Vegetarianism and Veganism

[Warpaint]

Do you think it's a realistic lifestyle or one to be aimed for? Have you tried and failed?

I don't think I could ever be Vegan but I would like to give Vegetarianism a proper go one day. It's one of those things I'd really have to commit to. A lot of people throw these labels about when they're clearly not lol. It's also interesting it almost seems to come into fashion again every few years then vanishes again.

 

[rebremm99]

I’ve been vegan for almost 2 years and was vegetarian before that. It’s not difficult at all but at the start you need to be conscious of what you’re eating and supplement for what you aren’t getting from food. I think people give up easily if they aren’t doing it for a cause. I’m not preachy, I don’t personally give a F if people choose to eat meat or dairy but I choose not to because I love animals and once I made the connection, I couldn’t go back to eating them. Dairy is much more cruel too I reckon.
You should deffo try give it a go, even for a couple of days a week I found that since going vegan, my acne disappeared and my health is a lot better

 

[DCICassieStuart]

I'm not but my SIL is a 'vegetarian' when it suits her.
She's too tight to spend money on meat, but will eat meat in other people's houses no problem.
She made her husband give up meat and has brought the kids up as 'vegetarians'.
The problem is the kids won't eat vegetables so they literally live on pasta and chips.
When her son was younger he ended up in hospital with severe anemia and she was told very sternly by a doctor that their diet needed a serious overhaul.

It went in one ear and out the other. The kids are in their teens now. Both of them always look deathly pale and unwell and they seem to catch every bug etc that's going.

Done properly it can be great. A friend mine has been a vegetarian for over 20 years and has a healthy balanced diet.
She's not bringing her kids up as vegetarians. She said they can decide for themselves when they're older if they want, but for now nothing is restricted.

 

[TARDIS Blue]

I have been vegetarian for two years. Veganism is too much for me but I get the rationale behind it. Giving up meat is pretty easy though, especially with all the meat alternatives you get these days. I very rarely miss it all.

 

[Bubble And Squeak]

I make a very conscious effort not to eat meat, however I’m not perfect and sometimes slip up so I wouldn’t call myself a vegetarian. Since stopping last summer I’ve maybe ate meat in about 4 meals and I believe that’s better than eating it with every meal. It naturally makes me eat healthier and make healthier choices and I feel much better for it and don’t actually miss meat

 

[bunnyboo]

I've been a vegetarian for 14 years or so now. I don't think I could go vegan though, I love scrambled eggs on toast, cheese toasties, ice cream, butter etc etc far too much lol. My other half is a meat eater and that doesn't bother me at all, I'd never force him to give up eating meat, just as much as he wouldn't expect me to eat meat. It's a respect thing. The only 'weird' vegetarian thing I do, is I won't kiss him if he's after eating a load of meat he just needs to pop a chewing gum or wash his teeth first and then it's grand.

Controversial opinion, but if I had kids... I don't think I'd raise them vegetarian. It might sound hypocritical, but I just think it's a choice that everyone should make for themselves. As a child, I remember there was a vegetarian kid in our class (her parents were vegan) and I always felt bad at other kids parties and the likes where she'd have to 'find' something suitable for her to eat. Or on school trips, where we were brought to McDonalds and she'd just nibble on some chips. I always felt bad for her, and it seemed like it was an isolating thing that I wouldn't want that for my children. Eating meat is the norm (whether people like that or not) and it should be left up to a person whether they're going to opt out of the norm.

 

[Welshgal]

I went vegetarian two years ago but made the mistake of mostly eating “fake” meat which most of the time was made out of soy. In addition I drank soy milk and eat soy yogurt which lead to some serious thyroid issues 🥲
I‘m now back to eating normal, cause it just wasn‘t worth it and I honestly think a balanced diet of some meat, some fish and some veggie meals works best for me

 

[Pussy Galore]

I went from being a meat eater to being a vegan overnight! It wasn't difficult as I watched something about the treatment of animals and it just absolutely put me off.
I've been vegan for 5 months now and it's the best thing I've ever done. I suffer with endometriosis & IBS and whilst of course, a diet won't cure that - I am hardly ever bloated anymore. I also take vitamins, so when people say "you'll be deficient in X, Y, Z" - I probably get more vitamins now than when I was a meat eater

My partner who isn't vegan actually prefers vegan burgers to beef burgers... there's SO much out there now and some things taste identical. Even tofu in replacement for scrambled eggs. You would be amazed!
I will say, I cant stand the vegans that push it on others. If you want to eat meat, that's your choice of course. Even if you have one vegan meal a week or a month, that's still doing your bit towards it!

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

I'm what you might call a flexitarian. I don't eat meat at home, I use cow's milk in my tea but other than that the food I eat at home is plant based. You need to eat a variety of foods, I cook with most veggies, I use lentils and beans and eat a lot of dark green leaves, pasta, rice and bread. Get lots of herbs and spices to give your food flavour. It's easy to eat this way in a budget too, I cook a lot of curries and soups. However, because I eat meat if I eat out I get vitamin B12. If you are completely vegan, you need to make sure you take a supplement. There are lots of options with snack foods to nowadays so you can still eat chocolates and biscuits.

 

[Purrrrrrr]

My daughter is vegan and so are her three daughters. I'm mostly a carnivore so creates a few problems but nothing we can't handle. My daughter went veggie when she was 9 and vegan 5 (I think) years ago two of her children were veggie, one of her children was a vegan pregnancy and so never had anything with animal products in.

 

[sixdinnersid83]

I am vegetarian and would like to be vegan but I still eat cheese. The final push for me was rescuing some ex caged hens, such clever and funny characters and I realised how badly treated they are. Very different personalities and the first time most of them see daylight is on their way to the slaughterhouse.
They were in a terrible state when I got them but all their feathers have grown back now

 

[Jane Fonda]

I would love to go vegetarian. I don't really eat pork because I got sick one day while eating sausages and rashers. The pink meat just made me retch and I can't really do ham or anything since then.

I mainly eat chicken and a bit of red meat. I would rather not eat any of these things but I find it very difficult to eat meals without the filling feeling of eating meat. I probably need to do more research. Any tips would be welcome!

 

[sixdinnersid83]

I would love to go vegetarian. I don't really eat pork because I got sick one day while eating sausages and rashers. The pink meat just made me retch and I can't really do ham or anything since then.

I mainly eat chicken and a bit of red meat. I would rather not eat any of these things but I find it very difficult to eat meals without the filling feeling of eating meat. I probably need to do more research. Any tips would be welcome!

I use lots of mushrooms instead of meat, also aubergines. I am quite a lazy cook do use meat replacement like Linda Mcartney mozzarella burgers and Quorn.

 

[Gym&Tonic]

I haven’t eaten meat since Christmas Day, and even before then I didn’t eat it a lot. I can honestly say I’ve not missed it at all, I do miss fish a lot though. Red meat and processed meat isn’t good for us, it’s a carcinogenic, and is thought to be why Western Europe and the USA have such high rates of bowel cancer compared with say Japan where they don’t eat much of it at all.

I honestly don’t think I will ever eat meat again. I may eat fish again, but honestly the more I think of it the more I think why do we eat animals? What gives us the right to kill another living creature to eat it? I claim to be animal lover but how can I be if I eat them? Lockdown and having nothing to do has given me a lot of time to think about things like this lol.

 

[Shutterbug99]

I've been a vegetarian for about 13 or 14 years now. I can't see myself ever going back to eating meat, but even when I wasn't a vegetarian I didn't eat a whole lot of meat. I don't even eat meat substitutes as when I have tried them once or twice the texture has been too 'meaty' for me. I tried a 'fake burger' one time and even though I knew it was made of soy the texture was so much like the real thing that I felt sick and couldn't eat it. I found going vegetarian pretty easy and no great sacrifice, though I think veganism might be much more difficult for me if I ever was to try it. I can't see myself ever quitting cheese. I should try harder, maybe.

I first tried to go vegetarian as a teenager (in a house full of meat eaters). I was pretty much left to my own devices as there would be 'no separate meals' etc. (To this day my dad tells me I am too pale and it's all because I don't eat meat! He seems to forget that I have always been pale!) I ended up living on pasta, and became pretty run down, so if you are considering going veggie, I would recommended doing a bit of research on the foods you need to eat in order to have a healthy, balanced diet. Pasta 7 days a week won't cut it!

 

[rebremm99]

I went from being a meat eater to being a vegan overnight! It wasn't difficult as I watched something about the treatment of animals and it just absolutely put me off.
I've been vegan for 5 months now and it's the best thing I've ever done. I suffer with endometriosis & IBS and whilst of course, a diet won't cure that - I am hardly ever bloated anymore. I also take vitamins, so when people say "you'll be deficient in X, Y, Z" - I probably get more vitamins now than when I was a meat eater

My partner who isn't vegan actually prefers vegan burgers to beef burgers... there's SO much out there now and some things taste identical. Even tofu in replacement for scrambled eggs. You would be amazed!
I will say, I cant stand the vegans that push it on others. If you want to eat meat, that's your choice of course. Even if you have one vegan meal a week or a month, that's still doing your bit towards it!

Totally agree with everything you said! I watched a documentary on a slaughterhouse and since then I cannot stomach meat at all then I feel like your tastebuds change over time, I tried eating cheese about 6 months after going vegan and felt so sick after it.
The preachy vegans ruin it for everyone don’t they! I feel like it just prevents more people giving it a go because they’re like duck it I’ll eat more meat to spite you pricks

 

[sixdinnersid83]

Totally agree with everything you said! I watched a documentary on a slaughterhouse and since then I cannot stomach meat at all then I feel like your tastebuds change over time, I tried eating cheese about 6 months after going vegan and felt so sick after it.
The preachy vegans ruin it for everyone don’t they! I feel like it just prevents more people giving it a go because they’re like duck it I’ll eat more meat to spite you pricks

Yes the preaching doesn’t help, I never tell anyone I am vegetarian and wouldn’t judge meat eaters.
I think if more people saw what happened inside slaughter houses then they would not eat meat and they know that but don’t want to.

 

[Eureka]

I’m vegan two years and was vegetarian for 28 years before that. Like anything it takes time and practice - learning how to cook is a huge part of it.

Best thing about being a vegan I lost my sweet tooth. I would easily have eaten two or three chocolate bars in a day or half a pack of biscuits. Now I don’t crave sugar at all.

I’ve no problem with people eating meat. My other half is a meat eater but I see a lot more people being a bit more flexible and open to what they eat now and not always thinking you have to have meat and two veg and that can only be a good thing.

 

[Purrrrrrr]

I haven’t eaten meat since Christmas Day, and even before then I didn’t eat it a lot. I can honestly say I’ve not missed it at all, I do miss fish a lot though. Red meat and processed meat isn’t good for us, it’s a carcinogenic, and is thought to be why Western Europe and the USA have such high rates of bowel cancer compared with say Japan where they don’t eat much of it at all.

I honestly don’t think I will ever eat meat again. I may eat fish again, but honestly the more I think of it the more I think why do we eat animals? What gives us the right to kill another living creature to eat it? I claim to be animal lover but how can I be if I eat them? Lockdown and having nothing to do has given me a lot of time to think about things like this lol.

Most newer vegans are now eating lots of processed food, so will be no healthier than their meat-eating counterpart, before veganism become mainstream vegans had to eat clean so their food was healthier.
Vegans are actually prone to bowel cancer and digestive problems due to many things they eat not being able to be digested like seeds etc that's why many are turning to sprouted foods
It's not the meat that is the problem but what the processing plant does to the meat, grass-fed free-range meat is never going to hurt you. Meat is how the human brain involved and got us where we are today in terms if technology etc

No matter what you eat just eat the best you can and don't eat highly processed foods.

 

[Jellybeansoup]

Yes the preaching doesn’t help, I never tell anyone I am vegetarian and wouldn’t judge meat eaters.

I am the same but I am vegan (it even feels weird typing that out like I’m expecting stick for it) but I’m by no means preachy, each to their absolute own. I like it when friends get excited telling me they’ve tried something vegan or doing veganuary etc but I’d never ever press it on them.

my parents do not understand it at all and still ‘never know what to feed me’ despite the fact I was veggie for 14 years before becoming vegan

me and my partner are both vegans which makes mealtimes easier, we don’t eat meat alternatives anymore and replaced it with chickpeas and lentils etc which has improved both our skin and digestive issues massively. We also take supplements for iron & B12 because becoming deficient in either is serious business

I find that I’m a lot less picky as a vegan and more open to trying new things, I make more of an effort to pick things from a menu I’ve not tried before rather than always gravitating to the same meals like I would’ve as a veggie