Why is it so hard to become vegeterian?

Ok so im 13 and I think animals are so cool but I find it so horrible for them to get killed and I want to become a vegeterian but its so hard!!!! I love meat and I find it so hard not to eat it!!! What are some advise people that are vegeterians or vegans to become a vegeterian? And is it possible to be a vegeterian but eat fish?

I think that it definitely takes time and a lot of patience because I grew up in a very much...meat eating and vegetable combination family. My parents did not approve of me becoming vegetarian in the first place when I confronted them that I am trying my best to become entire Vegan and live a Vegan lifestyle. But I am so happy and proud that I took that step. I have never felt better about my life and I am in a much more peaceful state with myself, the world, and the animals. I have to say that for me it just wan't that difficult because after eating 18 years of meat from my parents' kitchen, and going to conferences, discussions, workshops, and being so positively influenced by my two closest and bestest friends, who are also fortunately very much Vegan, I realized that because of the positive influence and impact I will be bringing to the world, and of course, the animals, because they deserve to live too!!!, it just wasn't difficult. I think it's mostly because you are just so young and it definitely depends on whether your parents are going to be supportive of your decision. My mother fortunately cooked a lot of vegan meals for me while I was with them in the Winter, so I didn't have to worri too much about them telling me what to eat, and especially because I am an adult now and I can fortunate make my own decisions without the parental control of what they want for me as far as lifestyle goes. I think you just really need to do more research to help you transition, and hopefully positively influence you as well, because honestly, I only wish and regret that I didn't start sooner....I was just too afraid of my parents, but I can only imagine the increasing amount of impact I could've brought to this world if I had become Vegan as early as you. Just don't worri too much about rushing yourself to become entirely vegetarian, it takes time, and my closest friend adviced me to take it easy, she avoided one thing at a time, perhaps starting with....Pork, so try to stop eating one kind of poultry for a month, and then move on to the next. And Kid, you are really lucky because of the world we live in today has so so so so much substitutes from Pork to beef to chicken....the possibilities are endless. It really just depends on your budget...and whether or not you want to help make the world a better place!!!!

And I am sorrii...eating fish only does not define you as a Vegetarian, I've had a friend in high school who did that...but honestly...fish are pretty poisonus because of the amount of pollution that goes into the ocean from wastes, and plastics, and other trash that irresponsible litterers throw into the water...did you know that a pregnant lady eating fish is basically transferring poison to her child?????????

I wish you the best of luck, and if you do make this decision, God bless, I will pray for you.

It's hard because we're societally conditioned to eat meat. People are also hooked on the stuff, so going veg is like breaking an addiction.

If you like meat, see if your parents will buy you some of the many analogues out there. There are veggie burgers, veggie sausage, veggie patties, veggie crumbles, and veggie deli slices, to name a few. Learn to like new foods.

If going veg doesn't work for you, don't beat yourself up. Eat less meat and more analogues and maybe try again later.

And vegetarians do not eat the flesh of any animal, and this includes fish. So, no, you cannot be a vegetarian if you eat fish.

Being a vegetarian is good for many reasons. The animals, your own body, the environment, the economy, and all that jazz.

It's kind of difficult to stop eating meat at first, but when you do the research and realize the horrors of life on CAFOs (factory farming), wean yourself off the cruddy meat on to delicious, pasture raised meat. That's what I did. Then it was too expensive for me to eat it :) That was four years ago back when I was a junior in high school. I just ate pasta without meat, piled loads of veggies on to my sandwhiches with extra dressing, french fries, tacos without the beef (but extra sour cream and cheese.. delicious!), and so much more. That got me through school.

Also, fake meat (BOCA and MorningStar) is SOOOO GOOD! Don't be afraid to try it. Whenever my friends eat their factory farm, poop filled (because there is loads of poop in meat thanks to the processing plant and slaughter houses), corn-raised meat... I pull out the fake chicken wings and drench them in ranch and hot sauce :) (and if you're worried about your weight, fake meat has less than half the fat and double the protein. So you can eat MORE!)

If you learn your facts and do research on becoming a vegetarian, it'll become so much easier for you. Whenever people are like, 'omg how can you not eat meat?? you must be all malnourished and stuff!' I list off all the facts about the food they are eating... and can normally get them to be too sick to finish their meal ;)

Here are a few sites to get some good information:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Vegetarian-C... - Recipes & Nutrient High Foods

http://www.time.com/time/covers/11010207... - Amazing Article, a def must read!

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/fact... - Learn about factory farming. This is just a good beginner site, I suggest searching google for more.

http://www.bocaburger.com/ - Even all my meat-crazed friends LOVE veggie burgers.

http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/hom... - Omg, their "hotdogs" and "corndogs" CHANGED MY LIFE!! SO GOOD!!

Hope this helps, and good luck :) Also, if you're just having too much trouble now (family is close minded and won't help you out, you don't have a job so you can't buy your own groceries, etc... just wait and do more research and educate your family until they realize this isn't just a phase for you. They'll be much more supportive :) )

EDIT: I also wanted to add for the meat-crazed people-- We were also hard wired to do a lot of other things. Like murder and rape and owning slaves. But as times change, we evolve in a sense.

And a lot of us do it because of how the animals are treated on farms, how cafo's are hurting the real american small farm owners, and how the rain forest is being destroyed for McDonalds, to name a few. Not /just/ because animals die.

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One more thing I'd like to point out--

In recent studies, pigs have been found to have intelligence levels higher than that of dogs. So eating a pig is pretty much like eating Fido. Just remember that, and it'll help alot ^^

you're not a vegetarian if you eat fish. but if you're comfortable eating fish, who's to say you can't? you don't need to label yourself.

and humans did not begin eating meat. some posters here need to educate themselves.
you can get every protein you need without eating meat. it's not hard.

Try out a flexitarian diet, it allows you to eat a moderate amount of meat.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4541605/

I feel sorry for the people who think we're suppose to eat meat. We're most similar to other herbivores, and drastically different from carnivores. The more meat we eat, the sicker we get. Meat is poison to us. It's the primary reason we get heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and every other major degenerative disease. If eating meat were natural, it wouldn't destroy our health.

It is human nature to want to feel that what we're doing is right, proper, and logical.




Look at our teeth compared to meat eating animals, ours are square theirs are sharp


Look at our hands compared to meat eating animals, ours have fingers perfect for picking fruit, while tigers and dinosaurs have claws


Take the human instincts for example, when a toddler is crying and hungry, put a hamster in one hand and a strawberry in the other

What is the toddler going to pick to eat?


While carnivores take pleasure in killing animals and eating their raw flesh, any human who killed an animal with his or her bare hands and dug into the raw corpse would be considered deranged.


Ask yourself: When you see dead animals on the side of the road, are you tempted to stop for a snack? Does the sight of a dead bird make you salivate? Do you daydream about killing cows with your bare hands and eating them raw? If you answered "no" to all of these questions, congratulations; you're a normal human herbivore; like it or not. Humans were simply not designed to eat meat. Humans lack both the physical characteristics of carnivores and the instinct that drives them to kill animals and devour their raw carcasses.



As a matter of fact, take a look at this chart
http://i26.tinypic.com/314qqgg.jpg


The human digestive system, tooth and jaw structure, and bodily functions are completely different from carnivorous animals. As in the case of the anthropoid ape, the human digestive system is twelve times the length of the body; our skin has millions of tiny pores to evaporate water and cool the body by sweating; we drink water by suction like all other vegetarian animals; our tooth and jaw structure is vegetarian; and our saliva is alkaline and contains ptyalin for predigestion of grains. Human beings clearly are not carnivores by physiology -- our anatomy and digestive system show that we must have evolved for millions of years living on fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables.

Eating fish is for some odd reason considered an outly vegetarian but in reality it isn't vege-tarians only eat vegetation just eat meat in moderation then move on after that to becoming a vegetarian but either way all you have to say is that you want to become vegetarian.

I really didn't find it that hard when i made the transition. I personally suggest doing it over night, wake up one day and comepletely stop it all together. It will be easier for you if you do that as opposed to trying to slowly get off it. And no, vegetarians don't eat living creatures and animals, like fish for example, so no fish if you wanna be a vegetarian.

Wow that's a hard one... My friend tried this one time and she only lasted 5 hours. I know you feel bad about eating meat but God put animals on this Earth for us to eat. And if you love meat so much WHY GIVE IT UP???? Most animals that we eat are raised on certain farms just for eating. and no I don't think you can be vegaterian and eat fish.... hope I helped... doubletgirl!!!! =)

Do it! you will save thousands of animals in your lifetime. check out goveg.com and do a search on amazon for used cookbooks. under 3 bucks for some! google resources. mercy for animals has a great veg starter kit. If you must eat cheese...go organic then phase it out. Make sure you take vitamen b, sublingual style. multivitmen too. if u must eat fish..make it shell fish or wild caught, only like once a week if u can

Its hard but totally worth it.
But you dont have to have the "all or nothing" look towards it.
You can try simply cutting down your meat intake, then more and more, then cut certain animals out of your diet one by one.
Any little bit of effort helps.
Even if you just stop eating chickens, thats a start.
And it will save tons

=)

Vegetarians don't eat fish.

Well, it isin't hard. For me it wasen't at all. I think you just have to have the right motivation. I did it for multiple reasons, health included. I don't like putting myself at risk by eating meat. Also, i'm an animal lover and i'm all for animal rights.

I've been vegetarian for three years, and it's very easy. You just need to know if you are really motivated or not, or it won't be.

:)

Its hard because its unnatural.
Yes, you can be a veg if you eat fish.
If you love meat, you should forget about it.

the human race started thousands of years ago. Guess what we were eating then. Meat. and only meat. raw meat at that. it is believed that it took a forest fire to teach us humand to cook our food first. We are hard wired to eat meat. I could not be a vegitarian because i truely believe in meat. You can be a "veggie" and eat fish. There is a class of veggies that will not eat red meat. I personally dont feel that supplaments can replace what meat offers.