Vegetarian questions

Hi everyone,

I have a question about vegetarianism, but first I'll give all of you a little background about my past eating.

I was raised as a meat eater - full fledged, I grew up eating all the types of meat. I also was raised on all the "standard" dairy products out there, too (cow's milk, cheese, butter, etc).

As I got older, I learned about vegetarianism from my cousin. She's not a "full fledged" vegetarian, as I think she still eats some types of fish, however, she was my first introduction to it. She showed me PETA's site among other places on the web, and I was horrified and sickened.

So, this led to my trying vegetarianism. It went well, for a while, but then I sort of had a fall out with it, and started to eat meat again. This happened three more times since then, the most recent fallout being a few months ago.

I can't eat red meat (it makes me ill and constipated), but I still eat white meat and seafood.

I want to become vegetarian! Truly, I do. I hate being a reason why animals die. What happens though is that I start to crave the taste of meat.

Boca and Morningstar products are GREAT substitutes...however, I'm on a very limited income at this time, so I can't buy those products on a regular basis.

So, is there any advice that could possibly help me with this? Thank you for any and all responses!

~ Emilie

 

buy rawer materials, and make lentil burgers!

 

When I first tried becoming vegetarian, I still craved meat, too.
And it was really hard for a while.
But it's been a year now, and I don't crave it anymore.
I guess you just have to wait it out until you just don't have the cravings anymore.

Peace, and good luck :]

 

Well, I am not a vegetarian, so i don't know if you will listen to me. But this is my idea. Basically i do not support any slaughterhouse type killings, nor do i support any farms where animals are basically 'mass produced'. I am not the reason animals die. Money is the reason animals die. People raise them in a 4 by 8 box by the masses to be killed and shipped off for profit. However, slaughter in a more 'primal' type way such as hunting where the animal lives a humane life and is generally instantly killed and eaten for food, is something that i DO agree with. As well as personal farming where the animals are not treated as inanimate products. So for me, the problem is not 'killing animals'. I also don't really agree with the theory that humans were not meant to eat meat. If that were they case, either we wouldnt be eating meat period, or we would probably get sick from it. Nor would primitive hunter/gatherers have eaten meat.

The livestock laws are cruel and corrupt. Any animal that is raised and then sold is considered live stock, there for any animal can be treated the same way including dogs cats birds fish etc etc etc. If you think the cattle/poultry business is cruel, wait till you see where many of the dogs are raised. Three or four full sized dogs in a small 4 by 6 cage until they are purchased. These animals never have touched grass before until they are in a home. Many of them must be trained to walk even at the age of three. Many females that aren't purchased are forced into reproductive cycles dozens of times giving birth to hundreds and hundreds of pups until they are considered useless, and by that time they are infested will disease and illness and killed.

Only buy from shelters or farms where puppies are kept in humane environments. Not from pet stores that purchase from puppy mills!

Look up puppy mill videos.

 

i didn't eat meat or fish for 14 years. then i missed salmon so i started eating fish again. then i got sick of my hair falling out so now i just don't eat red meat. but i never, not once, had a craving for meat in those 14 years. and don't worry about the hair, just make sure you get protein. eat beans and/or take pills. i'm horrible at taking pills (i always forget, even when i used to set a daily alarm on my phone) and i never cook so beans didn't come into my diet much.

 

Thank you for all the replies.

jahmerimaka, your response was particulary eye opening. I've heard about the puppy mills before. That scares and sickens me.

As for the hunting...I agree with you - I think hunting is okay, as long as it's for food, painless to the animal ("painless" includes them not being penned up etc), and you use every part of the animal you can...and you also must respect the animal...appreciate them, and thank them.

~ Emilie

 

Haha glad you took some into consideration. We shouldn't act as if we own the animals, but we should appreciate their existence.

And another thing, a single cow could feed an entire family for atleast a week if they were to eat the meat for almost every meal daily. And who would want to eat cow all day every day? So really you may kill a cow/deer/ or whatever you are hunting for food less than once a month or so if you know how to preserve the meat.

 

The best way i've found to reduce 'bad' impulses is to think of the consequences and carry it through to the end. You smell bacon, but you think of slaughterhouses.

It's kindof like pavolovian conditioning, and it helps to reduces urges over time.

if you don't really want to give up meat entirely, and i'm not judging you if you do, there has been a real push in the past couple of years for responsible meat. There are probably a couple of local butchers in your area, and more often than not at least one of them will keep a close relationship with their suppliers, the local farms.
this way you can help ensue that animals are raised humanely, and that people who actual care about the animals and their work are getting your money, as opposed to a national chain that factory farms.

 

Beans? Beans are good.
I thought like boca burgers would be a similar price to other meat? I dunno.
I know you said you don't have a lot of money, but if you want to keep eating meat but don't want to support the factory farms, try going for naturally raised organic meat. And then if you're struggling buying it then maybe you'll just decide going vegetarian instead. Haha I dunno

 

Eat nuts!!!! it works like a charm. One time I really wanted a hamburger, and then I ate a few cashew nuts, because that was the only thing we had to snack at the time and when I though of the burger again I got sick.
Eugene also has a point, works for me as well I cant stand looking at raw meat it makes me sad and stomach sick

 

see, now i'm an odd veggie. i wont eat meat, or by products (though i've slipped up with gelatine a few times). however i still buy LOTS of meat as i have 2 dogs and 5 cats. i'm and omnivore they are carnivores. i will not make them suffer for my beliefs.
however now i only buy meat for them, i can afford to buy better raised meat, organic free range etc. so meat itself doesnt repulse me, and as soon as i get some land i will raise sheep again for my families tables. at least that way i know the animals were well looked after.

on a side note, bacon was my downfall, i never ate it but always craved it evey time i smelt it. until someone was cooking it at work one day. a collegue came in who is a part time firefighter and ran out saying 'i cant go in there, it smells like burning people'. i have never craved it since :X

 

Oh my god you just helped me over my bacon craving. Thats really scary

I still eat gelatine though, Its very hard for a candy addict like me to give that up as well.. but i dont eat lots of it.
At home we have to kitties, so we also still buy catfood, although my parents now buy practically bio food alone. WHen I go to the bio supermarket I do buy bio organic catfood, but I've never even considered stopping to feed my cats meat, They are indeed very different from us and so they really do need meat to survive.

People are omnivorous, just like apes, wich means in general people eat meat altogether with other stuff. So eating meat in general is quite natural I think, but we take so much more than we need! So I refuse to eat anymore meat because all animals are equal and animals are not our products.
They feel pain just like we do

 

if you are craving meat, get some TVP (textured vegetable protein) and cook it up with a packet of taco seasoning, put it in a tortilla with other taco toppings, and it'll taste almost exactly like a meat taco. seriously!

tofu is really good too as a protein meat substitute, and it's not that expensive. and yeah, you can totally make your own veggie/bean burgers. lentil are GREAT for stuff like that!

 

I make veggie tacos all the time. Just as greasy as the real thing too.

Extra sharp cheddar, lettuce, diced tomato. The TVP (I currently use Morningstar "crumbles") is cooked in olive oil till slightly crispy and I add the seasoning and water.

I'm good for 4-6 of these bad boys.


x

 

I've always been a vegetarian, so I can't personally attest to the taste, but my fiance says that if he had to become a vegetarian that he could live on the things I eat.

My all time favorite imitation meats are by worthington foods.. Every once in a while, I'll see them at whole foods, but It's usually easiest to go to a Seventh Day Adventist church and ask if they have a food room. They sell worthington almost exclusively.

I suggest that you try the leanies. OMG, i want them right NOW!!

 

Im SO glad i found this sight, you guys, and this thread! i to am a failed vegetarian. been on and off the wagon several times. its so hard when your spouse is a meat eater and not very supportive. so for the last 6 months or so i really packed on the weight! i want to go vegetarian againand was looking for support. i hope to begin again this weekend. my ultimate goal is to go vegan but im going vege'an first. anyways. Hi! my name is Yhote and im new to the boards! nice to meet you!
Yhote

 

I'm only a couple months into being vegetarian, so I understand the meat cravings. But I know if I can push through it, it'll be good in the end.

I'm away at college right now and have a meal plan, so I can eat as many veggie burgers as I want (although they're not that great here). But every so often, I'll be like "Lets go get a burger from McDonalds... Oh shit..."

But, like everyone else already touched on, we're probably craving meat for other reasons. Like, the greasiness (which is something we should stay away from anyways! ew) or if we're just lacking protein. Just keep trying to find other ways to get your protein, through nuts and tofu and what not. If this is something you're truly serious about, you'll be able to push through it.