Is Long-term vegetarian/veganism sustainable?

milli milli · 06-10-2015 10:33PM #1

Hi guys, I've been a vegetarian for over 25 years, longer than I've been a meat-eater. I can't ever see myself eating meat again - it's alien to me now.
Something I've encountered over my meatless years is the huge amount of seemingly long-term veggies turning back to meat for one reason or another.

Now I'm not a self-righteous vegetarian, I don't mind what people eat, it's their choice. But I take great interest if people are interested in going veggie, and to be honest the long-termers that have gone back (to the 'dark' side

) make me a little sad.
Is it just not a sustainable thing for most people?
What keeps me meat-free is my compassion for animals and to be honest we are living in the best time for veggie people - healthy eating is so trendy now, we are spoilt for choice.

What do others think?

delahuntv · 06-10-2015 10:38PM

Oh is veggie for 40 years and takes very little dairy. (milk chocolate and cheese are her failings)

I'm a meat eater, but nowhere near a normal meat eater because the choice of vegetarian product is excellent these days especially if you enjoy cooking and i enjoy many of the meals she creates

I can see herself staying veggie and myself eating less meat as we go on.

Aimeee · 06-10-2015 10:44PM

Similar to previous poster, oh is veggie for near 30 years at this stage and I'm pretty sure he won't be going to the dark side anytime soon. I eat meat & do most of the cooking in this house. Am finding that I'm eating less meat myself these days. Convenience and I've noticed it's not agreeing with me at times. Two kids here too one eats meat the other will not (phase maybe. She always has the choice).
Would agree with you that it's very easy to be veggie these days, great choice of foods especially quick dinners which just can't be avoided some days.

Tar.Aldarion · 07-10-2015 05:09PM

There is a high recidivism rate with it in general, maybe that is what you are seeing. However I think that with the amount that it is becoming more mainstream and easier to get food out and about that will lower. It's becoming easier and easier every year to be vegetarian/vegan and the numbers are up every time I see figures. Living here as a vegan is worlds different than it was even a few years ago, and as more products become available I think that will go further.

Washout · 08-10-2015 04:42PM

I was born vegetarian.

I am still alive

and bloods are always ok.

dont take supplements either

seamus · 08-10-2015 05:13PM

There's no reason why it can't be sustainable long-term in reality. As said, especially in Ireland and the UK there's now no end of veggie food around. But even in continental europe you'll find yourself better catered for. Thing is, it's not like an allergy - in a pinch you can still have a normal meal, just sans meat. Even if that means just having a plate of pasta in an Italian restaurant.

You hear of some people going back on meat for "health" reasons, and tbh most of the time this is because they're a little older and their doctor has told them their iron is low or something and that they need to give up the veggie diet. This is not an issue with the veggie or vegan diet, it's an issue of ignorance. In that many medical professionals' understanding of nutrition is pathetically poor, and even many vegetarians are "heart in the right place" kind of people who do their best but don't really understand what it is they're eating.
So when a doctor tells them their veggie diet is bad for them, they take his advice at face value. Thus builds up this idea that you can't get everything from a vegetarian diet and you can't keep it up into your senior years.

Tbh, the vast majority of people I've seen "fall off the wagon" are those who became vegetarian "for health reasons", or who went utterly crazy obsessed. In the former case, it's just like giving up takeaways or McDonalds for health reasons. Sure, you might stick to it most of the time, but if you're hungry and there's a McDonald's right there, well you're going to eat it. It's only once, what harm can it do.
If you're doing it for ideological reasons, it's far easier to just stay away, because you can't justify the, "It's grand just this once" attitude to yourself.

The people who go crazy obsessed in my experience are already pretty light or picky eaters, they go veggie (or often vegan), massively undereat and then find themselves with all sorts of health problems, and are told (of course) that they need to come off the veggie diet and eat some meat.

The fear/scare about vegetarianism is kind of bizarre. I've been veggie for 15 years, my wife for 28 years. Both of us are perfectly fine, bloods never revealed any problem (my iron and B12 in fact was slightly above average). Our daughter and two nephews being raised veggie from birth. Absolute monsters of children, no end of energy and brain power.
Yet we still have some family members talk about, "Oh, I've heard veggies risk <X>", or have medical professional purse their lips about it. Especially when you say you don't feed your children meat, you can see some people's brains break before your eyes, they can't comprehend it.

Mentalmiss · 10-10-2015 03:25PM

I have been veggie for 41 years and have never had a health problem. If you know of any one going back for health reasons suggest that they watch "uprooting the leading causes of death". I supplement B12 once a week (if I remember) and D in the winter since I gave up going to the sun. I have only been supplementing in the past few years so had at least 35 years with no B12 and sometimes think that I should have left it that way. The body has ways of learning and compensating. The body is wonderful at healing if you get out of it's way and let it get on with it.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 10-10-2015 06:59PM

Another born veggie here, I've been in pretty good health all my life.

I think it boils down to two things; motivation and education. Like seamus said above, if you feel very strongly that eating meat is wrong, you're pretty unlikely to start rationalising to yourself that it's ok to eat meat. If, on the other hand you became a vegetarian to impress a girl/because your friends were doing it/because you wanted to lose weight then you probably won't last the distance. It's increasingly easy to be vegetarian or vegan, but it's still not as easy as eating meat.

And as for education, if you just cut out meat and don't pay any attention to your nutrition, then you'll probably start feeling physically unwell after a while, and you might think this is down to a vegetarian diet full stop rather than your own completely inadequate vegetarian diet. There's a big overlap between the people who go veggie for faddy reasons and the ones who end up like this, in my experience.

milli milli · 07-11-2015 12:14PM

Hi everyone, thanks for all your replies and good to see so many long-term seemingly healthy vegetarians here.

You've probably read this article but it's interesting to see that it's not simply a question of ethics/health that some people have 'regressed'.
Actually a woman I know 'regressed' when she started her family because she didn't want to impose her beliefs on her children.

If I have children I intend to raise them vegetarian, there's no question otherwise. But there are always people who say I'm not fair imposing my beliefs. I always reply, that meat-eaters are imposing their beliefs on their children. As time goes by a meat-centred diet is proving to be an unhealthy & dangerous one anyway.

Oops almost forgot to post article!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/11/why-drunk-vegetarians-eat-meat.html

henryporter · 13-11-2015 06:21PM

milli milli wrote: »

Hi everyone, thanks for all your replies and good to see so many long-term seemingly healthy vegetarians here.

You've probably read this article but it's interesting to see that it's not simply a question of ethics/health that some people have 'regressed'.
Actually a woman I know 'regressed' when she started her family because she didn't want to impose her beliefs on her children.

If I have children I intend to raise them vegetarian, there's no question otherwise. But there are always people who say I'm not fair imposing my beliefs. I always reply, that meat-eaters are imposing their beliefs on their children. As time goes by a meat-centred diet is proving to be an unhealthy & dangerous one anyway.

Oops almost forgot to post article!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/11/why-drunk-vegetarians-eat-meat.html

The linked article starts with the banner headline "Would it shock you to learn that American vegetarians, on average, eat a serving of meat per day?" and then goes on to discuss how American vegetarians eat meat when drunk, ergo American vegetarians are drunk every day? Seems as ridiculous as the article itself :P

Is Long-term vegetarian/veganism sustainable?

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