The Vegetarian & Vegan Thread

[misssakura]

Sorry to break up the debate but does anyone have any good recipes that include tofu? It's something I've never cooked myself but I have eaten it out quite alot and I really like it!

Oh before I duck out of this thread, I listed a recipe for Tofu Parmegiana in the 'anybody got good recipes?' thread. I think it's in body and soul or one of those forums. Just do a forum search for it and it should come up. It's a good un.

 

[Deleted member 36123]

^ Ooo thanks!

 

[lostinemotion]

i just spread pesto over a flour tortilla with some cheese and tomatoes on broil for 5 minutes.
or if you don't each cheese, i did the same, without the mozzarella and it tasted phenomenal.

 

[Sweets]

i was going to transition to veganism today, had to keep reminding myself at the grocery store, then my parents brought food home for me and i totally forgot... and ate some cheese pizza, only in the middle of slice two did i remember i didnt want to be eating dairy!

 

[Deleted member 36123]

^ Hehe aw thats so cute! Well the main thing is you tried right? I guess like all things it will take time to get used to! You'd have to be so aware of what every food is made up of ingredient wise hey! Sounds tricky!

Goodluck with it though

 

[lostinemotion]

when you cook the tortilla, open fasced with the pesto and cheese, the cheese gets broiled/browned, so if you used soy cheese, you can't really tell a difference

 

[Anastasia]

Does anyone know a brand of vegetable suet available in the US or the best place to find some? Googling just gives me UK results, and I can't afford shipping right now. Really want to make my own mincemeat this holiday

 

[ngolf]

Kids With High IQs Grow Up to Be Vegetarians

British researchers have found that children's IQ predicts their likelihood of becoming vegetarians as young adults -- lowering their risk for cardiovascular disease in the process. The finding could explain the link between smarts and better health, the investigators say.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20061215/hl_hsn/kidswithhighiqsgrowuptobevegetarians

Interesting Stuff.

 

[kateelle]

rubbish!

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

well, meat is bad for your health, but i know plenty of smart people who eat it!

 

[lostinemotion]

most of the meat eaters i know are a bit wild in their thoughts.
jk.....kind of...lol
i'm much older and ever since i was 4, i remember constantly hiding my meat because the taste was gross.

 

[thebeautybrains]

Humans have evolved to eat meat. It's why our digestive systems can break it down and use it as energy. You can live perfectly healthy while having some meat in your diet. Going vegan seems too extreme to me. You aren't even supposed to eat honey or wear leather!

Even vegetarianism is a bit extreme but it's more manageable than vegan. I'd start with that first, see if you like it and move on to veganism if you like. You should know however, that there is no advantage to being a vegan versus a vegetarian. From a health standpoint, they are pretty much the same. In fact, a vegetarian who eats fish might be best as the omega fatty acids from fish are good for you.

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

since it is the christmas season and alot of people will be having christmas dinner around the table with all the family.

my question is do you just go without the meat part of the meal? or what do you have as alternative?

i usually just get a couple of quorn sausages thrown in for good measure so i dont have to eat all brussel sprouts

 

[Irene_A]

well, meat is bad for your health

That's not true. A vegetarian diet is not healthier than a balanced diet including a normal amount of meet and fish. Only an excess of meat is unhealthy.

 

[kateelle]

conclusively anything of excess is unheathy. Organic meat with fat cut off isn't considered to be "junk" food or unhealthy in my opinion.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

it isn't the meat itself that is unhealthy. it is the way the meat is treated. ranchers pump their cows with hormones and chemicals, and then the meat is treated with preservatives to keep fresh. organic meat, of course, is better...
but not very many ppl choose that option.

 

[bp22]

That sort of thing is always happening to me too!!

i was going to transition to veganism today, had to keep reminding myself at the grocery store, then my parents brought food home for me and i totally forgot... and ate some cheese pizza, only in the middle of slice two did i remember i didnt want to be eating dairy!

 

[thebeautybrains]

it isn't the meat itself that is unhealthy. it is the way the meat is treated. ranchers pump their cows with hormones and chemicals, and then the meat is treated with preservatives to keep fresh. organic meat, of course, is better...
but not very many ppl choose that option.

I hear it all the time that "hormones & chemicals" are bad for us. Does anyone have any scientific proof that this is the case? Cows naturally have hormones in them so why would adding more be bad? Our bodies have evolved to handle the digestion of cow hormones so I'm left to wonder what the problem is?

And preservatives stop bacteria and other micro organisms from growing on the meat. Aren't you worried that meat without preservatives will harbor disease causing bacteria like e coli or salmonella?

Think about this. Prior to 1930, the life expectancy was 59.7 years in the US. This is about when food preservatives were introduced. Now, the life expectancy is 77.9 years and has been steadily rising. So has the use of chemicals, preservatives and other non-natural food additives.

Food additives = longer life

what am I missing?

 

[kateelle]

Scientific proof? Look to the side with the common sense. There is all sorts of diseases associated with chemicals/hormones/pesticides etc. Rationally, how can you think it isnt unhealthy?

 

[Irene_A]

There are also a lot more diseases associated with natural things, the whole natural=healthy thing is just propaganda, lots of natural things kill. I'm part of the people who think we abuse of pesticides and chemicals and this has a very negative effect on our health, but that doesn't mean that a rational use is bad or unhealthy or worse than not using them at all.

Thebeautybrains, I think the increase in life expectancy is not related to the use of chemicals but to the improvement in general medicine and knowledge about human physiology as well as a better nutrition (in terms of a more balanced diet).