# Going Vegan



## GodlessVegan (Oct 21, 2011)

Going Vegan was the BEST decision I have ever made in my life.

I no longer feel guilty about what I am eating and how many living creatures had to suffer for my taste buds. I also feel a lot better in general. I have lost 10 pounds and my acne has disappeared completely (probably because of the great reduction of fat in my diet). Plus, going vegan has virtually eliminated my risk for heart attacks, heart disease, stroke and atherosclerosis!

I encourage you all to go vegan! The benefits outweigh the negatives by a long shot! In fact, I can't even think of any negatives to being vegan


----------



## LynnNBoys (Jul 13, 2011)

I'm working toward being vegetarian. I've given up red meat, but still eat some chicken and fish. I'm trying to eat mostly fruits and veggies, and have a very small portion of either chicken or fish. Some meals are meatless.

I'm not sure if I could give up eggs and cheese. 

I've lost about 10 lbs too.


----------



## GodlessVegan (Oct 21, 2011)

LynnNBoys said:


> I'm working toward being vegetarian. I've given up red meat, but still eat some chicken and fish. I'm trying to eat mostly fruits and veggies, and have a very small portion of either chicken or fish. Some meals are meatless.
> 
> I'm not sure if I could give up eggs and cheese.
> 
> I've lost about 10 lbs too.


That's how I started out too  Giving up red meats was easy. I never liked them in the first place. Giving up chicken and fish was difficult but the hardest part was giving up eggs and dairy products.

In all honesty, I am still not totally vegan. I eat an egg occasionally and a slice of cheese here and there. Being vegetarian is fairly easy. Going vegan is where the challenges begin :/


----------



## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

After seeing those videos and photos of how pigs, cows, and chickens are treated, I gradually stopped eating meat. Now, I'm vegetarian for the most part. I still eat a can of tuna maybe twice a month. I would like to eventually go vegan. I have cut out eggs and milk but I still eat dairy products and some things that contain eggs. It's pretty easy to be a chubby vegetarian but I wonder if all vegans are thin. Would be great to lose weight.


----------



## LynnNBoys (Jul 13, 2011)

GodlessVegan said:


> That's how I started out too  Giving up red meats was easy. I never liked them in the first place. Giving up chicken and fish was difficult but the hardest part was giving up eggs and dairy products.
> 
> In all honesty, I am still not totally vegan. I eat an egg occasionally and a slice of cheese here and there. Being vegetarian is fairly easy. Going vegan is where the challenges begin :/


Yes, I didn't like red meat as a teen, learned to like it in my 20s, now I'm back to not eating it. :teeth I could probably cut chicken out relatively easily. I eat it maybe once a week at most, maybe 2-3 times a month.

I was just at the grocery store today and picked up some meatless chicken nuggets to try with my kids. We'll see how it goes.

Do you eat any of the veggie burgers or other meatless meats? Any favorites?

My older son likes tacos and I've been trying to find some kind of alternative to ground beef.


----------



## GodlessVegan (Oct 21, 2011)

LynnNBoys said:


> Yes, I didn't like red meat as a teen, learned to like it in my 20s, now I'm back to not eating it. :teeth I could probably cut chicken out relatively easily. I eat it maybe once a week at most, maybe 2-3 times a month.
> 
> I was just at the grocery store today and picked up some meatless chicken nuggets to try with my kids. We'll see how it goes.
> 
> ...


Yup, I sure do. I mostly eat vegan burgers because they're the least expensive and very tasty. Meatless sausage is probably the most meat-like meatless meat.

My favorite, however, is meatless barbecuse chicken from Trader Joe's Grocery Store . I honestly couldn't even tell that it was meatless! If you like barbecue sauce, I encourage you to buy it!

As for the ground beef, you can buy beefless beef-crumbles (I buy mine at Jewel Osco). They're not as tasty as the real thing but they'll do if you eat them with a very flavorful sauce, like with tomato sauce.

For Thanksgiving, I'm planning on buy a meatless turkey! I've never had one so we'll see how it goes


----------



## solasum (Nov 17, 2008)

I've recently been going down that path... now, vegan turkey? Where do you get one of those?


----------



## Mason (Oct 22, 2011)

Some days I don't eat meat, and some days I do. Veganism is a goal of mine but because of the fact that I'm living at home while I go to university and my parents love chicken and turkey it is really hard to avoid meals.

Once I graduate and find a place of my own I'll probably become fully vegan. I'm not doing it out of any moral reason but purely of the fact that I neither trust the hormones in meat and the fact that my family has a history of urinary, heart, and stomach infections.



solasum said:


> I've recently been going down that path... now, vegan turkey? Where do you get one of those?


Madam, if I may introduce you to the wonders of...


----------



## candiedsky (Aug 7, 2011)

^ Tofurkey is so awesome. I had like 2 tofurkey sandwiches yesterday:yes


----------



## veron (Apr 29, 2009)

I'm highly sceptical of any diet that involves eliminating a certain food group. In my high school nutrition classes, we were taught that humans need 4 basic food groups: grain products, fruits and vegetables, milk products, and meats and alternatives. Eliminating one of these groups and trying to replace it with another sounds wrong to me.


----------



## solasum (Nov 17, 2008)

Oh, I think I have indeed seen that turkey, but only at Whole Foods. I do enjoy Tofurkey's other products.

I'm looking forward to moving out of this state and discovering more vegan restaurants and products. (And people!)


----------



## Duke of Prunes (Jul 20, 2009)

Omnivorous diets are the way to go...


----------



## GodlessVegan (Oct 21, 2011)

Mason said:


> Some days I don't eat meat, and some days I do. Veganism is a goal of mine but because of the fact that I'm living at home while I go to university and my parents love chicken and turkey it is really hard to avoid meals.
> 
> Once I graduate and find a place of my own I'll probably become fully vegan. I'm not doing it out of any moral reason but purely of the fact that I neither trust the hormones in meat and the fact that my family has a history of urinary, heart, and stomach infections.
> 
> Madam, if I may introduce you to the wonders of...


Yes, that's the EXACT one I am gonna buy 
They sell them at Butera Market and Whole Foods.

Have you ever eaten one before? If so, are they good?


----------



## Addler (Apr 28, 2011)

I went vegan a little over three years ago, and it was probably the single best lifestyle change I've ever made. All the guilt that was eating on me fell away, I got stronger, and I learned how to cook all in short order 
It had the unforeseen benefits of making me cut out junk food and most fast food, too, since those are full of animal products. So now I'm much better off than I was when I was an omnivore.


----------



## Mason (Oct 22, 2011)

veron said:


> I'm highly sceptical of any diet that involves eliminating a certain food group. In my high school nutrition classes, we were taught that humans need 4 basic food groups: grain products, fruits and vegetables, milk products, and meats and alternatives. Eliminating one of these groups and trying to replace it with another sounds wrong to me.


...And yet Americans have the highest rates of obesity and heart disease.

When you're eating meats you're essentially deriving these materials: proteins, amino acids, essential fats (glycerol, et cetera), carbohydrates, and some minerals (irons, et cetera).

99% of what you find in meat can be found in plants. Hazel nuts, pecans, and flax seed will easily replace Omega-3 acids and are excellent in stews an stir fries.


----------



## lesty2 (Oct 22, 2011)

I started to omit red meat and chicken from my diet a month ago and have been just eating vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish and dairy products. I suppose it was a relatively easy change for me in simple omitting red meat and chicken since I actually enjoy eating vegetables. 

I'm not sure if I will eventually work on to omitting fish from my diet too. I take multivitamins to supplement my diet in my 2nd week onwards because I realised that the sides of my lips started getting dry which when I googled up states that it's normally a sign of a nutritional deficiency. 

And... that Tofurkey looks amazing lol. I'm not sure if something similar to that is sold here in UK.


----------



## LynnNBoys (Jul 13, 2011)

veron said:


> I'm highly sceptical of any diet that involves eliminating a certain food group. In my high school nutrition classes, we were taught that humans need 4 basic food groups: grain products, fruits and vegetables, milk products, and meats and alternatives. Eliminating one of these groups and trying to replace it with another sounds wrong to me.


If you're in the US, they've replaced the food pyramid symbol with a plate to show people about healthy eating. Now they want half of your food intake to be fruits/veggies. A much smaller portion is lean meat. For me, I'd prefer to have fish as my meat instead of beef.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/06/02/usda.new.food.plate/index.html

Americans tend to have a big slab of meat and maybe 1/8 of the plate is veggies.

So then do you agree with people who do the Atkins diet? Or South Beach?


----------



## Andre (Feb 27, 2004)

The four food groups are actually: grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.

GodlessVegan, I'm glad to hear you are vegan and godless, like me. Except I eat fish because I don't care as much about them.


----------



## MobiusX (Nov 14, 2008)

damn, I wouldn't be able to do it, I like 2% milk, soy milk I tasted it but 2% is my favorite, and I have to eat fish because it tastes good and it's good for the skin, I'm pescatarian


----------



## Sain (Sep 19, 2011)

Rufus said:


> The four food groups are actually: grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.
> 
> GodlessVegan, I'm glad to hear you are vegan and godless, like me. Except I eat fish because I don't care as much about them.


hmm.. I think fish should be the greatest concern. Commercial fishing completely ravages entire ocean ecosystems, obliterating all kinds of marine animals. So by purchasing fish, you are indirectly supporting this destruction.


----------



## Mason (Oct 22, 2011)

Sain said:


> hmm.. I think fish should be the greatest concern. Commercial fishing completely ravages entire ocean ecosystems, obliterating all kinds of marine animals. So by purchasing fish, you are indirectly supporting this destruction.


By using a computer that using electricity you're indirectly supporting the destruction of Earth.

Pure Veganism (absolutely no harm to life or nature) is impossible. Such is the fact of modern society.


----------



## Andre (Feb 27, 2004)

Quote:
 Originally Posted by *Rufus*  
_The four food groups are actually: grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.

GodlessVegan, I'm glad to hear you are vegan and godless, like me. Except I eat fish because I don't care as much about them._



> hmm.. I think fish should be the greatest concern. Commercial fishing completely ravages entire ocean ecosystems, obliterating all kinds of marine animals. So by purchasing fish, you are indirectly supporting this destruction.


I know about the damaging effects of commercial fishing, but for now I eat fish anyway because they are cheap and full of nutrients. The primary reason I don't eat other animals is because of factory farms.


----------



## Roscoe (Apr 21, 2009)




----------



## milo001 (Nov 26, 2008)

Congratulations on going vegan.It's a right decision to make.If only I can.I'm an on and off vegetarian and doesn't seems to be able to committed to vege lifestyle completely.


----------



## CeilingStarer (Dec 29, 2009)

I was heading this way, but then really couldn't find any conclusive proof that meat was bad for the human system (just the way it was cooked). In fact, it seemed quite the opposite. I personally think that the paleo-style diet is the way to go... getting rid of grains/carbs/dairy and getting your energy from animal protein and vegetables. My digestion is way better than when I was "almost" vegetarian.

However, everyone's biology is different, and I think that different diets work better for different people. If vegan is working for you, that's great.

I'm also not a fan of "processed" foods. All these fake meats etc seem very processed.

I hate the meat industry though... that was my primary reason for going off of meat initially. Just watching half of the doco "Earthlings" swore me off it. I try and only eat wild meat... i.e. kangaroo. At least it lived a free life before being shot. Still, this only feeds the ego. 'My hands are clean of factory farming' etc. The reality is, it's still going ahead without my participation or not, and there'll never be a point where enough people turn vego/vegan (or wild paleo like me) forcing it to stop. It really has to be dismantled physically by passionate people.


----------



## veron (Apr 29, 2009)

Mason said:


> ...And yet Americans have the highest rates of obesity and heart disease.


Where I live (Serbia), nobody is vegetarian (at least 99% of the population isn't), and yet you won't see obese people walking down the streets. The obesity epidemic in America is caused by people consuming highly processed, poor quality food. Meat itself is not the problem.



LynnNBoys said:


> If you're in the US, they've replaced the food pyramid symbol with a plate to show people about healthy eating. Now they want half of your food intake to be fruits/veggies. A much smaller portion is lean meat. For me, I'd prefer to have fish as my meat instead of beef.


I'm not much of a meat lover either. If I wanted to, I could easily go vegetarian. However, I think consuming meat every now and then is probably in my best interest :yes



LynnNBoys said:


> So then do you agree with people who do the Atkins diet? Or South Beach?


Hmm... the Atkins diet means no carbohydrates, right? That would involve eliminating foods from the grains food group, and therefore it would be an unbalanced diet. I'm not familiar with the South Beach diet.


----------



## veron (Apr 29, 2009)

CeilingStarer said:


> I try and only eat wild meat... i.e. kangaroo.


Hmm, I wonder what kangaroo tastes like? lol


----------



## CeilingStarer (Dec 29, 2009)

veron said:


> Hmm, I wonder what kangaroo tastes like? lol


It's a very similar meat to deer/venison. Basically no fat, with a slight gamey/sour taste.


----------



## Mason (Oct 22, 2011)

veron said:


> Where I live (Serbia), nobody is vegetarian (at least 99% of the population isn't), and yet you won't see obese people walking down the streets. The obesity epidemic in America is caused by people consuming highly processed, poor quality food. Meat itself is not the problem.


 I'll acquiesce but I would argue that you live a more mobile lifestyle than people in the United States.


----------



## Classified (Dec 7, 2004)

I can't pass up free food, or food at buffets...

If restaurants served up more vegan/vegetarian food, it would be easier as well.

The one and only type of factory farm I don't have a problem with is fish farms. You can grow a lot of fish quickly if you feed them and eliminate their predators.

I should cook more of my own food, and I like fruits, nuts, and veggies more than meat anyways. Plus the girls protesting meat are cute, the males promoting meat are pretty ugly.


----------



## LynnNBoys (Jul 13, 2011)

CeilingStarer said:


> I was heading this way, but then really couldn't find any conclusive proof that meat was bad for the human system (just the way it was cooked). In fact, it seemed quite the opposite. I personally think that the paleo-style diet is the way to go... getting rid of grains/carbs/dairy and getting your energy from animal protein and vegetables. My digestion is way better than when I was "almost" vegetarian.
> 
> However, everyone's biology is different, and I think that different diets work better for different people. If vegan is working for you, that's great.
> 
> ...


I'm the opposite with the digestion. If I do eat red meat now, I get very constipated (sorry if tmi). Makes me feel sluggish. I've had "Food, Inc." on my list of movies to see. From the clips I've seen, I'm sure I'll be even more off meat after watching it.

I'm trying to stay away from processed food too. Im not completely sure I want to embrace any of the meatless meat choices out there. I'd rather have more whole foods.

Of course, my family looked at me like I'm crazy when I told them I'm cutting back on my meat. I had to remind them to not throw a steak on the grill for me this summer.


----------



## MrMongrel (Oct 21, 2011)

LynnNBoys said:


> I'm the opposite with the digestion. If I do eat red meat now, I get very constipated (sorry if tmi). Makes me feel sluggish. I've had "Food, Inc." on my list of movies to see. From the clips I've seen, I'm sure I'll be even more off meat after watching it.
> 
> I'm trying to stay away from processed food too. Im not completely sure I want to embrace any of the meatless meat choices out there. I'd rather have more whole foods.
> 
> Of course, my family looked at me like I'm crazy when I told them I'm cutting back on my meat. I had to remind them to not throw a steak on the grill for me this summer.


I believe that a lot of it has to do with blood type...

Certain blood types seem to take from our ancient ancestors better as far as our digestive needs.

For example, I read somewhere that in control experiments that people with an O blood type will thrive and flourish better with more meat products in their diets as opposed to an A blood type which flourishes better on a diet primarily consisting of veggies. Pretty weird, but logical I suppose.

Makes sense though as I am an O+ and when weightlifting, I've always bulked up better on meats than anything else.


----------



## MrMongrel (Oct 21, 2011)

GodlessVegan said:


> Going Vegan was the BEST decision I have ever made in my life.
> 
> I no longer feel guilty about what I am eating and how many living creatures had to suffer for my taste buds. I also feel a lot better in general. I have lost 10 pounds and my acne has disappeared completely (probably because of the great reduction of fat in my diet). Plus, going vegan has virtually eliminated my risk for heart attacks, heart disease, stroke and atherosclerosis!
> 
> I encourage you all to go vegan! The benefits outweigh the negatives by a long shot! In fact, I can't even think of any negatives to being vegan


Sticking to your morals is great and all, but then again, a lot of meat that is factory processed is unhealthy and shot up with hormones anyhow.

I'm personally an advocate of wild game and free roaming, non hormone fed animals as food.

Plus it tastes awesome. Bison Burgers? They taste better than the best angus ground round burgers (factory bred) that I've ever had, and they somehow taste 'cleaner', if that makes any sense.​


----------



## GodlessVegan (Oct 21, 2011)

Rufus said:


> The four food groups are actually: grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.
> 
> GodlessVegan, I'm glad to hear you are vegan and godless, like me. Except I eat fish because I don't care as much about them.


How are fish any different from land creatures? They feel PAIN and have the same will to live as land creatures.

Fishing not only kills fish, but it kills innocent "bystanders" like sea turtles, dolphins and many others. There is a lot of collateral damage that results from fishing which is destructive to ocean habitats.


----------



## CeilingStarer (Dec 29, 2009)

MrMongrel said:


> I believe that a lot of it has to do with blood type...
> 
> Certain blood types seem to take from our ancient ancestors better as far as our digestive needs.
> 
> ...


I'm also O+, and have read similar things. When I tried vegetarianism, I looked like a P.O.W, even though I ate plenty of plant proteins. A vegetarian I used to work with was A, and was quite well filled-out/stocky, had tonnes of energy etc. He was somewhat of a mentor/inspiration (after watching "Earthlings") that this was the way to go... but it really wasn't for me (even though ethically it was).

When a diet/lifestyle works for you, it's easy to fall into the trap of preaching it as the "only way" to everyone else.


----------



## CeilingStarer (Dec 29, 2009)

GodlessVegan said:


> How are fish any different from land creatures? They feel PAIN and have the same will to live as land creatures.
> 
> Fishing not only kills fish, but it kills innocent "bystanders" like sea turtles, dolphins and many others. There is a lot of collateral damage that results from fishing which is destructive to ocean habitats.


This is very true. Commercial fishing is horribly destructive for the ecosystem. These vessels just scrape the ocean floor, scooping up every single thing in their path. But it's ok, they throw all the by-catch back in to the sea... pity it's DEAD though.

I only eat fish that I personally catch (unless I'm eating a meal cooked by someone else). Even then, the 'hook, line, sinker' method is pretty barbaric, and I know for a fact I've lost rigs in the ocean that have probably killed marine life.

Ideally I wish I was living like an Indigenous Australian 3 Centuries ago, using spears and respecting my land base.


----------



## Andre (Feb 27, 2004)

GodlessVegan said:


> How are fish any different from land creatures? They feel PAIN and have the same will to live as land creatures.
> 
> Fishing not only kills fish, but it kills innocent "bystanders" like sea turtles, dolphins and many others. There is a lot of collateral damage that results from fishing which is destructive to ocean habitats.


The difference is that fish are usually wild-caught and if they are farmed, it doesn't seem like too big a problem. As I said, I don't care about fish as much as other commonly eaten animals. I am willing to eat some fish and contribute to the ravaging of the sea. I do only eat species of least concern, and aim to eat them from seas of least concern, though I usually don't know.

All creatures feel pain and possess will, that much should be obvious to anyone with a brain.


----------



## RetroDoll (Jun 25, 2011)

*this cookbook is supposed to be really good. i'm not vegan but i'm going to buy it b/c people rave about it & the recipes look appetizing for anyone:*

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Vegan-Rec...4672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319419203&sr=8-1


----------



## MrMongrel (Oct 21, 2011)

GodlessVegan said:


> How are fish any different from land creatures? They feel PAIN and have the same will to live as land creatures.
> 
> Fishing not only kills fish, but it kills innocent "bystanders" like sea turtles, dolphins and many others. There is a lot of collateral damage that results from fishing which is destructive to ocean habitats.


Dolphins and Sharks also kill other fish. So do pirahanna. Birds kill sea turtles. What's your point?


----------



## Duke of Prunes (Jul 20, 2009)

Ignoring the simple established facts of evolution and human biology and promoting moralistic food fascism is just a coping mechanism for a certain kind of self-loathing misanthrope that wrongly perceives the world as being greedy and sociopathic.

They mistakenly believe that by taking up a self-righteous crusade of snobbery against whichever supposed problem bothers them the most–be it technology, authority, capitalism, corporations, consumerism, globalisation, genetic modification, unavoidable war, theism, atheism, porn, logical discrimination, or indeed omnivorous diets–whether by manipulating the relevant facts in their favour, boycotting, protesting or even directly attacking it, and pushing others to follow them in their cause, they'll actually make a difference and ‘save’ the world.

In reality, all they're doing is compensating for their own lack of self-worth by finding things ‘wrong’ with society and trying to fix them.

This ‘do-gooderism’ knows no bounds and is present in pretty much every type of extremist you can think of from religious fundamentalists to loony hippies who live in yurts and refuse to interact with the outside world. Conspiracy freaks are typically afflicted with this pathological personality too, albeit combined with paranoia.

Many of them even have the audacity to label themselves as ‘libertarians’, but the aggressive tactics used by some of the more extreme among them suggest that at least some of them wouldn't hesitate to force their changes on the unwilling if they had the power to do so.

:teeth


----------



## Classified (Dec 7, 2004)

And people like you are part of the problem. It is why nothing can get changed or improve.

And since you like to name call, you're part of the idiotically ignorant group.


----------



## huh (Mar 19, 2007)

*resists the urge to feed trolls*


----------



## danabeaton (Jul 15, 2011)

I'm mostly vegan, occasionally still eating egg and rarely milk. I agree that it's great.

I do it partially as a control thing. I don't eat so much random crap, because a lot will contain egg and/or milk. It's healthier. I've been eating so much fruit and veg.

And green smoothies are amazing!


----------



## solasum (Nov 17, 2008)

Classified said:


> I can't pass up free food, or food at buffets...
> 
> If restaurants served up more vegan/vegetarian food, it would be easier as well.


That's what I realized recently, and so I'm more likely these days to eat in restaurants. Otherwise, vegan and vegetarian dishes might disappear from menus if we stopped eating them, and non-vegetarian people won't have any veggie choices when they go out.


----------



## ryobi (Jan 13, 2009)

veron said:


> I'm highly sceptical of any diet that involves eliminating a certain food group. In my high school nutrition classes, we were taught that humans need 4 basic food groups: grain products, fruits and vegetables, milk products, and meats and alternatives. Eliminating one of these groups and trying to replace it with another sounds wrong to me.


I remember when I was in third grade we had a representative from the dairy industry come to our school. She had the food pyramid with her and she used it to explain how important dairy was She said it's important to eat dairy products like sour cream, milk, ice cream....Once she said ice cream she was interuppted by all the excited kids looking at each other wide eyed saying "Iccccce Creeeeaaam" :yes


----------



## jon 29 uk (Sep 14, 2011)

meat has 0% Fiber = rotting, festering, cancerous ,clogging engineered junkfood.


----------



## BovidaeSixteen (Nov 20, 2011)

Well done! :clap it is so great to see people changing their life style to a vegan diet.

I've been vegan since march and I am loving it completely, no guilt at all and I feel amazing.


----------



## Metus (Dec 6, 2010)

Mason said:


> By using a computer that using electricity you're indirectly supporting the destruction of Earth.
> 
> Pure Veganism (absolutely no harm to life or nature) is impossible. Such is the fact of modern society.


Modern? Slaying beasts for their meat, bones, horns/antlers, and pelts is nothing modern. Some nomadic tribes would raze forests to control prey migration.


----------



## simpleindian (Oct 25, 2011)

iam on a veg diet for some time now.i feel happy


----------



## Donnie in the Dark (Mar 15, 2011)

Been a Veggie all my life- never even tempted by the greasy, smelly bits of flesh my flatmates at uni cook, or some of the kebabs and stuff they get sometimes.

Meat eaters tend to try and use protein as a trump card, but actually most carnivores get too much protein, whereas veggies, if they make a bit of effort, can easily get enough.Protein isn't even that big a part in the diet chart anyhow, and meat causes loads of illnesses. Plus..... its a carcass. I' not going to put a carcass into my mouth.


----------



## loquaciousintrovert (May 23, 2011)

Yum...a corpse.


----------



## Crystalline (Dec 1, 2008)

ryobi said:


> I remember when I was in third grade we had a representative from the dairy industry come to our school. She had the food pyramid with her and she used it to explain how important dairy was She said it's important to eat dairy products like sour cream, milk, ice cream....Once she said ice cream she was interuppted by all the excited kids looking at each other wide eyed saying "Iccccce Creeeeaaam" :yes


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_somatotropin

While I'm not vegetarian nor vegan, I minimize milk products in my diet and buy only products that are rBGH/rBST free. I drink almond milk if I feel like having something close to milk and to me it tastes better.

http://www.nwrage.org/files/nwrage/ORPFSR_rbghConsumerGuide.pdf

The only reason rBST is not banned in the United States is greed.


----------



## TheOutsider (Mar 4, 2010)

I didn't read all of this thread, but I am going vegan too. I tried it before and got off track and man did I pay for it. 
I felt horrible all the time and sick. I started again today. I really hope I can stick to this. I just need to remember how horrible I felt when I started eating meat and dairy again after not so long.
Have you watched Forks over Knives??


----------



## Crystalline (Dec 1, 2008)

If animal cruelty bothers you, this is a good reason not to support the meat industry.

http://www.mcdonaldscruelty.com/

I come from a country where cages aren't used in the raising of food chickens, though they are still kept in somewhat crowded conditions. Yet nothing as inhumane as this.


----------



## littlepickles (Apr 29, 2011)

Good job =]

I went vegan for almost 3 weeks but I gave it up and decided to just continue being vegetarian. I hardly ever have milk, eggs, or cheese but if something I like has it in it, then I'll eat it. I eat vegan about 90% of the time but I still don't consider myself one.


----------



## Shoelaces (Dec 30, 2011)

I recently went vegetarian and I feel great so far. I felt sort of bummed out at first, moping over all the things I'd have to give up but damn I knew this was the right choice and damn if there aren't delicious plant based substitutes for most foods that contain animal products in them: There's tofu and rice ice cream, vegan candy and pudding, alternatives for meatballs and sausages, vegan cheese and yoghurt... and the list goes on. Some things I didn't like at all (the cheese) and some things are just as excellent (soy yoghurt and milk).

You do get cravings at first but I personally got over them pretty quickly and the hankering I might have for a steak comes *nowhere* near to the empathy I feel for the animal. So no dairy, fish, eggs or especially meat for me. I'm still a bit hesitant about where to draw the line, though, when it comes to for example insects and shellfish, but to me it seems like it would be morally acceptable to eat them because they have very simple nervous systems and aren't as sentient (if they are sentient at all) as other bigger animals.


----------



## river1 (Jan 12, 2012)

It's hard when I still live with parents! I've already attempted to follow a vegetarian diet but it didn't work out to well. I'd love to have a wheat free diet, cook my own foods & follow a vegetarian diet but it's very hard when I don't live alone or buy my own food - any suggestions?

I'm also not properly educated as to how I would keep myself properly nourished with essential nutrients and what types of alternative foods I would have to keep in my diet.


----------



## Whatev (Feb 6, 2012)

lolAname said:


> It's hard when I still live with parents! I've already attempted to follow a vegetarian diet but it didn't work out to well. I'd love to have a wheat free diet, cook my own foods & follow a vegetarian diet but it's very hard when I don't live alone or buy my own food - any suggestions?
> 
> I'm also not properly educated as to how I would keep myself properly nourished with essential nutrients and what types of alternative foods I would have to keep in my diet.


Maybe have your parents watch a movie like "Fork Over Knives", "Food Inc", "Food Matters", "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead" or read "The China Study", "Mad Cowboy", "Diet for a New America", "Food Revolution" things of that nature might help, if not stop at least maybe lower the meat consumption which is always a good first step. 
Remember, the longest living cultures ate plant based diets.

Also for alternative foods, what did you have in mind?


----------



## Frozen In a StarryVoid (Feb 4, 2012)

I've been a vegetarian for almost 2 yrs now, but it seems too hard to be a strict vegan.

I'm not fully vegan, but I've given up milk, cheese, marshmallows, cream, jelly, and eggs as well as any type of meat/poultry/fish.


----------

