I've been a vegetarian for about 20 years now. I was a vegie from birth until about 2 years old, then ate meat until I was about four, then went back to being a vegie when I was force fed Liver and Onion at my parents hotel.<p>I don't think there is any real social pressure on me to eat meat. Once in a while I get a jerk who isn't one of my friends trying to explain to me the "error of my ways". But it's pretty easy to shrug that off, with an equally obscene response of something like "animals are my friends, and you don't eat your friends do you?".
Ha.<p>But the real reason is I can get by fine without eating meat and would be viciously sick I'm sure if I ever attempted to eat meat now.
When I was following Atkins (because I like to lift weights and we need lots of protein) I read that the Inuit are really healthy people and they only eat meat.<p>Maybe meat is understimate and it's our western life style that cause the illnesses.<p>Meat + bad carbs + no exercise = health problems<p>But for sure being a vegetarian or something in the middle is healthy. As long as you continue biking and avoid fast absorbing carbs<p>Good luck
I'm 25 now and I'd never ate any meat in my life (first try to eat some was at 18 or something but it just didn't fit into my stomach D:) - feels pretty much fine actually :D
Good for you, sebastianmarr. As a vegan for 8 years now, I can tell you that there are plenty of good recipes for vegetarians, if you consciously look for them.<p>Also, watch out for this phenomenon: after not eating meat for some time (a month should suffice), other food (especially vegetables) start to taste differently - start to taste better. It's quite possible you might never go back to eating meat again.
I stopped eating my friends about eight years ago. I don't really consciously think about not eating meat now (it has become natural for me not to), but I really miss fish.