from a "regular" diet??? What were the benefits?

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Not myself personally, but my sister did for awhile - until she found out how costs prohibitive it was.

I am not sure what you mean by a "regular" diet. However- I was raised in an omni household.
I decided to get vegetarian in about 5th or 6th grade and later in college I began transitioning to vegan- the more I learned the less I wanted to consume animal based products. There are tons of benefits. I find it is less expensive overall- you are saving the lives of animals- protecting them from cruelty. Lower risk of heart disease, possibily a longer life span, lower cholesterol, lower fat in general. Assuming you get all the facts and pay attention to nutrition it is a very healthy way to live.

Do have any more specific questions?

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"Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that made you smile. Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we're here we should dance."

Peace.

I have not completely switched.. but I have started cutting down on meat. I don't eat pork anymore at all, and being in the deep south, that is just unheard of I still eat dairy though... cheese, yogurt and butter. I never was a big milk drinker.

I am planning to buy some veggie burgers next time I go shopping. I would like to slowly cut meat from my diet and see if that helps shed some more weight.

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Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have!

If Vegetarians eat Vegetables. Do Humanitarians eat Humans?

'Vegetarian' is an old Native American word for bad hunter.

I do not eat Red meat (Beef) or Pork etc...
I do eat Poultry, and seafood, along with Dairy.
I eat lots of soy and vegi substitute products. It has been 18 years. The only thing I miss is a Kyrstal Burger I like the smell of those only.

Pot roast and other smells that people find comforting make me <ugh>

We eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I only buy meat that is free range/organic, and that is pretty expensive, so it's beans over meat most nights. We do eat fish.

We raise chickens, so we have plenty of fresh eggs. I intended on eating the chickens as well, but they have become beloved family pets instead (when one was injured, we had a vet put it down and had a funeral...)

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It is more expensive to go veggie. I went almost a year ago and the prices are more.
You can get regular meat on sale or marked down but never veggie meat. And it runs about $4 /12 oz. here. So yes it is very expensive. So for me I really do more beans and vegetables. I decided to cut meat out of my diet because I grew up not liking the taste of it and finally decided it was time. I do still eat dairy (very little) and no meat at all (no red meat, no chicken , no seafood). I feel if you are going to go veggie go all the way. But I did loose some weight in the beginning , and I do feel better all around.

This cracked me up! I would be the same way about the chickens, I am sure I would have them all named after a few days. I love fresh eggs. My grandparents ran a hen house and I grew up loving fresh eggs. As far as being a vegetarian...I don't think I could ever do it. I am not a big meat eater, but once and while I have to admit I enjoy a good steak or a hamburger cooked on the grill, and don't even get me started on prime rib..

LOL!! I am not laughing at you I'm laughing with you.
A month or so ago I told my SO that I wanted to get some laying chickens because I love fresh eggs. I told him it would be a source of eggs and meat. He looked at me and said "Every animal we've ever had I have made my little buddy, Were YOU going to kill the chickens when it came time?"
That put an end to the idea of raising chickens for meat.
I was raised in farm country and my Dad was a hunter so I'm not clueless about where meat comes from but I've never had to start the process myself. And I won't be doing it any time soon.

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

All this talk reminds me of my grandmother. As I mentioned above, they made a living running a henhouse and she would have to go out and collect eggs (they had three floors of chickens in the henhouse) every morning and evening. She would often come in with blood dripping down her arms from where a chicken had attacked her. On the day that happened, you just knew there would be fried chicken for dinner that night....and you had a pretty good idea which chicken it was!

I was a vegetarian in my 20's for about 4yrs or so. I wasn't the most healthful vegetarian either, my diet consisted of mac and cheese and ramen noodles, like a lot of college kids. I don't eat much meat now, but would like to go veggie again in a more healthful way. I am not big the processed fake meat stuff, but I do try and make the veggies my main course during a meal and have meat as a side dish.

I don't think I could ever be vegan, I enjoy cheese too much...that and so many things are made with eggs it would be difficult to cut out those foods. I do remember when I was a vegetarian it was sometimes hard to find processed foods with out some sort of animal by-product contained in them....I remember being very disappointed that I couldn't eat Oreos because they contained Lard. lol.

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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, if you do criticize them, you're a mile away and have their shoes.

Check out the LWIF internet board for this deal - Vegetarian Times Magazine $3.11 for 1 Year. I'm not a vegetarian, but for that price I thought it would be worth checking out.

Just curious...did you have vegetarian ramen noodles? I eat them on occasion, but I substitute a veggie cube for the seasoning packet.

If I remember correctly I ate the "oriental" flavor. I think I thought it had no animal ingredients...whether that is true, I am not sure. There were occassions where I would just use soy sauce on them.

To this day I can't eat ramen, boxed mac 'n cheese (the powdered kind), instant rice or Hunt's canned tomato sauce. Ah, college days, brings back some interesting dietary memories.

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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, if you do criticize them, you're a mile away and have their shoes.

I only buy free range/organic meat too and non-farm raised fish. We don't raise chickens, but a friend does. I get farm-fresh eggs, with none of the bother/sadness. Actually, I don't think they kill them, but I have a don't ask/don't tell policy around that!

I'd be having chicken funerals too, if I raised them myself.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

I've done the reverse... raised in a vegetarian household and now we eat meat, sparingly but we eat it. It is so much less restrictive to just do everything in moderation (except unlimited vegetables). As you can tell, I didn't fully buy into the vegetarian lifestyle.

Yes, I have been a vegetarian for 16 years. I do not eat any animals, including fish, gelatin, rennet, etc.

I would strongly disagree that it is more expensive being a vegetarian. I always have coupons for Boca Burgers, etc. And it isn't like I eat those type of products at every meal anyway.

Tonight I made a vegetable pot pie with a cornmeal/cheese crust.
Last night I did corn and potato chowder in the crockpot.
Sunday I made bean and rice burritos, salsa and chips.
Saturday I made Coca-Cola baked beans, Boca burger and tomato-cucumber salad.
Friday I made (I think) pizza with mushrooms and onions.

There you have it, five meals and only one "meat replacement" product. But like I said, they aren't that expensive anyway, especially with coupons.

I am also raising my daughter vegetarian, she is almost two, and she loves hummus!

The health benefits are well documented.

I get organic vegetables delivered once a week from a local farm.
Check out Family Farms - LocalHarvest
to find one near you.

They also bring me eggs from their free-roaming chickens are are actually free roaming. One week we didn't get eggs because the Basset Hound puppies got to them and broke them playing.

And as a side note, people who say they are vegetarian and "only eat chicken" or "only eat fish" are not vegetarian. Just a pet peeve of mine.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

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I have to agree with you on this one!!!!

I recently found out I could get fresh and frozen organic fruits and vegs at Costco, and they actually cost less than the same non-organic items at grocery stores here. Frozen whole strawberries were about $1.15/lb - I was thrilled. Also got broccoli and green beans in 5 lb bags frozen, also a bit over $1/lb, could never find them here at those prices. I prefer the frozen organic produce items cuz I've found them to be better (read: fresher) than the fresh produce. And I often would end up tossing some of the fresh produce into the compost cuz I hadn't used it quickly enough.
I am not a vegetarian, but my diet mostly consists of lacto-ovo type stuff. I also count on quinoa a lot for protein and do protein combining. W/out cheese I'd want to open a vein. I just am not a big fan of red meats, and organic chickens are rather pricey, even at Costco. We do garden, so at least in the summer we can save a bit on the costs of things. I don't drink organic milk or even a lot of milk, but what I do buy is BHT & BST free. All other dairy products I buy are organic these days. It's taken me many years to get to this point, and it was only a week ago that I discovered Costco sold many organic items. I'm more concerned w/the organic aspect of diet than whether or not to eat meat.

A long time ago dh tried to eat only raw produce and nuts and nearly killed himself with that one cuz he really had no idea how to do protein combining, got very ill.

The benefits are a vegetarian diet are manyfold, not the least being you are consuming many more foods with anti-oxidants that fight cancer, other diseases, and the ravages of time in our modern world on our body.

Have you ever heard of the Blue Zone Diet? I'm not sure about the particulars of it, have never read the book. The gist of it is to eat what is in season where you live, eat biggest meal early in the day, and food as close to the way it was made as possible. (Anyone wanna elaborate on this?) I saw a documentary on areas of the world where humans had the l& healthiest longevity (over 100 yo was not uncommon in those areas), and those areas were dubbed Blue Zones.

MZ

I personally have been a vegatarian for so many years now and so are both my dd;s . Healthwise the benefits are so wonderful.Costly I would not agree unless you go all organic which can be costly, I go half and half with organic items. If anything you are eliminating all meat and seafood which is so expensive. To be a true Vegan we are not that is different and a much harder stricter diet, but again also healthy.Peace. Catherine

LIterally me and my dd's could live on pasta and all and any vetagables and all kinds of rice and it is soooooooo healthy. We also do not drink soda anymore that took awhile however like I mentioned before when I stopped and tried it , it was so thick and super sweet. Does anyone here own a juicer I put everything in there any friut any veggie and its all natural and do delicious. The antixidonts sp... in all those friuts and veggies especially grape juice and pommergrante and cranberry yummy . Also we drink alot of water fused with fresh oranges and mint and strawberries. Also We love love yogurt again so so healthy and good for women especially.We truly do not need any more toxins in our bodies and if you feel better inside the outside does as well.. peace CAtherine

thank you for the replies.

I am going to try this slowly. I'm not a big meat eater, so it won't be so hard for me. The rest of the gang...... well...... I think I'll just "help" them to cut back on it.

To the poster who had the chicken funeral......I can absolutely relate to that. We had surgery done on a hamster. And this was before we even had kids. My boss at the time told me I should have just flushed him They even put a bertha (sp?) collar on the thing after surgery

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I have not eaten meat other than fish since 1999. I have lost tons of weight, my skin is clear, my blood pressure is down and I feel wonderful!

It is NOT costly to be a vegetarian. Beans cost less than meat. I eat lots of fish which is not cheap but a veggie diet is not expensive!

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I could never go vegetarian but that said, I have cut down on my red meat eating. I enjoy turkey burgers and some veggie burgers. I love beans as well. I could never go vegan. I LOVE cheese! MY DH's cousin is vegan and she can't go anywhere. She has to bring am icechest of food with her whereever she goes. She is raising her 2 small toddlers vegan as well. She met us at grandma's house in KS a couple of years ago for Thanksgiving....THAT was interesting! She ran out of food and the local grocery store apparently didn't have anything she could eat besides fresh veggies. She lives at Whole Foods and needless to say, the local mom & pop grocery in BFE Kansas didn't have what she was looking for. I can't imagine going that extreme

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Hi again I found this link in my inbox this morning and thought you may be interested.
Healthy Living Blog - Healthy Living Center - EverydayHealth.com
It is literally about the "health benefits of going meatless".

Allinaugust- I would definitely agree with the transition method. If you cut everything at once it just doesn't work- you get too many cravings.

When I was a kid I first cut out red meats - my mom convinced me for a while that chicken and tuna were still ok, I think she was worried I wouldn't get my protein. However, I eventually found the flaw in her logic. It wasn't until college that I cut out eggs and everything containing them ( which is no small feat).. and in the last couple of years I have ditched cheese - my only weakness.

Anywho just make sure you consume some form of protein everyday ( beans, tofu, peanut butter, nuts, soy products etc) - and make sure you are getting plenty of B12, Vitamin D and Omega 3's. Those are really the only concerns and they are really easy to satisfy.

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"Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that made you smile. Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we're here we should dance."

Peace.

I admire all of you who are vegetarians, I really do! But can I just say this?? I HATE HATE HATE beans! LOL!

While we are on the subject....those of you who use imitation meat products, what do you like and not like?

I love the Quorn Turkey Roast. I like fake sliced beef (lunch *meat*).

I hate any kind of fake hot dog.

I like most of the morningstar products- but you have to watch out for eggs as they seem to change their ingredients fairly frequently. The chick'n strips are by far one of our favorite products.

As far as veggie burgers I don't know if we have a fav we love them all I can't remember the brand but we got veggie brats for the grill a few times this summer and liked them alot.

The only faux cheeses we like are Follow your Heart and Tofutti..the rest are kinda gross and they don't melt. We only do follow your heart a few times a year - its super yummy- but expensive around here at least. $6 or $7.

I haven't tried many Quorn products but I will keep my eye out I do occasionally like the Lightlife or Smart Deli slices. But I completely agree about the faux hot dogs (just seems sort of wrong)..I never liked the faux ribs either, same for the faux chicken patties - something about the texture creeps me out. Dh likes the morningstar "bacon" and "sausage" but like I said before...eggs.....

But we love love love pretty much any and all tofutti or So delicious ice cream products. If you haven't gotten your free marry me coupons I def recommend signing up


Having said all that we don't really rely on processed faux-meats we only have something like that about once a week. Mostly we stick to whole foods. Sometimes we make a big batch of our own veggie burgers and freeze them. (Wicked cheap!)

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"Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that made you smile. Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we're here we should dance."

Peace.

To the OP - You might try starting the family with one day a week being meat-free. We do this and it is simple enough. But we are huge veggie and bean eaters anyway.
And one of my favorite meat replacements is Soyrizo. Fat free beans, a fat free tortilla,salsa and soyrizo make a great burrito.

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

I am one of those "fish eating vegetarians" - for the simple reason, that people usually don't know, what a pesceterian is. Since I don't want to explain a lot, I just take the easy way out

Just an FYI, I went cold turkey and never looked back, never had a craving.

As far as yummy meat replacement this company
Field Roast Grain Meat Co.

makes the must unbelievable vegan roasts. Oh my goodness, they are so delicious. Tofurkey is crap, these roasts are unbelievable.
The Celebration Roast is my absolute favorite. It also makes the best "meatloaf" sandwiches.

I didn't love the original Field Roast I had, but it comes in several flavors so I will try another.

During the holidays they put out a roast with a cranberry/ginger stuffing and it is all wrapped up in puff pastry.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!