Did you know that vegetarians are unlikely to get depressed compared to most people since they have a natural way of overcoming depression? And did you know that vegetarians don’t struggle with weight issues as much as others? Well, these are just a couple of the benefits of living a vegan life that most people do not know. Vegetarians are mostly seen as a group of people who does not enjoy eating meat, but there is more to them.

Vegetarianism has a boxful of interesting facts that’s waiting to be opened and be spilled out for people to know. Little vegan secrets that if shared might open the floodgates of people wanting to convert to the vegetarian lifestyle. So what are these little secrets?

Walnuts over prescribed antidepressants

Vegans believed in the capacity of the walnuts to serve as an effective antidepressant due to a chemical known as serotonin. So instead of taking doctor prescribed antidepressant and run the risk of chemical dependency, vegetarians would rather brew tea or coffee with about half of a walnut shell mixed into it to combat depression. By taking cheap walnuts, you might just have saved yourself from getting stressed out by the cost of buying antidepressants.

Staying healthy with fatty dressing

In contrary to the diet theory of keeping salads low fat, vegetarians indulge themselves in fatty dressing while staying in shape. The nutrient Carotenoid known to be contained in leafy and green vegetables are scientifically proven to be best pulled out by higher fat salad dressing. Since vegetarians are into getting much from vegetables, they would not mind going against the norms of dieting and enjoy a high fat salad.

The wonder of green tea

It is popularly known that green tea effectively works as an antioxidant, but it is infamously known as a staple in a vegetarian diet. Aside from keeping your digestive tract clean, and help battle depression, it helps accelerate weight loss, a health wisdom passed on from ancient cultures of China and India.

Some of the few other little secrets include: vegetarians being better informed about nutrition; having more energy and needing less sleep than meat eaters; and having less chances of getting cancer, heart disease and digestive disorder.

So, these are just a few things that put the vegans outside their all-vegetable image in society, things that would get people asking. What else do the vegetarians have under their sleeves?

With the proven heath benefits, it is unthinkable for anybody to reject vegetarianism outright. The reason there are less vegetarians may not be because people don’t recognize the benefits but because they find it hard to practice. They cannot be faulted for that since transforming from a life-long meat eater to a vegetarian is not easy.

The transition will be the hardest part. It can be compared to an incorrigible smoker trying is best to kick the habit. And your best is what is required if you really want to become a vegetarian. It is a lifestyle that takes self-discipline to the utmost. But once the healthful benefits sets in, you will find that all the sacrifices is worth the trouble.

The best way to lessen the transition difficulties is never to lose sight of why you are undergoing the trial in the first place. Always keeping in mind that out all the sacrifices is about being new person – a healthy person, feels good, more disciplined and more in touch with his spiritual self – is a good motivation to hold on and move forward. You will experience new sensations as your body adjusts to the new diet. This might involve some time getting used to but just thinking what benefits you’ll get from it should be enough to make you persevere.

Although resolve is the main reason for succeeding, you have to have as much information as you need to help you over the hump. Many give up when the going gets tough. And it will get tough fast when you are not prepared. You have to devise a diet plan which will provide you with the nutritional values you need and satisfy your tastes as well. There is no need to despair over where to get the necessary information. There is a good number of websites offering many useful tips and information on how vegetarians supplement their diet. Coming from vegetarian themselves, most information are reliably helpful.

Being overly enthusiastic and going “cold turkey” to start on the vegetarian path is not recommended as it might result to severe bodily reactions that can do harm. Make the transition cautiously. Some former smokers will tell you that they kicked the habit slowly. Those who opted to cut it all at once suffered much and were soon back to being smokers.

The smart thing to do is consult a doctor about your decision and solicit advice. Supplements are very helpful to ease your way through the transition period. With professional help, you’ll be more confident and assured the way towards the much desired vegetarian lifestyle will not be too difficult.

Dining out in a restaurant is no longer that difficult as it used to be for a vegetarian. Nowadays, most restaurants offer a variety of selections for meat dishes to tickle the palate of every guest. Choices ranging from seafood, beef, pork, lamb, or poultry are often the favored choices of many. But these regular faring restaurants do offer some meatless products on the menu, like garden salad, certain vegetable stews, and pasta dishes.

You can dine out with friends who do not have a vegetarian discipline and finish a meal with them not even bringing up the topic. If it does not bother you to tell them though, then why hide it? Sometimes, the reason why some of us go vegetarian is because we may have certain food allergies that make us avoid eating seafood and poultry. But if your choice is purely a dietary limitation then you are not considered an outcast of any sort — it is purely preferential.

If you do get to go out with people who share your preferential concerns, then maybe you can take down a list of all the vegetarian restaurants within the area and try each one. You will also get to know the different types of recipes and find what you really prefer.

Another easy place to find accessible meat-free food is at a pizzeria. You can start with the basic pie and then choose your toppings to add on a basic cheese and garlic. For more variety, you can add some mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and pepper on it.

A pure vegan diet is a little trickier, though. Here, you have to avoid eggs, cheese, milk, and even anything cooked in meat stock. It is good to know that since vegetarian customers have increased as a market, a good number of restaurants now accommodate this preference and serve a good variety of dishes on the menu. Be open to the waiter about your needs so he can suggest some suitable choices for you to make. Or, you can solicit suggestions from the manager for he is sure to accommodate your preference. A lot of restaurants have become sensitive to this need and are willing to help out in any way to please their prized customers. With this, you need not worry about having a place to enjoy your lunch or dinner just like the rest of the meat-eating population of the city.

Your eating habit is not the only thing that you might have to change when you choose to shift to a vegetarian way of life. You might find your relationships with your family, friends, or co-workers changing, a challenge that you have to deal with. When these people around you learn about your decision to pursue your passion for vegetarianism, some of them might be confused, shocked, or scared that you might not be the same person they used to hang out with. However, there are ways of overcoming relationship issues.

You can start by clearing out the air. There could be a lot of misconceptions and questions coming from your friends or family about your decision and answering it is one way of managing their reactions. Misperceptions like, you have converted into some strange religion that won’t let you enjoy meals with them anymore. Well, be creative in your explanation. You can present the reasons for your decisions in a well-crafted package.

Whether your reasons are either ethical or religious or health, being open to family members and friends help a lot in living with them, who are mostly meat eaters by the way. With your openness about your diet decisions, it makes food preparation a lot easier despite the majority meat eaters’ presence in the kitchen.

However if your reasons are more ethical or religious in nature, do not be afraid to foster more communication with people who stand in opposition or with people who don’t share your fondness of the vegan life. Take animal rights, not everyone believes in the ethical treatment of animals, and this is one thing that you have to deal with as a vegetarian in a world where majority of the population eats meat.

With your decision to take on the vegetarian lifestyle, you find your relationships with others in a series of adjustments. And these adjustments are not things that would have to happen in an instant. Patience plays a great role in the transition period; patience to wait for these changes to take roots. Help the people around you in understanding your new chosen way of life. Make them comfortable around the new you; and make them accept you the same way you accepted them.

Well, with much understanding from people you love, living with meat eaters will not give you a hard time after all.

]]> http://tobecomevegetarian.com/making-people-around-you-understand-your-vegetarian-life/feed/ http://tobecomevegetarian.com/if-your-sweet-heart-is-a-meat-lover/ http://tobecomevegetarian.com/if-your-sweet-heart-is-a-meat-lover/#comments Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:34:10 +0000 admin http://tobecomevegetarian.com/?p=9

One type of custom that somehow promotes a particular kind of snob attitude due to their being adamant in picking food that are all natural or pure is the vegetarian custom. Vegetarians easily acquire an attitude of superiority because living a life of eating vegetables and fruits is the best way to lead a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, their purpose and reason in choosing to live a life of a vegetarian are based on ethical, religious, and moral principles. All of it is very good and commendable, of course, provided you are performing inside the circle of the vegetarian society only.

Here is a dilemma, though. What if a vegetarian happens to have a sweetheart or a husband or wife who eats meat? This type of relationship usually results to some really sensitive instances. Vegetarians usually have a very low regard for aggression. Hence, here are some guiding principles on how to have a harmonious and peaceful interaction with your significant other when s/he has not gotten involved with the lifestyle of a vegetarian.

Obviously, the one way to resolve that particular problem is to have your partner be converted as a vegetarian too. You might pull off the lamest excuse but sometimes the tactic of saying “you will stop eating meat if you really love me” is effective. Compelling your loved one or anybody else for that matter to enter into the community of vegetarians against their will is not a very satisfying thing to do. Having somebody do something by force or out of guilt will never result into something good. They will most likely eat the food they are forced to avoid whenever you are not around. This type of strain on the relationship inflicted by a sense of betrayal and coercion is never a strong foundation to achieve a long-lasting relationship.

A much better solution would be to come up with a compromise. Try to talk out your differences and agree to meet halfway. Do not ridicule your partner for the decisions that she or he chooses to stick to, for the meantime. The key to a healthy and loving relationship is acceptance and allowing your loved one to flourish in a way that is in tune with his or her nature. This way, this particular problem may be eventually resolved in a more peaceful and loving manner. Who knows, along the way, you might be able to recruit your loved one to join in the wonderful community of vegetarianism.

The transition to being a vegetarian is intimidating only when you have not developed a passion for it. Obviously, developing passion is not an overnight affair. And for somebody who is just starting, the easiest way to develop that passion is to spend as much time as possible with fellow vegetarians. It’s encouraging to see their enthusiasm and their devotion can be infectious. They have reason to be enthusiastic as it is evident that they are enjoying being a vegetarian to the fullest.

Aside from not forgetting the benefits you’ll enjoy from being meat free as evidenced by the obvious contentment of complete vegetarians, there is another way to make the transition period less stressful and that is to make vegetarianism your hobby. A hobby is supposed to be a stress relieving activity and you certainly can find a lot of things in the vegetarian culture that will arouse your interest and challenge your imagination. And, of course, you’ll not take up a hobby which does not challenge and arouse your interest.

People can be very passionate about their hobbies. They’ll go to a lot of extent to know more about them. And that’s what you’ll have to develop – the interest to know more about the vegetarian of way life. You’ll find out there’s more to it than just not eating meat. It’s a whole new way of life that is focused on living a healthful life as well being attuned with the physical and spiritual attributes of the environment. People who think that vegetarianism is all about meats and vegetables or about aversion to the use of animal skin are missing the point entirely. Vegetarianism has more to be passionate about.

If you, for example, enjoy bowling as a hobby and practice every so often to get high scores, you’ll enjoy learning to cook vegetarian meals more. You’ll end up a good cook but an excellent nutritionist as well. But you’ll find the road is easier to travel on by taking small but sure steps at a time and enjoying yourself along the way. The moment you lean too hard on yourself for not being able to adjust fast, this is where you the process becomes drudgery and you lose focus and interest.

Vegetarianism is of course more than a mere hobby. It is a passion for life, a life that is healthy and fulfilled which should be good enough reason for anyone to become a vegetarian.

Many people view vegetarianism as something that is exotic, an offshoot of the hippy culture of the past. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Vegetarianism is much more than saving cows like many are inclined to think, it is more about having a healthier lifestyle. You may not be aware of it but someone you know might be a vegetarian and definitely you’ll not notice a lot of different things in them to warrant such a view except, of course, they don’t eat meat.

Naturally, the most noticeable aspect in the way a vegetarian lives is the absence of meat in his or her kitchen. But you will certainly find lots of fruits and vegetables. Now, if you think this prevents a vegetarian from enjoying the company of those who eat meat then you are sadly misinformed. Why should abstaining from meat not make them as peace loving as others?

Going with a vegetarian friend for groceries can make you realize that the lifestyle is not just about meat, or not eating meat, to be exact. It is actually a totally different way of looking at foods and diets. You’ll be surprised with the amount of fruits and vegetables on a vegetarian’s grocery bag.

You’ll most likely wonder how a body can survive with just fruits and vegetables. Probably shopping is not yet done because a vegetarian eats a good amount of grains and cereals for protein and other nutrients requirements. Expect to visit next a specialty store where your friend will likely get a tofu and other high nutrient vegetable based foods.

Vegetarianism is a unique was of life that promotes human harmony with the environment. So your friend’s kitchen is bound to have some organic foods to reduce the risk of pesticides and other harmful chemicals ruining a completely safe diet. What you can’t find in the kitchen and anywhere around the house are clothing and other items made or wrapped in leather or fur. That’s another major difference between a meat-eater and your friend. Vegetarians believe in animal rights and feel that killing them for their skin and fur is a violation of their rights.

Your friend will also be an avid supporter of recycling. This much will be evident in and around the house – bottle and cans for wall decors, a compost pit at the back. There will be a small garden nourish by the organic fertilizer from the compost fit. It is a pleasant life, free of the usual ailments that are likely to plague a meat-eater.