Becoming Vegetarian!

Riverrunner · January 2011

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

gearboy wrote:

why lable yourself a "vegetarian" - just consider yourself a person who eats discriminatively.

that way you can eat what you want without guilt or judgment

Nice point. Why must people label themselves?

On NYE, the restaurant where I work had a set menu and for four courses the prices ranged from $55 to $75. The woman at my very first table said, "what do you have that's vegan?" I would've liked to have said, "nothing. Go away." But my boss is a great guy & went out of his way to make sure we had something vegan for those few out there. So her meal was only $34 for two courses. I totally lost money on that meat-free table.

I don't quite understand what you are saying.
You don't like vegans and want them to go away?
You want vegans to eat meat at your restaurant or not eat at all?
What if a meat eater had asked for a meat dish to be prepared a special way? Would you have felt so disapprovingly of him/her?
Why the vindictiveness towards someone who doesn't want to eat animal products?

_Crazy_Mary_ · January 2011

Riverrunner wrote:

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

gearboy wrote:

why lable yourself a "vegetarian" - just consider yourself a person who eats discriminatively.

that way you can eat what you want without guilt or judgment

Nice point. Why must people label themselves?

On NYE, the restaurant where I work had a set menu and for four courses the prices ranged from $55 to $75. The woman at my very first table said, "what do you have that's vegan?" I would've liked to have said, "nothing. Go away." But my boss is a great guy & went out of his way to make sure we had something vegan for those few out there. So her meal was only $34 for two courses. I totally lost money on that meat-free table.

I don't quite understand what you are saying.
You don't like vegans and want them to go away?
You want vegans to eat meat at your restaurant or not eat at all?
What if a meat eater had asked for a meat dish to be prepared a special way? Would you have felt so disapprovingly of him/her?
Why the vindictiveness towards someone who doesn't want to eat animal products?

I'm talking about NYE specifically. The chef/owner went out of his way to put together a great 4-course menu that he was proud of. No substitutions on anything. It is this small town restaurant's chance to make some good money. If a person (vegan or not) doesn't see something they like on the menu, they should leave so that the table may be occupied by someone who does want to drop $100 on dinner (that's including wine & tax).

Given to... · January 2011

My 15 year old daughter is quite healthy, a high school athlete, and a vegetarian. You dont need meat to get your protien, yada yada yada...

She doesnt look anything like a skeleton, quite the contrary. She is 5'7" and can squat 160#. Just do your homework and make sure you get what your body needs and what you want.

With that being said, I used to be nothing but a wild game eater, but gave up hunting and most meat eating. Over the holidays I have eaten more meat (prime rib at mothers, turkey dinner at in-laws, more prime rib at brothers) than in the last 6 months combined, and I feel miserable. My body is not used to processing meat any more and I have felt more lethargic and bloated. Just doesnt feel right anymore.

Couple that with watching a few documentaries (Food Inc, King Corn, etc) and I am more than willing to keep meat to a bare minimum to keep this engine rolling!

I also recommend D3 3000-5000 iu's as a supplement. I buy alot of vitamins from Bodybuilding.com and they do a great job offering vegan (no gelatin caps) supplements.

Rival178 · January 2011

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

say_hi · January 2011

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!!!

whispering hands · January 2011

I commend you for this attempt. Personally I will never do this, out of a sort of checks and balances sort of thing, think about that.. there's gootttttta be so many omnivores as well as so many vegetarians, in order to keep a true balance. So for me, it's all about how things balance out, even how I eat, more veggies, but definately meat, of all sorts. Good luck and I hear you'll feel better. let us know how things go.

Thoughts_Arrive · January 2011

You don't win friends with salad.

Heineken Helen · January 2011

iamica wrote:

I've been vegetarian for 10 years now. I have no regrets, it was the healthiest decision I've ever made. I used to get sinus infections and colds all the time before I quit eating meat...I've never gotten another one since.
Some tips if you decide to try it...do it gradually. I cut out red meat and fish first (since I didn't like them all that much anyway), then pork, then chicken. I was surprised to find that I really didn't miss any of it all that much.
There's tons of vegetarian recipes on cooking.com, allrecipes.com and peta.org. I take a multivitamin supplement and flaxseed oil as well. I get protein through beans, soy and peanut butter. The key is balance...make sure to get a good supply of fruits and veggies every day, grains, etc. I would recommend Boca Burgers or Morningstar. Silk soy milk is good too. Veggie stir frys are good. Chinese and Indian food usually have a lot of meat-free options you can try. And, of course, there's always pasta.
PM me if you want any recipes. People were worried that I'd become anemic or sickly, but it hasn't happened!

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

Heineken Helen · January 2011

gearboy wrote:

why lable yourself a "vegetarian" - just consider yourself a person who eats discriminatively.

that way you can eat what you want without guilt or judgment

good point... although if I'd titled the thread 'becoming discriminitive... need help' the thread may have taken a strange turn

I don't really do guilt very well anyway :oops:

I don't put myself under much pressure with stuff like this... if it starts to feel like a chore I probably won't do it but right now, I'm really enjoying it.

Heineken Helen · January 2011

dr0ptheleash wrote:

I certainly agree with this; the way it should be. But since it's not, I've been labeled a vegetarian for the past 4 1/2 years. I love it. I haven't looked back for a second. This is a personal choice though, so don't do it for anyone else, do it solely for yourself. It is not "difficult," you just have to be passionate and dedicated to your decision. Figure out what you want out of it. Figure out what you want to eat. Personally, my reasonings largely include animal rights, so I eat "nothing with a face." This includes fish for me. I also choose to exclude milk and eggs, and yes, chicken and/or beef stock.

As for meals, in the US there is soy EVERYTHING. Think about a meal you would normally eat, and then replace it with soy/veggie chicken or a burger or ground "meat" etc.. This is a really easy way to start out. Other staples for me include (obviously fruits and veggies) a lot of breads and nuts and greens. For people who enjoy cooking and have a lot of "stuff" to work with in their kitchens, there are tons of great cookbooks out there, too.

Lastly, be smart! Get your vitamins. Make sure you are nutritionally balanced, and if you're not feeling better than ever, check out some supplements to add to what you're missing. GOOD LUCK!!! Enjoy it! :clap: :thumbup:

Thank you, really helpful post

I don't think I've ever had soy anything... so that's gonna be fun

. If I'm starting to struggle I might just go to a doctor and get some kinda proper 'plan' or something.

JaneNY I've been to the post punk kitchen website and it's brilliant.. that's where I saw the olive lentil burger that looked amazing

I'll check out that other one... thank you!

Heineken Helen · January 2011

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 · January 2011

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 · January 2011

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 · January 2011

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 · January 2011

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 · January 2011

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 8-)

redrock · January 2011

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 · January 2011

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 · January 2011

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

8-)

Heineken Helen · January 2011

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?

Becoming Vegetarian!

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