^My sentiments exactly

I'll join.

I love the Morning Star stuff... Especially their chicken nuggets.

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*joins* Veggie since 2004!

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can i join? Im not completly veggie...i eat chicken and salmon... all other meat gives me heartburn

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Awwwww...kitty!

I guess I'll join! I'm trying to become a vegetarian. Its a gradual process, mostly because I know that if you try anything cold turkey, you're probably going to fail. Basically that just means that I'm starting out small, and not forcing myself to not eat meat. I eat at a dining hall, which is pretty much a buffet. If the vegetarian options are just as good as the nonvegetarian, then I shoose vegetarian. I don't want to force myself too soon, because I have a very weak will and probably wouldn't last long if I tried to go cold turkey.

So far, its been going well. In the past three weeks I've only eaten one meat dish, and that was the awesomeness chicken tetrazzini. Plus, I was uber stressed and PMSing like crazy woman. Nothing like comfort ood to soothe your soul.

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, meaning that I'll eat dairy products and eggs. Epecially eggs, because its annoying trying to find two complementing incomplete protiens. Except on taco day, when they have refried beans and mexican rice. YUMMMMMM!

Do any of you have medical problems because of you diet? I know that one of my veggie friends was severly anemic (to the point of being put in the hospital). I used to have a very healthy iron level, but I think that my college diet has some how effected that (because I used to be able to give blood, but now my iron is too low. Not anything major, but it is a bit below average). I'm worried now, because my iron was dropping before I stopped eating meat and I haven't been able to get it tested. But, I'm taking my flinstones vitamins that have iron in them along with vitamin c to help my body absorb the iron.

So, how do you guys make sure you get the right nutrition?

Slow and steady is the way for some people, Nauriel. I first cut out red meat, then chicken, then turkey. Kind of like steps. When I was dealing just fine with the omission of one, I moved on and got rid of another. I'm also a lacto-ovo vegetarian, though on very rare occasions I eat fish (not shellfish, though). And even that's only when we go out to eat at semi-fancy to fancy restaurants, which means I eat fish next to never.

If your friend developed medical problems, she may have just tried to omit all meat without altering her diet to fit her needs. For protein and vitamins and such that used to be in meat, I not only eat a lot more fruits and vegetables, but also soy and tofu products; which can be a lot more appetizing than they sound, or just as awful as they sound! You just have to try a few things and find out what you like. Veggieburgers and such are awesome, too. And nuts and beans are very good for your diet! Soymilk has huge amounts of protein in it, as well. I don't quite like original soymilk (in cereals and such... still trying to progress!), but chocolate soymilk is AMAZING! <3

I guess a balanced diet is the key. A bit of this, a bit of that, some more of this; etc. Not too much of one thing during a day or week, and not too little of another.

Nauriel, I found this link for you (clicky!), which talks about iron in the vegan diet. I know you may not be vegan, but it is still very interesting. Here's something interesting from the page:

Dried beans and dark green leafy vegetables are especially good sources of iron, even better on a per calorie basis than meat. Iron absorption is increased markedly by eating foods containing vitamin C along with foods containing iron. Vegetarians do not have a higher incidence of iron deficiency than do meat eaters.

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Yep yep yep. I think I read that once when I was writing a paper about a vegetarian diet. Dark leafy greens and all that stuff. Haha, I remember that from food and nutrition class. I just wish there was a way to make it tasty.

Though I do have to disagree with that statment that vegetarians don't have a lower iron level than non-vegetarians. If a vegetarian diet is done well, then there is no doubt that a person's iron levels will be at a healthy level. But there are too many people that don't realize how important it is to compensate for a lack of meat. Sure, your iron levels may not drop low enough to cause any harm, but if you cut out your main source of iron and don't compensate, then your levels will drop.

Like with what my professor called the "french fry diet." Some young chick decides to go vegetarian, thinking it will be healthy, but then eats nothing but french fries because "well, they aren't meat, and vegetarian diets are healthy, right?"

And if you're at college and eat at a dining hall like I do, sometimes its hard to find the right nutrition, because a lot of dishes that contain the nutrients I need also contain meat. There are always ways to get those nutrients, but pasta and bell peppers are only good so many times in a row.

For my protien and iron, I usually make a salad of spinach and a hardboiled egg (with some bell peppers, because those are amazing). Yumm.

And my friend who was anemic: It was really wierd. She's been a vegetarian since she was 12, and she had always been a bit anemic from then on, but nothing horrible. Then, when she was 18, she started getting really sick. She's fine now, though. Weird stuff.

Oh, and another rant on iron levels (because I love giving blood and probably won't be able to any more). I kinda wish I were a guy, so I didn't have iron problems. Stupid uterus. [/end rant]

Can I join please? Lacto-ovo vegetarian for 2 and a half years now and going vegan in September when I go to university!

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Married Nymphadora Tonks 29/6/13

^ yayy you go girlfriend - hehe always wanted to say that... oh yea...welcome to the club!

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Wow. I could never be vegan. You must have quite the will power!

Haha, I had my very first Boca Burger yesterday. It was surprisingly good. I like the taste of it better than hamburger.

I've also noticed that since I've become veggie, I'm hungry a lot more often. I just noticed this recently, so its possible its because of stress from my finals. But, since becoming vegetarian, my portions havn't decreased at all. Oh well. I guess its better to eat small meals during the day, isn't it? I guess this is a good thing then.

Woah! I haven't seen this! I would like to join please!!

I'm going on 9 years of being vegetarian. I tried being vegan for a while, but that didnt work out too well for me. I wasn't getting enough calcium or iron. I still don't get enough iron though. haha.

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