I want to learn more about the vegetarian lifestyle!!

Vegan Talk
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Dear vegtalk I found your message board to be very helpful and informative. It seems that you have great community were you can openly discuss and share ideas. I am currently a first year and college, working towards my nursing degree. Currently I am taking a nutrition course. I am asking for your help in completing one of my class assignments. For this class I need to interview a vegetarian. If you would be willing to answer these questions I would be very grateful.

Here are the questions, please answer them and best and as honestly as you can.

why did you decide to become a vegetarian?
what type of vegetarian diet do you follow? ( vegan, lacto vegetarian, etc.)
Do you feel your current diet is nutritionally balanced? Why or why not? What do you do to make your nutritional intake balanced?
What are your main concerns with menu planning?
do you need to take a nutritional supplement? Why or why not? If yes, what vitamins/ minerals does it contain?
What are the advantages, as you see it, to being a vegetarian?
what are some of the disadvantages to following a vegetarian diet?
any other comments you want to add?
Pleas also state what you ate in the last 24 hour period
your age?
sex (male /Female)?
physical activity for the past 24 hours?

as always if you would feel more comfortable just PM me your responses

Thank you so much for your help!

Lauren

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Useful question, useful answers. Thank you both!

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why did you decide to become a vegetarian? I’d never been truly comfortable eating meat but still followed the standard american diet - mostly shunning red meat in lieu of the “lesser evil” of chickens and fish. Initially I went vegan for a month for health reasons; I liked it so much and then did more research on the subject. After learning about the horrors of factory farming I decided I didn’t want to contribute to animal suffering anymore and became vegan.

what type of vegetarian diet do you follow?vegan

Do you feel your current diet is nutritionally balanced? Why or why not? What do you do to make your nutritional intake balanced? I think I have a rich, full, delicious, varied, exciting, fulfilling, energy packed diet.

What are your main concerns with menu planning? 1) plant based 2) tastes good 3) healthy 4) balanced -I like something rich and creamy and something fibrous/ leafy with every meal

do you need to take a nutritional supplement? Why or why not? If yes, what vitamins/ minerals does it contain? Don’t really know whether I need to but every now and then when I think of it I’ll pop a B12.

What are the advantages, as you see it, to being a vegan? personal advantages - feel healthy, energetic, positive, sense of peace
what are some of the disadvantages to following a vegetarian diet? It’s all great.

any other comments you want to add? Like others, I worried about missing cheese and cow milk products. With cashew cream, fermented nut cheeses, avocados and coconut milk products I eat an even creamier, richer, more satisfying diet than I ever ate before I started following a vegan diet.

Pleas also state what you ate in the last 24 hour period
breakfast: toast with almond butter and strawberry jam; tea with coconut milk creamer
lunch: bean burrito
dinner: whole avocado with arugula, artichoke hearts, cilantro, crushed almonds and a homemade lemony dressing with dill and capers
popcorn

your age? 29

sex (male /Female)? Female

physical activity for the past 24 hours? nothing in the past 24 haha, but typically I do something (biking, yoga, jogging) a few times a week

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Good Day to all just like the TS i would like to learn more about the vegetarian lifestyle. what worries me is that will I be able to get the nutrition that we need? what about the cravings? or are there any withdrawals? what about during special occasions or gatherings? how do you tell other people that you choose to be a vegetarian? i have tried to do some research on being a vegan and I think I need more inputs from you guys.

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Great job making the choice to be veg!
I usually have tofu scramble in the morning with coffee and Soygo
Lunch is quinoa salad with lots of herbs and nuts/ seeds
Dinner - veggie pasta, burrito, a big salad…
snacks- my new fav. for the summer is strawberry soup! Delic!

Good luck!