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Other Topics => Completely Off-Topic => Topic started by: Manda on April 21, 2007, 08:55:02 am
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Well being Vegan is a complete plant based diet and Vegetarian isn't its more of just no red meat, chicken, fish. Are there any Vegans out there? I'm heading to the bookstore in a few minutes to see what I can find, I'm not going to eat red meat, chicken, or fish anymore. But I'm not fond of the taste of soy. so that interferes with me being vegan. anyway, I need some help! recipe books, books in general about the lifestyle of both, and personal experiences.
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I'm not a vegetarian or vegan but try other legumes. They are good for alot of low quality bulk protein. Lentils, even though they have a lower BV are extremely easy to cook and can be made within 10 minutes without the need for soaking. Where as in other beans and legumes you have to soak them over night (the refrigerator is best for that I've found to prevent fermentation and consequently abdominal "gas" bloating. Then you could add soy protein isolate to your diet to make up for any protein deficiency you believe you are missing from soy.
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well, i´m trying to be vegan since i was 13, it´s so difficult because i live with people who loves eat meat. but i have a normal life, vegan can have a normal and healthy life. there is many theories against and many favorable, you can choose yourtruth and live it. i chose mine.
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Its been okay so far, I'm only on my second day being a vegetarian. I've started reading some books and resources online as well. But there is no real challenge for me right now, i'm always on the go now I hardly have time to eat. But when I do I crave meat, and I'm glad I'm changing that. My parents support me and my sister is determined to go through with this with me, so I'm not alone. :wink: Are there any favorite recipes you could share?
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Do a google search on "Indian recipes" and go from there. They are notorious for vegetarian recipes. Although I'm not sure how healthy in terms of protein content they are one source to check. You'll find lots there. If you like spicy food, including spicy hot you'll love them. Stock up on you coriander, cumin, and cardamom spices. You'll need them as well as alot of other traditional indian spices. Also pre-mixed curry powder is good for quick meals for things like curry lentils on rice. You can also mix your own curry powder so it doesn't always have the same exact taste every time. I used to but the exact proportions escape me at the moment of the spices needed. LOTS of coriander for sure.
Curried Lentils on Rice
Cook rice. While rice is cooking add curry powder into pot with water and add lentils. Boil untill lentils are tender. Take rice and spoon onto plate. Top with curried lentils and enjoy. Those are the basic directions. It doesn't take very much experimentation to figure out how much water, curry powder, and lentils to add to pot. Just use common sense and you own sense of taste to know how much of each to add. Lentils expand alot so you need enough water to take into account that expansion.....just like rice or beans do. The ingredients are really really cheap especially if you know where to buy bulk curry powder and spices. Good luck!
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Im curious what your reasons are for changing your current lifestyle so that i may possibly mock/refute them. Inform please.
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oh god pete...well I want to lose weight, fast. and I'm kind of sick of eating meat. oh, and I've never liked any type of fish/seafood, and I've never been big on chicken. I'll eat it if it happens to be on my plate but I don't enjoy it. I only like red meat.
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oh god pete...well I want to lose weight, fast. and I'm kind of sick of eating meat. oh, and I've never liked any type of fish/seafood, and I've never been big on chicken. I'll eat it if it happens to be on my plate but I don't enjoy it. I only like red meat.
Wasn't expecting that reason, usually people say something about animal cruelty and such. But good for you! Hope it works.
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oh god pete...well I want to lose weight, fast. and I'm kind of sick of eating meat. oh, and I've never liked any type of fish/seafood, and I've never been big on chicken. I'll eat it if it happens to be on my plate but I don't enjoy it. I only like red meat.
You saying seafood alone decreases my appetite i dislike it so much.
Though you have been alive quite some time and sustaining a particular diet that your digestive system is accustomed to. I know you are not a large person, and im not saying it to be nice. If you prefer to lose some weight i would cut down on breads and if you drink sodas definitely switch to water.
Red meat is delicious. How can you give up things like tacos and hamburgers?!?
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Definantly sugars since any excess of blood sugar get's converted to fat. You don't really want to lose muscle mass since it lowers your metabolism and then you are more likely to gain weight.
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Definantly sugars since any excess of blood sugar get's converted to fat. You don't really want to lose muscle mass since it lowers your metabolism and then you are more likely to gain weight.
Protein is good for that. We have been getting it from meat for thousands of years. Our species existance proves the viability of a diverse diet.
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Definantly sugars since any excess of blood sugar get's converted to fat. You don't really want to lose muscle mass since it lowers your metabolism and then you are more likely to gain weight.
Protein is good for that. We have been getting it from meat for thousands of years. Our species existance proves the viability of a diverse diet.
The problem is if you lower your complex carbohydrates too much and just eat protein it puts stain on your system to convert all that protein to energy.
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Definantly sugars since any excess of blood sugar get's converted to fat. You don't really want to lose muscle mass since it lowers your metabolism and then you are more likely to gain weight.
Protein is good for that. We have been getting it from meat for thousands of years. Our species existance proves the viability of a diverse diet.
The problem is if you lower your complex carbohydrates too much and just eat protein it puts stain on your system to convert all that protein to energy.
I said diversity! I wouldnt suggest liviing off purely meat =P
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I cut out soda a few months ago, also burgers, and I don't like mexican food. I do like italian food though, very much. I'm a VERY picky eater. I love vegetables (not squash/zucchini), love fruit, not big on sweets but do have some now and then, I like ice cream, I never get sick of potatoes (cooked any way), hate fish bleh ick ew :? , chicken tastes like crap (cooked any way)...and I do go to the gym regularly. I want that summer bod. I'm definitely going to miss beef jerky. that stuff is the shit. I think I may have one meat day a week, but I'm not sure yet.
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You changed your post on me at the last minute. The proof of what kind of diet we should be eating is in the structure of our digestive systems.
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I cut out soda a few months ago, also burgers, and I don't like mexican food. I do like italian food though, very much. I'm a VERY picky eater. I love vegetables (not squash/zucchini), love fruit, not big on sweets but do have some now and then, I like ice cream, I never get sick of potatoes (cooked any way), hate fish bleh ick ew :? , chicken tastes like crap (cooked any way)...and I do go to the gym regularly. I want that summer bod. I'm definitely going to miss beef jerky. that stuff is the shit. I think I may have one meat day a week, but I'm not sure yet.
Do you like pork?
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I wont say its bad to cut down on meat. Depending on your diet it may be a great idea. If you dont like chicken dont eat it, no biggie. However if you like red meat, go for it. If you really enjoy beef jerky, treat yourself now and then(Maybe as a reward for getting in better shape)
Its more important to be in control of the portions of things you enjoy eating. Unless your diet contains something silly such as sticks of butter.
Will Power!
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I wont say its bad to cut down on meat. Depending on your diet it may be a great idea. If you dont like chicken dont eat it, no biggie. However if you like red meat, go for it. If you really enjoy beef jerky, treat yourself now and then(Maybe as a reward for getting in better shape)
Its more important to be in control of the portions of things you enjoy eating. Unless your diet contains something silly such as sticks of butter.
Will Power!
But then I might be rewarding myself too much with beef jerky.
I don't really like pork, no.
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Beef jerky isnt THAT bad for you. Just dont overdo it. You know what you eat and how it affects you. You could lower your portions of bread, pasta, cheese, and meat maybe 10%. Try to keep track of what you eat, then modify it to be the way you want to be. You could even write down your diet, my brother did for a while since infortunate circumstances limit his diet
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Beef jerky isnt THAT bad for you. Just dont overdo it. You know what you eat and how it affects you. You could lower your portions of bread, pasta, cheese, and meat maybe 10%. Try to keep track of what you eat, then modify it to be the way you want to be. You could even write down your diet, my brother did for a while since infortunate circumstances limit his diet
That is good advice. You want to eat at least 60 grams of protein a day as a minimum, some being high quality protein. You don't have to count. I'm just saying.
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I'm not a vegetarian, though I sometimes seem to have vegetarian tendencies and have had people ask me if I was. I do like some meats, particularly chicken and fish, and I never turn down a McDonald's cheeseburger, but there are just some forms and styles of meat, particularly beef and pork, that I just don't like the taste of. I never eat Meat Lover's pizza at Pizza Hut mainly because I don't like Italian sausage, I don't like their bacon, and I don't like their beef on pizza (though it's okay by itself).
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I never turn down a McDonald's cheeseburger
*gasp*-- but that's the worst meat for you!
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I never turn down a McDonald's cheeseburger
*gasp*-- but that's the worst meat for you!
I can think of lots of meats that are worse for me. Pork feet, for example. :razz:
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I weigh myself everyday, and the scale shows that I lose a pound every day...is that healthy? :?
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So youre dieting and losing a full pound a day? Might be a little too much. Maybe its time for a treat :razz:
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I never turn down a McDonald's cheeseburger
*gasp*-- but that's the worst meat for you!
I can think of lots of meats that are worse for me. Pork feet, for example. :razz:
I'm not sure if it IS meat... :?
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So youre dieting and losing a full pound a day? Might be a little too much. Maybe its time for a treat :razz:
haha, I promise you I'll have a bag of beef jerky on Sunday! I wont pass that up! But seriously, is that healthy? I'm losing a pound everyday, but I also eat a lot smaller portions now. Where as I would eat until I was full, I'm not doing that again because then I stuff myself and feel as though my stomach expands a little. I usually have oatmeal, cereal, or an egg for breakfast. Salad, sandwhich, yogurt, fruit for lunch. Dinner consists of...rice, noodles, pasta, and also lunch stuff. I have pita chips for a snack (taste pretty nasty) or some fruit. How I long for the delicious taste of jerky! :lol:
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I have pita chips for a snack (taste pretty nasty) or some fruit. How I long for the delicious taste of jerky! :lol:
Damn well I LOVE pita chips... my advice would be to get the most natural jerky you can find, rather than shit that's soaked in preservatives and acid and poison.
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Damn well I LOVE pita chips... my advice would be to get the most natural jerky you can find, rather than shit that's soaked in preservatives and acid and poison.
Yeah, don't eat it if it's been in battery acid and laced with arsenic. But if it is 90% fat it is ok. :wink:
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Damn well I LOVE pita chips... my advice would be to get the most natural jerky you can find, rather than shit that's soaked in preservatives and acid and poison.
Yeah, don't eat it if it's been in battery acid and laced with arsenic. But if it is 90% fat it is ok. :wink:
why I like my meat tainted. I could go for some yummy Grade D mad cow right about now.
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LOL what a silly topic! everyone knows vegans are crazy :D
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LOL what a silly topic! everyone knows vegans are crazy :D
cuz they're so HUNGRY!
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LOL what a silly topic! everyone knows vegans are crazy :D
cuz they're so HUNGRY!
omg i know right!!
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my sister has been a vegetarian since she was 16 (shes 27 now) and since then my family hasnt been eating as much meat. i didnt start eating red meat again until i was 18 or so but im still not a big fan of it. i get grossed out eating any animal really easily so i kind of have to lie to myself and distract myself when eating chicken or turkey or something. i love cheese (fresh buffalo mozzarella) and grilled veggies, avocado, beans.... garden burgers, morningstar chick patties, theres lots of meat-less options. even at in n out... their veggies burgers are sooo good and you cant even really taste the difference.
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Hey Jessica, can you tell us what a vegetarian diet in your family was like? I'm very curious. Did you guys have certain concerns or ideas on how you would receive the nutrition you needed? And how did you get around those. Not that you were really really worried, I'm just wondering what the make up of the diet was. Even for people who eat meat the information could be useful and interesting. There are probably variations from vegetarian to vegetarian, so the more perspective we can get the better.
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well I have been thinking about going vegi not vegan but I am sure eventually vegan. But I mean vegan is the right way to go because I mean you still drink milk as a vegiterian..I hear...and thats a cow so eh..But I live in a house with like people who think being vegeterin is like stupid but I will try it.
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My boyfriend is a vegetarian and he's constantly pissing me off because it's almost always impossible to go out to dinner with him. :x
So we always end up going to the same places and he gets the same exact crap all the time.
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LOL what a silly topic! everyone knows vegans are crazy :D
cuz they're so HUNGRY!
Is that a Margaret Cho reference? I hope it is. Because I love Margaret Cho.
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Hey Jessica, can you tell us what a vegetarian diet in your family was like? I'm very curious. Did you guys have certain concerns or ideas on how you would receive the nutrition you needed? And how did you get around those. Not that you were really really worried, I'm just wondering what the make up of the diet was. Even for people who eat meat the information could be useful and interesting. There are probably variations from vegetarian to vegetarian, so the more perspective we can get the better.
I don't know about Jessica's family, but since I've become vegetarian (about a month and a half now) my diet has only gotten better. Taking away meet has made me re-evaluate what I put on my plate everyday. To make up for the protein I don't get from meet I make sure I have plenty of soy-protein (a cup of Silk every morning in my cereal usually does it). I also shop in the organic section of my grocery store now as well - it may be more expensive but it's totally worth it. Whole foods + lots of nutrition for your body = a happy body. I still eat sweets and cheeses, but I do try to stay away from eggs. Ideally I'd like to be vegan, but that's pretty much impossible on a college campus. Just lots of veggies and fruits and soy alternatives for me.
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I don't know about Jessica's family, but since I've become vegetarian (about a month and a half now) my diet has only gotten better. Taking away meet has made me re-evaluate what I put on my plate everyday. To make up for the protein I don't get from meet I make sure I have plenty of soy-protein (a cup of Silk every morning in my cereal usually does it). I also shop in the organic section of my grocery store now as well - it may be more expensive but it's totally worth it. Whole foods + lots of nutrition for your body = a happy body. I still eat sweets and cheeses, but I do try to stay away from eggs. Ideally I'd like to be vegan, but that's pretty much impossible on a college campus. Just lots of veggies and fruits and soy alternatives for me.
I am not sure what your reasons for becoming a vegetarian are, but if it's dietary health, I would suggest an alternative.
Try going all natural and simple instead of vegetarian.
By it's nature, it will force you to eat less meat. I eat maybe 1.5 servings of meat a day, and when I say "servings" i mean official size servings (about the size of a deck of cards).
Vegetarian is a dangerous trap because you find yourself eatings tons and tons of processed soy foods that are "vegetarian" but are actually terrible for you. They are full of GMO's and fatty oils used to bind the soy and vegetable slurries into a solid mass. It's all kinds of bad times.
Try buying lots of unprepared foods and preparing them youselves. It's really good for expanding your diet and trying new things.
edit: A lot of people do not realize this, because Soy has this aura of "healthy" but Soy is all kinds of bad for you in large quantities. It has a hormone that mimics estrogen in many women and heavy soy consumption has been linked to endometriosis and infertility. Soy and Corn are also the two produce crops most contaminated by GMO cross polination and it's almost impossible to get organic soy.
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I don't know about Jessica's family, but since I've become vegetarian (about a month and a half now) my diet has only gotten better. Taking away meet has made me re-evaluate what I put on my plate everyday. To make up for the protein I don't get from meet I make sure I have plenty of soy-protein (a cup of Silk every morning in my cereal usually does it). I also shop in the organic section of my grocery store now as well - it may be more expensive but it's totally worth it. Whole foods + lots of nutrition for your body = a happy body. I still eat sweets and cheeses, but I do try to stay away from eggs. Ideally I'd like to be vegan, but that's pretty much impossible on a college campus. Just lots of veggies and fruits and soy alternatives for me.
I am not sure what your reasons for becoming a vegetarian are, but if it's dietary health, I would suggest an alternative.
Try going all natural and simple instead of vegetarian.
By it's nature, it will force you to eat less meat. I eat maybe 1.5 servings of meat a day, and when I say "servings" i mean official size servings (about the size of a deck of cards).
Vegetarian is a dangerous trap because you find yourself eatings tons and tons of processed soy foods that are "vegetarian" but are actually terrible for you. They are full of GMO's and fatty oils used to bind the soy and vegetable slurries into a solid mass. It's all kinds of bad times.
Try buying lots of unprepared foods and preparing them youselves. It's really good for expanding your diet and trying new things.
edit: A lot of people do not realize this, because Soy has this aura of "healthy" but Soy is all kinds of bad for you in large quantities. It has a hormone that mimics estrogen in many women and heavy soy consumption has been linked to endometriosis and infertility. Soy and Corn are also the two produce crops most contaminated by GMO cross polination and it's almost impossible to get organic soy.
A small factor in my reasoning for becoming a vegetarian has to do with health, but it mostly has to do with how I feel about factory farming and the serious impact it has on the environment, not to mention the inhumane treatment towards animals. After reading a few (completely non-biased I might add) books on factory farming, I really just can't look at a slice of ham and not think about the awful treatment that pig went through just so I can eat it, when I can easily make a meal without it. And then I think about the impact that the factory it came from has had on the environment, and I really just lose any craving for meat whatsoever :-P I think the only thing I miss is the convenience of it - like when I'm at restaurants or something.
I also know exactly what you're talking about with soy - I'm not saying that I add it in to every single thing that I eat. But many people, when they find out someone is vegetarian, immediately try and make vegetarians look dumb by saying "and where do you get your protein? where do you get your nutrients?" without realizing that those proteins and nutrients can be attained through soy products.
Most of the food I eat I prepare myself. I buy a lot of fresh produce and mix it with other foods. For example, I have boxed dry mixes for veggie burgers and mock taco-fillings, but I only eat a small-regular portion of them and have fruits, veggies, and beans for the bulk of my meals.
I also buy about 75% of my groceries from the organic section. Being a poor college student it gets kind of difficult, but I do as much as I can afford.
[/soapbox]
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Have you ever tried whey protein as a supplement? It has a very high BV value in Protein that you can add to the top of everything else you are eating. It is made from milk and might be something you'd be interested in. It is easily digested so you either want to eat it with something that will slow it's introduction to your bloodstream or not to take too much of it at one time....not because it is dangerous but because your body can only process so much protein for it's use at any one time. Some people compare it to the protein content or BV value of a steak. A steak takes longer to digest though.
One thing I'm not sure of is the vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets. From what I read and talked to about with other people is it can only be gotten from animal products even if you take it as a supplement, but like I said, I'm not so sure about that. It might just be the amount of B12. Anyone who knows about this please inform.
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LOL what a silly topic! everyone knows vegans are crazy :D
cuz they're so HUNGRY!
Is that a Margaret Cho reference? I hope it is. Because I love Margaret Cho.
In fact is is! lmao If you get into an argument with a vegan, say "I'm wrong" and run away as fast as you can.
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Have you ever tried whey protein as a supplement? It has a very high BV value in Protein that you can add to the top of everything else you are eating. It is made from milk and might be something you'd be interested in. It is easily digested so you either want to eat it with something that will slow it's introduction to your bloodstream or not to take too much of it at one time....not because it is dangerous but because your body can only process so much protein for it's use at any one time. Some people compare it to the protein content or BV value of a steak. A steak takes longer to digest though.
One thing I'm not sure of is the vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets. From what I read and talked to about with other people is it can only be gotten from animal products even if you take it as a supplement, but like I said, I'm not so sure about that. It might just be the amount of B12. Anyone who knows about this please inform.
A lot of vegetarian products are infused with B12, like the Koshi cereal I have every morning. But I understand what you're saying, I had the same concern when I started to read about becoming vegetarian. Most experts just suggest eating B12 infused foods, and if you're still not getting enough, then taking a B12 supplement during the winter.
Also, since I juuuust started, I'm not really strict. For example, if I'm eating pasta with friends and they have a meatball in a pan of sauce, I'll still eat the sauce and just skip the meatball - a lot of vegetarians won't do that, they'll just go without the sauce altogether. So, I'm still getting some meat proteins, which I think is fine - if your body goes too long without something eventually it will forget how to process it. A lot of strict vegetarians get sick if they somehow accidently eat a meat product after so many years of going without because their body has forgotten how to process and break down meat proteins. One of my friends got really violently ill when he ordered something off the grill at our dining hall, just because what he orderd was cooked on the same grill that a hamburger was being cooked on.
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A small factor in my reasoning for becoming a vegetarian has to do with health, but it mostly has to do with how I feel about factory farming and the serious impact it has on the environment, not to mention the inhumane treatment towards animals. After reading a few (completely non-biased I might add) books on factory farming, I really just can't look at a slice of ham and not think about the awful treatment that pig went through just so I can eat it, when I can easily make a meal without it. And then I think about the impact that the factory it came from has had on the environment, and I really just lose any craving for meat whatsoever :-P I think the only thing I miss is the convenience of it - like when I'm at restaurants or something.
Well, there are plenty of non-factory farmed meat options. You can get lots of free range meats at places like Whole Foots and Wild Oats. Now, I realize even Free Range doesn't mean what it used to, but it's a huge step up from the factory farms.
I also know exactly what you're talking about with soy - I'm not saying that I add it in to every single thing that I eat. But many people, when they find out someone is vegetarian, immediately try and make vegetarians look dumb by saying "and where do you get your protein? where do you get your nutrients?" without realizing that those proteins and nutrients can be attained through soy products.
Right. but beause that is such a default answer for vegetarians, they over rely on Soy. Which is bad times for you in the long run.
Eat lots of nuts, whole grains, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, dark green leafy veggies (buy fresh and try steaming instead of boiling whenver possible, cause most of the good stuff is water soluble and leaks out when you cook it).
But yeah, you don't need meat. I tried doing the vegetarian thing for about 4 months last summer, just to see what it was like. I knew it would be short term, but I wanted to experience it and see what it was like.
It def wasn't for me, but I learned a LOT in the process.
Most of the food I eat I prepare myself. I buy a lot of fresh produce and mix it with other foods. For example, I have boxed dry mixes for veggie burgers and mock taco-fillings, but I only eat a small-regular portion of them and have fruits, veggies, and beans for the bulk of my meals.
Good girl ^_^
Plus, learning to cook is always a valuable skill.
If you ever get into gardening or want to try it (after college, obv) let me know. I actually grow about half of what I eat during the summer and I can a ton of stuff for winter too.
I also buy about 75% of my groceries from the organic section. Being a poor college student it gets kind of difficult, but I do as much as I can afford.
Yeah. That's understandable. Even *I* don't buy organic in some things because of the cost. Like, organic milk is clearly better, but it's more than twice the price for the same amount and I have a hard time justifying the cost difference especially when the conventional is local.
And in some cases the organic version is actually worse... like, all of the organic apple juices I find are made from concentrate and rehydrated with organic cane sugar. I buy fresh press conventional instead, because less processing is more important to me than organic.
It's a weird balance. But if you're intersted, there is a great newsleter I get (http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/index.cfm) that does a really good job of helping you figure out what is in what foods and boxed food items. It kinda tells you which brands are full of GMO's and who likes to hide unhealthy things and play games with labels. It's also really good about keeping you informed on what is going on in government regarding food safety issues.
It's not nutty left-wing liberal, either. It's pretty balanced.
edit: I didn't want this to sound preachy, but I had a friend who was a vegan in college and he ended up in the hospital for malnutrition because his heart was int he rigtht place but he didn't educate himself first. He just jumped into a bad idea.
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A lot of vegetarian products are infused with B12, like the Koshi cereal I have every morning. But I understand what you're saying, I had the same concern when I started to read about becoming vegetarian. Most experts just suggest eating B12 infused foods, and if you're still not getting enough, then taking a B12 supplement during the winter.
Also, since I juuuust started, I'm not really strict. For example, if I'm eating pasta with friends and they have a meatball in a pan of sauce, I'll still eat the sauce and just skip the meatball - a lot of vegetarians won't do that, they'll just go without the sauce altogether. So, I'm still getting some meat proteins, which I think is fine - if your body goes too long without something eventually it will forget how to process it. A lot of strict vegetarians get sick if they somehow accidently eat a meat product after so many years of going without because their body has forgotten how to process and break down meat proteins. One of my friends got really violently ill when he ordered something off the grill at our dining hall, just because what he orderd was cooked on the same grill that a hamburger was being cooked on.
Anyone who gets ill from a little beef fat is unhealthy. That's not a joke... even a strict vegetarian should not get ill from eating meat again.
That's a sign of digestive problems.
Also, be careful with suplements. Studies are pretty iffy on wheather injesting suplments or suplemented foods actually does you any good. Now, they still tell you to keep taking vitamins anyways, but there is no evidence that you can get vitamins that way. Some doctors think you can only injest them in their natural state.
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A small factor in my reasoning for becoming a vegetarian has to do with health, but it mostly has to do with how I feel about factory farming and the serious impact it has on the environment, not to mention the inhumane treatment towards animals. After reading a few (completely non-biased I might add) books on factory farming, I really just can't look at a slice of ham and not think about the awful treatment that pig went through just so I can eat it, when I can easily make a meal without it. And then I think about the impact that the factory it came from has had on the environment, and I really just lose any craving for meat whatsoever :-P I think the only thing I miss is the convenience of it - like when I'm at restaurants or something.
Well, there are plenty of non-factory farmed meat options. You can get lots of free range meats at places like Whole Foots and Wild Oats. Now, I realize even Free Range doesn't mean what it used to, but it's a huge step up from the factory farms.
I also know exactly what you're talking about with soy - I'm not saying that I add it in to every single thing that I eat. But many people, when they find out someone is vegetarian, immediately try and make vegetarians look dumb by saying "and where do you get your protein? where do you get your nutrients?" without realizing that those proteins and nutrients can be attained through soy products.
Right. but beause that is such a default answer for vegetarians, they over rely on Soy. Which is bad times for you in the long run.
Eat lots of nuts, whole grains, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, dark green leafy veggies (buy fresh and try steaming instead of boiling whenver possible, cause most of the good stuff is water soluble and leaks out when you cook it).
But yeah, you don't need meat. I tried doing the vegetarian thing for about 4 months last summer, just to see what it was like. I knew it would be short term, but I wanted to experience it and see what it was like.
It def wasn't for me, but I learned a LOT in the process.
Most of the food I eat I prepare myself. I buy a lot of fresh produce and mix it with other foods. For example, I have boxed dry mixes for veggie burgers and mock taco-fillings, but I only eat a small-regular portion of them and have fruits, veggies, and beans for the bulk of my meals.
Good girl ^_^
Plus, learning to cook is always a valuable skill.
If you ever get into gardening or want to try it (after college, obv) let me know. I actually grow about half of what I eat during the summer and I can a ton of stuff for winter too.
I also buy about 75% of my groceries from the organic section. Being a poor college student it gets kind of difficult, but I do as much as I can afford.
Yeah. That's understandable. Even *I* don't buy organic in some things because of the cost. Like, organic milk is clearly better, but it's more than twice the price for the same amount and I have a hard time justifying the cost difference especially when the conventional is local.
And in some cases the organic version is actually worse... like, all of the organic apple juices I find are made from concentrate and rehydrated with organic cane sugar. I buy fresh press conventional instead, because less processing is more important to me than organic.
It's a weird balance. But if you're intersted, there is a great newsleter I get (http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/index.cfm) that does a really good job of helping you figure out what is in what foods and boxed food items. It kinda tells you which brands are full of GMO's and who likes to hide unhealthy things and play games with labels. It's also really good about keeping you informed on what is going on in government regarding food safety issues.
It's not nutty left-wing liberal, either. It's pretty balanced.
edit: I didn't want this to sound preachy, but I had a friend who was a vegan in college and he ended up in the hospital for malnutrition because his heart was int he rigtht place but he didn't educate himself first. He just jumped into a bad idea.
I'm definitely going to check out that newsletter. I did research before making the decision to be vegetarian, but like you said a lot of food that claims to be healthy really isn't - you really have to research each company you buy from - I find myself reading the nutrition labels even more carefully than I did before I was vegetarian. It's very easy to eat a lot of "empty calories" which I don't want to do.
I get what you're saying about non-factory farmed meat, but where I live in upstate NY, there aren't any specialty-food stores close enough that I could buy from. The closest we have is Wegmans, which is a chain grocery store but has a decent organic section. I never ate that much meat to begin with, so I don't really miss it at all.
And I eat plenty of nuts and whole wheats - I actually have a small container of unsalted almonds that I bring with me everywhere for when I get a little hungry. Everyone laughs at me but it's a good way to get good nutrients and it keeps me from eating potatoe chips all the time. And I'm obsessed with whole-wheat pasta. One of my friends introduced me to it last year and I've never gone back to regular pasta. Even my mother, a full blooded Italian swears by it :-P.
For the gardening thing - you're talking to a country girl, I've been gardening since I can remember :-P On of my jobs when I was a kid was to pick the tomatoes and shell the peas. This year my roomate and I are in an apartment and are going to try growing our own herbs.
I understand what you're saying about your friend. I definitely do not want to become vegan without doing a lot of research first. I figured I would do the vegetarian thing for a year, and then if I wanted to try a vegan diet. You can be a vegan and be completely healthy, but you have to know exactly what you're doing and know exactly what foods to eat every day. I would never do it without becoming well educated on it.
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For the gardening thing - you're talking to a country girl, I've been gardening since I can remember :-P On of my jobs when I was a kid was to pick the tomatoes and shell the peas. This year my roomate and I are in an apartment and are going to try growing our own herbs.
Sometimes I forget how rural upstate NY is. I think NY and I think NYC and Buffalo.
A windowsill or deck herb garden should be easy enough to do in an apartment. I bring my Rosemary inside every fall and put it back out during the summer and it does great. Everything else I just freeze and dry.
I keep saying that my next house is going to have a grow room in it. Just a big room that faces south and is full of windows. I have two small tea plants and 2 small coffee plants and I desperatly want to try growing cirtus someday.
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For the gardening thing - you're talking to a country girl, I've been gardening since I can remember :-P On of my jobs when I was a kid was to pick the tomatoes and shell the peas. This year my roomate and I are in an apartment and are going to try growing our own herbs.
Sometimes I forget how rural upstate NY is. I think NY and I think NYC and Buffalo.
A windowsill or deck herb garden should be easy enough to do in an apartment. I bring my Rosemary inside every fall and put it back out during the summer and it does great. Everything else I just freeze and dry.
I keep saying that my next house is going to have a grow room in it. Just a big room that faces south and is full of windows. I have two small tea plants and 2 small coffee plants and I desperatly want to try growing cirtus someday.
I think it's hilarious that you compare Buffalo to NYC....they are nothing alike :-P But yeah, except for NYC really, the rest of NY is farm country. It's the second largest dairy state in the country.
I definitely miss gardening while at school - that's one thing about the country that I really love. This summer my parents didn't have time to do our big garden, and when I went home last weekend it looked so empty and sad. Food you grow yourself just tastes better.
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For the gardening thing - you're talking to a country girl, I've been gardening since I can remember :-P On of my jobs when I was a kid was to pick the tomatoes and shell the peas. This year my roomate and I are in an apartment and are going to try growing our own herbs.
Sometimes I forget how rural upstate NY is. I think NY and I think NYC and Buffalo.
A windowsill or deck herb garden should be easy enough to do in an apartment. I bring my Rosemary inside every fall and put it back out during the summer and it does great. Everything else I just freeze and dry.
I keep saying that my next house is going to have a grow room in it. Just a big room that faces south and is full of windows. I have two small tea plants and 2 small coffee plants and I desperatly want to try growing cirtus someday.
I think it's hilarious that you compare Buffalo to NYC....they are nothing alike :-P But yeah, except for NYC really, the rest of NY is farm country. It's the second largest dairy state in the country.
I definitely miss gardening while at school - that's one thing about the country that I really love. This summer my parents didn't have time to do our big garden, and when I went home last weekend it looked so empty and sad. Food you grow yourself just tastes better.
LOLOLOL. When i htink of New York I definately don't think Buffalo. And I used to live there.
Good for you sis, you're a much better vegitarian than I ever was. Man that week was tough.
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For the gardening thing - you're talking to a country girl, I've been gardening since I can remember :-P On of my jobs when I was a kid was to pick the tomatoes and shell the peas. This year my roomate and I are in an apartment and are going to try growing our own herbs.
Sometimes I forget how rural upstate NY is. I think NY and I think NYC and Buffalo.
A windowsill or deck herb garden should be easy enough to do in an apartment. I bring my Rosemary inside every fall and put it back out during the summer and it does great. Everything else I just freeze and dry.
I keep saying that my next house is going to have a grow room in it. Just a big room that faces south and is full of windows. I have two small tea plants and 2 small coffee plants and I desperatly want to try growing cirtus someday.
I think it's hilarious that you compare Buffalo to NYC....they are nothing alike :-P But yeah, except for NYC really, the rest of NY is farm country. It's the second largest dairy state in the country.
I definitely miss gardening while at school - that's one thing about the country that I really love. This summer my parents didn't have time to do our big garden, and when I went home last weekend it looked so empty and sad. Food you grow yourself just tastes better.
I did not mean that I think those two are similar... I meant that those are the kinds of places I think of when I think of NYC. I do not think of Farm land. When it hink of Farmland, I think of Iowa, Indiana and Northern OH. And west, obv.
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I've been a vegetarian since I was 12 or 13. I love it
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I've been a vegetarian since I was 12 or 13. I love it
Can you tell us about your diet? If you don't want to feel like you are being grilled (no pun intended) you vegetarians can PM me. I'm very interested in vegetarian diets and what people do and have learned from them, even if I will never be one. Otherwise just post it here so we can check out different diets and such. Other vegetarians might learn something from what you have to say.
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Hey Jessica, can you tell us what a vegetarian diet in your family was like? I'm very curious. Did you guys have certain concerns or ideas on how you would receive the nutrition you needed? And how did you get around those. Not that you were really really worried, I'm just wondering what the make up of the diet was. Even for people who eat meat the information could be useful and interesting. There are probably variations from vegetarian to vegetarian, so the more perspective we can get the better.
it wasn't strictly vegetarian, we still some meat such as chicken, but we mostly tried to make foods that we all could eat... and over time we just ate less and less meat. theres lots of meals you can make without meat... eggplant parmesan is delicious, fresh buffalo mozarella salads with basil leaves, olive oil and tomatoes, spinach quiche, asian style stir fry tofu, vegetable sushi & tempura, bean tostadas, cheese and onion empanadas, grilled vegetable sandwiches, theres tons of options!
i've heard soy isn't all that great for you. there are some pros and cons but studies show that certain amounts of soy in your diet can lead to some types of health issues. milk grosses me out (its not even good for you), or the taste of soy milk, but i dont like eating cereal dry so i usually go for rice milk.