A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:Hi.I'm considering becoming a vegetarian. There are many reasons behind this, but I need some advice.I'm an animal-lover and a bit of an environmentalist. I don't like our general lifestyle either. I know that people have always relied on meat as a part of their diet but, these days, it's just a part of our greed and demand for luxury. Meat also makes me feel pretty disgusted at times, especially red meat and fresh meat.There are a few problems though. There are some foods that involve meat that I really like and, if I was a proper vegetarian, I'd really miss those things. I reckon I'd give in to temptation and eat them. I'm also a student. I know it's not impossible to be a student and a vegetarian, but I'm not the best of cooks. It would be even harder for me if my choice was slightly more limited.So, I was wondering if there are any vegetarians out there who could give me their take on why they're a vegetarian? Also, what should I do? Should I try a trial period or just cut out a certain meat? What do you think?Thank you
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male
reader, anonymous, writes (24 August 2011): Google paleo read robb wolf book ''the paleo solution the original human diet. Get ''the vegetarian myth by lierre keith. Go to marks daily apple web site. Then only then would after reading all that info become vegetarian. O yeah listen to robb wolf pod cast you be his listener.
A
female
reader, Battista +, writes (22 August 2011):
I used to be vegetarian for quite few years and I didn't find it problematic; there were lots of things I wanted to eat but didn't because I had taken the decision not to eat meat.
However, as I have got older my ideas have changed a bit. For me, I figured that eating meat was just the tip of the iceberg really, and if I was stopping eating meat for "ethical" reasons, then I really needed to look at my whole lifestyle rather than just refusing to eat meat. That included leather shoes, as an example; meat is only one aspect of the animal, and excluding one but not the other seemed to me to be seriously hypocritical and not very well thought through. I figured that if I was going to do it properly I needed to be vegan or not at all.
In your case, I don't really know how cutting out a certain meat would really mean anything, except that it's easier for you to deal with. Plus, not giving in to temptation is surely the whole point of giving up meat for an animal-lover. You will have to be strong willed about it. If you think you will turn to meat because you are a bad cook then get out some recipes and increase your vegetarian repertoire! You are right that being a student has nothing to do with it; as long as you have access to cooking facilities then that is enough. You will also find that vegetarian food is cheaper to produce than meat based, on the whole so that is a plus for a student!
I eventually came back to meat eating, however, I always try and ensure that the meat I buy is responsibly/ethically/however you like to put it produced. I always buy organic meat, always free-range, I always buy British meat, and I always try and buy something locally produced. Free range eggs of course, and organic milk. If you are interested in becoming veggie because of environmental reasons then you will obviously want to think about the conditions in which the animal products you do consume are produced, and moreover want to think about organic fruit and veg for environmental reasons also.
We don't eat much meat because organic, etc, make it more expensive, and more of a luxury item. Having lived on a farm I honestly think that meat and milk should not be cheap and we should appreciate what goes into its production.
As a result we eat a lot of veggie food because we can't afford expensive meat all the time. The choices are endless and you can easily have a varied and delicious diet. Some quick suggestions:
daal, samosas, pakoras, stuffed parathas, paneer based curries; much India food is vegetarian, so that is a good place to look. Lentils are a real staple and are very versatile.
A lot of Italian food is vegetarian, how about things like risotto, cannelloni with ricotta and spinach, pizza, many pasta sauces.
Plenty of middle eastern food is meat free, such as falafel, hummus, etc. You can also substitute beans for mince in things like chilli.
You just have to be a bit imaginative.
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A
female
reader, eyeswideopen  +, writes (22 August 2011):
 FYI for those people who call themselves "vegetarians":
tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchinis, pumpkins, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, christophene, okra, breadfruit and avocado, green beans, lentils, snow peas, soybean are actually fruits. So maybe you guys should change your name to "Fruitarians" instead. Just saying...
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female
reader, Anonymous 123  +, writes (22 August 2011):
 I've been a vegetarian for many years now because I love animals, and it just seemed so hypocritical to love them so much and then have no problems in eating them! Actually what you say about the trial period is right. Try it for a bit and see how it goes. If you've been a meat eater all your life,it will be difficult to suddenly give it up. But its all in the mind. If you feel you're doing it for a good cause and this is something you WANT to do, then you will find it much easier to stick to it.
Don't cut out eggs entirely, because most desserts have eggs in them and it will be very difficult for you to give upon everything all at once.I suggest you dont give up on eggs, milk and diary products because that's a little impractical.
Since I've turned vegetarian, I feel better about myself. I feel healthier and I dont have any guilt within me for eating animals. Iv actually started to love a plate full of green veggies! I love broccoli, zucchini, carrots, beans...ah...you name it! Who says vegetarian food cant be tasty? Char grilled veggies with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar...divine!! I never ever thought I would eat all this while I was a meat eater, but look at what I was missing out on!
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reader, anonymous, writes (22 August 2011): Woah everyone's answers are amazingly long. So when I was 8 I was a vegetarian for 5 years. I then lost too much weight and had low iron levels, my doctor suggested to eat meat for awhile. Now I'm 16 I've been a vegetarian for 6 months. I don't really like quorn, I find it too dry. But maybe that depends on the way you cook it. I like veggie burgers, they're great with a bun and ketchup. Loafs of things like squash and pumpkin covered in bread crums is nice. But for me it has to be tofu. It's not to everyone's taste, but the white style goes well is miso soup. My perfect student recipe would be this: Ready cut small pieces of brown tofo, which you fry for 6 minutes. Then a packet of rice which you zap in the microwave and lastly throw it together with soy source. Even if you're not a vegan drink soya milk, personally I like the taste, and it's good for you. I'd suggest taking iron supplement pills, just so your levels don't drop too much. The thing I struggle with is I like jelly sweets, like haribo. But you can find sweets which use a vegetable ingredient instead of gelatin. Hope I helped.
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female
reader, angelDlite +, writes (22 August 2011):
 i find quorn a good substitute (i am not a vegetarian but my son is not a lover of meat so i cook with this quite a lot) maybe you could compromise and still eat meat but only organically farmed meat were the animals are raised and slaughtered humanely. if you take multivitamins and still get plenty of protein in the form of eggs, fish, dairy produce, soya products, beans, pulses and nuts then you will not suffer any ill effects from cutting out meat
x
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male
reader, idoneitagain  +, writes (22 August 2011):
This is a good question, and not a simple one.
We live in a culture in the western world where meat consumption is dominant, but we also live in a culture where information is vast and easily accessed, and one where a wide variety of food is also easily available at most times of the year. In this way, there are some cultural forces that make things more difficult to be vegetarian, and others that make it easier than ever. A few tips which would make it easier to become a vegetarian include:
-Make a transition. You don't have to become veggie overnight. Get used to preparing veggie meals, and start to reduce your meat intake. It can take time to work out what veggie meals you like, and find filling enough. Remember, you don't have to become a total veggie overnight. If there are foods you think you will miss and want to eat them, then do. Over time, as you make a transition, you will figure out if you want to give it all up, at any point. Do it then.
- Shop differently. You will need to realise that you will always eat what you buy, so if you are buying lots of meat products you will cook meat products and eat them. Sounds obvious, but changing patterns of shopping that we are used to is harder than it looks.
- Be prepared to take a little more time to dedicate to cooking than you do now. If you are not the best of cooks, that's ok, just invest in a bit of time to learn how to cook. Following a recipe isn't hard, you just have to get over the lasiness of not being bothered, or whatever other mindset prevents you. Veggie cooking doesn't have to take more time than meat cooking, but it can sometimes. Learn how to have fun and enjoy cooking, which isn't hard to do. Cooking is a creative process. Also, as a student, veggie cooking is generally cheaper, even if you have to spend more initially to buy lots of different ingredients.
- Realise that there is a lot of variety to vegetarian cooking. It doesn't have to be boring at all, if you think that, it is probably an idea based on ignorance that you would have gotten from someone who has never tried being a vegetarian properly.
- Educate yourself about how to get the right balance of nutrients from a vegetarian diet. This means eating a combination of different beans, legumes, pulses, grains, vegetables, soy, and tofu (etc) to get the right amount of protein, calcium, and a full compliment of ammino acids. For example, if you eat rice and veggies, you often won't be eating ingredients which will combine to make up a complete protein, but beans on toast is a complete protein meal!
- Try different foods from other cultures which have a history of vegetarianism. Indian food is a good place to start.
As for the reasons to be veggie, there are many different ideas, with different reasoning behind them. Spend time contemplating different ideas, and be flexible in adopting or rejecting ideas, including those that might convince you that eating meat isn't a bad idea.
Remember, you can try it for a few months and if you don't like it you can always start eating meat again, so there is no harm in giving it a go.
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (22 August 2011): I have 2 daughters that are both vegetarians - one eats lots of vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, salads, wheat - in fact a full diet, just no meat or fish. The other girl eats mainly salads, wheat and soy products (instead of milk) and hardly any vegies (no allegies either girl, just animal lovers). The soy daughter has now started health problems with unbelievably low iron and B12, splitting nails, hair falling out. I'm a meat eater but still an animal lover, and changed to free range eggs and meat (more expensive!) because the animals lead a better life. I also agree that generally vegetarians are healthier people. Because of our vegie daughters, our whole family (to make my life easier!) have total vegie meals (ie vegie bakes or vegie stirfrys) a few times a week. I also understand what you say about missing your favourite meat meals, so may I suggest that maybe start off by simply cutting down on the meat side of your diet and replace it with extra vegies, mushrooms, etc. And those meat dishes you really enjoy, have when you want to treat yourself. Eventually you might decide to go total vegetarian, or decide that being a 'three quarters' vegie suits you - it's your life so should be your decision, and don't let agro vegie or meat eaters try to push you either way! Good luck, there are lots of us 'three quarters' vegies out there!
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female
reader, RedAthena +, writes (22 August 2011):
 I would head to your local library and google websites on vegetarianism. You want to make sure you are getting proteins and minerals that you would be missing from a meatless diet.
Study what KIND of vegatarian you feel is best for you.
Will you be eliminating just red meat, all meat, all dairy, eggs?
Look for great vegetarian recipes to try out. Most do not need any cooking! Start introducing vegetarian alternatives into your diet on a regular basis.
On top of your other choices, a well-balanced vegetarian diet also gives you wonderfully clear skin, bright eyes, etc.:)
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