Going vegan/vegetarian

I haven't eaten meat in a few days, and I'm thinking I'm actually going to stick to it (I drove behind a truck FILLED with chickens on Friday and it really upset me). I'm also sort of considering going vegan (they're increasing the number of vegan foods they make, which makes it easier, I think)--but I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up cheese, so I might stick to being vegetarian.

Do you all have any tips for people planning on going vegetarian/vegan? Anything I might need to know?

Also--are there any decent cheese substitutes? I'm assuming we're getting closer to having a vegan/vegetarian substitute for everything--with technology getting better. I had some DELICIOUS meatless chicken patties tonight for dinner.

Thanks in advance!

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When I was 14, I went vegetarian overnight. Literally. I ate a bunch of pork the night before, but even after that I was fine.

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There are vegan cheese substitutes, but they are the very devil themselves. I managed to go full-on vegan for a while very easily (helps that meat, fish, and cheese are much more expensive than veggies, pulses, and pasta), but it was an accident more than anything and once I realised how much I did not like the vegan cheese substitutes, I went to pescetarianism (I also missed fish XD).

It's very easy to go vegetarian. Just stop buying meat and it'll follow. As long as you enjoy fruit and veggies, you'll be fine. You'll probably want to make an extra effort to definitely get protein into your diet, and don't forget to check candy ingredients for gelatine, but it really is very very simple to put into practice.

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Beans and nuts will become your friend.

I found becoming vegetarian very easy. Though you'll want to take your time to research and discover where meat sometimes hides (for example, a lot of brands of yogurt use gelatin.) The more difficult part was telling my family and boyfriend at the time. I was concerned that they were not going to be terribly supportive, but it all worked out fine in the end.

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I went veggie 13 years ago (also b/c of one of those propaganda films about animal cruelty) and I haven't missed anything for even a second.
There are several companies that make "fake" chicken and beef, and you wouldn't even know the difference.

Regarding cheese, kosher brands don't have that preservative that
is derived from stomach lining, so they're good. They're not vegan (only organic cheese will ever be vegan) but they are vegetarian.
Miller's is an excellent brand.



Q, I absolutely agree that we were meant to be carnivores. It's just a personal choice of mine.

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True, Stagey - which is why I've been known to eat almost anything

I'm not a vegetarian but have a close friend who is and he once said "I used to go crazy with details and rules (like the 'cruelty free' cheese Taz mentioned), and then I realized no one cares what I eat but me. I like Cheese, so I eat it. I don't like Meat so I don't." He was very happy and healthy eating as he pleased once he stopped worrying about what was acceptable as a "Vegan" or Vegetarian.

Updated On: 8/13/09 at 10:42 AM

Whole Foods carries some great, but pricey, meat alternatives. They have some veggie "chicken" wings that are heaven!

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Because of some of my own dietary restrictions, I've cut red-meat out of my life, and stick to the free-range chicken and turkey (I think the term is polloterian.)

Also, and I may be really wrong, I thought vegetarians only cut out meats. Animal products were still ok, it was just meat that wasn't.

And be very very careful about going vegan. A friend of mine converted over and it was...a nightmare. She was very unlenient towards parties (Where communal food was less vegan-friendly), or even going out to eat.

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I've been vegetarian for over 5 years, and keeping up protein is definitely your biggest concern. All of the suggestions above are really good, and as Joe and Kathy have noted, there's no need to get too caught up in labels. Determine the intersection of your taste, health, and/or ethical reasons for going vegetarian - keep what you need to stay healthy and eliminate things you can do without.

People are free to eat whatever they want and in our identity-based culture I guess they're free to call themselves whatever they want or invent new words to capture their experiences accurately, but if you eat fish you're not a vegetarian.

Also, I understand the appeal to some people of the "we're 'meant' to eat meat" argument and the teeth evidence that allegedly supports this, but we're "meant" to do all sorts of things. We're "meant" to stalk, kill, slaughter and prepare the dead animal flesh we're "meant" to eat, we're "meant" to walk on all fours which is why chronic back pain is endemic among homo sapiens, we're "meant" to die by our 30s, which is why these fabulous teeth that are ever so obviously designed specifically because we're "meant" to eat meat almost universally start falling out and end up needing professional intervention to function by our fourth decade.

I think it's worth looking at giving up consuming dead animals not just because of the positive health outcomes that result for most people, but because it's better for the planet. The earth simply can't support the rapacious carnivorediet of it's human inhabitants.

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Updated On: 8/13/09 at 12:59 PM

Namo, are you saying there won't be enough cows, chickens and fish?

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Fresh and Easy sodium free black beans and cheese. Yum. Yogurt is also an excellent source of protein, oddly the Kroger band at 9% has far more than most of the name brands than only range from 4-6%.

Alas, may have to resign myself to eating meat during basic training...yuck.

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