Becoming vegetarian

Metallicababe

Is there any1 out there a vegatarian????

Recently I've gone totally off all meat and Im considering not eating it anymore!!!!
With the health benefits and my conviction against animal cruelty it seems like the logical thing to do : ) I havent had any cravings yet but I persume it will creep up on me with social situations etc.......

Any1 got experiences they would like to share???

zeris

Ignore all the hoopla about giving up meat. Its not hard, especially if you want to give it up. You just have to break your current eating habits. I am sure there is certain types of food you don't like that you manage to avoid successfully.

embraer170

I started back in 1993 during the BSE crisis. Gave up beef as a “short term measure”. Haven’t eaten any since and progressively gave up pork/poultry/fish etc. all for similar reasons (dioxin scare, antibiotics scare and so on). Never have the slightest craving these days and I even think it makes my life a lot simpler.

As for people’s reactions, they act a little shocked for a while but seem to accept it pretty quickly. Only person to seriously give me a hard time is my Aunt so I simply ignore her these days.

That said, it isn’t a lifestyle I ever would push anyone towards.

Sarky

Vegetables are what food eats.

Shabadu

I'm a chef, and studied nutrition in college so should be fairly well placed to advise you. I eat a mainly vegetarian diet, but am in no way a vegetarian. The important thing to remember with food is that too much of anything is a bad idea. What i do is eat meat once or twice a week, but make sure it's organic and free-range and try to ensure the animal had some sort of quality of life. Happy animal=yummy roast. Meat is not bad for you, but meat twice a day is. If you're dead set on giving it up, make sure you're still getting enough protein and iron. Eat nuts, seeds, pulses, dairy produce and plenty of green leafy veg. If you need any recipe ideas get back to me. Good luck!

Washout

ive been a vegitarian all my life and i have led a happy normal life. i know its not the same as giving it up but ijust wanted to say some ppl beleive that humans need meat as some part of their diet but the only reason u would is for protein and iron which is readily avaiable in pulses and nuts.

pulses are the best thing ever

Peace

Originally posted by Sarky
Vegetables are what food eats.

LMAO...i'm always giving the missus that line..

My food eats your food.

SheroN

Just think about it a big bloody steak?...how could you give it up!

rs

Health benefits?

Many people confuse being a vegetarian with being healthy. It's significantly harder to eat a properly balanced diet if you don't eat meat. This is because you need a significant amount of protein in your diet, and typically this comes from meat.

I'd make sure you know enough about nutrition to be able to but together a diet that is well balanced before you commit to being a vegetarian.

I'd point out that the majority of professional athletes are not vegetarians, and those that are typically take supplements (vitamin and protein) to make round out their diet.

My gf is a strict vegetarian (no meat or fish) and in general it's not a problem, when we eat out she orders vege, I order meat. We make seperate meals at home, or a meat and no meat variety of the same meal. On holidays it's a bit more hassle because it's hard to order the vege option when you can't read the menu.

Shabadu

The reason that we evolved from throwing bananas a each other up trees was because we started scavenging, and ultimately hunting other animals. We became omnivores with carnivore traits. This along with the large increase in protein made our brains grow. Read Desmond Morris 'The Naked Ape'. Also, You can only get all your essential amino acids if you eat a wide variety of proteins, not just pulses and nuts.

tribble

It's significantly harder to eat a properly balanced diet if you don't eat meat.

Bollox - I gave up meat 2 years ago (at 22) for ethical reasons - I'm fitter, stronger and healthier than I've ever been.

But crucially I am quite possibly the laziest person you're likely to meet.
Giving up meat and eating healthy are not mutually exclusive.
Besides, if I can shoot animals why can't I shoot humans - we're made of the same stuff.

The reason that we evolved from throwing bananas a each other up trees was because we started scavenging, and ultimately hunting other animals. We became omnivores with carnivore traits. This along with the large increase in protein made our brains grow.

Eh, NO - By that reasoning cats would be intellectually far superior to humans.
We simply evolved a combination of survial of the fittest and survival of the smartest - with a leaning toward smartest.

tribble

Shabadu

Eh, NO why dn't you try READING my post? Cats are carnivores with carnivore tendencies, Humans are Omnivores with carnivore tendencies. I study Nutrition in college. Read Desmond Morris. You're probably healthier because cutting out meat and the bad fats and eating habits associated with meat. A balanced diet including meat is optimal.

Emerson

I'm a vegan..
I supplement B-complex for the B12 that is lacking in my diet.
Other than that I get a pretty good range of nutrients imo. from the food I consume.

I eat really large amounts of every kind of veggie every day with plenty of greens and snack on cashew/brasil nuts (good sources of protein & minerals) and fruit (kiwis, apples, mandrins etc).
I eat porridge in the morning with chopped apple/bannana.

For protein I eat lentils, brown rice, beans, peas & lentils or the ultimate complete protein source, quinoa.

Some scientists have said the reason why people are having problems with their bones is not solely because they aren't taking in enough calcium (of which there is more per calorie in pac choy than milk) but simply because of the huge amounts of protein they consume impedes it's obsorbsion. Animal protein is also associated with many cancers in humans.

Whatever you do, make sure you eat well..
You can become a vegetarian and achieve really good health by eating a much better diet consisting of fruits,seeds,nuts & veg but all too many eat tonnes of bread, potatoes, sweets and other "empty calories" in an atempt to replace meat products and thus become even unhealthier than before.
A good read on all this, I found is "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

I personally feel better than ever anyways..

embraer170

Vegetarianism “the” answer to healthy eating? Probably not. But I have no doubt it is easier to lead a healthy lifestyle as a vegetarian than as a meat-eater.

Oh and ever seen a fat vegetarian? I didn’t think so. [Studies in the States have found obesity to be far less prevalent amongst the vegetarian/vegan population]

tribble

Oh and ever seen a fat vegetarian? I didn’t think so.

This has been my experience for the most part.
I'm certainly not what you'd call fat, but at 5'11 and 170 pounds I'm no pushover either.

If you want to build muscle I suggest Quorn - a mushroom like mycoprotein.
It tastes rather bland (like chicken with no flavour) but it's 90% ! pure protein.
I recommend a good sweet and sour sauce and some aromatic rice. yum.

tribble

DriftingRain

Oh and ever seen a fat vegetarian? I didn’t think so.

Well...If you want to look at me. I'm no stick girl. I've meat on me bones. Although I am not a total vegan. I do eat seafoods. I have given up all beef. I very, very, very, rarely ever eat white meats (chicken, pork, or turkey). SUch as occasional chicken salad... :rolleyes:

It isn't so hard for me. Most people think I'm crazy about not wanting a 1/2 raw 8oz. steak sitting in front of me. The thought of it is sickining. I can't even stand to smell beef cooking. Being a vegan comes from within. You have to want to do it.

Good Luck...

~DR

rs

I know plenty of overweight vegetarians. And that is no joke.

However, I do think that your average vegetarian would eat better than your average meat eater. This does not make eating meat bad though.

I'm just arguing the point that there is nothing wrong, or unhealthy about a diet that includes plenty of meat. Even red meat. There is a big difference between eating a striploin steak and trimming off all the fat on it, and eating a big mac with extra bacon.

I'd like to make the point that most people obviously don't know enough about diet to eat well. Just look around these days. There is often a belief that giving up meat means you are now eating healthy. But this isn't the case.

I don't believe their are any real health benfits from giving up meat.

There are plenty of health benefit from eating well, meat or no meat.

sceptre

Originally posted by embraer170
Oh and ever seen a fat vegetarian? I didn’t think so.

Yup. Fat vegans as well.

Originally posted by Jr.Shabadu
Also, You can only get all your essential amino acids if you eat a wide variety of proteins, not just pulses and nuts.

So, erm, don't limit yourself to eating just pulses and nuts then.

rainbow kirby

Originally posted by tribble
If you want to build muscle I suggest Quorn - a mushroom like mycoprotein.
It tastes rather bland (like chicken with no flavour) but it's 90% ! pure protein.
I recommend a good sweet and sour sauce and some aromatic rice. yum.

Quorn curry is damn good too. with naan breads and mango chutney mmmmmmm......

Tusky

Isnt their protein in eggs , milk , quorn , brown spaghetti , beans ( all kinds ) , soya , brown rice , potato , oatmeal and nuts ?

I could be wrong about some of the above as im not expert.

However I do know that vegetarians not getting enough protein in their diet is a myth, completely untrue and most human health conditions come about from eating meat. Also tend to have less weight problems and things like diabetes.

Did you know Hitler was a vegetarian ! not sure if thats a good thing...
some quotes!

Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.
--Albert Einstein

Humans are the only hunters who kill when not hungry.
--Steven Spielberg

He is a heavy eater of beef. Me thinks it doth harm to his wit.
--Shakespeare in "Twelfth Night"

Kids nowadays...tend to go overboard [on] protein --- something I believe to be totally unnecsssary...[I state in] my formula for basic good eating: Eat about one gram of protein for every two pounds of body weight.
--Arnold Schwarzenegger

All of the above are vegetarians not looking to get into a big debate , just thought it was interesting.

zeris

Originally posted by Tusky
Did you know Hitler was a vegetarian !

Hitlers apparent fondness for German sausages precludes any such vegetarian ideas. But it is a very common meme.

Kev

Originally posted by Tusky
Isnt their protein in eggs , milk , quorn , brown spaghetti , beans ( all kinds ) , soya , brown rice , potato , oatmeal and nuts ?

Not all proteins are the same.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/food3.htm

The foods a vegetarian can eat are a subset of what a meat eater can eat so how can it be healthier, if i only had a small portion of meat once a week would that be less healthy than eating a vegetarian diet.

You can have a healthy diet as a vegetarian or as a meat eater or probably by eating pills and powders but eating meat is the easiest, you have a wider range of choices and you can get complete proteins from a single source rather than having to look at a chart and trying to combine different types of beans and vegetables.

Tusky

aye Kev, tis easier because its the "norm" thats why there is more choice , meat has alot of negatives too , but I do agree with everything you said

Kev

No, theres more choice because you don't decide to rule out a whole food group for no good reason.

What negatives does meat have, what about fish ?

Tusky

I really dont want to get into an arguement about this as we both bleve different things and wont change each other mind ,

You can hardly say theres no good reason... everyone has their reasons , be they moral, weight loss or health issues, tis a small food group also

Imposter

Saying people who are vegetarians or vegans are not as overweight as those who eat meat is a bit of a no-brainer imo. A large percentage of veggies and vegans know a lot about nutrition as it takes a little effort for them to have a balanced diet. A huge percentage of people who eat meat don't care about their diet and as a result know nothing about nutrition and dietary requirements and are therefore far more likely to be overweight.

Tusky

Originally posted by Imposter
Saying people who are vegetarians or vegans are not as overweight as those who eat meat is a bit of a no-brainer imo. A large percentage of veggies and vegans know a lot about nutrition as it takes a little effort for them to have a balanced diet. A huge percentage of people who eat meat don't care about their diet and as a result know nothing about nutrition and dietary requirements and are therefore far more likely to be overweight.

Its also to do with the fact that meat is very fattening...

Kev

Originally posted by Tusky
Its also to do with the fact that meat is very fattening...

Thats some good generalising you're doing there.

Stark

He's right. Meat may have fat in it, but it's not exactly empty calories. Much better to get your fat from meat (saturated as it is) than from say a bar of chocolate. If you're that worried about fat it's probably best to look at the rest of your lifestyle.

rs

Originally posted by Tusky
Its also to do with the fact that meat is very fattening...

Meat is not fattening.

100 gram chicken brest has about 150 calories

100 grams of bread has about 250 calories

How people prepare choose meat and prepare meat is more of the problem.

BTW: Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a vegetarian. He highly advocates milk, whole egg and lean meat consumption in his books about diet and body building.

seamus

Originally posted by rs
100 gram chicken brest has about 150 calories

100 grams of bread has about 250 calories

Calories != fat.
Meat has more fat than bread, plain and simple.

As k.oriordan says however, in order to obtain the same nutritional value as a piece of meat, you may have to use 2 or 3 different foods.
As a veggie myself, I know full well that it's all too easy to eat far too much starch/carbohydrates, and forget to add in what you're missing from meat. Believe it or not, it's actually far easier to become overweight as a vegetarian due to this. Protein takes longer to digest and essentially fills you up more than carbohydrates. So where you may have stopped before with enough protein, you'll substitute with carbohydrate. This is the basis of the Atkin's Diet - protein overload causes you to eat less. Although excess protein is also stored as fat/energy, 1 gram of protein has less stored energy than 1 gram of carbohydrate.

(AFAIK)

yellum

Originally posted by Jr.Shabadu
The reason that we evolved from throwing bananas a each other up trees was because we started scavenging

Actually its because we started using "extensions": tools weapons and so forth. Using elements from the environment allowed us to come down off the trees. The rate of human evolution as a result of this drastically increased more than anything else. An increase of protein in our diet would not give us bigger brains. We had to be using our brains more before they grew larger. I don't believe an increase of protein would do anything for brain size, despite what that book states.

yellum

Originally posted by Emerson

Some scientists have said the reason why people are having problems with their bones is not solely because they aren't taking in enough calcium (of which there is more per calorie in pac choy than milk) but simply because of the huge amounts of protein they consume impedes it's obsorbsion.

Actually recent studies (and I'm not going to quote em, we all have access to google) show that milk inhibits the intake of calcium and milk can be a major factor for brittle bones.

I don't think protein itself is a cause of brittle bones because athletes and bodybuilders on very high protein diets have not had problems with their bones. But then again they use protein sources with the other crap removed.

yellum

Originally posted by seamus
Calories != fat.
Meat has more fat than bread, plain and simple.

(AFAIK)

This is true. But the calorific content as quoted above shows it contains more calories. If these calories are not burned off during the day they get converted into fat deposits.

Unless you are in an aerobic state and burn equal to what you consume or burn more than you consume those carb calories will be stored as fat.

So while there may be more actual fat in a steak than bread, theres more carb in bread which gets turned to fat pretty easily.

This is the basis of the Atkin's Diet - protein overload causes you to eat less.

Well its also the fact that you can only take in a certain amount of protein per meal. Whereas I think most carbs will be processed no matter what the amount.

Thats why bodybuilders have 12 meals a day. 12 small meals with the max protein amount in each. Hmm, on retrospect maybe after that amount in a meal it gets turned to carbs...

Stark

On the human evolution front, it's believed that a diet of fish allowed humans to grow bigger brains (see your mother was right ). It's also noticed that humans are one of the few mammals who have concious control over their breathing which allows us to go swimming and diving in search of fish.

And as yellum said, you put on fat more readily from carbohydrates (especially the quick buring ones like alchohol, sugar and white flour) than you would put on fat from protein or even fat itself. It's all due to the insulin response which removes the carbohydrate from your blood and stores it as fat before you have a proper chance to burn it off.

In short if your an animal rights person, fine become a vegeterian, but you shouldn't go removing meat from your diet for health reasons.

rs

Originally posted by seamus
Calories != fat.
Meat has more fat than bread, plain and simple.

As k.oriordan says however, in order to obtain the same nutritional value as a piece of meat, you may have to use 2 or 3 different foods.
As a veggie myself, I know full well that it's all too easy to eat far too much starch/carbohydrates, and forget to add in what you're missing from meat. Believe it or not, it's actually far easier to become overweight as a vegetarian due to this. Protein takes longer to digest and essentially fills you up more than carbohydrates. So where you may have stopped before with enough protein, you'll substitute with carbohydrate. This is the basis of the Atkin's Diet - protein overload causes you to eat less. Although excess protein is also stored as fat/energy, 1 gram of protein has less stored energy than 1 gram of carbohydrate.

(AFAIK)

Typically, meat has more fat then bread, but it depends on the meat. White meat like chicken and turkey has only slightly more fat than bread. Read meat has substantially more.

While fat and calories are not the same. Eating too many calories, of any kind will make you fat. It just happens that 'fat' contains more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrate, so eating fat makes you fatter faster.

Counting calories is better than counting fat. As you have already stated, you can eat a very low fat diet, and still be gaining weight due to carbohydrates.

However, a diet that is slightly higher in fat, but maintains a low calorie count will not result in weight gain.

The real purpose of the atkins diet is to put you body in a state called ketosis. Ketosis happens when you are in carbohydrate deprivation. If you eat almost no carbohydrates, your body shifts into ketosis, and starts to burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrate. This is when it works so well for fat loss when it's followed properly. I don't think it's a particularly healthy way to lose weight, but I do believe that it works.