Meat? Pfft!

[Dragon]

Made this thread because I simply wanted to learn all about this! Are any of you guys vegetarians, or vegans? If you are, when did you start, and why did you choose to be one?

For me? Well, I had my thoughts about it.. a few times. I eat meat when the time presents itself myself, but sometimes I feel.. there's something behind the idea that's unattractive about it, if that makes sense.

 

[Altair1]

I was experimenting with my diet recently, I became a vegan but I only lasted 3 weeks, I did this along with the 'paleo' diet which restricted gluten. It was a heavily restricted diet. I could only eat vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. I noticed I wasn't getting enough B Vitamins and always felt sluggish and 'weak' ...

I've come to the conclusion that if you have no real reason to (allergies, beliefs self preference and health to name a few), then don't restrict dietary choices, e.g: If you can tolerate gluten, then eat it.

I used to believe in 'anti-nutrients' being present in some foods, so I avoided those certain foods, they're in everything though! Moderation is key.

 

[Honest]

I was a vegetarian for three or four months. It was actually really simple, for me. And definitely a way to save money haha. I stopped for a stupid reason, really.

 

[Sonata]

I was a vegetarian once. It was because my ex was a vegan and she wouldn't kiss me or anything if I had ate meat or drank milk or anything like that. She did end up letting me drink milk but for about 3 or 4 months I could only eat tofu and vegetables.

 

[☆Rei☆]

I don't think I could live without meat, I eat meat almost everyday.

 

[Sir Codin]

No, I'm not. I don't plan to be one either. If I ever do become one, shoot me.

Animals are delicious.

 

[sh1nyzorua]

I've been a vegetarian since I was little, I don't remember exactly when but all my life I've never liked the idea of eating something came from an animal's death.

 

[griever7x]

I would suggest you take your 'gut feelings' more seriously! Often the body sends us signals that something might be wrong, but we dismiss them with not much thought.

If labels are anything to go by, yes, I am a vegan; unfortunately, as a child I did not have much of a choice of what I would get to eat, so only when I transitioned into an adolescent I started thinking about these things, and eventually made a choice.
During those years, my parents would prepare me animal food, such as meat and fish ( luckily I never drank any animal milk ), but for some strange reason I could not eat any of them without covering them with something else, such as a very hot sauce. Only later I realized that I kept covering the taste of these foods because they thoroughly disgusted me. Soon after, while growing up, I also made myself aware of how the animals themselves were treated in the process of becoming our food. That's when I started deeply loathing the idea of ever eating an animal again, along with their byproducts such as milk or cheese, not only because of the taste, but because of how said animals were treated.
This isn't the only reason why I became a vegan. I also love nature and thus care about the environment, so I would never buy animal products knowing that they help pollute, destroy forests, squandering resources and energy... It's even economically disadvantageous.
More importantly, this kind of product accustoms us to justify the stupid law of the jungle, and inclines us to the contempt of diversity and even of the value of life itself... How could I even support this kind of product if its consumption doesn't even offer any kind of benefit? The much coveted amino acids present in products of animal origin are also present in all the products of vegetable origin, while the last offer a more varied assortment of nutrients, are easier to assimilate and do not contain cholesterol or saturated fats, which are known to cause health issues... And then there's a nice picture that also keeps me from eating these animal products: all kinds of sea food, but especially clams, putrefy at an amazing rate, and are all very likely to contain purines ( nitrogenous substances, they increase levels of uric acid in the blood ) and heavy metals. Farmed fish, much alike their land cousins in the farms, contain chemical additives, hormones and drugs to increase the weight of the animal, as well as prevent epidemics. The cooked fat of the fish forms creatine, that damages the liver. I certainly don't want to eat those... Also, the death of the fish is among the most heinous imaginable...whether they are killed with an harpoon, knife, or asphyxiated in networks... If fish would make any sound while dying these horrible ways, there is enough reason to think that many would be motivated enough to stop catching and killing them, even less eating them.
It is no surprise to me, though, that people still find these foods to be a pleasure to their perverse palates, what with all the cigarettes, coffee, tea thrown into the mix, and devil knows what else that screws their well being even more, such as leading a sedentary life...

 

[Nathan]

No, I'm not vegetarian. I eat meat everyday and I couldn't live without it. Also can't feel bad for the animals cause some of them would rip us off if they were hungry.

 

[Tsutarja]

I'm like the total opposite of being a vegetarian, because 95% of the meals I eat at dinnertime contain some form of meat. I have always been curious though to how a vegetarian lifestyle would be compared to a non-vegetarian lifestyle, though.

 

[Raine]

I tell people that I'm vegetarian, and have been doing so for nearly 4 years, but in actuality to be more specific, I'm pescetarian because I eat seafood. It's just the red, and white meats that I avoid because of my whole anorexic phase during the summer of 2010. Whenever I see meat, I have absolutely no temptations to revert back to eating them any time soon; I actually find it revolting now \: Don't miss anything about meat, and I'm happy with my daily diet.

 

[Shining Raichu]

If I were a vegetarian I'd have to eat nothing but mushrooms and potatoes all the time. Who could live like that? I can't eat salad and other rabbit food, I'm a man.

 

[Trev]

If I were a vegetarian I'd have to eat nothing but mushrooms and potatoes all the time. Who could live like that? I can't eat salad and other rabbit food, I'm a man.

I honestly thought you were woman ._. Must be the whole nun thing.

I could never be a vegan/vegetarian (are there differences between those?). I would have to eat pizza without pepperoni, and that thought alone makes it a million times more difficult to do so. I would lose a lot of weight though. Hmm...

 

[pastel_fallout]

I tried being vegan, but I've been eating meat for too long to stop eating it. Plus, that's basically the only food my dad buys. (I'm only 15)

plus I would miss my cheese and chocolate too much.

 

[Nick]

I was a vegetarian for a while, on and off a number of times. Mostly because:
a) I felt super guilty eating meat and felt like I didn't need meat in order to survive. I just felt better mentally when I ate a meal that didn't have an animal in it.
b) I actually felt better, health wise. So I continued.
c) I lost a lot of weight without consuming meat.

If you're considering going Vegetarian, I highly suggest trying the brand Gardein (https://gardein.com/). Also, if you're considering, don't go cold turkey. Trust me. Start by eliminating meat from your diet one meat at a time and replacing it with something that gives you the same nutrition. Also, don't kick yourself too hard if you mess up. A lot of vegetarians I knew in person had a mess up - I sure did - or two every now and then and would accidentally, or intentionally because of strong cravings consume meat. Things like that happen, especially if you have a past of meat eating. Don't give it too much thought, or think of it as a defeat. Just accept that it happened and move on.

Trust me, even if you're someone who's like "I could never be vegetarian." You really can, if you actually try. Not saying you should be, or should try to be one. Just saying that you're not giving yourself much credit, I feel. You really can do anything.

The hardest part is deciding what to eat, because pretty much every dish I know is mostly centered around meat. But there are quite a bit of websites around that actually have full meal plans that you can follow. Follow those, and after you get the hang of things, you can start exploring and trying new things out. But remember that every meat dish you can think of can be replaced with a little creativity. There's also a ton of faux meat to sort of keep the familiarity of meat around for you. They actually taste better than the meat itself, I found.

I eventually stopped because that lifestyle was actually pretty difficult for me to maintain and it made me too stressed out. It was also pretty expensive to continue, especially if you try faux meat. I also began feeling like a burden to my family, because things became a lot more complicated for them. I decided I would stop for now, and try again later on down the road.

 

[Phantom1]

I am a carnivore.

Because I like meat.

Judge me all you want. But I'm the one over here with a steak.

 

[curiousnathan]

Nope, and I probably won't ever be.

I love meat and I'm a firm believe that a true healthy diet must incorporate meat/meat products. I understand that you can substitute the nutrients found in meat and animal products via a combination of plant material, and I also understand why people choose to become vegetarians and vegans, and I respect their choices but I'm definitely going to continue incorporate meat into my regular diet.

 

[Kikaito plush]

I used to be when I was younger because the rest of my family were vegetarian. I stopped being one when I was in school as the only meal left by the time it was my classes to queue up was meat and I was hungry.

 

[Kanzler]

I love my meat the same way I like my vegetables - raw or cooked. Tartar, beef sashimi, give me it all! Meats can be lightly or heavily seasoned and I think every way of cooking it is fine, for there is always something to draw attention to.

If one goes veggie, I would highly recommend that they eat potatoes, for it is a whole protein food with lots of potassium. I'd imagine it's harder for men, because of their higher energy and protein requirements. You'll go through weight loss and fatigue if you're not careful. Soy products are a must for protein.

 

[PortableCatnip]

My parents have this day in the week where the family eats nothing but veggies but I would always ask for extra seasoning on everything .n.