I just watched a trailer on the site www.Earthlings.com and am seriously going to try and rent the rest as soon as possible!
Anyways, I was wondering--what are the pros/cons to becoming a vegetarian? (I don't think I could become a full-fledged vegan yet!) This would be a big move for me, but I *think* that I could do it. I already only eat white meat - chicken, turkey, %26amp; fish (no regular hot dogs or cheeseburgers!).
If I did decide to go vegetarian, does anybody know what would be best for my diet? Or should that be something I should ask my doctor? I already know I'll have to eat a lot of fruits and veggies (and I 鈾?tofu -- oh, and the Morningstar Farms options at my grocery store are delicious)!
Oh, and one last thing. I'm not an adult yet, so I still live at home. My dad currently has the same diet as me, so my family is OK about the no-pork-or-beef thing. But I'm wondering how they'll react if I become a vegetarian. (And just so you know, I have been thinking about this A LOT.) I mentioned it casually to my mom last night at dinner and she kind of just raised her eyebrows at me. Do you think they'll let me become a vegetarian?! We eat a lot of chicken in our household.
Thanks a ton in advance!!! |||If you're willing to try it, I say got for it. If you don't like it you can always go back to eating meat. You can go to the PETA website and they can mail you a free Vegetarian Starter Kit. It's a little booklet with recipes, info on vegetarianism and other reading material.
When I first became a vegetarian, I started to do it in small steps. One week I eliminated red meat, the next fish, the next week pork and the final week was poultry. I gradually grew into it. Everyone has a different way of giving up meat, it's up to you to decide which way is best for you. At first it's a bit difficult to get accustomed to it, because it is a lifestyle change. After a while though, it'll be like second nature to you.
Make sure to eat a lot of dark greens like baby spinach and asparagus. Tofu and soy milk are really healthy for you. So Good soy milk has a lot of nutrients. I also take B12 supplement. Some people take iron supplement too. Other sources of protein are nuts, peanuts, beans (you can add beans to salads, veggie pastas, etc), chickpeas, eggs if you want, sesame seed and hemp seed. I usually put a table spoon of hemp seed in my soups, oatmeal, cereal. You can't taste it. Veggie burgers are also really good. It really isn't difficult to replace meat with other things. Use your imagination when it comes to cooking. Start reading labels on things to make sure there is no animal protein in it. Go buy yourself a few Veggie cook books. Experiment with different ways of cooking things! If you are unsure, you could consult your doctor for advice.
Find out which restaurants in your town serve vegetarian food. I discovered many GREAT restaurants in my town that I had never heard of before. If you are at a restaurant and are unsure if something is vegetarian or possibly may be cross contaminated with meat, just ask! They're usually really polite about it. While becoming a vegetarian, you will experience a lot of new things.
As for your parents, they should be accepting of your choice. I still live at home and I didn't ask my parents, I told them. At first they would tease me a bit, but they eventually got over it. Write down what you need on a grocery list and they will pick it up for you. Your parents want you to be healthy, and they'll provide you with what you need. My mom also makes me small servings on the side. Let's say if she makes a spaghetti sauce, she'll always put some on the side for me before she adds beef. You can ask your parents to do the same. For the most part however, learn to cook for yourself because your parents won't always try to accustom you! I live with 4 meat eaters, and this hasn't been a problem for me yet.
Good luck with your decision!
|||You can watch Earthlings on their site for $3.99 I think, or on google video.|||It is certainly a big decision to make and one which you should take with your eyes open. Yes, it is possible to get all your essential nutrients as a vegetarian but a lot of vegetarians are so restrictive and unimaginative in what they eat that this is sadly not the case.
Here is a link for you to a healthy vegetarian recipes website which I hope will help. Good luck in whatever decision you make.|||i became a vegeterian when i was 15 and i will never go back.
the meat industry is terrible.
the way i started was by only eating meat once a month. then like 7 months later i converted fully.
goveg.com|||I think what your doing now is perfect.
Being a vegetarian is a lot of hard work and it is really hard to get all your nutrients in. I had a friend come very very ill and she was force to eat fish and little chicken because she became so unhealthy she was hospitalized. She ate very healthy but she wasn't getting proper things in her diet- and pills don't make up for not eating right.
Also I don't know how you can be a vegetarian without lots of research, cookbooks, cooking for yourself and buying the food yourself.
It's a lot more then just not eating meat- you really have to eat some different thing to balance out your diet. I have a good friend who is vegetarian and healthy- she spends weeks planning out her meals. Eating morning star and potatoes chips is not good enough.
Good luck, I could never do it personally.|||You seem mature and intelligent enough so I would just like to add that whatever you decide to do, make sure that the information you get is factual and not based on hysterical or "shock" propaganda designed to appeal to your emotions not your intelligence. You are bound to get a lot of crap from both sides
And if your parents say no, then it's a no. You can try to convince them with facts but their word is still law.
|||My parents were annoyed when I became a vegetarian, but I can easily fill up on sides and just not eat the meat/fish. Also, you have to be sure to get plenty of protein, because a lot of vegetarians become anemic. |||i for one, love meat too much to give it up... it's just too good and if anyone thinks i'm weak for it, i don't care. just realise that becoming vegetarian can cause some health problems, mainly because ppl forget to find meat substitutes and can get really really ill. If you DO go vegetarian... make an appointment with your doctor, or visit a nutritionist (i think that's what they're called), or even look up meat alternatives and make sure that you get enough of those so you don't get sick, k?
p.s. i can't even begin to imagin life with out steak, or pork, or chicken... so juicy and wonderfully marbled, yum! ;p`|||I became vegetarian at 6 years old for moral reasons and have never looked back. My 18 year old son and 11 year old daughter have never eaten meat or fish and would be appalled at the idea of doing do (although my partner eats meat now and again). We are all very healthy. It is the healthiest option according to most research (obviously government research is anti vegetarian because it is in their interests to promote the sale of meat).
There are plenty of websites around to help you with your diet if you are worried about it - but actually just use common sense. Some (only some mind) doctors are old fashioned and anti-veggie so be prepared!
Proteins and the vitamin B group are the only areas you may lack - but it is not likely.
Proteins - beans, peas and lentils, cheese %26amp; eggs (not for vegans), tofu, also all the meat substitutes.
Vitamin B group - yeast extract (marmite), green leafy vegetables, nearly all soya milk and cereals are fortified with vitamin B these days.
Someone said that whatever your Mum says goes, I don't agree - you are an individual with your own valid thoughts and rights. Explain to your Mum that the thought of eating meat really upsets you. I don't know how old you are but maybe get involved with the cooking - offer to cook the family a vegetarian feast! I'm sure they'll be cool. If not then that's a real shame. |||Number one, don't believe the idiocy that we *need* all this extra nutrition in order to stay healthy- it's nonsense. The biggest thing you will have to worry about if you are turning veg is that for most teens, dairy is the downfall. Your family, not used to the change, will have a lot of stuff you can eat in the dairy section but probably virtually nothing for vegetables and healthy foods.
Your choices in many cases will be things laden with cheeses: pizzas, pastas with cheeses in them, cheese topping everything. What I've generally seen in teens is that they don't do their research and get quite obese compared to what they should be. Their cholesterol goes through the roof with the shift towards that dairy and their metabolism dies quickly, leaving them to feel very lethargic (sleepy) and assuming that it's because they have not been eating any meat. Obviously, it's all the crap in their diet that causes those feelings for the most part.
Really, what you want to focus on is to achieve a nice, healthy, BALANCED diet. If you balance your diet well enough you will get more than enough protein without even trying (industry quotes most dietary numbers like that based on what they're trying to sell you). Please pay careful attention to the vegetarian food pyramid below- I promise it wasn't made by any company with bias.
In your first few weeks you will definitely want to get your cereals in. Most are infused with chemically-derived nutrition that comes from non-animal source. Give soy milk a try too- it's very healthy for you, comes with lots of nutrients and doesn't have the puss that the FDA allows into cow's milk.
I have been a vegetarian for over 15 years, a vegan for the last 2. I probably started at the same age as you. When I did it, my mother had a fit "I can't cook for you anymore!" but as long as you stick to your guns (PROVE it's a permanent decision) your family WILL eventually support you. Mine makes me a tofurkey every holiday along with wine-stir-fried mushrooms and potatoes with vegan sour cream and a completely safe mushroom gravy. I love it :-) Heck, my grandmother even goes out of her way at 85 to get me food before I come to her house- her father's only income was the family dairy farm. My grandmother goes against vegan philosophy, but in the end she proves her love every single time I see her. Your family will do the same for you.
Take doctor's advice with a "grain of salt" - I've heard of quite a few instances where they attempt to make vegetarians into meat eaters again without any good cause whatsoever aside from "it would be the easy solution". You gotta realize that what you're doing is going against popular culture and that there will be a lot of forces going against what you're doing. It's up to you to become an expert in your own right so you can make healthy, smart decisions for yourself. This includes starting to really become friendly with ingredients. It takes awhile, but when you can just glance at a label to determine whether something is good or whether it has animal pancreas in it, it's worth it.
Becoming a veg has been one of the best choices I have ever made. My family's men routinely get over 350 pounds- I am much less than that and my cholesterol is lower than almost everyone I know, veg or otherwise. The only down side, I suppose, is that my digestive system is a freakin powerhorse. Think about that on your own :-)|||I became vegetarian aged 9 and am now 22 and have always been fine, so I wouldn't worry, just do it!
I became vegan at 19.|||You're right, you can get nutrients other ways. Your best bet as a teenager is to research places where you can get the nutrition found in meat (protein, iron, etc.). Print these out or write them down on a chart and present them to your family. Explain that you feel you should become vegetarian for such and such reason, and show them your chart to prove that you are serious. Most parents, like other people, believe that being vegetarian or vegan automatically makes you malnourished. Showing them that you put the time and effort into your dietary choices will prove to them that you can do this the healthy way.
If they still doubt you, send them to www.veganbodybuilding.com Do THEY look malnourished to you? :)|||HI, ya so im 13 and im a vegatarian im going on for 3 months now, and for me it was really easy.. I mean for me it was like i had cravings for the first monthish, but i just remembered why i was doing it and it made it easier. Im now further along and i dont even crave meat anymore, If its something you really believe in it doesnt take long to find the courage to go out and do it. And about your parents... dont worry about them I didnt even really consult my parents i just went and did it ( it might mean making some of your own meals everyonce in a while but its totally worth it!) I really think your a strong person for considering this and I totally respect you for doing it I think you will do great, as long as you remember what your fighting for : )
|||Don't do it. You are being fed a line of propaganda
eating meat is just fine
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