
My month as a vegetarian - sebastianmarr
http://sebastianmarr.de/2012/02/03/my-vegetarian-month.html
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chrisacky
I've been a vegetarian for about 20 years now. I was a vegie from birth until
about 2 years old, then ate meat until I was about four, then went back to
being a vegie when I was force fed Liver and Onion at my parents hotel.

I don't think there is any real social pressure on me to eat meat. Once in a
while I get a jerk who isn't one of my friends trying to explain to me the
"error of my ways". But it's pretty easy to shrug that off, with an equally
obscene response of something like "animals are my friends, and you don't eat
your friends do you?". Ha.

But the real reason is I can get by fine without eating meat and would be
viciously sick I'm sure if I ever attempted to eat meat now.

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sebastianmarr
I agree with the social pressure. I think it's only the transition phase that
can get annoying with your friends. I guess once you are known as 'the
vegetarian' amongst your friends everything's fine.

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g-garron
When I was following Atkins (because I like to lift weights and we need lots
of protein) I read that the Inuit are really healthy people and they only eat
meat.

Maybe meat is understimate and it's our western life style that cause the
illnesses.

Meat + bad carbs + no exercise = health problems

But for sure being a vegetarian or something in the middle is healthy. As long
as you continue biking and avoid fast absorbing carbs

Good luck

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tomkr
The reason the Inuit can eat an diet consisting only of meat while remaining
healthy is that it matches their lifestyle. A big problem for health in
western society is the mismatch between those two, I don't think you can blame
either one in isolation. We don't do a whole lot, but we eat a load of sugary
stuff. This is a big part of Michael Pollan's critique on our diet, it is a
very interesting read.

Besides, there are the obvious other health-related reasons to not eat
factory-farmed meat, which most of our meat is. For that I can only recommend
reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Saffran Foer. It was what pushed me over
the line into becoming a vegetarian.

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g-garron
Thanks I'll try to read those.

I'm now trying to eat a more equilibrated diet, lentils, beans but still meat
in the diet.

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yamalight
I'm 25 now and I'd never ate any meat in my life (first try to eat some was at
18 or something but it just didn't fit into my stomach D:) - feels pretty much
fine actually :D

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luckyisgood
Good for you, sebastianmarr. As a vegan for 8 years now, I can tell you that
there are plenty of good recipes for vegetarians, if you consciously look for
them.

Also, watch out for this phenomenon: after not eating meat for some time (a
month should suffice), other food (especially vegetables) start to taste
differently - start to taste better. It's quite possible you might never go
back to eating meat again.

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gatlin
I ate way too much meat when I ate meat (I still occasionally indulge in fish
but rarely). It was inconceivable to me that other kinds of food would ever
taste good. I forced myself to be nearly vegan for a while. I allow dairy in
moderation now but regardless, veggies and fruits and spices are so much more
vivid.

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n9com
I have been a veggie all my life - I just can't imagine eating the flesh of an
animal; i have no desire to even try it.

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ryanmarsh
I'm a red meat eating Texan, and I've been a vegetarian for almost a month
now. I love it.

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Craiggybear
I stopped eating my friends about eight years ago. I don't really consciously
think about not eating meat now (it has become natural for me not to), but I
really miss fish.

