A few days ago I made the decision to completely cut out meat from my diet. A few years ago I cut out beef, but now I have decided to cut out all chicken and fish. I was hoping to gradually make the transition to veganism since I don't drink milk (i use soy milk) but the one thing that seems almost impossible for me to cut out is cheese. Any vegetarians/vegans out there? What has been your experience with cutting out dairy?
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New vegetarian
- Thread starter haleyvan
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I ate a vegan diet for about six months. It was a lot of fun to see what can be done with tofu, temphe, etc.
The only odd thing about it is that after switching back to a more standard diet, I was lactose intolerant (definitely NOT an issue I had before). Cheese on a hamburger or a taco won't cause my any problems, but eating a piece of pizza with lots of hot, melted cheese (or drinking milk / eating ice cream) causes great pain.
No major issue -- I prefer rice ice cream to most regular ice creams .. just surprising to have that happened.
The only odd thing about it is that after switching back to a more standard diet, I was lactose intolerant (definitely NOT an issue I had before). Cheese on a hamburger or a taco won't cause my any problems, but eating a piece of pizza with lots of hot, melted cheese (or drinking milk / eating ice cream) causes great pain.
No major issue -- I prefer rice ice cream to most regular ice creams .. just surprising to have that happened.
Rice and kelp? Just kidding.
I increased my raw fruits and vegetable intake from darned near nothing to most of my diet, but I can't get rid of meat altogether. I can see reducing beef to only a rare occasion, but skinless chicken and fish have too much concentrated energy and other good nutrition for me to get rid of. I know there are alternatives, but I'm too set in my ways to change completely.
I agree. I think that it's not smart to impose a regimen which doesn't allow for a good healthy diet and enjoyment of the cuisine. Honestly, I love raw meat (steak tartar) and raw fish (sushi).
But at least it's better to be a veggiedude than buying into the evils of fast food.
i decided to change my lifestyle after doing lots of reading. i respect animal life and do not support the cruelty and explotiation of animals raised for food. i also do not support the degredation of the environment caused by factory farming. being vegetarian also has many health benefits if you do it right. you can have a good healthy diet without meat. there are many alternatives to eating meat.
as for the veggiedude comment - i am female.
This was my reasoning about 28 years ago. For most of that time I ate masses of hard cheese. My chloresterol level changed this and now I eat very little. It must be said that I don't have a very good diet, but that's another story.
i decided to change my lifestyle after doing lots of reading. i respect animal life and do not support the cruelty and explotiation of animals raised for food. i also do not support the degredation of the environment caused by factory farming. being vegetarian also has many health benefits if you do it right. you can have a good healthy diet without meat. there are many alternatives to eating meat.
as for the veggiedude comment - i am female.
Yeah, ironically I really enjoy respecting animal life but eating them is important for my quality of life scale.
Okay, just a fact...
Is there a veggie equivalent to sushi? And veggie sushi doesn't count.
Is there a veggie equivalent to steak tartar? Raw tofu doesn't count.
Is there a veggie equivalent to foie gras a la blue frommage? Hmm... dunno.
For me, I feel like some animals are alright being flattened and consumed. I don't believe in hunting them for sport but for me it's alright to munch into them. Delicious!
Uhm... Hate to break it to you, but a good healthy diet is entirely possible with a veg*n diet. this study determined that Vegetarians have a lower risk of dying from ischaemic (reduced blood supply to heart) heart disease than non-vegetarians. A Veg diet can help reduce blood pressure, and can help diabetes, heart disease (as previously mentioned), ocular degeneration, gallstones, colon and breast cancer, and the only negative things you really have to deal with (if you do it right) is a little gassiness for the first week and a b12 deficiency that can be taken care of with some nutritional yeast. (source)
And for enjoyment of cuisine? Being a vegetarian inspires creativity in food. In the past, when I'd just sauté up a chicken breast with lemon, I now can't just throw that into a pan. I sit back and think about if I want to make a bean patty, rock it with some tofu, "hey, what's this seitan stuff?".
there seem to be a large number of veggie-related threads recently. weird. *shrug*
A crazy idea
How about we answer the OP's initial question instead of turning this into another "I like meat, I can't stop eating it." thread?
To the OP, I've been vegan for about 1 1/2 years now, and a veg for around 6 or 7 years before that, so yes! We do exist on MR. Congrats on your choice, too, it ain't the easiest thing to do at the start, but as you become accustomed to it, you'll wonder why you ever hesistated.
I really recommend learning to cook, that can be invaluable. Plus, it impresses the ladies. Sites like vegweb.com have GREAT easy vegan recipes to start off on, as well as great substitution/measuring tools. Also, I would recommend learning to cook vegetables before dabbling too heavily into meat-substitutes. Substitutes are a great addition to any meal, but veggies contain a huge amount of nutrients and calories, and should be the foundation of any meal. Again, good sites like vegweb or cookbooks like the Chicago Diner Cookbook or Vegan With A Vengeance are great starting points to learn how to cook delicious, easy food.
Also - experiment! Adding a can of beans, or some kale, or spinach to any food will make it taste better, as well as add protein and calories. Play around with your food, it's really meant to be fun.
Anyways, good luck! There are great veg forums around too (I only visit vegweb again, though, sorry), and you can get better help there, probably.
Bon appetit!
How about we answer the OP's initial question instead of turning this into another "I like meat, I can't stop eating it." thread?
To the OP, I've been vegan for about 1 1/2 years now, and a veg for around 6 or 7 years before that, so yes! We do exist on MR. Congrats on your choice, too, it ain't the easiest thing to do at the start, but as you become accustomed to it, you'll wonder why you ever hesistated.
I really recommend learning to cook, that can be invaluable. Plus, it impresses the ladies. Sites like vegweb.com have GREAT easy vegan recipes to start off on, as well as great substitution/measuring tools. Also, I would recommend learning to cook vegetables before dabbling too heavily into meat-substitutes. Substitutes are a great addition to any meal, but veggies contain a huge amount of nutrients and calories, and should be the foundation of any meal. Again, good sites like vegweb or cookbooks like the Chicago Diner Cookbook or Vegan With A Vengeance are great starting points to learn how to cook delicious, easy food.
Also - experiment! Adding a can of beans, or some kale, or spinach to any food will make it taste better, as well as add protein and calories. Play around with your food, it's really meant to be fun.
Anyways, good luck! There are great veg forums around too (I only visit vegweb again, though, sorry), and you can get better help there, probably.
Bon appetit!
i decided to change my lifestyle after doing lots of reading. i respect animal life and do not support the cruelty and explotiation of animals raised for food. i also do not support the degredation of the environment caused by factory farming. being vegetarian also has many health benefits if you do it right. you can have a good healthy diet without meat. there are many alternatives to eating meat.
as for the veggiedude comment - i am female.
Well, honestly, look at nature, animals eat other animals. Its the way of life. Maybe I should stop eating meat because its cruel... and not eat plants because thats cruel too.
I don't mean to bash you, I just think thats always a ridiculous response.
Dude, she asked for veg*n experiences in cutting out cheese and adjusting to the lifestyle, not for people to comment on her morals.
Animals certainly eat other animals, but they don't incarcerate each other and entirely eliminate each other from the natural environment. But back to the topic at hand...
haleyvan, I cut out meat about a year and a half ago after years of dancing around it with the excuse that "I know I'd never be able to give up meat and stick with it". Dairy products and eggs are something else, though. See, I entirely agree with cutting out animal products altogether if it's the suffering of animals that's your reason for becoming vegetarian in the first place, but the problem is that egg and dairy products are everywhere. It takes a heck of a lot more effort to go vegan than vegetarian because milk and eggs are hidden in just everything you'd ever buy from a regular store. You either need a trustworthy vegan store or a super strong drive to stick with it. I don't have the time to pore over the finer details of every ingredient in everything I eat, so milk and eggs get in there somehow all the time.
I'd eventually like to go vegan, it's just not practical at the time and I live in a place small enough so that there are no big dedicated vegan grocery stores around.
I hope you have a good experience with being vegetarian (and possibly vegan), just don't throw yourself in all at once or you'll be overwhelmed. Certainly take the time to learn to cook and make yourself more familiar with common ingredients in food so that you can pick out the things to avoid. Gelatin, for example, is usually made from boiled-down connective tissue of animals. Kudos to industry for reducing animal wastage, but it's really a sneaky thing to do. Some cheeses also contain enzymes from the stomach lining of some sort of slaughtered animal (calves, maybe?), so just make a point of avoiding that cheese if you care to bother.
I find that the veg*n lifestyle isn't necessarily healthier by its very nature than the meat-eating lifestyle, but rather that its real benefit comes from making the person more conscious about what they eat. Before I cut out meat, I would have eaten anything without even bothering to read the label. Since you can find meat in all sorts of random places these days, I read the label on new products I try and familiarize myself with the ingredients. It has the side-effect of making me very aware of everything that goes into my body. I've also learned plenty about vitamins and minerals since switching, since I know it's easy to get low iron when not eating meats.
But yeah, that's enough for me.
I only switched in the first place to see what it was like. I lost a lot of weight, and probably felt the best ever, but it takes a lot of planning and preparation to pull off a vegan diet successfully. In the end, I just got lazy. And my partner quit PETA, so it wasn't as big of a deal.
If you haven't already seen this cookbook, I highly recommend it.
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vengeance-Delicious-Animal-Free-Recipes/dp/1569243581
Edit: I just noticed livingfortoday mentioned the book already. I'd normally edit my stuff out, but I love the book that much, so .. it stays, redundant or not.
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I agree that it can be time-consuming at first, but if you start moving away from super-processed and refined foods, you should be ok. The big ones to watch out for are whey and casein (from milk and cheese respectively). Once you start looking, though, you'll find brands that make good vegan food without meaning to. For example, I love whole wheat bread from Sarah Lee - vegan. Brownberry uses whey. I love dark chocolate - most dark chocolate over 60% is vegan (except Hershey's, which has whey). Ghiradelli makes incredible chocolate chips for baking - vegan. So yeah. You'll start finding things that are and things that aren't, and soon it'll become much easier, second-nature, almost.
And, truth be told - the only thing I really miss is my white russians.
Gotta get 'em black now.
There is no way I can vegetarian. Meat is more important to me than fruits. I can go a whole week without fresh fruits, but I can't pass a day without meat.
I eat tons of meat every day, and entirely do not believe in vegetarianism. But good luck with that I guess, its your choice.
I eat tons of meat every day, and entirely do not believe in vegetarianism. But good luck with that I guess, its your choice.
Sorry but I gotta get my sushi.
Okay but where do I find a vegan French restaurant? or vegan Spanish restaurant?
I suspect that veganism is more or less an American phenom. Never seen it in any European bistro.
I think it's a brave endeavor, but I dunno if an ethical compulsion would be enough for me to make that particular decision in a long term way. Good for you if you feel you can do it, though.
And why not soy cheese? Other than the fact that it kinda ... sucks.
Honestly, are you done yet? It's really not necessary to reiterate your love for meat in every post you make.