Well hello fellow vegetarians, vegans... Thank you all for not adding to the suffering of the world. Understanding and accepting our fellow friends animals:2thumbsup: and not taking part in this cruelness... I want to become vegetarian but my family, friends no one understands. I didn't come here to cry. each of these aspects makes me more frustrated about living in society... They dont believe animals have dreams, hopes, families, loves ones etc. In high school i had a different personality. i used to get obsessed with stuff like a movie star lifestyle clothing style i was young who cares :2thumbsup: One of my friends blame me for committing myself to something... Its not a thought, its a feeling when i eat meat i feel the soul of the animal... its pain and sorrow embraces me i try to explain but people view it as stupid. I stopped giving credit to views of society long time ago.. but these people are my close family friends They are different i accept all their faults desires etc... I just want the same in return thats the one thing which makes us one. So fellow forumers, hippies and vegetarians what are your advices for beginners also some views on handling these issues? I dont even desire meat anymore i feel disgusted when eating it its lets say atrocity. Also there some vegetarians... eat meat fish once in awhile why you support killing enslaving animals once in awhile is it ok to torture once in a while wtf? There is something i find myself conflicting they say fish is really healthy for the brain which i agree is there a way to get the same benefit. I also plan to eat eggs which i still find cruel but i need protein somehow i like to maintain my health also. So help me dear friends How you first started being a vegetarian?
Imho, with so many thoughts about animals it's almost impossible for anybody that eats meat to understand. Even as a vegetarian myself, I find it hard to understand. But I'm not your version of a vegetarian. I just don't eat meat. If you wish to be a vegetarian, it's about not eating meat. Everything else is secondary.
Starting up a veg or plant based diet can be confusing for sure. And it's such a drastic change from the rest of the world that it may seem odd to your friend and family when you're first starting out. The best piece of advice I could give you is to educate yourself and then when a family member criticizes you or pops a question you have a fully loaded arsenal to throw back at them. The main thing is to not revert to a junk food veg diet. I did this for years when I first went vegetarian and I got fat and sick. You want to load up on high quality fruits and veggies. Juices and smoothies for breakfast, big salads, and soups are great staples to include. If you're eating enough raw foods (not heated above 118 degrees) then protein is not a concern. Naturally we want to derive the most amount of protein from the foods we eat, cooking denatures the food and actually makes protein harder to absorb and digest by destroying the enzymes, therefore the best sources of protein on the planet are raw leafy greens. Meat is not a protein food, it gets the majority of it's calories from saturated fat and is a fat food. I would encourage you to check out books like these: The 80/10/10 Diet by Dr Doug Graham http://www.amazon.ca/The-China-Study-Comprehensive-Implications/dp/1932100660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357226643&sr=8-1"]The China Study by Dr Colin Campbell And eat raw fruits and veggies to your hearts content! Eventually any problems your family or friends may have will sort themselves out because they will see the positive change in you and probably be curious themselves. Be the change you wish to see in the world and you will inspire others to do the same!
I'm not sure what you are asking, or why, here. Are you veg? Are you trying to become veg? What culture are you in? How common are meat, dairy, eggs? Are you living at home? Do you cook any of the meals?
basics. start cooking most of your food, people sometimes complain that being a vegan/vegetarian is expensive, but if you cook most of your food its very inexpensive. trust me on this. i wouldn't quit cold, you need to ween yourself off of meat. start with getting rid of beef and pork products, then chicken, and then fish. also get rid of chicken stock from your diet, and beef and seafood. you need to be careful with this step because lots of foods are cooked with chicken stock, that meas you need to start reading labels of pre made food such as canned soup, and when you go out to dinner your going to have to ask if that is cooked with chicken stock, such as risotto, soups, and some vegetable dishes. after you've weened yourself off of meat you need to start getting protein in your body. the best supplements for protein is legumes, beans and nuts. start eating lots and lots of beans and lentils. black beans, pinto, whatever have you. burritos are the trademark here, i end up eating a lot of them, plus black beans and rice is the cheapest thing you can buy ever, its 2 dollars for a can and a pack of instant brown rice, thrown in some spices and some veggies and your set, that's a meal. tofu is amazing, but i wouldn't make a habit of eating it too much, i have it twice a week, maybe three times. i bake it, and marinate it but you can eat it raw, fry it or sautee it. whatever you feel like. the key to tofu though is marinate, do it for days before you eat it. tofu is cheap its like 3 bucks a pound. and you can make that for 3 meals, easy recipes are tofu scramble in the morning, tofu lettuce wraps in Thai sauce, and for dinner spinach and tofu paneer is really good. the biggest thing about going veg is vegetables! you need to eat them and love them, the more the better, buy from farmers markets, buy local its cheap and tastes so much better. check in season, my favorite vegetables are spinach, endive, onion, snap peas, beets, turnips, butternut squash, broccoli, cucumbers, and peppers. oh and avocados <3 get creative, if your going vegan its a completely different thing and you'd need to take more steps.
There are gazillions of online resources for veg*n food recipes, veg*n nutrition, etc. vegan.org/ is good, and Vegan Outreach is too. If you get a cookbook like How It All Vegan it has some stuff in it about nutrition. Even if you aren't vegan, they are good resources.
I couldn't agree more with mybodyzen. If you care about your health, those books are amazing!! Everything will become so clear! I highly recommend them.
