can someone explain vegetarianism to me?

This is a carrot. What more do you need to know?

Take a look at Spooky's meatloaf thread. That should just about cover it.

gots to go to bed here in a sec, but i'll be interested to see how we veggies get handled tomorrow, whence i'll post actual facts.

till then: vegetarianism is when you don't eat meat.

I can explain my vegetarianism.
Meat makes me ill.

I can guess at other peoples'. Meat is generally harder to digest, and more expensive, than vegetarian stuff, so people from traditionally poor cultures, especially in temperate or tropical climates where there's a lot of plant life, have perfectly well-rounded veggie diets. Why fix what ain't broke?

Then there's the fact that a lot of meat "processing" these days is pretty sickeningly inhumane and might well give some people a disgust of the stuff.

Beyond that, I dunno.

If this is a joke, ignore me

As a vegetarian (Over ten years, now... Gosh, where did the time go?)

I think this question is too easy to ask around here.

Many, many resources exist to answer this question.

Usually vegetarians follow all of them, some more than others in a big cloudy matrix of reasoning. Like, health might be main reason, but I also think about the environment and morality. Then, the next guy cares about morality then health and the environment is a distant reason.

Anyway, I'm going to just paste in a link to an interesting Slate essay that explores the topic in depth.

http://www.slate.com/id/2142547/

I assure you that I am vastly healthier now that I'm a vegetarian, and I did me some physical activities (DCI top 12 drum and bugle corps, Blue Knights 97, 98, 99) while a vegetarian that are physical equivalents to military basic training.

I can't begin to describe how much tasty pork I had during those same years.

I would take the time to explain it to you, but I don't want my steak to get cold.

badducky said:

I assure you that I am vastly healthier now that I'm a vegetarian, and I did me some physical activities (DCI top 12 drum and bugle corps, Blue Knights 97, 98, 99) while a vegetarian that are physical equivalents to military basic training.

Click to expand...

yup. not to get prematurely defensive, but i'll wrestle any one'a ya carnies to the ground with nothin but a salad and a bowl of lentils in my belly. i'll do something similar for a drinking contest as well, if thats your game.

for me its health/enviro/sociopolitics and morality trailin way behind.

but not to overly misrepresent myself, i will clean up on some southern fried chicken every once in a blue moon, much to the chagrin of the vegan wife. too much of that dixie grease in my blood to not indulge on special occasions, and i've never been one for dogma.

I've never been a big meat eater anyway, but in the last couple of months, the sight, smell and taste of red meat just makes me want to be sick. I can't explain it. But I cannot eat it anymore. I don't want to eat it anymore. I honestly think I would be sick if I did. I don't know why this has happened. It wasn't a conscious decision on my part. But I know I just can't eat it anymore. So now I'm furiously trying to learn about how to modify my diet, so I'm getting all those ... you know, important things, like iron, and vitamins. So if anyone can help me, I'd be most grateful!

Are you pregnant?

If it's got eyes, don't eat it.

That's about the size of it.

SpookyWriter said:

Are you pregnant?

Click to expand...

No, you?

mandy,

your veggies, especially raw, have got more vitamins than meat anyway, except b-12, of which you only need small doses. b-12 is plentiful in dairy, so if you're not vegan you should be fine there. if you are vegan you should supplement (i buy enriched soy milk). there's iron aplenty in green leafys. there's more bio-available calcium in broccoli than in milk, and it's easy to find in other veggies as well. your proteins will come from dairy, grains, beans, legumes, nuts, etc. your pure veggie protein is best if acquired from a few sources at once to make complete proteins, like eating beans and rice or whole multi-grain bread.

there's a bunch of books on the topic of veggie nutrition if you want to go further, and a lot of veggie cookbooks cover basic nutrition.

for those interested in the sociopolitical reasons for vegetarianism, check out the food revolution by john robbins.

good luck.

the trick is well-roundedness. i've met a lot of pale, meager vegetarians that subsist on potato chips and cheese. very unhealthy.

and remember, wine, whiskey and beer are all vegetarian, not to mention tobacco and ... well, thats enough vices to get you through.

Jean Marie said:

If it's got eyes, don't eat it.

That's about the size of it.

Click to expand...

Man, you've never seen the squash in Arizona.

SpookyWriter said:

Are you pregnant?

Click to expand...

Definitely not!

MacAllister said:

I'm finding myself gravitating naturally to a more-and-more veggie diet, too. And I've always been a meat eater. The older I get, the less it appeals to me, for one thing -- but I just feel better eating a variety of veggie and whole grains, with occasional fish or chicken.

Mandy, learn to use tofu, too, if you're really worried about protein. Oh, and peanut butter!

Click to expand...

You're just weird, Mac.

I was a vegi. for 8 years, then went back to only chicken and turkey. You can get plenty of vitamins from vegetarian foods, but minerals are a different story. There are suppliments you can take though. From what my dermatologist said, it's hard to get minerals from plants because the soils are being depleted of them. *shrugging* I don't know how true it is, but I did notice my hair was getting thinner until I went back to eating meat. Again, there are supplements you can take for minerals.

meat and vitamins. that's my diet. *grin* actually I love the veggies but I can't give up the senseless killing of other animals to provide me with sustenance. It makes more sense to me than what my father-in-law does: he goes fishing and throws back the fish. Why? HE CAN'T STAND FISH. ANY FISH. EVER.

My question? "Why go fishing, Doc?'

His answer? "I like it."

but...but...but...

*bangs head against wall*

Our dentition evolved to process both meat and plant food. Still, the prey/predator dichotomy has a significant influence on our psyche. Predators gave our ancestors a hard time in the african savannah, so many—especially women who were more gatherers than hunters—tend to be empathetic towards animals.

mscelina said:

My question? "Why go fishing, Doc?'

His answer? "I like it."

but...but...but...

*bangs head against wall*

Click to expand...

Actually, catch-and-release is quite common, and it's becoming a necessity in some places.

Lots of people fish for the recreation of it. My FIL was a flyfishing guide for many years, and he always practiced catch-and-release. (It's become very important to do so; drought, in particular, has devastated the local trout streams over the past thirteen years.)

Sure, he enjoys a good smoked trout, but he enjoys fishing for that trout much more.

As I age, I find myself eating more veggies (I was one of those kids who hated vegetables) and less and less meat. It's not a conscientious choice... Just the other day I was eating a chicken salad and reading at the same time, and then I realized I ate all the veggies and left all the chicken on the plate! Meat tends to make me feel bloated, blotchy and lethargic. Once in a while I do enjoy a nice steak, or a grilled chicken salad/sandwich, and I still eat seafood... but nowhere near the way I used to eat.

I doubt I would completely convert, but I'm in better shape than I was 10 years ago.