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just can't eat an animal. nothing with a face. i'm not some kind of zealous animal rights activist and it has nothing to do with religion. i just found myself not eating much meat and thought i should try to be vegetarian. being away from it i really can't stand the thought of eating meat now. i actually get sick. has happened when i've eaten soups that i was told didn't have a chicken base. my husband eats meat and i'll cook for him. just won't eat it.
I'm the same way - even as a kid eating meat sort of grossed me out, and then I realized red meat made me sick because I don't digest it well. I understand that it's part of nature for animals to eat other animals and humans to eat meat, so I certainly don't hold it against anyone who does eat meat. It's just my thing.
I actually DO enjoy being a vegetarian! Close to 20 years now, and I've not regretted a single moment (except when I go to restaurants and can't find anything on the menu other than salad and baked potatoes ..... ).
I enjoy being a vegetarian - I have more energy, I'm more strong and fit than ever, don't feel "heavy" after eating, and my GI system has been problem-free since I went veggie (but not vegan) for good. It wasn't so much that I gave up meat, but that meat eventually gave me up. I was no longer hungry for meat...my body did not crave it and the smell is no longer appealing. The trick is to know what to cook for yourself (since dining out usually means few good choices for us).
There is much societal pressure to eat what everyone else does but if you listen to your body, you can't go wrong (which for some means being a vegetarian and for some means a big steak every night).
i am pretty much vegan at home but allow myself to go out and eat non vegan foods while i am out.
I am Veggie for Ethical reasons. I care so much for every animal. There are so many food choices nowadays that if we choose not to eat any type of animals we may do it with ease. Many years ago when "we" had to hunt for our foods, we (humans) did not eat animals at every meal. Not only did we eat in moderation but we also didn't catch a squirrel or kill something and eat it every day. But now we eat meat morning noon and night, and all processed for the matter, not fresh... this is a big problem...
I am talking general here, as i know there may be a few here that buy organic meats from a good sustainable farm.
I agree with everything in moderation. Including vegetables!
I disagree that "there are so many choices" that we don't have to eat meat. As said earlier, some of us may be on the far end of the bell curve that means that we can get along just fine on a vegetarian diet - my late best friend was one. Others are on the other end of the bell curve and need meat in order to remain healthy. Most are in the middle and need meat, in moderation, to a greater or lesser degree depending on where they fall on the curve.
While there may be more choices, human anatomy hasn't changed dramatically in the past few hundred years.
I agree with everything in moderation. Including vegetables!
I disagree that "there are so many choices" that we don't have to eat meat. As said earlier, some of us may be on the far end of the bell curve that means that we can get along just fine on a vegetarian diet - my late best friend was one. Others are on the other end of the bell curve and need meat in order to remain healthy. Most are in the middle and need meat, in moderation, to a greater or lesser degree depending on where they fall on the curve.
While there may be more choices, human anatomy hasn't changed dramatically in the past few hundred years.
Sorry, but I disagree with most of what you are saying. But that's ok.
Yes, human anatomy has not changed but... we now have these "factory farms" didn't have that back then. Fast food, trans fats, boxed foods, to make to easier to understand... Anything that was produced, raised, (animals etc), foods made in a Factory... Our bodies were Not made for this!!!! Our animals were killed and eaten with our own hands because we needed it to survive, truly without That animal meat we would have suffered that day or week. They were killed and eaten from nature. They were Not pumped with any drugs, they were not fed unnatural foods... etc! No, most certainly Our BOdies were Not made for that. And that is not what was meant for us.
Meat is meat... a vegetarian diet is vast. Many people say... What do you eat if you don't eat meat??? Meat is just one aspect in a diet.
Not really does one know exactly what foods and how much foods are out there that are Not meat orientated. I used to eat Meat and Veggies and Breads.
I Have done so much research on this topic!
There are so many foods, all leafy green that contain much more calcium and more easily absorbed than any type of meat. Cantaloupe has a great deal of protein for example. People that eat a lot of meat and really healthy is a rare occurrence in my experience.
I eat such a variety of foods, from nuts, seeds, grains, whole grain breads, beans, exotic veggies and fruits, hemp and pea protein. The list goes on! A variety gets your body really balanced and nourished.
To be honest if a person wants to be a vegetarian most of the time they try to do it without any research and eat nutrient poor foods, white flour products, sweets etc. Then a person will surely be sick.
I do agree though that some people need certain things in their diet but I also acknowledge that much of our society is not fully educated of different diets and may not try a lifestyle/diet change even though their current one is not beneficial for them and the result of a different one may be a positive one!
I like to hear that people connect with their food. And raising or obtaining animal foods from responsible farms is great!!! I wish more people bought their animal meat for a small farm that respected the animals that they in turn choose to eat.
Meat is one aspect of a diet. Vegetables are one aspect of a diet. Fruits are one aspect of a diet. And none of this has anything to do with factory farming - you're confusing the technique with the food itself, always a dangerous thing to do because it confuses politics with nutrition.
I do agree though that some people need certain things in their diet but I also acknowledge that much of our society is not fully educated of different diets and may not try a lifestyle/diet change even though their current one is not beneficial for them and the result of a different one may be a positive one!
As long as you don't assume that if only people just tried vegetarianism, of course they'd see the light and have the same reaction to it that you do. I could say the same thing - that clearly you hadn't given an all-meat diet an honest try or of course you'd see the light. But I won't do that, and you're coming close to doing so.
Oh, the proteins in vegetables and fruits. It takes a lot of combining to get a complete one. Trust me, on this I'm well-versed - as a hypoglycaemic who gave vegetarianism the old college try not once, but several times, and someone who researches the heck out of anything I do, that is, indeed, the case.
Don't assume, either, that because one chooses not to be a vegetarian that one's diet doesn't contain variety. Nothing could be further from the truth.
And what is it that you disagree with? That humans fall on a bell curve in terms of the specific kinds of nutrients that their bodies need, as they do in most everything else? Or that anyone, ever, could possibly need meat in this day and age?
I enjoy being a vegetarian - I have more energy, I'm more strong and fit than ever, don't feel "heavy" after eating, and my GI system has been problem-free since I went veggie (but not vegan) for good. It wasn't so much that I gave up meat, but that meat eventually gave me up. I was no longer hungry for meat...my body did not crave it and the smell is no longer appealing. The trick is to know what to cook for yourself (since dining out usually means few good choices for us).
There is much societal pressure to eat what everyone else does but if you listen to your body, you can't go wrong (which for some means being a vegetarian and for some means a big steak every night).
I am stronger than ever, weight lifting, ( i like to power lift ) running and just more energy in general! You're Right! I feel the same way!!! I am good to my body and my body is good to Me!!! I know what my body wants and what my heart says!
I am stronger than ever, weight lifting, ( i like to power lift ) running and just more energy in general! You're Right! I feel the same way!!! I am good to my body and my body is good to Me!!! I know what my body wants and what my heart says!
Absolutely! The thought of eating a hamburger at this moment only makes me think my entire body will slow down and become sluggish and bloated. No thanks! Eating a healthy vegetarian diet means always having a high level of energy and strength.
Hi, need4Trees. Yes, there are vegans here..and a few Mods and several members are vegetarians as well!!
These are great comments...I just saw this thread.
I've been a vegetarian for about fifteen years. And an off-and-on vegan (I'm weak!!) for two years.
The worst time I ever had was in the second year of my being a vegetarian. Tough time, with all of my friends and family being meat-eaters, and my not knowing any other vegetarians to get ideas from.
I think the difficulty for some folks in maintaining the habit is its lack of fast-food ease and conveinience (guilty). That is, there aren't a lot of places to 'drive-through' or dine-in which offer truly vegetarian foods. If you don't have some one to show you the hows & wheres to get excellent vegetarian food stuff, giving yourself only a year to learn is not enough time.
If all you've known, as far as vegetarianism goes, is what you see in large national stores like Safeway, Haagen's etc. (the only ones I can think of now), you're missing the boat. That's another thing that made becoming a vegetarian difficult for me - I was used to too much prepared, convenient food. Aren't we all?? Making everying from scratch with fresh ingredients (including fresh spices) sure cleanses the palate and digestive system, eh? I love great tasting fresh food!
Thank goodness, there's a very fine restaurant which recently opened up in the Portland (Oregon) area. They serve superb vegan and vegetarian dishes, as well as meat/fish.
For me, the change from a meat-eating lifestyle (never big on the red meat, anyway) was a matter of conscience, and it was not an overnight process.
Anyone here up for a vegetarian/vegan sub-forum where we can discuss recipes, where to find the freshest ingredients, and assist others with info as far as obtaining these services?
As far as "listen to your body goes", mine is usually telling me "grab the coconut cake with lemon filling and run!" (Just kidding) ~
And KELE...I do mourn the loss of cheese - but it is the only thing I miss - !!!
Last edited by Wicked Felina; 08-22-2008 at 08:40 AM..
Reason: addition
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Meat is just one aspect in a diet. 
- but it is the only thing I miss - !!! 
