The Vegetarian & Vegan Thread

[Melisande]

ok, i have a problem....iv been a vegetarian for a loong time and im completely happy-meat just disgusts me and im appalled at the way animals are treated on factory farms-its really disgusting and i feel strongly about my beliefs. As iv posted earlier, iv become a strict vegan a few months ago- I dont eat any animal products whatsoever and im very happy with my choice. But..heres the problem, today i was walking by a store and i saw the most beautiful coat. It was the perfect kind, that you see and your like wow this is the one thing that would complete my wardrobe!! But when I got to the register, i realized the coat was made of genuine leather. I felt so stupid but for some reason i just didnt care- i wanted that coat so bad. I didnt buy it but you have no idea how bad I wanted to. I would feel like a horrible hypocritical person if i did but when i put it on, its like i completely forget that i was wearing a dead cow. And fake leather always seems so cheap and tacky....sorry this is so long but im very confused and would very much like some input....

J'aime la mode, I totally understand...being that tu aimes la mode, and we all aimons la mode here... For me, fake leather is not an option either. But you know, I think someone like you...perhaps if you had started wearing the coat on a daily basis you would begin to feel the "weight" of the coat. I had a leather coat I used to love, but after being vegan for a long time it just felt uncomfortable...weighed down and heavy, both morally and physically, wearing the coat. It's different w/shoes and belts because they are smaller pieces, the impact isnt so great. I'm not all-or-nothing, but I definitely feel physically so much lighter, happier and more energetic when I'm not wearing any leather though. Hard to explain but it's true.

 

[honeyspider]

For anyone that thinks they can't go vegan because they love cookies and bread too much, click on this: http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/VeganShoppingQS-Snacks.asp?Category=Snacks
If anybody has any questions on veganism, please feel free to pm me with any questions.

 

[Agent Gia Fox]

You want to be a fish eating vegan? If you eat fish you're not even a vegetarian! Vegan is... well I havent taken the time yet to cruise through the entire 11 paged thread, but I imagine someone explained what exactly it means to live a vegan lifestyle, but just in case, veganism is about living free of any animal products. Last time I checked fish are animals, and gorgeous ones at that.

 

[haute femme]

Ok so she made a mistake in using inappropriate labels. It's okay, and the choice of that person, if they want to eat fish, and not other meat. In the future, that's the eating habit I'd like to adopt, too. Salmon is extremely healthy and I love fish. Like someone said somewhere in the first couple of pages, I couldn't kill a pig and eat it, but I could kill a fish (although saddening, it would be easier).

Now I have a question..

Does anyone know what happens to your body when you stop eating meat? Is it harmful to long-term health, or make muscles smaller, etc..? Probably good effects, right? I know that high protein helps build muscle mass, but what about low protein, or protein from vegetables, nuts, soy...? Thanks!

 

[Bonchic]

I don't eat fish anymore or dairy products (Okay okay at christmas I had some cheese queso ) but besides that I don't. I'm not really vegan though because I wear leather shoes

 

[Melisande]

Does anyone know what happens to your body when you stop eating meat? Is it harmful to long-term health, or make muscles smaller, etc..? Probably good effects, right? I know that high protein helps build muscle mass, but what about low protein, or protein from vegetables, nuts, soy...? Thanks!

Meat eaters get too way more protein than their bodies can take, so the extra protein causes extremely harmful effects which I will not get into now. In fact vegetable protein is more easily assimilated into the body, so you may eat less protein but the body is able to absorb more of it.

As I may have mentioned a while back, some of the healthiest, sportiest, most MUSCULAR people I know are vegans.

Tell the truth, I don't think there is a single benefit from eating meat, haute femme! And so, so many reasons to stop, even just for your own body's sake. I'm not a gung-ho animal activist or anything, but just from my own experiences of having been a meat eater and then going vegan, I can tell you I expereinced innumerable benefits. Energy, clear skin, no colds, weight loss, firm body, among others.

 

[Gavsman]

is that so?
i dont think that way....i eat meat as well as fish almost 3 times a week still i am to some extent skinny and which means i dont get enough proteins

 

[haute femme]

^ That's really great to hear. It's also what I assumed! So many healthy people don't eat meat. Recently I stopped eating red meat, and eventually I'll only eat fish. I'm pretty excited about my lifestyle change because I love soy and vegan alternative dishes the most anyway.

and Bonchic, what was your reason to stop eating fish? just curious!

 

[FrockRadar8]

The only thing you be watchful for is that with Vegetarian protien, you don't get ALL of the essential amino acids in one group. For example, beans have protien, but only a few of the amino acids, rice has the other ones. That's why mixing beans and rice is good, because you get the complimentary amino acids. They do sell amino acid supplements called liquid aminos. This was discussed at length in my nutrition class. Try to vary your source of protein, because meat (although evil) has all the amino acids, whereas with vegetables and soy, you have to complement them.

 

[haute femme]

^ Thank you for that info!!

 

[FrockRadar8]

oh no problem! Another thing i should have added is that Iron (heme iron) from meat is more readily absorbed by humans that plant iron. But no worries, all you need is a little extra Vitamin C, which helps with iron absorption.

 

[Bonchic]

and Bonchic, what was your reason to stop eating fish? just curious!

well I just found that you can get the same nutrients through supplements or raw fruits and veggies

 

[haute femme]

ah okay, thanks.

 

[indie]

I've been vegetarian for 2 years and only now I've been improving my diet which was very poor protein-and-other-wise before. I love everything soy and I'm excited to try everything new. Healthy food

 

[Meg]

It's interesting....I haven't really experience health or look benefits from cutting out red meat which I did several years ago. I also don't eat that many dairy products....only small amounts of hard cheese (parmesan on pasta) and feta cheese made from goat/ewe's milk.....and I've actually gotten more ill as I've gotten older. Second cold/flu in two weeks! And I certainly never lost any weight. I think it affects everyone differently

 

[Ceptuouse]

If a vegetarian mod wants to ban me from tfs, ill understand.....

but

i was at a christmas family party...so on...and there was a buffet....and i had a piece of quiche and it had ham in it... AND I ATE IT but i didnt know it was in until i ate half of it but i still finished it off and i feel so bad about it...i was doing so well, like 6 months...! why?

 

[Bonchic]

^^It's okay JR1 today is a new day! I ate some cheese queso on christmas as well (dairy) but I don't now.. I think next year I'll be able to resist lol. It's just once a year though

 

[fashionbutterfly]

YOU know being a vegetarian is greaaaat for ur body reallyyy and ur skin becomes more radiant..just make sure your snacks is more of greenie stuff and get ur vitamns and minerals supplement so ur body wont miss out.

good luck to you bonchic

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

If a vegetarian mod wants to ban me from tfs, ill understand.....

but

i was at a christmas family party...so on...and there was a buffet....and i had a piece of quiche and it had ham in it... AND I ATE IT but i didnt know it was in until i ate half of it but i still finished it off and i feel so bad about it...i was doing so well, like 6 months...! why?

Oh yeah JR thats almost a ban-able offense!

don't beat yourself up over it, it's only one thing...it's not as if you were conciously chomping on a pig leg...todays a new day...(and year )

 

[J'aime_la_mode]

Thankyou all so much for your input on my whole leather coat ordeal! My computer broke for awhile so I havent been able to get on but your responses really helped. I decided not to get the coat, I would just feel to hypocritical and guilty. Like you said Melisande, the guilt would just weigh down. And I believe that outweighs the complete perfectness of the coat in the end. However Im going to try my hardest to find something close to it that will be animal friendly and guilt free. Again thanks everyone. I love TFS!