Tips to give up non-veg

[devotee]

I try so hard to stop eating non-veg but I'm unable to give up. Though I have controlled the intake I'm still struggling to give it up entirely. Is there any effective way of slowly giving up?

It is easy. Just don't take it one time, the next time ! That is all !

Every craving has a set pattern. All cravings are acquired. They are all effects of our conditioning. Anything gives me only as much pleasure as I attach importance to it for my enjoyment.

Actually, you get rid of any craving if you learn how to be with God through meditation, japa, bhajans etc. If that is difficult, you may try this :

a) Don't do it just for once i.e. the next time. Just let the moment of temptation pass. Leave that place where the temptataion is ... eat something else immediately so that the satisfaction of hunger kills the craving for any other thing.

b) Thoughts take us towards our objects of cravings. Thoughts make you restless and make you believe that "you would be more happy when you have it". Reason against that thought : "How temporary that saisfaction is. The taste of the meat doesn't last on your tongue even for a minute when you eat it. Why have a craving for an enjoyment of just a few minutes ? Why should I allow my happiness/enjoyment to be dependent of a few minutes of slavery of my taste buds ? If I can't be happy renouncing a few minutes of dependent enjoyment ... how can I be happy ? A time will come when I won't be able to enjoy ... this temptation will not die out ... but burn me with flames of desires."

If I want to be happy all the time ... then I must reduce the dependence of my happiness on other things external to me.

OM

[anirvan]

my suggestion is very practical. Replace equally or more that equally better,tasty veggi food.you will start hating non-veg. because the peace you will get with good veggi will be missing in non-veg.

still i am trying it

[rajputistan]

I would have given up non-veg, but I don't recognize that Hindu Dharma advocates veg. Only one sect of Hindu Dharma- 'Jainism' advocate vegetarian diet. Most hindus like that idea.

I have two good proves:
1. It is written in veda- 'Living being eats living beings'. Both plants and animals are included in it.
2. Lord Rama going to hunt deer for Mother Sita. This proves that 7 thousands years ago all do eat meat.

But what Hinduism advocates that we are free to believe what we like(if it isn't bad :P) so both cultures would prevail.

[sanjaya]

I realize I'm not going to be of much help since I grew up in a Brahmin house and have never eaten meat. But have you tried non-meat substitutes, i.e. veggie burgers and similar things? I have them all the time; can't say if they taste like meat, but I like them. Whenever I go back home and make them, my mom always complains that they stink up her kitchen with the smell of meat. So I imagine that this might be a helpful transition.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

All of the suggestions above are excellent and address the intellect. We can call this the right-hand path.

If this path does not work ( and you will know), then one can choose the left-hand path. What would that be in this case?
Address the emotions.

One could do any of the following:

• go to a butcher shop and just observe how meat is prepared
• go to a meat processing house and observe what occurs from the time an animal enters to the time it leaves
• process and prepare your own meat - from its origin to your table

The notion is this:
When one goes to McDonalds® they see 'happy meals' being served - this is the farthest from the truth.

We are very far removed from how an animal is treated, processed and prepared. If one observes what occurs, you now know what happens -
you are no longer at the end of the food chain. You get up close and personal. Then the emotions are engaged.





praṇām

[PARAM]

Namaste all. There was a thread here recently, that clearly states that vegetarianism is not a mandatory requirement of hinduism. Non veg eating is NOT unhindu, for clarity. Cow slaughtering IS unhindu.Some Bengali and Kashmiri Brahmins eat nonveg. Majority hindus are nonvegetarians, believe me.
That said, vegetarianism is encouraged and recommended. I hope you all notice the difference and not to remain guilty and bogged down for no serious reason. shanti

Not true, you should read Vedas, Upnishads, Shastras all prohibits it

There are three kind of meals-
Satvic - Sweet, Milk and pure food.
Rajas - Salyu, bitter.
Tamas - Toxic, spoiled and Non Veg.

Those 'Majority' you are talking about are not devout. You will not excapt Non Veg served as Prasadam / Prasad even in Kashmir Hindu Temples.


[quote=rajputistan;60976]I would have given up non-veg, but I don't recognize that Hindu Dharma advocates veg. Only one sect of Hindu Dharma- 'Jainism' advocate vegetarian diet. Most hindus like that idea.


Thats not true, Jainism took Vegetarianism from Dharma, anti Hindus do not believe it.

I have two good proves:

1. It is written in veda- 'Living being eats living beings'. Both plants and animals are included in it.

Entire Nature is to be protected, don't you know about agriculture rules provided in Vedas ? Those plants are made by om as the meals, but animals, birds etc are not for meals.

2. Lord Rama going to hunt deer for Mother Sita. This proves that 7 thousands years ago all do eat meat.

Do you have any proof in his entire life, in Forest or n the Kingdom when Ram or others ate non veg ? He went to capture the Deer, not to hunt it.

But what Hinduism advocates that we are free to believe what we like(if it isn't bad :P) so both cultures would prevail.

First read Dharma Granthas, Vedas, Shastras, Upnishads etc then come to saying anything about Dharma.

You have the Username Rajputistan, then you must Remember Vegetarian Rajputs where mostly devotees of Durga then any Jain Tirthankar. Krishna Devotee Mira was also a Rajput, she was daughter in Law of Great Rana Sanga.

[smaranam]

Namaste

If that helps, here is PETA's MEET YOUR MEAT video - disgusting, i could not watch it, and do not know what it shows. It used to be on Peta's home page, so simply links to peta.org and their Veg Starter Kit , i thought , would suffice.

Like others said here, i only give advice by trying to put myself in people's shoes when they say they find it hard to give up meat. So, the advice may not always work or may be superficial.

I grew up with fish and poultry as a small part of a mostly vegetarian diet. My decision to turn vegetarian came very late, completely from within, and all of a sudden overnight, with practically no input or influence from outside. It was so obviously by KrushNa's grace - the moment He walked into my life - as if the two things were incompatible. I could relate to the plight of the animals - freedom and right snatched away, imprisoned. Interestingly, this never occurred earlier. Just shows how consciousness is covered !

Some time after that KRushNa led me to His devotees on the net ; learned about tea, coffee, soda, chocolate, onion, garlic, mushrooms and tossed them all out immediately.
Onion garlic - i was more than happy and eager to "toss out of the window". A long-term instant-coffee lover, i gave up coffee overnight because it made so much sense. It actually shocked my family that i gave up coffee.

So it was all due to Him. In any case He is the one who works behind the scenes.

So if that MeetYourMeat does not repulse anyone on this path (i don't see how) all the more reason to hand yourself over to the Lord. Another point - do you plan your vegetarian menu ? Because many do not know what to eat (other than "rabbit food" - lettuce tomatoes etc. The key is to have the right balanced meal, beginning with substitutes first, then going off to the mainstream wholesome.

Now, my Kamalnayan MadhusUdan, when O when will You help me give up that late afternoon snacking, if You think i am not sincere about it, please make me sincere, and if that requires will from me, please grace me with that will. Not a blade of grass ... yes i know You know

praNAm

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Realdemigod: Meat is not an addiction like tobacco or alcohol or a prescription medication. There will be no physical withdrawal symptoms. Those of us who have quit smoking or some other physically addicting substance will vouch for that. So the situation is primarily psychological. I see it all the time in the Hindu community I live in. My carnivorous friends all intellectually understand the health and other arguments for becoming vegetarian but for some odd reason just won't. They are vegetarian only on those days that they wish to go to temple. Its quite the conundrum, and frankly I have difficulty relating as I went cold turkey from a redneck western Canadian steak eating meat loving diet to vegetarianism. It was easy. Far easier than quitting smoking, which I've also done.

There have been many good suggestions put forth. Personally, I don't do the disconnect thing. Meat equals flesh to me. Back in the first days of vegetarianism, I thought of eating flesh ... yuch!

But its far more than giving up meat. For me, white sugar, white bread, too much oil, and white rice are also huge problems in the Indian diet. Although I drink coffee, eat onions and garlic, and other root vegetables, I avoid white rice like the plague. So there are also different dietary views on it.

Best wishes in the transition.

Aum Namasivaya

[Sahasranama]

I have a similar experience to EM. When I was 12 I gave up eating meat cold turkey (or should I say cold tofu). If you think about it like EM said, eating flesh, there's no way you want to eat that stuff again.

Hinduism encourages vegetarianism in many instances, but hardly stands on a soapbox condemning people who eat meat. This is only the case in Jainism, not Hinduism/Buddhism where the question is left open for the individual to decide. As many already know there are a lot of Buddhist monks who eat meat, but most Hindu monks are vegetarian. It does not help to scare anyone into vegetarianism, when it doesn't come from your heart, you will be eating meat again very soon. I have seen this in other people. Making nutrition decisions out of fear/ guilt may also develop some unhealthy phobias about food.

If you are going vegetarian for health reasons, I have to dissapoint you. There is no scientific evidence that a healthy diet with a moderate amount of animal products is any less healthier than a balanced vegetarian diet. It might even be easier to eat healthy when you are not vegetarian. It can't be said that this is the "western" view of medicine, even ayurveda recommends meat eating in many instances. Vegetarians no doubt will have to put more effort into their diet in order to stay healthy. But the question of vegetarianism is not about health, unless you have some rare disease that requires a vegetarian diet. Vegetarianism is about compassion for animals. Only become a vegetarian if you are willing to make that sacrifice for the wellbeing of other living beings, but don't forget your own wellbeing and remember to eat healthy when you do become a vegetarian.

About brown rice, if you can digest it, it is healthy for you, if not than it can be an irritant in the digestive track. So there's no need to filify white rice, when eaten in moderation it can be a great addition to any diet. Also fats (including saturated fats) need not to be filified either. Healthy fats are very important for proper functioning of the endocrine system, there's no question about that. Yes, the average Indian diet is not that healthy with the large amount of vegetable oil used for frying. Healthier cooking oils include ghee and coconut oil, olive oil should only be eaten raw.

[charitra]

Namaste all,
Ramakrishna and Pietro, I don�t have any statistics available with me, its more from random sampling if you will, from my observation of classmates living in hostels/dorms throughout my school years and friends etc..
Param, I don�t argue with Vedopanishads, that�s where I draw a line for myself. A steadfast vegan is adopting the hindu tenets of ahinsa and daya to the last letter. Admirable and to be encouraged indeed. Is Veganism a Testament? Not sure.
The One and Rajputistan, please note Rama, on Sita�s request, had tried to �capture� the golden deer alive in the forest, not to �kill� it for food. Sita wanted to raise the trophy animal in her little garden. Lives of both have changed forever!
Should you decide to go absolute vegan then please do comply with the daily requirements of proteins.
Shanti.