# Any vegans?



## Equisgurl (Nov 22, 2004)

I want to cut out meat and milk at least for now from my diet to see if it helps my fatique, but I'm worried that I'll become a junk food vegan, living off cans and boxes. Any tips or easy recipe ideas, any books you can recommend?

Thanks


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## little owl (Dec 23, 2010)

I am vegan. I like the variety of things that I make using tofu, beans, tomato sauce, potatoes, rice, spices, and olives. Those are my main ingredients with things. And there are lots of fruits, bagels, cereals. And peanut butter is always just so good with protein and b vitamins.


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## Recipe For Disaster (Jun 8, 2010)

i'm not vegan, i don't think it's healthy as there are things we need that we can only get from animals and i don't believe a good diet should depend on supplements. however, i am a vegetarian and cook a lot of vegan dishes. if you like a lot of flavor and spices, i recommend looking into indian food. they have a huge variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes and to me the majority of them taste fantastic. i've been using manjulaskitchen.com to find recipes. i think eliminating animal products from your diet for a short time could beneficial also. would not recommend it long term though.


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## Misanthropic (Jun 25, 2010)

A healthy, vegan diet should give you more energy. Just make sure to get protein from foods like beans, nuts/seeds, tofu and soy (provides complete protein), quinoa (another complete protein) etc. Drink soy milk that is fortified with B12 or take it as a supplement, B12 is naturally found in the dirt that fruits and vegetables are grown in but it's lost because they're so thoroughly washed before sold. You should consider taking an algae derived DHA supplement (like Udo DHA oil). There's some research that a healthy body naturally converts DHA from other omega 3 fatty acids but it's not conclusive. My nutrition info. is rusty.


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## kangarabbit (Dec 26, 2010)

I'm currently vegetarian (for ~2.5 years now) but it's my goal to go vegan for the next 3 months. My main reason is that I eat a lot of snacks and junk food that contain milk and eggs, so by becoming vegan, I hope to decrease my calorie intake and finally shed some pounds. Foodgawker is one of my favorite food sites and there's a vegan category: http://foodgawker.com/post/category/vegan/


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## VeggieGirl (Dec 11, 2009)

I am vegetarian, was vegan.
It is a healthy diet but unfortunately I fell under the unhealthy vegan title like alot of people end up doing.


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## themoth (Oct 5, 2010)

I used to be a raw vegan...and it felt great! I couldn't stick with it long-term, though, nothing physical...I had more of an emotional-isolation problem with such an extreme diet. I never ate tofu, tvp or any other kind of boxed or canned stuff....only
whole foods. A lot of ripe, organic fruit and leafy greens. Not too much fat, which would only leave me feeling groggy! More than half an avocado or a handful of soaked nuts was way too heavy and hard to digest...hope this helps!!


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## Asp Christian (Dec 3, 2010)

I don't eat red meat. No beef, no pork and I don't miss either one. I eat poultry and fish. I was a vegan for a while, but its hard to avoid animal products like butter, eggs and milk because they are in just about everything. I try to avoid egg yolks and greasy foods, but sometimes I crave fried chicken.:um


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## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

"Honestly I do NOT think it is a good Idea to cut both meat and dairy out of your body all at once. I think going vegetarian for awhile and then switch over as you replace it with vegan foods. It can really make you turn deathly sick if you don't have enough iron a day. "

Yeah my sister went veggie all at once and looked like crap for six months. But she's been normal now after years of doing it.


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## rockyraccoon (Dec 13, 2010)

I am pretty much a vegan. The only animal products I consume are whey protein shakes because I work out at the gym. Plus, certain types of whey protein (the one I take) has all the essential/nonessential amino acids plus Branched Chain Amino Acids. I don't think I could go totally vegan though, I think it would be very difficult to remove all animal consumption via food, as well as the avoidance of products, such as clothing. I'm in construction and all steel toed boots are leather. It sucks. I hate to buy them but there are not really any alternatives.


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## scriabin221 (Nov 16, 2008)

At the moment, I'm envious of any vegan or vegetarian. I've been off and on for about two years, but I'm currently eating meat again. I had a really stressful semester, and when I get stressed, I eat my emotions (and sometimes purge them, but not for a long time). It really does feel better when you don't eat meat. Not just physically, but you feel about yourself as well. I'm going to go back to no meat on New Years and slowly inch my way toward veganism.


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## hiimnotcool (Apr 28, 2009)

Vegetarian here. I crave for chicken and fish sometimes but overall it's pretty easy.


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## rockyraccoon (Dec 13, 2010)

I forgot to mention. There are meat substitutes out there. I usually rely on these products called Yves. I don't know if you can get it where you live. They make veggie dogs, veggie ground (Mexican/Italian), veggie ham, etc. You can go this route before you learn to combine the different foods.


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## ubezo (Mar 19, 2009)

Snackwise, I'm a garbanzo-addict. Soak then bake at 400 deg for an hour or so. Till crisp and crunchy.


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## kangarabbit (Dec 26, 2010)

^ That sounds good! Can you use canned garbanzo beans as well?


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## ubezo (Mar 19, 2009)

^I'm guessing you could. I only buy dry beans though.

Some people boil them (after soak, before bake). I don't find that necessary. It doesn't make them as crisp/crunchy imo. And plus, I'm a hardcore minimalist.


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## pumpkinspice (Aug 8, 2010)

ubezo said:


> ^I'm guessing you could. I only buy dry beans though.
> 
> Some people boil them (after soak, before bake). I don't find that necessary. It doesn't make them as crisp/crunchy imo. And plus, I'm a hardcore minimalist.


I adore roasted chickpea crunchies!!! I make them several times a week. I alternate the spices I use on them depending on what I'm in the mood for. Sometimes curry flavored, chili flavored, sweet with cinnamon and sugar, salt and pepper, or onion/garlic, etc. There are endless possibilities!!

I also always use dried beans and only soak. I agree that the boiling method tends to make them too soft. I love the crunchy/crispy texture.


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## Cyber Lume (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm a vegetarian, but I eat vegan a good portion of the time.

Seeing as you just seem to be getting into vegan-ism, I wouldn't just drop every dairy and meat product out all at once. Just try dropping out or replacing a few things at a time. It seems like the people I know who dove right into the diet were out again fast. Also, some vegan substitutes (soy milk, fake meat) seem to be "acquired tastes."


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## kiasockmonkey (Dec 13, 2010)

Vegetarian for 15...well now 16 years. My 9 year old son is also vegetarian.

http://www.veggieboards.com/newvb/forum.php

^^^ Very supportive, active, and informative forum for vegetarians, vegans, and raw foodists. Tons of recipes; great people there!


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## Duke of Prunes (Jul 20, 2009)

Meat is good. This thread makes me hungry for steak.


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## Fromheretoeternity (Apr 3, 2011)

I am vegan, I don't eat dairy products, eggs and basically anything from an animal. I don't wear anything with animal products in it or wash with anything that has animal products in it. I find that Quorn products have eggs in them so I go to this shop where I live that sell vegetarian sausages which are dairy free and egg free and obviously meat free.  Where I live you can buy vegan fudge, vegan chocolate which are good treats.


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## serenegeek (Jul 9, 2011)

Vegan here and loving it! I've been vegetarian almost all my life and decided to go completely vegan 4 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made. There's really alot of great vegan recipes out there despite what some people might think. You don't have to live off vegan junk food, the best thing to do is to cook for yourself and educate yourself as much as possible. Its really easy and healthy!

I used to listen to veganfreak radio podcasts which I would recommend to those who are serious about becoming vegan. 
Also check out the post punk kitchen. One of my favorite vegan recipe site.


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

Vegan here. Never felt better. Learn to combine foods and eat a wide variety of veggies. You don't needed to eat dead anvimals to thrive. In fact you're more likely to thrive with more raw food in your diet.


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## Oscar7 (May 20, 2011)

I'm jealous! Vegans have superpowers.


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## Ventura (May 5, 2009)

Being vegan has only worsen my SA , I was going to make a thread about such and ask for other people what they thought , But now that im vegan im doing crappy !


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## Oscar7 (May 20, 2011)

NES said:


> Being vegan has only worsen my SA , I was going to make a thread about such and ask for other people what they thought , But now that im vegan im doing crappy !


Maybe stop being vegan if it's making your life worse?
Unless you just can't get yourself to eat all those foods....


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## Ventura (May 5, 2009)

Oscar7 said:


> Maybe stop being vegan if it's making your life worse?
> Unless you just can't get yourself to eat all those foods....


I wont go back to eating meat (have not sense I was 8 ).... It's gross and wrong. But sense switching to vegan , I have became anemic .... ect not fun... I fet like my SA got worse ....


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## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

Are you taking any supplements? It's highly suggested vegans take b vitamins especially b12 (you can only get b12 from animal products not any other source) and a multivitamin. Mostly because so many do it wrong by eating mostly carbs or your common salad mix which contains a lot of watery vegetables instead of darker greens like kale, swiss chard, cilantro... and colored vegetables like peppers and squash. Cooking everything also only does harm to your diet and some raw fruits and vegetables should be eaten. Some even make diets out of cooking nothing. I am not vegan but my digestive problems and dislike of most meat and intolerance of dairy gives me constant b12 issues and iron problems run in my family. I had a really really long in depth article on b12 research and vegan societies with recommended amounts to supplement with that I was following despite still eating some animal products but it got lost when I switched to a new computer some years back. I also have fed many herbivorous animals without commercial diets and had to memorize the vitamin and mineral content of most common vegetables and fruits along with many wild forages. 

I can't stand the texture and aftertaste of vegetables but debated following a fruitarian diet for weight loss for awhile once. Then I developed fructose malabsorption which cuts out many of the important fruits needed to make a balanced diet out of mostly just fruit. Apparently it works great for a lot of people though and it can be done but again you still can't get a few things like b12 which by itself proves humans haven't yet evolved to be vegetarians but we do have the technology (fortified foods and supplements) to be vegetarian if we want.

Adding more fresh foods to any diet will make people feel better even if they aren't cutting out a food group.


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## Devdas (Mar 17, 2011)

My parents will kill me if I ate non-veg. I'm not complaining. I hate eating meat and fish.


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## Diacetylmorphine (Mar 9, 2011)

I've actually been eating a vegetarian diet for about a week now.
I must say I don't even really miss the meat _that_ much and I feel a little livelier, I'm not sure if I can stick with it though, fast food is mighty tempting. :lol

We'll see.


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

In the past i tried to be vegetarian but i didn't know.where to get my protein from.or what to combine for Max nutrition. So i failed badly and got sick. Then a few months ago without thinking about it, meat became absolutely repulsive to me. So i just went with it.


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## Addler (Apr 28, 2011)

I've been vegan for a little over three years now. I made the transition from meat-heavy omnivore to vegan in about a month, so I'd have all these intense cravings for roadkill, which really freaked me out. But once that passed, it's been great. I used to have IBS, which really really sucks, but since going vegan, I'm all good. And now no more guilt about those poor animals


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

im glad your ibs cleared up! i have a friend with colitis but she thinks im weird when i suggest a diet change might help. lol.


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## Ventura (May 5, 2009)

Akane said:


> Are you taking any supplements? It's highly suggested vegans take b vitamins especially b12 (you can only get b12 from animal products not any other source) and a multivitamin. Mostly because so many do it wrong by eating mostly carbs or your common salad mix which contains a lot of watery vegetables instead of darker greens like kale, swiss chard, cilantro... and colored vegetables like peppers and squash. Cooking everything also only does harm to your diet and some raw fruits and vegetables should be eaten. Some even make diets out of cooking nothing. I am not vegan but my digestive problems and dislike of most meat and intolerance of dairy gives me constant b12 issues and iron problems run in my family. I had a really really long in depth article on b12 research and vegan societies with recommended amounts to supplement with that I was following despite still eating some animal products but it got lost when I switched to a new computer some years back. I also have fed many herbivorous animals without commercial diets and had to memorize the vitamin and mineral content of most common vegetables and fruits along with many wild forages.
> 
> I can't stand the texture and aftertaste of vegetables but debated following a fruitarian diet for weight loss for awhile once. Then I developed fructose malabsorption which cuts out many of the important fruits needed to make a balanced diet out of mostly just fruit. Apparently it works great for a lot of people though and it can be done but again you still can't get a few things like b12 which by itself proves humans haven't yet evolved to be vegetarians but we do have the technology (fortified foods and supplements) to be vegetarian if we want.
> 
> Adding more fresh foods to any diet will make people feel better even if they aren't cutting out a food group.


Thanks reading this I know im not eating 'healthy' ... a salad a day is going to make anyone anemic !


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## Jessie203 (Feb 20, 2008)

Vegetarian for 3 yrs... did vegan for 2months or so and got ill.. prob did it wrong - missed some nutrients somewhere or w/e.. teach me the ways!!! lol


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## akt (Jun 21, 2011)

I used to be really into the whole vegan and vegetarian thing. The higher carb diet didn't really work for my body - I wasn't eating junk food either. I think I was trying to eat so much beans and tofu to have enough protein for when I exercised it was just all too much.

Now that I'm thinking I have hypothyroid, maybe it was all the soy products. Plus I read the processed soy products aren't that healthy.

I have started eating fish and chicken and cheese again, it's easier to keep my weight down. 

I still avoid makeup, skincare and haircare tested on animals - that's totally pointless to test those things on animals. I try to avoid leather shoes and purses, although not always - but since I wear the same shoes for years and use the same purse for as long as it holds up, hopefully it's not too bad.


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## josh23 (Nov 26, 2010)

I'm an avid carnivore. However my father is a vegan...


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## andy1984 (Aug 18, 2006)

I'm vegetarian but close to vegan most of the time. Sometimes I'm bad and buy stuff with dairy in it.


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## Jessie203 (Feb 20, 2008)

andy1984 said:


> I'm vegetarian but close to vegan most of the time. Sometimes I'm bad and buy stuff with dairy in it.


Nice to see a guy doing this.

I hate how people call guys homos for wanting to be veggie.. not even that being **** is a problem.. but macho guys are truly insecure and idiots like that I guess for talking such bs lol....


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## AgBjBeAF (Jul 8, 2011)

No, not a vegan, but I've been a vegetarian for almost 2 years now. Huge respect for those who can go vegan - I've thought about doing it a few times, but... I don't know.

I also try and not use many products that contain animal products (leather clothes, for example, I can not stand - not even the smell), but there are so many of them. Most of them have weird, long names as well which I cannot remember. And of course, I am not good at the whole shopping thing, usually I just throw everything in my cart so I can be done with it asap. I don't have the nerve to actually sit there and check out the labels...so many people are staring, wondering when is the right moment to 'Ridikulus!' you.


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## Ape in space (May 31, 2010)

kathy903 said:


> I hate how people call guys homos for wanting to be veggie.. not even that being **** is a problem.. but macho guys are truly insecure and idiots like that I guess for talking such bs lol....


Yeah, I had a friend who would always say things like that to me. My response was "Yeah, it must be a real dangerous job going to the store to buy meat."


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## Jessie203 (Feb 20, 2008)

Ape in space said:


> Yeah, I had a friend who would always say things like that to me. My response was "Yeah, it must be a real dangerous job going to the store to buy meat."


lmao nice come back

Or another "Im gay? You're the one stuffing meat in your mouth"
just made that up right now..... not bad huh..... SNAP! lol


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## AgBjBeAF (Jul 8, 2011)

> "Im gay? You're the one stuffing meat in your mouth"


It took me a while to get it, but LOL!


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## Revenwyn (Apr 11, 2011)

My family was vegan from when I was 16 to when I left home at 26. I had no energy.

Literally, no energy. Course my family was raw foodists too. 

Now that I'm eating meat and dairy products now I feel more energetic, like I can actually exercise.

Oh yes and I've lost 60 pounds since getting off the vegan diet.


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## rainbowOne (Sep 26, 2010)

Revenwyn said:


> My family was vegan from when I was 16 to when I left home at 26. I had no energy.
> 
> Literally, no energy. Course my family was raw foodists too.
> 
> ...


I'm sorry that happened to you. 
Don't blame the vegan diet though. Blame the unhealthy diet. You probably weren't eating a balanced diet, the right amount of each food. 
It's pretty easy to get almost all of your required nutrients from a vegan diet (I say 'almost all' as I'm not a nutritionist and can't say for sure. If you are feeling unhealthy on a vegan diet get yourself to a doctor and they can check what you are deficient in)

If you are careful about what you eat then you won't be unhealthy at all on a vegan diet.


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

^true. in related news im in the second day of a juice fast and my poo is ORANGE!


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## sansd (Mar 22, 2006)

I was vegan for twelve years, until I was 24ish, and have been mostly vegan but less strict since then. I have rarely eaten very well, though. I'm trying to work on that now.


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## Rodeo3point2 (Jun 18, 2011)

There's a few dietary pitfalls that need to be considered by anyone who is thinking of becoming a vegetarian and those who have tried but failed due to subsequent illness.

Anyone considering this diet just needs to take a multivitamin. Most of your problems will be solved. The only nutrient you can't get from a plant based diet is B12 (as previously stated). Without B12 supplementation you run the risk of nervous system damage.

Iron will also be hard to come by and if you don't take a vitamin or eat iron rich plants (certain greens will come in handy i.e. collards if you live in my part of the world) you will have no energy and feel like crap. In fact you will probably become anemic, ask me how I know...

Plant based proteins are structurally different and are less efficiently processed so depending on your weight you may need to shoot for around 60-70g a day.


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

just had spicey black bean hummus with rice. yum!


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## timmytim7 (Feb 15, 2009)

i'm vegan at home.... but only vegetarian at work and when out


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## diomedes (Jul 14, 2011)

I'm not vegan or anything like that. You guys get a ton of respect from me. I could never give up steak.


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## She (Jun 30, 2010)

Yep, I'm vegan.  Almost.. 6 years!


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## zomgz (Aug 17, 2009)

I'm a vegetarian. I don't think killing animals and eating them is cool. It's cool if you don't care, but please don't wave it in my face! Every time I tell someone I'm a vegetarian they tell me all about steaks and how they want to eat meat now. Like, seriously.

Also, for those wondering!
Vegetarians = Eats milk products but no meat.
Vegans = No milk products at all and also no meat.


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## AgBjBeAF (Jul 8, 2011)

> Every time I tell someone I'm a vegetarian they tell me all about steaks and how they want to eat meat now.


That is so true.


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## timmytim7 (Feb 15, 2009)

i think far more people in the world get ill eating meat /dairy than being vegan!!! they are way more likely to get heart disease, cancer, diabetes etc. and that's without mentioning mad cow disease!

i think you will get ill though if you don't actually eat a balanced vegan diet and / or enough food.... you can get all the nutrition your body needs from plant based foods though, you just need to read up on it and then eat a good mix... 

having said all that i wasn't a strict vegan today, i was for breakfast, and for tea, but at work i did have some dairy.

tim


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## ratbag (Aug 2, 2009)

I'm as vegan as I can be right now. So many damn ingredients aren't vegan.


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## candiedsky (Aug 7, 2011)

vegan here, been so for like 4-5 years. If I actually stopped eating so many damn vegan baked goods I would probably feel loads better. But yeah, I don't see myself ever going back to an omnivorous lifestyle. I also don't wear any animal fibres, even silk and wool.


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## Dictionary (Jun 26, 2010)

Being vegan is only possible in this new generation. We are so spoiled that we've become picky about our eating habits.

I eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I prefer beans, rice, and vegetables. But i eat chicken as well. I don't spend time saying i wont eat this or i wont eat that yada yada yada. We are too fortunate in america as we go to a grocery store and decide what we will eat. Other countries laugh at us. Then you link obesity and diseases to meat eating. A primary diet consisting of only meat is unhealthy but eating meat is no problem. You should link these diseases to poor diet as well as a poor lifestyle as people wake up each morning hating their lives, stressed all day from working 8 hours a day 40 hours a week, coming home tired and slouching down on to the sofa watching tv until they're back in bed. This along with genetically modified foods and air condition with carcinogens.

You say you love animals. If you lived a real primitive life, you wouldn't have a pet dog sitting in your lap while you pet him and saw "awww" and then get up and spend time feeding him and walking him. People eat animals for nutrition if possible.But i don't support the meat/chicken industries that put animals in to such conditions that they are in. Its amazing they are able to get away with that. I don't love animals but no creature should have to endure what these businesses are putting animals through for our consumption.That is all i have to say against meat eating. Other than that, we should all revert to a more primitve lifestyle for a while then there won't be a thread about being* completely* vegan(many societies have a mostly vegetarian lifestyle not out of choice but out of necessity) If they had the opportunity to eat as much meat as we do, they'd likely take it..

I digress.


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