[Question] I am thinking about becoming a vegetarian and I have a few questions

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Hylian

Hylian

Lately I have found myself debating something I never thought I would be debating. Lately I have been thinking about becoming a vegetarian. The problem I have is I have the unnecessary killing of animals and the inhumane ways they are kept and killed but at the same time I love eating meat.

I know that one person who stops buying meat is not going to make a difference. But at the same time I know if everyone feels that way than it really won't change. Part of my dilemma comes from the fact that I know I couldn't (unless it was life or death related) kill an animal myself and yet I hide behind the fact that I am not killing the animal and so I eat meat. But lately the hypocrisy of that logic has been getting to me. Now if I did become a vegetarian I would still eat dairy products and eggs but I still can't decide. The main problem I am having is that most of my favorite foods have meat in them.

Now granted I can modify most of those so they don’t have meat but I can't figure out if that will really work to curb my desire to eat meat. I am also a bit concerned about how easy it would be to keep get a good amount of protein. I know I can always drink protein drinks, eat peanuts, legumes, eggs, dairy products, etc. but I still can’t decide if it is worth it. I know that the final decision has to come from me and it can’t be something someone else decides but I would still love to hear any info for or against eating vegetarian. So if anyone here is a vegetarian or used to be one or if you just have some info to add I am all ears to hear.
 
phil

phil

You could eat meat that has that "the animal was not treated that bad" guarantee thing. I forget what it's called. Like free-range chicken and stuff. usually if you go to say a health food store or something they might have more options for that.
 
Hylian

Hylian

It is more than just the fact that they are treated inhumane (although that is a major point) I also just have a hard time dealing with the hypocrisy of the fact that i know I wouldn't kill an animal myself but since someone else is doing the killing I go ahead and eat it. There are other things as well but that is a major issue I have been having with it and that is why I came here so I could find out some difference of opinions or maybe some people who have already taken the plunge or who used to.
 
Rovewin

Rovewin

If you do decide to go vegetarian, make sure to eat your vegetables. It sounds like common sense but many vegetarians forget that. Meat has a lot more calories per oz than veggies so in a short time after becoming vegetarian people tend to try and fill that gap with carbs and tend to start leaving their healthy greens behind.

If you really have a moral objection to how the animals are kept, you can try buying meat you know comes from farms that are more respectful of the animals living conditions. Cut back on meat overall and just be conscious of what you are purchasing.

Eating out has to be the hardest part of being vegetarian unless you live a city that caters to vegetarians. Don't be afraid to ask for custom type plates. Most restaurants serve tasty things along side or mixed in their meat dishes so ask for a dish without meat or mix and match different sides that you see even if they are not shown on the 'side' menu. One of my frequent restaurants, I have them replace the chicken with squash or broccoli which turns out delicious. Well I hope I've helped a little and good luck coming up with the solution fits your needs.
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

Staff member
First step: stop feeling guilty for making a choice to better your eating habits, and fuck people who get all indignant because you feel ethical treatment of animals is a bad thing.

Second step: Figure out exactly what your philosophy is, and how you want to go about it. There are thousands of different ways to change your diet, so solidify where your goal is, find that mission statement, and then build a plan that goes up to it. If it's unethical treatment of animals, there are plenty of companies that do organic / ethical and sustainable practices on their animals. Great start. If you're thinking of going all out veg, be careful. Make sure you're doing your diet right.

Third step: Buy a bunch of cookbooks. The PETA dorm one is actually pretty badass (even though I fucking hate PETA). Easy, simple shit that you make and tastes great.

Fourth step: Fuck the haters. Once more, just because.

PS: you don't have to go cold turkey. Read up, and make the best call.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

You can not live in the modern world and not have some one do nearly all of life's functions for you. Why should your source of protein be any different?

I don't mine coal, copper or oil. Yet, my job and lifestyle revolve around those products.
 
Charlie Don't Surf

Charlie Don't Surf

I went vegetarian for a month and it was surprisingly easy. It's on my list of things to do more consistently when my life settles down somewhat. Eating out is still possible, but you would probably be going to different restaurants. Even in Houston, I was/still am able to find some awesome veggie friendly type restaurants. There's a couple really awesome Vegan Chinese places I've been to.

Also it's surprisingly easy to still eat god awful while Vegetarian. It's not a cure for eating healthy. Eating healthy is a cure for eating healthy. I went to a fast food joint once and ate three large fries. Vegetarian, yes, but blaaaaaghhhhh fat.
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

Staff member
Yeah, and cheese. Cheese is an easy stand-by for the veg, but it's soo loaded with sodium and fat and processed.
 
Hylian

Hylian

I have already started eating healthier and if I do decide to become a vegetarian I would definitely make sure to keep eating healthy. Now if I do decide to become a vegetarian besides making sure not to eat junk food and to make sure to eat healthy is there anything I would need to keep an eye or be aware of?
 
Hylian

Hylian

I know that the dairy products and eggs are hard on the animal as well but I would have to draw the line there because I really enjoy/need my dairy products. I would have a easier time dropping eggs but if I do go vegetarian I would prefer to keep the eggs as a way to help broaden my selections. I would do my best to keep from relying on them to much for my dietary needs but I think dropping them would make it to hard on myself.
 
strawman

strawman

Get a book about going vegan. There are nutrients necessary to the human diet that are easy to get via meat, but you have to work a little harder to get going vegan. Given that you're still consuming dairy products you might not have such a difficult time, but you don't want to miss out on these nutrients. You can't just stop eating meat, start eating more green veggies, and call it good.

There's information on the internet, but I'd take some/much of it with a grain of salt. Spend the money on a book from a writer/researcher/doctor you believe you can trust.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Never mind whether or not you think it will make a difference; do what makes you feel best. If abstaining eases your own conscience, then fine. And yeah, be careful of cheese. My brother in law has serious cholesterol problems mainly because of that. He started having problems back when he *was* a vegetarian.

I've ha thoughts like that too--could I kill my own meat? Maybe if I was starving. It doesn't bother me personally. Everybody has their "skill set." Preparing animals for consumption is not in my skill set.
 
Hylian

Hylian

I have been eating more veggies than meat lately anyways (in my journey to eat more healthy) so I am not concerned about just cutting meat out right away. As far as the nutrients go for the most part I know which areas I would need to hit be stay healthy so I am not concerned about that either.
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

Staff member
Eggs and milk aren't necessarily super cruel to animals; just depends where you get it. Try and focus on eating superfoods like peas and beans. And eat plenty of nuts to get dat protein.
 
phil

phil

Hylian said:
It is more than just the fact that they are treated inhumane (although that is a major point) I also just have a hard time dealing with the hypocrisy of the fact that i know I wouldn't kill an animal myself but since someone else is doing the killing I go ahead and eat it. There are other things as well but that is a major issue I have been having with it and that is why I came here so I could find out some difference of opinions or maybe some people who have already taken the plunge or who used to.
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I can dIg that. I sometimes feel the same way. Anyway more to what you're looking for in advice I'm afraid I'm speaking 2nd hand from when my brother was one for a while. He said that the main thing to remember is to make sure you're getting your protein. You can get powdered protein for smoothies or what have you at most vitamin shops.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Greek yogurt it a wonderful way to get protein. Sprinkle some wheat germ and fresh berries on there... So satisfying.
 
Hylian

Hylian

Cajungal said:
Greek yogurt it a wonderful way to get protein. Sprinkle some wheat germ and fresh berries on there... So satisfying.
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While I can't fast I have tried the wheat germ on it yet I can say that I eat Greek Yogurt for breakfast almost every day and it is delicious.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Way easier solution. Pay someone else to be vegetarian for you. You can eat all the meat you want, but you've still taken one person's worth of meat eating out of the world.

It's like carbon credits, but for veggies!
 
Hylian

Hylian

Well I decided I am going to give going vegetarian a trial run and see how it goes. If I dislike it or feel it is not going to work for me after the trial than so be it but if it seems like it is working out well for me than I will go ahead and keep at it.

So thanks for the all the info and the points to consider and please wish me luck :)
 
Hylian

Hylian

Cajungal said:
Enjoy it! Do you have some good recipes?
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Not at the moment but the only meal I really have to worry about is dinner because my breakfast is usually greek yogurt and my lunch I just buy at my works cafe and they usually have a couple of vegetarian options available. For the moment I picked up some meat substitutes to use for wraps, stir fry, etc. My sister told me that her boss is a vegetarian and she said that she would ask him for some recipes for me.
 
ElJuski

ElJuski

Staff member
Seriously, don't half-ass it if you want to make any lasting changes. But tell us how the trial-run goes!
 
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