Becoming a vegetarian?

[malabarcost]

Almost all the people from different countries and creed are going back to the vegetarianism. How many of them are sincerely following this. My question is, do we really have to follow the diet or food, which we never ate before? Almost all the countries follow a non-vegetarian diet for generations based on the climate, availability of the food products, family traditions. Just to keep the obesity or cholesterol out of the life, we are trying to follow a system, which never followed before.
What is the possibility of keeping a good health and healthy eating habit based on the availability of the food and based on the tradition? There is lot of thread stating and discussing the overweight and other health concerns. But the real change in the food has to be done for the next generations. Almost all of our ancestors lived on meat for a long time but without any complications. Why all meat or meat products are becoming harmful in our time? The eating habit of the area is purely based on the natural and cultural life of the area or the country. Changing this one is like we are forgetting the past.

 

[Claire]

I suspect one of the monitors will move this (there is a section here on the subject); but meanwhile I will chime in.

There are so many different "types" of vegetarians, for many reasons. In my life, for example:

A neighbor who was a buddhist monk.
My mom, who because of diverticulitis, could not process meat fibers
An acquaintance who was 3rd generation vegetarian (make that five total because her children and grandchildren were as well) and was a total vegan
A neighbor whose daughter is vegan, and is getting into this (to me weird) movement where you don't cook food either.

Many people take up the vegetarian flag for very many reasons. Many are simply fussy eaters, many are rebelling. If I had a dime for every teenaged/college age kid who told everyone they were vegetarians, made their moms or hosts jump through hoops for their social conscionce, then saw them eating pepperoni pizza or a BLT (if it is smoked, it isn't meat?), I'd be rich.

I, personally, believe that we were put here by whatever being you believe in to be omnivores. We are supposed to be able to get our nutrition from many sources, and we need nutrition from all of them.

I had to tell the young, budding vegan that she wasn't supposed to eat caesars salad and other foods (anything with anchovies, to include Worcestershire sauce).

There are several reasons to become any of the many types of vegetarians. Some I've been given are listed:

Religion
Health
PETA-type aversion to eating meat
Just trying to piss people off or call attention to yourself

I do not mean to demean vegetarians at all by this, but there are a lot of people, especially those in their teens, who are really doing the latter. I respect all of them (yes, even the latter), and tell them they do not have to eat what I'm putting on the table. I ALWAYS put on something that even a vegan-who-won't-eat cooked food can eat, if given enough notice.

 

[jpmcgrew]

Being a vegetarian is complicated some will eat fish and dairy,some will only include dairy and some are vegans no meat or dairy IMHO the most complicated diet.The problem is you hafto to know what you are doing to be a vegan you need a certain amount of protein to survive so you need the right combinations of beans and rice etc to make a complete protein its alot of work to eat this way but not impossible.But alot of meat substitutes like soy(some soy products are actually good and I like some soy products)or worse tempeh is just plain gross it does not taste good.But if you look at cultures from the beginning of time people usually eat meat or fish in some form just like our animal friends however I believe alot of us eat alot more meat than we need, I think if I remember you only need 4 oz of protein in some form enough a day to live.
I like meat yet I wont hunt and kill but I promise you if I had kids or I was truely starving I could do it Im good with a gun and have seen wild life dressed and cleaned after it was killed,fishing is something I also can do Im practically an expert cleaning trout done it so many times for guests here at the ranch like a 50 or more at a time.
And some people avoid meats depending what emotional intelligence they think the animal source has for instance a cow or pig against a fish.There are so many reasons a person wont eat a certain meat.Of course I have have met so many pretend vegetarians until they see a good burger etc all of a sudden they like meat.
Next I am not fond of vegans because alot of them expect you to go way way out to get them what they want ,they can be so impossible.The good ones will bring what they need and work around it.Most vegetarians will tell you to not go out of your way because the will eat some cheese etc and they really dont want to be a pain

 

[Green Lady]

Malabarcost - here are some reasons our meat sources are causing health issues today. Although people have eaten meat for thousands of years, they didn't eat it at the rate they do now. Many years ago, it was a special occasion where people killed the fatted calf for a time of celebration. Because of modern refrigeration methods plus our prosperity we can have bacon with breakfast, burgers for lunch, and then a steak for dinner. Meat is no longer a rarity: many people eat meat 3x/day. It's been said that we eat like kings and we have the king's diseases.

Another reason is the way the meat is processed. There was a time when a calf was raised naturally and then slaughtered at 2 yrs. of age. Today, calves are given growth hormones so they bulk up and then are slaughtered at 6 months.

In fact, many types of meats, including chicken, are given hormones, antibiotics, and other additives to gain weight so they are more profitable for the marketplace since meat is sold by the pound. Those additives are transfered to the humans who eat the meat.

Then there is the subject of hotdogs, brats, and sausages....do we really know what we are getting when we eat these? We are getting the scraps from the packing house and who knows what else stuffed into a casing with spices added to make them appealing to the palate. Unless we make our own sausage, we don't know for sure what's in them.

Also, meat is acidic. The human body thrives on a slightly alkaline balance, about 7.3 is ideal. When we fill up on meat, we oftentimes avoid or overlook the veggies (some snub their noses at veggies). The veggies tend to be alkaline. The meat is acidic. Eating meat several times a week as is often done will tilt one's pH balance off and make it acidic, instead of slightly alkaline. Diseases love an acidic environment in which to grow and develop. It is not unusual for someone in the USA to have a pH balance of 5-6, which is acidic.



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[redkitty]

GreenLady your post was pretty spot on.

It's been almost a year since I stopped eating meat (I still eat eggs & cheese) and I don't miss it one bit. I don't expect anyone to go out of their way for me nor do I judge anyone for still eating that cow. It was a personal decision for me, one which I am very happy I made. I'm 37 years old and am very aware of nutrition so it has not been so difficult for me to make this transition. Many vegetarians are not healthy nor do they make any effort to understand the need for the right amount of protein, fat and carbs.

And what about the environment? For those interested... you can also find loads of information on the web about sustainable agriculture.

Why It's Green to go Vegetarian

Vegetarianism and Sustainable Agriculture, Pg 1 of 4

 

[krichardson]

I have been a vegetarian for almost 4 years and do not miss meat one bit myself. I decided to stop eating meat for personal reasons. I never ate that much meat to begin with but whenever I did I would always think about the animal too much, I would feel bad. So I decided that instead of feeling bad I would no longer eat it. I was allowed to make that choice and I believe that everyone should be able to make their own choice if they would like to eat meat or not. I also work in the restaurant industry and I usually trim about 100 lbs of chicken and beef a week! That might seem hypocritical but like I said everyone should be able to make their own decision.

 

[GotGarlic]

In fact, many types of meats, including chicken, are given hormones, antibiotics, and other additives to gain weight so they are more profitable for the marketplace since meat is sold by the pound. Those additives are transfered to the humans who eat the meat.

Where did you get this information re: chicken? This source - Focus On: Chicken - says:

<quote>
Hormones & Antibiotics
No hormones are used in the raising of chickens.

Antibiotics may be given to prevent disease and increase feed efficiency. A "withdrawal" period is required from the time antibiotics are administered before the bird can be slaughtered. This ensures that no residues are present in the bird's system. FSIS randomly samples poultry at slaughter and tests for residues. Data from this monitoring program have shown a very low percentage of residue violations.

Additives
Additives are not allowed on fresh chicken. If chicken is processed, however, additives such as MSG, salt, or sodium erythorbate may be added but must be listed on the label.
<end quote>

Then there is the subject of hotdogs, brats, and sausages....do we really know what we are getting when we eat these? We are getting the scraps from the packing house and who knows what else stuffed into a casing with spices added to make them appealing to the palate. Unless we make our own sausage, we don't know for sure what's in them.

Did you ever read "The Jungle"? Amazon.com: The Jungle: The Uncensored Original Edition: Books: Upton Sinclair,Earl Lee,Kathleen DeGrave

This is what prompted the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. Granted they're not perfect, but the U.S. still has the safest food supply in the world, and the contents of these meats are strictly regulated.

These kinds of meats have always been made from scraps with spices added. It's traditional

Sausage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[The Little Penguin]

I've been a vegitarian for around six years and recently switched to a vegan diet.

It always kind of irks me when people (I'm not trying to single anyone here out, just speaking generally!) bring up stereotypes of vegans/vegetarians as bratty teenages who berate others on their food chioces. I'm 30, and I don't bother people about what they eat, thank you very much. (Unless they want to talk about it. And since we are talking about it...

For me the, #1 issue is that I simply cannot support factory farming methods. I wouldn't squeeze a Black Labrador into a filthy, terribly small cage, cut some of it's teeth out, make it live in misery, then kill and eat it. Why on earth would I do the same to a pig... or a cow, or a chicken? Do some research into how we generally raise animals for food and tell me you think it's ok. I bet you can't!

I would strongly support anyone who switched to free-range meat/dairy and cage-free eggs, I think this is a great way to go, but I also think it's frustrating because when you stary to really read ingredients, you realize eggs/dairy are in darn near everything, and you generally don't know where the eggs are from. Batterey cage chicken farms are horrendous, and I can't believe we treat chickens, who are actually really neat ceatures, in such a way.

As for having dinner and being a dinner guest... I don't like to inconvience people, so I usually host. And I get no complaints and a lot of requests for seconds.

The bottom line is, in general I find it odd that people are so blase about the fact that we let some starve while we spend billions on wars, that we poison our planets water supply, that we obsess over Paris Hilton...

... but not eating meat?! Whoa! Now that's CRAZY!

 

[The Little Penguin]

Almost all of our ancestors lived on meat for a long time but without any complications. Why all meat or meat products are becoming harmful in our time?

I think it's worth noting that many of these ancestors, if you go back a bit, we're much more physically active than we are now, and they were eating smaller amounts of meat often, and the meat itself was probably much gamier, leaner, grass-fed and healthier. They also ate many whole grains and unprocessed foods.

Of course we live longer now than ever, but it's a complicated issue...

 

[malabarcost]

Thanks for all of your views in this thread. I only like to know that why can’t we follow a healthy and good living within our existing diet? Why can’t we stay fit with a non-vegetarian diet? By reading all the posts, I feel that all problems are happening not because of the quality, but because of the quantity of what we eat.
As for me, I am on a mix diet, changing the food as per the availability and most of all, restriction. I faced some health problems when I become pure vegetarian, which made me to post this thread. I am from an area were we use seafood or all kind of meat almost everyday and it is a part of our cuisine for a long time. Almost all Hindus are vegetarian but like everything we are some exceptions for that. A pure vegetarian diet is possible for the converting non-vegetarians but I do feel that changing will create some health problems?