The official Vegetarian/Vegan thread

Is it normal that I've been on Soompi for over 3 years and only just noticed a section on food? Even more shocking, I can't find a thread for Vegetarians or Vegans. So for my fellow Soompiers who are - here's a place to discuss anything related to Vegetarianism.

I've been a Vegetarian for a few months now and I've been attempting to become Vegan during the past few weeks. I was able to give up meat easily but milk & cheese is a lot harder to stop eating. Luckily, I've never liked eggs or fish so I don't have to worry much about that. Here's to hoping I will manage to have a 100% animal free diet this upcoming week!

Make sure you eat whole grains and nuts and legumes. Cuz some people call themselves vegan and vegetarian and all they do is eat chips and white rice and regular pasta. Totally not nutritious enough for you. And get vitamin supplements for B12 I think (i forgot which vitamin, but it's one that's only found in animal products).

It takes a lot of research to be a balanced and healthy vegetarian or vegan.

Ok I'll make a thread tomorrow

P.S It's taking much longer than expected

are there really that little vegans/vegetarians here on soompi??? o.O

well anyways, im going to go vegetarian starting tomorrow; my goal for now is a month, i would like make it my whole life but i think thats pretty much impossible, so for now im testing the waters. but really even a week would be great. i would essentially like to go vegan but i dont think i can go without dairy :/ although i am against animal cruelty, detrimental environmental/climate change concerns and whatnot, im mainly doing this for health reasons, personal/zoonotic diseases and all.

to quench my curiosity, @ MissBoAngel and other vegetarians/vegans: why did you choose such a lifestyle/diet choice? and how are you doing now/so far?

i've been vegetarian for almost 12 years now.

i have eggs (one or two a week) and milk/yoghurt (no cheese because i don't like it).

legumes, tofu and seitan are my best pals to get the proteins i need.

i feel good and healthy. i lead a normal life, i work 5 day a week and work out 3 times a week. my doctor says i'm healthy, so don't believe people who say that being veggy is unhealthy.

of course you cannot live by only chewing lettuce, so, please, before you start a vegetarian diet, get all the info possible and plan your meals in a way that you can have all the nutrients you need to make your body work at its fullest (especially vitamins of the Group B, very necessary for your blood and muscles).

ah, if you have seafood you cannot call yourself a vegetarian: vegetarian people dont eat animals and fishes are animals

veggy fellows, let's share recipes?

ah, if you have seafood you cannot call yourself a vegetarian: vegetarian people dont eat animals and fishes are animals

That's called Pescetarianism or Pescetarian.

My diet is mainly fruits and vegetables but I do sparingly consume meat since proteins like tofu don't work out for me. My views on food and where they come from does not run parallel to vegetarianism. 

i have eggs (one or two a week) and milk/yoghurt (no cheese because i don't like it).

legumes, tofu and seitan are my best pals to get the proteins i need.

I hang out with hardcore vegetarians who can make a lot of foods taste like meat. It's interesting and a lot of foods they made tasted so much better than real meat (and it makes us feel kinda better / healthier).

And according to them, they can't eat anything that comes from animals either, and that would include eggs, milk, cheese, etc. Even if you accidentally dropped a small piece of chicken meat in a vegetable soup and quickly took it out (when preparing meals), they would refuse to eat that soup.

I'm not a vegan but I sometimes eat what my vegetarian friends eat...

Im a Pescetarian.

It is easy for me togive up meat, I just can't give up on seafood ( sushi )

I've been eating meat for the majoirty of my life so, it was a bit hardd at first.

I still miss chicken though

Buddhist. We don’t eat meat. I think it’s easier for Asians to adapt to vegetarianism since we have more choices to choose from. That and when I was young, we scarcely had meat on the table. Milk and eggs were rare too. We had soymilk and tofu as substitute and somehow I just got used to them now. Funny thing is, now a day, we have to pay a mini cooperload more for tofu and soymilk. At least this is how it is at where my mom, my sister, and me live … middle of nowhere.

Oh and I really don’t understand why some vegetarians would try to imitate meat with vegetables. It is as if they are trying to replace something that they are craving for. I find that really stupid. I don’t find meat appetizing at all. They are repulsive. I can’t imagine trying to make a plate of vegetables so that they would taste like meat. That’s nasty. Different vegetable has their own distinguish taste. For that matter, I really love tofu that has that strong soybean flavor. It really brings out its own unique zest.

^^ what kind of buddhism do you practice?

and to your last bits of comment, well different people have different tastes. i do assume that those who eat veggie burgers, etc., are in fact trying to "replace" the meat theyre craving for as you said (although it might not be true). because im sure some vegetarians/vegans do like the taste of meat, but they simply dont eat it cause they feel that its wrong/bad, in whichever sense they do (the practices of how the animals are raised/treated, etc). all meat taste different as well btw..

i think it's simply brilliant that they do make veggie burgers/other stuff that tastes like meat.

helps meat-lovers like myself, essentially fulfill cravings for it/to keep us from eating it.

I have been a vegetarian for about 8 years now because I love animals too much to eat them, so it really was not hard for me to give up meat.

I don't eat healthy though, I eat eggs sometimes but I hate nuts and legume stuff so I never eat that sort of things.. I eat tofu alot, though.

For about 5 years I didn't eat eggs or milk (only soy milk) but I now regulary drink milk. I don't eat yoghurt though because most of them have gelatine in them and plain yoghurt is boring. Also, alot of cheese has rennet from animal so usually I can't afford to buy the vegetarian version.

^ That's really the reason that did it for me too. Seeing animals get killed (and in the most horrible ways) just for someone's meal was too much for me.

This is my 7th year being a vegetarian, over the short amount of time it made me love vegetable (esp. broccoli!)

Junichi: I agree with kirstie_s, everyone has different taste. Since meat wouldn't really taste like meat without certain seasoning and spices (since they are not really eaten raw) I think it's nice that many vegetable dishes can be made to similar taste without harming the animals, which just proves that we don't really have to. It also help those who are starting out to get use to not eating meat

here's one of my favorite vegan food blog: http://goveganmeow.blogspot.com/

^{i am not}  vegetarian  at all . I like meat very much.

Word of advice to people trying to become a vegetarian, if your diet was meat heavy then you have to go into vegetarianism gradually. Start with eating a whole lot of vegetables with chicken, then transfer to fish, then you're ready to go without meat. I'm only saying this because being Vietnamese, our diets are filled with beef and pork, and I went cold turkey on meat. The first month was pretty bad because my body was getting used to having no meat. I experienced big headaches and bad gas. But now, it's been half a year since I've been a vegetarian and I can't imagine going back. There are a few times when my mom makes spicy pickles and she slips in fish sauce without me knowing, I know after I get stomach troubles with the fish sauce >_>.

I always loved the taste of veggie burgers to regular burgers. Does anyone have any good veggie burger recipes? The veggie burgers I make always fall apart :<. It would also be great if someone would put up recipes on seasonal foods! I think being a vegetarian makes you a better cook, or that's the case for me because I had to cook all my meals myself.

I am a vegetarian. My family doesn't understand it at all. They eat meat with every meal which I find to be disgusting. I don't like the taste of it at all and knowing that it was some cute animal makes me sad.

I could never part from sushi.

I could never part from sushi.

I can'either. However, I can give up other meats. Therefore I'm a Pescetarian

i did a paper on vegetarianism for my nutrition class. i found out some very interesting stuff.

if anyones got questions i can try and help

 Oh and I really don’t understand why some vegetarians would try to imitate meat with vegetables. It is as if they are trying to replace something that they are craving for. I find that really stupid. I don’t find meat appetizing at all. They are repulsive. I can’t imagine trying to make a plate of vegetables so that they would taste like meat. That’s nasty. Different vegetable has their own distinguish taste. For that matter, I really love tofu that has that strong soybean flavor. It really brings out its own unique zest.

this!!!!

I've been vegetarian for I guess a year and a half, haven't eaten red meat in 3 or 4 years?

seeing people who have stayed vegetarian for 7 or 8 years inspires me^^

recently i've really gotten into almond milk (YUMM ) but it doesnt have as much protein as regular milk...booo

For me, I became vegetarian because I felt like a hypocrite everytime I said "I love animals." If I truly loved animals, then why am I eating them? Anyhow, I am currently trying to become vegan, but it's so hard because of my love for dairy products T.T Does anyone have any tips?