I try to becomm veggie, but I have big problem. I get around this by eating prawns, and things which do not have blood in them. That way I don't think that is meat. Does this count? It might seem silly question, but shouldn't meat be the flesh which has the blood run in it? I don't know. I might be wrong. Thank you and sorry If I offended.
it's open to interpretation. i wouldn't eat prawns or any kind of seafood. i eat it only if it comes from a plant. no seafood, shellfish, ect. in my opinion prawns are not vegetarian.
i have to agree with raisin doobie here. being a vegetarian is basically not eating an animal. but from there it can be broken down to vegan. is it just me or when trying to explain vegetarianism to others it can be complicated?
For me, vegetarians don't eat ANY kind of meat. That includes beef, veal, pork, fowl, fish, dogs, squirrels, roadkill, etc etc, and yes - even shellfish. They are reactive and perhaps could feel pain. So if you're eating shellfish, by definition, you're not a vegetarian. If you only eat fish, maybe call yourself a pescatarian (which will really irritate a lot of people), but to me you wouldn't be veg. Obviously people can eat whatever they want to eat, but the muddying of the terminology waters can be somewhat problematic for those of us who are true veggies and vegans. We have this lifestyle for a reason, and I guess we just like for people to be clear about our intentions, which is usually to get the suffering out of our diets.
technicly this isnt true, but good try. mushrooms dont really gain anything from the sun other than direction and pinning initiation.
What would you recommend as good substitute for the meat for beginners like me? I heard somewhere tofu but I don't like it because of the funny taste. Is there something better but also healthy?
Well, reactions to tofu differ, some love it out of the gate while others have to warm up to it a bit. I'd guess that most people who don't like it have never had it prepared by someone who really knew how. I don't personally think tofu itself really has a lot of inherent taste, rather it takes on the flavors of whatever it's cooked in. Maybe people just don't like the texture (which will be kind of weird to a lot of folks). So ask around, does anyone you know cook tofu and is good at it?, or is there a restaurant around that makes good tofu? I've had masterfully prepped tofu and lousy tofu, both, in restaurants. Don't write it off yet - try it some more, try to find some well-cooked tofu. But if you want something in the meantime, or just end up not liking tofu good or bad, then that's OK. Tofu is not required eating for veg*ns, but some people really like it and it does have good nutritional value. You could try some fake meat products like Boca burgers, Quorn, TVP, veggie dogs, etc. Boca has recently made the following products in their line vegan, if that's important to you: Chili, Vegan Burger, Roasted Garlic Burger, Roasted Onion Burger, Chik'n Nuggets, Chik'n Patties, Spicy Chik'n Patties, and Ground Burger (from their website). Boca products are pretty easy to find, even if you don't have access to an HFS. Amy's brand makes a vegan burger, if I recall correctly, and I believe Whole Foods makes a couple store-brand vegan fake meat products. If you are a vegan, be sure and read the ingedients because most fake meats products (especially burgers and "not dogs") contain eggs or milk. A lot of people find fake meats to be a good transitional food if getting off an omni diet. Good luck!
Also, you beans, lentils, quinoa, tempeh, seitan are all high in protein, and if you eat enough calories in a day from varied sources, it is very difficult to not get enough protein. My hubby loves GardenBurger cutlets and riblets, Boca chik'n, any kind of veggie ground "beef," Tofurkey sausages, etc. But that stuff is fairly expensive, and not as healthy for you as whole foods.
for the purposes of this forum, fish and shellfish/ mollusks etc are animals, and therefore not part of a vegetarian diet. I recommend that you read the FAQs and read some of the links in there to get you started. see also the threads in So you want to become a Vegetarian?
I agree with verseau miracle: Do what is comfortable for you. I am vegetarian and I don't eat any seafood, poultry or red meat, but that doesn't mean you have to follow my rules. Why do you want to be veggie if you still want to eat meat? I would be interested to hear your reasons for 'turning' vego
