Vegan/Vegetarian Thread

[fx]

Hey ya'll so I noticed there wasn't really a thread regarding veganism or vegetarianism so I thought I would make one.

So a little about myself. I've been a vegatarian for about 5 months (2 months of that I was on a pescetarian diet which means no meat besides seafood but idk if that really counts) and honestly one of the best health decisions I've made. My complexian has significantly improved and I lost a good amount of weight. I just feel better in general? A lot of people who've tried going vegetarian/vegan (i use these terms equally because they both are really different) and complain about loss of energy and vitamin deficiency but as long as your making up for it in either a particular food or vitamin suppliments you really should feel fine.

Anyway the reason for me going vegetarian was for mainly health reasons, but a lot of people do it for ethical reasons as well. I myself don't because it really is hard to avoid animal products in today's society.

Yes I know, a certain stigma about vegans being annoying is a thing. It's those people that give people like me a bad name. But I can assure you that this will not w a thread putting down other dietary lifestyles :)

So I ask the people:
1. Are you vegan or vegetarian or living by any sort of limited diet? If so, why not?
(To people that aren't: Do you want to but are stopped by something? Like what?)
2.How long have you lived this way and why did you do it?
3. How happy would you say you are about it overall? Is it hard to live by on a daily basis?

 

[Platinum God n1n1]

vegetarian 2 years 2 month
before I had terrible diet, weighed 180 and lost 30lbs. now I am trying to get to around 165 by going to the gym
also I felt good about my decision having positive impact on environment.
toughest part was just learning how to eat properly. I didnt know how to cook at all so had to learn. cooked stuff like black bean burgers, vegetarian chili, ect. now that I live in brooklyn and make decent money I just eat out for almost every meal. theres good vegan/vegetarian places less than 5 minute walk from me.

the best part was opening my mind to so many different types of food I never ate before. Stuff like Indian food, Tofu are things I never tried before now I love

 

[vonFiedler]

Gonna preemptively say that like other lifestyle threads, don't be a dick to people in this one.

 

[ant]

I've been a vegetarian for about 5 months. well, actually, a pescetarian. it's just that seafood it's not only delicious but I find it to be a great source of proteins. (mainly because it's great). sadly, my country is still really behind when it comes to buying vegan / vegetarian goods so I mainly have to improvise most of the times.

people tell me that I'm gonna go back to eating meat but I haven't had a single issue so far; I've cheated like 3 times if I have to be honest, and I regret it every single time. after quitting eating meat for some time, I found it kinda disgusting the first time I had meat once again. anyway, my main motivation was my love for animals, and secondly, just like n1n1, my diet was fucking horrible and I feel a lot healthier these days and I could quickly see the changes in my organism.

tl;dr i'm very happy about my current lifestyle and I would like to quit seafood one day too (As much as it'd hurt ;_;). but I'm proud of my progress so far

 

[Cresselia~~]

I'd like to become vegetarian again after I have my own kitchen.
I used to be a vegetarian ...no I actually was vegan!! when I lived in Taiwan.

Right now I don't have a kitchen, but Hong Kong is SO backwards when it comes to vegetarianism. So few restaurants have vegetarian options, and if they do, they charge sky high prices.
Ridiculous!

Although Taiwan's population is mainly ethnically Chinese, vegetarianism is very wide spread. A lot of people believe in Buddhism, which promotes vegetarianism.
Aside from dedicated Buddhists, a lot of people are converting into vegetarianism for health reasons too.

I love how in Taiwan, even the most regular restaurants, you can have fungus/ tofu as meat substitutes, and then you can also have soy milk as cow's milk substitute for your drinks too, even for your tea!!

It's so easy to be vegan in Taiwan.

I do consider moving to Taiwan. For many other reasons too. (I currently fulfill the rights)

 

[viol and bass]

I've been a vegetarian since I was 7 (now 24). It's such a regular part of my life and it's so accepted by people around me that I rarely even think about it, actually. The same would be true for being gay though, I live in a very liberal town. Essentially every place I go has vegetarian options except for the most hardcore meat-dedicated places. Oh and we've got some truly wonderful vegan restaurants in town. I think what people say about vegans being obnoxious and telling literally everyone doesn't apply to regular vegetarians (my best friend somehow didn't realize I was one for more than 2 years). It's probably trumped up about vegans too though, haha.

 

[Oddish.]

Attempted to be a vegetarian several years back. Like, middle school, I think. My reasoning was that I wanted to be healthier. It lasted about four months lol. At some point, I got sick of missing out on good family meals and shit like McDonald's (yeah I know it's trash but so am I). I have no regrets tbh.

I haven't made any attempts to go back since and I don't really think I want to. I just like meat too much. I do want to live a healthier lifestyle though, without having to become vegetarian, though I'd probably have to wait until I'm living on my own. Then I can start buying healthier foods on my own accord and stop being tempted by the chocolate chip cookies in our kitchen. I have pretty good impulse control when it comes to buying things, but when it's actually in my house...that's a different story.

I can see why people become vegan/vegetarian. I don't have an issue with it, as long as they're not an asshole about it. Though the ones I know in real life are pretty nice. I usually only see the shitty ones on sites like Tumblr. My friends who are vegan/vegetarian do sometimes post things like "This is your chicken nuggets" or whatever, but they've never actually tried to make me feel guilty about it upfront or started shit with me.

Anyway, if your current lifestyle makes you happy, then by all means, keep it up. I can't do it, so I'm typically impressed with people who can.

 

[Icing On Da Cake]

i tried out the vegan diet for like 2 weeks back in april and it was pretty solid. lost like 10-15 pounds pretty quick and had a noticable increase of energy. i eventually fell off the wagon because i got cravings for stuff like cheese, but ive cut out stuff like most meat, eggs, most dairy and eat alot more plant stuff. thinking about dropping all of it for long term purposes.

 

[nui]

Pescetarian for over a year. Because of health issues, I decided to completely change my lifestyle because I wanted to live a healthier life. Haven't drank soda since. I had one cheat day throughout this time and that's cause my cravings were so bad that I literally gave up and just had one burger ;~;
But besides that, I buy my own food, I prepare my own meals. My water is filled with cucumber and lemon prepared by me and try to exercise every morning and every night twice a day 3 times a week. I was going through a p tough time, and I know that if I hadn't made this decision I probably would be such a mess still. I just haven't looked back since, and I haven't felt much more healthier and happier since making that switch.
other unhealthy thing I do is drink a lot of alcohol but who cares right?:))))

 

[Uselesscrab]

I am a lifelong vegetarian. I actually have no particular reason for being one; I just decided to follow the example of my mom when I was little and have never looked back. I have always been in rather accommodating environments, what with California being an especially vegetarian-friendly state and my current university providing a non-meat option at literally every dining hall station.

Overall, I'd say that vegetarianism has pushed me to try an extremely wide variety of foods and thus be more adventurous, and it's not too much of a stretch to say that this has influenced other facets of my life as well. Completely committed to continuing as a vegetarian in the future.

 

[BenTheDemon]

I've been a vegetarian since I was 8 after getting lost while playing in the woods.
I felt the fear of being the hunted and chose to abandon the idea of slaughtering animals to satisfy my taste buds.
That, and I never cared for much meat anyway. The only meat I liked was beef.

 

[Yoshi King]

My partner is vegetarian and while I continue to eat meat (chicken and pollack at home, beef when I go out and want to treat myself), I've certainly shifted to a more veggie-friendly diet over the last few months. Lots of mixed beans, chickpeas, and lentils included as a protein provider/meat substitute, and while I haven't really noticed any health benefits, I certainly don't dislike it. It always baffled me why people insult or otherwise deride vegetarians and vegans-- as long as they're not being militant douchebags about their beliefs and chastising you for eating whatever you eat, why not just live and let live? Are people that afraid of someone being remotely different? (My extended family acts like this with my partner and it really pisses me off...)

 

[STEELDRAGON]

I was a vegan for a few months several years ago and I liked it but it after a little bit I decided to switch it up. For a few years I was a pescatarian and I felt a lot better than I generally do. I have some old friends who are vegans and they love it. I do feel like though if you come out and say I am a vegan/a diet then they will automatically have preconceived notions about you. I certainly recommend people try it especially being a pescatarian as it is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself.

 

[skies]

been a vegetarian since may, so five months. honestly, i like it, but i haven't noticed any health benefits whatsoever! i still will continue the diet since it hasnt shown to be harming me. the only thing i have noticed though is that if i have acne, it goes away a bit quicker. i really enjoy the diet personally.

 

[ReidIsBad]

As much as I would love to become a vegan, I can't really. I still live with my (grand)parents and can't really choose what I get to eat. Also, the school I go to doesn't provide a vegan lunch option.
Tips?

 

[X5Dragon]

Gonna preemptively say that like other lifestyle threads, don't be a dick to people in this one.

*tosses away joke list

How do you guys/gals handle Protein intake? I mean have a nice habit of eating lemon/salty flavored almonds all day and night but does that cover it? Also the loss of energy freaks me out I am suffering from it right now and I eat meat like there is no tomorrow. Part of my curiosuty is how healthy people look when going vegan but also because I love animals so much that I feel like a hypocrite even though technically, I am doing nothing wrong, nature wise that is.

 

[Platinum God n1n1]

*tosses away joke list

How do you guys/gals handle Protein intake?

Eat good breakfast. Protein shake, peanut butter on toast, greek yogurt, stuff like that plus a handful of nuts is the type of stuff I'll eat. Getting good amount of protein in the morning makes huge difference in my day as opposed to the days that I just grab a muffin.
I eat big lunch, Indian food, Chipotle with guac and extra beans, or another good take out like The Little Beet. Gives good amount of nutrients that keep energy up

 

[citro]

Vegetarian since birth

It was never an issue when my parents cooked for me because I'd get a balanced diet, but now I'm living on my own I'm finding it a lot harder, my subpar ability to cook and money limitations mean my diet is really really limited atm and I feel I'm not getting much variety, or enough protein, fat, or calories in general lol

As much as I would love to become a vegan, I can't really. I still live with my (grand)parents and can't really choose what I get to eat. Also, the school I go to doesn't provide a vegan lunch option.
Tips?

I don't know how well this would work, it depends on your (grand)parents' attitudes, but they may be more open to vegetarian/vegan meals if you offer to cook them yourself, and it would benefit you for later life too.

 

[McGrrr]

To offer the perspective of a meat-eater in a long-term relationship with a vegetarian:

I would never choose to be vegetarian because I enjoy eating meat/fish too much. My partner and I eat vegetarian meals at home. I like this because it helps to balance my diet. I usually order meat/fish at restaurants.

We have lived together since June 2016 and it has never been a problem.

 

[Cresselia~~]

Relevant if you are vegan:

Bank of England looking to make note tallow-free
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38164921

A petition to ban the note has attracted more than 100,000 signatures.
The tallow is used in an early stage of the production process and is "an extremely small amount", the Bank said.

'Unacceptable'
The petition, hosted on the Change.org website, calls on the Bank of England to "cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use".

It states that tallow is "unacceptable to millions of vegans, vegetarians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and others in the UK".