Comments on: What’s some stuff you would have want to known before becoming a vegetarian?

By: nachoninja

nachoninja — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:34:19 +0000

1) Find your reasons for becoming vegetarian. Research them so when people ask you, you can back yourself up.
2) Find ways to get iron in your diet. When I was vegan, I didn’t think about this and I became anemic. My hair started falling out, I was tired all the time, pale, dizzy, and came close to fainting *MANY* times. I’d suggest beans, soy, and spinach. (If you’re a girl, this is really important. Girls lose iron every month while menstruating.)
3) Find a B-12 source. I like nutritional yeast, it has a slightly cheesy flavor.
4) The hardest days are the first three days. If you can resist eating meat for the first 3, you won’t crave meat as much, and this will get easier in time.
5) If the above is hard, watch documentaries such as "Meet Your Meat." That changed my life forever. You can read too, if that’s more up your alley. I’ve heard that "Slaughterhouse" by Gail A. Eisnitz was really good. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s on my to do list Skinny B*tch is also a good book and goes into the animal exploiting industries a bit.

I hope this helped. If you have anyother questions, feel free to contact me.

By: Meggie

Meggie — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:34:19 +0000

Well, it’s not all that hard. You just need to find a large variety of alternatives so you don’t get bored. You also need to get enough minerals and vitamins that are found mainly in meat such as iron and B vitamins. One other thing to "look out for" would be people who are strongly against the vegetarian diet and/or lifestyle. good luck

By: Hannah

Hannah — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:34:19 +0000

Well, you will need to figure out your reasoning for being a vegetarian because people ask you all the time, so you need to have a ready answer. That might require a little research if you havn’t done so already. You should research things like what animals have to endure, and the ways that the abuse of animals can be stopped if more people are vegiarians. You should also reseach what should eat in order to stay healthy because if you dont eat enough proteins then you can become sick. So basicly when you become a vegitarian, don’t just pig out on bread, cheese, and sugur and not eat any vegitables.

By: Franchesca T

Franchesca T — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:34:19 +0000

okay, so i have been a vegetarian for over two years and i love it. first of all, before you begin, you need to make sure that you are doing this for all the right reasons, whether it be health or the love of animals. if not, it will be extremely difficult unless you have amazing self control.
when i first began, i stopped eating meat cold-turkey, but others perfer to slowly give it up so it doesnt seem so harsh. but for me, there are so many great meat substitutes that i can barely tell the difference anymore.
make sure you are well prepared for the challenge. some times its gonna be tempting, especially if your family eats meat. it seems so, that at dinner, the steak happens to be calling your name, but you need to think about the benefits of being a vegetarian. animals are creatures and the deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and meat farms do not treat or slaughter animals humanely. (i dont want to get into it because its discusting and gorey, but PETA has a great program)
if you really want to get into it go to http://www.peta.org and they have alot of great info.
the pros of being a vegetarian are that you feel healthy. also, for me, i feel like i am making a difference by not eating meat, because even tho i am just one person, hopefully my peaceful non-meat eating actions will influence someone else and so on.
the cons are that when people eat meat around you, you feel tempted, but dont worry, you wont be missing out on a thing. "morning star" has some great fake meat products that looks and tastes like meat, but it is made with veggie protiens or with soy products. this you could purchase at a regular super market.
the only problems i have had with being a vegetarian, is that i am anemic. but this is easily solved by a multi vitamin. you shoud look out for the ingrediants on all of your packaged items because often they are made with chicken or beef stocks.
best of luck to you and i hope this was helpful.

By: Bitsy

Bitsy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:34:19 +0000

Don’t rely on breads and other carbs to fill you up!! This was my biggest mistake at first. Also, you do need to eat more fruits, vegetables, and nuts to ensure you’re getting the right nutrients. Meat and meat products (rennet, gelatin, meat broths, etc.) are in more foods than you think. Cesar salads, candy, some yogurts, you might want to research your favorite foods just to be sure.

By: Descrambler

Descrambler — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:34:19 +0000

What would I have wanted to know ahead of time?
…that there was such a thing as poorly made falafel.

But seriously,

it’ll be a delicious exploration! Relax and open up to new foods and styles of cooking. I didn’t truly learn how to cook until I became a vegetarian.

By: Frou Frou

Frou Frou — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:34:19 +0000

how it would affect my health, thats the most important part, and it can change your life
what you have to do is be prepared with the health issues, know what vitamins, minerals, nuitrients and proties you need to be replacing and by how much, and always keep an eye on your health, as it can change slightly and drastically at anygiven time if you havent been paying attention

good luck

By: PB&Jplez

PB&Jplez — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:34:19 +0000

Well I wish I would of known sooner that you loose a lot of weight,
and you skin problems fade away your sense of smell, taste, touch etc. etc.
(is this just me?) like woke up? I have like wayyyy more energy too.
People ask you all the time "how do you allways stay looking so healthy?"
and you also don’t get as sick as other people (again might be just me?)
just go do it and see for your self!!!