Vegetarians.

[Iris. ♥]

I've been going back and forth about the idea of being a vegetarian. I think I'm gonna try it out, since I've heard it's healthier and gives you more energy.

For those of you that weren't always vegetarians: was it hard for you to make the change to your eating habits? How do you get your protein since you don't eat meat? Anything else you feel like you should throw in?

[Nicole!]

I've been a vegetarian for over a year now.
For me, it wasn't hard at all to cut out meat. I haven't had any cravings or anything since I started. However it isn't always as easy for other people. If you find it difficult to cut it all out at once, just slowly reduce how much meat you consume. Going pescetarian first is always an option as well.
Protein is pretty easy actually. Foods with protein include:
-Nuts
-Tofu
-Beans
-Eggs

Click Here for a longer list of foods with protein

[Kate*]

I'm considering going veg too and I've been researching it for about 3 years now. I would start with or at least look at THIS article, and be careful with soy foods because of the estrogenic properties. Don't eat more than 2 servings of soy a day.

[Palmolive]

i mean i've been one for about five years now. It's been hard at times with cravings especially at the begining. More so than meat i found it harder to have to work out what sweets, yogurts and even medication i can have. Theses so much more to it than just not eating meat. x

[Iris. ♥]

Really? Maybe it's just my ignorance, but I thought it was only vegans who had to watch what products went into their food. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

[Kate*]

It depends how strict you want to be with it, some vegans call themselves vegetarians and some foods and medications have animal products in them, like geletin and marshmellows. Some cheese also has animal rennet. If you're avoiding things like that, you'll have to be more careful.

[Palmolive]

i'm not a vegan but i guess i am strict. I mean i'd eat milk and certain yogurts and ice cream. I dont not eat yogurts due to the fact that its made from milk. Its because of the gelatin. I guess you need to decide on how strict you want to be x

[MindBodySpirit]

Originally Posted by Iris. ♥

I've been going back and forth about the idea of being a vegetarian. I think I'm gonna try it out, since I've heard it's healthier and gives you more energy.

That's a false statement. I don't know why people would think that it's healthier than not being a vegetarian. Although humans are very adaptable, there is undeniable evidence that humans evolved as omnivores. Yes, it's true that some people are healthier when they switch, but I think that has more to do with the fact that they're aware of what they're putting in their body.

Vegetarians have to watch what they eat in everything. People could argue that even sugar products aren't vegetarian, since many of them are processed through bone char.

If you want another opinion on how to be "healthier" or get "more energy", you can ask me. In the mean time, go ahead and try vegetarianism. Some people do benefit from it.

Also, I don't think soy should be consumed 2 times a day. In my opinion, 2 times a week is a lot.

[Iris. ♥]

Hmmm, I think I'll give it a shot to see if I benefit from it. I know I definitely need to think more about what I put in my body.

[Revolution]

Sammi, I love it. Being vegetarian is awesome. It is very healthy, and really, as long as you eat a healthy diet, you're fine. With the current American diet, a good vegetarian diet is a lot healthier. The hormones in meat, the things they are eating, it's really unsettling. So it's a good decision for your body and the planet. (Hippies unite!)

Tips:

1. Don't do the mac and cheese & pizza diet. Avoid using milk as your source of protein, it's really not a protein. Use things like beans and vegetable protein instead. You're not a vegan so you can have milk, but use milk sparingly for a protein source.

2. Be more open to vegetables you didn't like before. I now love zuchini, squash, and eggplant, all things I didn't like before.

3. Start cooking and packing more. Honestly, most schools don't have great veggie options. Get good at packing your own lunch if you don't already. And be more open minded to cooking!

For you, make your own list of things you want to avoid. I personally do not eat gelatin either, but I eat yogurts without gelatin, you just have to look for them. I also use vegetarian soap. You just need to decide if it's for ethical or health reasons. Health, there's no reason to cut out gelatin or soap. But for me, I do it for environmental, so I keep as many meat products out as possible.

And PS, yes, avoid soy, but honestly...I eat it two times a day, sometimes more, especially since I do want to make the transfer to vegan. So...it doesn't kill you? If you can, go with other veggie products for fake meats, but honestly, I eat a lot of soy.

[alixthetree]

Originally Posted by LostCause

That's a false statement. I don't know why people would think that it's healthier than not being a vegetarian. Although humans are very adaptable, there is undeniable evidence that humans evolved as omnivores. Yes, it's true that some people are healthier when they switch, but I think that has more to do with the fact that they're aware of what they're putting in their body.

Vegetarians have to watch what they eat in everything. People could argue that even sugar products aren't vegetarian, since many of them are processed through bone char.

If you want another opinion on how to be "healthier" or get "more energy", you can ask me. In the mean time, go ahead and try vegetarianism. Some people do benefit from it.

Also, I don't think soy should be consumed 2 times a day. In my opinion, 2 times a week is a lot.

Though being a vegetarian is healthier, there are many reasons.
1. When you cut out meat you are also cutting out all the chemicals and toxins that are used on the animals so that they continue to live in deplorable conditions and grow quicker than they are meant to.

2. It's healthier is because if you consume meat every day you are typically getting 150% of the protein you need in a day and in a study done with 65 year old women has shown that those who consumed meat had a bone density loss of 35% compared to vegetarian women who were only at 18% bone loss. Meaning there is a correlation between osteoporosis and consuming meat.

3. Consumption of meat has also been linked to heart disease, breast cancer, just about any type of cancer, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. ' Of meat eaters, 50 percent die from a heart disease, compared to 15 percent of vegetarians who died from the disease.' (http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/...122120212.html) The last part is a quote from the link.

There is just a few reasons why a vegetarian diet is better than a meat-consuming one.

[alixthetree]

I've been a vegetarian for a little over 3 years and I LOVE it. The first couple weeks were a little hard but went by fairly quickly. And I got cravings for chicken at about 8 months and almost considered giving in but didn't allow myself to. Like others have mentioned to much soy is NOT a good thing. If you decide to go to a milk alternative try going with almond milk over soy (I personally think that almond milk is much better and if it's vanilla flavored tastes exactly like melted ice cream).

If you want others to talk to, check out www.happycow.net it's mainly for vegetarians/vegans but everyone is welcome to join and we have a fairly involved chat where people are very willing to answer your questions and there are also groups you can join.

I wish you luck