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Trying Vegetarianism for a week or so

#42
12 years veg. Not vegan, although I eat no eggs and very little dairy so i'm close. I find it very satisfying and I don't miss meat at all. Like anything else, once you realize it's poison you lose a taste for it.

Tons of recipes online, just try them and see. Some good, some bad. Same thing with cookbooks.

Don't believe the hype about tofu/estrogen. I don't have moobs, shrinking nuts, sing falsetto, or become more passive. If anything I am more hateful than ever! haha.
 
#44
runmikeyrun said:
Don't believe the hype about tofu/estrogen. I don't have moobs, shrinking nuts, sing falsetto, or become more passive. If anything I am more hateful than ever! haha.
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Exactly. Most plants have phyto-estrogen. Not the same as human estrogen. Moderate soy intake (a veggie burger or some soy milk) is fine. Probably not a good idea to life of fake meats, soy shakes/bars. They are all very processed.

I love when people ask, "What do you eat?" More variety than most people. The average American family weekday dinners usually goes- Hamburgers, Tacos, Pizza, Pasta and meatballs, fried chicken, repeat.
 
#45
RS said:
I love when people ask, "What do you eat?"
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I always find this question funny, too. I ask them to consider if they eat only meat, the answer always being "no", and then tell them I eat all of that stuff.
For my wedding last summer we decided to only serve veggie dishes, since my ex and I were both vegetarian. Her meat eating grandparents through a fit. We asked if not eating meat for one meal was going to kill them and they eventually relented.
The food was prepared by a highly rated bigtime OC French chef named Pascal. EVERYONE RAVED about the food. The choices were Pasta Primavera (vegan) or Squash & Cheese Crepes.
 
#46
Comment for those who eat eggs:
If part of the reason for going vegetarian is in response to animal cruelty, please be aware that the hens they use for eggs are treated at least as badly as those grown for meat. (Look up battery hens on the Internet.) Cage free is a step in the right direction, but some companies' version of "cage free" is still not very animal friendly. (You can look that up as well.)

Anyway, more than a year ago we went mostly vegetarian primarily as a response to inhumane corporate farming/butchering practices. I cannot support those people with a clear conscience, although I will eat meat in a social gathering. (Our friends know we are now "vegetarians," so they provide nice options for us.)

We stay focused on keeping the complete protein levels up. We have our own chickens, which are treated well--they are essentially pets--and we eat their eggs (and sell some too--with a long waiting list). Nonfat milk, low fat cottage cheese, whey protein (primarily used in shakes) along with soy, quinua, and other complete protein sources round things out.

The first couple months I lost so much weight I actually went to the doctor, thinking something was wrong. He said I was fine, but I had to get some new clothes. (I don't favor the "gangsta" look.) I lost 2+ inches off of my waist doing nothing different than eliminating meat.
 
#47
MatticusMania said:
I always find this question funny, too. I ask them to consider if they eat only meat, the answer always being "no", and then tell them I eat all of that stuff.
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Yeah, it's been the same at my folk's place EVERY Thanksgiving for over a decade now-
The conversation goes as follows;

Stepmom: "You don't eat MEAT?!"
Me: "No, you asked me that last year. And the year before that, too."
Stepmom: "Well, then what DO you eat?"
Me: "Um, everything EXCEPT meat. And brussel sprouts."
Stepmom: (Still incredulous) "Well, I don't know how you could survive..."
Me: "Don't worry, there'll be plenty of food for me."

We usually have around 6 guests total. The vat of mashed potatoes alone could feed a small village in a poorer country for a week.
 
#49
I don't understand why anyone would intentionally deny themselves excellent sources of protein that have been used for hundreds of thousands of years by humans and their immediate ancestors. The human body is designed for it.

This isn't a dig at vegetarians. I'm just hugely confused by vegetarianism.
 
#51
bassfran said:
Yeah, it's been the same at my folk's place EVERY Thanksgiving for over a decade now-
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Thanksgiving seems to be the worst, haha.
"What are you going to eat?"
"Everything other than turkey"

Snarf said:
I don't understand why anyone would intentionally deny themselves excellent sources of protein that have been used for hundreds of thousands of years by humans and their immediate ancestors. The human body is designed for it.

This isn't a dig at vegetarians. I'm just hugely confused by vegetarianism.
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There a plenty of reasons why one might choose not to eat meat.
If you can't think of any yourself, though, then its probably not worth discussing.
The human body is designed use as we please. Its just as suited to withstand a vegetarian diet.
 
#53
I did it for nearly two years. They were two of the healthiest years of my life. I wish I could have stuck with it, but it takes considerable discipline, and I lost focus. If you are a busy person and eat on the run a lot like me, it can be tough. I was ovo-lacto, which is a good compromise, you can eat eggs and milk, just no animal meat.

I did not go vegetarian for humanitarian/moral/ethical reasons, purely my own health and well-being. As far as I'm concerned, animals are fair game for human consumption. We breed them, we feed them, we shelter them, they wouldn't even exist otherwise, we can eat them if we like. I just can't see anyone burning in hell for eating a drumstick or a steak.

Anyone considering the vegetarian lifestyle should research it very carefully, as you can really wreck your health if you don't do it right. If you are planning on removing animal meat from your diet, you will need to do two things for sure: 1) Ensure you are getting all the neccesary amino acids from the other protein sources you eat to adequately supplement your body's need for protein, and 2) Eat a balanced diet rich in grains, vegetables, and fruits in order to efficiently metabolize the amino acids you ingest.

In addition, you can't junk it up with lots of sugars and fats. You really have to play it pretty safe in every respect for a healthy, safe vegetarian diet.
 
#57
I'm not a true vegetarian, but my 19 year-old daughter has been for 5 years or so. Because of that, our family has gradually transitioned away from meat. We eat hardly any red meat, a little chicken and fish.

As has been mentioned, once you get used to it, it's not bad at all. Check out the link below for a great veg cookbook. If you are ever in Athens, GA, go by the restaurant. It's really good.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556526482...vpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_18f4ovqudk_b

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