My son recommended I watch this:

http://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/

I had been having “anti meat” thoughts for a while. So I’ve just watched it.

If what they say is correct then it makes so much sense to eat a plant based diet.

So I thought I’d ask you gals and guys what your thoughts were and how those of you who have switched feel now compared to before.

I was vegetarian for 15 years and am now a born again carnivore. I didn't feel any better for being vegetarian but now we do eat more veggie based meals, lots of purses and suchlike for economy. That and I think that we do eat too much meat and protein in general I've thought of vegan as I do know someone who started her plant based diet over a year ago after watching Forks over Knives and she does look very healthy these days. Cheese is the problem you see, it always come back to cheese.

My stepdaughter should be a vegetarian but she likes meat too much.

Not trying to be funny, she just does.

I'm perfectly happy to have veggie things as part of a meat replacement.

I don't mind a veggie burger as long as there's something like beans or some sort of sauce to compensate for the dryness.

Safeways UK used to do some really nice nut cutlets.

What's that brand they do in Sobeys - ground beef substitute, burgers...they're pretty good. Vegetable spring rolls/samosas seem nicer than the chicken or beef ones.

I used to buy Sosmix in the UK.

My experience in the UK...sorry to say I found most vegans and vegetarians to be fairly unhealthy types. Looked like death warmed up, succumbing to colds

There's a great vegan restaurant in Peterborough. The food is delicious but to make it yourself would be labour intensive. All the nuts and pantry items make it quite pricey too.

That's where Sosmix came in handy. And the Granose version - a very good vegloaf as I recall.

Then, of course, there's Quorn I used to get the chicken version. Very good it was too.

Why bother, go and see a nut Doctor......no put intended, you clearly have a mental health problem. Eat meat, even if you have to get this meat from the wild, it is so tasty. I can understand that you may not like meat from animals that are bred for it, but really, it is a state of mind.

phepheeeww.

Fat good-fat bad.
Sugar good-sugar bad.
salt good-salt bad.
wheat good-wheat bad.
meat good-meat bad.

The only thing that you should understand is that so-called experts who tell you what's good for you aren't responsible for your body, that'll be you.

If you like what you're eating and it doesn't kill you then the chances are your body will say 'Yummy, can I have some more' and your mind won't stress about how good it is for you.

So for me it's...

Pickled onions excellent.
Pork pies very good.
Mushy peas good.
Sausage rolls good.
Smoked bacon very good.
Tasty Cheddar Cheese good.
Doorstep chunks of bread good.
Beer good.
Wine good.

So called health foods, those nuts, berries, twigs and leaves that leave you wishing you were dead, very bad.

I think if your going to be vegan or veggie then meat substitutes are just plain wrong. Perverse even.

Roast chopped belly of pork with black pudding and cranberry. Have some duck fat roast spuds and veg, difficult to better that. Won't be able to have that as a berry eater, the plate will look sparse.

My personal favourite, bbq'd rib of beef...slice it and serve witha Greek salad....we do get great beef in Alberta.

Interesting comments.

I expected to get a few vegetarians commenting. Where are they?

Always seemed odd to me too...not one thing or the other.

I remember the days when the xmas meal alternative was a nut roast. Why did it have to be a 'roast' of any kind? Veg Stroganoff or something.

In bed with a cold.

Bit like turkey bacon in the Middle East. Very strange.

I did my stint as a vegetarian yonks ago, and that lasted a whole seven years. I only came back to meat and fish due to "power" lunches when back in the day, veggie wasn't on offer in "those kind of restaurants".

I still often cook veggie meals; being veggie made me think about my diet, I would have absolutely no problem if meat were to be outlawed tomorrow.

Going vegan however is another kettle of fish entirely. Ha ha!

I could never, ever give up cheese. Or honey.

Going vegan is hard work, it takes careful planning to get the diet right. And regrets, misery and, and, and...

We're hiding from the usual veggie-bashing we have grown to expect! (Not on BE but in the wider world).

I became vegetarian aged 6 due to my disgust at mass farming methods in the 1980s. I have remained so due to environmental reasons and because I'm a softy where animals are concerned. I suppose I should be vegan, but that's too much for me. I do what I can. I have no issue with people eating meat, as long as it's ethically sourced, but it's not for me, and I don't believe it's sustainable at current rates.
If you have concerns with eating meat give vegetarianism a go. It's a lot easier now than in the 1980s! Even if you don't go the whole hog, just reducing your meat intake and ensuring it's ethically sourced helps.