How can I become a vegetarian[please read the details]?!
I have been reading a lot about slaughter and animal cruelty and I would really want to become vegetarian!. However, I have tried this in the past and found it nearly impossible! My favorite foods are basically all meats and I don't really like vegetabless!. But I really want to be vegetarian because I find it sickening how meat is made! So does anyone have any advice to becoming vegetarian!? also my mom doesn't want me to be vegetarian because she says I am under-nourished already and that I need meat my diet!.She says that "humans were meant to eat meat"!. I strongly disagree with her though, so how can I become vegetarian!?Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
I'm vegetarian and my husband isn't!. My son said that he couldn't become vegetarian for the same reason as you!. He changed his mind when he saw the frightened cattle being loaded onto a truck for slaughter!. Every time he went to eat meat, he imagined the animals and couldn't eat meat!. He soon learnt to love vegetables!.
If you have a craving for meat, most vegetarian Chinese/ Vietnamese restaurants serve vegetarian 'meats and fish'!. I don't know how they are made, but they taste very like the real thing but contain no animal products!. You can buy this frozen in some Chinese food stores!. The Buddhist monks serve it to meat eating visitors so that they don't upset them by serving food that they don't like!.
Seitan is made from gluten and tastes rather like meat!. Some health food shops stock it!. If you want to make it there are numerous recipies on the internet!. Try http://www!.vrg!.org/recipes/vjseitan!.htm
When you are first changing to vegetarian, you might find that you need lots of eggs and dairy!. That's fine!. Later on you might even cut that out too, but if you do you will need B12 tablets as, despite what some people say, you can't get that if you don't eat any animal products!.
As for your Mum, there is lots of research that shows that vegetarian cooking is far more healthy than meat!. Find some on the internet or in books and show it to your mum!. Perhaps you are undernourished because you don't enjoy the food that you eat, or feel guilty about eating it!. If you ate food with a clear conscience, you would enjoy it more and so become better nourished!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
If you have a craving for meat, most vegetarian Chinese/ Vietnamese restaurants serve vegetarian 'meats and fish'!. I don't know how they are made, but they taste very like the real thing but contain no animal products!. You can buy this frozen in some Chinese food stores!. The Buddhist monks serve it to meat eating visitors so that they don't upset them by serving food that they don't like!.
Seitan is made from gluten and tastes rather like meat!. Some health food shops stock it!. If you want to make it there are numerous recipies on the internet!. Try http://www!.vrg!.org/recipes/vjseitan!.htm
When you are first changing to vegetarian, you might find that you need lots of eggs and dairy!. That's fine!. Later on you might even cut that out too, but if you do you will need B12 tablets as, despite what some people say, you can't get that if you don't eat any animal products!.
As for your Mum, there is lots of research that shows that vegetarian cooking is far more healthy than meat!. Find some on the internet or in books and show it to your mum!. Perhaps you are undernourished because you don't enjoy the food that you eat, or feel guilty about eating it!. If you ate food with a clear conscience, you would enjoy it more and so become better nourished!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Nutritionally and chemically protein is protein!. Its all the same stuff regardless of it being complete or incomplete!. A vegetarian diet has both!.
Edit: Nutritionally, it don't matter much where you get your vitamins and minerals from as long as you get all the vitamins and minerals you need!. You can get them from fruit, vegetables, a combination of both, or something else!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Edit: Nutritionally, it don't matter much where you get your vitamins and minerals from as long as you get all the vitamins and minerals you need!. You can get them from fruit, vegetables, a combination of both, or something else!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
two days ago, i just decided to become a vegetarian!. i went to the grocery store yesterday, and there where MANY vegetarian meats, that taste excatly like the real meat, and are made from soy!. i also went to the library and found several vegetarian cookbooks!. i don't like many veggies either!.i took out the veggies that i didnt like and it tasted very good! i really encorage you to become a vegetarian!.
hope i helped=] i hope you do become a vegetarian- it's great!. i've never felt so healthy!. also, check out this website- it really helped me with nutrition!.
www!.vegsoc!.orgWww@FoodAQ@Com
hope i helped=] i hope you do become a vegetarian- it's great!. i've never felt so healthy!. also, check out this website- it really helped me with nutrition!.
www!.vegsoc!.orgWww@FoodAQ@Com
i used to have the same logic as you, but now that my tastes have changed i love veggies that i hated before!.
i used to hate mushrooms, peas, soy beans, etc!.
people always says: EWW, SOY!? that's gross!!
but what they don't realize is soy is almost every processed food they eat!.
you can get all of your essential nutrients from plants!.
protein can come from both plants and animals!.
animals are sources for complete proteins!.
plants are sources for incomplete proteins!.
to get all essential amino acids you must vary your consumption of plant sources!.
iron can come from bread!.
b vitamins can come from mushrooms or veggies!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
i used to hate mushrooms, peas, soy beans, etc!.
people always says: EWW, SOY!? that's gross!!
but what they don't realize is soy is almost every processed food they eat!.
you can get all of your essential nutrients from plants!.
protein can come from both plants and animals!.
animals are sources for complete proteins!.
plants are sources for incomplete proteins!.
to get all essential amino acids you must vary your consumption of plant sources!.
iron can come from bread!.
b vitamins can come from mushrooms or veggies!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
It's nice that you want to be a vegetarian! Have you checked out any other reasons to be veggie, like the environment and health!?!?
Advice!? Hmmm!.!.!. Fistly, eat lots of protein from eggs, dairy, nuts, and tofu or legumes/beans!. Secondly, eat lots of vegetables and fruits!. They're an acquired taste!. But I'd go with fruit!. if you dont like vegetables, just blend them all with strong fruits until you get a fruti-flavored vegetable gunk!. yummy!. :)
Tell your mom that vegetarians are not malnourished and that she has a stereotyped, generalized idea of what vegetarians are!. you dont *need* meat!.
And for the "humans meant to
eat animals" thing, check this out, and scroll down to my answer:
http://answers!.yahoo!.com/question/index;!.!.!.
Check out my sources for other helpful things that my help you with your arguments!. Show some to your mom!.
Being a vegetarian is lot of fun!. It has pushed me to learn new things (cooking for myself, read recipes), and now I probably know more about vitamins, phytonutrients, minerals, protein and nutritional content than any other guy at my school!. It has also given me a chance to experience new foods like tofu and foreign cuisines that I would have never tried before had I stayed a meat-eater!. You try it, you'll feel better with yourself!.
Peace!Www@FoodAQ@Com
Advice!? Hmmm!.!.!. Fistly, eat lots of protein from eggs, dairy, nuts, and tofu or legumes/beans!. Secondly, eat lots of vegetables and fruits!. They're an acquired taste!. But I'd go with fruit!. if you dont like vegetables, just blend them all with strong fruits until you get a fruti-flavored vegetable gunk!. yummy!. :)
Tell your mom that vegetarians are not malnourished and that she has a stereotyped, generalized idea of what vegetarians are!. you dont *need* meat!.
And for the "humans meant to
eat animals" thing, check this out, and scroll down to my answer:
http://answers!.yahoo!.com/question/index;!.!.!.
Check out my sources for other helpful things that my help you with your arguments!. Show some to your mom!.
Being a vegetarian is lot of fun!. It has pushed me to learn new things (cooking for myself, read recipes), and now I probably know more about vitamins, phytonutrients, minerals, protein and nutritional content than any other guy at my school!. It has also given me a chance to experience new foods like tofu and foreign cuisines that I would have never tried before had I stayed a meat-eater!. You try it, you'll feel better with yourself!.
Peace!Www@FoodAQ@Com
Spinach will become your god!. Spinach will become your new potato chips, and peanut butter your new ice cream!.
TEMPEH!. I can't believe no one has mentioned this - last night I just poured a cup of BBQ sauce over some sliced tempeh!. It's soybeans fermented!.!.!.I know it sounds gross and meat eaters would be like "ewww, crazy vegetarians" but suck it up, cause it's delish!.
One thing most people don't think about is sweet potatoes!. Only around this time of year do people remember this fabulous, nutritionally dense food exists!. It's filling, so good for you, and with a little teriyaki sauce/curry powder/nutritional yeast, it's a savory as a chicken/beef/pork whatever!.
The best thing about being a veggie is that you are constantly thinking 'damn, am I getting all my B-vitamins!? How about my iron!?' and then you google and get lots of fun ideas on how to obtain them!. Suddenly you'll be thinking seaweed!.!.!.!.!.dates!.!.!.!.!.polenta!.!.!.!.quinoa!.!.!.!. you would have never come in contact with when you just ate meat, and are totally delicious and not that expensive!.
I wish you luck - it's a fun way to live!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
TEMPEH!. I can't believe no one has mentioned this - last night I just poured a cup of BBQ sauce over some sliced tempeh!. It's soybeans fermented!.!.!.I know it sounds gross and meat eaters would be like "ewww, crazy vegetarians" but suck it up, cause it's delish!.
One thing most people don't think about is sweet potatoes!. Only around this time of year do people remember this fabulous, nutritionally dense food exists!. It's filling, so good for you, and with a little teriyaki sauce/curry powder/nutritional yeast, it's a savory as a chicken/beef/pork whatever!.
The best thing about being a veggie is that you are constantly thinking 'damn, am I getting all my B-vitamins!? How about my iron!?' and then you google and get lots of fun ideas on how to obtain them!. Suddenly you'll be thinking seaweed!.!.!.!.!.dates!.!.!.!.!.polenta!.!.!.!.quinoa!.!.!.!. you would have never come in contact with when you just ate meat, and are totally delicious and not that expensive!.
I wish you luck - it's a fun way to live!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
You say you don't like vegetables!. First, please look at how the vegetables you've eaten were prepared!. Were they canned!? Boiled to absolute and utter death!? Almost nothing tastes good like that!. I personally do not like the taste of many cooked veggies, I like to eat them raw!.
Second, do your research!. You can go to eatright!.org (the website of the Americian Dietetic Association) or find books at your local library at vegetarian diets for young people!. Find out about good plant-based protein, and assure her you'll take a multivitamin!.
Thirdly, do your research on why "humans were made to eat meat!." Is your mom's position religious or secular!? If she's coming from a Western (judeo-chrisitian) religious perspective, then remind her that in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were vegetarians!. Death (and meat eating) happened only due to the Fall, and God gave permission for humans to eat meat after the Flood (when it was likely that most of the plants hadn't grown back yet)!.
If she has a secular perspective, remind her that humans are genetically the most similar to primates (apes and chimpanzees) who eat plants!. also, almost all of the major health problems facing Americans, such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes, are tied to too much meat in the diet!. You can't find one qualified nutritionist who will tell you to eat less fruits and vegetables and more meat (most of them agree the Atkins diet is stupid)!.
Be polite, and respect her right to make her own choices, and she'll be more likely to respect yours!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
Second, do your research!. You can go to eatright!.org (the website of the Americian Dietetic Association) or find books at your local library at vegetarian diets for young people!. Find out about good plant-based protein, and assure her you'll take a multivitamin!.
Thirdly, do your research on why "humans were made to eat meat!." Is your mom's position religious or secular!? If she's coming from a Western (judeo-chrisitian) religious perspective, then remind her that in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were vegetarians!. Death (and meat eating) happened only due to the Fall, and God gave permission for humans to eat meat after the Flood (when it was likely that most of the plants hadn't grown back yet)!.
If she has a secular perspective, remind her that humans are genetically the most similar to primates (apes and chimpanzees) who eat plants!. also, almost all of the major health problems facing Americans, such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes, are tied to too much meat in the diet!. You can't find one qualified nutritionist who will tell you to eat less fruits and vegetables and more meat (most of them agree the Atkins diet is stupid)!.
Be polite, and respect her right to make her own choices, and she'll be more likely to respect yours!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com