Becoming vegetarian..

[EdnaKrabappe]

My understanding of vegetarianism is that as long as you don't eat meat, fish and fowl then you're vegetarian. If you avoid other food and drink that has been touched by animal and fish products - dairy products, alcohol as described above, etc - then that's veganism. It's a massive jump from vegetarianism to veganism. I never got further than drinking soya milk.

 

It's all a matter of personal ethics. I'd call that, "I don't eat meat, fish and other forms of meat."

The current vegetarian labelling doesn't allow anything that contains any animal produce which results in the animal itself being killed, to be called vegetarian.

Veganism to me is someone who doesn't eat any dairy, eat honey or use any byproducts such as wax candles.

But then it can mean different things, for example, as a vegetarian, I won't eat things with cochineal in as they contain crushed beetle but my "vegan" friend will. You do the best you can.

People who just don't eat meat though but eat fish aren't veggie. They are pescatarian.

[medusa]

If you decide to turn veggie you'll need to boost your zinc intake by the use of vitamin tablets. Zinc helps boost your immune system, which is a problem for veggies.

 

Alternatively you could eat nuts, wholegrains, legumes and yeast, all of which are natural sources of zinc.

 

As I posted above, there are alternatives to virtually everything that meat contains so you need to ensure that you eat a broad and varied diet in order to take in nutrients.

 

I was vegetarian and then vegan for a number of years but I am one of the small number of people who lack the enzymes necessary to absorb iron from vegetable sources, so for me it really is impossible to be healthy on a vegetarian diet. For the majority of people it is perfectly possible to get everything you need without eating meat.

[Rupert_Baehr]

You don't have to use Isinglass to fine beer - Carrageenan would probably work (and it would act as a foam stabiliser too - so your beer would have a pretty good head) or you could use Bentonite (messy) Kieselguhr or Kaolin.

 

Most British bottled beer is filtered, rather than fined.

 

"Even though the majority of beers are vegetarian, most brewers do not reveal which beers do not contain animal products. Those brewers who have published this information include Samuel Smith, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, the Marble Brewery in Manchester, the Black Isle Brewery, the Maddison Costello Brewery , and Black Sheep Brewery..."

 

You don't actually have to fine beer! - There are two kinds of Wheat beer in Germany; 'Kristal' (clear, filtered) and 'Hefe' (cloudy, with yeast in suspension.)

 

As Medusa said, most people can live on a vegetarian diet. Humans are an omnivorous species, but many people (particularly in the West) eat far too much meat.

 

I'm by no means vegetarian, but I do limit my consumption of (particularly red) meat. Partly because I don't much like it and partly for health reasons.

 

Vegetarians tend to be less fat than meat-eaters and they fart more! (I used to fly with a vegetarian and as the cabin pressure dropped, you knew about it!)

[mc55]

I've been vegetarian for around 23 years now. My OH and I try to incorporate a varied diet, but like most people have our 'regular' meals which we fall back on. Neither of us has ever needed to take any supplements and we are both very healthy / reasonably fit people - you shouldn't need to 'just because you've gone vegetarian'.

 

There are a couple of magazines in the shops specifically for vegetarians, that might be helpful to get you going with some recipes etc. Another good site is the good food website.

 

If you want to be strict it's always best to read labels, especially for sweets, such as jelly type products (which usually contain gellatine from cows or pigs).

 

As others have said, it is much easier nowadays.

 

I can recommend a few cookbooks if you are interested.

[Becky B]

 

Vegetarians tend to be less fat than meat-eaters and they fart more! (I used to fly with a vegetarian and as the cabin pressure dropped, you knew about it!)

 

I'm sorry, I have to differ here! My housemate is vegetarian and is approximately 6 stone overweight at present...

 

I seem to remember from my university days that there are certain proteins (so-called essential amino acids) that we can't produce in our bodies and can only be obtained from animal sources. I am happy to be enlightened further!

[melthebell]

Adel try the Peta cruelty free guide

 

was gonna say the cruelty free shopper but all i can find are ones on amazon from 1989 / 91 etc lol

[melthebell]

I'm sorry, I have to differ here! My housemate is vegetarian and is approximately 6 stone overweight at present...

 

I seem to remember from my university days that there are certain proteins (so-called essential amino acids) that we can't produce in our bodies and can only be obtained from animal sources. I am happy to be enlightened further!

ive always believed the only things we CANT get from a normal none animal diet is B12.........which we can get from marmite

 

on a side note you can live healthyly on a vegetarian diet but you CANT ;ive healthyly on a purely meat based diet

[andyofborg]

I'm sorry, I have to differ here! My housemate is vegetarian and is approximately 6 stone overweight at present...

 

chocolate is a vegetable too

 

I seem to remember from my university days that there are certain proteins (so-called essential amino acids) that we can't produce in our bodies and can only be obtained from animal sources. I am happy to be enlightened further!

 

not necessarily, it's harder for the body to extract certain essential amino acids and minerals from vegetable sources than it is from animal sources, so you need to make sure your diet is properly balanced and you eat from the whole vegetable and fruit kingdom.

 

a key mineral which is sometimes hard to get from vegetable sources is iron, but the humble lettuce is quite rich in it. so you have a choice between a lettuce sandwich or a nice juicy steak

[melthebell]

 

a key mineral which is sometimes hard to get from vegetable sources is iron, but the humble lettuce is quite rich in it. so you have a choice between a lettuce sandwich or a nice juicy steak

spinache is even better..............and nicer for iron?

[andyofborg]

spinache is even better..............and nicer for iron?

 

yes but, it's spinach

 

i'll stick with my steak, cooked medium, with some onion rings, a few chips and maybe a light sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley (which is also a decent source of iron )