The Vegetarian & Vegan Thread

[MelissaElliott]

I agree with Bel. It doesn't have to be rocket science.
Think about food combinations you like & make them! I read recipes online to see what cook times tend to be on things like casseroles & went from there. I've come up with lots of great meals that even my meat-eating husband likes.
Fuji Apple & Goat Cheese on toasted baguette anyone? Maybe add some faux-bacon as well.

 

[Whitelinen]

I have decided to finally start getting towards a vegetarian diet. My reasons for this are:

• Being more healthy. I am depressed and I think having a healthy diet might have a link to a healthy mind. In these days when the meat we eat is full of additives, antibiotics etc, I don't think it is good to eat it, especially if your own chemicals are a little bit mixed up.
• Feeling better. I don't like meat that much, especially red meat. It seems that my digestion doesn't like it either, I can get very sick after eating a steak. I feel I have less energy if I eat something with meat.
• Environmental issues.
• Safety.
• Of course it is a plus that I am not killing animals to eat, but I am killing them anyway for my shoes etc, so this reason doesn't really matter.

I am taking this slowly. I don't cook my dinner myself, and that's the only meal on which I would eat meat. I allow myself dairy and eggs, but not meat. I will try to always take the non-meat option in everything. This is all mainly done for my health, not activist issues.

 

[tott]

I used to be a semi-vegetarian. I would basically eat fish as well as fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Sometimes a little cheese. I'd use olive oil and butter.

When I cut all grains (which contain insoluble fibers) and potatoes from my diet, all my digestion "irregularities" disappeared instantly! I truly believe that fibers are bad for you, except for the soluble ones found in things like fruits and vegetables.

I'd still eat a lot of fruits, vegetables and rely on fish and soy in different forms for protein and felt a lot better than I had for many years...

Anyway, a couple of months ago I decided to try going seriously low carb, since I had already cut so many carbs anyway. I was basically interested to see what it would feel like and if I would benefit from it.

So I went lchf (low carb high fat), kind of like Atkins. It wasn't that hard really, I just eliminated the fruit and upped the fat. Much more butter than before, about the same amount of olive oil and I also introduced cream and coconut oil into my diet. Yum! Saturated fats are not only tasty, but they are also good for you!

I've also started eating eco eggs and eco meat... And I feel great! I never feel heavy, bloated or tired after a meal even though I might be consuming "extreme" amounts of fats. I think that the reason why fats and meats are considered heavy foods is because most people combine them with a lot of carbs in the form of bread, potatoes, rice... And that combination will sedate you and may upset your digestion.

My energy levels are through the roof, and I'm getting crazy results at the gym; I assume that this is because a diet high in proteins/fats is naturally anabolic. I also don't have cravings or feel hungry, I almost have to remind myself to eat sometimes... I can honestly say that I am satisfied and never feel the need for chips, candy, pizza, chocolate or similar things.

I typically consume around 3000 calories per day, most of them from fat, and I'm certainly not gaining any weight. Just building muscles and getting rid of body fat.

I could still be a vegetarian, or even vegan, eating lchf but I've chosen to include more animal foods. This works very well for me...

 

[misssakura]

Ultimately though you can never have an organic system of dairy and meat. It's just not possible to satisfy the meat cravings of the current population with organic farming. It would all just turn back into industrial factory farming. It's nice for the rich and priveledged now but it's not a system that works in the long run.

 

[nicky25]

wow Tott, you're seriously heading in the direction of heart disease with that diet!! Saturated fats as a high intake is insanely dangerous, you can do a high protein diet for a short amount of time, but if you continue this, you'll end up with kidney failure amongst other things. The reason why you're losing weight is because by starving your body of carbohydrate you are making it eat the protein you consume and all your reserves. This is incredibly dangerous. Another dangerous fact is that your high protein diet has increased your PH levels in your bloodstreams which will start leeching calcium out of your bones, so kindey failure, brittle bones, and heart disase...all for the sake of losing a few kg's?
if you follow a balanced diet, with complex wholegrain carbohydrates and vegetables and small servings of meat.. you will lose weight just as fast, and you will not be putting your health at risk.
Don't be fooled by the high atkins hollywood craze- all celebs that follow this have a dietician and a doctor at close watch.

 

[Guessgirl96]

WhiteLinen, that is great!! Keep us updated on how it goes

Tott, that is fabulous you found something that works for you. Are saturated fats really good for you though?

 

[MJCouture]

I am wondering if anyone knows the affects that being a vegetarian has on one's skin? I have been a veg. for a very, very long time and while I supliment my diet and get enough protein, yada, yada, I feel like maybe thats why I can not seem to stop breaking out (mind you, I do not have acne, but I'll get like one or two really bad pimples at a time). Since this is the only part of my life that is not traditonally healthy (don't smoke, drink, etc.), I thought it might be the cause. Could I be right?

 

[Foxie-Pooh]

I don't think vegetarianism causes pimples...unless it's been adultered with some kind of hormones, fertilizers, or pesticides...perphaps it's stress or change in daily pattern that triggers breakout? Did you start using some new skin products? Seasonal/temperature changes also causes skin to flare up...there are many reasons but I don't think that eating vegetables alone can cause skin breakout

 

[MJCouture]

^haha yeah. I was actually thinking that there was some vitamin in meat that I would not be getting that would make my skin better. But that was probably a silly question, most people eat meat and many don't have such great skin....

 

[tott]

nicky25, I eat normal amounts of protein. But still, a high protein intake is not damaging or dangerous for a normal, healthy person. And I am not starving my body in any way, I've just replaced most carbs with fats. The carbs I eat are mainly from vegetables, some from dairy.

Saturated fats have never been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. Our bodies store fats as satured ones and use them for energy and as buildning blocks (for things like cell membranes, hormones, the nervous system). Our ancestors ate lots of them and so does practically all populations that stick to their traditional diets, and they are typically very healthy, long-lived and lack many of our common modern diseases.

I can assure you that I am not on a "Hollywood diet" to lose a few kilos, though that's a nice side effect. I consider this a diet that I can follow and be healthy and feel great for the rest of my life. (And no, I don't believe that it'll put me in an early grave. I expect the rest of my life to be quite long.)

And thanks Guessgirl! I do believe that good, natural, unprocessed fats (like olive oil, butter, cream and coconut oil) are extremely beneficial for you. On the inside as well as on the outside, my skin is starting to look better than ever!

 

[misssakura]

MJ: I'm the exact opposite, since I kicked the meat my skin has been way better. It'll never be how it was when I was a kid but I think that's just hormones. When I ate meat it was too easy to not eat any veggies with it. You know, mince spaghetti sauce with processed white pasta. Now all I eat *is* vegetable matter most of the time so....I think my body likes me for it.

I had my last bite of cheese yesterday. Now to a cheeseless future..so sad...*cry cry*

 

[FashionGrrrrl]

^ I'm sure after a while you won't even miss the cheese. Congrats on making positive changes! I just looked in my fridge and realised that the cheese I've been eating has a bit of trans fat in it, so I should try to cut it out too or switch brands.

I'm always worried about getting enough calcium to keep my bones strong...but I think I've been brainwashed by the dairy industry into thinking I need to get it from dairy sources. I found this article which appears to be from a reputable source:

http://www.pcrm.org/health/Preventive_Medicine/strong_bones.html

It says that green leafy vegetables and legumes are actually the best sources of calcium. I'm really scared to try to cut out dairy products in case I mess up and don't get enough calcium from plant sources, but I feel like I'm really not doing myself a favour by eating them. At least my carton of soymilk says I'm getting 30% of my calcium from it every day and my multivitamins contain some calcium too.

 

[TheKiwi]

I was eating out for dinner at a restaurant tonight, and ordered a vegetarian pasta. It had spinach, tomato, and garlic mainly. I was really enjoying it until I got 1/2 way through it and found a piece of chicken! Since I'm a vegetarian and have been for like 2 1/2 months now, I found this very upsetting. I told the waitress and she just sort of laughed it off.

 

[seanutbutter]

^That's got to be irritating!

I was at the grocery store today and noticed that they have fish and chicken right next to the vegetarian foods. Actually, one could say that they were in the vegetarian section. I assume this is because many think that vegetarians eat fish/chicken. Regardless, I became mildly annoyed/somewhat amused.

 

[starfish]

YES YES YES YES. I discovered it awhile ago online and went to it the other day. The reason I went to this one was because it has a raw menu which completely suits me. It is called Vita Organic and is on Wardour Street in Soho. http://www.vitaorganic.co.uk/

Here is a list of other Vegan/veggie restaurants http://www.veganlondon.co.uk/

thank you so much! I'll definitely look it up!

 

[Priestess]

I love the vegetarian hotdogs made by Sanitarium. They are so yummy. Even better than the real thing, they're a lot less greasy and take barely any time to cook. Versatile too, I cut them up and add them to pasta and all sorts of other dishes.

Even my meat obsessed brother prefers the vegetarian hotdogs to the real thing.

 

[misssakura]

Yay a fellow sanitarium lover! HIGH FIVE!

 

[Guessgirl96]

^ I'm sure after a while you won't even miss the cheese. Congrats on making positive changes! I just looked in my fridge and realised that the cheese I've been eating has a bit of trans fat in it, so I should try to cut it out too or switch brands.

I'm always worried about getting enough calcium to keep my bones strong...but I think I've been brainwashed by the dairy industry into thinking I need to get it from dairy sources. I found this article which appears to be from a reputable source:

http://www.pcrm.org/health/Preventive_Medicine/strong_bones.html

It says that green leafy vegetables and legumes are actually the best sources of calcium. I'm really scared to try to cut out dairy products in case I mess up and don't get enough calcium from plant sources, but I feel like I'm really not doing myself a favour by eating them. At least my carton of soymilk says I'm getting 30% of my calcium from it every day and my multivitamins contain some calcium too.

You can take calcium pills. They also have these caramel chews that are delicious. I'm not vegan but eat very little dairy so I take those.

 

[fashionista-ta]

tott, your diet does seem a bit strange to me, but I am trying to keep an open mind ... I do think that different people's bodies require different things. I find fiber from whole grain sources to be beneficial to me ... I wonder if you are gluten intolerant?

I try to eat in a sustainable way, but I have to face the fact that I am eating like a privileged Western person at almost every meal ...

Wrt saturated fat, I do know that only 50% of heart disease patients have a cholesterol "problem," and the others don't. I think this stat may have been people who had heart attacks, I'm sorry I don't remember exactly. But the 50/50 thing stuck with me (The conclusion being, maybe cholesterol has nothing to do with heart disease.)

 

[seanutbutter]

Even my meat obsessed brother prefers the vegetarian hotdogs to the real thing.

That reminds me of my father! When I first became a vegetarian, he flat-out refused to try any of my tofu items. Now, however, he has become more open to trying them and has even ordered Boca Burgers at restaurants! I'm so proud of him