Muslim and interested in going Vegitarian

[MrsAmera 41]

We tried to cut back meat for health/money issues a few months back. We still really limit the amount just because it can just get to be too much. We didn't use to eat a lot of processed foods however I've noticed that I've been buying more and more (lunch boxes, 2 kids....argh!). One thing I did do is to start preparing meals one time a week and freezing them - works great if I can get it done on the weekend!

As for a Moroccan vegetarian - I think your husband would have a hard time completely cutting meat out but he might be more open to the idea than you think!

[doodlebugg 10]

omg I"d LOVE it if my hubby went veggie on me! The smell of his beef liver (that he cooks 'cause I just think that stuff is NASTY) is enough to make me and the kiddos go into one room and close the door until he airs the house out!

[Nothing1234 2]

omg I"d LOVE it if my hubby went veggie on me! The smell of his beef liver (that he cooks 'cause I just think that stuff is NASTY) is enough to make me and the kiddos go into one room and close the door until he airs the house out!

OMG *vomit* me tooo!!! I hate that stuff. Ekkkk!!

[Melly 2 0]

Hello

My advice to anyone who wants to go from a meat diet to a non-meat diet, or even restrict the amount of beef that they are getting, is to be extremely careful about making sure that you get in all of your vitamins and minerals.

In particular, you are not going to get enough vitamin B12 from your plant foods and you can't get it from combining proteins either.

You can get small amounts from dairy prodcuts and chicken, but not in the amount that your body needs every day. The easist source to get it from is liver, beef, some sources of seafood, or you need to take a supplement for it.

I can't stress this enough.

I was vegetarian for over 20 years and I'm just now finding out about the vitamin B12 deficiency, as it takes many years to show up in your body.

I'm now eating chicken and may start eating beef, or taking a supplement.

The reason I originally stopped eating meat back when I was a teen, was from reading the book Diet for a New America.

I'm glad that I didn't eat meat all those years, in many ways I think I'm healthier for it and my cholesterol is totally awesome!

I guess my advice would be all things in moderation.

Maybe watch how many times a week you eat it or make it a smaller part of the meal as Rahma and her husband do.

[star_dragon 0]

That's good advice.....I gave up meat once for Lent (40 days) and I really felt the effects of it, nutritionally...LOL

[chaishai 1]

If your personal choice is to not eat meat, say because you don't like it, or there is no halal meat avaliable to you, then you are allowed to refrain. The verse doesn't mean to eat EVERYTHING provided for us, just FROM those things provided for us (meaning stay away from the bad things).

As long as you don't view eating meat as haram..for example, maybe you are big on animal rights and you think that slaughtering animals is wrong in the way the Prophet (PBUH) showed us...that would be sinful. But just choosing to not eat meat because you don't like it is not haram.

Please see this advice from islamqa.com, a very reliable and respectable site

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/2521/vegetarian

Im not muslim but interested in other religions - can you help me understand this?

-You cant view eating meat as haram

-You can avoid meat because you dont like it

Why cant you be big on animal rights and not eat it for those reasons, do those reasons equate to it being haram?

[Staashi 371]

The only thing I can say about going veg is be careful that you're still getting your protein through soy or plant proteins. Many people think that by going vegetarian is going to be super healthy for them, in reality, many people end up carbo-loading. They load up on crazy amounts of rice, pastas, wheat-based products which can be very unhealthy for anyone, unless they are whole-wheat based or brown rice. Ultimately, this leads to a major weight gain, which was the exact opposite reason for giving up meat.

I say this after having wonderful veggie friends, both ovo-lacto and vegans...it is a tough life to lead. I would advise that you learn how to eat soy-based products, if you don't already, so that you can begin to supplement your diet with them...over time, you will be able to transition away from meat to soy-based alternatives. One other thing, be careful as soy is having some profound effects on breast cancer.

[notime4haterz 0]

If your personal choice is to not eat meat, say because you don't like it, or there is no halal meat avaliable to you, then you are allowed to refrain. The verse doesn't mean to eat EVERYTHING provided for us, just FROM those things provided for us (meaning stay away from the bad things).

As long as you don't view eating meat as haram..for example, maybe you are big on animal rights and you think that slaughtering animals is wrong in the way the Prophet (PBUH) showed us...that would be sinful. But just choosing to not eat meat because you don't like it is not haram.

Please see this advice from islamqa.com, a very reliable and respectable site

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/2521/vegetarian

Im not muslim but interested in other religions - can you help me understand this?

-You cant view eating meat as haram

-You can avoid meat because you dont like it

Why cant you be big on animal rights and not eat it for those reasons, do those reasons equate to it being haram?

What they are saying is that as long as you don't say that eating meat is haram, it's okay. You can be an animal rights activist all you want, but you cannot claim that God has forbidden the eating of meat, or that eating meat is an unethical thing to do. That is what they mean. In other words, we cannot change the rules of our religion, regardless of our feelings towards things. You can avoid meat for your personal reasons, but do not transgress that and claim that eating meat is a sin or unethical.

[notime4haterz 0]

The only thing I can say about going veg is be careful that you're still getting your protein through soy or plant proteins. Many people think that by going vegetarian is going to be super healthy for them, in reality, many people end up carbo-loading. They load up on crazy amounts of rice, pastas, wheat-based products which can be very unhealthy for anyone, unless they are whole-wheat based or brown rice. Ultimately, this leads to a major weight gain, which was the exact opposite reason for giving up meat.

I say this after having wonderful veggie friends, both ovo-lacto and vegans...it is a tough life to lead. I would advise that you learn how to eat soy-based products, if you don't already, so that you can begin to supplement your diet with them...over time, you will be able to transition away from meat to soy-based alternatives. One other thing, be careful as soy is having some profound effects on breast cancer.

If you're trying to have a baby, avoid soy products. There are alot of articles that show it has caused alot of problems including the inability to have children.

What about seafood?

I eat organic, vegitarian fed, no hormones/antibiotics, free roaming animal meat. It's not halal and my husband is unhappy with my eating like this. When he gets here (Inshallah) we're going to try and find a local organic farm that might let us slaughter our own meat. That would be the best of both worlds, having it organic and halal...but I can definitely agree with you that the mainstream meat supply is very unhealthy. I really respect people that become vegetarian. I did it for like 2 years but I started gaining so much weight and I just didn't look too healthy. I went back to eating a balanced diet with meats and felt alot better and lost alot of weight.

[SaadBell 0]

I took a class one time and it involved the origins of mad cow disease, so yea, it bothers me and I have to get off the meat, just because of what they feed the cattle. I do love meat, and most likely would eat it if the meat was raised free ranged without hormones. But after that class it just bothered me a lot and than if you wanna a good read, Robin Cook, Toxic, that book was dead on, I had read that book, years before this class, and than I take this class and it reminded me of that book, but be warned, you won't eat meat for a little bit.

[nunyab 0]

you guys will laugh but i talked to my husband and told him what i was planning on doing... his first word was.."what???" I thought he didn't understand me so i said it again...and again "Whhhhaaaatt?? then Are you craazy???" lol. I was drinking some water when he said that and the way and tone in his voice made me laugh so hard the water almost came out of my nose hehehehe.

So he wanted to talk more about it when he can "understand better" on line. I am so not sure he at all understands what i am telling him about not eating red meat and cutting back on all meat.

[Staashi 371]

There are ways to enjoy meat still and feel good about it...go organic. Just be prepared to pay for it.

[Imua 0]

Were you vegan or ovo-lacto veg? I think that makes a big difference as eggs and milk products have vit. B12. There is also some claim that spirulina algae has vit. B12 though there is debate over that. Hinduism has advocated a lacto-veg diet since Vedic times(traditionally Hindu vegetarians do not eat eggs but my hubby does - he claims along with bananas that is his 'diet for night' . They do tend to develop diabetes though like my FIL especially if they eat too much white rice and sweets. Trying to get a Nepali to cut down on white rice would be like getting a MENA man to cut down on meat I guess...

Hello

My advice to anyone who wants to go from a meat diet to a non-meat diet, or even restrict the amount of beef that they are getting, is to be extremely careful about making sure that you get in all of your vitamins and minerals.

In particular, you are not going to get enough vitamin B12 from your plant foods and you can't get it from combining proteins either.

You can get small amounts from dairy prodcuts and chicken, but not in the amount that your body needs every day. The easist source to get it from is liver, beef, some sources of seafood, or you need to take a supplement for it.

I can't stress this enough.

I was vegetarian for over 20 years and I'm just now finding out about the vitamin B12 deficiency, as it takes many years to show up in your body.

I'm now eating chicken and may start eating beef, or taking a supplement.

The reason I originally stopped eating meat back when I was a teen, was from reading the book Diet for a New America.

I'm glad that I didn't eat meat all those years, in many ways I think I'm healthier for it and my cholesterol is totally awesome!

I guess my advice would be all things in moderation.

Maybe watch how many times a week you eat it or make it a smaller part of the meal as Rahma and her husband do.

[Imua 0]

There are ways to enjoy meat still and feel good about it...go organic. Just be prepared to pay for it.

There was an article in Discover magazine that said scientists are now developing fake beef from stem cells - I wonder if Hindus would eat it since no killing or pain is involved.

[nunyab 0]

i know nothing about tofu.....thoughts??