Vegan Diet

[Lissa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YvetteJeannine I am an Ovo Lacto Veg. leaning toward being Vegan. I don't eat ANY fish, poultry, pork, OR anything that had meat in it, was processed w/ anything to do w/ meat or meat fats, etc.

I'm exactly the same

Becoming a vegetarian is a great choice to make. I have never regretted it and I don't miss eating anything meaty etc. But then I was never that into it anyway. It's been so many years now that I couldn't possibly eat it again, but I'm happy about that. I am very healthy and I feel good knowing that I've been able to permanently change something about myself and my lifestyle for what I believe is a good cause (IMO. I gave up because of my feelings on animal rights etc).

So I think it is an admirable choice to make for environmental reasons. Make sure you read up on the subject, find out what nutrients you could miss out on if you don't include certain things in your diet (B12 I think is the main one here). You can get protein from lots of other sources instead of meat. It just takes some research as you must go about this in a sensible manner, particularly because of your age.

Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[Lissa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissa I'm exactly the same Becoming a vegetarian is a great choice to make. I have never regretted it and I don't miss eating anything meaty etc. But then I was never that into it anyway. It's been so many years now that I couldn't possibly eat it again, but I'm happy about that. I am very healthy and I feel good knowing that I've been able to permanently change something about myself and my lifestyle for what I believe is a good cause (IMO. I gave up because of my feelings on animal rights etc). So I think it is an admirable choice to make for environmental reasons. Make sure you read up on the subject, find out what nutrients you could miss out on if you don't include certain things in your diet (B12 I think is the main one here). You can get protein from lots of other sources instead of meat. It just takes some research as you must go about this in a sensible manner, particularly because of your age. Good luck whatever you decide!

It's obvious I didn't read the rest of the thread haha! I'm having a sneaky peek at this website whilst at work.

Anyway, yay!!! Well done!!

 

[medusalox]

I've been a Vegetarian for....12 years now. (I had to stop and count!) I've always wanted to go vegan, but the truth is, I love cheese and chocolate a bit too much! I guess I'm also a cheater from time to time...sometimes I just can't resist crab legs, but I try not to indulge often.

My mom is a vegetarian, too, and she has been for well over 35 years

 

[xiahe]

i'm a vegetarian, or i guess you could say a "pescatarian" because i do like to enjoy my sushi once in a while

- but i don't consume any egg / dairy products, except for cheese. i replace my milk and stuff with soy products - and soy milk is very delicious! (i ♥ silk - i use the vanilla kind in my cereals and the chocolate is very yummy too!)


healthwise: you'll be fine and like Lady_MAC said, get your proper nutrients. all the nutrients you need (proteins, calcium, vitamins, iron, etc) that you get from meats you can get from plants.

protein: soy products, meat subsitutes (like tofurky, morning star hotdogs / hamburgers / bocaburgers...), legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

calcium: milk, yogurt...since you're talking about a vegan diet and not a vegetarian one, fortified soymilk and fruit juices are good options...and dark green veggies like spinach and broccoli. tofu fortified with calcium is also a good source (i LOOOOOVE tofu!)

vitamin B-12: enriched cereals, fortified soy products....or taking a vitamin supplement.

iron: dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark, leafy green vegetables (spinach, broccoli...), dried fruit. to help your body absorb non-animal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C - citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, etc - at the same time you consume iron-containing foods.

zinc: whole grains, soy products, nuts and wheat germ.

and take ohhhhhthehorror's advice, because it is true... =/


people don't understand that their current diet of eating meat is so bad for them. animal meat is full of saturated fats (unless it's lean?) and veins, tendons & ligaments...to me veins, tendons & ligaments aren't that appetizing. and it still makes me wonder how sanitary the meat is, i was told that in packages of meat it's quite possible to have a small amount of poop in it, even if it's too small to see with your eyes ; - most animals have antibiotics of some sort in their feed, which means you're also getting that when you consume them.
eating meat (well, mostly red meat, but that's what everyone likes to eat nowadays) is also the source of a lot of diseases, many of them leading killers...CVD (cardiovascular disease), obesity, cancer (carcinogens in grilled meats), increased risk of MI (myocardial infarction - heart attack), increased cholesterol (which can also lead to CVD, MI, and arteriosclerosis). overall, people who are vegan / vegetarian lead healthier lifestyles and you don't see many (or any) obese vegans / vegetarians out there =]

i didn't take nutrition classes for no apparent reason.

just my 2 cents.

 

[semtexgirl]

I've been a veggie for about 12 years. No meat, fish or poultry. I do eat eggs and dairy though. Would love for my diet to be free of these as well someday - that will be a real challenge! Soy/tofu is my main supply of protein - via soymilk and tofu w/ veggie stir-frys. I also take a multivitamin daily. I bought mine online (www.vegetarianvitamin.com) because because all of the major brands I looked at contained animal-based gelatin. I originallly became a veggie to lose weight and get into better shape. But soon after starting, the morality of it became more of a driving force, especially since I love animals. A year after I did it, my sister followed and about 2 years ago, my father followed as well. Now my family enjoys Eggplant Parmigiana for Thanksgiving, along with my sister's version of "tofurkey" and plenty of meat free sides! There are also a ton of great meatless products available now @ supermarkets and even Target/Walmart, etc. I love Boca and Morningstar Farms. Many restaurants are also creating meat-free entrees or provide veggie burger substitutes for beef burgers. My favorite vegetarian foods are the sausage links from Morningstar Farms (for my meat-free version of sausage and peppers), General Tso's Bean Curd (from my local Chinese take-out restaurant - AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS) and Chili's Mushroom and Swiss burger w/ a veggie burger substitution. Now I've started to cut down on purchasing leather shoes, handbags, etc. I'd convinced myself for a long time that leather is merely a byproduct of beef and wearing it isn't the same as eating beef. But now I feel that it's just not right altogether. I've also become quite concerned about the environment and global warming in the past year. I praise you for thinking about the environment at such a young age. Try it and give it a chance! I started when I was about 2 years older than you and have never had any health problems because of it. You could voice your concerns with your physician or a nutritionist.

 

[visivo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raerae Being Veggie, and Vegan are two different things, just a FYI Veggie's just dont eat meat, but are still allowed to eat basically anything else. And use anyting else. Vegans dont consumn or use ANYTHING thats is a animal product (or tested on animals) at all. So no leather products, no eggs, no this no that hehe... In addition, you'll have to start learning how to read a label. There are many, many grain products (like breads) and other processed foods that have animal products in them. Like Eggs for example. And you can't eat those eigther. So all those cookies, and snacky foods out there are usually off limits, unless you get a "Vegan Cookie." Vegan Cookies are actually pretty good LOL. Anyways... Just a little clarification on the whole Vegan/Veggie thing, since it's very, very different. Being Vegan is an entire change of lifestyle, not just ordering pasta (and it can't be an egg noodle hehe) for dinner instead of steak, and getting ice cream for desert (they have Soy ice cream though, and thats pretty YUMMY hehe ). Oh and another thing... Learn how to COOK! Since the majority of places dont always have a Vegan Menu, and your server isn't going to know if a meal contans animal products unless it's obvious, you end up cooking for yourself a lot. But there are a lot of really yummy Vegan meals. They have a bazillion Soy meat substitutes products that taste as good if not better than the meats they are replacing. And you can get everything from burger and hot dogs, to deli slices (soy mayo wasn't my fav though LOL). So it's not like your JUST eating salads. Start eating mixed nuts too (preferably lightly to unsalted kinds heh) those make a great snack and are healthy for yah. I bought a whole bunch of Vegan Cookbooks while I was doing the Vegan thing and had a lot of fun being creative with what we were eating. You'd be amazed how much oliveoil you end up using LOL. I made the most AMAZING Vegan lasagna last year. Homemade sauce, spinache, tofu, and some other things. No cheese on top obviously

Yesyes yes yes yes. I love her response.

I was vegan for a year and a half, and vegetarian for 6 total years. I felt great a lot of the time, but towards the end I had become so overwhelmed with college/work/etc that I had stopped taking time I needed to care for my body, and developed a B12 deficiency, and my immune system was shot, I couldn't shake even minor colds. I let myself get off track and was not into cooking for myself as much, whch I think is ESSENTIAL to succeeding with this diet, which may sound easy (it may be if you're eating crap like fritos "because they don't have animal products" all the time... ugh, the point of being vegan is not to avoid things and end up eating crap, it's about treating your body & environment well and nourishing your self), but will ultimately make you crash.

I gave it an honest go, but ultimately needed to devote much more time to having a successful vegan lifestyle, and since I had become sick, I decided to slowly incorporate a bit of dairy back into my diet, and regain some balance in the way i eat. I felt good soon thereafter. When I first became vegan, I felt fantastic a couple months into it -- very energetic and healthy, but perhaps going to that extreme at that age is not the best idea. I was around 17 and I think you need to be old enough to cook a lot and make a lot of conscious decisions about the way you want to live, and even if you are mature for your age, it will be very challenging. At fifteen, I would absolutely speak with your parents AND family doctor before undertaking this plan...