Questions for Vegetarians

maybe you should start slow cal, even if you cut it in half you are still doing so much for our sweet animal friends. only consuming half makes a big difference, think about it, if everyone only ate half that would be like 50 percent of the world being vegetarian. but eventually i think you should go 100 percent and you will not be unhealthy. I quit cold turkey, and it was such a good feeling to lift that guilt off of me. eating eggs is fine, there are cage free hen eggs that come from happy chickens and milk from happy cows. good luck and bless you cal!

Thank you Mahakali. Bless you! Actually I started cutting meat out a couple days ago. I have been trying to eat only vegetarian food for at least one meal per day. I probably need to stay on path with that and cut all meat out eventually while I learn about general nutrition and how to balance different important nutrients so I end up depleted of something. I tried vegetarian in the past for simple health reasons (not that I was sick but cancer and heart disease runs in my family) and failed. The information about specific foods you supplied in the other thread are very helpful. Thank you

De.spin, thanks for your support. I am honored that you are willing to help me. Bless you! I had fish for pets when I was a young boy. I was heart broken whenever one died. I never liked to eat fish as a child and I never even liked to fish, not even catch and release. It seemed cruel and often painful to do that just for the fun of it. I remember my grandfather beating catfish over the head with a hammer to kill them and I thought I heard them screaming. Maybe I imagined hearing it but I recall being horrified.

WhiteShaman, I live alone with my wife and 13 pets (dogs, cats and birds - all the cats and dogs where rescued from kill shelters and were feral, abused or abandoned, and all live inside our house and are treated like our children) . However, our grown daughter's boyfriend has 4 kids and they come over a lot on the weekends for dinner. My wife doesn't not seem to share my interest in becoming a vegetarian. This is one of my big fears - how that will all work out and whether I will be a burden. I'm delighted to learn that the situation worked out great for you. Thanks so much for sharing! Bless you!

Chrysaetos, thank you for letting me know I'm not alone. Bless you!

After doing some internet research and hearing from all of you I am becoming less worried of it not being healthy for physically active people. I'm still worried about the family thing and having the time and patience to find things easy to cook that satisfies my craving. I love to eat, including many things that aren't healthy like fast foods. I also worry because neither my wife or I are real good cooks to begin with and have fallen in a rut of eating the same things that we know how to cook that are quick and easy - all main courses containing meat.....not much experience on experimenting with new things.

Thank you all so much!
Cal

[Chrysaetos]

Today I might be a pescetarian and then I'm a lacto-ovo veg for some days again.. they're just labels.

If we eat a salad, a sandwich, or some fruit, do we say to ourselves ''This was nice vegetarian food'' hmm, do we?
So nothing to worry about I think.

please don't eats lobsters though, those poor guys suffer the most!

[innerlight]

Originally Posted by Cal

Hello, I'm considering a change in diet. I have a couple questions for seasoned Vegetarians:

1. Do you eat fish, why or why not?
2. Is a vegetarian diet good for althletes or highly physically active people? Can one retain and/or improve muscle mass and strength on such a diet?

Thanks in advance!
Cal

I do eat fish from time to time... For the most part my diet is raw, with the occassional fish.

You can also be an athlete on a vegetarian diet. You would need to increase your protein intake with such things nuts, and broccoli. You could also make a vegetarian protein shake to supplement with.

Hi Innerlight, thanks so much for your feedback. Yes, I am starting to see that there are many athletes that are vegetarians. I love broccoli and nuts. I went to a Whole Food store yesterday and found a large selection of vegetarian foods. I bought several frozen vegetarian meals to try and see what I like, including a couple Thai and Indian dishes. I forgot to look for a protein shake suppliment. I'll get that next time.

The biggest problem now seems to be strong resistance from my wife, who does not to become a vegetarian and wants to continue eating the same as usual, which is ok with me. She is a kind and loving person (and loves animals too) so I will hope for more and more acceptance over time, that she supports me even if she never becomes a vegetarian or never occasionally eats a vegetarian plate with me. Tonight I will BBQ some chicken for her and a veggie burger for me. I have no idea how a veggie burger tastes though ***hoping for the best***.

I don't yet understand what raw food means, incomparison to whole foods but I would assume that means uncooked. I saw a raw food section at Whole Foods and at a glance it looked uncooked. Another thing I need to learn about.

In loving gratitude and appreciation,

Thanks!
Cal

[innerlight]

Hi Cal,

Yes, Raw food is food that is not cooked. Mainly consisting of fruits, veggies, and nuts. I think the full description is foods not cooked past a certain temperature. Allowing steamed to be ok.

The theory is that cooking the foods decreases their nutritional value.

I know what you mean about having supporters with the lifestyle change. I hear it all the time when I talk about what I eat. People tell me that I need to "life" alittle, or that you only live once. So eat whatever you want. My aunt had that problem with wanting to change to a raw diet that she didn't have support from her partner that in the end she ended up quitting and I think her opinon of it is skewed because of her partner.

I don't really mind if others in my life do, or don't follow the same eating habits as long as they support me in what I do. The hard part can be trying to sit at the same table while they are eating your old favorites and you are not... but in time you will be able to tune that out as well.

I don't really mind if others in my life do, or don't follow the same eating habits as long as they support me in what I do. The hard part can be trying to sit at the same table while they are eating your old favorites and you are not... but in time you will be able to tune that out as well.

This is likely to be a very difficult thing for sure. I'll try and remember that when it starts happening, that eventually I may be able to turn it out .

I ate 100% vegetarian all day yesterday, moslty raw food in small increments throughout the day - no formal meal. I woke up kind of hungry today and craving a McDonalds breakfast value meal.....or a burger...or a pepperoni pizza...However, my goal is 100% vegetarian all day today as well.

Cal

[Kaere]

Originally Posted by Cal

I ate 100% vegetarian all day yesterday, moslty raw food in small increments throughout the day - no formal meal. I woke up kind of hungry today and craving a McDonalds breakfast value meal.....or a burger...or a pepperoni pizza...However, my goal is 100% vegetarian all day today as well.

Cal

That could be salt and/or sugar withdrawal too - not just the meat factor. I spent some time cleaning up my eating and that's what I found the hardest - the sugar and salt.

That could be salt and/or sugar withdrawal too - not just the meat factor. I spent some time cleaning up my eating and that's what I found the hardest - the sugar and salt.

Hi Kaere, that may be it. I went to bed full last night so I wasn't craving hunger belly wise. I have a bunch of vegetarian food since I just went shopping yesterday so I'll should be fine again today experimenting with some new things.

Oh, doesn't fruit have a lot of sugar? I ate a lot of different fruits throughout the day yeasterday. I love all fruits but not so much love for a lot of dark greens, maybe because I haven't aquired a taste or lack good recipes.

Thanks for the feedback. Have a great day!

Cal