Vegan here.
It only lasted 6 months. :( My wife is a vegetarian though so I don't eat much meat at all. Still, there's nothing like a nice burger...
There's no need to feel guilty for still eating meat. The fact you have cut down is hugely positive already. It can take a while to transition. I happen to date a vegan who's studying nutrition and is an awesome chef, so I can tell you that it is possible to eat a satisfying and tasty plant based diet. Just give yourself time for your body to slowly adapt. Alternatively you can take the shock route and watch Earthlings - a.k.a. the vegan converter.
There's no need to feel guilty for still eating meat.
-I don't. I only feel guilty that I didn't accomplish a goal that I set out to achieve. The idea was to stop eating meat for 1 year. I had always planned on returning. It had to do with self-dicipline. I failed.It can take a while to transition. I happen to date a vegan who's studying nutrition and is an awesome chef, so I can tell you that it is possible to eat a satisfying and tasty plant based diet.
-Completely agree and have experienced it personally. BUT... the "meat like" products do not come close (for the most part) to satisfying the flavor, texture and savoriness of meat.
I'm an almost vegetarian, but I haven't made the leap to complete vegetarianism. I eat meat rarely. I can't quite figure out how to get off it completely. I respect those who can, but it's so ubiquitous and cheap that often it's the 'easier' choice to make.
With so many meat alternatives it has never been easier to be vegetarian or vegan. It can still be socially challenging, specially when eating out. However, once one decides to make the moral choice of ending suffering, no amount of "temptation" or peer pressure can overturn it. I admit I still liked the smell of meat for years after becoming veggie. But concurrent with the smell was the mental image of the animal being slaughtered which was a way more powerful factor for me. Now I find the smell of burnt flesh, milk or eggs is quite disgusting. The human body is amazing at adapting to new habits.
Hang on, burnt flesh smells gross to most people. Burnt and cooked are not the same. I understand what you're saying about meat alternatives, but why make meat alternatives that closely resemble meat products? For example, I ate some meatless nuggets one time that were indistinguishable from chicken nuggets, which were good but it seems like embracing a meatless lifestyle while eating foods engineered to resemble meat is flirting with temptation.
Burnt was the wrong choice of word (English isn't my first language). I meant cooked. I agree, it's a silly idea. But such products can aid people in a transition period while they adapt to a plant based diet. The same way smokers use nicotine patches to let go of smoking, meat eaters have just a hard time to let go of the meat "addiction" : )...but why make meat alternatives that closely resemble meat products?
Ah ok. If you don't mind my asking, what is your first language? I can understand that line of reasoning. Perhaps the vegans I know are not representative of trends in consumption for vegans as a broad group, but some of those products seem to make their way into their meals with some regularity. To use the context of your analogy, it's like a smoker who uses an e-cigarette once in a while instead of quitting completely. As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I am not a vegetarian or vegan, but I try not to consume very much meat. Good quality vegetables can be quite expensive where I live though, unfortunately.
Portuguese. Well, just like with any diet, you have to be a good chef to be able to cook flavoursome food from raw ingredients. Sadly these days, I don't think many people have a strong skill of cooking, and although vegans tend to make an extra effort, sometimes we also lack creativity. Hence why we fall for the meat substitute stuff. I've been phasing out processed vegan food from my diet for a while. At the moment, I'd say that less than half of my meals contain maybe a bit of tofu. Everything else is from fresh ingredients, many of which I grow myself in the garden. Those are the tastiest : )...what is your first language?
I've been trying to phase out processed foods myself, but in a region with four seasons it can be hard to do. In an ideal world, I'd have a sprawling garden where I'd grow most of my own food, so lucky you! I agree that most people in general are not strong cooks because they don't need to be. It must be difficult sometimes as a vegan, especially living in an area where vegan products may not be as available and so there is limited variety.