being veggie

want2bmortgage3

currently i'm eating fish nearly every day as a main meal and buying slightly less dairy, organic if possible. this is such a big question in my life and several years on i'm still debating it in my own mind and with others!

ZiggyStardust_2

I've been a vegetarian since I was 4 (although I didn't really eat it before then). I would love to be vegan as I believe the dairy industry to be extremely cruel but I have tried and failed . I'm fussy anyway and didn't seem to be able to eat much! I would like to try again though. It's silly for people to say, however, that because the dairy industry is so cruel that vegetarians are doing little good towards animal welfare As a previous poster stated, it's about supply and demand.

I don't eat fish, eggs or animal by products like gelatin or rennet, or wear leather. I have no idea what meat tastes like and the only thing i wish I could eat are marshmallows and fizzy cola bottles!

AbFab

ZiggyStardust wrote: »

I've been a vegetarian since I was 4 (although I didn't really eat it before then). I would love to be vegan as I believe the dairy industry to be extremely cruel but I have tried and failed . I'm fussy anyway and didn't seem to be able to eat much! I would like to try again though. It's silly for people to say, however, that because the dairy industry is so cruel that vegetarians are doing little good towards animal welfare As a previous poster stated, it's about supply and demand.

I don't eat fish, eggs or animal by products like gelatin or rennet, or wear leather. I have no idea what meat tastes like and the only thing i wish I could eat are marshmallows and fizzy cola bottles!

Keep trying! Even if at first you just cut back on cheese (or whatever it is you struggle to give up), it all helps.
There are vegan networks you can join that will help, encourage, support you.
I can't post links to them as I am still a new member, but just Google them. A chat forum I used to frequent regularly is vegan fitness (dot net) which is really helpful.

You can also get vegan marshmallows and Fizzy Cola Bottles! (Just Google it!)

P__G

I have vowed to reduce my meat intake and let's see how I get on

Zahava

[QUOTE=ZiggyStardust;24900953_I_don't_eat_fish,_eggs_or_animal_by_products_like_gelatin_or_rennet,_or_wear_leather._I_have_no_idea_what_meat_tastes_like_and_the_only_thing_i_wish_I_could_eat_are_marshmallows_and_fizzy_cola_bottles!_;)[/QUOTE]

Ziggy, theveganstore.co.uk does vegan marshmallows, you have to be quick though they run out fast! they also do haribo forest range fizzy cola bottles that do not contain gelatin (they also do this range in Asda, usually found in the halal section). Tesco do fizzy cola laces that are vegan as an alternative to cola bottles.

IamJen

ZiggyStardust wrote: »

I've been a vegetarian since I was 4 (although I didn't really eat it before then). I would love to be vegan as I believe the dairy industry to be extremely cruel but I have tried and failed . I'm fussy anyway and didn't seem to be able to eat much! I would like to try again though. It's silly for people to say, however, that because the dairy industry is so cruel that vegetarians are doing little good towards animal welfare As a previous poster stated, it's about supply and demand.

I don't eat fish, eggs or animal by products like gelatin or rennet, or wear leather. I have no idea what meat tastes like and the only thing i wish I could eat are marshmallows and fizzy cola bottles!

Ziggy, I too would suggest giving it another go, if you're really interested. I was a 95%) vegan for a couple of years, I think. I loved cheese! Eventually I was really only eating it on pizza, and in these little cheese crackers that I love. I would go for awhile cheese-free, but then would eat some when it became a really trouble for me (like having dreams about cheese pizza!) There are all sorts of vegan cheese substitutes, but honestly, for me, it was easier to eventually just stop eating it, because the non-dairy stuff just doesn't taste the same. I have found some other good "fixes" though...hummus, for instance often satisfies that salty, "cheesy" craving.

You can get vegan marshmallows online here, but they're not cheap. There are some other brands too, but I've not seen them in the UK. FWIW, marshmallow creme/fluff (the goop you buy next to the ice cream goodies in the shop) is often vegan. And yeah, if you can get vegan Haribo in Halal shops/sections. There are also some wicked awesome ones from Biona that they sell in health food shops and at many Waitrose.

I don't mean to harass you, but I'm very keen on how easy it is to be vegan here compared to where my husband and I lived previously (America and Norway).

There are two good online forums that I'd recommend. https://www.veganforum.com is very supportive and has a fair number of UK folks. I moderate on https://www.veggieboards.com myself, and there are a big group of UKers there as well. It's a vegetarian and vegan board, so I'd encourage you to come and check us out, even if you decide that doing the vegan thing isn't in the cards for you right now.

If you do decide you're ready to take the plunge (or just want some recipe/product ideas), feel free to ask away. We've been vegan for about 5 years now, having lived here for 3 1/2 of those.

tryingtoruletheworld

Very interesting thread!

I have to say that I find it natural for humans to eat meat, like many other ominvores/carnivores on the planet, but completely understandable to choose not to. I do however find it really odd that we consume the milk of another animal. I can't imagine pig milk, dog milk or rabbit milk selling well, so how did we end up milking cows, sheep and goats?!

I like the flavour of cheese and find it very hard to replicate within a vegan diet, however I do primarily cook vegan meals. I also eat meat a couple of times a month. I know this sounds a bit odd, but I have got my OH who was a daily meat eater into this routine now, and will only buy local organic meat! I guess we all have our own ideas and guilty feelings, and you have to go with whatever feels right for the individual.

I also think once you really look into it, eating a balanced vegan diet is so easy and fulfilling! The choices are endless and I find myself being much more adventurous than when I used to cook meat every day, without excessive soya intake. Although I agree it can be difficult trying to find non-GM soya from a sustainable source. If only these things could be easy!

adouglasmhor

I though GM soya beans were not imported into the EU so Alpro et all used Turkish non GM ones rather than the mixed ones from the USA.

AbFab

tryingtoruletheworld wrote: »

... .

(I'm not repeating your quote as it will just make this post crazily long, but my reply here is mainly in response to yours.)

I find it UNnatural for humans to eat meat or dairy. The mere thought of animal carcass repulses me, as does the notion of suckling at the teat of a cow. Why this has been normalised, when no one relishes the prospect of suckling away at the nipple of a pig/dog/rabbit etc, as tryingtoruletheworld pointed out, is beyond me.

Hundreds of years ago, when we roamed the land, during winter months or in barren landscapes, sure, it was preferable to eat animal flesh/excretions rather than starve. But these days, certainly in this country, we do not need to eat meat or dairy products at all.

I believe we are physiologically more similar to herbivores than omnivores*, though we are ABLE to eat meat should we REALLY need to.
The main difference, however, between us and other animals, is that humans have a conscience. We can exercise choice.

I think the volume of meat humans consume is actually detrimental to our health - all research I have read indicates this to be the case. I don't believe health-wise we were ever designed to eat the amount of animal flesh most people do. See, e.g. T Colin Campbell PhD: www.thechinastudy.com/about.html
Sure, we can find research to support a whole heap of things, but this makes a lot of common sense to me too. Add to that my personal experience - I've been vegan for coming up to ten years, and have not had a day off sick in that entire time - the same cannot be said for any of my meat-munching colleagues: I haven't even had a cold in all that time either, while all around me sniffle and snivel through the winter, and I just feel so well on this diet/lifestyle too. Admittedly I don't drink or smoke either, so I accept these are factors to also take into consideration, but I do believe my meat-free diet plays a large part in my good health (as does luck/good genes. I am NOT saying veganism is the cure-all, just that we may at least improve our lot.).

Further, the sheer scale of how we farm animals, and the fact that animals are slaughtered when it really isn't necessary for survival, well, it's certainly not something that sits very well with me.

Add to that the impact on the environment, and it seems like a pretty solid case to go vegan.

Oh, and seeing as this is MSE, as I have said already but I don't want to miss it from this comprehensive reply, it can be cheaper to be vegan too!

If you put a hungry toddler in a room (or an adult, for that matter), with an apple and a little bunny rabbit, which would the child choose to eat?

I got the following from: www.goveg.com/naturalhumandiet.asp:
“According to biologists and anthropologists who study our anatomy and our evolutionary history, humans are herbivores who are not well suited to eating meat.
Unlike natural carnivores, we are physically and psychologically unable to rip animals limb from limb and eat and digest their raw flesh. Even cooked meat is likely to cause human beings, but not natural carnivores, to suffer from food poisoning, heart disease, and other ailments.
People who pride themselves on being part of the human hunter tradition should take a second look at the story of human evolution. Prehistoric evidence indicates that humans developed hunting skills relatively recently and that most of our short, meat-eating past was spent scavenging and eating almost anything in order to survive; even then, meat was a tiny part of our caloric intake.
Humans lack both the physical characteristics of carnivores and the instinct that drives them to kill animals and devour their raw carcasses. Ask yourself: When you see dead animals on the side of the road, are you tempted to stop for a snack? Does the sight of a dead bird make you salivate? Do you daydream about killing cows with your bare hands and eating them raw? If you answered "no" to all of these questions, congratulations—you're a normal human herbivore—like it or not. Humans were simply not designed to eat meat.”

*Regarding how we are designed to eat a plant-based diet, please see:
"The Comparative Anatomy of Eating", by Milton R. Mills, M.D.

Facial Muscles
CARNIVORE: Reduced to allow wide mouth gape
OMNIVORE: Reduced
HERBIVORE: Well-developed
HUMAN: Well-developed
Jaw Type
CARNIVORE: Angle not expanded
OMNIVORE: Angle not expanded
HERBIVORE: Expanded angle
HUMAN: Expanded angle
Jaw Joint Location
CARNIVORE: On same plane as molar teeth
OMNIVORE: On same plane as molar teeth
HERBIVORE: Above the plane of the molars
HUMAN: Above the plane of the molars
Jaw Motion
CARNIVORE: Shearing; minimal side-to-side motion
OMNIVORE: Shearing; minimal side-to-side
HERBIVORE: No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back
HUMAN: No shear; good side-to-side, front-to-back
Major Jaw Muscles
CARNIVORE: Temporalis
OMNIVORE: Temporalis
HERBIVORE: Masseter and pterygoids
HUMAN: Masseter and pterygoids
Mouth Opening vs. Head Size
CARNIVORE: Large
OMNIVORE: Large
HERBIVORE: Small
HUMAN: Small
Teeth: Incisors
CARNIVORE: Short and pointed
OMNIVORE: Short and pointed
HERBIVORE: Broad, flattened and spade shaped
HUMAN: Broad, flattened and spade shaped
Teeth: Canines
CARNIVORE: Long, sharp and curved
OMNIVORE: Long, sharp and curved
HERBIVORE: Dull and short or long (for defense), or none
HUMAN: Short and blunted
Teeth: Molars
CARNIVORE: Sharp, jagged and blade shaped
OMNIVORE: Sharp blades and/or flattened
HERBIVORE: Flattened with cusps vs complex surface
HUMAN: Flattened with nodular cusps
Chewing
CARNIVORE: None; swallows food whole
OMNIVORE: Swallows food whole and/or simple crushing
HERBIVORE: Extensive chewing necessary
HUMAN: Extensive chewing necessary
Saliva
CARNIVORE: No digestive enzymes
OMNIVORE: No digestive enzymes
HERBIVORE: Carbohydrate digesting enzymes
HUMAN: Carbohydrate digesting enzymes
Stomach Type
CARNIVORE: Simple
OMNIVORE: Simple
HERBIVORE: Simple or multiple chambers
HUMAN: Simple
Stomach Acidity
CARNIVORE: Less than or equal to pH 1 with food in stomach
OMNIVORE: Less than or equal to pH 1 with food in stomach
HERBIVORE: pH 4 to 5 with food in stomach
HUMAN: pH 4 to 5 with food in stomach
Stomach Capacity
CARNIVORE: 60% to 70% of total volume of digestive tract
OMNIVORE: 60% to 70% of total volume of digestive tract
HERBIVORE: Less than 30% of total volume of digestive tract
HUMAN: 21% to 27% of total volume of digestive tract
Length of Small Intestine
CARNIVORE: 3 to 6 times body length
OMNIVORE: 4 to 6 times body length
HERBIVORE: 10 to more than 12 times body length
HUMAN: 10 to 11 times body length
Colon
CARNIVORE: Simple, short and smooth
OMNIVORE: Simple, short and smooth
HERBIVORE: Long, complex; may be sacculated
HUMAN: Long, sacculated
Liver
CARNIVORE: Can detoxify vitamin A
OMNIVORE: Can detoxify vitamin A
HERBIVORE: Cannot detoxify vitamin A
HUMAN: Cannot detoxify vitamin A
Kidney
CARNIVORE: Extremely concentrated urine
OMNIVORE: Extremely concentrated urine
HERBIVORE: Moderately concentrated urine
HUMAN: Moderately concentrated urine
Nails
CARNIVORE: Sharp claws
OMNIVORE: Sharp claws
HERBIVORE: Flattened nails or blunt hooves
HUMAN: Flattened nails

ZiggyStardust_2

A really interesting post AbFab . Were you a vegetarian before turning vegan?