Visitors Forum

We asked why you eat/became vegetarian,
and here are some of those unique stories:

I recall being four years old and eating a piece of fried chicken. I bit into it and noticed a dark red spot. I asked my mother what that could be and she told me it was "maybe a blood clot." I never ate fried chicken after that day.

At the age of eight I announced my intention to never eat meat again. I'd yet to understand that there were others who did this and that the term for their diet was vegetarian. This news was met with a sigh and a question: what are you going to eat then? Grass?

As the oldest daughter in a family of seven with only one working parent, it was difficult, to say the least, to refuse what was placed in front of me for dinner. I know I ate meat and possibly went back for seconds. There seemed no other option.

When I was thirteen, still obsessing over the way eating meat made me feel and the idea of "going veggie", I had a teacher. He proudly declared that he no longer ate any meat. This was my turning point. I had a mentor. There was an adult I respected who was not eating meat, and I finally felt I had an ally.

I decided it would be best for me to go about my "plan" without an announcement and without drawing attention to it. I began by letting my mother place meatloaf on my plate and eating around it. I progressed to refusing to eat packaged foods. When I read that "animal lard" was an ingredient in Oreos, I never again trusted that "meatless" products were vegetarian.

I continued my teenage years on into my twenties as a vegetarian. I have learned that one cannot change one's mind about the right/wrong of eating meat. It seems, to me, as possible as changing a Catholic to a Hindu over the course of a conversation.

I married a man who ate meat. We had a son. For the first time, I felt I had to push my beliefs on my husband. He respected that and reveled in the fact that our son was always the tallest, strongest, fastest child in his age group. We've since divorced
and a worry of mine was that I wouldn't oversee all of my son's meals. This was hardly need for concern since my child (through, I promise, no brainwashing from me) proudly declares that he eats "food, not animals" when any unsuspecting adult kindly offers him a hamburger or chicken nuggets.

I am 28 now. I have never "missed" the taste of meat. I frankly answer questions as to why (I feel that it is wrong) and how (do *you* only eat meat? Do *I* look like I am starving?) when someone asks me about my lifestyle. I went to a high school where my science teacher asked what the term is for a human herbivore and do we have any in this class? When I raised my hand, very nervously as I never raised my hand, I was bombarded with preposterous questions, including, but not limited to, "are you a Satanist?"

I am proud that despite misunderstandings, uneducated questions and general bewilderment that I have been the object of (that ridiculous song by whoshewhatsit including the lyrics: Mary Mo, she's a vegetarian. She don't like meat but she sure likes to bone) I have maintained my lifestyle. It isn't always easy. One year I ate oatmeal at a 4th of July celebration because I had nothing else to choose from (who puts salami in a side salad?!). It is always worth it. It is so much a part of me that I just assume people know.

I will continue to answer questions patiently and proudly. I will continue to serve only vegetarian meals in my home with no one leaving hungry. I will continue to hope that one day no one will eat animals. I will continue to hope that this very simple understanding will be understood by everyone. There seems no other option.

This is my first day as a vegetarian, I have been cutting out meat and eating a more veg diet. I have been very aware of the personal products I have been buying too, but I have felt hypocritical about following this and still eating chicken and fish.

I feel excited and liberated that Ii can do something, and make a difference to the world that God made and pay ultimate respect to the creatures he created. When I have found out that products I've used have hurt animals I have been gutted and I wanna stand up and make a difference.

I was just out of college and was beginning my career in an entry level position. I didn't have a lot of money so I rode my bicycle to run errands and lived in a cheap apartment. It was at this point in my life that my father died of a heart attack. He was only 67-years-old.

Fifteen years later, and I'm thinking more about my own health. I now own my own house and I have a very good position which pays a decent wage. I am married to the kindest and most wonderful woman I've ever met. I am also blessed with two children, a boy and a girl.

When I reflect on my life, I realize my father died just as my life was beginning to bloom. My father never met the woman who was to become my wife nor his grandchildren. My father totally missed seeing the best part of my life.

I became a vegan because several years from now, I do not want my son or daughter to ever write down words similar to these. Nothing matters more than my being there to guide them and help them out along the way for as long as I can. Giving up meats and dairy is a small price to pay if it means I'll have more time in the end to spend with my children.

I feel much better after the change in my diet. In 2003 I was following in my father's footsteps. I led a very sedentary lifestyle and ate the typical American diet. A day didn't go by in which I didn't have a hamburger and french fries for at least one meal of the day. I knew that I was grossly overweight and on my way to an early heart-attack, but I felt powerless to do anything about it. I tried dieting before but in the end just gained it all back again and more.

In 2004, I was finally able to take control of my life. I committed to following a strict vegan diet for 6-weeks at least. After the 6-weeks were over I felt so much better, and my cravings for meat and dairy were no longer present. Therefore I just stuck with it. It has been one year now since becoming a vegan. I managed to lose 45 pounds. I must confess I am having lots of problem losing those last 10-pounds. Nevertheless, I am committed to a vegan lifestyle and I run 2.5 miles per day. I am 42-years-old and not only do I feel great, I also believe I have added years to my life.

I am also very happy at the subsequent change it has led to my family. My teenage daughter follows a vegetarian diet. My wife has also lost lots of pounds and looks greater than she ever has; although, she still occasionally eats meat. My 2 1/2-year-old son is unfortunately hooked on McDonalds. This is an area we need to work on, but he is just at that age. As a family we eat out at least once or twice a week and it is always at a vegetarian restaurant.

I became a vegetarian because i just recently learned about the abuses done to animals just to meet the demands of the commercial market. I also started to feel this deep sense of compassion for all things that have a heart beat. I believe that we should not torture the animals just to satisfy our human cravings.

I ate less portions then her. But I wasn't going to win that battle so I gave up and then I gained 50 more pounds with my daughter a year later. After being the heaviest I have ever been in my life. And all the mad cow and chicken diseases, and the pollutants in our country and eco-system I decided enough was enough and turned back vegan the same day. I am a raw vegan and I love the change I have more energy. And I feel like I am contributing to a healthier world, as well as passing my knowledge onto friends and family.

Going raw vegetarian is one of the best things in the world… the choices of fresh fruit and vegetables are wonderful and the combinations are endless. I have my own garden & greenhouse, all organic. And loving it. Seeing how things grow.. nature is a beautiful thing.

Actually, I am still working on being a good vegetarian. By living in a bible belt, meat producing & meat eating community, it is hard to find the vegetarian items, like TVP, tofu, meat substitutes, herbs, and all those wonderful fresh vegetables at our local supermarkets. But we have gone on-line and found several places to purchase the items we need.

I was introduced to vegetarianism by my fiancé, Jimmy. Jimmy and I knew each other when I was a very small child. Jimmy was my brother's best friend all through school (from 1962 to 1973) and then he moved to Florida and lived there from the time he was 21 years old until about one and a half years ago. He was reacquainted with my brother at their 30th year class reunion, and he moved back to Indiana to play music with my brother. Jimmy and I met at my brother's house and we instantly fell head over heals in love with each other (of course, as a small child, I always had a crush on him - he was 6 years older than I, and even gave me my first kiss at my sister's graduation in 1968) - well enough about that - I could go on and on about how special our life is together.

Jimmy is the one responsible for me becoming a vegetarian. He became a vegetarian about 10-15 years ago. You see he was hurt in an automobile accident which injured his back to where he was not able to hardly get out of bed, nor work from 1991 to 1996. He was on so many pain killers and the doctors told him he would probably never be able to function properly again. It was then he decided to dump the medicine and work toward healing himself. He was already somewhat of a vegetarian, but he did more research and even spoke with a nutritionist Jimmy thought that by eating well - and being good to our planet, this would enable him and maybe even reward him for his efforts. Sure enough, from about 1997 on, he has healed his back and now has more energy than I have and has built up his stomach and back muscles which he had lost from laying in bed for so long. He will soon be 50 years old, and to me, has a body of a 35 year old!

So from this, he has inspired me so very much to work at eating well - not only for myself - how I look and feel, but for the environment. He also turned me on to the book by John Robbins "Diet for New America," which has been an inspiration. Growing up in a small town with farms all around, I never knew the torture the poor animals go through just to feed our bodies with meat, that now I see, we do not even need or require. It has been such an enlightening experience for me. It really makes me feel good to eat healthy. We work together on trying new recipes and have such a good time eating them and knowing that we are being good to ourselves and to the planet.

Although, living in a small town - we still get the looks from our friends and family that we are crazy for not eating meat (that we will have a protein deficiency). But that's okay because we know how we feel and look and in time they will notice our energy level and the way we are still looking good for our age.

Dr. Pyarelal writes:

I became a vegetarian because it dawned on me that we all are are born vegetarians and remain so until society puts meat on our table, because it is fashionable and brings in cheap but harmful proteins.

I also strongly believe that we don't need this extra nutrition anymore as we have become more mechanized (don't need muscles) and majority of us use only our brains for our survival,
Brains only need glucose and it easily comes from vegetables, fruits and unrefined foods.