Practicing vegetarian

[claudiadee]

Hi everyone. I am new here. I am new to the vegetarian world. I am a figure competitor and I am doing this as an experiment. So far it’s been great. Anyone else have good experiences being vegetarian?

[benwl]

I've been vegetarian for over twenty years and vegan for the last two.

It's great, and theres certainly nothing bad about it.

The only difficulty I have as a vegan is when eating out, as not all restaurants have vegan options but fortunately this changing.

But note that eating meat is normative in many cultures, with the result that some people see vegans in particular as weird or peculiar and spread misinformation about it.

[BadHare in reply to benwl]

Someone on the PA forum had a poke at someone famous, for going vegan. It really p****s me off that people get uppity about a plant based diet, & assume it’s going to cause issues for people, especially when it’s none of their business!

Kefir aside, I usually only eat cheese when I’m out, or use it sparingly as a seasoning.

[benwl in reply to BadHare]

I know

No one asks meat eaters "where do you get your protein" or "how do you get enough vitamins"

There was a nice cartoon about this i saw posted once, i'll try and find it again.

[BadHare in reply to benwl]

I don’t mind people asking out of curiosity. It’s the ones that are aggressive about my diet that bother me, or that prophesise nutritional doom. I’ve also met a few aggressive vegans, & very few that do look poorly, though not as many as the general meat eating population. A morbidly obese relative who’d had a stroke & cancer twice before she was 50, brought bacon sandwiches to my veggie birthday party.

Some people don’t understand what protein is. I’ve been fed meals with just the veg & no apology for not knowing what to feed me.

[Rignold Keto in reply to benwl]

No one asks meat eaters "where do you get your protein"

There is probably a reason for this

[andyswarbs in reply to Rignold]

Though no-one in the general population EVER knows how much protein the human body needs. They ask the question because they are sold a myth that the body needs more protein, more protein. Yes the body needs some but not a lot. In fact a lower amount of protein is associated with longevity. Who would not wish to love longer?

A much better question would be, "are you getting enough calories?"

[Rignold Keto in reply to andyswarbs]

There are few people in Western society who are not getting enough calories

[andyswarbs in reply to Rignold]

Yes but calorie counting is touted as a way of reducing weight, and we do have an increasingly obese society. So presumably more people will be encouraged to reduce their calories when it is totally unnecessary, especially with a healthier version of a vegan diet.

[BadHare in reply to andyswarbs]

I prefer: "are you getting enough micronutrients?"

[BadHare]

I’ve been vegetarian for 30 years. If you haven’t looked yet, The Vegetarian, & Vegan societies are both very good resources for nutrition & recipe advice. There are several local social groups where I live, you might find joining one is useful for sharing information, even if you don’t want to be involved socially.

There are lots of good books available. I still use Sarah Brown’s, & Cranks as my favourite resources. They’re still available second hand.

Get in touch if you need any advice.

Mel

[Agoodenough]

Hi I have been vegetarian for 10 years. Now vegan for the last two. I have had no problems being wholefood vegan whether eating in or out. Since being vegan I have more mental clarity and energy than I have ever had in my life. I would recommend it to anyone. X

[deejames]

Being vegetarian is much easier now than it was 10 years ago. My thinking is that everyone should be eating less meat or none at all. Our planet cannot support meat production at present rates. It's detrimental in so many ways

It does take a little more planning and definately more preparation and cooking than a largely meat diet but the rewards are large.

Don't just cut out meat, without restructuring the way you eat. That's the way to health problems. Take advice and find recipes and meal ideas and menu planning on line or through cookery books. Most libraries have good selections. Think world cooking. Many societies and areas of the world have largely plant based diets.

Hope you enjoy your 'experiment' and that it leads you to at least reducing your meat consumption long term

Dee

[claudiadee in reply to deejames]

Thank you. Yes I have been doing a lot of research and making sure I’m in tune with my body to understand the symptoms.

[deejames in reply to claudiadee]

Sorry. What do you mean by'symptoms'?

[claudiadee]

That’s understandable. I have patients that have diabetes.