Vegetarian/Vegan diets

[danofthedead]

Anyone else a plant eater? Why? I've been vegan for a while and the thing I have found more amazing than anything else is the amount of crap thrown my way by meat eaters. I read almost every day about dietary decisions and the effect that food has on our health and the gross amount of misinformation that has become "common knowledge" is astounding. If you are interested in dietary decision making/health correlations, I strongly suggest reading books like The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, The Food Revolution and Diet for a New America, both by John Robbins.

[SophomoricSlump]

Plants are living. Now what?

[CaryGrant]

I'm vegetarian, so's my fiancee and best friend. To be honest, no one I know really cares. I became vegetarian for a series of very straightforward reasons after reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals. Before I did, I thought the "For every animal you don't eat, I am going to eat 3" jokes were hilarious--and conceptually, I still do.
I don't think any of the people who give you a hard time about not eating meat is seriously concerned about your dietary choices--and if they are, they're so deep into the struggle of "the forgetting" that I feel kind of bad for them. But fuck 'em anyway.

[HometownHero]

Plants are living. Now what?

Plants don't feel pain. Now what?

[Carolina.Alex]

Plants don't feel pain. Now what?


How do you know?

[mymusicismylife]

I've been thinking about trying it for a while. I've done some online research and read some books to get more information about being vegetarian, and I think I'm finally going to go for it.

[tbsyanks]

Salads a side dish folks always has always will be!!! EAT COW EAT COW EAT COW!!!!!

[.invisible ink.]

i was a vegetarian for 8 years and vegan for 3, now i'm a conscious omnivore because a meat-free diet did not suit my body well unfortunately. i only eat meats that i know exactly where they came from and how they were raised, and only wild caught fish that are on the safe list (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx) (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx%29).

Go check out my healthy recipes thread in General, there's plenty of vegetarian and vegan recipes in it. I live by Michael Pollan's famous words "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Food Politics thread: http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1407792
Healthy Recipes thread: http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1608591

[danofthedead]

Salads a side dish folks always has always will be!!! EAT COW EAT COW EAT COW!!!!!

Eloquent

[fflash]

Plants don't feel pain. Now what?

Cows don't feel pain.

[Nadene7x]

I have a special diet .Gluten-free since I found out I'm allergic to it...That means no bread/wheat of any kind. It sucks because everything has some form of it within in.

[danofthedead]

I have a special diet .Gluten-free since I found out I'm allergic to it...That means no bread/wheat of any kind. It sucks because everything has some form of it within in.

Gluten free is tough but I know a lot of people that believe a gluten free/casein free diet can directly impact autistic children.

[.invisible ink.]

I have a special diet .Gluten-free since I found out I'm allergic to it...That means no bread/wheat of any kind. It sucks because everything has some form of it within in.

there's tons of gluten free things you can eat, not so much processed, but people shouldn't be eating that crap anyway. You can buy gluten free bake mixes and bake your own breads if you really need to eat bread. There are some fabulous gluten-free recipe blogs out there. This is one of my favorites and i'm not even gluten intolerant but I still cook lots of gluten free things: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/

[SophomoricSlump]

Plants don't feel pain. Now what?

They do have emotions, I know that much.
There was a Mythbusters about a plant sensing fear from human thoughts.

[kbi the crowing]

Plants don't feel pain. Now what?

there have been studies suggesting that they do.

http://www.department13designs.com/vegan.html

[SungDuck88]

Anyone else a plant eater? Why? I've been vegan for a while and the thing I have found more amazing than anything else is the amount of crap thrown my way by meat eaters. I read almost every day about dietary decisions and the effect that food has on our health and the gross amount of misinformation that has become "common knowledge" is astounding. If you are interested in dietary decision making/health correlations, I strongly suggest reading books like The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, The Food Revolution and Diet for a New America, both by John Robbins.

i get the same a lot. been vegan for a while too and you get to realize people take their eating habits very personally. but the thing that bothers me most is people telling you your choices are stupid and theirs are the right ones. as long as you arent trying to 'recruit' people feel free to do whatever you want. unfortunately a lot of the people that dont understand the vegetarian / vegan choice take incredible offense to it and make things sort of personal. just something to get used to i guess.

[danofthedead]

What's sad to me is that, again, there was no attack on meat eaters involved here. Still, several people are showing obvious defense mechanisms with their attempts at humor/attempts to make vegans seem "inhumane" because plants feel pain (?). I would like for any of these people to tell me if they have ever read a scientific journal on the correlations between eating meat and coronary heart disease, or ANY of the other studies showing positive health effects of a vegetarian/vegan diet. If you don't want to learn, that's fine. In making that choice, you're also choosing to tell me that you are intentionally being oblivious to the pertinent subject matter, and are therefore not doing yourself any good by continuing to troll this thread.

[SungDuck88]

also, for the people who say that they tried being vegetarian / vegan and they lost a ton of weight or got super sick / unhealthy - this can happen with any sort of eating habit. there are smart ways to eat vegan and unhealthy ways to eat vegan. just because you didnt do the research and messed up your eating doesnt mean its a crap idea.

ps. anyone who asks where vegetarians / vegans get their protein in this thread should do a little research before asking such a stupid question.

[broaddplease]

I'm vegetarian, so's my fiancee and best friend. To be honest, no one I know really cares. I became vegetarian for a series of very straightforward reasons after reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals. Before I did, I thought the "For every animal you don't eat, I am going to eat 3" jokes were hilarious--and conceptually, I still do.
I don't think any of the people who give you a hard time about not eating meat is seriously concerned about your dietary choices--and if they are, they're so deep into the struggle of "the forgetting" that I feel kind of bad for them. But fuck 'em anyway.
wow do you have a Redwall avatar?

[mitchellyoung]

ha...same...vegetarian for 3 years and some people still react very personally as if you're somehow directly challenging their decision to eat meat, by not eating it. It still doesn't make sense to me.

[Jennurna Gray]

All I know is that your poop gets hard and dark.

[xcloud66x]

considered be vegetarian... but it's too much of a hassle. =/
and chickin is tasty

[tfar06]

All I know is that your poop gets hard and dark.
you learned that from house a couple weeks ago!

[Jennurna Gray]

you learned that from house a couple weeks ago!
You don't know how much I love you for saying that.
Let's be friends.

[Time Bomb Clock]

My fuckin vegetarian sister clogs up our toilet once a week! Fuck you vegetarians!

[flask]

you dont win friends with salad

[And Hours Pass]

What's sad to me is that, again, there was no attack on meat eaters involved here. Still, several people are showing obvious defense mechanisms with their attempts at humor/attempts to make vegans seem "inhumane" because plants feel pain (?). I would like for any of these people to tell me if they have ever read a scientific journal on the correlations between eating meat and coronary heart disease, or ANY of the other studies showing positive health effects of a vegetarian/vegan diet. If you don't want to learn, that's fine. In making that choice, you're also choosing to tell me that you are intentionally being oblivious to the pertinent subject matter, and are therefore not doing yourself any good by continuing to troll this thread.

While I appreciate your original intentions, this post showed me that you take yourself way too seriously. And yes, I've read scientific journals that cover this as well as Michael Pollan and Robbins. Your argument propogating "positive health effects of a vegeterian/vegan diet" is just as much a perpetuation of what you choose to believe as those who say "plants don't feel pain." For every person you find that argues positive health effects, you will find someone that argues severe iron deficiencies that are associated with a vegetarian/vegan diet.

I'm in no way saying that I fall on either side of this argument because I certainly do not. But my advice to you would be: 1) in the same way that vegetarians in this thread hate when people push their "meat eating beliefs" down their throat, don't push your agenda down people's throats either. 2) people saying "plants feel pain," are in all likelihood joking around. Taking yourself too seriously will just get you crapped on in any thread on this site.

[CaryGrant]

wow do you have a Redwall avatar?

Yes. Also, Eulalia to you, miss.

[CaryGrant]

While I appreciate your original intentions, this post showed me that you take yourself way too seriously. And yes, I've read scientific journals that cover this as well as Michael Pollan and Robbins. Your argument propogating "positive health effects of a vegeterian/vegan diet" is just as much a perpetuation of what you choose to believe as those who say "plants don't feel pain." For every person you find that argues positive health effects, you will find someone that argues severe iron deficiencies that are associated with a vegetarian/vegan diet.

I'm in no way saying that I fall on either side of this argument because I certainly do not. But my advice to you would be: 1) in the same way that vegetarians in this thread hate when people push their "meat eating beliefs" down their throat, don't push your agenda down people's throats either. 2) people saying "plants feel pain," are in all likelihood joking around. Taking yourself too seriously will just get you crapped on in any thread on this site.

ha...same...vegetarian for 3 years and some people still react very personally as if you're somehow directly challenging their decision to eat meat, by not eating it. It still doesn't make sense to me.

I honestly think a lot of people just feel threatened because they deep down know that, if they really took the time to investigate their meat, they'd either have to go vegetarian or go through a very painful process of trying to forget it. That means that a lot of people who hear you're vegetarian automatically feel like they either have to go on defense or offense to escape prosecution coming really from no one but themselves. JSF mentions that if you tell someone you're reading a book on the meat industry, that person has a 0% chance of asking, "Oh, is it pro-meat or anti-meat?"--no one expects you to be able to investigate factory farms and come out saying "Fuck yeah, the meat industry rocks!!"
I don't feel any guilt for when I ate meat and I don't believe anyone who currently eats meat has any reason to be criticized--ribs are ridiculously delicious--but yeah, no one out there is ignorant enough to honestly believe that if they took the time to evaluate modern slaughter they'd come out having their carnivorous diet affirmed. They just fairly choose not to burden themselves with that knowledge, but feel like an attack could come at any moment from someone who did and will condescend to them for it.

Or the short version: PETA's fault.

[signal to noise]

I've been vegetarian for only about 6 months, but going strong! I havent really done a lot to alter and plan my diet, since i had been weening myself off meat for a while beforehand. My closest friends and household family don't see it as a big deal, but random acquaintances and my extended family have tried giving me hassles about it. I just think its really funny when people care so much about what they eat. But it's scary when people make such a fight about it, like to the scale of a religious or political argument, its something that shouldnt be such a big deal but somehow offends people. Like it's some detrimental thing that i dont eat meat, but people walking around with "people eating tasty animals" shirts is cool? (btw next person i see wearing one is getting dropkicked.)

[jessicalynn-xx]

Plants are living. Now what?

People have to eat something. Being vegetarian/vegan means you're causing as little pain as possible. But there are many other reasons to go vegetarian besides animal rights. Meat farming is a waste of water, land, and produce. Vegetarians are less likely to develop cancer, heart disease, etc.

[drawndead]

I eat a lot of rice and beans and a lot of Vegan dishes, however I do eat meat once a week

[CaryGrant]

I've been vegetarian for only about 6 months, but going strong! I havent really done a lot to alter and plan my diet, since i had been weening myself off meat for a while beforehand. My closest friends and household family don't see it as a big deal, but random acquaintances and my extended family have tried giving me hassles about it. I just think its really funny when people care so much about what they eat. But it's scary when people make such a fight about it, like to the scale of a religious or political argument, its something that shouldnt be such a big deal but somehow offends people. Like it's some detrimental thing that i dont eat meat, but people walking around with "people eating tasty animals" shirts is cool? (btw next person i see wearing one is getting dropkicked.)

See my above post.

[danofthedead]

Also had someone compare my strict vegan diet (not even vegan lifestyle - I wear leather belts/suede shoes/etc) with fanatical religion. I'm an atheist BECAUSE I am such a skeptic and a proponent of factual evidence. My diet is based on things that have been found statistically significant in several official studies. Am I naive to not see how these are even remotely comparable?

[CaryGrant]

http://www.wattix.com/blog/chilligan/eating-meat-is-magic.gif

[Slow Lights]

i empathize with the vegan/vegetarian mindset, but, admittedly, will never, ever care enough to do anything for myself. there are more important things to worry about in my life.

[broaddplease]

I've been a vegetarian/vegan for 16 years & nobody's ever cared.

[And Hours Pass]

I honestly think a lot of people just feel threatened because they deep down know that, if they really took the time to investigate their meat, they'd either have to go vegetarian or go through a very painful process of trying to forget it. That means that a lot of people who hear you're vegetarian automatically feel like they either have to go on defense or offense to escape prosecution coming really from no one but themselves. JSF mentions that if you tell someone you're reading a book on the meat industry, that person has a 0% chance of asking, "Oh, is it pro-meat or anti-meat?"--no one expects you to be able to investigate factory farms and come out saying "Fuck yeah, the meat industry rocks!!"
I don't feel any guilt for when I ate meat and I don't believe anyone who currently eats meat has any reason to be criticized--ribs are ridiculously delicious--but yeah, no one out there is ignorant enough to honestly believe that if they took the time to evaluate modern slaughter they'd come out having their carnivorous diet affirmed. They just fairly choose not to burden themselves with that knowledge, but feel like an attack could come at any moment from someone who did and will condescend to them for it.

Or the short version: PETA's fault.
Very well-explained. I would say though, that you can look at a lot of things and make the argument you're making. You could make the argument about CAFOs where people milk cows or get chicken eggs and say that vegetarians are choosing not to burden themselves with that knowledge. People drink out of plastic water bottles everyday. From your writing you seem like a smart guy - you know the impact of plastic water bottles on the environment.

I completely get where you're coming from; I'm just saying you could make that case for quite a few scenarios.

[flask]

im not anti-vegetarian, but i am anti-peta. i can't remember how many shows i've been to where i've waited in line outside and someone has harrassed me to sign some petition about kfc. then i dont sign it and they keep bugging me "millions of chickens are being tortured. ARE YOU GONNA LET THAT HAPPEN???"

[SophomoricSlump]

People have to eat something. Being vegetarian/vegan means you're causing as little pain as possible. But there are many other reasons to go vegetarian besides animal rights. Meat farming is a waste of water, land, and produce. Vegetarians are less likely to develop cancer, heart disease, etc.

I know, I know. I totally understand the whole thing, I just wanted to say it before someone else did.

[CaryGrant]

Very well-explained. I would say though, that you can look at a lot of things and make the argument you're making. You could make the argument about CAFOs where people milk cows or get chicken eggs and say that vegetarians are choosing not to burden themselves with that knowledge. People drink out of plastic water bottles everyday. From your writing you seem like a smart guy - you know the impact of plastic water bottles on the environment.

I completely get where you're coming from; I'm just saying you could make that case for quite a few scenarios.

Oh, I completely agree with and commend your point. Like, I was talking to my fiancee the other day and after mentioning wanting to go to Bed Bath & Beyond, I pointed out that knowing the company gave millions to the Prop 8 campaign (which I was morally against) meant that I'd have to wonder if it was necessary to stop going to that store. Ordinarily I'd say no, but my dilemma was... well I already cut out 1/3 of my diet for ethical reasons. Why draw the line at bathtowels?
In this day and age, there is no state of ethical equilibrium. When I eat whole wheat pasta, I know that in all likelihood several field mice died during the harvesting. Sounds silly, but it's still an animal sacrifice for the sake of food. But it's impossible to swear off all food products because processing plans contributed to global warming, or the agriculture industry engages in scorched-earth land use policies.
That's why I agree it isn't fair to criticize meat-eaters for choosing not to toe the vegetarian line--though I of course also think the argument is valid that there is a sizable difference between factory farms and other dilemmas down the line.

Oh, and for what it's worth--I keep a BPA-free aluminum water bottle refilled from the tap. Bam!

[yetconfused]

ha...same...vegetarian for 3 years and some people still react very personally as if you're somehow directly challenging their decision to eat meat, by not eating it. It still doesn't make sense to me.

this.

[isntnikione]

I've been veggie for 3 years. and yeah I would say the same thing too about meat-eaters giving me so much crap for it, as if MY eating habits affects them in anyway?

Also, I dislike that people always assume that if you don't eat meat it's because you think eating animals is immoral. Which is not the case for me - I don't think it's unnatural. Take for example the shape of our teeth, they were made for tearing and chewing meat.
I don't say that to bash people who DO become veg for the animals, because I def believe in animals right and avoid animal products to the best of my ability. I just think that rather than stopping eating meat altogether, people need to significantly decrease the amount of meat they eat, especially in the States. And the meat industry needs to completely "restyle" the way in which it treats and raises their cattle.

The real reason I'm veg personally is because I grew up in Pakistan and watched SO SO many poverty-stricken people scavenging for food. One instant in particular stuck in my mind: I was about 5-6 and my nanny bought me some corn on the cob... I had a few bites but then didn't want anymore. So she gave it to some homeless kids. THREE children shared that little half piece of corn together. I still remember exactly how I felt when I saw that, and it makes me so sick that we use the majority of our crops/water to feed and fatten animals up to the point where they can barely walk (animals which are evolutionarily speaking able to feed themselves!!!) so we in turn can fatten ourselves up, rather than eating more healthily/less indulgently and being able to share the wheat/grains we grow to feed the hungry. (A recent study showed that if we didn't use so much of the crops we grow on animals farms, we'd have enough food to feed those who suffer from malnutrition across the world...) But I guess asking people to make that sacrifice is just a little too much.

[And Hours Pass]

Oh, I completely agree with and commend your point. Like, I was talking to my fiancee the other day and after mentioning wanting to go to Bed Bath & Beyond, I pointed out that knowing the company gave millions to the Prop 8 campaign (which I was morally against) meant that I'd have to wonder if it was necessary to stop going to that store. Ordinarily I'd say no, but my dilemma was... well I already cut out 1/3 of my diet for ethical reasons. Why draw the line at bathtowels?
In this day and age, there is no state of ethical equilibrium. When I eat whole wheat pasta, I know that in all likelihood several field mice died during the harvesting. Sounds silly, but it's still an animal sacrifice for the sake of food. But it's impossible to swear off all food products because processing plans contributed to global warming, or the agriculture industry engages in scorched-earth land use policies.
That's why I agree it isn't fair to criticize meat-eaters for choosing not to toe the vegetarian line--though I of course also think the argument is valid that there is a sizable difference between factory farms and other dilemmas down the line.

Oh, and for what it's worth--I keep a BPA-free aluminum water bottle refilled from the tap. Bam!

I couldn't agree more. It's frustrating to think that there really is no way to rid one's life of all association with ethically questionable practices or by-products. I do my best to eat local. I've recently prioritized that over organic as its become difficult to discern between true and industrial organic these days. Either way, I'd say it's probably most important to be educated regardless of the food/life decisions you make.

And if it's any consolation, I also have a BPA-free aluminum water bottle! (I was definitely using non-BPA free for quite some time until those reports came out...)

[lbopm]

definitely eat enough meat to make up for you guys

[popdisaster00]

If I went vegetarian, it would be strictly for weight loss and not because I'm against eating animals. I love meat. I always will. But I wouldn't mind shredding some lbs. I fear that if I went vegetarian though, I would just end up eating a bunch of pasta and other carbs, and it would all just backfire.

[danofthedead]

If I went vegetarian, it would be strictly for weight loss and not because I'm against eating animals. I love meat. I always will. But I wouldn't mind shredding some lbs. I fear that if I went vegetarian though, I would just end up eating a bunch of pasta and other carbs, and it would all just backfire.

My diet is 70% carbs and my weight is the lowest it's been since I graduated high school, while at the same time greatly increasing my strength, muscle definition and cardiovascular stamina. Bottom line, eat the RIGHT carbs and you will lose weight in the healthiest way. Avoiding refined carbs and starches (anything white) and replacing them with whole wheat (brown) versions is the simplest switch imaginable and it works WONDERS.

[CaryGrant]

If I went vegetarian, it would be strictly for weight loss and not because I'm against eating animals. I love meat. I always will. But I wouldn't mind shredding some lbs. I fear that if I went vegetarian though, I would just end up eating a bunch of pasta and other carbs, and it would all just backfire.

Yeah, I've lost over 20 pounds and built on muscle. You also just get more vitamins, and the energy makes you burn more calories inevitably throughout the day.

[phillipjacob]

it's all about a personal choice as to what you eat or don't eat and no one should intervene unless the things you are or aren't eating are having a negative effect on your lifestyle and daily health.

[TERRABITHIA]

I tried a vegetarian diet for a month and I must say that the results were great. I felt great after eating a salad, but that was not the only thing I ate. I mixed it up a lot, but I would never be able to commit myself to that diet. Plus, the human body needs meat. So, GO MEAT!

[atticus18244fss]

Meat ftw. If you don't agree, well then don't bitch when restaurants don't make special meals for your needy diet. I eat meat at least once a day if not more.

[CaryGrant]

Meat ftw. If you don't agree, well then don't bitch when restaurants don't make special meals for your needy diet. I eat meat at least once a day if not more.

Thank you for your sagely contribution to this discussion.

[Nadene7x]

there's tons of gluten free things you can eat, not so much processed, but people shouldn't be eating that crap anyway. You can buy gluten free bake mixes and bake your own breads if you really need to eat bread. There are some fabulous gluten-free recipe blogs out there. This is one of my favorites and i'm not even gluten intolerant but I still cook lots of gluten free things: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/

thank this will probably help alot :)

[danofthedead]

Meat ftw. If you don't agree, well then don't bitch when restaurants don't make special meals for your needy diet. I eat meat at least once a day if not more.

I don't eat at restaurants that I know don't have food for me, and I certainly don't complain when my own decision leaves me with limited options. I do, however, love hearing my omnivore friends whine like children whenever I make food that DOESN'T have meat or dairy. I imagine that you, the oh so articulate one, would be one of the biggest babies of the bunch.

[gspuppy2005063]

im not anti-vegetarian, but i am anti-peta. i can't remember how many shows i've been to where i've waited in line outside and someone has harrassed me to sign some petition about kfc. then i dont sign it and they keep bugging me "millions of chickens are being tortured. ARE YOU GONNA LET THAT HAPPEN???"

i'm a vegetarian who is anti-peta. i get exactly where you're coming from. in my opinion, peta makes animal lovers look bad, and they're probably a huge part of the reason why meat-eaters take such offense to vegetarians.

[gspuppy2005063]

If I went vegetarian, it would be strictly for weight loss and not because I'm against eating animals. I love meat. I always will. But I wouldn't mind shredding some lbs. I fear that if I went vegetarian though, I would just end up eating a bunch of pasta and other carbs, and it would all just backfire.

Its hard not to become a junk-food vegetarian. I admit to being one more often than not.

[deFobbed14yrs]

haha white people and vegetarianism.....................i 'm hindu, so being a veggie is nothing new to me. it's been working just fine for me and my people for the past few millenia

[deFobbed14yrs]

I tried a vegetarian diet for a month and I must say that the results were great. I felt great after eating a salad, but that was not the only thing I ate. I mixed it up a lot, but I would never be able to commit myself to that diet. Plus, the human body needs meat. So, GO MEAT!


your body doesn't, but your mind/soul may lol

[deFobbed14yrs]

I've been thinking about trying it for a while. I've done some online research and read some books to get more information about being vegetarian, and I think I'm finally going to go for it.


indian food dude, find a nice hindu restaurant to serve you some paneer mukni with poori or naan

[atticus18244fss]

I don't eat at restaurants that I know don't have food for me, and I certainly don't complain when my own decision leaves me with limited options. I do, however, love hearing my omnivore friends whine like children whenever I make food that DOESN'T have meat or dairy. I imagine that you, the oh so articulate one, would be one of the biggest babies of the bunch.
I'd be bitching like you wouldn't believe.

[already heard]

I just think it's funny that a lot of people assume because you're vegetarian or vegan that all you eat is salad. I've been a vegetarian for over 10 years and have never made a salad at home nor have I ordered one out. Sure, I'll put some spinach or kale in a smoothie but that's the extent of "salads" in my diet. The amount of food options for vegetarians and vegans is far more extensive that what most people think.

[tkamB]

I'd do it for the health benefits, but I enjoy chicken burritos to much. I did stop eating red meats though.

[atainder]

It's unbelievable just how uneducated people are when it comes to food. I hear some absurd questions when people find out I don't touch carcass.

That said, I've been veg for nearly four years now. It doesn't mean I eat that much better than before haha.. I initially replaced all the meat with more dairy, which is much worse than meat. I did lose a lot of weight (I was 215 before, now I'm down to 170ish). I used to rarely eat fresh plants, when I still ate meat. The few I did were cooked, so I wasn't getting phytonutrients.

[chrisstahl]

primal blueprint

[lilwave]

I'm a vegan
WHO'S DOWN WITH TOFURKY? yea you know me...

[CircaKnives]

Starting up my vegan test week on monday. If it makes me feel a little better, I'm going to continue it. Got a grocery list of vegan friendly foodstuffs. Any vegan foods or recipes you can't live without?

[open mind]

i don't eat meat during lent.

the rest of the time i can't help but be a big fan of bacon (canadian and regular), ribs, cheesesteak sandwiches, meat lover's pizza, pilmeni (sp?) rama chicken, gyros, mushroom bacon cheeseburgers, mongolian beef, lasagna, cordon bleu (meat and cheese within meat? genius!), medium rare steaks, beef jerky, larb, teriyaki chicken, chicken and beef fajitas, bratwurst, meatloaf, chicken soups, beef/caribou/moose stew, won ton soup, shishkebabs.......sorry, meat withdrawals got me carried away there.

i don't care what anyone's diet is as long as they don't walk up to me while i'm eating and attempt to make me enjoy it less and/or constantly preach about it.

[ari telescope]

I eat what I eat, it's just food and no one since I was 13 has made a big deal of being veg. Weird.

[lilwave]

I eat what I eat, it's just food and no one since I was 13 has made a big deal of being veg. Weird.

Wow really? EVERYONE asks about it. Are you vegan?

[ari telescope]

Wow really? EVERYONE asks about it. Are you vegan?

Vegetarian, but I was vegan for a while.

You know, come to think of it the only two people I can remember asking about it are two unrelated incidents of two different religious lady co-workers. One which actually did bring religion into it.

But I don't know, maybe it's cause I live in southern California so it's not that uncommon?

[lilwave]

Vegetarian, but I was vegan for a while.

You know, come to think of it the only two people I can remember asking about it are two unrelated incidents of two different religious lady co-workers. One which actually did bring religion into it.

But I don't know, maybe it's cause I live in southern California so it's not that uncommon?

Trufax. In South Florida we're 70% Latin. D:

[ari telescope]

Trufax. In South Florida we're 70% Latin. D:

Haha I know how that is, my Mexican-side family were the ones who asked me about it when I first started. To this day, as "white" as my immediate family and I are, my mom still calls it "vay-gan" and had to point it out to everyone because it was fairly new to her haha. But vegetarian is more understandable.

[mymusicismylife]

I'm not quite vegan yet, but I get so much shit for it.

Also, people who don't know the difference between vegetarian and vegan, but think they do, are annoying as hell.

[PunkInfluence09]

I had a girlfriend who was vegan. All she did was bitch about what she couldn't eat. It got old real fast. Mad respect for those who can do it and enjoy it, but I know I couldn't.

[ari telescope]

I had a girlfriend who was vegan. All she did was bitch about what she couldn't eat. It got old real fast. Mad respect for those who can do it and enjoy it, but I know I couldn't.
You can tell they just recently decided to go vegan (for reals or a phase - more likely) by that tell-tale sign. So annoying.

[mymusicismylife]

I really didn't think vegetarian was hard at all, and after that, vegan isn't too difficult either. Especially after reading Eating Animals.

[PunkInfluence09]

You can tell they just recently decided to go vegan (for reals or a phase - more likely) by that tell-tale sign. So annoying.

This bitching continued for well over a year. I think she's still a vegan to this day, though I don't really know. We cut all ties and communication ages ago.

[CircaKnives]

People who know about my trial run into vegan territory have already started to act as if I believe I'm better than people for being vegan. Never really had that attitude about it, but I guess that's what you get when you live in Nebraska and people treat vegans like they are a completely different race. (and you don't want to be a different race in Nebraska)

[shimmyshakes]

I've been a vegetarian for just under 2 and a half years. My mom still tries to convince me to eat meat.

[lauren1234]

I don't like telling people I'm a vegetarian cause then they automatically think I judge them for eating meat. Its so annoying.

[samuraiweasel]

I don't like telling people I'm a vegetarian cause then they automatically think I judge them for eating meat. Its so annoying.

This happens a lot to me...
They also seem to think that we think were better because of it too...

[EchoPark]

I also chose to be a vegetarian due to ethical reasons, however I continue to eat meat on occasion.

Does that make me a hypocrite? Probably.

I know the hardline movement sure didn't help the cause much. Douchebags in Earth Crisis tshirts beating up kids walking out of McDonalds.

[lauren1234]

This happens a lot to me...
They also seem to think that we think were better because of it too...

Yep, pretty much. I just don't get why others make a big deal about it.

[Neo Cassady]

I gave up eating meat for Lent, mostly to see if I could do it, how it would make me feel, etc. I've broken it twice--once for Cane's chicken, and once for a ground turkey concoction that my friend made and I didn't want to make her feel bad by not trying it. Still no red meat. It's going really well, and I've tried a lot of new recipes. I'll probably continue without red meat after Easter and severely cut back on poultry. I have no problems with eating fish, as I'm doing it for health, not ethical, reasons.

[saturday_snow_squall]

ive cut back on red meat, cept for the occasional taco bell. eventually ill be a vegetarian, im gradually trying vegetarian recipes so i can ease into it.

[de1337ed]

A friend of a friend claims to be vegetarian but we went out to bdubs the other week and she ate 12 wings. She said that she has to eat meat twice a week or her hair falls out. I don't mean to be ignorant but I'm pretty sure that this is a load of crap and that she could take protein supplements if she was having this problem. I have nothing against vegetarians but If you're going to consider yourself to be vegetarian at least be committed.

[anthonydarko]

I've been trying to get back on track with my vegetarian diet, it's been awhile.

[DJWildefire]

I'm basically vegetarian but I eat gummy candies, which have meat byproducts in them apparently. But besides that no meat for me in a little over a year and a half. I try and get eggs from local farmers who treat their hens well.

[therailwayhouse]

I hate telling people I'm a vegetarian unless it's absolutely necessary, except some of my friends seem to talk about it way more than I ever do.
when I was on exchange in France during last December/January, I was often introduced as "the vegetarian Australian exchange student" -__-
they all thought I was some kind of freak for not eating meat, and all I ate while I was there baguettes, cheese and occasional vegetables [because there was no other food]. I had the flu for three weeks and came back looking really sick because I was so vitamin deficient.
my host family had known well in advance about my "dietary requirements", but fed me exactly what they ate without the meat - which was bread and cheese. haha I feel like I'm complaining about it so much, but even the boarding school where I stayed for two weeks didn't feed me properly.
I probably would have lost so much weight if I didn't eat cheese. I did buy food sometimes, though eating is so expensive in France
[/rant]