I think these days I’d be referred to as “flexitarian” - I eat meat, but not every day. Fact is, I like fruits, vegetables, and grains, and have a large garden where in a good year I grow most of the vegetables we eat. And I still eat meat, but far less than most Americans.
Vegetarian/vegan here. I went cold turkey on meat in October 2011 and phased out all animal products over time. I’ve been completely vegan in terms of what I eat since February 2013. I work at a bakery and giving up products from there was the last hurdle in terms of being completely vegan. I also occasionally ate cheese pizza if I was really hungry. I don’t call myself a 100% vegan because while I don’t purchase anything from the grocery store with animal products in it, if I went out somewhere and there was literally no meatless option that didn’t have dairy in it I would eat it. I know that sounds a little hypocritical, but the point is to reduce using animal products as much as possible, not be the asshole who refuses to order anything at a restaurant. That just makes vegans look bad. I carry around my own snacks just in case and when I’m choosing a place to eat always choose vegan, but I can’t dictate my friends’ choices.
I take vegan supplements. They have all the vitamins I need and are made by a company that doesn’t use gelatin or any other animal product. I had blood work done a while ago and the doctor said everything was perfectly fine. I made a thread a while ago about not feeling well, but I’m not sure if how I’m feeling is related to my diet or not due to the timing. Still waiting for my health insurance situation to get sorted out.
I wore clothing items with wool or silk until I had enough money to donate them to a thrift shop and buy a bunch of new stuff. I’ve only held onto items that belonged to either of my grandmothers.
I cycle through periods of upto 4 - 6 weeks at a time between solely vegetarian and omnivore. But I have no political or ethical concerns over eating animals using their skin for clothing or boiling their bones down to make jello and ice cream.
Just make sure you’re eating properly for your new diet. Doing vegetarianism wrong can leave you deficient in a few important nutrients if you’re not careful about adding supplements or specific foods. B12 and iron are two that come to mind. Not that I’m saying all vegetarians are deficient or anything, but I’ve known people who decide to “go vegetarian” by continuing their same diet sans meat, and not adding new veggies or legumes or grains to balance things out, and that’s not a good long-term plan.
As for my poll answer, I’m a meat-eater, but it’s not like I demand meat with every meal. I mostly only have meat with dinner, and even then it’s not every night. I do have meat by-products more often than that, though, in the form of chicken stock and the like, as ingredients in other things. I don’t scour labels for evidence of animals being harmed in the making of my soup. So if you’re being really strict about what “eating meat” means (which most vegetarians would), I probably have meat most days. I could never be a vegan, though. I love cheese too much.
Sorry for not posting this earlier. Since I said that I am not voting in the poll until a month after, I originally thought that I would reply to this post at that time as well, but I might as well just do it now.
Anyways, I actually converted to mostly ovo-vegetarianism with very rare “lacto”. The eggs we buy are from farms that treat their chickens like pets, not like things; they allow them to roam free in open space, and don’t slaughter them after decline in production. So the eggs I get are from chickens that are treated well; therefore, my consumption of eggs does not promote animal cruelty. I have been dairy-free for seven years because it doesn’t suit me well, although I can and do have it very rarely. Like on average, maybe once every several months, I may take a slice of cake, or something like that. But I never drink milk, eat yogurt, or consume anything that has lots of dairy in it. The other time that I consume dairy is when I am on a vacation to India (I go every couple of years to visit my family there), and that’s for butter. However, butter has most of the dairy proteins removed and it’s composed mostly of fat. On top of that, the dairy industry in India probably isn’t nearly as cruel as the one in America as cows are expected to be treated very well because of religious reasons. So having butter in India doesn’t really make me sick nor does it promote animal cruelty.
When I do vote on the poll, I am going to vote “Other” because while I am for the very most part an ovo-vegetarian, on rare occasions I do consume some dairy, but on the other hand, I am not a typical lacto-ovo-vegetarian either.
Welcome to the fold. Vegetarian for ~9 years, vegan for the last 5 years here. While it may be an important step in how you personally/internally define yourself (it was for me i’ve realized) it shouldn’t change your life very much.
My two cents: don’t focus too much on trying to find the veg substitutes for the things you are no longer eating. While some of them are quite good and can hit that comfort-food spot when you need it, they are never going to taste the same as the real thing. Try to focus more on all the delicious foods that are inherently veg.
My wife is lacto-ovo and I am a brutal meat eater :). While there are some veg substitutes I don’t mind, there are others which are laughable, especially when my wife tries to tell me “it is just like…” Poster child for this, veggie bacon.
I’m an omnivore. More often than not, my meals (lunch and dinner, at least) contain meat, but I have no problem going meatless at any particular date and time.
Man, even turkey bacon is a poor substitute for the real deal. I don’t even want to know what level of hell veggie bacon must’ve crawled out of.