Go vegetarian!

I've only been vegan for about 8 months now, and I feel better than I ever remember feeling! I'm nearing my veg-iversary when I first went vegetarian, May 1st of last year! I made the decision on earth day, it was learning about the environmental impact of the meat industry that made me want to do it. As I learned more about the industry and how animals are treated, I made the decision to go vegan, and don't ever plan on looking back!
I've done enough research to make sure I'm getting the nutrients I need, and take a B12 supplement, and I always encourage anyone who asks to make the step and go veg!

I've been a vegetarian for about 15 years and I eat a mostly vegan diet.

I took an omni friend to The Veggie Grill for lunch today and she was surprised at how good and yummy and satisfying the food was! Good food, good for you, good for the planet!

im a college student, so im working on it. right now im a pescetarian, bc its too expensive and hard when traveling to always eat vegetarian. and i still mess up occasionally and give in and eat meat when i crave it. but for the most part unless im eating out i end up eating vegetarian anyway.

I'm vegan most of the time. =) Unless my boyfriend makes a meal for me, or my parents buy me fish.

SIRIRADHA - my favorite and what i consider to be my veggie bible is How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman. it has EVERYTHING in there, and a lot of times teaches you how to make certain recipes vegan. it's a huge book too! definetly check it out

I've been vegan for 14 years and counting. I eat a wide variety of grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and soy products. There's tons of info out there about proper nutrition. Whether you eat meat, dairy and eggs or not, you still need to eat the same variety of fruits and vegetables. I drink soymilk that's fortified with Omega 3 DHA and B12. I also recently incorporate ground flax seed into my diet. I just sprinkle it on an english muffin for breakfast. Occasionally, I take a B12 supplement. I try to eat as little processed foods as I can, and I'm in great health. Whether you're vegetarian or not, if your diet is based on processed, non-nutritious foods, you won't be in good health.

If you look at the environmental impact of the meat industry (destruction of rain forests for grazing cattle, water usage, fecal run off, methane gas, the inefficiency of meat as a source of protein compared with grains and legumes), there's no question—changing your diet is one of the biggest ways that you can impact the environment. In addition, the way that meat is produced may be the cause of serious health issues (drug resistant infections, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease).

I've heard many people express concerns of how difficult it would be to go vegetarian or vegan. As with any life change, it takes time to adjust. For me, being vegan is habit, and I couldn't imagine my life any other way. I learned what to questions to ask in restaurants and have my fave recipes. My husband and I experiment with lots of ethnic foods (for example: Indian, Ethiopian, Mediterranean, Thai and all pan-Asian cuisine, Mexican, Italian, etc.). We're never bored with the vast selection of vegan- and vegetarian-friendly foods out there.

Yes, I'd worry more about factory farmed meat sources than a vegetarian diet. I ride my bike past a car with a "Beef, It's What's Rotting In Your Colon" bumpersticker every day. I'm still eating meat, but a whole lot less of it than I used to.

Greeneyes, there's plenty of nutritional info about vegetarianism here and elsewhere. I'd say that people who eat meat should be the ones worried about the nutrients they're not getting.

I have embraced the vegetarian diet. If you keep eggs in your diet you will continue to get B12 and the spark diet plan for vegetarian diet really does offer you every thing you need to have a balanced diet.

I have been gradually removing meat from my diet. Haven't had beef in months and am eating chicken and fish about 3 times a week now. I've found quinoa to be a good substitute.

I've thought about going vegetarian recently, but I'm worried that I won't get all the vitamins and nutrients I need without meat/chicken. I love to cook, so I have tried a few veg recipes and they are great. I just don't know if I could do it for every meal, every day.

I don't know that I want to go completely vegetarian but I have been trying to include 1 or 2 vegetarian dinners per week in our diet. My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so I have had some problems finding recipes that will be satisfing for him while still giving us the added health benefit of being meatless. Any suggestions?

So, what's your favorite vegetarian cookbook? I got DH "5 Spices, 50 Dishes" (an Indian cookbook) for either his birthday or Valentine's Day last year, and everything in that book is good. And, unlike a lot of Indian cookbooks, the recipes are relatively simple.

My BFF and I were out cruising yarn shops yesterday, and we stopped in an Indian market and found them selling freshly made vegetarian samosas for $1 each! That is a fantastic deal and these were really good, even if they did have beaucoup des calories!

There's an option, too, for those who don't want to go cold turkey, or whole hog on dropping meat--SP has a FLEXITARIAN TEAM www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_i
nd
ividual.asp?gid=27188

I am open to answer any questions about being vegetarian, I am two products away from being vegan now, and I know I will never be completely vegan as I use honey...

Thanks for starting the thread!

I've noticed that a lot of the members of the environmentalists spark team are also members of the vegetarians and vegans spark team. Not only is veg*nism good for your body, but it's also good for the earth.

Maybe this is a good spot to invite non-veg environmentalists team members to ask questions about it and learn more? We invite you to join us! :-)