Becoming a vegetarian is Hard!
By Leo
@d_e_v81 (360)
Singapore
October 26, 2010 10:10am CST
Ive tried and failed many times. I just cannot seem to do away with my McChicken or cereal prawns or Satay for good. living in multicultural society like Singapore where you can get food from all over the world under one roof doesnt help either. My decision to become a vegan is not based on any religious basis or whatsoever. I would just like to have a life where I dont have to depend on the death of animals for my survival. but life is more than just surviving. Max i have gone through was a week of eating salads and fruits and once I have that need to fill up the vacuum that so often crops up in my life...i find myself calling for McDonalds or walking across the street to the 24h coffeeshop for my Satays or Seafood fried rice...(sighz)
2 people like this
13 responses
@ellyse2003 (1463)
• Philippines
26 Oct 10
Hey! hi there. I am a vegetarian. I started when I was in high school, I know it's very hard to be a vegetarian, I have been struggling for almost 5 years before I consider myself a real vegetarian. I became a full vegetarian at the age of 17 and now I'm 22, its been 5 years since the day I became a full pledge vegetarian.
@ellyse2003 (1463)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
It's not really a secret. Its just how you make your choice.
In the first year, I did not try not to eat meat (beef) at all. I started not to eat meat at home, I practiced not to buy any meat to bring at home too. I only eat meat every once a month. The time came that my body is not looking for meat anymore, importantly my tongue doesn't crave for meat.
In the second year, I tried not to eat poultry products (chicken). Year after year, I can already see my success. After two years, I only eat eggs, fish, milks, veggies.
The third year came, I took of the fish....even canned tuna.
Now, my fourth year was a little bit tricky for me, it's kinda hard to live without egg because ever since it was always part of my meal. But I tried hard and look for different substitutes until I saw my self ready to live without egg.
The last thing to remove from my diet is milk, I know milk is very important. But when I looked for help from a nutritionist doctor, he thought me how to make my own milk at home (soya milk) then I started researching about the food I need to add on my diet as a vegetarian.
@Luna_James (47)
• Philippines
26 Oct 10
Hello Ellyse,
Do you have any secret for being a full pledged vegetarian?. ^.^ 'Cause I'm still 70%-80% vegetarian..not a full one..
@Luna_James (47)
• Philippines
26 Oct 10
I can't really say that it's that HARD..I want to become a 100% vegetarian but then i can't escape sometimes at the non veggie food that my grandma would serve every meal, we are not brought up to complain especially when it comes to food. We must eat whatever is served. I seldom eat meat. As much as possible I won't eat meat and oily foods. Mostly I eat foods Low in G-Index, vegetables and fruits and seafoods. I'm just a semi-vegetarian..say I'm only 70%-80% vegetarian.
@d_e_v81 (360)
• Singapore
27 Oct 10
It comes easier for some than others. It is more difficult for some people like me to become a vegetarian. I suppose it also depends on the location and situation as well as your culture you were brought up in. Also depends on your level of resistance to temptation. Sometimes I get to thinking, you only have one life...why torture urself if you really cant give up meat?
@Luna_James (47)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
Well, then it's really up to you. If you really want to become a vegetarian, you must fully dedicate yourself to being one. ^.^
@Fireheart (683)
• India
26 Oct 10
Being a vegetarian is hard especially where we live now in modern age, where everything can become a food and the dish served can become any animal, it has become an addiction to eat meat for me, mainly vegetarian hotels are less here, there is not choice than to eat them, overeating of meat is bad and also needed to, being a veg has always a plus point whatever veg item we consume its good to health than any oily food that increase fat in our body.
@d_e_v81 (360)
• Singapore
26 Oct 10
yea that is another problem im facing. we are spoilt for choice and taste when it comes to non-veg stuff but good tasty veg food is really tough to come by. even the mock meat they have in supermarkets cant seem to satisfy my craving for meat. i guess i didnt claw my way up the evolutionary scale to eat like a rabbit...lol
@hushi22 (4928)
•
27 Oct 10
yeah, a lot of my friends said it's difficult but to be honest for me it is easy, but not in the Philippines. i could say it's difficult to be one in the Philippines because a lot of Filipinos are so in love with meat and there are not so many substitutes available in the grocery stores.
@Luna_James (47)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
Maybe it depends in our dedication to become a vegetarian. I'm from Philippines too!! ^.^ I just need a little bit more to become a full vegetarian. And maybe it also depends on our family. I grew up w/ my cebuano-spanish grandma, she's a vegetarian and I want to be like her.
@sweetmary86 (822)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
i love eating veggies and im pretty sure can survive eating only veggies. but i know im going to crave for animal stuff.
@Airshippick (31)
• United States
27 Oct 10
It is also possible to become a demi veggetarian. Doing this sets your consumption of meat to a lesser degree. For example, you can decide to only eat meat on Monday, wednesday, and Friday from now on. The purpose is to decrease the demand for meat so that less animal will be killed. Also when you're shopping for meat, try to pick meat that come from a farm that raise and kill their animal more humanely. That can be very difficult, but it's worth it because it raises demand for "clean" meat. Meat that is from animal that have been raised properly and killed with little or no suffering.
@madteaparty (2748)
• Japan
27 Oct 10
Well, don't be offended by what I'm going to say, but if you end up going to mcDonalds so easily I think your determination is not strong enough, and you don't really believe in not eating meat. It might be that you're trying to impersonate someone or trying to impress someone by doing that? If that's the case, it's not worth damaging your health for something like that. If I'm wrong, better 
@Jhaycee1987 (94)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
I agree with this topic. It is so much difficult to become a pure vegetarian.. Vegetarians are much healthier than carnivores.. Green leafy vegetables are more nutritious than meat.. In my case since I was used to eating meat, I find it difficult to eat purely vegetables.. Vegetarians are so fit, I got somewhat envious by their nice bodies.. hehe
@pogi253 (1586)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
Vegetarian is the name for people who choose to consume foods that are not derived from living things, such as, cattle, poultry, fish, etc. and production. However, vegetarians are divided several types.
1. Social vegetarian ; People who do not consume meat at certain times only. Made only to honor a vegetarian friend.
2. Transitional vegetarian; Transition Phase onto a real vegetarian, and done in stages to reduce the difficulty in changing the pattern and type of food .
3. Lacto-ovo vegetarian ; Types vegetarians who do not consume food from living things, but still consume daily products such as eggs (ovo) and milk (lacto).
4. Pescatarian vegetarian ; Vegetarians are just choosing fish as food, but sometimes also consume eggs and milk.
5. Vegan ; Type that does not consume any meat processed following products, eggs and milk.
6. Frutarian ; Type, who ate fruits and nuts, especially those that fall from the tree itself.
7. Raw vegetarian ; Vegetarians who only eat vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts are not processed or cooked.
@santosmarichris (1849)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
Hi! I know it's hard to be a vegetarian but lots of people are in it. I'm proud to say that now I don't eat beef or pork anymore. The only meat I eat are sea foods and chicken. I think it's a good start. Ones your body is used to it, it's much more easier to do. If your body craves for protein that only means you need it, so if you don't want to eat meat you have to eat vegetables high in protein. Good luck and stay healthy! 
@ellanel (25)
• Philippines
27 Oct 10
i am a vegetarian since i was a kid. being a vegetarian is very good to our health but for the people who are not vegetarian i know this is so hard for them many people dont eat veggies.
@louis6161 (92)
• China
27 Oct 10
it is hard to become one true vegetarian,if you become one , you must stay at home and not leave your city ,because if you leave your city , it is hard to find one vegetarian resturant . I had met one friend last week , he said he was a vegetrian that he do not eat the meat , but in the resturant , he also eat the chicken , he said the chicken is very decilous
additionaly , I can not think it is good to become the vegetarian, for people's health ~!
