What age were you when you turned veggie?

Tar.Aldarion

Abigayle wrote: »

Originally in my mid-teens, completely ignored at home. I Started off just pushing meat aside. And was treated like as someone who was 'being awkward' and 'attention' seeking.

I think Moonbaby said it? You were treated like you had an eating disorder. That so unfair ffs. I'm veggie and as vegan as I can be.

Hi abi! What you doing in my neck of the woods? You is veggie and build duvet forts too? *keeper*

Abi

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Hi abi! What you doing in my neck of the woods? You is veggie and build duvet forts too? *keeper*

Oh hai :pac:


Yup, veggie too!

Misa-san

I cut out red meat when I was 15 and a half ish, and when I turned 16 I cut out white meat. Never liked fish or ate much of it to begin with - never understood the "Oh you're vegetarian - would you like some fish then?" It's still an animal of sorts!

I go a little further as well, don't eat gelatine (oh how I miss Jelly) but I allow for some discrepancies on other, well intentioned people's part, like making my omelet on the pan after making a bacon one. Ah bless. And I also couldn't give up cheese, i love it too much. I have to have something! :P I leave the grana padano though.

I'll be 21 soon-ish, and despite the boyfriend swearing he'll convert me - I've known Quorn longer than I've known him! Quorn has been there for me, we've had some good times together.

Shootenanny

Interesting to hear how others became veggies!

I'm the only vegetarian in my family and have only one other friend who is vegetarian.

Gave up all meat and fish when 14...wanted to give up since i was 8/9 but at that time had to eat what the mammy made me:p

My grandmother could never grasp the notion that I just didn't want to eat meat and used to tell everyone that I was allergic to meat!

don't know how I stumbled upon this thread! Unfortunately I'm no longer a veggie. I got very very very sick with anaemia when I was about 18 so I ended up turning back

You've reminded me of when I became a veggie though. I was 10. Since the age of 8 I wouldn't eat lamb (still won't) because when we were in Spain, my uncles new father in law killed a lamb in our honour - I was playing with the sheep only hours before . Still though, I was unaware that you could actually give up meat! So when I heard of this thing called vegetarianism I marched right up to my mam and said, I'm going to be a vegetarian. Her exact words were "ok, but I've already made spaghetti bolognese so you'll have to start tomorrow" and that was it! She was brill. My granny was an awful woman who used to try and convince me that the likes of pudding wasn't meat in an attempt to force it down me :pac:

I often think about reverting back but haven't done it so far

Tar.Aldarion

I love your little story about your mother saying you will ahve to start tomorrow, very cute.


and shootenannys grandmother is also the funnytale

Latchy

. My sister in Dublin has being a vegetarian for as long as I can remember and I had many memorable veggie meals at her house .Her decision to turn veggie was partialy due to an arthritic condition were she had to avoid processed foods , red meat , sugar etc . I am not vegetarian myself but I try get some balance and add as much fresh veg and fruit to my diet as possible .

Tar.Aldarion

Wow all the people from that ...secret...forum...posting here. Abis up to know good no doubt!

sweet-rasmus

Keep on topic you guys :P

Aisling&M

I was 15 when I went veggie. About a week in I forgot and ordered a sausage roll and then a few years ago my husbands family gave me the non-veg rice dish accidentally - TWICE. Now I dissect my food and if I find something that looks like meat I'll get him to taste it.:D
I'm 26 now and going vegan. Well, I'm trying it out day by day and now on day 2! Not difficult at all so far as I only ate butter/cheese and can survive without them.

Tar.Aldarion

Best of luck

BickNarry

Suppose i was 17/18,nearly 21 now.Hate vegetables,hate food in general,suits me down to the ground.Coffee and fags for me,dont mind veggie food,jjst not interested.Used to live on chicken,but one day said **** it,its wrong. Get a lota stick from the lads i went to school with but thats calmed down. a bit. they used to leave burgers next to my head on my 6th year holiday and claim i ate em drunk....every morning for 2 weeks!Ah well!i feel much better in general!

Vegan Wannabe

I stopped eating meat around age 15. I'm 23 now. It's embarrasing but I was reading health food books from the library around that time and came across Fit For Life by the Diamonds ( a famous 1980's LA diet book) The book argued for a natural way of eating ( including food combining) Veg, fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds and minimal amounts of or oil or butter.
The chapters on meat alone changed my perspective - (both health and ethical) The American Dairy Association got a right slating. Looking back, the book lacked alot of scientific backup. It never mentioned B12 at all.
What it did do was open up my eyes and make me question set assumptions. Either that or I got brainwashed by the Diamonds!

Washout

born veggie

Harrybelafonte

About 8, always hated the taste and texture of meat, mind you I wasn't a fan of veg either, lived on fruit, rice and bread for about the next 22 years.

StevoTG

I turned vegetarian in August 2008, aged 19. My friend/soon to be girlfriend at the time was vego and she heavily influenced my decision, simply by pointing out the hypocrisy of me caring so much about animals and the environment yet still eating meat, and then educating me with the facts. I went vegan in January/February last year, I had always planned on it since turning vegetarian and I had learned enough about nutrition at that stage to make the switch.

It was funny after we broke up - my family (father, auntie and sister. My mother either had faith or didn't want to ask ) tentatively asking "So are you still vegetarian (mumbling the word vegetarian for some reason) or..". I felt like saying "No, it was just a fad/stunt to impress her. I'm totally fine with killing animals and the environment again".

I'm in the shape of my life and feel very sharp physically. The only down side is that I'm considering taking up ice/inline/street hockey and I'd like to add more muscle, but I can't seem to get above 75 kilos. Considering I'm 6'3 and fairly broadly built it shouldn't be a hard ask. On the other hand, I play a bit of tennis and I'm probably at the perfect weight for that as I've never been so quick footed before. I'm pretty sure that I get enough iron, I probably just need to eat more food.. and I can't afford to

Lia_lia

I was a veggie since I was born. Up until the age of about 16/17. Then I decided to see what meat was like. I'm 21 now. My Mother is a vegetarian so my brother and I were brought up the same. And she's a chef so our meals were always interesting enough!

I'm thinking of becoming vegetarian again though. I can't really stomach much meat without feeling ill. Guess it's because how I was brought up. This week I went a week without eating meat, mainly because I had wisdom teeth pulled and was only eating soft food, but I didn't have a sore belly once (and I usually always do after food), so yay!

IronGirl92

I only ever ate chicken and then I gave that up at the end of 3rd year at 15, almost three years now
Am also lactose intolerante, but wouldn't call myself a vegan..:rolleyes:

Delicate_Dlite

I actually can't remember, :rolleyes:, typical. I was a very fussy eater as a child. And only ate the minimal amount of meat, even my family aren't really big meat eaters, about 60-80% of meals in my house are veggie.

I know at 12 I wasn't eating meat at all. During my teens I ate meat meals which were already prepared when I was visiting family or abroad, so as not to cause any offense.

So I guess I've been totally meat-free for 7 years now.

Me Me

Seriously considering it:)been thinking about it a lot lately,I just can't eat it anymore.. will find it hard to get used to a change of lifestyle but I suppose it'll be a challenge that will be worth it:)

Delicate_Dlite

Well most people I know that are veggie, began with a gradual phase out of meat, so it's not a shock to the system and don't forget don't just replace a piece of meat with a portion of veggies.

Look at your diet and make sure, you're getting all the right nutrients. Alot of people find themselves feeing healthier when they 'convert', personally I believe this is partially down to people paying attention to their new diet and ensuring they're getting the right nutrients, while when they ate meat they have taken little interest in their nutrient levels.


Good luck,

Tar.Aldarion

It was hard for me, not liking any vegetables at the time at all. But worth it in the end, should be a bit easier for a normal person heh. after a while, it's reallll easy, I find it quite rewarding too, enjoy it

lalee17

I started giving up red meat at 14ish, then chicken at 15ish, then fish at 16. Now I'm completely veggie at 18; aside from pizza I try to stay as vegan as possible.

Samantha666

Became veggie in 1982 realising I could not claim to be an animal lover if I continued to eat them. My Mother was wonderful and from day one would cook seperate meals for me, bless her in those days when it was much harder to find alternatives she even came up with delicious recipes that I still use. Like most of you, I could tell such tales about the reaction of other people on finding out I didn't eat meat. My neighbour invited me to dinner last year, told me she was making beef stew but that she would take the 'lumps of meat' out before putting it on my plate. :eek: You gotta' love them.

YourNameForMe

Born veggie didn't know it till i was 18

I always knew I had a problem eating meat. I couldn't eat it if I thought about what I was eating (I always had to think about something else). Then one day I saw a video of chickens and pigs being slaughtered, I was so discussed I stopped eating chicken and pork because I couldn't get those images out of my head. For some reason it only then occurred to me that I actually had a choice whether or not to eat meat. I'm 21 now and haven't eaten meat or any slaughter house bi-products since.

Its funny how hard it is to see outside of the box your in. Eighteen years, better late than never.

Ms. Koi

Saw a programme when I was about 4 about where meat comes from, told my dad I didn't want to eat meat any more and he told me I could when I was 16, he felt that I could make my own choice then.
I was never a red meat eater, hated steak and the like...only ever had it in spag bol and lasagne. Only ate chicken and fish really, but stopped it all in the run up to my sixteenth birthday, last meal I had was a chicken curry.
he
I don't miss it at all! I love the smell of chicken and stuffing sandwhiches...so when the boyfriend eats them, I hold it and smell it! It's weird I know..think it's the smell of the stuffing!

I'll never go back to eating meat, it's caused a few arguments with the boyfriend as I feel kids should be raised as vegetarians but he doesn't...but we will discuss that when the time comes!

laurencmc

I stopped eating meat when I was 17 and had to watch a rabbit being skinned and cut to pieces in a biology class, wanted to burst into tears in the middle of school and refused to eat dinner when I came home.

I wanted to turn vegetarian since I was about 12, but my mam wouldn't let me as she was worried about it affecting my growth etc. It had always been on my mind since I was small as my Dad has been a veggie since as long as I can remember.

Lia_lia

Lia_lia wrote: »

I was a veggie since I was born. Up until the age of about 16/17. Then I decided to see what meat was like. I'm 21 now. My Mother is a vegetarian so my brother and I were brought up the same. And she's a chef so our meals were always interesting enough!

I'm thinking of becoming vegetarian again though. I can't really stomach much meat without feeling ill. Guess it's because how I was brought up. This week I went a week without eating meat, mainly because I had wisdom teeth pulled and was only eating soft food, but I didn't have a sore belly once (and I usually always do after food), so yay!

Aaaand I'm a veggie again since a few weeks after writing that post. Yipee!

hyenabutter

everything within my 20, birthday is in november, february vegetarian and september vegan...never looked back. well only when it comes to conveniently getting a meal but that's just a matter of practice as well..and now vegan for over a year and I love it

Konata

Turned veggie last Christmas - I was 19 at the time. Realised that I was barely eating meat anyway so might aswell make it official :P