Becoming a Vegetarian?

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I have thought about becoming a vegetarian a few times. I do not know if I would be able to do it, though. I love meat, especially chicken. Maybe it would be possible for me to be a semi-vegetarian. Yes, you can be partially vegetarian if you still want to eat a certain amount of meat. Semi-vegetarians limit their meat intakes to a certain amount. They will even cut out certain types of meat such as beef and pork. I could have a limited amount of meat, but still eat vegetarian foods. I do not eat red meat often, so I would not have a problem with limiting my consumption of it. What type of vegetarian would you be?
 
Hey!

I was vegetarian before I became vegan... I think that's how most people start then they convert to being vegan, I didn't think there was anything wrong with consuming dairy though after being vegetarian for awhile a vegan friend recommended I watch a documentary called "vegucated" yes it's a vegan documentary though it's what made me covert to vegan.

I'm not sure if you have Netflix but if you do this should be available for you, when you have free time give it a watch? It's called "Food, Inc." after watching a few documentary's like this and doing a bit of research you start to look at the way you eat differently... Let me know what you think :)

Limiting your consumption is a start :)
 
Most vegetarians transition by cutting out meat like beef and pork, then they eat less chicken and then finally fish. That was the last thing I gave up and by doing it slowly it's much easier as you adapt your diet and find different meals to eat.

I would say try to have three vegetarian days a week or try to have a vegetarian meal each day and slowly it will become easier. Also you will find other foods that can be adapted, say a pasta dish, you can use a different sauce and instead of minced beef you can add quorn or some tofu.
 
I have thought about becoming a vegetarian often, but I also am not sure if I would be able to do it. I don't eat meat often, but sometimes I have cravings for certain meats. The only meats I really eat is pork chops and chicken. I usually only eat meat once a week, I eat fruits, vegetables, and pasta most of the time.

I don't think I could ever become vegan, I wouldn't be able to give up dairy products.
 
Trying to transition myself but I keep backsliding. What is the difference between vegan and vegetarian? I honestly thought they can be used interchangeably. I guess the transition starts in the mind then the rest should be effortless.
 
Trying to transition myself but I keep backsliding. What is the difference between vegan and vegetarian? I honestly thought they can be used interchangeably. I guess the transition starts in the mind then the rest should be effortless.

There is a thread on this already;
http://veganforums.co.uk/threads/wh...between-a-vegan-and-a-vegetarian.50/#post-167

The terms aren't used interchangeably as a vegetarian can eat vegan foods, but a vegan cannot or will not eat all vegetarian foods. The main difference is the use of dairy products as vegans don't have any in their diet, but some vegetarians will include some dairy products.

Transitioning should be gradual if you really want to be vegetarian. Eating out is no longer an issue as more places have several choices. The days of the baked potato, omelet or quiche now include more adventurous dishes as mains rather than side dishes and many supermarkets have a vegetarian section. Even if you have the odd vegetarian day, you'll find it easier if you plan your meals.
 
I like the idea of transitioning slowly. A few years ago, I decided to give up beef. I was able to do it, without a lot of problems, although I do love dishes with hamburger. I did this for about a year, mostly just to see if I could.

What I found frustrating, was dealing with family - not my husband or son, but with others. My mother acted surprised every time I came over for dinner, and every time she would have steaks or roast beef. I kept telling her I couldn't eat beef. She would ask why, and I'd have to go through the whole thing all over again. So frustrating. Anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with it?
 
Most vegetarians transition by cutting out meat like beef and pork, then they eat less chicken and then finally fish. That was the last thing I gave up and by doing it slowly it's much easier as you adapt your diet and find different meals to eat.

I would say try to have three vegetarian days a week or try to have a vegetarian meal each day and slowly it will become easier. Also you will find other foods that can be adapted, say a pasta dish, you can use a different sauce and instead of minced beef you can add quorn or some tofu.


I don't know why, but I never considered doing it slowly when I first tried being vegetarian. I felt like I just had to do it all at once, and it overwhelmed me to the point that I quit. I'll have to keep in mind only starting out with a few veggie days each week and cutting out one meat at a time.
 
What type of vegetarian would you be?

The correct term for that type of vegetarian is "omnivore".

My personal impression with this is ... if you only reduce the number, but not stop, you will always have a hard time to resist the "craving" in my opinion.

My own history was, that, some 25 years ago, I watched a documentation about the eating habits of people in my country, where they showed the process from the cow to the burger, and from the pig to the cutlet.

After watching that, I wanted to find out how long I could do without meat myself, just out of curiosity. A few days? a week? Who knows? I had no intention of becoming vegetarian (before, that had seemed as a good idea to me, but soooooo hard), I was just curious.

Funny thing that happened was ... in the beginning, of course, I was craving meat and fish a lot. I thought "Man, a Big Mac would be great just now" ... then remembered the documentation and said to myself "Well ... a cheese sandwich would also be fine, I guess". But after a month, I did not feel the craving for meat any more. To be precise, when my mother was preparing meat, the smell of the cooking meat (especially pork) did not at all smell inviting or appetizing to me any more. I found it quite vile, but before, when I had associated "food" with that smell, it had been ok.

So ... I simply did not go back to eating meat. There did not really seem to be much use to kill animals, cook them and eat them, as I really did not miss the taste and could well subsist on vegetarian food. Case closed.
 
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I don't know why, but I never considered doing it slowly when I first tried being vegetarian. I felt like I just had to do it all at once, and it overwhelmed me to the point that I quit. I'll have to keep in mind only starting out with a few veggie days each week and cutting out one meat at a time.

I find people that have a few vegetarian meals a week find it much easier as they learn to adapt meals and find their new favorites. I have vegan days every now and then and maybe I will transition, but I don't feel the pressure as I have vegan weeks too. Often I don't even realize it and that's whn it's easier because it comes naturally.
 
I too have thought about seriously transition once or twice. There was a time where I didn't eat meat for a week but eventually I felt too weak and had to go back to my old diet. But I love the idea of being a vegetarian though because I love animals and eating them sometimes makes me feel guilty.
 
I like the idea of transitioning slowly. A few years ago, I decided to give up beef. I was able to do it, without a lot of problems, although I do love dishes with hamburger. I did this for about a year, mostly just to see if I could.

What I found frustrating, was dealing with family - not my husband or son, but with others. My mother acted surprised every time I came over for dinner, and every time she would have steaks or roast beef. I kept telling her I couldn't eat beef. She would ask why, and I'd have to go through the whole thing all over again. So frustrating. Anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with it?

I also had a problem dealing with my family. When I was still living at home my parents wouldn't cook me food without meat. So that way I either had to take it out of the meal that we were eating, or I would have to make something for myself. I mean I think that supposed from family and friends are so important, but when they don't support you not wanting to eat certain meat then it's hard.
 
Totally agree with you, it's really problematic even when your own family do not understand at lest what a well-balanced diet is.

I remember myself having overweight problems throughout my teen years because my mother used to serve more than generous food rations with loads of fat and obviously meat.

Transition to vegetarianism is usually the first step before going vegan, but transition from one stage to another is commonly slow and tends to include food and lifestyle elements from the previous stage, until naturally one makes the shift.