Hey there...I'm a student currently doing a project on vegetarianism and i hope all of you vegetarians here could please do me a favour by shedding some light on some of these questions... 1. When you started adopting vegetarianism and why you did it. 2. How difficult it was to make that transition, and how difficult it was to stick to it? 3. How long do you take preparing your food? 4. Did you ever have any meat cravings? 5.What is your daily meal pattern like(eg ya 3 meals)? 6. How do you think vegetarianism has improved your lives? 7. Do you plan your diet? If so, how do you do so? Thanks so much for ya help!
1. 26th June 2003 (have it written down lol) Made the switch mainly for animal rights and eviromental reasons. The health benefits sounded good too. 2. Not difficult, I'd wanted to do it for a while. Then just thought 'enough' and stopped. Was so motivated by that to start with, then after a while just couldn't consider meat as a food. Never really had any trouble sticking with it, went from fired up determination to it just becoming part of my life. 3. Whatever the 'average' time is, really don't know. 4. One time stranded at a KFC in the middle of Poland, so hungry and tired I would have eaten almost anything. Didn't though. Would feel so weak and guilty that I couldn't do it. 5. Three meals, and plenty of little snacks in between. Left to my own devises I'd just snack all day. 6. My life has vastly improved over the last two years anyway, so it's hard to tell. I enjoy having met like minded people, and having a defining passion and way of life. 7. Making a shopping list That's as far as I plan anything. Hope that helps, good luck with your project.
1. I became a vegan (straight from omnivore to vegan) in September 2004. I did it because I seek to be as moral as I can possibly be. 2. I found it very easy to make the transition, and only slightly more difficult to stick to it. It's been easy for me, but that may not be the same for others. 3. Not longer than I used to. I can prepare and eat a bowl of cereal in 5 minutes, or stick some food in the microwave for 5. Occasionally I make rice, which takes 10 to 15 minutes. 4. No. I won't say I dislike the taste of meat, but I dislike the prospect of eating it. The taste is good, the implications are bad; that is why I am a vegan. 5. Cereal in the morning (or sporadically throughout the day), rice and/or microwave vegan meals for lunch and/or dinner. That's typically what it is at least. 6. Being vegan has added a whole new perspective to my life; how I view morality, how I view torture and cruelty, and has helped shape a philosophy of mine: Live life to the fullest, but only if it is not at the expense of others. 7. No, I don't plan my diet. I eat what is available, and what is not previously living or derived from something living.
1. thanks giving when I was 13, so i guess it would have been october of 2001 (Canadian thanks giving heh) 2. I actually didn't think the transition was that hard, I just kinda dropped meat altogether one day. Sticking to it wasn't too bad either, occasionally I'd be tempted but I didn't give in to it. 3. No longer than I used to, depends what I'm eating. generally less than 10 minutes. 4. For sure I did, but there's an insane amount of fake meat that helped me through those. 5. generally 2 meals a day (I can't eat breakfast, I get up too early and it makes me nautious), and then I snack a bit in between 6. It's improved my life a lot, I try a whole lot of new foods now and I feel healthier and I don't feel guilty eating veggies. It's also really nice when you find other veggies to talk to, it gives you some good conversation. 7. I don't plan my diet, I'm a bit too sporadic for that.
1. When you started adopting vegetarianism and why you did it. 2001. Some idiot bet me a dollar that I couldn't do it. 2. How difficult it was to make that transition, and how difficult it was to stick to it? Pretty easy. I'm weird about bets. 3. How long do you take preparing your food? How long does it take to peel an orange? 4. Did you ever have any meat cravings? Yes, the first few months. Cheese cravings lasted a bit longer. Damn those Pizza Hut commercials. Damn damn them to hell. 5.What is your daily meal pattern like(eg ya 3 meals)? Avg: 2 meals/day. 6. How do you think vegetarianism has improved your lives? Health - improved muscle tone, increased stamina, no illness in the past 2 years, no headaches (er... hangovers not included) Attitude - I'm not a friggin wuss like I used to be Acuity - improved memory, language skills and... improved memory. 7. Do you plan your diet? If so, how do you do so? Nah.
1. When you started adopting vegetarianism and why you did it. 1980. Interest in Eastern Religions & the transfer of souls. Learned of ecological/hunger issues a couple years later. Organics a few years after that, and health almost from the beginning. Now focusing on local and seasonal agriculture. For the record, I'm lacto at home will eat eggs in a pinch, don't like them. 2. How difficult it was to make that transition, and how difficult it was to stick to it? the transition was harder on a cultural level: the food holidays and social components were hardest. as for a plate, 'twas easy, although I did once spread a bagel with A-1 steak sauce and make a sandwich from that. 3. How long do you take preparing your food? Not too long. I also gave up convenience foods for the most part. Longest cook time I have, not counting soup/chili simmers is <40 min for a proper dinner. Lunch & brekky are <10 combined (I make lunch while preparing brekky for myself.) I own a microwave for the omnis in the house, but presure cooking and stir fry are my preferred methods, if I cook the veggie at all. Comapred to the average restaurant wait, this is great. 4. Did you ever have any meat cravings? I think it was a sauce and sides craving, therefore the barbecued tofu and steak sauce bagel sandwich. Smoke smell does make me hungry. I attribute this to the survival mechanism of centuries. I do feel like I "gave up" fish. I also feel that vegetarianism is the correct path for my spirit and body, so I stay on it. I have "slipped" over the years. 5.What is your daily meal pattern like(eg ya 3 meals)? 2 meals+ grazing on raw veggies/nuts. I will consider a smoothie a meal. 6. How do you think vegetarianism has improved your lives? better selection of food overall (I only discarded four: beef, lamb, poultry, fish) less worry about food diseases, great cholesterol readings, able to eat without gaining much weight (damn dairy...I should wean off it) blood pressure is low Better for the house: no fatty build up in the vent, no lingering smells over all, easier to clean home learned a lot about how food is marketed, grown/ made and implications those methods have on the planet. increased awareness of world hunger, including in my own community, and how the way modern food marketing contributes. and as the double entendre bumper sticker says: vegetarians tase better! 7. Do you plan your diet? If so how do you do so? I sort of keep track over a week that the diet is balanced. mostly I listen to cravings. That said, over the years I have made conscious efforts to include more green veggies, fresher foods, whole grains and I do use Body Balance for a supplement. I think a newer veggie has a bit of education in making the right foods a habit. hope your project goes well, please post your findings!
1. When you started adopting vegetarianism and why you did it. Summer 2003, For health reasons mainly. I had psychosomatic troubles. Since I was practically living meatless since over 2 years, I thought I could make the transition to a concious vegetarian. (ovo-lacto that is) 2. How difficult it was to make that transition, and how difficult it was to stick to it? Easy. My family respekted my decision, we aren't a family that eats a lot of meat, so everyone respekted it. Also, I was cooking a lot for my self, then I moved out. It was not difficult, since for some psycho reasons I believed to vomit from meat.... so.... I wannt to avoid that at all costs 3. How long do you take preparing your food? depeneding on the food. I avoid processed food. So it takes longer then just a microwave instant meal, but my usual all day cooking goes no longer then 30 minutes 4. Did you ever have any meat cravings? in the first month yes. I trained myself to eat beans when ever I craved meat, and no I only have gravings for beans. YUMMIE! 5.What is your daily meal pattern like(eg ya 3 meals)? breakfast (muesli), lunch (salad, or something cooked), dinner (sandwhich, or a soup or salad) 6. How do you think vegetarianism has improved your lives? easier to control weight, low colesterol, good for the environment, and of course da sweet animals.... (yeah, it's not my numberone reason. I think eating meat is ok, MODERATE, like once a week or less, but factory farming is definately the wrongest thing....) 7. Do you plan your diet? If so, how do you do so? No, I make a shopping list, I eat what I like, and that is usually pretty balanced, I love seasonal stuff, it usually tastes a lot better. I check of course that I eat balanced, but that has beckome so intuitve that I don't have to plan it.
1. When you started adopting vegetarianism and why you did it. June 04, i became a vegitarian because i belive that we need to grow more grains for people, rather than animals, in order to send surplus to countries that need it. 2. How difficult it was to make that transition, and how difficult it was to stick to it? not very hard to make the transition, just did it gradually. after i became completely vegetarian it wasnt very hard to stick to at all. 3. How long do you take preparing your food? well, my mom cooks most of my meal, but it doesnt usually take as long to prepare a vegetarian meal cause meat usually takes a while to cook. 4. Did you ever have any meat cravings? definitely, but i would just eat soy instead. 5.What is your daily meal pattern like(eg ya 3 meals)? three meals, four if you count huge late-night snacks 6. How do you think vegetarianism has improved your lives? well, not much in the short term, except i just generally feel better, but long term i dont have to worry about cholesterol so much. 7. Do you plan your diet? If so, how do you do so? nope, just eat whatevers non meat.
1. When you started adopting vegetarianism and why you did it. My 16th birthday...so January 1999. I had a lot of reasons for doing it. Environmental reasons, ethical reasons...the thought that, why would I eat a cow or chicken if I wouldn't eat a dog or cat? Health reasons were also a bonus. I guess I just thought it was the "right" thing to do. I think it was triggered by seeing hundreds of chickens crammed into a truck with no heat in below zero weather. Didn't seem right. 2. How difficult it was to make that transition, and how difficult it was to stick to it? It wasn't difficult at all. One day I was eating meat...not beef, just cuz I didn't like it...and the next I wasn't. It was that easy. It isn't difficult for me to stick to it at all. I have amazing discipline with myself. I don't get tempted...the smell of meat makes my stomach turn and flip flop. Society makes you think you're strange for not eating meat. They question it. That's the only hard part. Dealing with society's ideals. 3. How long do you take preparing your food? Twenty minutes max...depends on if I'm using the oven, microwave, or eating the food raw. Compared to a meat based diet...it takes no time. Veggies are so simple to cook and fruits, well, you don't even have to cook those! 4. Did you ever have any meat cravings? Never crave meat at all. I can substitute meat with soy products and put BBQ sauce on them or A-1. No need to crave meat...I can eat it in other ways. 5.What is your daily meal pattern like(eg ya 3 meals)? I eat four or five small meals a day...a banana, a smoothie, a bowl of carrots, a salad, a peanut butter sandwich, etc. I find I have more energy if I eat lots of small things throughout the day rather than two or three solid meals. 6. How do you think vegetarianism has improved your lives? I think it's made me more self aware and more socially aware. You see the down and dirty of the meat eating industry...that opens your eyes right there. I think it has made me a stronger person and a more ethical person. It makes me feel good to know that I haven't killed anything throughout the day. I feel I have become stronger because I have defend my ideas and express them in a coherent way in order for people to understand. Plus, I don't stink *laughs* 7. Do you plan your diet? If so, how do you do so? I don't plan my diet. I eat what is available...I don't buy meat products, so whatever is in my fridge, I'll eat when I feel like it.
1. About seven months ago, I had thought for a while that it was immoral to eat animals, so I finally decided hey, why not give this veggie thing a try. 2. Strangely, not nearly as difficult as I expected. It probably took 2 or 3 weeks to realise the number of things that actually do contain animal extracts; but giving up these things hasn't been difficult at all. 3. Not long. 4. Now and then I think "yum, that chicken leg looks nice," but it's never very difficult to resist. 5. I just eat whenever I'm hungry, and try to include lots of protein and minerals in my diet. 6. I feel less guilty about what I'm eating, and I don't have to worry so much about getting poisoned by uncooked meat or giving myself heart disease. 7. Not really. I tend to make a point of eating lots of nuts, beans and cheese.
1. I "adopted" vegetarianism when I was 12, though it took a couple years to perfect, of course, seeing as how I was still for the most part a child. I did it for many reasons: a. the animals of course-- I believe that in no way should a creature have their fate decided for them unless it's natural [think tiger killing for food]; for humans it may have been natural at the beginning of our time, but it's no longer necessary. i feel like we have the knowledge and products which are sufficient enough that we no longer have to thrive on meat to obtain protein. so killing animals nowdays, is just unnecessary in my opinion. b. It's healthier. I'm vegan, and everything and anything I eat contains absolutely NO cholestrol or unneeded fat and calories. With that, I also am lactose intolerant and have troubles digesting any animal products anyway, so I began to feel less sick as soon as I made the transtion. c. I struggled for years with an eating disorder, and focusing my energy [regarding food] onto veganism helped me recover much more efficiently than anything did. 2. In the beginning sticking to it seemed like a struggle with willpower, but at the same time I was so against eating meat, that in a way it wasn't a struggle at all... the biggest struggle for me, was balancing my diet and getting enough protein and other vitamins when I omitted meat from my diet. Sticking with it wasn't really the hard part at all. 3. Just like with meat-eaters how long I take preparing my food varies. There are many quick and easy options as well as the option to homemake something. I tend to hate cooking so I find myself getting a lot of frozen vegan meals or just raw veggies... for that it takes no longer than 10 minutes to prepare. But, if I'm in the mood and I want to get elaborate it can be an hour or longer. 4. In the beginning I had "meat" cravings, but it was only because I was lacking in getting enough protein... as soon as I got the cravings I realized I must not have been getting sufficient amounts of protein [because that IS why the body craves things]...so I researched, and consumed more protein based from plants... and then the cravings subsided. 5. I eat when I'm hungry. I don't have a pattern. To me, food isn't an experience or anything, it's simply fuel for my body to thrive... so if one day I'm not hungry enough to eat three meals I dont... and I dont ever eat at a set time. But, with every meal that I DO eat, I make sure I balance it. I make sure I get everything I need... veggies, fruit, a source of protein, and grains. [and calcium, which i usually get from my orange juice] 6. Being vegan has improved my life in so many ways .... I feel healthier, more alive and awake. I noticed my skin is clearer, and smoother... My hair began to grow more rapidly, and I began to sleep better. I haven't had to go the doctor as often, because I became sick less often. I feel better about MYSELF for not contributing to the killing of animals, and it has made me a strong person overall because of that. And, like i said, it has helped me overcome an eating disorder. 7. Like I said before, I balance everything out. I don't live solely off of fruits and veggies... rather I make sure I get what I need at every meal. That's pretty self explanatory i think. I also don't get into the whole vegan sweets too much, I don't really eat sweets... overall I'm healthier now than I ever was
