Anyone a vegetarian or vegan?

[Akamu]

I was having a long discussion with a good friend of mine just last night. He has convinced/challenged my to become a vegetarian for as long as I can...and if I enjoy it, just to take up the lifestyle indefinitely. He was able to put forth several more reasons than I had thought possible for me to give it a shot. I found myself to be ignorant of many issues he brought to my attention. So far I have already noticed how much I take for granted what I eat. All my favorite foods seemed to revolve around meat. So if nothing else comes from this, at least I am far more mindful about what I eat now . Are there any other vegetarians out there who are much more experienced and will allow me to pick their brains for tips etc?

[the_aphid]

Originally Posted by Akamu

Are there any other vegetarians out there who are much more experienced and will allow me to pick their brains for tips etc?

I've been a vegetarian for about 4 years now, my girlfriend for over 10, and neither of us have encountered any problems. I'm actually considering going vegan, but that entails a much greater commitment than just dropping the meat. Eggs and dairy will be far harder for me to give up than any meat product.

I think one big reason people quickly deny the possibility of becoming a vegetarian, like I did for a number of years (similarly confronted by veggie-friends), is they think that 'it's not for me', or 'I love meat too much', or 'vegetarian meals can't be as tasty'. Basically they see it as too much of a sacrifice, too large of a lifestyle change. One thing that I learned is that your craving for meat subsides fairly quickly, and by branching out and trying anything and everything you will soon realize there are plenty of unbelievable and unparalleled dishes that do not contain meat. Now, obviously it takes some effort, some research, but so does any lifestyle change.

Also, you shouldn't feel that you need to 'try it once', and if you can't do it and end up caving and eating meat that it is all over and you shouldn't try again. What I did was cut out one thing at a time, starting with red meat, then pork, then seafood, and eventually chicken (that was the hardest for me). And this was over a period of about 6 months. More importantly than being a 'strict vegetarian' people should just be mindful of how much meat they consume, I mean to do you really need meat at every meal?

I suppose that is why many people try it and go back to their same old diet. It is too large of a change for the body to adapt to in an instant. You've been eating animal protein for umpteen years and then you just stop on one weekend...haha, good luck! Think of it like an addiction, quitting cold turkey can be hard (haha pun not intended), but a slow steady commitment of reduction can be much simpler.

[Akamu]

Yea, I understand that I should probably take it slow...but I felt very strongly about it after discussing it all with my friend. I am now 24 hours with no meat haha. I was never really addicted to meat per se...but I did enjoy it very much. I also did not realize that I did have it at almost every meal like you said. I see this as a grand opportunity to open many new doors. I am becoming more mindful about what I eat, I will be able to branch off into the endless variety other foods have to offer and partake in a much healthier diet, I am now upholding my moral and religious (if you call Buddhism a religion) obligations, among other things. I really don't forsee a problem. Becoming vegan however, that is quite a different story haha. My hat is off to you if you try it!

[the_aphid]

Originally Posted by Akamu

Yea, I understand that I should probably take it slow...but I felt very strongly about it after discussing it all with my friend. I am now 24 hours with no meat haha.

Well, best of luck. Two quick suggestions.

First, there are really only a couple of vitamins and minerals you need to concern yourself with when adopting a vegetarian diet. B12 is a given which I'm sure you're already aware of, but Vitamin C and Vitamin D appear to both be very important in the absorption of Iron. This is important because by adopting a vegetarian diet you can't exactly replace all the heme-iron (~40% in meat) with non-heme-iron (100% in plants) because they aren't equivalent, non-heme iron is less readily absorbed in the intestines. This is why many vegetarians become bewildered that their iron counts go down despite the fact that they are eating plenty of iron-rich foods, such as green leafy vegetables. It's not a huge concern though, it takes many years to develop any serious effects, such as anaemia, so as long as you get a physical once every year or two you can keep an eye on your iron.

Second, if you aren't too fond of tofu, try tempeh. Personally I prefer the latter as a 'meat-substitute'.

[Akamu]

Is there absolutely no way to substitute that iron found in the red meat? Also, is B12 available in any other sources or will I have to find a supplement?

[the_aphid]

Originally Posted by Akamu

Is there absolutely no way to substitute that iron found in the red meat? Also, is B12 available in any other sources or will I have to find a supplement?

There is no way to supplement it 'directly' without eating meat, from my understanding. But that doesn't mean your own body won't produce heme-iron from non-heme-iron. Heme-iron, if I remember correctly, is named because of its presence in hemoglobin (blood). It is responsible for carrying diatomic molecules (like O2 and N2) throughout the body. Similarly B12 is another compound only found in animals (or at least in significant amounts), but B12 is in eggs and dairy, so if you continue eating those you should be alright. The simplest thing to do I find is take a multivitamin and a B12 once a week, but really I don't even think that is necessary. Also, if you do that you want to be sure of the source of B12, some supplements out there are derived from meat products, which would really defeat your purpose. So you want to look for products where the B12 is provided by yeast (or something of the like). If you begin eating the plethora of vegetarian/vegan products like veggieburgers, soy milk, tofu, etc, most companies now enrich their products with iron and B12 because they are aware of the growing number of vegetarian diets, and concerns about proper nutrition.

[CSwriter1]

I wouldn't call myself a vegetarian, because I am not committed to being one, I just choose to limit my intake of meat. It is cheaper to eat tufu and safer too. I am really concerned about the starvation that is going on around the world, so I rather grains go directly to people, instead of being fed to animals that are then prepared as food. This isn't very efficient if we want to elimenate starvation.

By chance I discovered freezing tufu gives it more of a chicken like texture.

I really like a yam, potatoe, onion, celery, rasin and tufu dish I make.

I also like to mix my tufu with brewers yeast and use it as dip for crackers.

Thanks for the explanation of the difference in iron. I wondered why I would begin carving red meat, and feel better after eating it. I like a Ben Franklin saying- "Everything in moderation".

I actually really want to become a vegetarian, but I just can't stop eatting meat. I want to become one, because a lot of animals has been getting abused, and it's a soul too; and I don't want to hurt it.

Yet, people make it taste so good.

[Thomas Knierim]

I've been a vegetarian for quite precisely one year now. A meatless anniversary so to speak. I don't miss it at all.

What convinced me was my study of Hinduism. The Hindus got it right. It appeared to me that vegetarianism also makes perfect sense in a Buddhist context.

I am pretty sure that the_aphid's method of "gradual withdrawal" would not have worked for me. I had previously tried that unsuccessfully. So I just asked my wife: "Honey, would you mind cooking vegetarian food tomorrow (and for the rest of my life)?"

She didn't mind.

Cheers, Thomas

[Taeguk]

I seem to be headed in that direction. For over a year now the only meat I will eat is fish and other seafood (so I'm a pescetarian) and even that is not on an everyday basis. I have to say I don't really miss (terrestrial) meat at all, but I am something of a seafood fanatic so it will be difficult for me to give this up entirely. But baby steps, baby steps

I will also add that it is much easier (and healthier!) being a vegetarian on an Asian diet than it is on an American diet. I eat a lot of Indian food (my girlfriend is Indian) and we also cook Korean and sometimes Chinese food; there are a lot more delectable meatless options in these cuisines than in American food. If I were living in Asia, I imagine I probably could become a complete vegetarian (and who knows, I may become one yet).