Who eats like a bunny?

[LittlePuffyTail]

 I’m assuming a lot of you Binkiers are vegetarian because of your love for animals! Come out, come out! I wanna know who the veggies are! Hurrah for lettuce and bean sprouts. (ps if your not, this is in no way dissing you, I respect everyone’s choices)

I’ve been vegetarian since high school (I’m 26). Right now I’m working on going vegan. I’m semi-Vegan as I don’t eat eggs and limit my dairy intake. After going vegetarian I began doing research about the meat industry and it’s cruelty and effects on the environment and I’m so glad I made this choice.

What do you think are the cons of being veggie? I think the cons for me are the high price of vegetarian foods, especially vegan items and how hard it is to eat out. My boyfriend is not veggie (although he respects my no meat in the house policy ) so sometimes we have a hard time deciding on restaurants. I also find it hard at family gatherings and places where I’m surrounded by non-veggies and have to spend my whole meal telling them why I don’t eat meat, where I get protein and the teasing that comes with  it… no, I swear I’m not going to turn into a carrot…

 

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

I’m a vegetarian and have been for three years. (i’m 14) i tried going vegan but it was really hard, i lasted for a week, but i really wanted a cookie. lol

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yeah, vegan is extremely hard. It seems everything has milk or eggs in it but there are tons of great websites with recipes for cookies and stuff made cruelty free. It’s especially hard when your an ice-cream addict like me… tofutti is just not the same…

[Alicia Conklin]

I’m a pescetarian, meaning that I eat fish but not other animals.  We only eat fish twice a week though and the rest of the week we maintain a vegetarian diet.  I replace alot of dairy but not all with soy and I buy cage free eggs.   My reasonings for this diet are partly because of the animal cruelty of course but also because I just don’t believe that our bodies were made to digest meat..atleast not to the extremes that today’s society does.  And also I find there’s alot of unknowns when it comes to the meats we’re eating and all the antibiotics, feed that the animals gets, etc are just too risky for me.  My final reason for not eating meat is that I’ve always had stomach issues after eating meat…which is what made me first start researching why my body doesn’t digest meat and led me to find the information that our bodies weren’t really designed for it.

I really don’t find that eating vegetarian makes things that much more expensive…atleast the way that we eat anyway.  We buy alot of morning star farms foods and those are about 3.00 and a package is just about one meal if the whole family is eating it.  That is cheap compared to what meat of that same amount would cost us.  We also have alot of meals that are basically all sides…so it’s the same thing that omnivores eat except that we just don’t have meat with it.  We use beans, peanut butter, eggs, and the meat replacements for our protein intake.  When you think vegan though..I can see how that could definitely add up to an expense.  Alot of the substitutes are on the pricey side.  Milk for us I find we actually save by buying soy though because it lasts so much longer and therefore we don’t waste any, where as when we were drinking cow’s milk it had to be used within a few days and more often then not we were throwing alot down the drain when it went bad   Overall though I find that our grocery bill went down since giving up meat.  I can definitely see how that’d be a completely different situation when the other person in the house is a meat eater.  Luckily my husband made the switch right along with me and our kids will occasionally eat meat (they sometimes have chicken nuggets and reg. hot dogs) but they love the “fake meat” even more then the real stuff and they love their beans and cheese so we lucked out

 

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

Yeah, i use cage-free eggs.  My mom makes me eat eggs every so often because i have to get protein some how. I do take vitamins though. I am the only vegetarian in my family, so it is kind of difficult for me, but i dont care. As long as i am not eating an  animal that  could have had a chance to live a happy life, I am fine.

[MimzMum]

I *should* be eating vegetarian, but…. *pops candy in mouth*

I find now that the bunnies are here, I have cravings for good vegetables and less interest in meat. I went vegetarian in my early twenties, but upon meeting the hubby, wound up giving it up because he couldn’t bear to be parted with meat and thought the kids should eat it too. It was impossible to watch him eating steak and not want some myself, having been raised on it.

But with the advent of CJD, and e coli running rampant, I have given serious thought to going vegan. The hubby now has chronic pancreatitis and can only eat chicken soup (homemade), but I would have a plate of greens or a salad or just whatever is in the crisper for dinner and think nothing of it. I don’t care much for eggs (although we have a free range farm nearby) and I’d have to say the feeling is mutual.

After surviving cancer, you really begin to think about your diet and how you can improve it. So slowly but surely, the sweets and meats are fading away from our plates and the good earth is making a stand. My daughter has been trying to go vegetarian for years and I have no problem with it, but that her idea is to just eat bread and cheese and nothing else drives me up a wall.

It’s imperative that the right balances be struck. My mother had pernicious anemia as a child and I am trying not to succumb to it myself. B 12 is one of those flesh minerals you must get from meat or take a supplement. Those with PA haven’t got the enzyme to break it down in the stomach, so they need shots.

Also, in Alaska, although our growing season is short, we make some mighty big veggies. I, however, am a disaster in the garden. I can grow spore mold, but that’s about it. ^_^
Anything shipped in is in terrible shape by the time it gets here. And with the fuel crunch, it’s getting worse. I may be losing weight simply because there’s nothing to put on the table.
I’ve been on spirulina diets too…talk about NASTY!

A good book for vegetarian cooking is Laurel’s Kitchen by Carol Flinders, Bronwen Godfrey and Laurel Robertson. I picked it up when I first went vegetarian and I still use it today. it not only talks about what to buy and how to prepare it, but gives the journeys of all the authors in a kind of autobiographical format and plenty of nutritional tables and comparison charts to boot!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’ve been a veggie for fourteen years, shamed that I can’t be vegan, but I’ve no self control! I don’t do eggs much but do the free-range ones. Dairy’s my weakness, love yogurt, milk, cream, cheese….*sigh* ‘bad Lesley’

 

I don’t really find many cons, besides finding ‘low fat, quick, easy veggie meals’ and sometimes people find out you don’t eat meat and freak out on you (defensive maybe?) and seem to expect me to lecture them..

I’ve been told I’m a good veggie as I don’t lecture (I’ll talk about if someone wants to but I don’t push the subject) and I can actually cook a good steak for the man when he’s been really well behaved LOL Actually I had a barbeque a few months ago and everyone was worried as I was cooking the steaks (not to mention picked them out too) but apparently that was the best they’ve had hehe I’m proud of that. I don’t think its hypocritical because a)they’d eat meat anyways and b)when I go to their house I wouldn’t expect them to not have something veggie for me \

 

If you find it hard to eat in resturaunts here’s a trick-nothing on the menu? Ask the waitress to tell the chef your vegetarian and to make somehting up-and they will!! Actually in two resturaunts I asked and they were like ” Oh sorry I’ll go get the vegetarian menu for you” Was pleasantly surprised !!!

[kimberleyanddarren]

i was on the vegetarian band wagon, but then i kept collapsing for no reason, doctor asked me what i changed in my life and all i could think of was going vegetarian, so i gave it up for about a year or 2, now im back doing it watching more of what im eating and taking suppliments (my big mistake first time) i know its hard getting into it but after a while u dont notice, i dont think i could ever go vegan though, not until there is a better range of vegan stuff anyway, if they made a milk and cream which was vegan but tasted almost similar i probably would, but sorry soya is just yuck.

[Alicia Conklin]

I don’t mind soy in some things, like with cereal, with baked goods, but when you have a recipe that needs milk that’s not a dessert it ends up tasting too sweet in a really bad way…yuck!

[kimberleyanddarren]

i am a coffee adict, i drink a minumum 8 cups a day and its just horrid with soya milk in, i have had it on cereal and its ok but there is no chance i could give up coffee

[Alicia Conklin]

hehheeh I am a coffee addict too..that’s why I replace most dairy with it lol, I can’t give up my half and half.  You know what’s not THAT bad though…is the non dairy creamer.  I think coffee mate is dairy free?  As long as it’s the refrigerated kind I don’t find it that bad.  But still, I prefer my half and half and that’s what I am drinking right now.  I try to get the local organic kind though…if I feel that the cows are treated well I feel less ick about my dairy habit!!!    I also can’t give up sour cream or real cheese or ice cream, or cream cheese, or yogurt.  Yea I should go to Dairyholics Anonymous.  That’d be my biggest issue if I was to go vegan.  eggs I could easily use replacements. 

[Alicia Conklin]

holy cow..I just read you drink atleast 8 cups a day..I’d have a hole burned in my stomach if I drank that much!!  I can only drink about two in the morning and then possibly one at night.  Any  more then that and I’d be asking for an ulcer!!

[kimberleyanddarren]

i have 2 before i leave the house at 8, i have one on the way, i have at least 2 before lunch, one with lunch, i drink tea in the afternoon, then when i get home i have one, then i have one with dinner, one after dinner and one before bed, thats my minimum for the day lol i could easily have another 4/5 if im particularly bored or stressed, i dont have sugar so it could be worse lol

[fireworks]

I’m a vegetarian, have been since I was 9, and now I’m 14. =D
I would LOVE to be vegan but sadly, by parents won’t let me. I might be lactose intolerant though. Hehe.
School is the worst! Everyone makes fun of me and calls me names and stuff for being veggie. (even the other vegetarian in my grade laughs at the jokes, but for some reason they don’t make fun of her!) I don’t really care though, it just shows how immature they are for not accepting and understanding other people’s beliefs, because I accept theirs. (But I do not understand why they eat meat.. haha.) Another bad part is when people say ‘being vegetarian is unhealthy – you have to eat meat or you’ll die.’ Which is SO untrue! I eat tons of soy stuff, and I am perfectly healthy!

=] GO VEGGIES!

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

I know Fireworks789, I have the same problem. But i take the stuff they say about me as a compliment. I think they make fun of people for being a vegetarian because they dont have enough will-power to do it themselves.

[kimberleyanddarren]

Dont listen to kids at school, they only say things to avoid having to critise their own lives, everyone got picked on at school by someone, even the ‘cool’ kids get picked on by the older ‘cooler’ kids lol, ironic really because the girl who picked on me at school is now unmarried and has 3 kids by 3 different dads at the age of 19 haha.

[BunnyLiz]

I try to be a veggie.. at home i wont eat meat but at school i get tired of everyone making a big deal of it, so i get salad if they it that day and if not i have whatever they do have that day. But i try to stay away from the meat anyways, eating very little or giving it away lol.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

For you two who say people are teasing you, and anyone else who gets teased for being a veggie. 1) They are just teasing to be mean, so never let them change you!! 2) When you get a bit older, trust me being a veggie gets you alot of positive attention from the boys-so just hang in there hehe 3) Since they are the ones bringing it up, I’d have no problemgetting some really gross peta propaghanda pictures and putting in on their lockers to gross them out and bug them back….but that’s just me LOL

The key with bullies/teasing is to not get upset, hard as it is, because they’ll just get worse. Tease back, laugh when they tease you, even jump in and tease yourself with them. Never change who you are for what people say, and never let it get you down, they are just jerks and unfortunately it seems there are lots of jerks in the world. There are nice people too so don’t get discouraged!! *HUGS*

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

Hey Kokaneeandkahlua, that was pretty good advice. The peta picture this cracked me up. I can imagine someone doing that, lol.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Actually at my last job they liked to tease and one day put a pic of meat on my desktop at work…so I put Peta stuff on their desktops back and signed them all up for vegetarian started kits from peta…It was quite funny!

[BunnyLiz]

not everyone teases a whole lot. some do but most just talk and talk and talk about it! its so annoying to be the topic of discussion everyday at the table simply for my meal choices lol. It doesnt upset me as much anymore, now that im a senior underclassmen dont question anything, so i think its getting better this year ; )

[kimberleyanddarren]

i think people will tease anyone anyway so it may aswell be for something you are passionate about than just because your hair is blonde/brown/black whatever or your trousers are black/blue/green and yes, being a veggie sure is a convo starter hehe

[electro-weezle]

im a vegetarian! the cons are – not eating meat!!! hehehe my friends cant seem to understand that i like meat, but choose not to eat it. When there talking about it & im like ohhh yehh i luv steak or whatever! there like, i thought u were vegetarian? & yes, im a vegetarian, but it dosent mean i dont miss the taste of a kebab or a chinese takeaway hehe! – the farmers in my class are soooo inventive, aparently im a ‘veggie lezzie’ lol i just find it amusing realli!

oooh has anyone tried quorn chicken nuggets? i cant stomach the thought of what goes into real ones but i think these are een more tasty!

also… my friend just went vegan, what exactly is the benefit to animals or humans? apart from the obvious – not eating battery farmed eggs which i do anyway, milking a cow dosent hurt it etc to my knowledge?

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

I never liked meat anyway….so it wasnt really hard for me to become a vegetarian

[Alicia Conklin]

In order for a cow to provide milk it has to have just had a calf.  Then in order to keep up the massive amounts of dairy that people consume the cows have to be inpregnated over and over again.  It’s bad for the cows and then of course it’s bad for all those baby cows..because most of them go on to become veal

I’ve tried the qourn products and while yes they are ever so tasty, my stomach does NOT feel the same and either does my husband’s.  We both got violently sick after our third time eating the qourn product…I googled it and found that that is pretty common!!  So, be careful..from what I have read it usually takes a few times before it makes you sick

 

[BunnyLiz]

Qourn products are fine with me.. i love the ‘chicken’ patties, pour on some country gravy and i love it!

[electro-weezle]

lucky! i sooo wish i didnt have to tape my mouth over to stop my mum ordering me a chicken chow mein when my mum orders a chinese lol!

and i didnt realise that it has such an effect on the cows, i hate the thought of veal – frankly its disgusting, and i know very few ‘meat eaters’ that would actually eat it!

im looking for a healthier diet so its definatly something to think about, my incentive to becoming a vegetarian was knowing it was for a good purpose & i managed so i could try – its just such a big lifestyle change its a big decision – my family wouldnt support me & so i would have to cook all my own meals etc although as far as i know i have no health related reason why i shouldnt become vegan.

[bigsis7]

I’m going vegetarian Sep. 1st (tommorow). I will still eat eggs though since eggs that are sold in stores are not going to be chickens anyways cause they are not fertilized and I might have to have ice cream every now and then……I just hate how animals are killed so cruely and I think about it every time I eat meat, so usually I don’t eat the whole thing, so I’m going to go vegetarian. My only thinking is I have two ferrets who are carnivores and I feed them a raw meat diet, so I’m buying meat for them anyways. So they’ll have a vegetarian owner while they’re eating meat everyday….Oh well can’t make a carnivore be a herbivore. I do have a question though…..whats the difference between a vegan and a vegatarian?

[electro-weezle]

and i havent had a problem with quorn before… love the chicken nuggets, sausages & lasange especially, and i have ate it reguarly for about 3/4 years now – but i will watch out

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

Go Bigsis7! a vegan doesnt eat meat or dairy. a vegetarian eats dairy but no mean. good luck!

[bigsis7]

Oh ok. Thank you Kaitlyn!!

[Alicia Conklin]

I think if you haven’t had a problem with the qourn yet then you’re probably one of the people who can eat it without problem. 

[kimberleyanddarren]

i like quorn, especially the mince

[electro-weezle]

so id like to find out more about being vegan… what are you missing out on & what can you replace it with if anyone gets what i mean

[Alicia Conklin]

Is the mince like the crumbles?  that was what we had and we loved it…but alas we can’t have it any longer.  Now we use the morningstar farms crumbles and they work out ok but I really liked the qourn.

[Alicia Conklin]

http://www.vegan.org/  try exploring that site for info on becoming vegan.

 

I also LOVE the food blog at http://www.veganyumyum.com

[electro-weezle]

ahhh im getting all excited now! i love a challenge hehehe thanks for the websites they look great! i think i might try it out

[LittlePuffyTail]

Wahoo to all you veggies!!!! I knew I would definetly find some here. I posted this topic on the horse forum I frequent and it started up this huge heated debate with the meat eaters/farm people. Yikes…

For anyone thinking about going vegetarian or vegan or would like more info, go to http://www.goveg.com and sign up for a free Vegetarian Starter Kit. It’s very informative and I got mine really quick after ordering it. It’s great to get you started.

[electro-weezle]

ahhh im getting all excited on the spur of the moment and wanting to be vegan RIGHT NOW!! hahahaha lol jokes i need to calm down… ughhh! its realli annoying because all the vegan websites ive been on have nice recipes but they all seem to contain tofu & nuts and other things i really dont like! i dont know whether i could be vegan & still have a healthy diet

[MimzMum]

I used to love soy milk, but I am not supposed to eat any soy now because it is a natural estrogen and my cancer was estrogen based.
I like rice milks, they are pretty nice. But they don’t go well on cereal.

To the member who drinks 8 coffees a day…how on earth do you sleep??? 0_o I love my Starbucks alright, but if I drank coffee right before bed (and especially after all that coffee during the day) I’d be an absolute spazz! (Some might say I am one anyway…lolz.)

…

I can’t stay out of the bathroom after two cups either. 0_o

[Cassi&Charlie]

Thanks Tuckerbunz, I’m always looking for new vegan recipes

I knew there was an army of us vegans & vegetarians out there! I just hate the thought of meat & dairy & where it comes from. When I was growing up my grandparents lived on a dairy farm and I still remember having to say goodbye to the little calves every year as they were shipped off to the slaughterhouse. For years after that everytime I went past the milk section I thought about my favourite calf, a brown & white girl with long eyelashes, who I handfed for five days before she was loaded up & sent away. – becoming vegan was an easy choice – giving up dairy chocolate was the hardest thing ever! (I still fall off the wagon for mint biscuits!!!)

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’ve been veggie for years…whats a quorn??? 😮 LOL Sorry I’m clueless!!

[kimberleyanddarren]

quorn is like a meat substitute, its u know like mince and chicken and stuff but of course its not really animals its just like made to seem like it, some of their products are quite nice.
It was me mimzmum who drinks 8 cups of coffee and it has never really kept me awake, i sleep like a log lol

[Kaitlyn*[ily]*]

is quorn like the morning star products?

[Alicia Conklin]

No, morningstar farms are soy and qourn is made from some kind of mycoprotein..it’s supposed to be kind of similiar to mushrooms..

[Alicia Conklin]

I love that site Cassi, and usually it’s pretty easy to make and it’s always sooo good.  I’ve tried quite a few of her recipes and the whole family always loves them   Also, since she’s just a regular person who has a food blog she usually makes it with whatever is in season since that’s what she’s able to get. 

[Cassi&Charlie]

I found the best vegan chocolate chip cookies ever! They are beyond delicious. And I made a beautiful pasta from that site tuckerbunz, it was so yummy that I’m making it again tonight (and tomorrow, and the day after )
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=111 –> cookies. So tasty, so chocolatey, so bad to have sitting on my bench!

Mimzmum, I have almond milk on my cereal. It’s milky and suprisingly enough has an almond taste so it goes well with my cereals that already have almonds. I realy like my almonds. I make it at home by putting a large handful (or 1/3cup) of peeled almonds with about a litre of water in a blender then straining the mix through a cheese cloth.

[kimberleyanddarren]

if i look at that cookie recipe i will so make some, and eat them, all of them >.< *slaps hand away from mouse* lol

[hooty22]

I have a very limited meat diet. Although I do think its horrible how the animals are treated, I think the world effects of meat are more devastating. I think that it is horrible that we are clearing acres of rain forest to grow grain to feed to cows, and those same cows are releasing a ton of methane that is destroying the climate. Not to mention the unhealthy effects on the human body that beef has.
My boyfriend is vegetarian and has been for 5 years. He keeps threatening me that he’s going to go vegan, and I just tell him that I would have no idea how to cook anything without using butter, cream, eggs, and cheese. I know there is no way I could ever do vegan. I could live on dairy I think. I do buy hormone free milk, and eat a ton of vegetables, but I still eat seafood and occasional chicken and turkey.
I am amazed at how people think its crazy that he and I are dating. They seem to not to be able to understand how a vegetarian and an omnivore get along. I’ve even read a lot of articles saying how difficult it is for the two to be together. We have absolutely no issues, but that might be because he doesnt’ force his views on me and I don’t pick on him. Plus I don’t really eat a ton of meat anyway.

[Lion_Lop_Lover]

I’m not a vegetarian by any means…we’re omnivores – we’ve got canine teeth, meat is part of our diet!

[kimberleyanddarren]

darren is a meat eater, and we get on fine. We dont argue about it really i must say (sorry boys) but if i get a really bad period sometimes i just crave meat, and i have been known to eat the occasional big mac but thankfully i havent had one in at least 8 months. I do cook him meat because it doesnt bother me, there is nothing i hate more than people who try to push their views on others, like those who protest about meat and things and go on hunger strikes im like now everyone thinks all vegans are freaks. If you want to make a stand then just dont eat meat dont force your views on everyone else, if you think that eating meat is ‘part of the food chain’ then thats fine as long as you dont take the piss out of me for my beliefs.

[Sage Cat]

While I am a meat eater – I LOVE vegetarian food – tofu and veggie burgers are awesome!
One of the great things about being in the Denver – Boulder area is that most restaurants have a large selection of vegetarian offerings and there are tons of Natural groceries.

I remember being at a pot luck several years ago – I was grilling up some tofu – someone came up to me and said “I did not know you were vegetarian.”
I said “I’m not.”
“But you are eating tofu.”
“Yes.”
“So, you are vegetarian.”
“No.”
“But you are eating tofu.”
“Yes.”
“So, you are vegetarian.”
It actually went on like this for a few minutes – close minded goes both ways!

[Alicia Conklin]

I have heard that too Lion_Lop..about the canines meaning we should be eating meat.  My MIL is a big believer on that one.  I emailed her this article.  It’s really interesting.  And I don’t mean to say that people shouldn’t be omnivores..heck as I’ve said I eat fish and occasionally will eat turkey/chicken but I aspire to be a vegetarian or even a vegan… I just find this article incredibly interesting

 

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

ROTFL sage cat!! That’s like me when I go to taco bell “you said NO meat???” “Yes” “Chicken then” “no” “beef?” “No, no meat on it please” “can you pull up to the window?” LOL

My boyfriend says he’s a meatatarian and a vegetable activist hahaha He will not ever be a veggie and the only ones he eats are corn and potatoes…I have to say its actually a good thing, as he is such a food hog, that if we ate the same thing and I ate something of his he’d freak out. He’d probably only ever get along with a vegetarian!!!

[kimberleyanddarren]

haha im like that with chocolate though, poor darren if i buy a bar of chocolate and he eats it i freak at him hehe i dont mean to but its my chocolate and i cant buy more than one cuz i will eat them all haha

[LittlePuffyTail]

I have LOTS to say on the subject of “we’re omnivores” but I don’t want to start a big debate here!!!! I’ve gone there too many times.

Wanna keep this a positive veggie thread!!!

[Cassi&Charlie]

Good call Littlepuffytail. Lets keep it a happy thread

My god those cookies. I made them two days ago and boyfriend & I have eaten them all –> he asked if I could make more but they’re the devil!

[MimzMum]

I do miss milk that has no antibiotic/hormone/pesticide component in it. Milk has just become YUCK for me, it tastes terrible. When I was little, living in California, we had a place called Piers Dairy that made the most delicious ice creams, cheeses and their milk was always in glass bottles with the little foil tops. It was wonderful milk. The only thing that has come close was the Matanuska Dairy here in Alaska, and now even that is bankrupt and out of business.

Thanks for the idea on the almond milk, C&C, yes, almonds are wonderful aren’t they? One of my favorite nuts; next to walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts and my husband. (Oops! Was that out loud?) lolz…..

[LittlePuffyTail]

Almond Milk is really good. I buy a brand called Almond Breeze…in chocolate flavour of course!!!

[electro-weezle]

hahahah sage cat thts so funni!

[Scarlet_Rose]

I don’t eat a lot of meat either, I did do vegetarian for a long time but had to add fish and chicken back into the picture. Vegan I could never, ever do, I love my cheese. I am definately gonig to try those cookies though and give the Almond Breeze a try. I’ve been thinking of the soy milk but had reservations about it because of the estrogen and the almond milk sounds perfect! Thanks! Oh one question though, can you cook say oatmeal with the almond milk?

[kimberleyanddarren]

you mean your husbandS mimzmum hehehehe

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