Vegetarian & Vegan Food and Lifestyle

betsygee

Just what part of meow don't you understand.
Thread starter
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
28,326
Purraise
17,461
Location
Central Coast CA, USA
Happy World Vegetarian Day! :yess:

10-2014-world-veggie-day.jpg


What made you decide to become a vegetarian? How long have you been one?

For me, it was a combination of spiritual and health choices. I had what my doctor called a 'nervous stomach.' I wanted to try cleaning up my diet instead of going on medication, and at the same time, was also dabbling in Buddhism. I slowly started changing my diet during my 20s. I've been vegetarian for over 30 years now.

MOD NOTE: We've changed the title to reflect the broader topics this thread has started to encompass. :)
 
Last edited:

molly92

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
1,689
Purraise
1,565
Location
Michigan
I became a vegetarian in high school when I started reading about factory farming. I ended up writing a huge research paper on it for a class.

But, I always tell people that I happen to be vegetarian because I don't like meat much. Personally I can't abstain from consuming everything that is unethical, but this is an area where I can easily. What would really make a difference, for animal suffering and the environment, is for more people to eat less meat in general, not that everyone becomes strict vegetarians, because that's just not practical and the idea of "never having meat again" really scares people off.

I'm very excited for the day when lab-grown meat becomes indistinguishable from "the real thing" and people start to accept it! I think that day is coming, hopefully sooner rather than later.
 

molly92

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 8, 2016
Messages
1,689
Purraise
1,565
Location
Michigan
Some of the fake nuggets are really good with hot sauce on them, and the fake bacon is good too. But I mostly love casseroles and stir-fries, I just leave the meat out.
Oh yeah, I like some of the fake stuff occasionally-morning star grillers are my favorite. But I'm actually talking about real muscles and tendons, genetically the same as pork and beef and chicken, grown in a lab. There are a few companies and labs working on it right now, but they haven't achieved a final product yet. Not that I want it so much for myself, but globally if we were to switch to something like that it'd be amazing. And maybe good for cat food too!
 

Norachan

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
32,666
Purraise
32,854
Location
Mount Fuji, Japan
I've been a vegetarian since I was a baby. My parents were vegetarian. (My mother was vegetarian all through her three pregnancies, which took some determination in the 70's when people still thought you'd drop down dead if you didn't eat meat every day.)

I don't have the slightest desire to eat meat, but even if I did I don't think I'd eat it. Too much cruelty in the meat industry and it's just unethical to eat meat knowing what harm it does to the environment.
 

Antonio65

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 27, 2017
Messages
6,049
Purraise
9,665
Location
Orbassano - Italy
I've been a vegetarian for the past 16 years, since November 22nd, 2002.
A dream that I had that night made me change my feeding habits.
It has nothing to do with a health or environmental choice, I do not pursue a good health for me, my priority is the welfare of animals.
That dream opened my minds and my eyes.
 

rubysmama

Forum Helper
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Nov 25, 2013
Messages
25,277
Purraise
62,756
Location
Canada
What a timely topic, as I consider October my vegetarian anniversary month. And this year will be 10 years!

It was a combination of reasons, that made me decide to become vegetarian.

First, and foremost, I have always loved animals and hated the idea that they had to die so we could eat meat. But with "meat and potato" parents, meals included meat.

I don't know, though, if I ever really liked meat, but as years went by I started eating less, until I was down to tiny servings of hamburger, chicken and fish.

So I started calling myself a borderline vegetarian, because I knew I just needed a push to get me to the other side. I was also working with a vegan, so I got some meal tips, and started trying different recipes.

Then all the talk of Mad Cow Disease started, plus general health warnings about eating too much red meat, and I got totally turned off hamburger.

Most of 2008 I was eating minimal meat, and more vegetarian meals, and knew I was ready to give up meat for good. In September I bought a book to learn more about nutrition, as I wanted to do it right. I highly recommend the book The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide to a Healthy Vegetarian Diet by Vesanto Melina, btw. It is a "vegetarian" book, but is loaded with nutrition facts that anyone can benefit from.

Finally I decided that the Tuesday after (Canadian) Thanksgiving would be my first day as a Vegetarian. So October 14th, is my 10th anniversary.

A few times after that, I did eat a tuna sandwich, the last one the following summer. So, I've been totally vegetarian a little over 9 years, but I still consider October my anniversary month.

I don't know if I'll ever become vegan, though I have many vegan days. I also mostly avoid leather products. And abhor the whole idea of wearing fur.

Since I never really liked meat, lab-grown meat doesn't excite me at all. But it is an interesting concept, and I would consider feeding it to a cat, if it was proven to be a safe alternative.

For anyone considering going vegetarian these days, it is so easy to find information, and meal ideas, with the internet. I wish there'd been that option when I was younger.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

betsygee

Just what part of meow don't you understand.
Thread starter
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Messages
28,326
Purraise
17,461
Location
Central Coast CA, USA
Love the comments. :clapcat:

I've been a vegetarian since I was a baby. My parents were vegetarian. (My mother was vegetarian all through her three pregnancies, which took some determination in the 70's when people still thought you'd drop down dead if you didn't eat meat every day.)

I don't have the slightest desire to eat meat, but even if I did I don't think I'd eat it. Too much cruelty in the meat industry and it's just unethical to eat meat knowing what harm it does to the environment.
Oh, how interesting. So you've never eaten meat at all!

For anyone considering going vegetarian these days, it is so easy to find information, and meal ideas, with the internet. I wish there'd been that option when I was younger.
This is true. It's SO much easier to be a vegetarian now than it was 30 years ago.
 

maggiedemi

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Messages
17,104
Purraise
44,385
My mother was vegetarian all through her three pregnancies, which took some determination in the 70's when people still thought you'd drop down dead if you didn't eat meat every day.
I probably won't be having any kids, but this info is great to have just in case. I didn't know you could do this safely, since the "experts" always warn against it.
 

neely

May the purr be with you
Veteran
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
19,635
Purraise
47,796
I guess I'm a vegetarian with vegan tendencies ;)
I can relate to this statement so well. I drink almond milk and prefer to eat non-dairy cheese but unfortunately it's pricey. I also eat almond milk or coconut milk yogurt. There are some really good options out there such as Kite Hill or So Delicious yogurt.
 

muffy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 9, 2014
Messages
6,198
Purraise
12,664
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
I've been vegetarian since I was 8 years old. I just hate the idea of eating animals :cringe: I haven't used dairy milk or yogurt in over a decade (I use soy yogurt and almond/other nut milks). I guess I'm a vegetarian with vegan tendencies ;)
Excellent post. You have me beat by 1 year. I didn't turn vegetarian until I was 9 years old. I quit eating meat for the same reason you did. I was a vegan for 12 years but I went back to just being vegetarian about 4 years ago. My brother-in-law walked through the door with a pizza and I decided I could not go another minute without pizza. I may go back to being vegan but not before the holidays. It is the cheese and the sugar that I miss the most.
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
I don't miss cheese much at all these days muffy muffy , though I have gone through phases where I crave it in the past.

For me, the issue is that I'm coeliac, and it's really hard to find gluten free bread that's also vegan (at least, it is in the uk ;)). I have other digestive issues too, and finding things that I can actually eat is complicated enough as it is. Adding veganism in is just one restriction too many :ohwell:
 

Willowy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
31,886
Purraise
28,287
Location
South Dakota
I always tell people that I happen to be vegetarian because I don't like meat much.
My youngest brother is vegetarian/pescatarian, mainly for this reason. Even when he was just a little guy, he never liked meat. He's also lactose intolerant, poor guy, so he's almost vegan. He will eat sushi occasionally though.

I've tried several times to go vegetarian, but because eating meat is the default in this country, and especially this part of the country, it's hard. At some point the effort gets to me, I need food fast, and I just give up. But with almost every fast food place offering a vegetarian option now, I might have to give it a try again. I rarely eat meat at home; I hate how it smells when I cook it.
 

aliceneko

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 28, 2017
Messages
5,605
Purraise
9,365
Location
London, England
Happy World Vegetarian Day to everyone who is a non-meat eater here!
I'm not a vegetarian myself at the moment, in fact a pretty avid carnivore, but due to the excessive amount of meat I eat, I would like to cut down and have a "Veganuary" or another meat-free month. I have a bit of a double standard when it comes to meat-eating, because I don't like the way most animals are farmed for their meat, however, at the same time... it tastes good ... but I'd love to give a meat-free period a go. My friend became a vegan for lent, and now she's still a vegan and we're almost nearing the end of the year, as she found it difficult at first but once she kept it up, it was actually hard to stop, so she figured it would be best for both her and the environment to keep it up.
 
Top