Vegetarian and/or vegan members of BYC!
- Thread starter SilverPhoenix
- Start date
- Status
- Jul 1, 2010
- 976
- 81
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Hi,
1. I became a vegetarian 22 years ago.
2. My eldest daughter, who was 15 at the time, announced that she was now a vegetarian quite out of the blue. I was concerned that she got all the right nutrients, so i decided to join her and also to research the subject. I had never been a big meat eater, although, I was born after WW2 and food in the UK was still rationed in those days, so no one was a big meat eater, and I had grown up on very small portions of meat. Not so hard to give up maybe?
3. I have always loved all animals, and I'm old enough to remember the good old days when farm animals raised their young in a natural environment. Farms were small, a few hundred acres, and mixed farming was the norm. Many people were employed in agriculture then, but this relentless cost cutting and more and more technology, has turned it into an agri-industry. Sadly, animals are now just a raw material. Big supermarket chains want to pay next to nothing to the farmers who can only survive by rearing more and more stock. Here, we have a huge backlash against factory farming. The public is sickened by the sight of poor hens, shut in cages for all of their short lives, and there is a steady and ever growing stream of people waiting to adopt them when the farms clear out and restock. I got my rescue hens from such a farm. They are beautiful brown warrens, bred for laying. They could hardly stand when I got them as they were confined to very small cages. Their food passed by on a conveyer belt. They had never seen the light of day. Now they are happily settled with light and space. To see them bloom has brought us great joy! Raising chickens, is officially now UKs biggest hobby!! But having said that, everyone wants to be able to go to the supermarket and pay very little for their food. This is the problem. (Sorry about the rant!)
4. My favourite foods are pasta dishes with roasted veggies, curried vegetables and casseroles.
Look forward to seeing everyone's messages.
Regards from Newfoundland
1. I became a vegetarian 22 years ago.
2. My eldest daughter, who was 15 at the time, announced that she was now a vegetarian quite out of the blue. I was concerned that she got all the right nutrients, so i decided to join her and also to research the subject. I had never been a big meat eater, although, I was born after WW2 and food in the UK was still rationed in those days, so no one was a big meat eater, and I had grown up on very small portions of meat. Not so hard to give up maybe?
3. I have always loved all animals, and I'm old enough to remember the good old days when farm animals raised their young in a natural environment. Farms were small, a few hundred acres, and mixed farming was the norm. Many people were employed in agriculture then, but this relentless cost cutting and more and more technology, has turned it into an agri-industry. Sadly, animals are now just a raw material. Big supermarket chains want to pay next to nothing to the farmers who can only survive by rearing more and more stock. Here, we have a huge backlash against factory farming. The public is sickened by the sight of poor hens, shut in cages for all of their short lives, and there is a steady and ever growing stream of people waiting to adopt them when the farms clear out and restock. I got my rescue hens from such a farm. They are beautiful brown warrens, bred for laying. They could hardly stand when I got them as they were confined to very small cages. Their food passed by on a conveyer belt. They had never seen the light of day. Now they are happily settled with light and space. To see them bloom has brought us great joy! Raising chickens, is officially now UKs biggest hobby!! But having said that, everyone wants to be able to go to the supermarket and pay very little for their food. This is the problem. (Sorry about the rant!)
4. My favourite foods are pasta dishes with roasted veggies, curried vegetables and casseroles.
Look forward to seeing everyone's messages.
Regards from Newfoundland
Hi, I was vegan for two years and then, after reading so much about omega-3s, my DH and I became non-dairy pescetarians for the past 4 years. We eat fish a few times a week. Veganism was fine though, you just need to supplement with B12 and make an effort on the protein. My step son has been vegan for 20 years with no issues. My DH loves to tell people about the chickens and that we don't eat eggs or chicken
My decision was cholesterol driven but I'm happy not to eat most animals. I may be tempted by the eggs when the pullets start laying.
ps hi nfld, i'm from nb
My decision was cholesterol driven but I'm happy not to eat most animals. I may be tempted by the eggs when the pullets start laying.
- Thread starter
- #204
*Waves* It's been a while since I've been active in this thread, but I'm glad to see it still going! Great to see other vegetarians coming out of the woodwork.
It's really nice to know I'm not alone on this site in being a vegetarian, even though this is more-or-less an agricultural forum!
bakohens -- What a great story on how you became vegetarian! I'm glad it's made you feel better both physically and spiritually.
newfoundland -- How wonderful you made the switch so long ago and have stuck with it! And that is so fantastic about your rescue hens. I'm sure watching them adjust to a natural chicken life has been stunning and moving. I just love seeing chickens do natural things--dust baths, hunting bugs, and so on. It is so tragic to me that so many millions of chickens are raised in tiny cages in dark sheds, living an entire life without getting to behave like their species at all.
It's like raising a person in a closet. I am sure they will live out the rest of their lives with so much gusto and happiness! Give them lots of love!
biffer -- Wow, I haven't seen anyone who is a non-dairy pescatarian! Good for you. It's nice to hear you enjoyed veganism and it wasn't too difficult. I still think about going vegan quite a bit though I haven't made the big step yet. So far I've just cut down on my dairy as much as possible without cutting it out altogether. And of course I only eat my own chickens' eggs.
Might as well eat a chicken egg from your own birds here and there, cholesterol or not!
bakohens -- What a great story on how you became vegetarian! I'm glad it's made you feel better both physically and spiritually.
newfoundland -- How wonderful you made the switch so long ago and have stuck with it! And that is so fantastic about your rescue hens. I'm sure watching them adjust to a natural chicken life has been stunning and moving. I just love seeing chickens do natural things--dust baths, hunting bugs, and so on. It is so tragic to me that so many millions of chickens are raised in tiny cages in dark sheds, living an entire life without getting to behave like their species at all.
biffer -- Wow, I haven't seen anyone who is a non-dairy pescatarian! Good for you. It's nice to hear you enjoyed veganism and it wasn't too difficult. I still think about going vegan quite a bit though I haven't made the big step yet. So far I've just cut down on my dairy as much as possible without cutting it out altogether. And of course I only eat my own chickens' eggs.
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Hello fellow non-meat eaters!
I have been a vegetarian for 7 months now. I had tried to go veg several years back when my now ex-husband had a heart attack and we had to watch his cholesterol, fat intake, etc. , but that didn't work out really well for me. I think I may have lasted 2 weeks and I was sneaking steaks and burgers at work, eating vegetarian at home. I decided to try again when my best friends daughter started posting links about vegetarianism on her facebook page, and she suggested several books and documentaries on the subject for people to read. Well, at the end of December, I was sitting around the house bored out of my skull and decided to go rent a couple of movies. I found Food, Inc, ironically, at the local grocery store/video rental. I watched it and was immediately sickened. I then got my hands on a copy of Eating Animals, read it, and was even more sickened. There are parts of that book I couldn't get through without crying my eyes out, and parts I couldn't get through at all. I decided that my love for animals was no longer going to allow me to consume them, and that I was no longer going to support factory farming in any way. I started purchasing my eggs from a local woman-drove out to her home every other week and picked up eggs for myself, both of my kids, and one of my friends. She has since moved, and I am having a difficult time finding a reliable source of fresh eggs. So, I made the decision to raise my own layers. Of course, I won't have my own eggs for a while yet, but I am enjoying every bit of watching my babies grow.
One day in June, my daughter and I were out walking, and she turned to me and asked if we could rent Food, Inc. when we got done with our walk. I looked at her and asked if she was sure she wanted to watch it. Having said she was, we rented it. I was on the computer ordering my chicks while she watched the movie. She became a vegetarian immediately after watching it. She is now reading my copy of Eating Animals. We get together quite a few nights a week and prepare different vegetarian recipies together. It has brought us even closer together.
I do not put down people who eat meat-I feel it is their decision. When they ask me what made me quit eating meat, I just smile politely and tell them that I don't like what the food industry has done to my food, and let them know that there are plenty of sources of information on the internet, at the video rental, and at the local library if they would like to learn more. If they seem genuinely interested in learning more, I will discuss what I have learned with them-but I never argue or try to push.
It's great to see so many people on this thread!
I have been a vegetarian for 7 months now. I had tried to go veg several years back when my now ex-husband had a heart attack and we had to watch his cholesterol, fat intake, etc. , but that didn't work out really well for me. I think I may have lasted 2 weeks and I was sneaking steaks and burgers at work, eating vegetarian at home. I decided to try again when my best friends daughter started posting links about vegetarianism on her facebook page, and she suggested several books and documentaries on the subject for people to read. Well, at the end of December, I was sitting around the house bored out of my skull and decided to go rent a couple of movies. I found Food, Inc, ironically, at the local grocery store/video rental. I watched it and was immediately sickened. I then got my hands on a copy of Eating Animals, read it, and was even more sickened. There are parts of that book I couldn't get through without crying my eyes out, and parts I couldn't get through at all. I decided that my love for animals was no longer going to allow me to consume them, and that I was no longer going to support factory farming in any way. I started purchasing my eggs from a local woman-drove out to her home every other week and picked up eggs for myself, both of my kids, and one of my friends. She has since moved, and I am having a difficult time finding a reliable source of fresh eggs. So, I made the decision to raise my own layers. Of course, I won't have my own eggs for a while yet, but I am enjoying every bit of watching my babies grow.
One day in June, my daughter and I were out walking, and she turned to me and asked if we could rent Food, Inc. when we got done with our walk. I looked at her and asked if she was sure she wanted to watch it. Having said she was, we rented it. I was on the computer ordering my chicks while she watched the movie. She became a vegetarian immediately after watching it. She is now reading my copy of Eating Animals. We get together quite a few nights a week and prepare different vegetarian recipies together. It has brought us even closer together.
I do not put down people who eat meat-I feel it is their decision. When they ask me what made me quit eating meat, I just smile politely and tell them that I don't like what the food industry has done to my food, and let them know that there are plenty of sources of information on the internet, at the video rental, and at the local library if they would like to learn more. If they seem genuinely interested in learning more, I will discuss what I have learned with them-but I never argue or try to push.
It's great to see so many people on this thread!
Hi everyone -
I actually am not a vegetarian, but I do eat vegetarian meals off an on - I have gone a week or a few days here and there, but haven't decided to totally give up meat myself - although I see nothing wrong with that choice and have actually made vegetarian thanksgiving when I had friends over who were vegetarian. So with that said I really am posting because I have a question and am hoping for helpful feedback from those of you who have done it. My boyfriend used to be vegetarian when he lived in the bay area, but then gave it up when he moved to Texas (where I met him). However he not only decided to go back to eating meat, but he went full on to really, really heavy unhealthy comfort type foods - meat loaf, blue cheese burgers, loads of mac and cheese, bacon in everything, really no lean meats, mayo on everything - not surprisingly, he gained a lot of weight and has had major health problems (honestly I'm surprised he hasn't had a heart attack from the sudden massive cholesterol intake). So my question is - for those of you who are vegetarian more for health reasons (that was his reason when he was) - did you ever "fall off the wagon" and if so did you go to the opposite end of the spectrum with heavy fatty foods? In my boyfriends case - he has gone back to a healthier diet but now wants to be totally vegan. It seems like a pendulum swining from one extreme to the other and I'm wondering if maybe anyone else has gone through that and how you overcame it? I hope you don't mind me posting this here - I really would like your opinions and know how to help him stay on a healthier diet and not ping-pong back and forth. I care about him and want him to be healthy.
I actually am not a vegetarian, but I do eat vegetarian meals off an on - I have gone a week or a few days here and there, but haven't decided to totally give up meat myself - although I see nothing wrong with that choice and have actually made vegetarian thanksgiving when I had friends over who were vegetarian. So with that said I really am posting because I have a question and am hoping for helpful feedback from those of you who have done it. My boyfriend used to be vegetarian when he lived in the bay area, but then gave it up when he moved to Texas (where I met him). However he not only decided to go back to eating meat, but he went full on to really, really heavy unhealthy comfort type foods - meat loaf, blue cheese burgers, loads of mac and cheese, bacon in everything, really no lean meats, mayo on everything - not surprisingly, he gained a lot of weight and has had major health problems (honestly I'm surprised he hasn't had a heart attack from the sudden massive cholesterol intake). So my question is - for those of you who are vegetarian more for health reasons (that was his reason when he was) - did you ever "fall off the wagon" and if so did you go to the opposite end of the spectrum with heavy fatty foods? In my boyfriends case - he has gone back to a healthier diet but now wants to be totally vegan. It seems like a pendulum swining from one extreme to the other and I'm wondering if maybe anyone else has gone through that and how you overcame it? I hope you don't mind me posting this here - I really would like your opinions and know how to help him stay on a healthier diet and not ping-pong back and forth. I care about him and want him to be healthy.
Oh, I just found this thread!
I've been a vegetarian for almost 35 years. However, I do have a qualifier. I eat some fish, averaging about one serving per week. The majority of my diet, however, is vegan.
In hindsight, I had vegetarian leanings as a child...didn't really understand fully at the time where beef and pork came from, but pitched a fit when my mom tried to serve rabbit or lamb.
I had been thinking about eating vegetarian in the 70s. A novel called 'Dr. Rat' put me over the edge.
I've never lived with another vegetarian. My partner eats vegetarian sometimes, or we cook separately and eat together. I only ask that hamburger not be cooked in the house because I can't tolerate the smell.
Love warm comforting dishes - curries, fried rice, red beans and rice, as well as roasted veggies. Love home grown eggs, of course!
I've been a vegetarian for almost 35 years. However, I do have a qualifier. I eat some fish, averaging about one serving per week. The majority of my diet, however, is vegan.
In hindsight, I had vegetarian leanings as a child...didn't really understand fully at the time where beef and pork came from, but pitched a fit when my mom tried to serve rabbit or lamb.
I had been thinking about eating vegetarian in the 70s. A novel called 'Dr. Rat' put me over the edge.
I've never lived with another vegetarian. My partner eats vegetarian sometimes, or we cook separately and eat together. I only ask that hamburger not be cooked in the house because I can't tolerate the smell.
Love warm comforting dishes - curries, fried rice, red beans and rice, as well as roasted veggies. Love home grown eggs, of course!
Hi All,
I would like to join this thread. I was vegetarian years ago, and due to some health issues and discovering commercial farms and their lack of compassion, decided to head back that way again...
1. How long have you been vegetarian?
transitioning
2. Why did you choose to go vegetarian?
ethics on how animals are treated, and health issues- diabetic, have read it is a good way to go to get things back on track
3. Has raising and caring for poultry changed your opinion of farm animals, or helped affirm your vegetarian lifestyle?
sure has, especially reading about battery cages, its reignited my desire to make a difference,
4. What are some of your favorite foods?
cheese, fruit, love pasta and rice, but messes up my bloodsugar
can't look at meat at the store anymore without seeing images of my girls happily roaming and chasing bugs
I would like to join this thread. I was vegetarian years ago, and due to some health issues and discovering commercial farms and their lack of compassion, decided to head back that way again...
1. How long have you been vegetarian?
transitioning
2. Why did you choose to go vegetarian?
ethics on how animals are treated, and health issues- diabetic, have read it is a good way to go to get things back on track
3. Has raising and caring for poultry changed your opinion of farm animals, or helped affirm your vegetarian lifestyle?
sure has, especially reading about battery cages, its reignited my desire to make a difference,
4. What are some of your favorite foods?
cheese, fruit, love pasta and rice, but messes up my bloodsugar
can't look at meat at the store anymore without seeing images of my girls happily roaming and chasing bugs
- Thread starter
- #209
Quote:
Good to see someone transitioning! Best wishes to you. I know the feeling of seeing meat and realizing that that was a living thing... It's disturbing feeling, looking everywhere and seeing the meat and knowing it was once a living creature, and that it suffered and was killed. It's amazing how disconnected most people are from their meat and where it came from.
Good to see someone transitioning! Best wishes to you. I know the feeling of seeing meat and realizing that that was a living thing... It's disturbing feeling, looking everywhere and seeing the meat and knowing it was once a living creature, and that it suffered and was killed. It's amazing how disconnected most people are from their meat and where it came from.
- Jul 26, 2010
- 2,969
- 4
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I've been an off and on vegetarian for 42 years. I occasionally eat chicken, turkey or fish; I don't eat beef, pork, veal, etc.
I started when I was 14. I was a complete vegetarian for many years. Work made it difficult to 'stick to' the program.
I have a lot of vegetarian recipes and love cooking.
1. How long have you been vegetarian? 42 years, on and off.
2. Why did you choose to go vegetarian? I just did. I don't know why.
3. Has raising and caring for poultry changed your opinion of farm animals, or helped affirm your vegetarian lifestyle? I have always taken care of lots of animals, and always felt they should be treated with dignity. I am not comfortable with eating my chickens. It even took me a little while to get comfortable with eating their eggs.
4. What are some of your favorite foods? Rice, soybeans (edamame), tofu, peanut butter and peanut sauces, all sorts of nuts, lots of different kinds of vegetables (i'm seeking the perfect tomato).
I started when I was 14. I was a complete vegetarian for many years. Work made it difficult to 'stick to' the program.
I have a lot of vegetarian recipes and love cooking.
1. How long have you been vegetarian? 42 years, on and off.
2. Why did you choose to go vegetarian? I just did. I don't know why.
3. Has raising and caring for poultry changed your opinion of farm animals, or helped affirm your vegetarian lifestyle? I have always taken care of lots of animals, and always felt they should be treated with dignity. I am not comfortable with eating my chickens. It even took me a little while to get comfortable with eating their eggs.
4. What are some of your favorite foods? Rice, soybeans (edamame), tofu, peanut butter and peanut sauces, all sorts of nuts, lots of different kinds of vegetables (i'm seeking the perfect tomato).
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