Vegetarian and/or vegan members of BYC!

[SilverPhoenix]

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Thanks for the wonderful post! That's great your family accepted the choice you made--I know a lot of people have problems with that. I always really admire the people who became vegetarian from eating meat, because it does take a lot of willpower to make a big change like that! Sounds like you and I have a lot in common, as far as our views on animals go.

To me animals have a right to live just like people do--I think the world would be much more peaceful if we treated all beings with respect.

Even though there have been some difficulties with this thread and sometimes I get frustrated at the callous views towards animals that most people hold, I'm glad I made this post because I am meeting nice fellow vegetarians!

I'm going to add you and the other vegetarians to my friends so we can maybe keep in touch! And many of the omnivores on this thread have been good and thoughtful, too.

I'm not sure if I've heard of morning star--you can bet I'm going to look into it!

 

[ranchhand]

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Wow, just wow, at where this decent thread has gone.

 

[DianeB]

My Dad has been eating a low fat, mostly vegan diet with me since the beginning of the year. It is nice to finally have another vegetarian in the house. Heart disease and type 2 diabetes run in his family and he wants to avoid these illnessses. Before he started eating this way his ankles, feet and hands were very swollen and he almost no color or energy. After 2 weeks, he lost quite a bit of water weight. Now, he no longer has swollen feet, has an actual complexion and loads of energy. All of his clothes are loose. His snoring has even decreased to barely hearable levels. No more bouts of night apnea, either. Seriously, he looks at least a good 10-15 years younger in less than two months.

My dad does not seem to miss meat and now prefers whole foods vegetarian cusine. He is always snaking on an orange or banana. We are now going through fruit and veggies like water.

I have also lost weight going from a size 10/8 to a 6/4 in about 2 months.

 

[suburbanminifarm]

ok, i'll post. I normally don't tell anyone I'm vegetarian for reasons you see here in this thread-- people get so insulting and after years of it I can't take it anymore. Especially when obviously physically unhealthy folks have an obnoxious opinion on what I eat..... ahem- it's bad manners to comment on what someone else does or does not eat! It's like when the in-laws come to my house and see my pet chickens and have to make the same old un-clever "jokes" about eating chicken......yeah ha-ha. Ugh. Anyway...
1. I've been a vegetarian for 20 years. My kids have never had meat in their lives and my son is taller than any other kid in his class and made the all-stars this season. (skinny though!)

My Dh is a meat eater but I don't try to change that. My Dad is the only other veg in the family, and get this he will be 70 next month and still plays on a basketball league with other kids in their low 20's! And he gets picked in the schoolyard pick second or third every time! He is going to live forever I swear I loooove my dad....
2. I became a vegetarian because I didn't want to contribute to the suffering of animals in modern factory farm conditions, basically. I also didn't want to have any part in the ecological ramifications of the cattle culture. I do not miss it.
3. I acquired chickens so I could quit purchasing store eggs. I'm so pleased to be finally producing my own from truly happy chickees! And of course they are charming and hilarious pets! I would really love to get a family milk goat someday....
4. I love food from other cultures especially.....I'm a very adventurous eater!

emzyyy---ask your running coach if he's ever heard of Carl Lewis

 

[SilverPhoenix]

DianeB -- That's wonderful your dad decided to take on a more healthy lifestyle! Good for him, it sounds like it's already having a great effect on him.

Thanks for sharing!

suburnminifarm -- Thank you for adding! Yes, I agree, sometimes it's easier just to not admit you're vegetarian at all. When you tell people, it's oftentimes the same reactions over and over and over again, and it gets tiresome hearing it. I agree, my friends occasionally make jokes about eating my chickens, and while I certainly don't take it seriously, it kind of gets like 'Is it really that funny, though?' after the hundredth time hearing the same comment.

Sounds like you're having a very fulfilling life! Your dad sounds amazing, I wish I could meet him!

 

[AngieChick]

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Wow, that's a totally different experience than what I've had. Everyone on my hubby's side are vegetarian, and many many of my friends and aquaintances are veggie. Lots aren't, but that's fine too. I think that we live in a pretty vegetarian heavy area here. It's very common. It's certainly made eating out much more fun, not only do we have a couple of dedicated veggie restaurants, but most of the other restaurants have many veggie options (not just the token 1 or 2). I forget how good we have it until we travel. It's not considered odd or abnormal to be vegetarian here, I'm sure it's because there are so many of us. No one even questions us or comments about it. We veggies don't even really discuss the why's or how's with each other much any more, everyone is different and has their own reasons.

 

[jeaucamom]

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Most cattle are not farmed humanely at all, unfortunately.

Cows can live for twenty years easily, and most milk cows are slaughtered (for fast food, actually) between age four and seven when their productivity declines. There's also the question of what happens to their calves, and also the way they're crowded into small areas for the sake of saving space... I just don't want to support that. For the time being, unfortunately I have been eating dairy, but I'm hoping to find a humane farm nearby or even get my own miniature Jersey cow when I have my own property.

I'm planning on trying out some dairy free ice cream soon. If that goes over well, maybe I can just switch to that for now and otherwise not eat dairy. I wouldn't miss it that much, aside from the ice cream!

Tofuti Cuties are to die for.. seriously, they are really good... So are Skinny Cow, which I am pretty sure are dairy free. All, very yummy.

 

[jeaucamom]

We also have MorningStar, and most of their products are very good. My only caution would be their faconbacon. I had a brunch last week and made some because one of the ladies requested bacon, and it was TOTALLY DISAGUSTING! Seriously we are still laughing about it two weeks later. Their other products are good though.

 

[Mom 2em All]

I am not vegetarian but many of my family is- my daughter is for the most part, uncle is, two of my cousins are, and my brother is a vegan. I could easily be vegetarian if I lived alone, but with three children and a meat-hunting, eating husband, it is too difficult for me. I could do it- but sometimes the choices are too limited. Which is really just confessing myself to taking the easy way out. I do eat mainly vegetarian. My husband firmly believes that it isnt a meal unless it has a meat option. For every meal of the day.

My daughter is 14. She has expressed her desire to not eat meat since she was about six- soon as she saw a fish being filleted. Then she put two and two together and realized that the food she is eating actually used to be a live animal. Because she is/was too young to know what she needed to be healthy, it was up to me- her parent- to make sure she was eating the right nutrients. Nutrients are what you need, whether it comes from animal or plant- that part doesnt matter in the fact of nutrition. As a parent/sister of vegetarian/vegan, it is up to me to do the research and to provide healthy meals that they not only enjoy but benefit from also. As a parent, it is also my job to support my kid on her choices, not change her to fit my life-style.

I really don't like to see people bashing the choices of others- being vegetarian shouldnt be something that you have to hide or be ashamed of.

Good job, OP!

 

[Katy]

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I could care less if you eat meat or not, I never once made any comments anywhere to that effect. That is your choice. I don't care if you do it for the health aspects of it or for what you see as moral reasons.

I for one, as person who has made her livelihood from agriculture for her whole life have been insulted time and time again by the vegetarian and vegans.

It upsets me that usually the loudest insulters to those of us who make our living with agriculture are those who have no or little personal experience with the agricultural lifestyle.

If you think that vegetarians are the only ones being insulted I would advise you to think again. Personally I have never told anyone who is a vegetarian that I think they should eat meat, other than jokingly telling them they don't know what they're missing, but have been raked over the coals many times by them for raising cattle for slaughter.