Rules of vegetarianism/veganism

[Trina]

I see so much vegetarianism and veganism on this board (a LOT more than in my every day life), so I am just wondering what basic rules do you vegetarians/vegans follow as far as your diet goes? No red meat? Nothing that had a face? No animal products at all (like no dairy)? All organic?

Also, if you care to talk about it, why did you choose to follow the dietary guidelines that you do? Moral reasons, health reasons, or both?

Just curious!

[David Hausladen]

Generally, animal products are classed into the categories of meat, dairy, and eggs, and different types of vegetarianism are based on those categories.

"Lacto-ovo vegetarian" is the most common type, and is a person who doesn't eat meat, but can still have dairy and eggs. When someone calls himself just a "vegetarian," he or she usually means this type.

"Lacto vegetarian" means someone who can have dairy but not meat or eggs, and "ovo vegetarian" means someone who can have eggs but not meat or dairy.

"Vegan" means someone who cannot have meat, dairy, or eggs.

Whether it's permissible to use other animal products (e.g. honey) is not specifically covered in the above definitions, but usually lacto-ovo, lacto, and ovo vegetarians are okay with this, while vegans try to avoid all use of animal products, not just in eating but also in clothing, cosmetics, etc..

I hope that's helpful to you!

[Akashic_Librarian]

I am vegetarian and i don't eat meat or seafood. But I do eat dairy products and eggs ang honey etc...I also like Organic but it can be a little pricey sometimes but I do my best.

I generally chose to be vegetarian because Steve mentioned it on the site, and I just deicded to give it a go, it felt great and I havn't looked back since (well I have eaten meat a few times, personal weaknesses to chinese food lol)

[Andrew Brunelle]

Here's the thing....vegetarianism and veganism are sort of a little fanatical for me. I've tried to do it, I really have. But it becomes very restrictive to some point, especially if you live in a family environment. My eating plan is to minimize meat intake to once a day or less, minimize dairy to less than once a day, and to eat many vegetables and some fruits. The rules of your diet are what you make it. So if you go on a vegan diet, that doesn't mean it will be healthy for you unless you eat the right foods. Vegan is not the diet, vegan is a lifestyle choice where animals don't play a part in it at all. If you feel bad for animals on a factory farm, then don't eat those animals, but choose free-range animals who are fed good food and not pumped with antibiotics or growth hormone. It's about the person you are. Sure, I could give up meat, but then I would have to settle for meat substitutes, which doesn't make sense to me, because if vegans are so repulsed by meat, then why are they looking for substitutes. It's kind of like people who give up sugar and use aspartame, which is sweeter than sugar and is very dangerous to the body. If you give something up for health reasons, don't look for substitutes. You're better off, most of the time, eating the real thing. So make your diet according to your own needs.

[Erki]

I haven't eaten a piece of meat for 4 weeks now and am totally OK with it, I have no cravings for meat or anything similar, I don't have the appetite to meat.
Overall, my diet is still pretty much crap. I don't think I have ever eaten too much and been overweight, quite the opposite, I'm quite skinny.
But that's gonna change. Soon.

[Erin Pavlina]

Vegans are repulsed by the fact that meat is made from animals, but we can still appreciate the fact that a burger tastes good, which is why the industry to create fake meat products is growing. Imagine if you could eat something that tasted just like meat but didn't involve harming an animal? Best of both worlds right?

Some people are vegan in diet only. That's fine. Some are vegan in lifestyle as well. Also fine.

I dislike labels as they imply that if you are a vegan who eats honey that you are "out of the club." If you want to be healthy and give up certain foods out of your diet for health or ethical or spiritual reasons, just do it. You don't need to sign up with the club and get a membership card.

[escapee]

After developing strange tingling sensation on both of my hands and feet by ignoring B12 supplementation and fortified food for 2 months . I have stubbornly added 1 more rule on veganism. That is having the B12 pills or fortified food on your daily vegan diet to eliminate the unnecessary risk of deficiency.

[Baltar]

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

The rules of your diet are what you make it. So if you go on a vegan diet, that doesn't mean it will be healthy for you unless you eat the right foods. Vegan is not the diet, vegan is a lifestyle choice where animals don't play a part in it at all.

That's correct. Being vegan doesn't stop you from eating tons of junk (processed foods containing refined sugar, salt, bleached flour). Although you can have a vegan diet and not lifestyle. You can choose not to eat animals but still use leather products for instance. I started out this way because my main concern was health, not ethics. But after a while you do begin to wake up to the animal cruelty as well, I think that's inevitable.

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

If you feel bad for animals on a factory farm, then don't eat those animals, but choose free-range animals who are fed good food and not pumped with antibiotics or growth hormone. It's about the person you are. Sure, I could give up meat, but then I would have to settle for meat substitutes, which doesn't make sense to me, because if vegans are so repulsed by meat, then why are they looking for substitutes.

Not all vegans want substitutes. Most of the substitutes are not particularly healthy anyway, usually high in sodium like many other processed foods (especially frozen ones). They can also contain carrageenan, another controversial ingredient. I'm perfectly fine not eating fake meat, and very rarely do in fact.

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

It's kind of like people who give up sugar and use aspartame, which is sweeter than sugar and is very dangerous to the body. If you give something up for health reasons, don't look for substitutes. You're better off, most of the time, eating the real thing. So make your diet according to your own needs.

There are other sweeteners by the way, that have not been found to be toxic (such as sucralose or malitol/maltitol). However, natural sugar (in refined, concentrated form) is very bad for you in itself. Heavy consumption leads to major tooth decay, obesity, and diabetes (by overworking and damaging the pancreas).

As for giving up meat for health reasons and looking for substitutes, people are looking to substitute the taste (if they liked the taste of meat). Nobody's trying to substitute the contents of meat. Not that you can do that anyway. My health reason not to eat meat is that it's bad for you. I've posted a thread here about the negative effects animal protein has on our bodies. It increases blood acidity and leeches calcium, which eventually can also lead to kidney stones. So I don't need a substitute that will cause osteoporosis like the real thing.

[Adam Sargant]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

Vegans are repulsed by the fact that meat is made from animals, but we can still appreciate the fact that a burger tastes good, which is why the industry to create fake meat products is growing.

LOL... that reminds me of the time about 5 years ago that we took my daughter (then 5) to her grandparents. Some point in the afternoon we found her behind the kitchen door sticking her fingers up her nose... when told to stop she looked all innocent and said "but they taste nice"

I never did understand the substitute thing. I stop drinking beer, then I stop. There are plenty of enjoyable taste experiences out there without resorting to that wierd concept, beer without alcohol.

But maybe there is a market for bogey substitutes

In light and love

[Trina]

Thanks for the explanations guys. I am curious about your choices personally as well, if anyone wants to share. It's something I could never see myself doing, but I am intrigued by it, and who knows. I never thought I would become a liberal either, and that snuck up on me before I knew it.

As for the meat substitutes... some of them are GOOD! I have found a few veggie burgers (like a mushroom one from Morning Star Farms, I think) that is delicious. I have had some veggie "chicken" nuggets and meatless ribs that are yummy, too. I will buy that stuff even though I am pretty far from a vegetarian just because I like it, and I feel no need to substitute meat in my diet.

[elainevdw]

I like the quote someone else posted in another thread, about the Simpson's episode where, in response to Lisa's vegetarian diet, someone says they don't eat anything that casts a shadow.

[moltar]

I consider myself a vegan, but I do eat honey (occasionaly) and fish (everyday). I want to cut out the fish, but unable to do so at this point yet.

[cftwo]

I've been vegetarian for many years - I've thought about veganism, but have yet to take the plunge. I DO make a point of buying free-range organic eggs when I can. My "rules" for me are that if you have to kill it to get it, I don't eat it. I do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, gelatin, or anything else which requires that an animal lose it's life. I also limit leather as much as I can (since I have yet to hear of a way to get leather without killing something), though I do end up buying leather shoes, at least until shoe manufacturers use man-made materials for narrow-sized shoes.

[Antarananda]

During my pre-vegetarian years, I never did eat much meat, because I lived with family in India, and overall meat consumption is low among most Hindu families.

I am lacto-vegetarian. Ghee (clarified butter) is one of the most amazing, health promoting foods. I also consume honey. I turned vegetarian about the same time I stopped consumption of alcohol, primarily because through my meditation practices, my body was getting connected with its inner intelligence, and recognized the fact that meat was harming not only the body, but also subtle aspects of the mind. Consciousness gets clouded by indulging in meat or alcohol, as the yogis say.

I wear leather shoes, and use leather belts, but don't buy jackets. I minimize my "need" for leather and have only two pairs of dress shoes. In any case, I believe the Karmic consequences of eating meat to be far greater than using leather. I am not fanatical about my choices, and rarely even discuss it unless someone asks me why I turned vegetarian. Most everyone in my friend circle is also vegetarian.

[thadroe]

I went harcore vegan for about 2 years to regain my health and undo a lot of damage I had done. Now, I don't really consider myself a full time vegetarian or vegan as far as "label" purposes go, but that's mostly the way I eat.

My "rules" would probably be as follows....I tend to put different types of foods into 3 categories rather than just think about it in terms of meat or no meat:

1. Foods that Promote Good Health:

• vegetables
• fruit
• beans
• nuts
• some whole grains

2. Neutral Foods:

• processed vegetarian/health foods (depends what the ingredients are)
• "clean" fish
• soy milk or similar products

3. Foods that are Harmful:

• dairy products
• processed grains (most breads, white rice)
• just about anything fried....including vegetarian stuff
• meats and most other fish
• processed sugary stuff

My main goal is to eat as much as I possibly can from the 1st category, followed by the 2nd, and only eat from the 3rd sparingly (like less than 5%).

Thad

[Will Worth]

I find it fascinating that there's such a correlation between those interested in personal growth and vegetarianism/veganism.

I've been lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 6 years, and though I've never lapsed, I've not been a good vegetarian either(i.e. I've not been making such I cover all my nutritional needs).

Several friends, all (like me) in their twenties, have independently mentioned how much clearer headed and generally better they felt after they started taking cod liver oil regularly. None of them are vegetarian(obviously(?)), but I respect their opinion, and trust their advice. I'm assuming, though without reason, that what they're really raving about is Omega 3.

The idea of meat now repulses me, but I occasionally (but increasingly) get fish cravings. I'm assuming this is because there's something my body knows it can get from fish that I'm not giving it. Do any vegans/vegetarians have any experience of this? Does anyone have any advice as to how else I can resolve this? Obviously, without cod liver oil...

I'm sorry if this is hi-jacking this thread, I'm not experienced with forums and I'm not sure this topic merits its own thread...

Thanks a lot,

Will

[Baltar]

Flax seed oil is a good alternative to fish oil. It has Omega 3 and you need only about a tablespoon of it daily. Flax seeds can also be ground and mixed in with something you're eating. Quote from Wikipedia article:

Flaxseed oil is suitable for human consumption, if it is very fresh, refrigerated and unprocessed, and is used as a nutritional supplement. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, especially alpha-linolenic acid, which appears to be beneficial for heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and a variety of other health conditions. Flaxseed also contains a group of chemicals called lignans that may play a role in the prevention of cancer.

[Dittert]

I describe myself as a "lax-vegan." On my own, I avoid meat, dairy, and eggs, though I will eat other animal products such as honey and the fish gelatin in my daily vitamin supplement. When I went vegetarian, I made a concious decision, however, not to let my diet interfere with my relationships with other people. So, for example, if a friend has me over for dinner and goes out of his/her way to prepare some vegetarian dish but uses cheese, I'll still eat it. I went vegetarian mainly for health reasons, and through a combination of diet and exercise, I've lost 15 pounds this year. I haven't experienced the huge jump in mental clarity that Steve described, but I do feel better overall.

[stephencp]

"I dislike labels as they imply that if you are a vegan who eats honey that you are "out of the club." If you want to be healthy and give up certain foods out of your diet for health or ethical or spiritual reasons, just do it. You don't need to sign up with the club and get a membership card. " Erin

Absolutely! too many people treat their diets (an actual "diet" e.g. Atkins, etc or "vegan", etc) like a religion. One sin and you're going straight to hell anyway so eat whatever you want. It's enough to eat 80% or 90% correctly. Eat (and live) right most of the time, and you'll be fine.

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics
Personality and Growth Bookshelf

[madgeylou]

Originally Posted by moltar

I consider myself a vegan, but I do eat honey (occasionaly) and fish (everyday). I want to cut out the fish, but unable to do so at this point yet.

moltar i applaud your efforts to make a lifestyle change.

but the word "vegan" has meaning -- it means that you do not eat any animal products.

until you actually give up fish, i would ask that you not call yourself "vegan." doing so just contributes to the misunderstanding of that word. eating fish is not vegan. it's like saying you are pregnant and male -- just doesnt compute.

i'm not trying at all to be snarky, just accurate. in fact, i am in the same boat. i stay away from all meat and have for almost a year, but i still occasionally have cheese and/or eggs. for this reason i refer to myself as vegetarian, or say "i dont eat meat" or say "nearly vegan" or just dont say anything at all.