahini (sesame seed paste) Used to make hummus, a great bread spread! or just buy some hummus....)

Tofu Firm and silken (See side for more information)

Tomatoes

Tortillas

Vegan bread (Most authentic / old fashioned French/Italian bread is vegan..) (Avoid honey as an ingredient.)

Vegan Margarine

Vegetable Broth powder

Vegetables: Potatoes, Mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, spinach, kale, etc… Edamame (soybeans)

Vegemite or Marmite:It’s a food spread extracted from brewers yeast that has a very unique hard-to-describe flavor. Frequently used as a topping on bread or toast, it has a salty taste that is quite strong, so – “spread thinly”Also adds flavor to soups, and gravies"

WhiteVinegar

vegetarian diets are becoming more and more common. Western diets have too many calories and too much fat (especially saturated fat), cholesterol, and sodium. They also have too little complex carbohydrates and fiber. Such diets are one cause of the Western world high rates of obesity and of certain diseases-heart disease, high blood pressure,stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer
Different types of vegetarians include the vegan, who follows a strict diet excluding eggs, dairy, and all other animal products; the lacto-ovo-vegetarian, who eats a diet of mainly grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, dairy products, and eggs, and excludes meat, fish, and poultry; the lacto-vegetarian, who excludes animal flesh and eggs; the ovo-vegetarian, who excludes animal flesh and dairy products; and the semi-vegetarian, who abstains from only red
meat and poultry.

Vegetarian diets have many health benefits, but can also lead to health detriments if proper precautions are not taken. Optimal health, however, can be reached through a carefully planned
vegetarian diet. The Health benefits of plant food are nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the
prevention of certain diseases. Research has been done to back up this statement. Data are strong that vegetarians are at lesser risk for obesity, atonic(reduced muscle tone) constipation, lung cancer, and alcoholism. Evidence is good that risks for hypertension, coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, and gallstones are lower. Data are only fair to poor that risks of breast cancer, diverticular disease of the colon, colonic cancer,calcium kidney stones, osteoporosis, dental erosion and dental caries are lower.Research that the life span of vegetarians to non-vegetarians is similar to or slightly higher, but is influenced in the United States by
adoption of many healthy lifestyle habits in addition to diet, such as not smoking, abstinence or moderation in the use of alcohol, being physically active, resting adequately, seeking ongoing
health surveillance, and seeking guidance when health problems arise.

Eating an organic vegan diet is one of the healthiest things a person can do for them self and the planet!

If a person is sensible, they can pretty much just give up meat and dairy and not worry about what they are eating, and be a lot better off!
Eat a wide variety of plant based foods, fruits vegetables, whole grains... limit salt, sugar, alcohol, refined grains, maintain a healthy weight, excersize... Why couldn't you ? Why wouldn't you?

I don't want to make this into a nutrition numbers site. But it seems that the people who actually question the nutritional aspects of a vegetarian or vegan diet have absolutely no idea how much of anything a person should be getting, and are generally the ones whose diet is lacking in something. Included below are the current findings in what a body needs, and where they are found in a vegan based diet.

The biggest concerns (or excuses) that still arise, when one mentions being vegetarian or vegan, is "How do you get enough protein?" While most of these people asking actually have no idea on how much protein is really necessary. They are still in the mind set of "meat is protein… you need protein… you need meat…" Where in reality protein is simply amino acids, and your body cannot tell the difference between amino acids whether it comes from a cow or a potato or a laboratory. A better question they should ask themselves is "How do you get enough vegetables? Enough vitamins? Enough fiber? A lot more people get too much protein, that is "wasted" than who suffer from protein deficiencies. Besides, too much protein has been even found to lead to things like prostate cancer among other diseases, and once your body has it's daily supply that it needs, it is just used as calories and converted to fat, which can be done easier and usually less expensive with carbohydrates and/or fats themselves.

There is also an old fashioned idea that you need to "combine foods" at the same time to make it a complete protein….. That is false. As long as you are eating a variety of foods everyday you don't have to worry about that at all. You can eat beans for, say, dinner and then rice the next day for dinner, and your body will combine the amino acids making it complete. Although, beans and rice are great together so often are eaten at the same time anyway. As are nuts and grains..... like a peanut butter (nuts) sandwich (bread/grain) = complete protein. Soy is a complete protein in itself, and since soy is such a mainstay in most vegan and vegetarian diet, no one needs to worry about complete proteins ever.

One of the biggest issues is visiting people - just bring your own food and maybe some to share and leave it at that.

Answer 2

My next-door neighbor went vegetarian after seeing that documentary. I'm glad the film is having such a positive impact!

There are so many pros, would be hard to list them all. Check out this site for a detailed explanation of the pros: http://goveg.com/theissues.asp

Personally, my cholesterol has gone down since I've been vegetarian and I was able to lose some weight (which was badly needed!) I feel better knowing that I'm not causing animal suffering every time I sit down for a meal.

Cons: Some people will give you a hard time or make jokes about your diet... they will say things like "mmmm meat" to try to get a reaction from you. The best thing is to just go along with them and try not to take it too seriously.

Here are some sites to check out for more info about going veg:

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/
http://www.vegcooking.com/makingthetransition.asp

Good luck!!

Answer 3

Well, I am a vegan (I don't eat any animal products and I do all that I can to avoid wearing animal products or using things around the house with animal products in them).

I would say some of the pro's and con's are as follows:

PRO

healthier heart

healthier digestive system

less personal impact on the environment

potential greater political awareness



CON

need to do more cooking at home

endless questions, cynicism, criticism from people that are unwilling to embrace you for being the way you are

potential problems with family gatherings/holiday food traditions


I would suggest going to the library and taking out as many books as you can about vegetarian and vegan lifestyles as well as two books by Dr. Marion Nestle, one is "Food Politics" and the other is "What to Eat", both will clarify greatly the politics behind the meat and dairy industry as well as illustrate some 'good' food versus 'bad' food to eat.

Answer 4

That was a great documentary. I'm a vegetarian, have been for 15 years I would never ever eat animals again. The only con is the lack of selections in restaurants. When your work has a pot luck, you are the only one bringing something without meat. No one will cater to your needs but you.

Answer 5

I've been a vegetarian for going on 17 years (I'll be 30 next year). There are many many pro's, but topping the list is I am proud of myself everyday. There aren't that many con's... but the biggest I've found are:

- It makes friends and family uncomfortable... they always feel as if you don't have enough to eat at in home gatherings or when you go out to eat.... but thats ok, it just shows they care about you
- and selfishly, not getting to have a shoe fetish, most fabulous shoes are made out of leather :-( But I've survived.

Good luck!

Answer 6

I recently transitioned to vegetarian and i love it.. It amazed me to see the great food that was actually available to vegitarians. Boca and Morning Star both make good meat replacements. Give it a try, peta has a vegitarian starter kit you can get from their website.

Answer 7

pros: it's healthier (if done correctly), it prevents animal cruelty, it actually opens up your food options (forced to have different variety),

cons: people will ask you endless questions, restaurants, family/ social gatherings

you really should search online and in a library. read as much as you can to find out what to really expect. i like maggie's answer.

Answer 8

There are only benefits to becoming vegetarian! GO VEG LITTLE SISTER!

Answer 9

It is ok to be a vegatarian it is based on what you want to be. It is just fine lots of my friends are vegatarian. Go for it if that is what you want to be.

Answer 10

No way. Eating meat is a natural way of existence.