I've had many delicious meals that were meat-free. I think if people found more dishes, that they favored as much or more than meat dishes there would be more vegetarians. It's mostly about taste, texture, and look. So, if you create more dishes that taste great, have a good texture, and look good, more people will eat less meat, if any.

When questioned/attacked regarding the lack of meat in my diet, I put aside the humane argument and ask 'do you know what they feed them?' (coz I do)
If we're talking pork, I ask why in the '70s (when I acquired my butchers ticket), pork had to be hung for 14 days and cooked well done or you may die from eating it??
Now you can have your pork rare?

Of all the isms out there being a vegetable is one l can support.

That sounds like a very healthy diet - meat isn't necessarily bad for you, the problem is that in the west people just eat too much of it. Kudos to you for having the principles to pay more for less due to your principles, too! (Incidentally, I don't eat meat at all - but that's as much because I don't like it as it is due to concerns).

You are a better person than I am Kojaksmom!

I've been a vegetarian for five years, going on 6 this June. I went cold turkey (no pun intended), and haven't regretted my decison one bit. I do eat more like a vegan at home, but I'm so particualr while out (unless it's a vegan place, otherwise, I do vegetarian). I immediately lost weight when I started and have maintained a healthy weight (I weigh less than I did in high school), and I feel pretty good too. No loss of energy or iron deficeincies. I choose to not eat meat for humane and health reasons. My motto is, if it has a face or parents, I won't eat it.

Im trying to go more plant based. Partly for my health and also because i started to realize the FDA is in the pocket of agribusiness and couldnt be relied on as an impartial source. Protein is abundant in grain and beans and the whole idea of having to match up proteins for 'complete' proteins has been debunked. Do what you think is right and stick to your principles.

I try not to eat anything I wouldn't personally kill. I'll kill most creatures from the sea if I crave them. Yum.

I do have a story about letting a half dozen blue crabs go on the shore at Hattaras, though, when I couldn't do it, not too long ago.

I've eaten two heads of celery since last night. I don't have a lot of food at my place, but I can't say I exactly crave celery right now, tbh.

When I had leukemia, I educated myself about diet quite a bit. Surprisingly, eatign meat is a risk factor for leukemia. So, I went vegetarian for several years. I recovered from teh leukemia an dkept at it until...

I got priced out of my apartment and had to move in with my sister. He home hyas a digitl stove and I am partially blind an dcan't read the controls, so she does most of the cooking, and so I'v egone bakc to eatign meat.

I do object to factory farming. I object to the miserable lives they force the animals to lead. ilaso object because for virtually the entire life of the animals, they are under stress, which lowers their immune system and they get shot full of antibiotics and drugs to keep them "healthy". Now if you ever tasted a grass fed range raised peice of beef next to a factory fed piece of beef, you'd be shocked at how poor in quality the factory fed beef tastes. They may deem factory rasised animals "healthy" but life logn stress wwears on the health and quality of ht enaimal.

There is also the fact that feedign grain to cows isnt' natural. If you took a cow right off the fields and fed it only grain, it would die. They have to ween the cow off grass andonto grain to keep it fron dying. So, a factory fed cow is fed an unnatural diet, which again contributes to its being of lower quality and poorer taste.

For those who can afford grass fede organic beef, I suggest you spend the extra money and buy meat from the healthier animals, which will also help keep you healthier as well.

If I went back to livign on my own, I'd go back to eatign vegetarian.

I eat far less meat than I used to, I haven't given up completely but I only eat free range meat and dairy products now.

I've not eaten flesh for over 35yrs. With the exception of eggs - from my own happy, healthy pet chickens, I am vegan.
Just know that even though you choose to buy "humane" - from supposedly humanely raised animals, they are all slaughtered horribly in the same nightmare slaughter houses as all the rest ...

I am a near vegetarian which means I do not choose cadavers for my protein. I raise my own chickens for eggs & consume dairy in the form of real cheese. No processed corporate food. I agree with TjallTjallOUTLK in that the secret to success is consuming foods from many cultures. The northern euro diet is not a healthy one unless one is surviving outdoors with major physical labor. Carrion eaters contribute to the desecration of the land via open range cattle, hog farms replete with antibiotic resistant microbes, & cruel slaughter & housing practices. I gave up eating corpses 40 years ago when I became enlightened to the issue.

Imade the choice at age 18 not to be a "real man" >eg> meat, cider, cerial, ale, dairy heavy diet.

at age 37 Iam pretty sure who made the right choice

I am eating less meat than i used to, but still haven't gone vegetarian. It is really starting to bother me about the animal cruelty, but also the use of GMOs , antibiotics, and the cutbacks on inspections .

If you have any inexpensive vegetarian recipes that you think a super picky eater would like please share with me!

I went vegetarian in my twenties for a while. It is hard to sustain. My food bank just closed and I buy my own food now. I buy more produce, less meat, chicken and more dairy. I also eat less. I think I am healthier shunning processed, pre-cooked,store-prepared foods.

I have wanted to be a vegetarian for a long time but honestly I’d starve. I feel like the healthier you eat the more expensive it is.

Sorry, I'm definitely a meat-eater and, although I don't like cruel practices or cruelty to animals, I have not changed my diet at all because of it.