My name is Andrea and I've been a vegetarian for 23 years. I made the decision to become a vegetarian when I was 18 years-old, based on my huge love for animals and nature. It's an important part of who I am. I volunteer at my local animal shelter and have 3 cats.

I'm not sure how this thread will fly, but I thought I'd give it a try. We could post recipes and talk about health advice and our experiences with vegetarianism.

Hi, iluvelliottandcats. I'm a long-time veggie for 30 years. There are a number of vegetarians here, as I've seen threads pass by on both the AI boards and here. There was one thread here on Vegetarians and Vegans that lasted a little while. I'd be into taking part in this thread. I'm also a animal and nature lover. Since you volunteer at your animal shelter, I'm curious if it is a 'no kill' shelter. And do you know of Best Friends and the work they're doing including their Animal Sanctuary in Utah - the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the country. Wonderful place!

I'm a vegetarian, and so is my twin sister! And I absolutely LOVEEE IT! I'll be 21 in October, and I've been one since the age of 18. Ever since I was little I did not want to eat meat because of my love for animals. I don't believe in killing animals just to eat them. (But don't worry...I'm in NO WAY against people eating meat, my family does.) When I was little I wasn't allowed to be a vegetarian because my parents wanted me to get enough protein since I was growing. I don't blame them for that. So when I could make decisions like that on my own I became a vegetarian. My animals are a huge part of my life! I remember when I was young and I saw all these cute cows on some farm that I was in love with, and then I found out they were being raised just to be killed and eaten. I was so upset and I wanted to save them and all I could do was cry.

So who likes tofu? I LOVE IT! Only if it's like fried though...I can't eat it by itself when it's all soft lol. I eat soy burgers, veggie burgers, and all kinds of fake meat that I really think tastes so good.

Hello movin2thabeet and sweetsarahhh. I'm so glad you posted because I was afraid I was the only Elliott-loving vegetarian around here, and that no one would be interested in this thread. It's nice to see we have 2 very important things in common: loving Elliott and being huge animal lovers.

I volunteer at the local city shelter and unfortunately it's not no-kill. I live in Austin Texas, and our city wants to go no-kill, but right now it's sort of a pipe dream. Yes, I definitely know about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. Since Hurricane Katrina hit I've been to New Orleans 3 times to help with animal rescue, and I volunteered with Best Friends. They did so much good work in New Orleans, and I actually adopted a rescued kitty from them while there. Her name is Katybelle.

Yes, I love tofu. I eat it in all kinds of variations. Most of my protein comes from beans, tempeh and tofu. I am about 98% vegan, but I'm not a purist about it.

Do you guys have any pets? I've got 3 cats. As you can imagine, they all found me as strays. I have 2 black ones and 1 orange tabby ( the one I adopted from New Orleans).

P.S. Movin2thabeet--I just want to say Thank You for all the work you've done on the radio campaign. You worked so hard on compiling all those radio station lists, and I know many people really appreciate it. I used your list to contact about 40 stations across the country.

YES I AM ONE I STARTED WHEN I WAS FIVE BECAUSE I CANT STAND TO SEE ANIMALS SHOT AND EATEN AND PLUS I LOVE ANIMALS MY FAVES ARE LLAMAS AND SQUIRRELS

Hello EFRAYM_ELLIOTT_YAMIN....so glad to see you've joined this thread. I thought I was the only Elliott-loving vegetarian out there...but looks like I'm wrong about that. Do you have any companion animals?

Hey iluvelliottandcats! I live in Montgomery, Texas...it's about an hour north of Houston. I lived in Austin for a year (from 2004-2005) because I went to UT. I lived in a dorm and couldn't stand being away from my animals so I moved back here. I would come home EVERY SINGLE weekend just to see my animals because I missed them so much. I have 3 dogs - two boxers named Laney Jean and her son Rocky Monaghan and one boston terrier named Charlie Mason. People laugh that my dogs have middle names but I LOVEEEE THEM! I also have a cat named Zoe, she is a calico and my mom found her as a stray by a gas station when I was in 4th grade. She brought her home as a surprise for my twin sister and I. I also have another cat that was a stray, but he lives with my dad which I'm really sad about because I miss him so very much. He's the sweetest cat ever, he has long white fur and baby blue eyes. I also have a rat named Cherry and she's adorable.

I loveeeee my animals so much, they are MY LIFE. I seriously couldn't live without them, and even thinking about that upsets me. I don't know what I'd do without them.

Growing up I was always known as the "animal lover". When I get married and have children I want to live on a farm with every known animal haha. We used to have 3 miniature horses, but when my parents got a divorce we had to sell them. That was one of the hardest things I've ever been through. My horse's name was Justina, my sister's was Destiny, and my mom's was Joey. Gosh I miss them. :(

Ok sorry for this really long post haha!

I'm really happy to see this thread. Even though I personally am not a vegetarian, my daughter and her two daughters are vegetarians. I don't find it weird or unusual. What I find weird and unusual is when we go out to eat and they order things on the menu without meat. They look at you like you have 3 heads. So, I always speak up and tell them that they are vegetarians and DON'T EAT MEAT. Then they look at me like I've got 3 heads! :rotfl: I'll have to tell my daughter about this thread. She's a member, but she doesn't get a chance too often to post!

Thanks for the thread! :woohoo:

I've been a vegetarian for 23 years. It just never made sense to me to kill and eat animals. My husband isn't vegetarian, but we eat mostly meat free meals. My kids eat meat,too -- but one day I hope (when they are older) to convince them to go vegetarian, too.

My dream (if I were to win the lottery) would be to open up a sanctuary for animals -- all types. Right now I have 2 dogs (both mutts) that I adopted from the shelter. I'd love to have more if I had the room -- but with 2 kids and 2 dogs -- we already have our hands full.

Glad to see other fellow animal (and, of course, E) lovers on board!

I've been a vegetarian for 10 years and a vegan for... I don't know... maybe 7 or so? I actually started the Vegetarians and Vegans thread way back when, but since it got lost somewhere, I'm glad to see this new one! :D

Hi farmgirl59, scarlettm512, and rainshine...so glad you've joined this thread. I feared I might be the only Elliott-loving vegetarian around here...but looks like I was wrong about that.

Animals are such an important part of my life...I couldn't live without them. I live in an apartment with 3 cats, but someday would love to have a house so that I could have dogs too. If I won the lottery I would definitely have a sanctuary for animals. I think it would be exclusively for farm animals, since they suffer more than any other animals out there. I'm a long-time member of Farm Sanctuary, and I was an intern with this organization many years ago. Farm Sanctuary is definitely the real deal, all donations are very wisely used and go to the animals, not to high salaries. What animal protection organizations do you guys like?

I've always wondered if Elliott loves animals, though I haven't heard him mention this. Does anyone know if he has any pets?

Hey sweetsarahhh...that's pretty coincidental that you lived in Austin. I really like it here, it's very progressive and vegetarian-friendly. It's nice to be able to go to just about any restaurant and be able to eat something! Your pet's names are very cute by the way!

O YES I HAVE TWO DOGS AND TWO CATS ONE RAT THAT I WOULDNT TRADE FOR THE WORLD O AND A LLAMA (HE PULLS A CART AND MY OTHER ANIMALS RIDE IN IT THEY LOVE IT) ITS SO CUTE WHEN THEY DO IT

Hi guys. :)

My mom told me about this thread & I was so happy to read it. :D


I'm also a vegetarian. Going on 2 years now. And also a big time animal lover. :wub:

I have 4 doggies & 1 kitty. They are my babies. :)

It's really nice to meet other vegetarians/E fans on here. :D

Hope you all have a wonderful week! :wub:

Hey everyone, I'm so glad to see this thread here!!!!! :hello:

I'm also a vegetarian and have been one for now 5 years :woohoo: ...I have always wanted to become a vegetarian, but I tried it out one day when I was in 7th grade and was I believe 13 years old and at that time could only survive without meat for ONE DAY LOL. :lol: The following year when I was 14, I just realized one day that I hadn't ate meat for about 4-5 days and hadn't died lol so I thought ok well I'll see how long this goes and let's just say the rest is history!!!!! :D I'm 19 years old now and I just don't ever see myself eating meat again for the rest of my life. :)

I have 13 pets now, I've lost a few this past year or so... :unsure:

I have 1 dog, 4 cats, 6 chickens, 1 goat, and 1 hamster!!!!! :cheerleader:

I had another chicken but she died on the American Idols Finale on Wednesday night and then the following Tuesday my cat had died...so let's just say that whole week wasn't very fun for me at all :no: ...but later in the week we found a baby chick who looked like she wasn't going to survive and we put some ointment on her back and well let's just say she's my new pet!!!!! :rocker:

I don't like the idea of killing animals for meat, but I'm not the type of person who's going to hate everyone else who DOES eat meat, because first of all I know how hard it is to give up meat :thud: and also because my family and friends all eat meat and I wouldn't trade them for the world either lol... :rolleyes:

i actually only eat meat on occasion. i can't force myself to start eating tofu. :P

This is great - I'm glad I found this thread. :cheerleader: It looks like there's quite a few vegetarians that are Elliott lovers.

I consider myself a vegetarian, even though I do eat fish occasionally. I stopped eating meat not only because I love animals, but I believe it's healthier. There are so many delicious things to eat so I don't miss it. Can't live without my Morningstar veggie burgers. I've also cut way down on dairy and use mostly soy milk ... something I think you have to acquire a taste for. I also volunteered in our local SICSA (Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals). It is a "no kill" shelter. I don't think I could work in a shelter that euthanizes animals. I would be a mess knowing that some of the animals would have to be put down. I have 2 cats, Lionel (orange tabby) and Quincy (tux). Since my daughter has grown and left home, my cats are like my kids now. I call them my sons. I love all animals - won't even kill spiders.

Hi everyone!. I was a vegetarian for 8 years but then I decided to start eating meat because I had severe iron deficiency.. my father is still a vegetarian for more than 20 years, and he is healthy. I guess when you are a vegetarian it is especially important to make sure you eat nutritious food. I still feel guilty whenever I eat meat...

Spinach and green leafy vegetables are a good way to get iron. Some beans are also high in iron. I've been a vegetarian for 23 years and haven't had an iron deficiency, and I'm pretty sure it's due mostly to the green leafies.

Just wanted to say Hi and Welcome to everyone who's joined recently...ract, drummergrl76, ElliottYaminFan4Life, etrainron, and Quincygirl.

:welcome: :hi:

ElliottYaminFan4Life-your list of pets is pretty impressive!

Does anyone know if Elliott likes animals? I haven't heard him mention this in any interviews.

He apparently likes dogs because there's a picture out there showing him petting his roommates dalmation. He's allergic to cats though (I remember reading that somewhere). I'll bet he loves animals since he has such a big heart. :yes:

Thanks for the tip, iluvelliottandcats!

I'm not a vegetarian because I still enjoy eating fish, shellfish, and poultry. I do love tofu and tempeh. I cook with lots of tofu and we snack on edamame all the time. There's a great vegan cafe my dh and I enjoy. They also bake their own muffins and cookies. YUMM!

I love dogs and have 2. I only rescue my dogs from the shelter or rescue groups. Someday, I'd like to be a foster for dogs. I'm very allergic to cats so I can't be around them much.

There's an article in the Updates section called "Claudette Cooks", and she talks about how Elliott chose vegetarianism as a little boy. I'm not surprised, as he seems like a highly sensitive/compassionate guy. Shame he didn't stick with it.