my foray into vegetarianism

[Changed]

I don't see anything on the front page about vegetarianism, so I figured I'd post my observations of the lifestyle thus far...

I've been a vegetarian for almost a month now. I came to the conclusion that I should cut out meat during a sudden revelation while reading about Gandhi's life. A month ago I was in a rather bleak situation: gaining weight, not growing mentally or spiritually. I decided the food I ingested would have a large impact on my lifestyle as a whole--and it has.

For about a week I thought about eating meat. Chicken was a real staple of my diet before. After a week, I started to look at the meat my family cooked and was really disgusted. My father packs a large lunch for his physically demanding job and often takes with him a large hamburger, some kielbasa, and a sandwich with lunch meats. Every day I'd see his hamburger cooking in the pan and all I remember is the fat pooling up--really disgusting after not having eaten meat for a week.

I've been eating mostly whole foods so far. Potatoes, oatmeal, green beans, carrots, lettuce and broccoli are my staples. I've found that eating whole, healthy foods is extremely economical as well: I've spent $40 for the month's share of food. My friends regularly go out and buy Chipotle--at six dollars a burrito, they are getting one unhealthy meal for $2 more than a large can of oats--which lasts for several dozen meals.

Overall, I've really enjoyed the feeling of being a vegetarian. I've been heckled by friends for my decision to convert, but most are intrigued and curious about it. Overall, I feel a lot better than I did before. This makes sense considering I'm not ingesting the skin of another mammal! I encourage (but don't implore) you to take a shot at vegetarianism if you are looking for a change.

 

[Kenickie]

yay! i've been a vegetarian since 1991 (basically, my whole life) and was vegan for many years. it's great!

PM me if you need some support/food ideas, whatever!

 

[alexia]

cool, it feels good hey, congrats.

 

[tree]

ah, i remember starting out as a young vegetarian, twas a blessed time. for a while i ate almost exclusively lentils and mac and cheese. it took a while to develop a new dietary sensibility.

 

[Changed]

ah, i remember starting out as a young vegetarian, twas a blessed time. for a while i ate almost exclusively lentils and mac and cheese. it took a while to develop a new dietary sensibility.

What'd you progress to?

 

[tree]

well my pallette gradually expanded as i met other vegetarians and went out to eat. we're talking over a time span of about 10 years now. i went through a phase when i was really into cooking and went totally vegan, using a variety of cookbooks. now i eat a good mix of premade stuff and things with some preparation. Pasta dishes, onions garlic dark leafy green vegetables, seasonable vegetables and root vegetables in the winter, brown rice, occasional fruit blueberries, banana, mango, quinoa, tofu tempeh and veggie burgers, ethnic foods especially indian and middle eastern.

 

[Changed]

yeah, I just discovered the perfect food that is lentils. They don't taste like much, but I just through some Sriracha and some brown rice in with it and get a good dose of protein.

been eating a lot of carbs w/ the rice, oatmeal, lentils, and fruits. I notice I have a lot of energy when I go exercise.

the food I've been eating isn't the most exciting or exotic, but like you said, I'm sure that comes with time.

 

[thujone]

hah my old man grew up on a farm too. i tried the vegetarian diet for a while as well, and found most of the benefit to be a result of cutting down on fats. i soon learned that pork disagrees with me and now i get along really well eating some lean chicken or beef here and there to meet my protein demands.

i'll see if i can find a recipe i have for a realllllly bangin lentil stew. guaranteed you won't think of them as flavourless after this one

 

[Changed]

well they are naturally flavorless, but you can definitely inject some flavor into them externally.

 

[yougene]

Sounds like you're eating vegan. Why not some cage-free eggs and dairy?

 

[Changed]

Sounds like you're eating vegan. Why not some cage-free eggs and dairy?

nah, I didn't mention that I'm drinking 1% milk (the shit that supposedly doesn't have hormones in it) and eating eggs pretty much everyday.

There is no way I'd be getting enough protein if I didn't have dairy

 

[Kenickie]

you mean if you didn't have eggs? because soymilk has way more protein per glass than milk does.

 

[xxkcxx]

Man, I was a vegetarian from 14 to a few months ago (I'm 22).

I never thought I would ever go back to eating meat, but it was almost forced on me because the treatment center I went to get clean at didn't offer any food options for vegetarians, and then the recovery home I was at for 5 months was pretty similar...one person cooked dinner for everyone each day and the left overs were for lunch the next day. And these ladies loved meat...they put meat in everything including the vegetables.

Now I have been home for a few weeks and I have still been eating meat, but definitely not as much. I want to go back to vegetarianism though. My mom is also a vegetarian, so we always have a lot of the meatless meat in the house which is awesome.


I think vegetarianism is so great. I just feel healthy and lighter and fresher when I wasn't eating meat. It is definitely my prefered way of life

 

[tree]

eggs and dairy seem pretty crucial if you're doing anything athletic or manual labour, unless you have a skilled personal chef or similar arrangement

 

[Changed]

you mean if you didn't have eggs? because soymilk has way more protein per glass than milk does.

no... as a male I find it crucial to avoid soy based food products. My testosterone levels are taking a big enough hit without a lot of meat-based protein- I can't be ingesting soy to further hamper my masculinity.

 

[Changed]

eggs and dairy seem pretty crucial if you're doing anything athletic or manual labour, unless you have a skilled personal chef or similar arrangement

true. I run five miles a few times a week, so I need some protein to maintain my muscle.

I obviously have no problem getting carbs

 

[yougene]

you mean if you didn't have eggs? because soymilk has way more protein per glass than milk does.

Maybe, but I rarely drink milk. I usually eat cottage cheese, skyr yogurt, or whey which all have 16+ grams of protein and not much else.

As a vegetarian I think eggs are more important for their B12. I get more than enough protein elsewhere without all the cholesterol.

 

[yougene]

eggs and dairy seem pretty crucial if you're doing anything athletic or manual labour, unless you have a skilled personal chef or similar arrangement

You can get plenty of protein by switching half of your carbs to legumes/beans. Per serving beans have half the carbs of grains and twice the protein.

 

[ebola?]

because soymilk has way more protein per glass than milk does.

Is this facetious? Check out the labels, or steer me toward your brand of soy milk.

 

[Kenickie]

silk very vanilla