Do you feel better eating vegetarian?
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Yeah, I do feel better
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And, I read this at first as "Do you feel better eating vegetarians?"
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And, I read this at first as "Do you feel better eating vegetarians?"
I am making the transition from omni to veggie over the past few weeks and I can already tell a difference. My energy level is up, my skin looks awesome, and I have less tummy problems. I thought it would bother my stomach more to eat all these plant foods but I think it was the meat/cheese that gave me problems.
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If you mean health-wise, I do feel like I have a lot more energy as a vegan, and I also feel really free, like meat was weighing me down, and it feels really healthy, especially when I eat fresh, less processed foods, like things with lots of veggies or fruits. Mentally, I feel a lot better, too. I just feel really enthusiastic and a lot happier, and I realize I felt really guilty all the time as a vegan. Being vegan has also helped my self-esteem. I don't worry about what my family, friends, or classmates think of me as much anymore since making this choice to be different from the people I know, and I realize I'd go insane if I let everything they said to me get to me as much as it did before. I just feel more independent and strong since making the decision to go vegan. Cooking completely for myself probably contributed to this as well. Before I cooked mostly for myself, but if my family made a big meal that I liked I'd eat it, and my idea of cooking for myself as an omni was really just making Top Ramen or heating up frozen food. I never realized the barrier that food can create with people close to you when they're not very accepting of your choice, but it's actually really helped me. When they say something really mean and hurtful, I might let it get to me, but eventually I get over it and feel more determined and stronger than ever.
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I think dairy was causing me a lot more health problems than meat was, but I did physically feel lighter and more energetic when I went vegetarian, and less 'greasy' overall.
Mostly the improvement was psychological though, I FELT a million times better when I stopped eating meat. There's a really good Kafka quote about how he could look at fish in a tank with peace after he went vegetarian because he didn't eat them anymore, and I feel the same way. Every time I saw a cow or a chicken or a pig before I felt like a horrible monster, now I can look at them as friends.
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Mostly the improvement was psychological though, I FELT a million times better when I stopped eating meat. There's a really good Kafka quote about how he could look at fish in a tank with peace after he went vegetarian because he didn't eat them anymore, and I feel the same way. Every time I saw a cow or a chicken or a pig before I felt like a horrible monster, now I can look at them as friends.
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Quote:
I saw some cows at a local fair, and I noticed all the little ways they're adorable and like a pet. All the cows were rubbing themselves on the barn doors and rails like a cat does to leave its scent or scratch itself, and the baby cows acted like puppies, jumping skittishly and playfully like they wanted you to come up to them and pet them. The chickens all came up to me when I called to them, too, and let me pet them through the bars. Everyone was crowded around some four day old baby goats, hoping the pair would come up to them and let them pet them, and they all came up to me and let me pet and hold them for a while. I noticed for the first time that the animals in the food areas looked really sad. I could feel the bones of the dairy cows, despite people assuming their fat, I saw how depressed they looked, probably from their babies being taken away, and I hugged one and could feel it's ribs, neck and spine sticking from the skin, probably from being pregnant so often. The meat cows seemed just as sad, and when I saw them many of them had their face on or covered by their hooves, like a cat or dog does when they sleep or cry. It was so sad, and they all woke up and looked at me when I pet them, and it was really heartbreaking to look in their eyes.
In the sheep barn one sheep was whining to everyone, it really wanted to play and be petted, but with all the people walking by no one would pet him except my mom and I, even though he was crying for attention the way a cat meows all night or a dog jumps onto your lap and licks you, no one cared. I would've pet him longer but I accidentally pointed out loudly to my mom that the tail of the sheep had been cut off and she was afraid I'd get us kicked out. The pigs had finger scratches marked all over them in the food barn section of the fair, and they looked sad and just laid there, looking depressed, but even when I called to them they all came up to me to be pet. I never noticed all the ways animals act before. Also, in all these packed barns, it was really sad that all these people just walked by, some even commenting how big a steak or bacon an animal would make and things like that. I know maybe some people wouldn't consider it vegan to visit a fair with animals like this, but when these animals are guaranteed to be slaughtered, I'm glad I got to at least be one of the few people that pet them and paid attention to them and showed any care or kindness toward them before they continued to be tortured or killed, and I think seeing these animals helped me in my veganism to appreciate these animals. I'm not the kind of person that appreciates from videos and things like that, I need experiences to really draw from for inspiration or to actually learn, and seeing all the animals made me really convinced and realize how amazing "farm" animals are and how wrong it is to eat them.
yes, exactly the way I feel, too! There's dairy farms everywhere in my town. There's one across the street and four just on the way to the local Wal-Mart, and now when I see them I can actually look at them and realize what beautiful animals they are. On my way home from school, there's also a flock of roosters that one house keeps as pets, but they're always outside when I'm walking home, and I didn't notice them until I became vegan. Now when I walk home they all know me and come up to me and let me pet or hold them. I don't know if I just finally noticed them or they sense that I like them or something, but it was such an odd shift.Originally Posted by Werewolf Girl
Mostly the improvement was psychological though, I FELT a million times better when I stopped eating meat. There's a really good Kafka quote about how he could look at fish in a tank with peace after he went vegetarian because he didn't eat them anymore, and I feel the same way. Every time I saw a cow or a chicken or a pig before I felt like a horrible monster, now I can look at them as friends.![]()
I saw some cows at a local fair, and I noticed all the little ways they're adorable and like a pet. All the cows were rubbing themselves on the barn doors and rails like a cat does to leave its scent or scratch itself, and the baby cows acted like puppies, jumping skittishly and playfully like they wanted you to come up to them and pet them. The chickens all came up to me when I called to them, too, and let me pet them through the bars. Everyone was crowded around some four day old baby goats, hoping the pair would come up to them and let them pet them, and they all came up to me and let me pet and hold them for a while. I noticed for the first time that the animals in the food areas looked really sad. I could feel the bones of the dairy cows, despite people assuming their fat, I saw how depressed they looked, probably from their babies being taken away, and I hugged one and could feel it's ribs, neck and spine sticking from the skin, probably from being pregnant so often. The meat cows seemed just as sad, and when I saw them many of them had their face on or covered by their hooves, like a cat or dog does when they sleep or cry. It was so sad, and they all woke up and looked at me when I pet them, and it was really heartbreaking to look in their eyes.
In the sheep barn one sheep was whining to everyone, it really wanted to play and be petted, but with all the people walking by no one would pet him except my mom and I, even though he was crying for attention the way a cat meows all night or a dog jumps onto your lap and licks you, no one cared. I would've pet him longer but I accidentally pointed out loudly to my mom that the tail of the sheep had been cut off and she was afraid I'd get us kicked out. The pigs had finger scratches marked all over them in the food barn section of the fair, and they looked sad and just laid there, looking depressed, but even when I called to them they all came up to me to be pet. I never noticed all the ways animals act before. Also, in all these packed barns, it was really sad that all these people just walked by, some even commenting how big a steak or bacon an animal would make and things like that. I know maybe some people wouldn't consider it vegan to visit a fair with animals like this, but when these animals are guaranteed to be slaughtered, I'm glad I got to at least be one of the few people that pet them and paid attention to them and showed any care or kindness toward them before they continued to be tortured or killed, and I think seeing these animals helped me in my veganism to appreciate these animals. I'm not the kind of person that appreciates from videos and things like that, I need experiences to really draw from for inspiration or to actually learn, and seeing all the animals made me really convinced and realize how amazing "farm" animals are and how wrong it is to eat them.
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You know, I don't feel different at all. When I was an omni I ate several servings of fruits and vegetables a day -- though not nearly the recommended number -- so the switch to vegetarianism has only slightly increased my fruits/veggies intake. Really, I just dropped a serving of meat every two days or so and replaced it with veggies or legumes or something else.
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I concur with basically everything people have said so far: I feel more energetic, my digestive tract works much more smoothly, haven't had an upset stomach since the switch, and I just feel happy about it!! I loved animals before, but now I am legitimate
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Oh god yes. Within a couple of weeks of becoming veggie, I definitely had that hard to explain, cleaner, lighter feel. I generally have a lot more energy now, and a greater mental balance - to the point where I am confident enough to finally come off some anxiety meds, that I have been on for many years.
More importantly though, my whole life I have been a chronic headache sufferer. 2 or 3 fairly major ones a week without fail (doctors could never find anything wrong with me). I haven't had a headache in the last 6 months. Been veggie 7 months now. Of course it could just be that since becoming vegetarian I pay a lot more attention to getting a balanced, nutritious diet, and 99% of my food is now cooked from base ingredients and unprocessed. Either way though I attribute it to being veggie.
Has changed my life so much. The best thing I ever did for myself. Wish I had done it years ago.
More importantly though, my whole life I have been a chronic headache sufferer. 2 or 3 fairly major ones a week without fail (doctors could never find anything wrong with me). I haven't had a headache in the last 6 months. Been veggie 7 months now. Of course it could just be that since becoming vegetarian I pay a lot more attention to getting a balanced, nutritious diet, and 99% of my food is now cooked from base ingredients and unprocessed. Either way though I attribute it to being veggie.
Has changed my life so much. The best thing I ever did for myself. Wish I had done it years ago.
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I do! Since giving up animal products i've had a lot less GI pain, i rarely have headaches, and i usually have a lot less menstrual pain.
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Quote:
It's been almost 18 years, but I do recall explaining it to people much like Sequoia did.Originally Posted by sequoia
Hmmm...I remember feeling "lighter" when I went vegetarian. And less clogged up, in terms of my bowels.
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Quote:
Im the same way. I get a food hangover. It sucks.Originally Posted by Kindred
It more to do with processed food for me. If its not processed or has very little processing im ok. Anything that has been chemically processed or has weird chemicals kick my ass.
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I feel like all the cells in my body have been replaced with lighter, more energetic versions of themselves. As if I'm a completely different person who still looks the same.
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One of the main reasons I went vegetarian in the beginning was because my body just felt lighter, less clogged up, and more "efficient" if that makes sense. Meat and dairy always made me feel sluggish. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to figure that out.
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I was really looking forward to feeling great, but have not yet. The book I read mentioned how much better you feel and how a lot of people are able to get off medications or no longer have health issues. I believe this to be the case. unfortunately, I am having a strange undiagnosed health issue that is making me really tired and weak. I hope to feel the benefits of healthy eating soon. I will say that it does make me feel good that I am eating healthy and it does feel like an accomplishment. The healthy eating is also keeping me away from alcohol and that is a good thing.
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