The rise and rise of Vegetarians
 

A RECORD one in eight British adults have turned vegetarian after ditching meat and fish, according to new research released yesterday.

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/...ase-in-Britain

are you one or thinking about it?



http://lizkzn1.files.wordpress.com/2...uit1.jpg?w=816


A juicy Pomelo, yesterday

Could never ditch meat

I was a vegetarian for a couple of years back when i was a teenager. I really like meat though :/

I'm pleased it's becoming more common, go vegetarians! :dance:

I used to be a vegetarian, contemplating it again.

Neh, it's not healthy. Humans are omnivorous, just eat the damned steak :D

Vegetarians... they're the ones who can't get the lid off the pickle jar.

I eat meat, but I make a conscious effort to buy meat that's been ethically reared.

Everyone should really... whether they care about animals or not! Grass-fed beef / butter and free range chicken just taste far better.

I couldn't agree more. You really can tell the difference. Sadly some people would rather save a few quid. I know there are those who can't afford to be choosey, but they are a lot who could.

I could never ditch meat and fish!

It just seems wrong to ditch both completely.

I could never ditch meat and fish!

It just seems wrong to ditch both completely.

I've thought about it before and it would be nice and all that but would need to make sure I was 100% committed.

I went vegetarian and ended up severely anemic, turns out my body breaks down iron better from meat than from green leafy veg:shocked:

I'm very careful about the meat I buy, making sure it's the best I can get:grin2:

I wanted to go vegan a few weeks ago, but my parents told me "it's not healthy blablabla". I might start nagging them again.

I don't think there are any vegetarians. I'm sure they all cheat when no one is looking.

i think a lot of it is a 'hipster' sort of thing... people want to be different and i think some people choose to be 'vegan' or 'vegetarian' etc to be edgy

of course, i definitely can understand why some people are vegetarian and that some people genuinely are...

i think it's mainly teenagers who do it to be different. but meh, who knows.

i hate it when people force it on their kids.

my best friends dad and his gf were vegetarian, yet they would still cook beef and chicken etc for her. I thought it was really good of them.

my friend is only veggie so she can loose weight

If it wasn't for Doner meat and chips I would go veggie no problem.

the same thing happened to my mum......she was really ill and only started to get better when the doctor made her reintroduce meats...

I can for one assure you that this is not true.

I stopped eating fish ages ago not because I find it mean to the animals, just because fish is vile

My doctor was shocked that my iron levels were at 2:shocked:

She asked what i was doing, i told her i'd gone veggie, she then explained that because of my digestive issues a veggie diet wasn't for me, within 2 weeks of eating good quality red meat (not every day, probably 3 times a week) my iron levels were up to 7 and i was feeling a lot better, within a month they were 12, i'd also cut out wheat and cereals as i'd found i was gluten intolerant, and certain B vits (which are in bread/cereals etc.) are essential for iron, so i think it was a dietary issue for me.

Safe to say i now take a good quality multi vitamin, and eat meat regularly:laugh:

There is nothing hipster about an ethical lifestyle choice, and I don't believe anyone 'should' do anything... As long as your diet includes all the nutrients it needs from other sources then where's the beef? true vegetarianism isn't a diet of chips and cheese ;)
I'm working through the contents of my freezer as we speak eradicating all the meat based products (too tight to chuck it). I have a condition that will be greatly improved with a meat free diet so will be embarking on that shortly, as it is I don't eat offal or any 'mystery meats' so can't see it being that hard just putting a bit more thought and forward planning into meals.

You literally can't get all of the nutrients you need from an "animal free" diet, you need to supplement some unless you continue to eat some things, like fish / eggs etc. (which some "ethical veggies" do), and vegans (who also cut dairy) struggle to get enough protein no matter what they do (as almost all supplements are milk-based).

Although... I hear that insects (such as Big Brother favourites salt and vinegar grasshoppers) make an excellent, environmentally friendly meat substitute... And no one is going to cry over insect rights. Surely??

I've been a veggie since I was 13,and I think I am healthy,I feel it anyway.

If you ate meat though, Kaz, you'd probably be, like... Wonder Woman or something!

I don't miss it Livia,I don't like the texture of it or the smell when it's raw,I do like the smell of bacon though ,if ever I was tempted,it would be because of that:hehe:but I don't like it enough to miss it.

I was a veggie when i was a kid,Started to eat meat at around 12.Was always fit and strong as a kid.Veggie diet is fine,Vegan on the other hand,Now that some hardcore anemic shiz right there.
Me and the misses went on a diet at one point and ate Quorn instead of mince beef in spagbol and cottage pie etc as it's less fattening.We actually prefered it,Less chewy and fatty.

One in eight? I'm surprised it's that high. I'm a vegetarian, have been for 11 years and no we don't secretly cheat when no one is looking :p

surely some do lol

I've been a vegetarian a month today (I think) and I'm not missing meat at all. I'm not eating dead animals, and I'm toning up too!

Same :laugh:

What is it we need that you can't get?

i feel like going veggie for one week only see how i do

There are soo many vegetarian options out there now,Vegetarians don't have to live on nut cutlets and sprouts anymore.

Vegans? Most are deficient in Vitamins D and B12, plus iron, calcium and zinc (because they're not as easily absorbed from plant sources so the RDA is higher) and anyone who wants to to have a decent body composition will struggle to get enough protein to maintain muscle.

I'm not saying they'll die without supplementing, just that they'll never be at optimal dietary health. Of course, that's only a problem if you mind supplementing. And like I said, protein is still obviously an issue for vegans, because almost all protein supplements use whey protein. Vegetarian men especially struggle to maintain much functional muscle mass.

Non vegan vegetarianism isn't an issue because there's not really anything that can't be compensated for with dairy products and eggs. If you include fish, even better. Although quite a few will still need to supplement iron, because as I said plant based iron sources aren't as easily absorbed and it can be hard for some people to get enough to avoid slight anaemia.

This is really about fresh foods... The main reason that many modern day veggies won't run into many problems is because there are a lot of foods that are fortified with supplements (cereal for example, which you could have with something like almond milk, which is calcium fortified).

Not saying that these are insurmountable issues obviously, just that our biological make up is omnivorous and a NATURAL diet completely free from supplements and fortified foods simply can't be optimal without meat.

Plus it's delicious of course :D.