I am very interested in becoming vegetarian/vegan...?

Question

I never realized until recently how horrific animals are treated in regards to the food industry. I've been reading lots at goveg.com I am interesting in reading more.

Do you have any site recommendations that you like or that have helped you?

Sites including information about:

How to change your eating lifestyle?

Your favorite blogs?

Site with great food recipes?

Anything else of relevance to vegetarianism and veganism?

I also eat as much organic foods and buy products that are chemical free with organic ingredients. I'm trying to live a pure lifestyle and would like to do so as being a vegetarian and hopefully transition into going vegan. Thank you for your answers in advance! =)

Answer 1

Well come to the world of vegetarian because of you more and more animals will save their lives thanks :)

Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.

Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.

A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.

Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.

Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.

Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.

Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.

Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.

Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.

ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:

More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.

1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.

" Source: Seventh day Adventists study

2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.

4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.

5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.

Answer 2

I think you're on the right track starting with vegetarianism. Giving up meat is east. Dairy and milk? A little harder. You'd be surprised how much has dairy and milk in it. :[

Goveg.com was a great start. There's a huge divide among veg*ns about PETA, but they have some great resources whether you agree with them or not. VRG.com (Vegetarian Resource Group) is an awesome site that focuses less on animal rights and more on food. My personal favorite site is ThePPK.com. Postpunk Kitchen has awesome recipes reviewed by site visitors, forums, a blog, and even their own vegan cookbooks! You can't go wrong. Vegansociety.com has a lot of great info on animal rights, issues in the veg*an community, and, duh!, food.

Answer 3

This video is way better than any others that I have seen.

If you dont have 90 minutes, skip to the Food section at 17:50

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odee3Jqzf...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ls6NCEsV...

Answer 4

Here's some news. I just decided (10 minutes ago) to turn vegetarian. This after a thought which was bothering me: animals have SOULS...by getting them killed for meat which we consume, we partake in the sin. It's negative karma and I intend to stay away from it in future. I also intend to stay away from people who will force me to give up on my new resolution. With each passing day, my focus on vegetariansm would intensify.

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You can switch to a diet rich in milk/eggs to substitute meat. Cow/buffalo milk contains all essential vitamins/minerals for your sustenance, of course apart from proteins. You may want to take omega-3 fatty acid tablets for its original substitute in fish/seafood.

Answer 5

Hi, that's great you're interested in going veg!

General info and transition tips:

http://www.tryveg.com/

http://www.vegcooking.com/makingthetrans...

Recipes and food ideas:

http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.a...

http://www.vegcooking.com/

http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp

I hope this helps!

Answer 6

ya, that first video that summer luv brought up was the same that made me switch to vegetarian. now, watching it again, makes me want to become vegan. here are some other good sites/videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgUgj9xZO...

http://www.goveg.com/vegetarian101.asp

(click under the meet the animals to read about each one)

http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming.asp

a picture is worth 1000000 words...

http://www.goveg.com/photos_chickens.asp

http://www.goveg.com/photos_cows.asp

http://www.goveg.com/photos_pigs.asp

http://www.goveg.com/photos_turkeys.asp

i really hope i helped. good luck. : )