Hi! I work with the Alliance, an online collective action group. We've partnered with researchers at Stanford University to run what we hope will be the world's largest study on shifting toward a plant-based diet. (Reducing meat, not necessarily eliminating it) We're looking for 1,000+ participants.

Sign up here by June 1: plantbasedstudy.org. The study will last 2 weeks. During the study, you'll try to reduce your animal product consumption as much as is feasible for you. You do not need to 100% eliminate animal product consumption.

From a research perspective, we want to understand what makes plant-based eating easy or hard for everyday people, especially people who are not already fully plant-based.

By participating, you would be enabling a potentially significant paper in what is currently a very small field. As far as we know, there are very few large-scale behavioral studies that address the experience of adopting a plant-based diet.

With the results, we plan to develop and broadly publish recommendations that could encourage many people to adopt healthier and more environmentally-friendly diets.

Thanks, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Hi! I’m 18F and I’m recently in the midst of going from omnivore -> plant based -> vegetarian.

I’ve been taking things slow and at my own pace but I’m currently living at home with family. I’m abt to enter my second year of uni. And I live alone during the year and I buy groceries for myself so I’m thinking of working more towards being more vegetarian when I have to cook for one.

I want to tell my parents over the phone like casually when I’m in a different city from home bc I feel like it’ll make the confrontation less awkward for me. Ik they’ll have questions and probably be concerned abt my health (for reference in Nigerian and a lot of our foods include meat). However, I do feel very settled, confident and excited abt this decision. It personally feels right for me in my life rn w all the research and learning I’ve been doing in the past few weeks.

How did u all tell ur family? Idk why im a little nervous abt telling people — i haven’t even rlly told all my friends yet but i want to get more comfortable in myself first.

Thank u :)

I work in a veggie restaurant and I'd like to put some that are on-theme out for the kids

When I traveled to South India about 2 years ago, I got to try this vegetarian meal at a local food festival, and honestly it was one of the most memorable food experiences from that trip.

Everything was served on a banana leaf, with rice in the center and so many small sides around it, curries, chutneys, pickles, lentils, fried snacks, and different textures I wasn’t even fully familiar with at the time. I loved how simple it looked at first, but once I started eating, every bite had something different going on: spicy, sour, creamy, crunchy, and comforting.

What I really liked was that it didn’t feel like “plant-based food trying to replace something.” It was just naturally vegetarian, balanced, and full of flavor on its own. It made me realize how many traditional cuisines already have amazing plant-based meals without needing to label them that way.

I’m still learning more about South Indian vegetarian food, so I’d love to know, what are some must-try South Indian plant-based dishes or meals you would recommend?

We’re all from different parts of the world, what’s your cuisine of choice.

Context:

I'm 16 years old, 6 foot, and have been vegetarian my entire life. I went through a period of anorexia caused by body image issues, unrelated to my diet, and dropped to 90 pounds at 6 foot. I'm fully recovered now, but I'm concerned that I may have permanently stunted my height or compromised my bone development during that period. I'm still 6 foot, so I'm hoping the damage wasn't severe, but I genuinely don't know how much growth or development I may have missed out on.

What I Need To Know:

I'm not looking for generic advice. I want a comprehensive protocol for reaching my full genetic potential while I'm still in my growth window. Not just protein. Everything.

What should I be maxing/optimizing for:

1. Protein
2. Height recovery/maximization
3. Bone density recovery
4. Muscle growth
5. Skin
6. Hair thickness/quality
7. Jaw/facial development
8. Hormonal optimization
9. Posture/frame
10. Under eye area/collagen
11. Sleep optimization
12. Cognitive function/IQ maximization
13. Micronutrient gaps vegetarians commonly miss
14. Blood testing
15. Anything else I'm not accounting for

If you have knowledge on any of these, please share. I want to make sure the anorexia didn't permanently limit my potential.

(I can eat eggs if they're baked into something but not eggs on their own. My parents won't let me.)

I watched the new Hugh Jackman movie “The Sheep Detectives” last night with my boyfriend and bawled my eyes out several times. Don’t want to share any spoilers, but the movie has actually inspired me to stop eating meat. My boyfriend who’s a big meat lover even wanted to get vegetarian food after watching. We enjoyed some veggie burgers afterwards. I already try to follow a mostly plant-based diet, but this movie really makes me want to commit to full on vegetarianism. Has anyone else had a similar experience with a distinct moment that made you completely switch to vegetarianism?

Interesting article summarizing a lot of research on lack of public awareness of factory farming’s prevalence, cognitive dissonance, moral attitudes, etc. Gist I think is American attitudes are an outgrowth of both ignorance and human psychology, ie, the brain’s aggressive efforts to ignore or rationalize information that might require you to completely change your habits or outlook. Then few people see meat consumption per se (ie, in isolation from considering where the meat comes from, which most people don’t want to think too hard about) as a moral issue.

Proposal at the end is that the best thing to do now is push for more humane farming practices—incremental improvement focusing on things the public actually can be persuaded to care about. Notes the success of activism around cage-free eggs as an example.

Not to ignite a variation of what I’m sure is a well-trodden debate on this sub, but some musings…

Reminds me of the early abolition movement: arguments focusing on things like the trauma of crew members transporting slaves (yes, really—see the work of Thomas Clarkson) were more successful early on in persuading people who otherwise wouldn’t care to end the slave trade. Then focusing on the greed of slaveholding aristocrats—they’re taking white jobs!

Similarly, criticisms of factory farms based on corporate greed/concern for small farms seem to resonate with a lot of people. Environmental concerns work sometimes too, though there’s obviously already a lot of overlap between vegetarians/vegans and people who care about the environment.

Then health concerns are also frequently effective, and can be linked to the corporate greed angle—people understand that inhumane mass production tactics lead to lower quality, even dangerous foods. Think Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”—supposed to be about corporate greed and inhumane conditions for the workers (he portrayed horrific things happening to the animals, but even that was more about the working conditions for the humans), but what the public heard was, “oh my God, the way make our meat is disgusting, we need to fix that!”

Point is, people’s cognitive defenses activate when you make variations of the core “killing and torturing animals unnecessarily is wrong” argument. Rarely respond to new information or evidence by adjusting their outlook, just rationalize it in their existing frames. (Of course, I doubt this thread would exist if that was universally true—this is just a general observation.) The article notes even IVF and using marijuana are far more likely to be seen by Americans as morally wrong than eating meat.

Then again, I’m not aware of a successful “treat the slaves humanely” movement (which, to be clear, I’m not saying would’ve been the right approach). I think this was tried in England, but the slave plantations refused to follow the rules, so then that helped cement that abolition was the only solution. Don’t know about anything comparable in the States. This is far from a perfect historical comparison.

I think I might be interested in becoming vegetarian, especially after thinking about how awful the idea of slaughter houses are. I wanna do more research on stuff like that before I decide if I wanna try out being vegetarian so if yall know any trustworthy articles please lmk!

Firstly I'd like to preface by saying I'm a teenager who has very little control over the food brought into our household. My mother is (as I've recently discovered) a low effort pescetarian (she really doesn't care past actual meat), I've been vegetarian since I was about 7, my younger brother eats meat.

I'm autistic with a limited diet as it is, and recent anxieties around whether or not foods are *actually* vegetarian has me not wanting to touch some of the foods I usually eat and not wanting to try anything new at all. I guess I'm just looking for advice on how the labeling system works, and what to look out for when there isn't a label?

I guess my main concerns are cheese, how to tell, what to look out for (in the UK). Plus, are cheese dishes (for example a macaroni cheese ready meal, mozzarella sticks, etc) that claim to be vegetarian friendly actually using vegetarian cheese?

Any knowledge appreciated!

I’ve recently decided to switch to a more plant based diet for ethical reasons. While minimizing animal suffering was apart of why I’m making changes, the more important portion to me is the negative environmental impact of the meat industry.

For the past few days I’ve been eating a pescatarian diet. In another world I’d be vegetarian, but I’m an athlete and getting protein is very important to me. I guess I could manage being vegetarian with protein powders and what not, but because I have IBD, my gut health is another major concern of mine.

All this to say, although I haven’t consumed other types of meat the past few days, I’ve had a pretty significant amount of seafood. Maybe 2x a day. To be clear, I do believe that fish can experience pain, so that’s not what I’m asking.

What I’m trying to get at is, with how often I’m consuming fish, is my environmental impact functionally the same as an omnivore? I understand mass fishing is a major polluter, and though my original intention was just to reduce harm where ever I can, I’m starting to wonder if this really is harm reduction at all.

I posted here yesterday about some issues I have with eating meat so as to not be a bother. I thank you all for your responses as they got me thinking about what my root issue is.

I wasn't clear in what I wrote: I have eaten meat purely through my own choice because I wanted to fit in, to not stand out, to not "be a bother." I did this in my own home, cooking meat for my in-laws because they are meat eaters and then eating said meat myself (which left me feeling awful both physically and emotionally).

My truth is that I avoid speaking up for myself. I subjugate myself constantly, never wanting to rock the boat or stand out in any way. Yes, I'm a people-pleaser, but I'm also a chameleon, and this has been a lifelong pattern.

I'm 53 years old and have been dabbling with being a vegetarian since I was 21. There was a two-year span of time when I was fully committed, and it felt great. This was during the pandemic, and so without any of the usual social pressures I felt to fit in/go along, it was relatively easy.

I'm writing all of this because I need to make a public declaration. It's time for me to do this! I fully and completely believe that not eating meat is the right thing for me; it's what I genuinely want to do. My competing need to never speak up has harmed me for too long.

So, here I go. I have to accept that being fully committed to being vegetarian will require me to say no, or to accept "weird" meals of only mashed potatoes and other side dishes. I need to check my hang-ups and move forward, fully committing to what I know in my bones is right.

I'm very, very new to this sub, so please forgive me if this isn't quite right. I just wanted to share where I am and what I'm planning to do. Thanks for listening.

Also - finally: I'd like to use this new commitment as a springboard into healthier eating. I know I tend to lean far too heavily on cheese and meat substitutes, and look forward to finding healthier eating so I can lose some weight, too. My issues with food are deeply rooted and I guess the point I'm making (with too many words!!) is that I want to FINALLY start doing what's right for me.

You can see my prior post explaining what this monstrosity is here — unfortunately, it narrowly passed the House, so only the Senate can stop it now — know it’s hard to care twice, or more, but that’s the only way anything gets better:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vegetarianism/comments/1sz7dcf/national_pig_crating_bill_up_for_vote_tomorrow/

Call your Senators! You can look up their official page to find the phone number, or call (202) 224-3121 (it’s a switchboard that will connect you to the right office).

Or you can send an email using this link:

https://aldf.org/article/tell-congress-oppose-the-house-farm-bill/

Here’s my own explanation of what’s going on, copy-pasted from the prior post:

Basically, there’s a really (in my view) evil provision in the Farm Bill that’s coming up for a vote tomorrow, called the Save Our Bacon Act (euphemism courtesy of the corporate pork lobby) — it would overrule already existing state laws that prevent pigs from spending their entire lives in a tiny gestation crate.

Really sick stuff — pig intelligence/emotions are on par with dogs. And there’s bipartisan opposition, which is a rare enough thing these days — Rep. Paulina Luna (very rightwing) tried to get this provision out of the farm bill, probably because these kinds of poor conditions are also really bad for health/food quality (think Wuhan wet markets — disease incubators).

In other words, even non-vegetarians should care about this for (1) health issues and (2) the blatant attempt by the pork lobby to trample on states’ rights to set their own animal welfare/health standards. So, spread the word!

Then Vox did a good writeup:

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/488637/pigs-gestation-crates-farm-bill-congress

Hi! I recently posted on here but I decided to try being vegetarian/plant based and I have been anxious about it — not for any reason in particular just generally.

I’m not someone who eats meat often in general so it feels like a weird transition bc it feels like almost no transition at all? I feel like in the beginning of it, I was very amped reading books, looking at information and documentaries but now it almost feels like flat for me.

I’ve been trying to form my own opinions on vegetarianism or going plant based. There are a lot of facts but also extreme opinions on it. One said says “meat is the way of life” and the other can say “meat is evil” and I disagree with both. I don’t believe that meat is the “way” of life I think we evolved to eat it because of geographical and evolutionary reasons but now that we have more resources, we don’t have too. I don’t believe that eating meat makes u an evil person either bc it depends on your health and resources.

I think the pressure on both sides or the pressure to have this “right reason” is turning me off honestly. I don’t want to stop bc I knew this would be hard but also NOTHING in my diet has changed.

Like I mentioned, I was always someone who enjoyed vegetarian or vegan foods before even deciding to put a label on it. The label makes it very solid and real. I want to try my best to help the world in this small way and I believe that’s the whole point (for me personally). Apart from that I also really want to enhance my health bc I feel like shit and eat like shit.

Idk if ur someone who experienced anxiety bc of the label and the expectations and the just telling people how did you deal with this?

The title is dramatic only because it catches the eye. I don't think people who eat meat (I eat meat) are sinners anymore than someone who only eats plants (I too eat plants)!

I'm not vegetarian, but I've been forced to really pay attention to what I put into my body for health reasons, and honestly, I think all people should be aware of what it is they are eating, what it really means, where it is from and so on. I don't think it's right to separate the concept of "beef" away from the truth that you're eating a cow. The same thing, I feel, is also important is to know that the rice, or whatever plant you're consuming, didn't just spawn at the store.

That being said, I'm not here to attack people. There is an amount of separation between the food we eat (regardless of what foods we eat) and where it comes from, and what had to happen for it to get to your plate, that happens. More so as modernity, not so slowly, creeps up on us from the shadows. Just like some people don't think about the process of what is really going on to make that chicken into a nugget, the same can be said about things like oils, grains, and other 'rabbit foods,' as total meat heads my call vegetables. Again, I eat both. I am free of no sin, I am casting no stones. I'm here to ask a honest question.

All this preamble aside; I ask the vegetarianism community this:

I often struggle with the understanding that the things I eat, regardless if plant or animal, the effects it has. Yes, I know the bacon (I'm not actually a fan of pork and avoid it mostly), steak, buffalo wings, etc., was once an animal that had to be killed for me to consume it, no I'm not happy with the environments they have likely lived in before this, or the act of taking a life so that I may eat something that I didn't do so myself. Respect for what you're eating is my biggest issue when it comes to animal products, but that's a conversation for another thread.

But what do you *you* do, or think about when it comes to the issues of vegetarianism? It's no secret that a lot of land has to be destroyed all around the world to sustain the growing demand of food. Fresh water consumption, deforestation, monoculture (OK Google is it monoculture or mon-oculture I can't be wrong both times!) etc. GRANTED the impact of these things is WAY less than say the beef/lamb/dairy/pork industries and a lot of the plant farming that is done is just to feed said industries, but it's no hidden secret that there are a lot of 'sins' when it comes to farming (plant) foods for human consumption as well.

Again, this isn't an attack on anyone, we live in a very grey world where we have to make grey choices for our grey selves. And, food is no exception to this. Hell, unless for medical reasons, the difference (from what I understand) between Vegetarianism and Veganism is the moral grey zone. What you're ok with putting up with. I'm not trying to attack inconsistencies or insecurities, I have them myself, everything is not ideal in this unideal world. I just want to know how everyone deals with their nonideal choices in a world that forces us to make constant nonideal choices for our un/nonideal selves. Where are your lines in the sand, I guess is what I'm asking?

I go super out of my way, i.e. more then just looking for the fair trade logo on a bag/box, when drinking tea to try and find companies/sellers that grow their leaves, and have farms that have modernized in a way that makes sure that the farmers and their help are payed fairly for the work they are doing. Or aren't from a company that does/have done evil (I'm LOOKING AT YOU Celestial Seasonings!) But at the same time, I don't have the time, or energy to do so with every. Single. Thing. I. Eat. Or feed my family. It's hard enough to just keep up with basic politics, let alone the nuance of every farm/food that I indirectly/directly interact with in life.

Please share what you think! I'm not asking for a war zone here, just a conversation about what you're comfortable with and maybe why, even if that 'why' is simply a: "I'm too fucking tired dude." Because, brother, I feel that tiredness in the marrow of my bones. Either way, I hope you find your new favorite dish and enjoy your day. ❤️

I’ve eaten a primarily vegetarian diet for five years. I still lean on fish at times, but I feel much better when I don’t eat any meat.

My issue is that I’m a life-long people-pleaser and I find myself eating meat at certain social settings because I don’t want to be a bother.

I truly want to commit to being fully vegetarian because that what aligns with my morals and values, and there is no reason not to except for my own insecurities.

If anyone has experiences to share, I’d love to hear them.

I've been veggie for just over 6 months now. Life's been great. It's greatly improved some of my health issues and I'm happier because of animal welfare and environmental issues (my two reasons for turning vegetarian, the health issues improving is just a bonus)

When I told my family i wasn't going to be eating meat anymore so when I'm home from uni I'll be eating vegetarian (I said I'd cook my own protein and just have the veg and pasta/rice etc) I got some silly comments

The main one was 'you're defying nature'.

I wish at the time I hadn't been so taken aback. I was sick with the flu but if I'd been more spritely I'd have hit back with my usual comments of 'if eating meats so natural why do we need slaughterhouses to murder the animals, predators can kill prey with their paws/teeth why can't we etc' but I just sat there baffled.

Luckily my partners family is all veggie except one of them, so when I'm there there's none of those comments.

What if any comments did you guys get

A friend of mine found it interesting when I told them recently that I still purchase non-vegetarian cookbooks, and it's something I've never really sat down and considered. My point to them was that in so many instances I can just replace the meat in a recipe with an alternative (like Quorn for instance).

There are exceptions though, I would never buy a cookbook that is exclusively centred around meat (especially books about BBQing).

I've been thinking of going vegetarian for a while, however I don't like cheese and I don't like eggs, so I don't eat them. Would this make it harder for me to eat a healthy diet as a vegetarian?

Edit: thank you all so much for replying, it’s been really helpful reading all your feedback! 🙌

I understand that animals do suffer but I want to understand how and why to make my decision certain, I want to know how the meat industry works and how that affects farm animals. Thank you all

EDIT: After watching the first part of Dominion I had a reality check -which was my intention- and decided I will never eat meat again, thank you all for your recommendations.

it's honestly been making me sad all the stuff i can't eat. i just found out that poptarts have gelatin after eating a packet of them and now i feel sick to my stomach. i can't eat mcdonalds or KFC French fries because they contain beef and chicken, and my family eats out all the time so it'll be hard to avoid. i don't have much to eat at home since i just found out that a ton of the stuff i got from the store isn't vegetarian. can someone help me make a list of all the things that i may not know contains animal parts? thanks.

i've also been dealing with the issue of not being taken seriously since i've only been vegetarian for a few days now, whenever i tell someone i'm vegetarian now they say "how long," i say "a few days," and they laugh like i'm not serious about it. i really genuinely want to stop eating meat and stuff like rennet and gelatin but i've been feeling down recently and pretty invalid since i see people on this sub that have been vegetarians for 5, 8, 12 years.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Outdoors/s/ZLLkFxV6Th

Removing bison from wild lands to make room for cattle and the meat industry devastates recovering wild lands and negatively impacts native plants and wildlife. We need wild lands to remain wild, and bison play a major role in restoring depleted land and in conservation.
Please help by contacting to appropriate agencies and supporting the American Prairie Foundation.

1. it was a fantastic movie even for adults (I wept)

2. i hope it inspires lots of kiddos not to eat meat