Vegetarians and Vegans

[Doubleshadow]

I am currently pursuing a long held ambition of becoming a vegan. Before you ask, no, I'm not doing it because of any poorly thought out ideology, I'm doing it for health reasons. I've been getting along pretty well since I don't like meat anyway but for fish, though I'm still dogged by sushi related cravings for salmon, and I love soy. At this point, I'm still working the last of the dairy out of my diet. I have a grand ambition of becoming a raw vegan one day, and I readily admit, I wish myself good luck on that. XD
So, any ideas for foodstuffs from anybody else who is a vegetarian or vegan? I'm still working my way around the cheese part since I love cheese. I also consider eating healthy an investment in my future so I don't mind paying more for costly food. I also prefer organic food if anyone knows any good brands for that.

[chibiphonebooth]

you should go to Trader Joes, if they have one where you live. they have a lot of vegetarian and vegan stuff there.

[Tsukuyomi]

What is "Vegan" exactly o.o?

*Will prolly get an obvious answer*

[Fish and Chips]

Hitler was a vegetarian.

Discuss.

In healthy seriousness though, it isn't misappropriated reason or politics, so go for it. And may you live to be a hundred.

[ChristianKitsune]

Vegan is someone who only eats plantfoods, (completely writes off dairy, eggs and meat)

I applaud your drive to do this! Seriously, I went on a no red meat diet for almost a year...but caved in once and I am working on getting back into that.

Have you considered eating soy burgers or soy chicken patties? Those are pretty tasty...

I've tried tofu, but I don't think I was able to prepare it properly ^^; but it was pretty good..

umm.. I stuck with rice and veggies a lot for my diet... so hmm

Also I ate fish like tilappia and salmon, becuase those ARE SO good for you.. but I am not sure if vegans can eat those things.

I also stress being very careful with this. if you go for a certain time only eating vegan stuff and suddenly switch back to meat, I wonder if that's good for your body?

[chibiphonebooth]

i love meat too much to ever become vegetarian.

chicken... it's amazing.

and i will do anything for sushi.

[ShiroiHikari]

Just...be careful being a vegan. Make sure to get enough calcium and protein. :\

[Kiba-kun]

Bravo for deciding to go vegan. I've been a vegetarian (not vegan) for about five years now and find myself somewhat more energetic. Course, that could just be all the sugar I still eat. As for actual food, I'm trying some imitation hot dogs and turkey slices (five years without meat made those SOOOO tasty). Mostly those are just for the protein in my diet. I'm not a big fan of fruit, but I'm trying some dehydrated fruit chips and slices and those are pretty good for working my way up to the actual thing. Otherwise, I round off my diet with a lot of pasta mixed with vegetables. Corn and broccoli are favorites of mine to mix in with things like spaghetti and fettuccine Alfredo. The fact that you're steering away from dairy products makes a lot of my meals void for you unless you go after non-dairy cheese, in which case I can recommend more things.

[Shao Feng-Li]

At least keep the fish meat. That stuff is really good for you.

Overall, I think, as long as you keep everything in moderation, nothing is unhealthy* (Just consider the actual ingredients in a homemade hamburger.)(*Except junk food, though, that has it's own purpose XD)

[~darkelfgirl~]

If you think you can do it, try it! Takes a lot of determination.

I'm kind of a vegetarian, except I eat fish (this one chick grilled me for days, saying I wasn't not too long ago on DA *rolls eyes*. Got too much time on her hands XD). So I guess I'm not along with the thousands of others who do this *shrug*? Whatever, lol.

Yeh--like someone previously mentioned--make sure you get lots of protein, calcium, and iron. I've been falling behind in doing this and realized it's hard to mentally concentrate without the required amounts of these. Beans and peanuts (if you eat these) are good in protein. And remember--man can't live by iceberg lettuce alone XD. The icky but good for you vegetables would be good things to try eating, too. Like cabbage (argh).
Speaking of lettuce, eat the rich green kinds. The near-white ones hardly do anything for you. Gotta keep the Vit. K up ^_^.

A good organic food brand is Morning Star Farms (for soy stuff).

[beau99]

i love meat too much to ever become vegetarian.

Agreed. I only non-meat products to help rid of them. Rice being an exception, because I actually love it.

[Tsukuyomi]

I love meat, but I also love veggies and plants (w/e you want to call them) accompanied with rice ^__^

[wingedfox]

well good luck with that. I love meat way too much to ever even try that but make sure to keep a lot of variety in your diet or heath problems may come up.

[Nate]

Hitler was a vegetarian.

Godwin was a smart man.

(Yes, I am aware Fish was being facetious in his post. XP)

As far as the topic of the thread is concerned, I approve of anyone becoming a vegetarian.

It leaves more meat for me.

[GeneD]

I could never be a vegetarian or a vegan, but good for you. Like a lot of people have said; just make sure you get all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. I had a vegetarian friend who landed in hospital because she had a deficiency of some nutrient.

[AsianBlossom]

So, let me make sure I've got this right: a vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat red meat or poultry (including different types who will/will not eat eggs, dairy products, fish, etc.), and a vegan eats only plant products?

Or is it the other way around?

But still, a thumbs up for you...I'm still a little too attached to meat to even consider myself a vegetarian (could NEVER go vegan, or at least, it would take a lot of work, if the above definition is correct...if not, then the other way around), but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good meatless dish often, and if you mention sushi I'll be there faster than you can say "domo arigatou gozaimasu."

[termyt]

Make sure you get enough protein in your diet.

Some minerals are also quite rare if you aren't eating meat of any kind.

I'm not sure I agree that veganism is more healthy. Seems to me a well rounded diet with appropriate portions is the healthiest diet.

But more power to you. Enjoy the diet you choose for yourself.

[Tsukuyomi]

I remember having broth dishes for a while with little pieces of meat.. I really missed having steak/rids and stuff like that o.o

I commend you for your choice, but as the others have said, just make sure you get your protein ^^

[ShiroiHikari]

So, let me make sure I've got this right: a vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat red meat or poultry (including different types who will/will not eat eggs, dairy products, fish, etc.), and a vegan eats only plant products?

You've got it right.

[Doubleshadow]

Some vegans extend this to include honey, but I don't have a problem with honey.

I'm taking a supplement everyday to make sure I don't miss anything. The greatest concern for a vegan is the B12 vitamin, which isn't really available in a vegan diet. I'm also making sure to buy fortified foods.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Good luck avoiding chocolate? XD

Well... there's always vegan chocolate. So guess what! You get to still be a girl!

[ShiroiHikari]

Yeah, good luck with chocolate. >_> I think even the dark ones have some small amount of either butter or cream in them.

[termyt]

Vegans avoid honey because they, being the more serious of the bunch, avoid anything that enslaves animals to humans - so anything produced through the labor of animals is off limits. It's like it's stealing form them or some such. Honey is eschewed for the same reason milk and cheese are.

Not that I agree with the logic that drives one to that conclusion, but there you have it.

[NekoChan_C]

i love meat too much to ever become vegetarian.

Second and thirded! I love steak more than any other food in the world, and so rare that it's practically still moving! *sigh* I'm a vegan's nightmare... >.<

However, that being said... Veganism can be very cleansing for your body, if you are careful and practical about it, which you seem to be... My eldest sister is a vegan of many years, and is in better shape than anyone I know! Okay... so beans absolutely MUST be a mainstay in your diet, as they offer one of the best non-animal sources of protein... Be careful of prepackaged "veggie" burgers, because many of them contain dairy along with the soy... and invest in a good vegan cookbook... after a while, even the most dedicated vegetable connoisseur can get tired of the vegan staples...

Best of luck to you in this! I pray that you will get the results that you are looking for! ^_^

Jess

[beau99]

Yeah, good luck with chocolate. >_> I think even the dark ones have some small amount of either butter or cream in them.

It contains cocoa butter, which, contrary to popular belief, is not a dairy product.

[ShiroiHikari]

Yes, I knew that. XD But I've seen that some chocolates contain butterfat as well. Not all of them, though.

[Nate]

Well, some dark chocolate has Lecithin, which can either be obtained from egg yolk or soy beans. The problem for vegans is I don't think it'll tell you what the Lecithin is from, so it's kind of like, they can't eat it because of the off chance it may have come from an egg.

[AsianBlossom]

Be careful of prepackaged "veggie" burgers, because many of them contain dairy along with the soy...

No problem for lacto-vegetarians though, right?

[Radical Dreamer]

I could never ever ever be a vegetarian. I could never ever WANT to be a vegan (seriously, they don't even eat honey? What do they put in their tea? D8). XD But when people do that kind of thing for their own health reasons, more power to them. XD It only bothers me when people try to make some kind of "statement" through not eating meat.

Unless that statement is "Here, you can eat mine, I don't want it." XDD

[animewarrior]

It only bothers me when people try to make some kind of "statement" through not eating meat.

Unless that statement is "Here, you can eat mine, I don't want it." XDD

EPIC WIN RD! XDDD

As to you becoming a vegan Doubleshadow, power to you... I'm one of those people who could NEVER EVER NEVER be a vegetarian much less a vegan... I love my meat nice and rare...XD blood anyone? ...and then there is my addiction to icecream...O_O If I had to give that stuff up then.. I'd go... insane....wait... too late... I'd probably....die. XDD btw good luck with the vegan thing and just make sure you get all the proper vitamens and minerals and stuff....wouldn't want a sick Doubleshadow...that's no fun. so God Bless on your trip to becoming a vegan!