vegetarians.

[VioletetchiGirl101]

Is anyone on here vegetarian? Lately i've been really wanting to go veg but my parents love meat so its kinda hard. Any helpful tips?

 

[mew0099]

I'm a vegetarian and I have been for about a year.

[My friends think I'm psycho/too young though]

The tip I thought was the most useful:

Remember that the meat used to be a real, living animal.

Then you kind of go 'ICK' and stop eating the meat.

 

[adamshines]

I am a vegetarian as well, although I tend to follow more of a vegan diet (no animal by-products). Eating vegetarian can be good for someone's overall health, however there are some drawbacks. I have a few questions as to why you want to switch to a vegetarian diet:

1. What's the main reason for your diet switch? Do you not like the taste of meat? Is it a diet decision? Do you not like eating animals?

2. Have you checked with a nutritionist to see if a vegetarian diet is proper for your body/blood type and/or physical lifestyle? Not everyone can benefit from a vegetarian diet due to many different kinds of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

3. The biggest change in switching to a vegetarian diet (besides not eating meat) is lack of protein. Have you researched methods to substitute your new protein intake?

I've been a vegetarian since 2006 - and although I love the lifestyle change - it was difficult for me to switch because I didn't do proper research before changing my diet. I found myself craving foods that were rich in carbs and salt when instead I could have been taking a supplement to balance by body properly.

I'd like to hear more about your reasons to switching to a vegetarian diet!

 

[TamaMum]

graficks has outlined some pretty sound advice there - worth thinking about carefully

He is right when he says that it is not something you just go ahead and do. It does require quite hard work and requires you to learn about good nutrition. Don't expect to pick up all the important stuff from a tamagotchi fan site

Do your research. Learn about vegetarianism and try to map out what you think would be a realistic menu of meals for a week's eating. If nothing else, at thirteen years old you are going to have to reassure your parents that you know how to eat healthily if you are going to persuade them to let you give up meat without any big confrontations or dramas.

Here is a link to a useful site: https://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vegetarian.html - there are loads of others on line too - but be sure not just about why you want to become a vegetarian but also how you can become one. It's not just the health questions, but also the practical questions - like, are you able to cook for yourself? are you hoping your parents will have enough time / money to cook for themselves and also cook a vegetarian alternative for you too? If both parents work hard, it's sometimes a big ask to expect them to work harder when they get home in the evenings too...

No one is going to wave a magic wand - it takes quite a lot of effort by you and your family - but as graficks says, it can be rewarding too. Just be sure about how practical it is right now

 

[VioletetchiGirl101]

thanks guys

answers:

1. What's the main reason for your diet switch? Do you not like the taste of meat? Is it a diet decision? Do you not like eating animals? i hate the thought of eating a poor innocent animal. and i also just recently watched food inc at school and it kinda made me gag at the thought of eating meat.

2. Have you checked with a nutritionist to see if a vegetarian diet is proper for your body/blood type and/or physical lifestyle? Not everyone can benefit from a vegetarian diet due to many different kinds of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. no...

3. The biggest change in switching to a vegetarian diet (besides not eating meat) is lack of protein. Have you researched methods to substitute your new protein intake? yes.

i know its a big change, believe me, i have a few close friends that dont eat meat and it inspired me, especially after watching food inc and seeing everything that they did to cute little animals. now i know why u guys do it. i want the change. thanks guys

 

[kk445]

I try to eat meat as little as possible, and now I only eat chicken once a month. I want to be a vegetarian because of my love for animals and I just hate thinking of the process they have to go through. My mom kinda accepts the fact I dont like what animals go through, and she always offers me different food when we have meat for dinner. She gets stuff like meatless meatballs if we are having spaghetti or whatever. I actually cooked tofu nuggets this weekend. My best advice is just to look for alternatives. Theres many meat substitutes out there, and you can just ask your parents "hey, lets try this." no harm in that, right?

 

[paislypuppy]

3 of my best friends are vegetarians, but I could never be one. I love meat too much. I respect the decision to become one though, so if you want to be vegetarian, go for it. I guess it does have some health benefits as long as you eat protein and stuff. But I'd say if someone likes meat, they should eat it. It's hard not to feel bad for the animals, but remember, humans are omnivores and are meant to eat meat as well.

 

[VioletetchiGirl101]

thanks everyone

 

[adamshines]

Your welcome! I hope your diet decision works well for you - if planned properly it can result in many good changes to your mind, body and soul

 

[dazzilitchigirl]

If you really want to make your mind up, do some research on how the animals are killed and what kind of lives they have. Never feel under pressure to follow a trend; don't become vegetarian if you do not strongly believe that it is wrong to kill and animal to eat. There's just something I have to ask all vegetarians...

If you claim to be vegetarian and are to your knowledge and then you tread on an ant and kill it, are you still a true vegetarian?

95% of the people I asked said yes, but I say no. There are three types of being vegetarian:

A: Part-time vegetarian. You eat a bit of meat occasionally, or you eat fish but not mammals.

B: Food vegetarian. You don't eat meat, but you will happily handle it and even kill animals. Yes, treading on insects counts. If you ever bike over/tread on any insect on purpose, you're this type of vegetarian.

C: True vegetarian. You won't eat or kill any animals and you will discourage others from eating and killing animals.

 

[adamshines]

If you really want to make your mind up, do some research on how the animals are killed and what kind of lives they have. Never feel under pressure to follow a trend; don't become vegetarian if you do not strongly believe that it is wrong to kill and animal to eat. There's just something I have to ask all vegetarians...

If you claim to be vegetarian and are to your knowledge and then you tread on an ant and kill it, are you still a true vegetarian?

95% of the people I asked said yes, but I say no. There are three types of being vegetarian:

A: Part-time vegetarian. You eat a bit of meat occasionally, or you eat fish but not mammals.

B: Food vegetarian. You don't eat meat, but you will happily handle it and even kill animals. Yes, treading on insects counts. If you ever bike over/tread on any insect on purpose, you're this type of vegetarian.

C: True vegetarian. You won't eat or kill any animals and you will discourage others from eating and killing animals.

Dazzilitchigirl - I think you're on the right track with your classifications of vegetarianism, but there are so many different aspects of culture, diet and other influences that define what a vegetarian is. One's perception of true vegetarianism may strongly differ from someone else's. The dictionary definition of a vegetarian is a diet with the absence of meat, poultry, and fish. Vegetarianism generally revolves around a diet, not lifestyle. What you describe as true vegetarian sounds closer to a Vegan lifestyle description; which excludes all animal flesh and animal products, including milk, honey, and eggs, and may also exclude any products tested on animals, or any clothing from animals.

I would recommend reading THIS for anyone who is interested in pursuing a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle or diet. The link TamaMum provided in her posting above is also very excellent for those looking to learn more about the benefits and lifestyle changes that vegetarianism can bring.

 

[PokemonKid]

Although I am a meat and plant eater(man, I make myself sound like a dinosaur) I support your choice in becoming a vegetarian. I don't have friends who are vegetarian, but most of them are trying to go.

 

[Violetchilluvr3]

Ironically, I watched food inc today and am disgusted. I want to be a vegetarian but my mom's all worried that I won't get enough protein and shes' gonna have to cook seperately for me, and she hates that.

I'm going to do research and check it out.

 

[Graycefox]

Is it hard being vegetarian? It seems as though it would be hard:[