Vegetarianism

[sunshroom]

There probably already is these kind of topics, but I do not have time to search or see if i can incorporate my question with these.

To the point.
I know that many of you are vegetarians, vegans and what all. I would like to know more about that, because I am interested to start with such lifestyle. I can see myself not eating animals and birds, maybe even fish, but can not imagine not eating dairy or eggs. This purely because, there are no one killed in progress of obtaining these things, well not when they are massively produced in huge farms. And fish have always been around me, living on a rather small island right by the sea.

Few questions also, how to make sure that you get all the nessecary nutrients and vitamins.

 

[Twilight]

Nice to see you want to get started.

I made a topic about it some time ago, it probably contains some tips and facts for you to help!

http://www.psychonaut.com/index.php?opt ... =0&lang=nl

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Do you have a healthfood store nearby? That would really help, because such shops carry lots of tasty and nutritional alternatives. Trying to be a strict vegetarian or vegan while shopping in a regular supermarket is really difficult.

For really tasty vegetarian dishes, I recommend the Sunday Love Feasts that are held in every Hare Krishna center. Some Hare Krishna folks can be a bit pushy (trying to convert you), but in general they're friendly people.

 

[st.bot.32]

-edit- Oh yeah, that thread.. might as well not post the same info twice!

I recommend the Sunday Love Feasts that are held in every Hare Krishna center. Some Hare Krishna folks can be a bit pushy (trying to convert you), but in general they're friendly people.

I went to an eatery run by some Hare Krishna when I was in San Fran last year, first time. Very tasty and kind of a vibrant, trippy color scheme as well.. :lol:

I've found that in the university towns I've been to, lots of eateries and restaraunts will have vegan options to appeal to students..

 

[Ganesha]

Trying to be a strict vegetarian or vegan while shopping in a regular supermarket is really difficult.

That's BS. Just don't buy stuff with animal products in it. You have got to be convinced about your own lifestyle. You are saying something like: staying off drugs is hard if you walk by a dealer every day.

OT:

Dairy is quite a weird part of the diet. What other animal you know of takes the mother's milk of another species, processes it and eats it? You don't need it, in fact, it is not good for your body as it is hard to digest and doesn't give you what you need.

What you need is as much fresh fruits and vegetables possible, and nuts, seeds, olives, avocado's for their fats.

The best way to go from an ordinary to a vegetarian/vegan diet is to slowly introduce more of these and less of the food you have been eating. First 25%, then 50%, then 70%, 80, 90, 100.

 

[Space-is-the-Place]

Trying to be a strict vegetarian or vegan while shopping in a regular supermarket is really difficult.

That's BS. Just don't buy stuff with animal products in it. You have got to be convinced about your own lifestyle. You are saying something like: staying off drugs is hard if you walk by a dealer every day.

Well no, it's just that a lot of supermarkets have about 10 good food products and the rest is shit, so it's hard to buy anything good in a normal supermarket.

And thanks for the tip, I don't think I'll ever become 100% vegetarian (just eat meat 1 time a week max), but I do feel the need to eat a lot healthier and get more to know about nutrients and stuff.
I'll get a lot of vegetables and fruit tomorrow at the market

 

[st.bot.32]

That's BS. Just don't buy stuff with animal products in it. You have got to be convinced about your own lifestyle. You are saying something like: staying off drugs is hard if you walk by a dealer every day.

It would still be doable of course, but having lived out in the boonies, I have to say CM has a point. Not eating animal products in some parts of the world means living on canned food and iceberg lettuce and cardboard-flavored carrots. You could still get your proteins and carbs--certainly not your necessary iron (dark greens, what's that?), you'd have to eat vitamin supplements.

Or perhaps depending on your store you could order in lots of frozen veggies or something. A friend of mine lived in suburbia without a car for a while and ended up eating a lot of freezer kale. Or if you had property, a garden or greenhouse would be ideal

 

[Brugmansia]

Since I participate in severe athletic performances, both strength and endurance, I'm not a vegetarian. But I would abstain from animal protein otherwise. Although I don't eat meat that often, less than once a week (and never pigg meat), I eat tuna daily, as well as eggs and diary.

I can see quite well how only eating plant material shapes your body and mind. It does a lot for one's general mental and physical susceptibility at sober levels, with a mescaline or psilocybine trip it opens your body and mind much brighter.

Cafeine and nicotine also numb in the same way, nicotine even greater than cafeine. Even synthetic sugar can affect delicacy.

 

[HeartCore]

I can see myself not eating animals and birds, maybe even fish, but can not imagine not eating dairy or eggs. This purely because, there are no one killed in progress of obtaining these things, well not when they are massively produced in huge farms. A

I became vegetarian almost three years ago. Two months later my wife and I switched to 99% vegan diet. It's easy to assume that no animals are hurt with making dairy or eggs but that's far from the truth. Male cows are killed because they cannot give mild and a substance from their stomach is used in the process of making cheese. And eggs, well I personally don't have a problem with eating eggs from my friends house who has a dozen or two chickens out in the open. But that's, in my mind, majorly different as opposed to commercially grown eggs.

I don't know if you need animal protein for ahtletic peformance but my guess is that you really don't need it if you choose supplements wisely.


Btw I never ever would go back to eating corpse

 

[mysticwarrior]

I already live as a vegan for 7 years and before i went vegan i where 2 years a vegetarian. I never found it really hard to live like it. I got slowly used to it. Supermarkets for example still have quite some option where you could get some food, but you really have to look very good. I always watch for the ingredients, and if something is vegan i will remember. So as long as i am in my own country i can buy LOTS of food what i could eat.

Except for last year, i never really worried about my health. But that worry is over again. I would advice anyone who is able to go veggie, just go for it! Of course if you need to survive in the wild, then i can imagine eating meat. But nowadays there is so much food, that meat is completely unnecessary for most civilizations. For my food, no other souls have to die.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

That's BS.

I noticed, you disagree with practically everything I write and try to find fault with me wherever you can. You could have asked what I meant exactly, but instead you just assumed I was talking about temptation.

I've been friendly to you from the start, perhaps because I liked your name, avatar and signature, but in return you've been disagreeing with me wherever you can. What's going on Ganesha?

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

Since I participate in severe athletic performances, both strength and endurance, I'm not a vegetarian.

I've done that throughout my life, always as a vegetarian. There are even vegan bodybuilders consuming massive amounts of soy protein, but I prefer whey protein, or mixtures of whey and calcium caseinate, and moderate amounts of soy. These products are easier to digest than meat, and don't contain the mercury that's present in certain fish, including tuna. Have you ever tried a whey or soy protein shake? One shake should contain 25 to 30 grams of protein. The price is about the same as a daily regimen of animal proteins.

Regarding the difficulty in becoming a vegetarian if there's only a supermarket around, first of all the labels can be really confusing. If you want to be a strict vegetarian, you'll have to get yourself an E-number decoder to decypher what some of the ingredients mean. It's usually a disappointing effort, because the supermarkets don't primarily cater to the needs of vegetarians. For the vegetarians they have added some vegetarian burgers and sausages to their assortment, but most of the other products contain animal products. When you go to a healthfood store however, there are hundreds of products to choose from, all the labels clearly show you what's inside, and it's either vegetarian or vegan. Because there are products from all over the world, you can get yourself a wide range of protein sources, and of course lots of different cookies.

 

[mysticwarrior]

and of course lots of different cookies.

LOL

 

[Ganesha]

That's BS.

I noticed, you disagree with practically everything I write and try to find fault with me wherever you can. You could have asked what I meant exactly, but instead you just assumed I was talking about temptation.

I disagree with a lot of people. You are not speical in that respect. :wink:

I kinda knew you didn't mean temptation, I just like the analogy, and I interpret it differently than you did. What I meant was that you can educate yourself and buy mostly pure products. You cannot really go wrong buying fruits, vegetables, rice, nuts, seeds, etc. If you get into produced goods with more than 4 ingredients alarmbells should be ringing. This would of course mean that you would prepare all your meals yourself. When you walk past a dealer, it is the same thing: you should only buy if you want to (temptation) AND if you know it is pure (exactly what you and I agree on).

I have been vegetarian for 8 years now and rarely shop at healthfood stores, because I simply don't have the $$. If I make it big time, I will of course go there, because I agree with their principles more than with big supermarket chains, but for now the supermarket/farmer's market has to do.

I've been friendly to you from the start, perhaps because I liked your name, avatar and signature, but in return you've been disagreeing with me wherever you can. What's going on Ganesha?

I did not notice it was you I was disagreeing with all the time. I don't spend a lot of time on this forum, analysing every post, I just respond with my own thoughts and if there is something I don't agree with, I say it. Since you are one of the more outspoken/prolific people on this board, I guess it is just because you write more that I disagree with more of what you say. :wink:

As far as I'm concerned, there is no problem here.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

 

[Jeniger]

What about biological/organic?

Its just as if not more important then eating meat or not...

U want to eat food, or something that looks like it?

 

[IJesusChrist]

It is a dilemma, I am not vegetarian, and I feel horrible when I fish. However, I try to act stupid.

I just find meat more filling, less expensive, and easier to access. I don't have much money - I'm in college.

I once tried to not eat meat for a week, was starving after every meal. I didn't have energy either later in the day. I think I could convert to vegetarian if I had a basement full of hydroponics, and a very large garden outside.

 

[Forkbender]

I just find meat more filling, less expensive, and easier to access. I don't have much money - I'm in college.

Meat less expensive?!? Whut? Since when? I guess it depends where you live, but over here 1 kilo of meat is 2 to 10 times more expensive than a kilo of vegetables/fruits.

1 week is maybe not enough to adjust, change slowly and you will find you have actually more energy/mental clarity on a veggie diet.

 

[Affirmatory]

I am a vegetarian. But I am very lazy so I have no tips for you. I just drink lots of fruit juice and eat lots of nuts. I am sure this is not the most healthy diet.

 

[Nina_is_alive]

Well I'm an athlete too, and I've been vegan for a little over a year- vegetarian- before that. You can still get all the proteins and such. However I'm pretty sure you make less testosterone/estrogen with soy protein.

I think that it generally just makes you feel healthier and "lighter"- there's a really clean internal feeling about not eating dairy especially.
I have a friend who has chickens as well so I'll occasionally take some of those- because I know they are happy chickens

I just shop at the reg. supermarket, because like Ganesha said- the health food stores really just are very expensive.
It's tough to switch over for a week or two at first- but really quick you learn to adjust,
+ there are pretty much replacements for all the basics
(meat/cheese/milk/icecream /...) easily available- it depends also on your country also I suppose.

although health/curiosity were a reasons I switched over to vegan, the main one was respect-
most factory farms have little/no respect for life, and I wont support it.

make sure you still get B12 and alot of sleep!