How? Why? When?

[California Dreamin']

How did you become vegetarian/vegan?

Why? When?

Do you wish you were earlier?

 

[Lilium]

I became vegetarian when I started looking into Buddhism a couple of years ago. Some verses from the Dhammapada really woke me up to the fact that animals fear death and suffering as much as we do. With that new perspective I found I could no longer eat meat. So I went vegetarian...just over two years ago now. I just couldn't stomach eating it anymore. Soon after my decision I also saw turkeys being slaughtered on TV (the only meat I ate before becoming vegetarian was chicken...occasionally fish) and seeing that cemented in my mind that I couldn't eat it anymore.

 

[Talmidah]

I originally became vegetarian around 1990 when I was 15 and went to a Paul McCartney concert. There was a stand there from an organization called "Friends of the Earth". I got some pamphlets then started writing other groups for information. I was disgusted at finding out where my food actually came from. I changed my eating practices right away. I was vegetarian through my last two years of high school and while I was at UC Santa Cruz, which was an excellent place to be veg .

After I got married, I started eating meat again and fell into horrible eating patterns which lasted for awhile. I cleaned it up somewhat and for the past couple years I've eaten meat maybe once a month, if that. I'm now back to being vegetarian (which makes it so easy to keep kosher too!) and want to transition to veganism.

 

[California Dreamin']

With me, I have Asperger's so my sense of taste and smell is very sensitive (I didn't know about having Asperger's until recently either--took 21 years to find out!) At a very young age, McDonald's hamburgers were the one thing keeping me from being vegetarian, they were the only meat. I didn't eat chicken, turkey, pork, seafood, etc. So, I stopped eating them for awhile, and just ate them off and on through different times in my life. I finally stopped eating them and have called myself vegetarian since... kind of a long story but I've been vegetarian off and on for a long time.

 

[JulySheMustFly]

I first became a vegetarian in the early 90s. Why? I never liked meat. My parents used to hide it in my food and I was tired of that. The meat industry bothered me then it bothers me now. I think I have fully returned to vegetarianism. I plan to stay there. Why? environmental reasons, health reasons, the fact that I couldn't kill an animal to eat, I'm sure there are more.

 

[keeptrying]

I moved to North Carolina and discovered the way animals are factory farmed. I stopped eating meat then. I can't say I am a vegetarian because I still at times eat fish and occasional meat just because my husband does but it's not that often. On the health side I believe that Americans eat way too much meat in their diets.

 

[California Dreamin']

I moved to North Carolina and discovered the way animals are factory farmed. I stopped eating meat then. I can't say I am a vegetarian because I still at times eat fish and occasional meat just because my husband does but it's not that often. On the health side I believe that Americans eat way too much meat in their diets.

That's the same as my mom. My stepdad (well, he moved out January 2) eats a lot of meat. Since he's left, my mom's lost like 30 lbs. without exercise.

 

[barefeetonholyground]

I was browsing through the diet and nutrition center of Borders one evening when I came across a certain title that got my attention by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Like I do with any book I read the summary on the back first thing. Looked interesting, especially since I'd never tried losing weight from a tough-love perspective before. I ended coming back to the book the next day and read it there in the bookstore. I had no idea the book was very pro veganism but reading through all the diseases and other issues caused by meat and dairy, I realized that I had no choice but to give it up. I've now been meat free for over a month now, and vegan for about a week and I haven't ever felt better.

 

[California Dreamin']

I was browsing through the diet and nutrition center of Borders one evening when I came across a certain title that got my attention by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Like I do with any book I read the summary on the back first thing. Looked interesting, especially since I'd never tried losing weight from a tough-love perspective before. I ended coming back to the book the next day and read it there in the bookstore. I had no idea the book was very pro veganism but reading through all the diseases and other issues caused by meat and dairy, I realized that I had no choice but to give it up. I've now been meat free for over a month now, and vegan for about a week and I haven't ever felt better.

That's really awesome.

 

[GraceDaily]

I became vegetarian when I was 15 or 16 it must have been. My mum is a big animal rights activist and she would leave all these pamphlets laying around with pigs hanging upside down and stuff, enough to put you off.

I actually eat meat again now though as I'm a really picky eater so I couldn't really cut anything else out

 

[California Dreamin']

I became vegetarian when I was 15 or 16 it must have been. My mum is a big animal rights activist and she would leave all these pamphlets laying around with pigs hanging upside down and stuff, enough to put you off.

I actually eat meat again now though as I'm a really picky eater so I couldn't really cut anything else out

I'm very picky.

 

[Paulwat]

I became one at 15 due to the health reasons.