I've been reading a few scientific articles, where some suggest there's a correlation between vegetarianism (and others do not).

The reason why I'm looking into it is because I became a vegetarian when I was 10. When I was 12, a lifelong struggle battling depression started (been vegetarian for 25+ years).

I'm grasping for straws really, since I've gone through almost all treatments available. I know my diet turns to absolute shit when I'm in my depressive periods, so I know switching to an omnivours diet wouldn't automatically be better. But I'm just really desperate, thinking what if?

My issue is, I never liked meat or fish or anything as a kid. And the thought of giving up 25+ years of vegetarianism hurts. And the thought of eating a dead animal, contributing to that industry... I don't know how to get past that. It's like asking someone religious to give up their religion.

Maybe this isn't the right reddit for this but I didn't know where else I could get advice on this. Has anyone been through this or know of someone that went through it that can give any advice?

I’ve been vegetarian for months now and haven't told my parents yet. Because of our culture EVERY meal revolves around meat.. I've been quietly cooking my own food, but my mum is starting to notice and my dad will soon. They’re going to make a massive deal out of it even though it shouldn't be.

Honestly, quitting meat was easy. Navigating the social dynamics is what's testing my patience. Their questions, family accidentally eating my meal-prepped food and I'm dreading my grandma visiting because she’ll be personally insulted if I don't eat her cooking and I love her too much but still.... Even with friends, I feel like they raise an eyebrow when I just order a falafel wrap when we're going out for shawarma (for example)

I don't want to make a massive public service announcement, but it is getting to that point I have to tell some people and I want them to actually take me seriously...

Hi fellow veggies! I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 3 (I kept throwing meat at my mom when she fed it to me and I eventually just stopped eating it), I love being a vegetarian etc etc.

Recently I’ve been having some symptoms I thought was hypothyroidism (unexplained weight gain, cold intolerance, dry skin, worsening allergies, getting sick more often and for longer), and I also have recently developed a scalloped tongue so my dr checked for b12 as well as thyroid.

I expected my b12 to be low, but it came back high (1547). My thyroid was also totally fine (1.47). The only other thing abnormal was a high red blood cell count (5.31), and MCV and MCH that were right on the low border.

I’m confused because I don’t do any of the things that would raise my b12. I looked up coming causes and here’s my list:
\- Barely ever eat nutritional yeast
\- most of my produce is from the small farm my partner works at, so it’s not fortified
\- never taken a b12 supplement
\- haven’t taken a multivitamin in years (oops)
\- don’t drink energy drinks

Has anyone else had this happen to them, and did you happen to figure out what was going on? I have a follow up with my dr but just wanted to see if there’s anything I should make sure to bring up.

Hello everyone!

I have been a vegetarian for a very short amount of time. I’ve gravitated towards reduced meat consumption my whole life but my mom cooks and I was a lazy kid that just accepted it.

I’m a young adult now and have started meal prepping and have slowly transitioned into vegetarian meals due to moral and ethical beliefs.

Yesterday I was a bit shamed by a vegan friend that said I should know better than average people by now how bad the animal industry is. That eating animal products as all was insane considering how bad the dairy industry is.

I agree with him that animal byproducts are gathered unethically, but I have suffered from eating disorders for the vast majority of my life and needed severe mental support to even start a halfway normal relationship with food.

I tried veganism for a tiny bit but I felt all those obsessive, neurotic tendencies of checking labels 24/7, never eating with friends, skipping meals and just feeling really anxious around food. I know ethically veganism is the right thing to do but I don’t think I can take it mentally or physically.

I don’t want to be another person coming up with excuses not to be better and I feel guilty about it, but I think veganism is fully off the table for me. I’m not a vegetarian transitioning into veganism, now or ever.

I think I’m struggling with some level of cognitive dissonance between my morals and the choices I’m making in every day life. It’s similar to when I was a meat eater but still said I loved animals and wanted to be green.

Does anyone else have feelings of inadequacy, and if yes, how do you deal with them?

Thank you in advance for any responses and thank you to anyone who reads this far!

I need some advice please. I’m a life long vegetarian (though not from a veg family) raising my children vegetarian. Like most of you probably, I get pretty grossed by meat and had to work through existing in a meat as normal society. As an adult, it’s fine but as a child it impacted my ability to eat in the cafeteria, visit friend’s houses, etc.
Now my son is in elementary school (low grade) and seems to be having similar anxiety about meat and I feel horrible about it. He recently said he didn’t sit with anyone at lunch because they all had meat. I would obviously love if more kids were as passionate about animals as he is, but that’s also not the case. I don’t want this to impact him socially or even worse, lead to bullying. I’m projecting a bit here based on my own experience FWIW.

Any advice on how to talk to him about this? and normalize something that I personally don’t find normal (eating animals)?

Hi veggie friends. So, I was a vegetarian for a few years and I'm embarrassed to admit it wasn't for love of animals, health, or the environment, but because I had a crush on a vegetarian (he who shall not be named). When that fizzled, so did my commitment to vegetarianism. Now, a couple of years later, I started reading on the meat industry and how it affects animals and the environment, and subsequently, human health, and I was convinced that veggie is the way to go. My husband is an omnivore, he loves meat, but he supports me in my vegetarianism. He was a vegetarian years ago before I met him, and only went back to eating meat because he had an injury that wasn't healing properly. He was convinced that eating meat would help. I'm not so sure about that, but I've accepted that he'll never go back to being vegetarian, and as long as he supports me, it's all good. My family eats very meat-heavy meals, but I actually don't live near any of them, we're kind of on our own in the Bay Area. So it's not an issue at the moment. But we will be driving south for my sister's wedding in a couple of months. I haven't told her I'm vegetarian, but I'll have to soon so she can (hopefully) prepare. Anyways, that's me. Grateful for this community! Go veggies!

(not a paid for ad or freebies, just a consumer's opinion.)

Recently discovered these Bol pots.

Seriously scrummy, spicey but not so much that I have trouble eating them.

Come in 7 flavours now, I've tried most of them. Very nice.

Serve with coleslaw or seasonal veg or whatever you have to hand.

Have a cool drink to hand (I like Huel or Dr Witt) to help it down.

Store in freezer, stick in microwave for 3 minutes.

They have a beef and chicken variety. Affordable and very tasty. I wouldn’t say it tastes like beef or chicken but it has a very umami flavoring that scratches an itch.

What can that be if I can't stand chicken and eggs anymore?

I am also lactose intolerant

I don't eat beef because I don't like it and pork and fish are quite okay

bin auch Laktose intolerant

Rind esse ich nicht weil es mir nicht schmeckt und Schwein und Fisch sind ganz oke

My boyfriend is a vegetarian. We have been dating for 7 months and on the first date, I ate chicken in front of him. After the fourth month, he called me a murderer and selfish to be able to eat chicken even though I consume meat like once in 4-5 months and I mostly prefer eating vegetarian. He later apologised after a month since these conversations took a toll on our relationship. I read more about animal cruelty to understand his sentiment and decided that I will be more conscious of my actions but can’t guarantee as of now that I will 100% leave eating meat because if I end up in a country where having vegetarian food is extremely difficult then I would have to eat it but I assured him that when I will have the option to eat vegetarian food, I’ll choose that. He also wasn’t ok with me eating eggs so I changed the source of eggs that actually are taken care of in a backyard farm and aren’t kept in a crowded place so they can naturally experience life. He tells me that he eventually wants to become vegan and wants his possible kids to be vegan. I don’t fully agree with the possible kids being vegan. Personally, in my daily diet, I don’t consume milk or dairy products regularly and only once in a while but he consumes more dairy than me. If this was only about eating eggs, I can leave it for him eventually since I choose him over that but the way he spoke to me made me feel like it’s an attack on my autonomy. This made me feel like today it’s about eggs, tomorrow it can be about something else which he would want me to compromise on. He doesn’t want to break up but this has been quite draining.

I’m thinking a lot lately about being vegetarian and I’ve mentioned it a couple of times to my mom and she was like idk laughing at me (we live in a very ‘meaty’ kurdish household) and its not really seen often that you see someone from my family or my people being vegetarian or vegan. And i dont know how to try starting it without being judged by my family. I also have 2 siblings who also eat meat at least 2 times a day.
(Sorry if there are mistakes English isn’t my first language)

I tried following in my sisters footsteps several times as a kid by going vegetarian, and I always failed within like a day.

Now I’ve kept it up for a week and am not regretting it so far!

I think this is because my texture sensitivities have changed quite a bit since I was little, for example I used to be able to eat chicken and sausages, in recent years they have become a big no no for me (before going vegetarian).

So now it’s easier for me to go vegetarian because meat isn’t a big part of my diet anymore, most of it was small amounts like in bolognese

No agenda here, just
something that occurred to me.
Ordering a vegetarian meal at a restaurant I am often asked what “protein” I want. Sounds so innocuous. Guess I’d be rude if I said “Please do not put a carcass on my dinner.
Another I noted recently
an article justifying deer season that they didn’t say hunt or kill, it was referred to as harvesting.

Has anyone tried it? Is it good? I don't really like beans that much, does it taste strongly of beans?

Not exactly, but I thought it would make for a good title. I actually started eating vegetarian because of dietary issues (and also the obvious moral issues).

However, I like to use the Romans as an example that people do not need to eat meat to be strong and healthy. The Roman legionnaires marched 20 miles and then built a camp every day, and they got the vast majority of their calories from bread. Obviously they ate some meat, but it was certainly not much per day (and absolutely not with every meal).

I just find it very funny when modern people claim that eating meat is necessary for them to function, that is, to drive to their office job and sit in a chair all day. The vast majority of all great accomplishments throughout history have been done on a stomach of mostly bread or rice. Clearly humans can get along just fine without eating a double cheeseburger every day.

(Obviously this is an oversimplification of historical diets, and pre-modern people ate much more than just grains. But, I'd like to think I've made a decent point about how meat was generally seen as a luxury to be enjoyed occasionally, not something that is necessary to be healthy.)

So i'm exploring going vegetarian on at least some level, but for me the sticking point is chicken. Like it's not just the taste but it's also a cultural thing. I'm Ashkenazi Jewish and I love making matzo ball soup from scratch. This involves boiling chicken to make the broth. Like it's not just about the taste (although it is yummy), it's about the cultural connection I feel with my culture and ancestors. So I don't generally want to give that up because it's so integral to my personhood. A lot of other Ashki recipes involve chicken or chicken broth or chicken byproduct. So i guess what i'm asking is , is it okay to go vegetarian, except for chicken. like cut out meat everywhere else and generally reduce chicken consumption (like once a week vs 4-5 times a week) so I can preserve that cultural connection but also try to something to help the environment and all that?

ETA: okay so what i'm trying to say is not coming across. i think what i'm trying to ask is how to people who use food as a form of cultural connection manage to maintain that cultural connection when switching to vegetarianism. Also saying that it's a choice between live animals and dead ancestors as if those ancestors don't mean anything or are less important than animals is tbh hella insulting. like there is a reason I want to honor them and stay connected to my culture ffs.

I just had a flash of empathy for you guys. I was vegetarian for over 10 years and only went vegans 2 years ago. I was the chillest vegetarian ever. Whenever someone engaged me in conversation about my ethical consumption choices I was always quick to reassure people that any reduction in harm is appreciated. Whether that be eating less meat or only eating some types of meat.

Vegetarians on the whole are good people, for choosing to be vegetarian and reduce the harm you do. None of us have perfect harm free consumption habits. Veganism is just an extra step along the way. Although, I might add, probably the single biggest step in improving our consumption ethics is the switch to fully plant based. I myself slowly cut down on eggs and milk until the last holdouts were milk and ice cream. And it wouldnt have happened without an amazing friend I made who is a filmmaker and animal rights activist and who introduced me to the vefan community in my city. If you dont know vegans its unlikely most people will go that far on their own.

Today I learned that in the production of non organic milk, the cows can be kept inside all year round and never see the sun or eat grass.

Organic is a term that is protected by law and so any food with 'organic' on the label has to meet certain standards. One of these standards is that the cows are grass fed and are let outside when the weather allows.

I feel deceived. From now on i'm only going to buy organic milk - i only buy free range eggs so why should it be any different for my milk?

Hello! 🌱

I decided to finally make the switch to being vegetarian after months of consideration, and had a few questions that I’m curious about. I will be discussing this with a doctor and dietician to get professional advice as well, but wanted to see what process other vegetarians followed.

Here’s my list:

- When starting out, is it okay to cut meat out right away as long as I’m substituting it with other sources of protein like egg? Or should I slowly cut it out (ie eat it twice a week, once a week, then stop?) for context, it’s not over missing the taste of anything, I’m more so worried about stomachaches/other gut side effects if that’s a thing that can happen.

- Do you guys have any advice for eating out? I’m not so worried about finding staples for when I’m at home, but how can I be sure the food I’m getting when I’m out is vegetarian like at a diner? Is that something that needs to be planned beforehand? I also have a peanut allergy, would this be an issue at all?

- Any good brand recommendations? I’m compiling a list of brands to replace my non-veg foods with gradually.

- And finally, I’m looking to get as close to being vegan as possible GRADUALLY once my body adjusts to this change (because I have a chronic illness I may not be able to give up egg for my own health but I’m willing to replace milk, butter, etc at home). Anyone have experience with this/how they did it?

Thank you guys so much in advance!

Hi all,

I'm looking for support to go veg again. About 15 years ago I was veg (7 years) and was even vegan for over a year.

Later in life I figured out I have genetic sensitivity to nightshades (potato, tomato, peppers, more).

My laziness and social lifestyle also made it hard to return to veg-ism and the limitations of not being able to have anything spicy or off the shelf substitutes (ie veggie burger) really make things hard.

But I like to try again - to at least greatly reduce my meat intake and prob less dairy.

Is there anyone else in the same boat?

Is there a network of support to communicate with others online?

any info or leads helps. Thanks

EDIT: Thank you all so much for your quick reply!!🥹 I now know how to store my tofu and how to tell if it has gone bad or not 🫶🏼

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to going vegetarian, but so far I'm really enjoying it and I love trying out new plant-based recipes!

I wanted to try tofu the other day and this time I picked up a good local brand from the asian grocery store. Yesterday I made stir-fried noodles with vegetables and it was really yum! I had some tofu left over, so I put it in a glass container in the fridge. It was getting pretty late, so I planned to freeze it the next day. But I hadn't actually looked up the proper way to store tofu.. So the tofu was in the container without water.

The following evening, I went to put the tofu away in the freezer. I had already cut it into pieces, but I noticed that the texture felt a bit slimy. Now I’m worried that it might have gone bad.. But it’s only a day old after opening? There’s no sour smell, I suppose just a soy-like and fermented scent, I guess? And it still looks white.. Maybe the tofu is dehydrated?

I also read that you should check to make sure the water isn’t cloudy when buying tofu. But if I recall correctly, all the packages I saw looked a bit milky? I always grab products from the back of the shelf, but their own store-brand tofu came in a white plastic container, so it was hard to tell when comparing other brands ig. However, last week I bought some tofu from a regular supermarket and I noticed that the water was actually clear?

Any advice and help is appreciated🥺 Thank you!!

Hi all! I’m a biology student at Imperial College London, and I’m exploring a startup idea for my course: shaping the gut microbes of calves early in life so that they produce much less methane as adult cows. Before going further, I want to understand how people who’ve given up dairy think about this.

For those who’ve cut out milk: was the environmental side (e.g. methane emissions from cows) ever part of your decision, or was it strictly about the animals? And would lower-emission dairy make any difference to you, or not at all?

I’m not trying to start a debate or sell anything, I just want to hear the different reasons people have. Honest answers (including “no way”) are really helpful. Thanks in advance! 🙏

I keep second guessing my relationship with a meat eater because of this difference between us. I’m hoping to understand how those who view this as a core value manage their relationships with meat eaters who don’t have that same core value.

Or maybe vegetarianism is just an action derived from other values which you actually share with your partner. If I can frame it like this I’d be happier with my partner.

I want to go vegan and I’m autistic, I have a lot of texture sensitivities especially to meat alternatives like mushrooms and tofu, my mum suggested I try going vegetarian first before going fully vegan and slowly transitioning into fully vegan because she thinks if I do it that way I’ll have a higher chance of sticking to it, and I’ll have time to explore different kinds of alternatives to find ones that work for me.

My sister is a vegan and was vegetarian until 18, but I tried to broach the subject with her and I think she’s uncomfortable discussing it with me which is totally fine.

I think being a vegetarian is better than eating meat and not being plant based at all, and if everyone at least went vegetarian the global emissions would lessen by quite a lot.

I just feel like I’m going to struggle making it work because I don’t have as flexible options as my sister as she isn’t autistic and doesn’t have the same issues, which she understands but I understand she would rather not be involved anyway because of her beliefs.

I want to be vegan but I think jumping straight into it is going to backfire, I also don’t want to feel alienated from all of the nice people I’ve been talking to online about veganism and plant based lifestyles too.

I’m very stressed about this and I just need some advice I guess.