I am a Vegetarian and not a 'Vegan'. Veganism I personally find a bit extreme.
I am not from a family of Vegetarians. I became a Vegetarian by choice. It had nothing to do with religion either.
If I remember right, my journey into Vegetarianism started at the age of 10 or 11. I had accompanied my uncle to a poultry farm somewhere in Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) one Sunday. Even though my uncle tried to dissuade me from watching, I watched first hand, the process, of how that wonderful chicken curry lands in my plate. The sight of the hen being slaughtered struck a nerve somewhere. I couldn't eat anything 'chicken' for a week. I did continue to eat fish and eggs in this phase. Slowly, however, I got over it, and the sights and smells of a really good Chicken Biryani with an egg topping was just too much to resist. So I dived back in.
Few years later, we shifted to the middle east; Kuwait, to be precise. This was a non-vegetarians paradise. Me and my sibling gorged on the delicious helpings of chicken this, chicken that, salamis, sausages and you know what. Chicken and other meat came frozen, ready to cook. Even if you were to buy fresh, you were spared the agony of watching it slaughtered as everything was automated. But however, one fine evening, on the way back from a restaurant, I saw a truck load of cattle (all jam packed, hardly able to breath) being transported for you know what. Immediately later, we drove past a meat shop. In the middle east, the meat was all hung raw in glorious display, behind shiny glass windows. Bang! That raw nerve got struck again.
I made a declaration at home that evening that I am not eating any meat / fish / chicken from that day. My parents were equally amused and a bit scared at the same time. What did they do wrong, they wondered? They heard my explanation and took it sportingly. The next weekend, my dad made a nice chicken biryani. Oh Boy ! How do you refuse that ? Well I didn't. I skillfully separated the chicken pieces from the rice and ate the rest. And therein began my journey into being a Vegetarian.
After a while, I stopped eating Biryanis. My poor parents had to cook separate vegetarian biryani or veg equivalent dishes for me every time. They attributed it to some 'Brahmin shaap (curse)' running in the family. My family was of a warrior clan. But our ancestors used to 'mingle' with Brahmins (if you know what I mean). My sibling of course thought I was an idiot. I don't blame her. Over time fish and eggs went off my menu. And thats' how its' been since. My parents soon turned veg, to my sibling's horror! She was now sure I was a complete idiot. Although no non-veg was cooked at home after that changeover, to her relief, they did allow her to have non-veg stuff at restaurants or from carry-homes.
My sibling got back to her free non-veg ways once she started her higher studies. She got married to a nice, non veg only, husband. And they both are living happy lives with their equally non veg relishing children.
As for me, I got married to a non vegetarian wife. She comes from a region that relishes and is famous for it's fish cuisines. She and her family have a mutual respect for our diet choices. However, her parents too, have slowly turned vegetarian. My wife started discovering a lot of vegetarian dishes after our marriage and found that they can be tasty too. She now only occasionally has non-veg food. And this is without any compulsion from me. My son, well, he is more like, "What ?! No chicken today?".
I do not enforce my diet choices on anyone. I can enjoy my vegetarian food with someone having a nonveg food right next to me without feeling averse.
I am not a true vegetarian and I wouldn't blame anyone if they called me a hypocrite. I would have to shun a lot of egg and diary products to be a true vegetarian. I don't have egg in boiled or omlette form. But I love Mayonaisse. I've gotten used to eggless Mayo, but it tastes nowhere as good as the real thing. So sometimes I basket the red dot labelled Mayo 'by mistake' instead of the green one. I love cheese, ice-cream and I do love rich creamy fresh milk delivered straight from the cow to my doorstep. Would I refuse a slice of Mango cheese cake, Chocolate truffle or Caramel custard ? Hell No ! So in a way, I am a Lacto-ovo-vegetarian (one who shuns animal flesh but has egg and milk products).
Vegetarianism has its advantages and disadvantages.
My father is a diabetic. No doubt, converting to a vegetarian had delayed the inevitable effects his condition would have brought on to his body. I myself, am now, according to my colleague (a Diabetologist), in a pre-diabetic state. I am able to control my sugars, without medications, by means of a calorie restricted diet and regular exercise. This would be difficult (but not impossible) with a non vegetarian diet as, unfortunately, non vegetarian foods have higher calorie values for equivalent smaller portions.
Various studies over the years have shown that diets rich in meat and meat products have increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, Heart disease and to some extent cancer. This is of course, only in comparison to people on vegetarian diets. Even non vegetarians can develop these diseases. Only their incidence is lower than the general population. So non vegetarians out here don't need to jump from their chairs and spill coffee at the site of the word 'cancer'. You just need to control your portions, thats' all.
So vegetarians are all healthy, eh? Nope.
The lack of fish in a diet can run you into a risk of developing Vitamin B12 deficiency. This vitamin is essential to prevent anaemia, for good vision and for recovery and maintenance of your nerves. Unfortunately, this vitamin is found in abundance in its natural state, only in fish or animal products. You need to compensate as much as you can with the green veggies, nuts, tofu ( a form paneer from soy milk). Be careful. If you are starting to feel a little tired, groggy and having tingling and numbness, time to visit the doctor and consider some vitamin supplements.
Lack of eggs and milk can make you protein and calcium deficient. This will lead to bone thinning and osteoporosis making you susceptible to fractures of your long bones and spondylosis of your spine. You need to compensate with lots of nuts like almonds, walnuts, mushrooms, again soy milk, spinach etc. Don't go overboard with the walnuts though. As I found out the hard way, they can increase your uric acid levels and cause joint pains. If left untreated, can progress to arthritis and gout. The general advise by dieticians is a fistful of nuts a day. If they are mixed variety of nuts, all the better. And no cheating ! You have to be able close your fist !
The above is just a small advice that I have for prospective, converted or traditional vegetarians. This is from my limited personal and professional experience. This is also, not meant to discourage or encourage anyone. A change over to Vegetarianism in any form is a significant life decision. The inspiration should come from within. Otherwise it will just be a temporary trial phase. Nothing wrong with that. Just be careful that you don't end up worse off than before with malnourishment. Believe me, this may have a psychological impact on you as well.
The internet is full of dietary advice. Check the source of the advice, ensure its' genuine and make good use of it to guide you. Better still, visit a good dietitian to develop a personalized diet plan. Only make sure that the dietitian incorporates food that you will eat daily and regularly. You are less likely to stick to a fancy diet plan.
Whatever diet you are on, the take home message is, to control your portions. What I realized during my initial phase of dieting is that, we all eat a lot more than we actually need. I had cut down nearly to half, my daily caloric intake. But I didn't even lose a single kilo for a month. That is, until I put regular physical activity into my routines. When I reached near my ideal weight, it stayed there. This is in spite of the weekly once 'cheat days'.
So what started of as my story on vegetarianism, ended up with some advice. I would like to apologize for that and this long post. extreme_torque's thread hit another nerve in my head and I just couldn't stop typing.
Thank you for bringing out what I'm sure will be an interesting thread. I am sure there are physicians and dietitians among us in this forum. I am eager to read on your thoughts and advice too.
So, Fruitarianism anyone ?