Question about going vegetarian

[alexander.kharlamov]

My fiancee and myself are trying to do a one-week trial of vegetarianism (still eating tuna though... but no meat/chicken), and I have a question. A friend of mine told me that iron (ferrum-3?) can only be found in meat, so if I really go vegetarian, I'll have to take iron supplements.

Is that true?

[Antarananda]

Incorrect. There are two types of iron: heme and non-heme iron. Non-heme iron is found in dark green, leafy vegetables, for example. And if you do not go vegan, then milk is also a source of iron.

And BTW, a clarification: eating fish does not make you "vegetarian".

[rossio]

Originally Posted by Antarananda

And BTW, a clarification: eating fish does not make you "vegetarian".

Indeed - it makes you a Pescetarian or a flexitarian.

[Hsiang-Lin]

Well, there is "pescetarian." That's a sub-category of vegetarian, where you can eat fish. (edited since prior post explained it)

I would advise against trying to fit yourself into certain labels, though. For example, I am currently a lacto-ovo vegetarian. But I only use that term to conveniently explain to others. I eat eggs and cheese (which makes me lacto-ovo). But lacto-ovo people can also drink milk. But I don't drink milk anymore and instead drink soy milk.

So in essence, I see this as a personal growth journey instead of a race to being the "all-mighty" vegan (that's my goal though ). Congratulations on even beginning this journey! It is a fun and rewarding one. I wish you and your fiancee the best and most importantly, enjoy your new meals and experiences!

[alexander.kharlamov]

Ok, thank you!

I know that if I keep eating fish, I'm not truly vegetarian But I'm taking baby steps, since just giving up everything right away is too hard.

[rossio]

In my opinion, gradually is the best way to make dietary changes (unless you are being really bad!)

When I first started out eating more healthily I just changed one meal every day (I started with breakfast) and then once I was being consistently healthy at breakfast I moved on to changing how I approached lunch.

Anyway, best of luck to you and have a great day
Ross

[The David]

The only difference between vegetarians and pescetarians are that vegetarians don't eat fish.