vegans/vegetarians?
 

Anyone here a vegan/vegetarian?

One of my best friends from high school has been for years. I started getting more interested lately - just wanted more info. The "best" site I could find, though, was PETA's, and frankly it's a little scary. I get the impression they want me to hurt people who wear fur.

Anyway, I'm looking for more info - on how people got started, how hard it was for them to maintain "responsible" diets (i.e. make sure they were getting things like protein, B12, etc.) and why they made the decision to switch.

there's plenty of great, interesting websites that promote veganism! I'm not vegan, but I've been looking into it!

One that's not (to me anyways) as "in your face" as Peta's is veganoutreach.org

Also, as far as diet and nutrition goes, try the Alternative Chicks forum at 3fatchicks.com

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=121

It's a diet site, but they have a forum for vegetarians/vegans, and it's definetely helpful. They post all sorts of recipes, different ideas, and tips that will help you get in all the nutrition you need. Actually, whether or not your a vegan, this site is a GREAT site in general when it comes to information about healthy eating:)
Hope this helps some!

I did Pesco for awhile (eats fish, milk & eggs) and then semi after that (chicken, fish, milk, eggs).

Other types:
Lacto (Drinks milk)
Ovo (Eats Eggs)
Lacto-Ovo (eats eggs & milk)
Vegan - no meat, eggs, milk, etc and no leather.

I think it would be easiest to start at semi and "work you way down" to whatever level you want to be.

Oh, an vitamins are you friends, as is tofu.

I've been a vegetarian for 13 years, and what I do is take a multivitamin every day. Besides that, I try to drink two large glasses of milk for the protein, use the Barilla protein pasta, and eat tofu in my morning smoothie at least five times a week. That seems to work well for me. I'm almost anemic, but I was that way before I became a vegetarian, so I think it's just how I am.

I stopped cold turkey one day, and it was very hard. I had cravings for meat for three or four years at least. However, I was motivated, so I worked through it. And it's getting easier to eat out and to buy good vegetarian products. Hopefully you have a good supermarket near you.

This is a pet peeve of mine -- there is no such thing as a semi-vegetarian. You either are a vegetarian or you aren't. Personally, and I'm sure I'll get slammed for this, I don't think "pesco" qualifies either. It bugs when someone thinks I eat fish or chicken because people are running around calling themselves vegetarians when they're really not -- "Oh sure there's a vegetarian option" and it turns out to be chicken. The fish thing doesn't bother me as much as the "semi" though -- if you eat chicken and fish, what do you possibly gain from calling yourself a semi-vegetarian?

As you may have guessed, I gave up meat because I'm a hippie liberal who loves the cute widdle animals. I never was a big fan of meat, so I don't miss it at all.

I haven't eaten meat for -- I don't know, 12 or 13 years now, so I'm out of the loop in terms of resources. I will say that Vegetarian Times is a great magazine, and the Moosewood Cookbook has a lot of great, basic recipes. I think the Vegetarian Resource Group might be helpful, but I haven't looked at the site for a while.

Re: vegans/vegetarians?
 

B12 should never be an issue - the average multivitamin contains something like 400%+ of your %DV . . . however, you may want to spend some time comaparing vitamins, as desired intake varies WILDLY (for instance, I actually take Centrum Silver - I don't really want the extra iron).

For protein, it completely depends on how much you want to take in - for many, I'd imagine general vegetarian options (beans/legumes, tofu, etc) can easily meet your needs, with some planning.

Why do you care if someone who calls themself a vegetarian eats chicken or fish? There's not some exclusive vegetarian club that only accepts lacto-ovo and stricter vegetarians. It's not like someone saying they're a Delta Zeta when they're not, or claiming to be a Doctor when they're not.

Side note: I had a roommate who what a tree-hugging liberal vegetarian who used to eat chicken noodle soup and feed the chicken to her cat.

I generally don't, but I really wish there was an easy term for my diet, because having to explain to people what I will and won't eat is a pain.

I eat fish and free-range poultry, but no mammals. I'm a mammal, so I'm not going to eat other mammals, that's creepy to me - too closely related. I hate birds, and they are more distant, so I'm not really weirded out by eating them, but I still have a problem with killing them in disgusting ways, so I'm picky about that. Fish I just don't really have a big issue with at all. They are really distant from me. I guess I am horribly speciesist ...

So yeah, try getting into that convo everytime someone tries to convince you to "just eat the damn hamburger" or "but you ate that chicken at your house last week" ...

:rolleyes:

It makes sense to me!

Thank you valkyrie. Very well said. I "experimented" with vegetarianism about 15 years ago and kept cravings for chicken and barbeque beef in the summer. I was anemic then and still am no matter WHAT I EAT. I have been thinking about this again and try to have days where I am meat free. I have found a wonderful deli/restaurant nearby that also has a website with some links too. www.everlastinglife.net

I care because when there are people running around calling themselves vegetarians when they eat chicken, it results in people who don't know better thinking that vegetarians eat chicken. That's stupid and it makes life harder for the real vegetarians who belong to the exclusive club.

Also, vegetarians don't eat chicken noodle soup. If you eat chicken broth, you're not a vegetarian.

I've been a vegetarian for about six months now. In middle/high school, I didn't eat any red meat. I ate meat again for the first few years of college, then went totally vegetarian (but not vegan). It was actually really easy for me to switch over, but then again, I was almost always too lazy to really cook throughout college anyway, so I was eating a lot of pasta and grain-based stuff to start with. It really depends on what you were eating before you switch over -- some people have absolutely no cravings and no problems, others find out that they just can't do it. It was really easy for me, but I know other people who found it a lot more interesting.

One word: VITAMINS. I tend to be really lackadaisical about taking mine, and that leads to being tired all the time. I also find it difficult, strangely enough, to make sure I'm eating enough veggies beyond salads -- I love fruit, but vegetables aren't my favorite thing, so I have to go out of my way every couple days to make sure I get in some broccoli.

I think veganism is a much, much bigger commitment than vegetarianism. Finding something vegetarian-friendly can be a little tricky at some restaurants, but most of them are pretty good. Being vegan basically entails a total lifestyle change that can be tougher to adjust to -- it's hard to go out to eat, it's hard to eat at friend's houses if they aren't vegan, you have to check the labels of almost everything you eat.

And valkyrie, you and I have had this conversation before, but I don't think that it's the label semi-vegetarian that's the problem -- people are just stupid. I know plenty of people who have no clue what the term "semi-vegetarian" means, but they ask me why I don't eat chicken or fish or shrimp. They keep telling me, "It's not like real meat!" Uhhh . . . it an animal that was alive, how is it not meat?

I do not eat red meat by choice. I don't know if there's a specific term to identify me or not, but I'm not a vegetarian by any means. I adore chicken and seafood, and occassionally will eat pork.

Not that any of you are physicians :) but, but those of you who are vegetarian/vegan do you take OTC vitamins or a prescribed vitamin. Can you recommend an OTC vitamin for those of us who don't eat red meat?

What exactly is the definition of "red" vs. "white" meat? I've never really been able to figure that out; it seems like it's different depending on who you ask.

Beef (I believe lamb & goat too) - Red Meat
Chicken/Pork/Duck/Quail/etc. - White Meat

It's just the color that it is before cooking.

I take Viactive multivitamins -- they're chewable chocolate things. They were the ONLY vitamins I found at the grocery store that didn't contain gelatin. It is amazing how much stuff has gelatin.

You sound like me. I don't eat red meat, but I usually end up eating fish or poultry about once a week. It's hard to explain to some people...I always get the "But why don't you eat red meat if you eat chicken?" or "Are you a vegetarian or something?" I'm with valkyrie on the vegetarian thing--all this "semi" stuff confuses people. I do not consider myself vegetarian, because I do eat poultry and seafood.

I've been told that the "easiest" (if there is one) way to become a vegetarian is to do it slowly and to start substituting vegetarian foods for the ones you usually eat, like soy milk instead of milk. It sounds gross, but it's actually pretty good.

Oh, and pork falls under the category of red meat, according to my food science text. ;)

I love soy milk. The vanilla flavor is especially yummy (it works really well to make pancakes with, too ...).

As for red and white meat - those seem to be the two competing definitions I encounter. Some people define the difference based on actual color, and other people draw the line by species (goats, pigs, sheep, and cows are all mammalian, so they go in "red", everything else is not, so they go in "white"). Of course, then some people don't even claim fish as a meat at all, which I've never quite understood but apparently has some kind of Bible basis or something? I don't know ... food is complicated.

On the vitamins - I'm already on a pretty good system for the blood disorder. So I should be okay on that. To be honest, I'd heard switching off meat changes your, um, output. And there are other changes that indicate... not exactly a vitamin deficiency, but a change in diet. Like your skin gets worse. True/false?

Any guesses as to why there seem to be more female than male vegans? Or maybe I just know more?

Those of you who are vegan - when you're making dinner/lunch just for yourself, what do you make? I think that's my biggest source of confusion. I can picture making healthy grain-based pasta meals, etc. for two, but I eat a lot differently when it's just me. Soup (which has beef stock in it), sandwiches (are there sandwich meat substitutes?), and at work sometimes the TV dinners I'm embarassed to own up to.

Plus, what about fast food? Do you just have to cut it out of your diet? I know, it's bad for you anyway - but between work and class, every once in awhile I thank God it's so convenient.

I think the biggest thing with this is figuring out what you want in a vitamin. i.e. What you're missing in your diet.

A LOT of women don't get enough iron. A lot a lot. Calcium is good for women, too - obviously for maintaining/building bone mass (depending on your age) but it can also help with cramps. Vitamin A and E help with skin, nails, and hair... etc.

Be careful you don't end up taking something with 5,000% the recommended dosage. Read the label! You can actually overdose on vitamins - it can make you just as sick as not having enough.

Also. I heard if I don't eat meat for, say, three years, and then inadverdently eat something containing meat, I'll be *horribly* sick. Is that an old wives' tale?

So why did all the pork people call it the "other white meat" in all their ads?

I rarely eat fast food, but I like Subway and, believe it or not, Taco Bell -- Mr. valkyrie eats their bean burritos almost every day I think (he's also a vegetarian).

I've had amazing vegetarian pepperoni, but I can't remember who makes it. If you have a Whole Foods or Wild Oats nearby, you might want to check that out, because they always have TONS of stuff -- I know there are other lunch "meats" and seitan/tofu things. Amy's makes some good vegetarian frozen meals, and I LOVE Boca/Morningstar/Quorn frozen "meat" products -- the veggie breakfast sausage is amazing, as are the brats. Most of this stuff is super easy to prepare and yummy. Keep in mind, however, that I have no idea what, if any, of this stuff is vegan.

Also, I LOVE Edensoy vanilla on cereal.

Marketing slogan, I guess. :p I dunno, I just go by my book.

ETA: I adore the vanilla soy milk. The Silk Light kind is my favorite.

I hear you sister.....
If any of you become a "vegetarian", please don't go around saying "I'm a vegetarian, I only eat chicken and fish". Last time I checked, those were animals too.

I've been a vegetarian for almost 10 years now...

I have had to go back to eating dairy--such as yogurt and some egg product--like egg-beaters.

You have to know your biology and your genetic make-up to determine if you can handle a vegetarian or vegan diet.

There is something to be said about those free fatty acids found in some meat products--such as fish. And I would stay away from the chicken and other poultry for awhile until the farming industry cleans up the bird flu problem...

I mainly became a vegetarian because I really do not like the meat processing industry. Athough the agricultural industry isn't that much better, you do have options...

If anything, processed foods are a big culprits to the American diet. And even items labeled organic are processed in someway.

But the alternative is loss of production of food items...

It is a catch-22: safer disease free foods vs. high carb, high fat, high salt foods.

We have the best in agricultural and meat processing and the worst in health outcomes. Go figure...

Haha awesome. I thought this sounded familiar.

Sorry - did a search but I guess I missed it.

Have you tried the other flavors?

I've only done chocolate, but Mommy Munch digs the strawberries-n-cream.

I'm not even a vegetarian and I think the semi-vegetarian stuff is ridiculous.

I went vegetarian for about 3 wks at the beginning of the year. But then I was going through a stressful time and ended up giving into my cravings for Chik-fil-a chicken nuggets. I'm in the process of trying to go veg. again. The hardest thing I find is wanting to go out to eat with friends and the place they want to go doesn't have anything vegetarian that I will eat.

I really like the Morning Star "fake meat" products. I LOVE the Buffalo 'chikn' nuggets and the crumbles. I've made tacos with the crumbles and they were great. I'm about to try the Hamburger Helper Lasagna w/ the crumbles instead of beef.

Right now I'm just concentrating on going vegetarian, but after I do that well for awhile I plan on at least trying to go vegan.

My main reason for going vegetarian is because vegetarians have 40% of the cancer rate meat eaters do. Knowing that going vegetarian could reduce my likely hood of getting cancer by 60% is major factor since cancer (esp. colon cancers) runs in my family. I also love animals and have always felt bad eating them.

It's not meant to harp on just you... But not many are N.D.'s
 

Spontaneous colon cancer rates are high no matter what a person eats. And it is age that increases the rate of getting colon cancer not eating behavior. I can quote chapter and verse for you if you'd like, but for every 5 research articles I read on colon cancer reduced by a veggie diet, I can find the same amount that finds inconclusive evidence...

Not eating meat with not change your cancer rate levels... If you are going to get cancer, you will get it either way. But it is pretty strongly shown that eating broccoli can assist you in cellular protection with anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory events.

However, you must eat a lot of broccoli--or cruciferous veggies--to get the kind of vitamin load that can be eaten with other sources of diet--such as fish, some cuts of beef, and maybe some untainted poultry.

For everyone considering the lifestyle--vegetarianism is a lifestyle change. You have to change your entire direction of life. You cannot shift one day to the next. Because that is the quickest way to destroy your body. Moreover, you need to have as much medical information about your body before you make a paradigm shift to a vegetarian lifestyle. Mainly what are your blood sugar levels, your iron levels, all your other metabolic parameters, your body weight changes, for women: your menses; your insulin levels, your family history of all diseases; anything else you can think of. Which means you must get a full physical before switching. You can hurt yourself seriously without proper precautions. I would try to see a natural wholistic doctor trained as an full western M.D. with board certification along with a naturalpathic doctor who can tell you the homeopathy and vitamins needed.

I am telling you all this information because I did not have it and now I am suffering from a chronic disease due to my age. I have to correct it from several different directions including from my own knowlege base.

If you choose the lifestyle, you would want to slow your eating down rather than doing a cold turkey vegetarian.

Pick a meat you choose not to eat, and stop eating it for 1 day, then 2 days, then 3 days, then so on and so forth. That staves off the cravings. I would immediate replace it with a false food--like the chix nuggets--especially Quorun products. Morningstar Foods (A Kelloggs subsidiary) replaces their nuggets with a lot of salt and they still include eggs whites in the mixture...

I would also find a good vegetarian multivitamin as soon as I could. Whole Foods has most of the brands. But if you don't have a Whole Foods grocery store, then go for Schiff Brands, Natrol or NatureMade. Watch out for added cellulose and follow up with A LOT of water.

Flushing toxins are important for a wholistic lifestyle. In cooperation with your physician, you can pursue that avenue.

And I am here to tell you doing all of this is NOT cheap. So, a being a budget vegetarian will not work.

Another person I'd speak to is a dietician and a nutritionist. They have the recommended daily allowances needed for energy support.

You also need to consider physical activity in your regimen. Some of that includes weight training.

So be careful out there. I am not a physician, but I am a Ph.D. in molecular genetics that studies human diseases in animals and I do know some things. But I see a lot of illness brought on by pursuing these fad diets and "vegetarian diets" that are taught by less qualified people that give the truly wholistic practioners a bad rap...

<-- ditto on that

i've been a vegi for a little over 12 years now and it is SERIOUSLY frustrating when i am questioned about my food choices because "well my daughter is a vegetarian and she still eats chicken" or something along those lines. som random worker at the school cafeteria tried to give me chicken in my vegi lo mein last week. i usually just explain that i don't eat things with legs or anything that has been portrayed as a disney character...

i will say that being vegi can definetely have its' advantages though - our last convention had a few awesome vegi meals whereas the meat-eaters had a few questionable items... =)

and i will definetely go ditto on the "double check" the food comments. you NEVER know what some people consider vegi and i have almost been on the losing side a couple of times with foods cooked in fat or containing fat chunks or gravies made from anything meaty... grrrrrrrr

At most places, I eat eclectic assortments of side items (or fish sandwiches, since I am not a vegetarian and I eat fish ...). The places that are the worst for me are Chic-fil-A (I eat cole slaw and fries) and Wendy's (I eat a potato and a puny side salad). The most awesome place in all the world is *TACO BELL*, where for 99 cents I can get the "cheesy rice bean burrito" or whatever its called, which is glorious (horribly unhealthy, but glorious). All of my vegetarian friends love the Taco Bell (of course, we are college students and we are poor).

a lot of fast food places are going to salad options and i think burger king does a veggie burger now...

and taco bell kicks butt - unless you're doing weight watchers! haha!

I am not a vegetarian - I tried it a few years ago, and it didn't change my blood panel the way my doctor would have liked (which is why I tried it). I don't think too much of any meat, white or red, is good for anyone, but that's a different thread. I still eat Morningstar Farms & Boca products, because they're really good!

However, my out-laws are Seventh Day Adventists, and are very strict vegetarians (I thought they'd faint when I brought out some marshmallows!). They have some good literature on the various forms of vegetarian/vegan diets at their church, but I haven't found any on the internet yet.

If you're serious about it, that may be a good place to look. While it's not required by their church, at least half of SDAs are vegetarian/vegans.

I was interested by whomever said that if you eat chicken broth you are not a vegitarian....not to argue, but can't they manufacture broth with flavoring that makes it taste like chicken? I dunno, could be wrong, just wondering.

But then it isn't chicken broth. It's chicken-flavored broth. Kind of like you can have vegetarian chicken - it's not really chicken, it's fake chicken (lots of Asian restaurants have this product).

I buy chicken-flavored broth that's vegetarian to use in recipes that require chicken broth. It's healthier and easier/cheaper to find than free-range chicken broth, in my experience.

Ha ha...."exclusive club"...don't forget to post on the "In this thread, we obsess about prestige..." thread.