thinking about going veggie

I haven't been eating red meat for about a year and a half now. It's not so much an ethical decision as it is that I just think it's a disgusting thing to eat. Every now and then I'll eat a few pieces of beef if my mom cooks it, but for the most part I've stayed away from it and I'm totally happy with that decision. The thing is, I've never been able to give up chicken and fish. I've reasoned that they seem so much healthier, and they're good in almost everything. But lately a lot of my friends have been talking to me about their choice to be vegetarians, and they're encouraging me to go all the way. I've thought about it many times before, but always just knew that I don't think I could go without chicken. So I was wondering what has your experience been with it? Please remember that I'm not the kind of person who is interested because "animals have feelings" or from any other ethical standpoint. I simply am interested in living a healthier lifestyle. Also, is there any information someone could give me about the health benefits of eating beef, chicken, fish, etc verses all veggies? Pretty much any info or personal expericene feedback would really help me out right now.


I saw that there is a whole thread about people wanting to be vegetarian, and I will certainly look into everything here. But it'd be great to hear from y'all.

Thanks so much!

*Sparkle*

 

well there are a few of us doing it for ethical reasoning.(not all of course)..and there are different kinds of vegetarian. there are vegetarians who eat cheese milk and eggs. there are vegetarians who eat milk and eggs no cheese, eggs and cheese no milk and cheese and milk no eggs. then there are vegans, who do not eat meat or dairy or honey or use leather, wool or silk. then there are dietary vegans who eat no dairy or honey or meat. now i went vegetarian at the age of 17 when i saw a documentary on tv about slaughter houses. not to mention at the time my brother lived in kansas and worked in a hog slaghterhouse and told me stories that made me not want to touch that stuff ever again.being a vegetarian was great for me for 5 years. i felt so much healthier and felt on top of the world.ive been a vegan for about a month now. i went vegan after seeing a documentary called meet your meat on PETA.com(please look at it) it also covers dairy cows and farms and that was it when they showed baby cows being ripped from their mothers and sent to veal farms...disgusting...at any rate all of the info u would ever want is on PETA.com and i recommend u watch some videos...good luck sweetheart

 

Well infact in the beginning the only reason i went veg was for the health benefits...the funny and unexpected thing was though, was i had STOPPED consuming meat and was kind of standing back from the system, i could see a whole new vision. It was so much clearer how plain WRONG it all was, in all respects...

What id say to you first of all is shake this idea that chicken and fish are healthy in things. Unless there is a farm near you and you can monitor the exact conditions of your meat, making sure they are living off pure grass and grain and things theyre supposed to, you can near guarantee the meat youre consuming is most UNhealthy, no matter which animal it is. The amount of hormones fed to animals is vast. Chemicals, and in fish high levels of mercury and whatever happens to have been dumped in the water by us humans...All these things are INSIDE your meat and have an adverse effect on the human system

Secondly, read up on the whole subject as much as you can. Get different viewpoints and weigh them up by your own judgement

And thirdly id suggest going for it...give it a trial few months, see how it feels and see if your views change, as mine did...Also, if you go for it, DO IT PROPERLY and in your own time. Make sure you replace all the things you take away, get your proteins from natural and healthy sources. And if to begin with you decide "Ok, ill cut out chicken"...and later "ok, now the fish goes too" that is JUST FINE. Yes, a lot of us, including myself, have a moral stance on this, but we have to remember that this is your body and your decision and you must feel comfortable. And every little makes a difference

In my case, age 13 i cut out all meat except fish. I now realise this was silly, fish are animals etc...but it was what personally helped drive me. Then at 16 the fish went. Now at 18 I am completely vegan. I dont eat meat or ANY animal products, even as ingredients in other things. I am also ethical in my choice of other things i purchase

So anyway, thats my story and what i think...your friends are right in my opinion, if youre thinking of doing it then go for it, try it out

Good luck

P.s-There are many things out there that look and taste a little like meat, which were helpful for me in the beginning. I still scoff them sometimes, only now i appreciate their taste as the taste of plants...things like soysages are great

Xx

 

Have you tried veggie chicken patties. I really like the Quorns, morning star, and boca ones. My boyfriend eats meat and he loves em too. Only thing is you can't micro wave them (I tried to microwave a veggie burger once and I couldn't bite through it!).

For me I just had to stop cold turkey.

I agree with sweet dread lover. When I went vegetartian it was for holistic reasons, mainly health. But after being vegetarian for a while I got into that stuff. I guess, before I felt guilty and wanted to tune it out, but now that I wasn't part of the problem I could learn more about the problem.

You just have to get a taste for new foods. Try mediterrian, Indian, Thai. They are all known for offering good vegetarian options. Hummus, sea weed salad, squah soup, might all sound funny to you but I never would of even of known about these foods if it wasn't for vegetarianism, and also wanting to enjoy food. Soon you'll forget all about chicken.

Or just be happy with what your doing. I was a vegetarian. Now I'm a pescitarian. I eat fish bc I do not think the reasons not to stack up the same as the reasons for land animals. But most people here will disagree with me. I just don't buy the "just because it's an animal" debate bc I think life is life, I don't value animal life over plant life, I think it comes from the same souce and returns to the same source. The pollution factor does worry me though, but not enough to keep me off the sushi bar!

p.s. I'm not googling the health info for you. Someone else here will. Otherwise it's not hard too. There's plenty of information available.

 

oops it was the person right above me I was agreeing with.

 

The 'Meet Your Meat' video that was mentioned is here: http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming.asp

One of the biggest health reasons for going veg that impacted my decision to be vegetarian is that ALL meat is ACIDIC. I've done some research on body pH levels and have found out that your body should ideally be a little bit alkaline (opposite of acidic) and that alkaline foods help keep your pH on the good side. Acidic foods like meat make your body pH more acidic. This is bad because cancer and many other diseases flourish in an acidic environment, but can't grow at all in an alkaline environment. So by cutting out acidic foods like meat, you can help prevent cancer.

Seafood should be a major concern, too, because of the high concentrations of mercury and other pollutants that are found in fish. Our oceans are pretty polluted, and all that pollution builds up in the fish.

Also, keep in mind that as you go up the food chain, toxins and pollutants multiply (it's called bio-amplification). Basically this means that toxins/pollutants are much more highly concentrated in meat, because animals have to eat a lot over their lifetimes and the toxins build up. There are a lot of antibiotics, growth hormones, and various other chemicals and industrial pollutants that are fed to animals, and this is on top of the chemical fertilizers & pesticides that are on the plants they eat. So all this toxic stuff builds up in the meat, and then people eat it. Yuck.

Going vegetarian (and especially going vegan) can prevent cancer, heart disease, and many other diseases. I have not been sick enough to need medicine or a doctor visit since I went vegetarian over two years ago. I also started eating all organic and mostly vegan as well over the past few years. The difference in my health & well being is just amazing. Just give it a try, do your homework (especially on nutrition) and see if it suits you. There are so many great meat substitutes you can try (seitan tastes like chicken, for instance) and so many healthy & yummy foods that are vegetarian. Good luck!

 

i'm not one of those vegeterians that dont eat meat-i am one of those vegeterians that dont eat vegetebles.

 

I don't think anyone has fully addressed the health standpoint with chicken and fish.

The fact is, there really isn't anything you can eat that is more dangerous than poultry. Poultry causes more foodborne illness than all other foods combined. Poultry has the potential to contain Campylobacter, Lysteria, and Salmonella. From 1998 to 2002, Lysteria and Salmonella combined to make at least 17,077 people ill and accounted for 58 reported deaths. During the same time period, e. Coli (another illness that exists due to intesive farm practices) was only responsible for 4,854 illnesses and 4 deaths. Chicken, turkey and other poultry products are litterally filthy and are really unfit for human consumption.

Fish can also be responsible for food poisoning, but it's primary health risk is mercury contamination. Fish is so contaminated with mercury that it is no longer recommended as part of a pregnant woman's diet, and others are encouraged to limit consumption. Shellfish is also incredibly high in cholesterol.

From a non-animal rights ethical standpoint, intensive factory farming is a major contributor to both rainforest shrinkage and global warming. There is no way to adopt more environmentally friendly farming practices and still meet the current demand for meat and poultry. Pollution is bad for your health too, and meat and poultry production and shipping cause major pollution.

Overfishing has also had a terrible negative impact on the oceans and rivers, and fish farming also has a huge environmental impact. So if you have a concern for the planet, or for just your own health on this planet, a veg diet is a much better choice.

 

-people also get lots of bad reactions from tofu because its good for the planet, but not for us.


-there are also a lot of under miscarragees due to undernurrishment(mostly lack of protein) that happen a lot to under weight women.

-a lot of people also a lot of people that die due to living extreemly vigan lives.

 

thats the biggest bag of bullshit ive ever heard

 

^what is bullshit? that you need proteins to live?

 

Oh God how old and outdated is this one?

Plant sources, if selected correctly, can more than adequately provide all the proteins we need as human beings


THAT IS FACT SO SHUT UP ABOUT IT NOW PLEASE!

Jeez!

 

P.s-you said earlier that you "dont eat vegetables"...

And YOURE talking to US about under nourishment?...

If this is really the case id be surprised if you were not lacking many important vitamins and minerals your body needs to function well

 

P.s-i Lol'd at "die due to extremely vegan lives" !!...Get a life!

 

vegans are completely healthy if they eat the right kind of foods..i know people who have been vegans their entire lives!!!there is plenty of protein in plant sources and not to mention multivitamins....i cant stand people who r of pure ignorance and think they know what they are talking about,....hey drumminmama this thread is getting a bit out of hand...

 

rak,
please learn to spell before you start posting a load of misinformed crap here.