Any Vegetarians or Vegans Here?

I'll start by saying this is not a thread to promote or preach about being a vegetarian or vegan. I'm just curious to see if there are any others on this site (I'm a vegetarian). I also apologize if there is already a thread about this somewhere!

I became one about 3 weeks ago, but for most of my life I didn't care for most meats anyway, so it was very easy to become one. And I feel much better being meat-free!

So, to those vegetarians and vegans...how long have you been one? What made you decide to become one? Do you feel like it has been a positive or negative thing in your life?

Seventeen years ago I went veggie, sixteen years ago I went vegan. So almost half my married life. In my case it was a choice based on logic... I figured if I couldn't find it in me to kill an animal then it was wrong to eat it. That's me though, not everyone else. Also, being pregnant really put me off milk... something about eating another mother's milk when you're lactating for your own baby struck me as really obscene.

Been vegetarian for 20 years, actually. Started eating fish about 10 years ago per my doctor's request, though I eat it very rarely, maybe 2-3 times a month. I'm the only one in my family, but it doesn't seem to be too much of an issue anymore

I've been a vegetarian since I was 12 years old, and before that I was a vegan. I'm more of a vegan than a vegetarian actually but since I do have occasional dairy I'm not classified as one. There are many different reasons I made this decision, but mostly because of animal cruelty and just the thought of consuming one of the things I love sends chills me to the bone. I also lost quite a bit of weight just by cutting out meat, gelatin, and other such products from my diet. I began to feel so much more energetic and healthy even after the first week! Because I live in Texas, where meat and livestock is a heavy tradition, I know few vegetarians and vegans, especially because I'm just a high school student so many people do not understand my ways. But I loveee it!

I've been a vego for about a decade. It is just a normal part of life for me now. I still get paid out about it occasionally, people really need to come up with new material... And I still get told 'people HAVE to eat meat'. As we are not obligate carnivores, like cats, we do not HAVE to eat meat at all. We just need to make up for what we would get with meat through other food. Food with not-haem iron needs vitamin C to absorb better, and it is better to avoid calcium when eating a food high in iron as the calcium actually reduces the iron intake. Simple things like that keep things in order.
I've also had 3 blood tests over the years, including a really thorough test 2 weeks ago, and EVERYTHING in the results was perfectly fine. So no I'm not low in iron or anemic.

I have been told too that meat is essential. Clearly, this is not true, as most vegetarians/vegans are healthy if they get enough nutrients from other foods (your blood test results are proof!)What I have encountered with most of my family though, appears to be a general uneasiness regarding my being a vegetarian. I wonder if it makes them feel awkward around me, when they are eating meat and I'm not. Honestly, I can eat with people who are eating meat and feel fine. Or maybe they just think it's "weird", not normal. I'm not sure. All I know is, it definitely isn't accepted by a lot of people in society.

Hi Melissa! And fellow veggies!! I've been vegan for 10 years. I became vegan for ethical reasons. However, I do feed meat to my dogs and cats.

Being vegan has been a very positive thing in my life. I used to have an eating disorder and going vegan really helped me overcome that. I eat a healthy diet now and my weight has been good for years. Above all I've made some close friends in the wonderful vegan group that my husband and I belong to here in the Bay Area. I really enjoy being part of a vegan community and making friends with folks with like-minded values. I also love vegan food and I'm fortunate to live in an area where there are a wide variety of great vegan restaurants!

to all

Just realized it's been 20 years since I became a vegetarian. Didn't realize it'd been that long... Saw this post, and wanted to reply. I'll come back soon.

I'm just wondering, are any of you, or do any of you know cooks/chefs who are vegetarian or vegans? I was once told that there is no such thing as a vegetarian/vegan chef. Keep in mind when I say cook/chef I mean someone who does it for a living.

I use to be vegetarian but it's just not feasible for me due to health concerns (I can't eat some veggie foods such as soy) and my career choice (I'm a chef!).