Any vegans or vegetarians?

[coppertop]

My husband has been a vegetarian for about 25 years.  I am not a vegetarian, but I do eat that way about 90% of the time and just about 100% of the time at home, as I am the chief cook and bottle washer.  Just curious if there are any other wannabe or full-fledged mustachian vegetarians out there.

[Metta]

There are lots and lots of vegans and vegetarians here. I'm a vegan and have been a vegetarian or vegan for about 40 years. My husband has been veg for almost as long as me (became a veg to join me in my vegetarianism when we were dating and then we became vegans together).

[hoodedfalcon]

Vegan* for 16 years, vegetarian for about 20.

* I have dabbled in both backyard chickens and beekeeping. I never could eat the eggs from the chickens, but I am eating honey now. I have a B-12 deficiency, probably as a result of my diet but I was predisposed to it from another genetic issue. I give myself a shot once a month and all is good.

[benjenn]

We pretty much eat a vegan diet but we refer to ourselves as plant-based instead -- we still eat honey, wear leather, stuff like that.  Forks Over Knives convinced us about 2 1/2 years ago that a whole foods plant-based diet was the way to go to stay as healthy as we can for as long as we can -- and that was before the early retirement plan took hold.

[LadyStache]

I was a vegetarian for a looong time, but a few years ago I started eating fish, so I'm a pescetarian now.

[pancakes]

I wouldn't describe myself as a wannabe vegetarian but I did once have a housemate who identified as a vegetarian and he ate more meat than I did.

I probably average 2 meat meals a week at the moment and the meat tends to play a minor role in the dishes.

It was cost driven a number of years ago when Mr Pancakes lost his job but once we got into it, it became habit and many of our favourite meals are vegetarian now.

[Ready2Go]

Vegetarian for 3 years,  trying to bring the rest of the family around. 

[MayDay]

Vegetarian for 13 years, kids are vegetarian by choice (they are offered meat in social settings but I've brainwashed them sufficiently that they "don't like it") and H has joined us 2.5 years now.

H does eat very occasional fish. I might eat fish health-wise if I could stomach it but the thought is unpleasant. I guess my point is I have no ethical problems with eating ethically raised meat, but holy cow I'm glad we don't eat meat because it's honking expensive.

[JoshuaSpodek]

Since the last plate of fish I cooked for myself I haven't had any meat. That was 1990.

[purplepear]

Vegetarian* for 3 years. Boyfriend is vegetarian as well, so I began the transition to demi-vegetarian when we started dating. After a few months, I realized that I was only eating meat 1x per week... and it was usually because I was drunk and had the munchies. I went full-veggie after that.

*I cheat probably 5x per year, but only on special occasions and for really excellent meat dishes. Meat is a delicacy in my book.

[starbuck]

I probably average 2 meat meals a week at the moment and the meat tends to play a minor role in the dishes.

This is what I've done with meal planning over the last several weeks. Meat on the weekends, vegetarian during the week. Even when a meal does include meat, it's a minor role like pancakes said. I can see myself transitioning to like 98% vegetarian in the future. I have yet to hear any complaints on the conspicuous lack of meat in our weeknight dinners from my spouse!

[Norioch]

I've been a vegetarian for over 15 years. I tried being a vegan in college but it was too much effort. I still feel a little guilty when I eat dairy products.

[Zikoris]

Vegan for 16 years, boyfriend's been vegan for about 4 since he moved in with me. It sure is easier these days than back then.

[Annamal]

Pescetarian and my partner is vegetarian so we cook vegetarian at home.

[SCUBAstache]

We pretty much eat a vegan diet but we refer to ourselves as plant-based instead -- we still eat honey, wear leather, stuff like that.  Forks Over Knives convinced us about 2 1/2 years ago that a whole foods plant-based diet was the way to go to stay as healthy as we can for as long as we can -- and that was before the early retirement plan took hold.

Same here, BF is on board too (and he got off his cholesterol meds!).  I'll say 98%, sometimes I'll have a moment of weakness and eat something with dairy in it.  Though I didn't start eating this way for ethical reasons, I definitely think more about that aspect now and shy away from buying leather, etc (though I haven't gotten rid of all the things I currently own yet).

I've always been fairly lean but when I switched to a plant-based diet I dropped about 10lbs without trying, crazy.  I have a lot more energy than I used to, and even when I go a few months without working out much I still tend to maintain my weight.  I'm very happy I discovered this way of eating!

[OutBy40]

My wife and I cook primarily vegan at home.  When we go out to eat, we both tend to pick at least vegetarian dishes (although more and more restaurants are offering vegan choices).  I used to be a huge meat eater, but now only consume meat a couple times a month, max.  Honestly, meat just wasn't that tough to give up.

Remember that being a full vegan is more than just the diet.  It's not using or wearing ANYTHING that was either made with, or tested on, animals.  Obviously that includes leather, but also the shampoos and soaps that people use, cleaning products, what-have-you. 

I find the whole "can't have anything animal related" stuff to be pretty nonsensical, so I don't take it nearly that far.  I eat primarily vegan at home purely for the health benefits.

[Roots&Wings]

Vegan (whole-foods, plant based diet) a la Forks Over Knives, The China Study, Eat to Live, The Spectrum, etc.  Feel so much better eating this way.

[CowboyAndIndian]

Vegetarian. About 50% of Indians are vegetarian (winging it, not exact).

Was born vegetarian, ate eggs/chicken in college, the went back to being vegetarian.

It was funny pointing out that I was taller and bigger than them, when folks would ask where I got my protein from.
This was 25 years ago, I have not had those questions for a few years now.

[sf56]

I ate a vegan diet for about three years, my wife for about two of those. We've since pulled a 180 and are trying to go more in the direction of weston price/nourishing traditions. The one big adjustment for me has been finding new ways to feel smug and superior now that we eat meat and dairy again. It is nice to focus less on vegan safe options (with isolated soy and wheat gluten protein as main ingredients) and more on eating real, whole food. Hey, I got it! Smugness intact!

[redbirdfan]

I 'accidentally' decided to become a vegan-ish vegetarian about 2 weeks ago due to Netflix documentary binging (Forks over Knives, Vegucated, Food, Inc.).  I'm in the transition phase (i.e. I am limited to 3 oz. of animal protein per day but I will eat the five frozen chickens in my freezer from the latest Safeway sale that I bought pre-documentaries).  I plan to be fully vegan with occasional cheese lapses afterwards.  I'm going to do my best not to slip up, but if I do, it will be with humanely raised, high quality (non-factory farmed) meat.  We'll see how it goes.  At any rate, beans are much cheaper than chicken.   

[alleykat]

I turned vegetarian early last year.  I saw "If slaughterhouses had glass walls" and " Earthlings."  Both incredibly eye opening. I saw documentaries before and I would swear off meat but I wouldn't last.  However, I made myself watch those two documentaries in full and I haven't had meat since. No animal should have to suffer like that.  Just truly heartbreaking.  Although, I still do have fish occasionally so I would just say I am plant based.  You definitely have to be prepared, and even a year later,I struggle a little bit. 

I gave away a lot of my leather items but not all.  And my down comforter after seeing how they pluck the feathers to make these things. I dont know, heartbreaking.  I, also, do my best as I use up toiletries to buy from companies that are truly cruelty free.  I try to be mindful but am not perfect.

If I ever do go back to eating meat, I will look into humanely raised meat even if it is more expensive.  They say if people would even go meatless for one day, it would have a huge impact on the number of animals killed. Especially chickens.

[Bardo]

I didn't even know the word pescetarian, but I guess that's what I am since I will eat fish.  I got away from meat-eating a long time ago.  It wasn't just for health reasons as much as a painless way to get more variety in the diet.  If you don't eat meat you will almost by default end up with a more diverse diet and flavors (unless you subsist on just salad every day) which was a big attraction to me.  One thing I always hated was the bizarre American meat dichotomy of "chicken or beef, chicken or beef" as if they were the only protein sources that ever existed.  It annoyed me so much that I made my answer "neither". 

[MsSindy]

We've been eating a vegan diet since the first of the year, so only for 3 weeks - mainly just to see the difference in health. No processed foods either (I think this has been the greatest change).

So far, I have completely weaned myself off of caffeine and still have good energy levels.  I have also noticed clearer and brighter skin (don't look so washed out).  I've dropped a couple of pounds and hubby lost 7 (neither of us have very much to lose, only a few 'cosmetic' pounds)

DH is a total meat and potatoes guy (German background), and surprisingly has enjoyed all the meals so far - he's been open to the experiment.  It's been fun trying alot of different recipes and really expanding my repetoire for meal planning.  We've agreed to keep this going until vacation in mid-February, and then will most likely eat vegan during the week and have meat occassionaly on the weekends or special events.  Cheese is what we kind of miss the most, but not really meat.

Def spent less money, but have spent more time planning and chopping - this way of cooking is so new too me, it takes more time.  All-in-all a really good experience so far (I even made vegan Almond Joy...yummy!)

[cacaoheart]

My wife has been vegetarian for ~14 years and was nearly vegan until I met her 7 years ago and brought butter back into her life ;-) I eat mostly vegetarian so I can share food with her, and just occasionally have something with meat for myself.

I also only drink small, infrequent amounts of alcohol since she's a nondrinker (permanent DD in her words). I make strong gingerale we can share and she's brought her tolerance for spicy foods up to nearly match mine.

[purplish]

I've been vegetarian for 12 years now :)

[ontheroaderic]

Vegan 9+ years, wife has been for about 7 (since we met;-) ). Mostly eat along the guidelines of Dr. McDougall and Jeff Novick.

[dilinger]

Vegetarian for 9 years.  Never considered going vegan -  I like cheese (*cough*pizza*cough*) too much.  The wife was freegan when I met her, but reverted back to eating meat a few years ago when she got pregnant.

[Emilyngh]

I've been vegetarian for about 20 years.   I am not a strict vegan (we eat eggs from our chickens and are not careful about cheese etc when we eat out of our home), but we drink almond instead of cow's milk and rarely buy cheese or icecream.   

My 3 year old daughter has never eaten meat in her life and eats little cheese/dairy (and is 99th percentile for height with a weight that is perfect for her height).

[JCricket]

Vegetarian my whole life, and was vegan for most of my childhood but fell off in my teens - finally vegan again for about 4 months and counting now

[NinetyFour]

Vegetarian for 16 years.  Rarely eat eggs/dairy.

Beans, tofu, soy milk, veggies, fruit, grains.  Yum.

Also, this thread might be of interest to the OP (and to others who have not seen it):

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/off-topic/what-vegetarianvegan-food-are-you-eating-right-now/

[2527]

I am not anything.  But if everybody ate like I did the grocery stores would look very very different.

[Davin]

I've been a vegetarian for over 25 years. My diet would be vegan, except I really like cheese, especially goat cheeses, in moderation of course. I still wear leather work boots etc. I keep my dietary preferences on the down-low at work, though, like mustachianism, people tend to feel threatened by the strangest things.

[mydogismyheart]

We pretty much eat a vegan diet but we refer to ourselves as plant-based instead -- we still eat honey, wear leather, stuff like that.  Forks Over Knives convinced us about 2 1/2 years ago that a whole foods plant-based diet was the way to go to stay as healthy as we can for as long as we can -- and that was before the early retirement plan took hold.

Same here, I am not a full fledged and true Vegan because I don't pay as much attention to leather and animal products in other things. But I eat a primarily plant based vegan diet. I'm not 100% perfect, i will have cheese on occasion.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

We're economic vegans. As in, we often eat vegan or vegetarian because it's vastly less expensive than dairy or meat. I enjoy munching on a lot of plants, so this works well for us.

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

I recently got to hear T. Colin Campbell speak (he's featured in Forks Over Knives) and it was eye opening. I had been vegetarian and even vegan back in the 90s and had gotten way off track. I doubt I'll ever be 100% vegan or maybe even vegetarian again, but I definitely want to get animal products down to a tiny fraction of my diet. The weird thing is that when I was vegan, I felt better than I ever have since. So why did I stop eating that way? It seems to be the most likely way to ensure good health (and thus low healthcare costs) in the future--very mustachian!

[Silverwood]

I am not anything.  But if everybody ate like I did the grocery stores would look very very different.

Will you elaborate on this a little?

[Melanie A]

I was a vegetarian for 2 years. It was mostly for physiological reasons after reading 'Eating Animals'. I was quite disgusted by it but I also never ate a lot of meat or different types. I'm a very picky meat eater. Unfortunately, I didn't follow a proper vegetarian diet and ate way too many bad carbs. Although, now I eat some meat, I don't focus my meals on it.

[NoraLenderbee]

My husband is a long-time vegetarian and we eat 100% vegetarian at home. We like eggs and dairy too much to give them up. I was vegetarian on and off in my 20s, but I felt better when I added some meat to my diet. I have meat or fish at lunch pretty often. We make a lot of our own food and don't eat much processed or convenience food.

[mikefixac]

Vegan 9+ years, wife has been for about 7 (since we met;-) ). Mostly eat along the guidelines of Dr. McDougall and Jeff Novick.

Those two are my mentors. People like MMM help make me rich. Dr McDougall and Jeff Novick have made me rich in health. From having high cholesterol and high blood pressure all my life to having a cholesterol level so low Dr Esselstyn says I'm heart attack proof and blood pressure of 120/70. Jeff has an excellent facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JeffNovickRD

[mochila]

I stopped eating animals when I was in middle school, after dissecting a rat whose pickled flesh looked way too much like the chicken in my chicken salad lunch. It's been almost 30 years.

I've never managed to give up eggs. When my mom was pregnant with me, her OB/GYN recommended she eat an egg each day. It takes me a month to go through a dozen eggs, but I've more or less never broken the habit.

[Bigger Plan]

Vegan here. Was vegetarian for about 10 years but fully vegan for a year now. 'Eat to live' is my book recommendation for anyone curious.

Great to see so many here :)

[LibrarIan]

Vegetarian for 4 years. No turning back now.

[eccdogg]

I call myself a vegetarian though I do eat fish/seafood a little less than once a week.  Probably 75-80% of my meals are Vegan and 95%+ are vegetarian.

Most of my meals are salad+1 cup legume, 1 cup starch, 1 cup veg, 1 cup fruit.

Been eating this way for 7 years and feel very healthy and it cheap on the budget.

[Ecky]

Vegan, gradually changed my diet after I met my wife, who had already been vegan for several years.

[Serve&Volley88]

Vegetarian for close to 3 years now. I do eat eggs a couple of times a week and cheese once in a blue moon. I ate more fish when I first went vegetarian but it's been a few months since I've had any. Don't use butter, white sugar, milk, or other garbage.

I lost 20 lbs. over the course of this diet and have not been sick since I began. While not a crazy vegan/vegetarian crusader, I do believe that millions of people in this country are sickening and killing themselves with awful dietary choices.

[coppertop]

I am delightfully surprised to see so many vegans and vegetarians, and those who still eat a little meat or eggs but are nearly there, on here!  In my real life, we often feel very isolated.  We live in the heart of meat packing country - trucks full of pigs being driven to their doom pass our house daily. 

[Tabaxus]

We eat more fruit and vegetables than most vegetarians we know, though we follow more of a Paleo-style diet. Excluding grains, legumes, and sugar as empty calories, produce is quite expensive, so we eat local meat and such. Dropped around 50 lbs since giving up grains/legumes/sugars and adding more veggies, used to dislike most of them but now I love em.

"Huh?" to the bolded.

[Professor Ecks]

We eat more fruit and vegetables than most vegetarians we know, though we follow more of a Paleo-style diet. Excluding grains, legumes, and sugar as empty calories, produce is quite expensive, so we eat local meat and such. Dropped around 50 lbs since giving up grains/legumes/sugars and adding more veggies, used to dislike most of them but now I love em.

"Huh?" to the bolded.

I am guessing that the "as empty calories" is specific to the "sugar." As in, they don't consume grains, they don't consume legumes, and the don't consumed sugar as empty calories (i.e refined sugar, as opposed to the natural sugars found in fruit, etc.)

[Lindy]

Vegetarian for about 13 years. My boyfriend eats meat, but I have introduced him to some yummy vegetarian meals, and I'm pretty sure he eats less meat now than before we started dating.

[coppertop]

We eat more fruit and vegetables than most vegetarians we know, though we follow more of a Paleo-style diet. Excluding grains, legumes, and sugar as empty calories, produce is quite expensive, so we eat local meat and such. Dropped around 50 lbs since giving up grains/legumes/sugars and adding more veggies, used to dislike most of them but now I love em.

"Huh?" to the bolded.

I am guessing that the "as empty calories" is specific to the "sugar." As in, they don't consume grains, they don't consume legumes, and the don't consumed sugar as empty calories (i.e refined sugar, as opposed to the natural sugars found in fruit, etc.)

A lot of people, particularly Paleos, think that grains and legumes are bad for you...whereas in our vegan/vegetarian diet, those foods are considered to be among the healthiest of foods and are our diet staples, per Drs. McDougall, Barnard, Ornish, et al.