How long have you been a vegetarian? WHY?

Fellow vegetarians, this is where we can brag! Tell me and everyone else how long you've been vegetarian or vegan and why you chose to become one.

I've been vegetarian for 11 years of my life and I'm 15 years old. [: I'm proud of it. It was completely my choice but my parents supported me. Seeing as I was 4 at the time, I'm not sure what my reasoning was, but now I am anti-animal cruelty and feel that all meat should be produced without hormones and in a free-range environment.


What about YOU?

I have been on a vegetarian diet for a little more than 3 weeks now.  I read the book "Skinny B*tch" - a to-the-point, no holds barred book about healthful eating and losing weight.  The author discussed in detail the animal farming practices and slaughter methods, and I cried so hard I almost threw up.  I have always had issues with meat, and like others, couldn't think about what I was eating because then I would get sick.  After much research, I found that we are so misled by the food industry to believe that we NEED meat, dairy, eggs etc. to be healthy. It's all marketing.  All the while people are dying of heart disease, cancer, etc partly because of all the animal products that are consumed.  It's been rather easy to change my diet, but the difficult part is coming up with meals that my family will eat- my hubby is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, and my kids are extremely picky.  I'm determined not to go back.  When I ate meat previously, I was completely naive- I had no clue what I was eating and how bad it truly was for me.  Now that I know of the animal cruelty and how those animals suffer all so we can have a Big Mac, I can't just turn a blind eye- I know now so I needed to change the way I live. 

Hi

 

I've been a vegetarian for about 5 years now and I did it for religious reasons. (I'm Hindu)

I have been a vegetarian a little over 2 months.  I chose to become vegetarian because it is a much more sustainable lifestyle and it would help the environment and those in developing countries

I have only been a vegetarian for about 3 months-I'm still learning.  I've always been against animal cruelty but yet I ate meat-as I got older this became more and more of a conflict within myself.  I went to China for a couple of weeks and ate mostly vegetables and rice-delicious-and when I came home, I knew it was time.  I also wanted to eat healthier and I think what I want can be achieved without meat.  I'm not vegan, maybe some day-I could be at home but my family likes to eat out and we live in a smaller area-not really vegetarian-friendly.

Hi

I became vegetarian 22 years ago, I was obsessed with The Smiths and once I heard Meat is Murder i turned.  From then the reasons I am still vegetarian are very complex and are made up of lots of different reasons, mostly mentioned by everyone else.  I'm vegan at home but relent to a little dairy when I'm out and about.

 

 

hello!

i have been vegetarian for a little over a year. at the time, my best friend and i had not been spending much time together. then, one day, i looked at her myspace page, and it was covered with peta stuff, videos, pictures, etc about "going veg!" i was floored. i thought, "where the heck did this come from??" it took me about a week of laughing at her for being a weirdo to finally take a look at the videos and literature she had posted. my SO and i had just gotten back from having a mexican dinner (i had a steak chimichanga). i was on the computer for about 3 hours, in total horror. needless to say, that steak chimi was the last piece of meat i have ever eaten. since then, i have done a lot of research, and my reasons for continuing to be a veg head have expanded. moral, ethical, health, environmental... i feel so much better, physically and emotionally. i have tried going vegan a few times, right now i'm on try #3. what can i say, i'm disgusted by cow's milk, but i love cheese. that's my only weakness.

my SO is not veg, but he eats veg when i cook. my daughter lives with her dad half of the time, so she eats veg at my house and eats meat at his house. she's only 4, so when she gets older, it will be her decision whether she wants to eat meat or not.

i come from a family of big deer hunters and fishermen, so at first my parents were pretty surprised. but even they have made an effort at family functions (bringing vegetarian baked beans to a bbq, leaving the pepperoni out of the pasta salad, leaving the eggs out of the potato salad, making me some boca burgers on the grill before cooking their meat, etc..)

luckily for me, my best friend is vegetarian, and she inspired a few of our friends to go veg as well, around the same time i did. we call ourselves the "veg crew" (lol) and we get together about once a month or so for "veggie night". sometimes we stay in and cook vegan dishes, sometimes we go out as a group. it's nice to have a support system!!

sorry for rambling, i'm new here  :)

Hi everyone!

I have been a vegetarian (I guess there's another word, because I eat some fish, and I am lacto-evo whatnot, but that's enough debate) for as long as I can remember.

Although I am an animal lover and definitely support the concept of animals being treated humanely, whether they are eaten or not, that's not why I am a vegetarian.  I simply decided from a young, stubborn age that I did not like the texture of meat, and I haven't eaten it since.  For example: I like cod, but I detest salmon; love fried popcorn shrimp, won't eat shrimp cocktail.

Sometimes when I meet new people or go to new places it can be a little tricky to order, but everyone who knows me has really come to be very accepting of my bizarre eating habits and keeps them in mind when selecting meals or restaurants.

A

 

I have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 5 years. I had an immediate, altered state-of-consciousness, which was sort of like a 'mystical' experience, I guess. None of my friends, or family, was vegetarian, at the time. Initially they were not supportive, but they've accepted it now.

My boyfriend is also vegetarian. He wasn't when I met him, but after a few weeks of him not eating meat I asked what was up. He changed for my sake, which was nice, even though I didn't ask him to (that was two years ago).

I would like to become vegan because I agree with the principal behind it. 

Original Post by veggiedoodle:

luckily for me, my best friend is vegetarian, and she inspired a few of our friends to go veg as well, around the same time i did. we call ourselves the "veg crew" (lol) and we get together about once a month or so for "veggie night". sometimes we stay in and cook vegan dishes, sometimes we go out as a group. it's nice to have a support system!!

that's a great idea! :] unfortunately a lot of my friends aren't vegetarian. 

maybe i can convert them haha

Original Post by amwilmarth:

Sometimes when I meet new people or go to new places it can be a little tricky to order

 

yeah i hear that. my grandma's favorite restaurant only has one vegetarian thing on the menu... and she still insists we go there, haha

According to Wikipedia: Deep-frozen stomachs are milled and put into an enzyme-extracting solution. The crude rennet extract is then activated by adding acid; the enzymes in the stomach are produced in an inactive preform and are activated by the stomach acid. After neutralization of the acid, the rennet extract is filtered in several stages and concentrated until reaching the required potency: about 1:15000 (1 kg of rennet would have the ability to coagulate 15000 litres of milk).

 

so basically there are chunks of calf stomach floating around in your cheese.

well, not quite that much, but, ewwww it freaks me out.

I've been veggie for about 8 years. I initially became veggie just cause the thought of eating animals repulsed me. Now, there's still that and the fact that I just don't feel we have the right to kill animals for our food, since we have the resources available to us in this day and age to completely cut out meat (as many of us are proof of). Also, I've been told its one of the number one things to do to fight climate change, so thats a bonus :)

Going Veg saved my life. I have lost over 200 pounds (seriously) since I made the switch about 2 years ago.

I became a vegetarian in the fall of 2006. I had just gotten finished with an undergraduate anatomy physiology course and as a joke, because I had been studying sensory organs at the time, my mother cooked a beef tongue. I realized that I could identify all of the tissues and structures on the tongue and this grossed me out enough to go veg from that moment on.

I was very heavy at the time (374 pounds) and I am convinced going vegetarian really did save my life.

I am a vegan as of a month now and I am finding it a little more challenging but I know the health benefits (lower risk of cancer and coronary artery disease) are worth it.

I have been a vegetarian for 4 years.

I made the choice because meat is unhealthy in most cases, and other protein sources are lower in calories and fats. Meat is something I can live without.

I do eat fish, eggs, cheese and other dairy products, however.

I have been vegetarian for 3.5 months!  Actually, this forum helped me to make my decision.  At first, I joined CC just to lose some holiday weight, but as I got more and more into the site, I found the forums.  The vegetarian forum always seemed to have the most intelligent discussions and I started to be convinced by the arguments.  So, I decided to read The Food Revolution and Skinny Bitch.  After that I gave up meat for lent (including fish, of course) and never turned back.  Now, I'd like to go vegan, but I think I need a good year of vegetarianism under my belt.  I am having so much fun trying new foods and it's also a whole new experience at restaurants.  I am also thrilled when I find a vegetarian restaurant!  I also feel a lot better physically as well as ethically.   I dig the lifestyle. 

I have been a vegetarian for 11 years (and a pescetarian for 6years). I will never go back to eating meat, unless I fall pregnant- I have decided i want to provide my baby with as much nutrients as possible. However, i will revert back to my vegetarian ways when the baby is born!!

I started eating fish about 5 years ago as I think the health benefits are great. I originally became veggie as I thought meat= murder. However, I feel less strongly now, but I carry on avoiding meat as it is my lifestyle. My Mum accidentally fed me ham spaghetti once, and I was severely ill afterwards. (ewww, ham tastes sooo disgusting by the way!!) So my body rejects meat now! I'm pescatarian and PROUD!

Aaaaaarghhh.

lacto-ovo vegetarian for 5 years and 13 days.  i'll admit i was persuaded by peta propaganda(to heck with their holier-than-thou attitude, it's all politics), but after so long, i've realized i feel a lot better, i hardly ever get sick, i no longer want meat, and i never needed it.  giving up meat was easy.  it's the dairy that i'm struggling to let go of.  i know there are dairy-free alternatives to cheese & ice cream & the like, but it's so costly.  i'm sure if i were better off, it'd be a lot easier.

I've been a vegetarian for 4 months.  I've been trying for a long time to make the switch but unfortunately I had no support from my family, friends or husband. 

One day I woke up and said "This is insane!  I don't tell people what to eat.  Why does my husband get so upset at the thought of me being a vegetarian?"  I finally put my foot down and said enough is enough. 

I have many reasons for being a vegetarian like so many of you.  I have to be true to myself.  There is so much destruction in this world and and I don't want any part of it.  

Now I understand that people give us a hard time to feel good about the choices they make.  Everyone at some subconscious level knows it's wrong.  Vegetarians are like kids that figure out Santa does not exist.   Nobody likes to hear it because it requires sacrifices.   

I have family members tell me how "unhealthy" it is for me.  How I'm not getting enough protein.  How bland my food must be.  They are wrong!  Hearing comments like this feels like being sucker punched while having a veggie sandwich.  Part of me does not want to respond because I never ask others to explain why they like to clog their arteries while they eat a steak. 

I need pointers on how to defend my beliefs.  Any suggestions on how to deal with anti-vegetarians?  Without pissing anyone off or getting pissed? 

I find this thread to be interesting, but not very relevant to calorie counting.  So many experiences reported here sound like testimonies and philosophy that the whole point of calorie-count goes missing. 

I've yet to see anything remotely approaching "I became a vegetarian to lose weight".  So as a non-vegetarian I'll make the argument.  I eat lots of vegetables.   If I make the right choices and avoid the vegetable pitfalls (seed fat, high glycemic index sugars and starches, junk food, trans fats, high carbohydrate to protein ratios, consumption of "industrial foods" like soy protein concentrates, etc etc etc), a vegetarian diet could very well be a good one for weight loss.

I have to keep those pitfalls in mind all the time.  I didn't develop high blood glucose problems eating meat, nor did I become obese by eating meat.  And I didn't get my weight under control in a totally vegetarian way.  But with right choices I could have.

sorry mm_coady, I missed your comment on losing 200 lbs.  Kudos!