What about vegetarian?!
What about vegetarian?
After seeing many of the horrible videos and pictures of the happenings at slaughterhouses, and the mistreatment of all animals alike, it has caused me to seriously consider going vegetarian. My science teacher is vegetarian, and she has said that it is a wonderful alternative, however I have a few problems as to why not. I really want to, but is it healthy? I am not underweight, but I am skinnier than most, and I have heard that it makes you drop some weight. Would going vegetarian be bad for me? Also, I am Catholic, and in the Bible, God has said that he placed animals on Earth specifically for us to eat and survive on. If I go vegetarian, would that breaking what God wants us to do? Also, it would be so hard for me to give up meat all together, because I LOVE KFC, bacon, and cheeseburgers. Any tips? What kind of balanced diet would I have to follow each day to stay healthy and not lose weight? If you are a vegetarian, or if you have any answers to these questions, please post!
Answers:
Vegetarianism is very healthy. It's a lot lower in cholesterol and you can still get all your protein. Tofu, veggie burgers, nuts, beans, and meat substitutes are all great protein sources. Everything else you eat like normal. You just don't eat meat. I used to be a huge meat lover, but now I'm a vegan. I went vegetarian cold turkey and then went vegan about a month later, but you could gradually take meat out of your diet. I didn't experience any weight loss when I gave up meat; I actually gained about three pounds...partly because I did it wrong the first time and started resorting to junk food(especially oreos and ice cream when I went vegetarian). The whole weight loss thing all depends on how you do it.
A Typical Vegetarian Menu:
BREAKFAST:
Cheese Omelette with toast
OR
Bagel with Cream Cheese
Milk/Juice/Water
LUNCH:
Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich
Chips/Crackers
Apple/Orange/Banana
Granola bar
Celery
Any kind of drink
DINNER:
Veggie Burger/Tofu with barbecue sauce
Beans
Veggies
Water/Juice/Milk/Soda
One of my favorites before I went vegan was to mix some tabasco sauce, cheese, and taco seasoning into pinto beans and make a really good spicy burrito.
As long as you don't eat mainly junk food and carbs and if you make sure you get enough protein in your diet, yes, vegetarianism can be a very balanced diet. And if you slowly give up meat and still eat a little junk food, you'll most likely avoid losing weight. For every person that loses weight upon giving up meat, theres someone else who gains a little and someone else who stays the same.
Good luck!
Why not just take it slow and maybe try going without meat one or two days and see how it goes? I've been on a vegetarian diet for over a year now and haven't lost any weight (what can I say, I love bread!) but I've never felt better in a long time.
That is untrue; God never said he put animals on the earth to be eaten.
There is only one place that God ever told humans what to eat, and that can be found in Genesis 1:28. He told Adam and Eve to be vegans:
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
im catholic too and i was in the same path as yours. the difference is i choose to be veg. the only prob now is slowly eliminate my need for meat. i only eat white meat now, pork sumtimes. no more beef or goat.
im working on pork and maybe chicken someday.
well.....i am a BIG eater and food adventurer and cuisine hunter. i still amazed how i could eliminate beef and have no more appetite for it.
some ppl says veg is not healthy but i dont really see the "not healthy " part abt being a veg as long as you maintain balanced meal.
i haev heard about the benefit of being a vegetarian and its true tough. but never really proven the unhealthy part of it.
one of my friend with low blood level have harder time to be a veg.
i asked abt this to my veg miling list and the low blodded (rate??) ppl should chew ginger to get their normal blood level back.
one of my other friend being a veg OVERNIGHT i tried tghis but it never works out well so i keep everything slow and eliminate meat until i ready for eliminating the next kind of meat.
i now set my bar to eat seafood only. if i can give up chicken and prok it will be great , but for now i dont think i can go further.
i mean set your standard close enough .
if i could i want to be a vegan too, but hey, i still eat pork sumtimes , lol.
actually being a veg nowadays isnt really abt not eating the meat itself, its about not taking part in the horror factory farm.
human being might eat meat ...maybe...but they should respect the animals. human being already take their lives why they should suffer them too?
im sure you have seen the farm condition and everything.
i once read a book about the lives of tibetan people. they only eat meat whenever they found died animal like oxen falling from the cliff, stuff like that but they dont really kill or even breed the animals.
well.....to eat farmed animals is worst. hunting is a lil better option ( but no hunting for fun and make it quick) and waiting animals to die naturally is better, and best to save them and not letting them die.
have u heard abt freedom food? if not, open rspca.org.uk and read it there.
i might still eat meat ( well...maybe white meat only) produced by humane farming.
hope it helps and good luck!
Being veg is totally liberating. You should have no problem getting all your nutrients from plant sources. The FDA has even approved a vegan diet as nutritionally sound for every stage of development including pregnancy and infancy. The most important thing to remember is eat salad every day. Fresh, raw vegetables and fruit give you tons of energy. Plus, greens are high in complete protein as well as calcium and iron. Just take it slow. Be easy on yourself and do what feels right. Don't forget to do your research. You may want to check out rawfamily.com for some advice from teens who have been vegan for over ten years.