Becoming Vegetarian!

Heineken Helen

Rival178 wrote:

Very cool, my last time to eat meat was Dec 31st. I'm only 2 days In but excited to continue.

Ooohh good luck to you too... nice to see I'm not the only one . It's actually pretty easy so far :oops:

Heineken Helen

there are witches wrote:

It's really easy to be a vegetarian (I've been one for almost 7 years) and I consider it the best decision of my life! If you want to go vegetarian (and stay vegetarian) just learn about what goes into meat production (and all the political/environmental/health implications that go along with it) and the more you learn the more it all makes sense. Good luck!!!

Thank you, I appreciate the advice but I wouldn't do it that way... I don't focus on a negative reason to do something... it doesn't work for me! I gave up smoking without looking at any of the pictures and I still find them incredibly crass and militant! I accidentally ended up on the peta website and, without warning, they show the pics... it almost made me wanna eat meat again :oops:

And thanks whispering hands

Thoughts_Arrive

Don't you vegetarians ever think about the poor tomatoes and cucumbers that get slaughtered every day in farms around the globe, how could you eat vegetables such as these knowing the pain they went through to make it on your dinner plate?

voidofman

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

You don't win friends with salad.

*starts conga line*

*sings*

You don't win friends with salad... You don't win friends with salad... You don't win friends with salad...

dr0ptheleash

VoidOfMan wrote:

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

You don't win friends with salad.

*starts conga line*

*sings*

You don't win friends with salad... You don't win friends with salad... You don't win friends with salad...

hahahahha. love.

Heineken Helen

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

Don't you vegetarians ever think about the poor tomatoes and cucumbers that get slaughtered every day in farms around the globe, how could you eat vegetables such as these knowing the pain they went through to make it on your dinner plate?

I'm not a vegetarian... remember... we decided we're not doing labels

redrock

Helen.... chicken stock counts as meat for veggies.... as does beef stock, certain soups/broths, Bovril/OXO.

Just say that, for the moment at least, you will not be including meats in their solid form in your diet (roasts, chops, sausages, etc.).

chime

Hi Helen with meat replacements there are several meals that at times I make just with veg and at other times I will throw in some fake meat Indian and Thai curries and fajitas I may add Quorn pieces and chili and bolognaisse I may throw in soy mince (I prefer Linda McCartney but know Sian uses the Quorn mince) ... but all these things are great with just veg too.

With lentils ... tinned ones make life easier. I like lentils, beans, onions and peppers in a tomato sauce with wilted spinich and houllomi ... one of my favourite meals and an idea I nicked from a ready meal I tried

V V and who'spearljam? probably have some great recipies.

If you look for veggie recipies on the bbc website check out those by Simon Rimmer as he comes at this from a different angle as a meat eater that owns and runs a veggie restaurant.

Heineken Helen

redrock wrote:

Helen.... chicken stock counts as meat for veggies.... as does beef stock, certain soups/broths, Bovril/OXO.

Just say that, for the moment at least, you will not be including meats in their solid form in your diet (roasts, chops, sausages, etc.).

Yep, just like a vegetarian

Heineken Helen

chime wrote:

Hi Helen with meat replacements there are several meals that at times I make just with veg and at other times I will throw in some fake meat Indian and Thai curries and fajitas I may add Quorn pieces and chili and bolognaisse I may throw in soy mince (I prefer Linda McCartney but know Sian uses the Quorn mince) ... but all these things are great with just veg too.

With lentils ... tinned ones make life easier. I like lentils, beans, onions and peppers in a tomato sauce with wilted spinich and houllomi ... one of my favourite meals and an idea I nicked from a ready meal I tried

V V and who'spearljam? probably have some great recipies.

If you look for veggie recipies on the bbc website check out those by Simon Rimmer as he comes at this from a different angle as a meat eater that owns and runs a veggie restaurant.

Ah I was hoping to see you here thank you! That recipe sounds good and sounds simple. I tried a cauldron mediteranean burger tonight and it was very dry and mushy :oops: (but their falafel are amazing) so I'm gonna try making some relish as that would have really sorted it out!

I'm not sure I've ever had houllomi... what do I do with that? And how do I cook lentils generally?

unlost dogs

So three years ago I stopped eating mammal meat. Just stopped. A bad experience with a plateful of fairly raw steak tips turned me off for good.

I don't consider myself a vegetarian, or anything else particularly. I just don't eat mammals. I do eat chicken, turkey and fish of all kinds. At some point I may cut those out, but for me right now they're my main source of protein.

Helen _ the thing I wasn't expecting was how many people are curious about my eating choices, or actually challenge me about them. "You don't eat mammals? What about the chickens, don't you feel bad for them? How about bacon? You eat bacon, don't you?"

I don't talk about it much, and rarely am I in a situation where I can't find something to eat. I would hate for someone to go out of their way and change a menu because of my choices. I like plenty of other foods and can be quite happy with whatever else there is.

But people do judge, or feel they are owed an explanation. Also _ this really was a disappointment _ the time someone who had been a very dear friend gave me stuffed mushrooms at a party and assured me that they were stuffed with seafood. Then, after I put one in my mouth, she said, "Taste good? It's sausage!" And laughed.

I looked her right in the eye and spat it out. She was quite offended.

I thought it was so mean-spirited of her, and now that I think back on it, I'm not sure I've gotten past that...

shortstack

becoming vegan is easy. dealing with non-vegans is the hard part.

Johnny Abruzzo

I'm more than happy to use my naturally-evolved sharp teeth for their given purpose: eating meat.

Of course, a few non-meat meals here & there don't kill me either.

I don't really understand just eating fish or chicken or whatever. Aren't they all animals? There are various environmental and health impacts of eating anything, including soy. I just like to eat a nice variety of everything.

facepollution

I've not read through the whole thread, but I thought I'd throw my penny's worth in....

I gave up 13 years of vegetarianism about two years ago. It was a pretty huge decision to make, but I just couldn't justify it anymore. I came to realise that my more 'natural' and wholesome meat free diet was in fact a bit of a fallacy. Browsing through the ingredients list for whatever meat substitute I was eating, it dawned on me how lucky I was to live in a country where we even have products like that. Would I be eating like that if I lived in a remote part of Siberia? I think not. The fact of the matter is some people have no other choice but to eat meat due to lack of crops, and with that I pretty much eliminated the idea from my mind that it was somehow wrong to eat meat. Sure it's not nice that animals have to die for food, but if you take a look around in nature, that is exactly what happens, it sucks, but that's life.

A few other realisations followed.......

If you eat dairy products you are supporting the beef industry. Female cows have to give birth in order to produce milk, and if those calves are male they are used for their meat. Same goes for eggs - when chicks hatch the females will be used for laying eggs, whilst the males are used for meat. Suddenly my hands weren't quite so clean! And let's not forget all the small animals churned up in farm machinery when crops are harvested - is it ok to kill some animals and not others?

So in order for me to eat the staple parts of my vegetarian diet - eggs, dairy, grains, fruits, vegetables, animals still end up dying; which got me thinking why not just eat the meat then? I've hardly got a clean conscience.

I just want to make clear that this is just MY experience with vegetarianism. I'm not criticising others who choose not to eat meat - I know there are various reasons why people choose vegetarianism/veganism. But I do feel pretty confident in my belief that it's not morally wrong to eat meat.

g under p

I was a vegetarian for 3 years sort of. The first year I ate fish then gave up fish for the last 2 and i felt ten times better after doing so. I hope you can continue for as long as you want. I wish for you all the best and through in some exercise too for an all around good health picture.

Peace

iamica

Heineken Helen wrote:

Thank you some nice tips there. I think it would be easy to fall into the 'pasta trap' so I'm gonna try and avoid that at all costs. I've never been one for beans and grains and all that so now I'm gonna have to figure them out and what to do with them... some tips on that would be brilliant. I've discovered I love hummous and falafel so that's something

Oh, you can do lots of stuff with beans. Bean salad, bean soup, beans in place of meat in burritos, etc. Here's some recipes involving beans:

Butter bean burger:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Butter-Bea ... etail.aspx

Black bean chili:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegetarian ... etail.aspx

15-minute black bean soup:

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-l ... -soup.aspx

81

we had beans tonight....beans with chicken. mmmm fowl

dr0ptheleash

Also, one of my favorite professors from college (WHO HAD A PJ TATTOO ON HIS LEG!) had a great take on the subject. He did not consider himself vegetarian, as his main goal was not for animal rights, but to reduce his carbon footprint. He would not ever purchase meat products, but would eat it if it was served to him, i.e. - being at a friends' house for dinner. This way, he would not be wasteful in choosing not to consume what was prepared for him, but did not personally choose to contribute to the slaughter of animals. I agree with this, because I must admit it is embarrassing for me to sometimes admit that what someone made for me is not "adequate" because I have chosen dietary restrictions. It has also been a problem for me at some restaurants. Example: one time I was dragged to a Red Lobster. They do not have ANY vegetarian options whatsoever, so I ended up paying somewhere around $18 for a plate of plain spaghetti minus the fish that was supposed to come with it. Just something to think about!

Thoughts_Arrive

VoidOfMan wrote:

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

You don't win friends with salad.

*starts conga line*

*sings*

You don't win friends with salad... You don't win friends with salad... You don't win friends with salad...

That is what I was thinking of when I made that post lol

Thoughts_Arrive

Heineken Helen wrote:

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

Don't you vegetarians ever think about the poor tomatoes and cucumbers that get slaughtered every day in farms around the globe, how could you eat vegetables such as these knowing the pain they went through to make it on your dinner plate?

I'm not a vegetarian... remember... we decided we're not doing labels

Meat hater

Thoughts_Arrive

Why hate on the rump? :(

redrock

Heineken Helen wrote:

redrock wrote:

Helen.... chicken stock counts as meat for veggies.... as does beef stock, certain soups/broths, Bovril/OXO.

Just say that, for the moment at least, you will not be including meats in their solid form in your diet (roasts, chops, sausages, etc.).

Yep, just like a vegetarian

Not if you're using chicken stock!

Claireack

Being lazy so haven't read the whole thread.

Veggie for 27 years now doing, don't eat fish either.

Anything you want to know, give us a shout.

jshin

shortstack wrote:

becoming vegan is easy. dealing with non-vegans is the hard part.

Is that a bumper sticker?

unlost dogs

jshin wrote:

shortstack wrote:

becoming vegan is easy. dealing with non-vegans is the hard part.

Is that a bumper sticker?

No, but "You Don't Win Friends With Salad" certainly should be. With proper credit to T_A, of course.

catefrances

unlost dogs wrote:

jshin wrote:

shortstack wrote:

becoming vegan is easy. dealing with non-vegans is the hard part.

Is that a bumper sticker?

No, but "You Don't Win Friends With Salad" certainly should be. With proper credit to T_A, of course.

with due credit to the simpsons you mean.

unlost dogs

Did he steal that from the Simpsons?!? I've never seen a single episode.

Well, here I though he was so witty. :x

catefrances

i believe its called borrowing.

Thoughts_Arrive

catefrances wrote:

i believe its called borrowing.

Why steal my glory?! :x

Thoughts_Arrive

unlost dogs wrote:

Did he steal that from the Simpsons?!? I've never seen a single episode.

Well, here I though he was so witty. :x

Trust me, I am.