Vegetarian

...of becoming a vegetarian? How many years had you been eating meat? Did you have any slip ups? Is it still hard today? What keeps you motivated?

Sorry so many questions..Haha. I'm just curious. I've wanted to become vegetarian for so long..it makes me feel so bad to know I am eating a creature that once lived. :( But, growing up eating it..it's very hard to break away from it even though I had been one for 6 months once. :/

I've been vegetarian for the past three years (I'm 33).

It happened shortly after I moved in with my boyfriend, who's been strictly vegetarian for 13 years. He didn't force me to change my diet, but I felt uncomfortable eating meat around him, which made me question why I was eating meat at all (since I'm an animal lover too).

I don't really find it that hard because there are so many great veggie meals and recipes out there. Eating out isn't a problem if we go to Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian, etc, restaurants (though traditional British pub food is more tricky..) Our families have got used to it too and make us something separate when we go to dinner.

I do have occasional cravings and last Christmas, I admit I ate a few pieces of smoked salmon. Not sure why really! But other than that, I've managed to resist. I try to see it as a positive choice rather than a restriction - i.e. I'm free to eat animals if I want, like everyone else, but I choose not to.  That helps me not to see meat as a 'forbidden' food.

If you're finding it hard to give up meat, remember you don't have to go totally veggie all at once. Try reducing and cutting out meat and fish gradually to give yourself time to get used to it. Also fake meat substitutes like Quorn, soya mince, etc can be useful if you miss the taste and texture of meat.

I'm sure there is loads of great advice on recipes etc already in this forum . :)

I became vegetarian when I was 17 and started college, and then went vegan about a year later. My parents enforced eating some meat at meals until then and said when I was old enough I could make my own choice...they were worried about lack of nutrition and wanted to make sure I fully researched the diet to ensure I was getting what I needed nutritionally.

As soon as I moved into college I made the switch, it was natural for me. Giving up meat was very easy, and "meat substitutes" made the transition very easy. What I thought would be the hardest part, the dairy especially ice cream and cheese, ended up being very easy for me as well. I used to LOVE cheese and sweets...

...I actually don't miss cheese at all. I love my pizza piled with veggies and don't even notice it's not there anymore. When I think about what it is and what it's made of, I just don't need it. As for sweets, I've just learned to be a good vegan baker :) I love trying to create my favorite desserts and veganize them. It's so easy to make vegan-friendly cookies and things with simple substitutions like Earth Balance margarine and soy or rice milks...some store brand semi-sweet chocolate chips are already unintentionally vegan as well.

I don't miss out at all, in fact, I've been introduced to so many more amazing foods then I ever tried before. Restaurants often post nutritional information online on their websites, so it's easy for me to check the menu ahead of time so I have an idea of what I will order as to not make for an awkward moment when ordering, and for simplicity sake I just say I have a dairy allergy if I'm unsure about what's in a menu item.

Good luck with everything! Feel free to ask if you have any questions at all, this is a very friendly and warm group and I'm sure we all have some recipes and tips to share. Take Care! :)

I've been a vegetarian 17 years now. It wasn't hard in the beginning, especially since I lived in Austin and was a college student. I've always been around a veggie friendly sort of crowd, so it hasn't been that hard for me even through marriage, grad school, new career, children and a move to the deep south. I do most of the cooking in the family, so that hasn't been an issue. However, I'm only a veg, not a vegan. I've tried to go vegan a couple of times and the issues of eating out become that much harder, so I can imagine that veganism can be trickier, all depending upon your lifestyle.

The hardest thing right now is finding fake meat, since my family depends on a variety of TVP to survive.

two years ago i went from being an omnivore to a vegan. and yes, it WAS difficult. i just had to cut myself some slack the first month or so. after two months of sticking with it, it became MUCH easier. but for maybe nine months after i went vegan every once in a while i would get a monster craving for (of all things) an egg mcmuffin! i gave in, too, more than once! i think it helps to remember that a diet (like life) is a process, and you don't have to always be perfect. it also helps me if i don't get locked into any kind of "forever" thinking. i just think, i could eat that hamburger if i wanted to, but today i'm choosing not to. one day of being veg*n is a lot less pressure than a lifetime commitment!

good luck! ;)

Yes, I think the above posters hit the nail on the head: it's a daily choice.  If you go into it thinking "I can never have beef jerky (or whatever your favourite animal product is) ever again" then not only will you never make the commitment, but you will probably fail.  I have been basically vegetarian for 11 years and am newly vegan, but I slip up often, and there are still some non vegan things I am trying to wean myself off of (spray butter, for example...isn't that a stupid thing not to be able to give up?!).

However, I think the key is just being very aware.  I know if I want to have a burger, I can.  I just have to make the conscious choice...which is very unlikely.  Ultimately, I just find it's "not worth it."  It's a lot like calorie counting.  I know I could have a whole cake if I wanted, but in the end I will be just as satisfied and a lot happier with myself if I have some fruit instead.

You can do it.  And you don't have to call yourself vegetarian at first (or ever!)...I know a lot of people who are basically veg, but can't commit to the title.

I've been a veggie for almost a year now, and i love it! But it was only a few mos. ago that I stopped craving meat, now it grosses me out. But it's been a challenging year. For me "Fake" meat, daily vits, and Peta vidoes keep me on the right track. Oh, and my friend who has been in the veggie lifestyle since highschool, she REALLY helps. It helps me to talk to others, so I dont feel like a black sheep. She's the only Veggie I know without her I would've been lost. Good Luck!