Gonna try being a "vegetarian" for at least four months!

[Papillon]

Yep...definitely gonna try it for at least four months!

 

I'll still eat fish and perhaps chicken meat every now and again - I realise that's not strictly vegetarian, but I can't be bothered to group my amino acids properly. I just want to live healthier - and cutting out 90% of my meat intake will mean no more junk food . I lost about 30Kg a year ago while on a serious diet - and I've slowly gained around 10Kg's again...no more - I won't allow myself to undo all that hard work.

 

Any vegetarians here or vegans here? Any good ideas for vegetarianism or any good recipes?

[bluechocolate]

I did the veggie thing for 2 years - well not strictly. I was a pescatarian - meaning I ate fish. Even then I didn't deny myself the full Christmas dinner!

 

There are loads of websites for vegetarians & even a few for pescatarians.

 

The one thing I used to do was make a rice & beans type of casserole because the combination of those two things apparently gives you the amino acids you get from meat. I can't think of any recipes for it but it was actually quite good. You could go all mexican with it & have yogurt (instead of sour cream), jalapenos, salsa, that kind of thing.

 

Good luck!

[Papillon]

Thanks for the advice!

 

Tell me more about the physiological effects on your body - did you have dry/oily skin, flatulence, or any of that - or did you "glow", as some have put it?

[bluechocolate]

To be honest I can't remember glowing - my energy levels were higher & yes, there was certainly more flatulence because I ate a lot of nuts & dried pulses. And my weight was consistenly lower. I have read that can you lose 10kg, & keep it off, simply by cutting out red meat from your diet.

 

Also, a friend of mine, who is a nurse, told me that they were taught to examine peoples stools in hospital because that can be a good indication of health.

 

Fluffy floaters - good

slimey sinkers - bad

 

As a veggie you have a lot of fluffy floaters !!

[Papillon]

Fluffy floaters, slimey sinkers Love the alliteration!

 

Hmm - I "enema-ize" every day, so I'll have to wait to let'em...err..."compact"....

 

OK....moving right along!

[CurlyIam]

When I was in highschool I decided to be a vegetarian. The only problem was that I didn't think of trying to compensate for the lack of proteins...

 

I can't really explain what happened, or why I chose to be a vegeterian. All of a sudden I felt the meat was... growse ! I didn't eat meat at all for one year. I was trying a bit of soya, but I would mainly try out new receipts for vegetables: I would do 2 of my favourite things, cook and eat veggies!

 

Anyway, I did loose weight, like 3, maybe 4 kilos. The only problem was that my mom had the wonderful idea of a check up... I won't tell you about my level of calcium or Mg or the rest of the gang of 'em vitamins!

 

In a disperate attempt to make up for my beeing so skinny and lack of calcium, she decided to mak me try vitamins. In 3 months, those 3 pounds I lost were back and 2 more. God,was she happy !

 

So:I'd say talk to a nutritionist. Or a doc to explain you how to get all the things your body needs out of vegetables. I think this is a serious decision, and there is the risk that should you decide to fall back on meat, you'd gain weight again.

 

So do it out of conviction, not because it happens to be conveniet. Take lots of care, it can literally ruin your body if dealt with improperly!

[wideawake]

Will you still consume dairly/cheese/yogurt/cottage cheese type foods?

 

If so, you can get most of your calcium and many of the required dietary fats from those sources. And if you don't have any lactose problems, they're also a great source for low-glycemic carbs, on par with brown rice I believe.

 

For myself, as a guy that like to work out and stay fit, I wouldn't go this route, but perhaps you'll find it works well for you. My concern would be that in removing most meat and especially red meat from my diet I'm going to have a really hard time finding a source for not only the various Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) such as Tryptophan, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Phenylalanin, etc... but also the Conditionally Essential Amino Acids (CAAs) like Arginine, Tyrosine, Histidine and Glutamine. Not to mention the Branch Chain Amino groups (BCAAs) that are used to repair cellular damage in muscle tissue...

 

Of all of those, by far the the ones I would be most concerned about would be the Conditional Amino groups, in particular Tyrosine, Histidine and Glutamine. (also known as "Non-Essential Amino Acids") And these are very hard to source in non-animal protein sources....none that I know of besides some in Soy based products, which also have large amounts of phyto-estrogens, and can work in direct oposition to male testoserone production.

 

Glutamine makes up 60% of the standard amino pool in a healthy human. It's one of the big ones for immune functions and various other factors.

 

Tyrosine is a pre-cursor to a plethora of neurotransmitters and thryoid hormones....(TSH, Dopamine, Serotonin, etc...)

 

Eat chicken bro, or a ton of fish and some chicken, but getting rid of animal based protein sources can lead to some fairly significant downregulation of both tyroid hormone function, as well as neurotransmitter levels.

[Kelebek]

I'm a strict vegetarian, and have been for about 9 years, since I was about 9.

 

My mum wouldn't let me cut out meat altogether, as I was just a child, so I stopped eating red meat at about 9 years old. Then roughly a year later I cut out pigs and chickens lol, then another year later I cut out fish. My parents were terrified I'd get all sorts of diseases etc and that my growth would be stunted, but I'm 5"10 at the moment hehe! And I don't have any diseases - although I am prone to anaemia.

 

You'll have to watch out for anaemia, it's due to a lack of iron in your diet, which you get in red meat etc. You get a lot of iron in green veggies etc, so stick to them! Especially broccoli. I take iron tablets aswell (ferrous sulphate) aswell as other vitamins just to make sure I get everything I need.

 

Do you guys get "Quorn" in America, yeah? Eat a lot of that, and vegetables. I eat far better than any of my friends who are NOT vegetarian!

 

A lot of people think I'm weird, especially my boyfriend who is a total carnivore lol, he can't imagine a life without meat!! I just can't bear the thought of eating animals, I think it's so disgusting. I could NEVER go back to eating meat. I don't force that opinion on my friends and family though, I learnt a long time ago that people don't appreciate it! So I just eat what I want and let other people do the same.

 

You aren't really becoming a vegetarian, as the reason for vegetarians being so is that we don't kill to eat. You're still going to eat chicken and fish so it's nothing like a vegetarian....just sounds like you're going to be really healthy Therefore I wouldn't worry too much about vitamins etc, as all you're doing is cutting out red meat and pork etc.

 

If you DO decide to become vegetarian, then do it for reasons other than a diet. It's a major overhaul on any body, and far too drastic a change to quit in four months again. As CurlyIam said, it can literally ruin your body if you're not careful.

 

http://veggietable.allinfo-about.com/articles/whybeavegetarian.html

 

I have thought about becoming a vegan...but you don't kill the animal to get the dairy products. Plus, how could I give up chocolate!!

[CurlyIam]

Yeah, I totally forgot about aenemia! The level of ... red cell (whatever thier name may be in English!) was soo low... My mom is a doc, so I could't try out my persuasion skills on her

 

I still think talking to adoc is safest for 2 reasons: first of them is to do acheck up before starting - we are what we eat,so it's best to know from what to what you're gonna change into and the second is he could actually tell you the products to get, including brands. Some docs are really good!

[wideawake]

Originally posted by Kelebek

as the reason for vegetarians being so is that we don't kill to eat.

 

 

Every year millions of animals are killed by wheat and soy bean combines during harvesting season.

 

Source:

 

http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/news/food/vegan.html

 

The man, the myth, the legend.

 

I kind of go along with Maddox on this one...

 

http://maddox.xmission.com/grill.html

[UCFKevin]

So do it out of conviction, not because it happens to be conveniet. Take lots of care, it can literally ruin your body if dealt with improperly!

 

Very VERY well said.

 

I'm not a big fan of vegetarianism, or veganism. Eat what you like and be active.

 

IF it's done out of conviction, to go against killing animals, well, that's your own opinion and your right, but otherwise, I'm pretty sure you do need meat to have a fully healthy body.

[dudesomewhere]

there are 5 categories for vegetarians...vegans being that the top extreme...you can eat fish and still be a vegetarian...I am

 

anybody have somewhere I can up a pic of me? I'll show you how healthy vegetarians can be

 

sure I could email, but where's the fun in that

(pics are stuff I did for art related stuff and maintain my anonymity )

 

oh yeah...check some of my posts for that health forum to get a model of how to eat (just my way of course). As for recipes...I just throw stuff together

[UCFKevin]

You aren't a vegetarian if you eat fish. Fish ain't a fruit or vegetable. It's a living thing.

[bob101]

Being a veggie is extremely easy, and absolutely beneficial for your body. I thought it would be hard, seeing as how you now need to cook most of your meals (especially if you live in the U.S., no fast-meatless-food here). There are tons of ready-made veggie foods found in the supermarket if you’re not a cook or just lack the time.

 

Now to address some of the other posts: Most people believe you need a lot of protein, and the only form is meat. Totally untrue…soy has tons of protein, and beyond that, you actually don’t need a lot. 35g is plenty for an average person. In fact, too much protein consumption inhibits calcium absorption. (ie, ignore the “drink milk” slogan… milk has enough protein in it to negate the calcium it has). You don’t need animal protein. The little protein you need can easily be absorbed through veggies and beans.

 

As far as killing animals goes…. Someone quoted that “Every year millions of animals are killed by wheat and soy bean combines during harvesting season.” Yes, it happens. It also happens when grains are harvested to feed the livestock that we get meat from. You can feed ten people for a year on the grains it takes to get one pound of beef.

 

Should I even go into the hormones that are added to pigs, cattle, and chickens to increase their weight quickly? All you have to do is look at little kids…. little boys are developing breasts and little girls are starting their periods much earlier than years ago. Just today I read that there is a rise in MALE breast cancer….

 

How about the avoidance of all the fat? Heart disease is huge, and millions die from it. Solution: don’t eat cholesterol, don’t smoke. There are no natural foods that contain cholesterol.

 

As for changing to a vegetarian personally…. I noticed I actually eat a lot more, have lost weight, have more energy, and (this is embarrassing)….. but going to the bathroom is a breeze, and its…well, it’s a different color. Its not dark anymore and there is no scent whatsoever. The times I have cheated and ate meat…. It made me nauseous later.

 

As for recipes, you can find them all over the internet. I always keep brown rice made and just throw things in when in a hurry. Try getting a wok, you can put anything in there for a fast, tasty meal. For ease…. hit the frozen food section for vegetarians in the grocery store. I actually prefer the “chick’n” nuggets over the kind that contains real chicken, and they make “ground meat” out of soy…. much tastier than real beef.

 

For any further nutritional information you can check out these sites, and they have recipes as well: http://www.vegsource.com/ http://www.pcrm.org/ http://www.foodrevolution.org/ (this is a great book….for nutritional info, skip the first 1/3 and you can browse through the rest to see all the benefits of having a meat and dairy-free diet)

 

All in all…. See what you think yourself at the end of your four months. I suggest getting a blood test done now. See what your stats are, and compare them to four months later on your meat-free diet.

[dudesomewhere]

I'm actually more a vegan...but tofu isn't the easiest to get a hold of. Tofu is king. Stuff from Boca and the competitors(i can never recall the names) are good but expensive.

 

You know what was gross for me...I used to scarve livers for bulking up. Works but man was that disgusting...before I stopped eating that stuff of course. You know, I actually might become a vegan...since the only reason I eat fish is for omega3...but now that there's good flax seed...I don't have to. hmmm & mmmm...soy...tofu...soy milk

[CurlyIam]

Originally posted by bob101

Being a veggie is extremely easy, and absolutely beneficial for your body. I thought it would be hard, seeing as how you now need to cook most of your meals (especially if you live in the U.S., no fast-meatless-food here). There are tons of ready-made veggie foods found in the supermarket if you’re not a cook or just lack the time.

 

He lives in South Africa! I won't play the ignorant role, but I think that this choice of lifestyle might be a bit more difficult to follow there.

 

And another thing: if the stuff you eat is healthier, it doesn't mean that the way you cook it is of no importance! All I'm gonna say is stay away from frying stuff! You risk to destroy your stomack!

[UCFKevin]

Wait, you just said you like fish. You can't even be a vegetarian if you like fish, so you're even less of a vegan if you like fish.

 

To quote the Toadies, make up your mind!

[dudesomewhere]

lol...i'm a very scientific eater...I only eat fish for omega 3.

 

I only recently stumbled upon flax seed as a substitute...some things are too vital when it came to body building...maintaining mass on a very strict vegan diet was just too much. So I had to rely on some fish...because damn it all if fish isn't so well compositioned for protein to good fat needs.

 

Tofu I love. Given a choice and convenience I would be vegan. But life isn't perfect so I have to be a barbarian . Plus fish is cheap compared...and I'm poor hehehehe and goofy

[shamen]

There are several different kinds of vegetarians:

 

1) Vegans: Those that don't consume any animal products at all (generally they do not wear or buy anything with any animal products either).

2) Ovo vegetarians: Those that eat eggs.

3) Lacto vegetarians: Those that eat and drink dairy products.

4) Pesco vegetariasn: Those that eat fish.

5) Any combination of the above.

 

Of course, if you go to India (I have some Indian friends) or other countries where vegetarianism is more common due to religious reasons, they find this American chart kind of weird. One in particular laughed at me when I said that I was veggie, as I am ovo-lacto-pesco and have been so for almost 20 years. I'm sure some of you here may gufaw the fact that I consider myself veggie as well.

 

Go get yourself some good cookbooks. Many of them contain charts on keeping a balanced diet as well. If you need suggestions, I have some. Beans and rice (together to make a complete protein) are an essential part of my diet, so is tofu. You'll also find yourself reading labels a lot more as there is chicken stock or lard, etc. in a lot of strange things. Restaurants are always interesting as you have to make sure that there is no stock in that food either. I do eat a lot of fish and dairy products as well to keep up on the amino acids, so it's a lot easier than being a vegan.

 

It's quite hard to be vegan and keep healthy if you don't watch your diet. You've got to read up on protein sources and ways to get all of your vitamins, etc. Don't think that you can do it without doing any research first. Using the other veggie classifiations is a lot easier to maintain and to keep a healthy diet.

[UCFKevin]

Isn't a vegatarian who eats fish kinda like a person who considers himself a nongambler playing the lottery?

[wideawake]

Originally posted by bob101

Now to address some of the other posts: Most people believe you need a lot of protein, and the only form is meat. Totally untrue…soy has tons of protein, and beyond that, you actually don’t need a lot. 35g is plenty for an average person. In fact, too much protein consumption inhibits calcium absorption. (ie, ignore the “drink milk” slogan… milk has enough protein in it to negate the calcium it has). You don’t need animal protein. The little protein you need can easily be absorbed through veggies and beans.

 

Bro, here's a link to PubMed/MedLine. Can you find one published study that proves protein consumption inhibits calcium absorption?

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

 

Here's a study that shows the opposite:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uid14552064

 

And a study that shows how dairy based protein peptides have many beneficial effects:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uid12769737

 

Than do me a favor and find me a study that proves you can get a full amino profile without animal based proteins.

 

 

As far as killing animals goes…. Someone quoted that “Every year millions of animals are killed by wheat and soy bean combines during harvesting season.” Yes, it happens. It also happens when grains are harvested to feed the livestock that we get meat from. You can feed ten people for a year on the grains it takes to get one pound of beef.

 

I call bs on this. Source for that statement? 10 people for a year vs 1lb of beef? Come on...do the math.

 

Should I even go into the hormones that are added to pigs, cattle, and chickens to increase their weight quickly? All you have to do is look at little kids…. little boys are developing breasts and little girls are starting their periods much earlier than years ago. Just today I read that there is a rise in MALE breast cancer….

 

Come on...a little Trenbolone Acetate never hurt anyone...

 

I don't agree with your statement "little boys are developing breasts and little girls are starting their periods much earlier than years ago"...back it up with proof that attributes this to the meat/hormones they may or may not have been eating. All of the studies that I've reviewed clearly show no traces of hormone nor ACTIVE metabolites in commercially available beef products (haven't even seen any done on non-beef products as they are by far the major hormone using industry)

 

 

How about the avoidance of all the fat? Heart disease is huge, and millions die from it. Solution: don’t eat cholesterol, don’t smoke. There are no natural foods that contain cholesterol.

 

All hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, etc... all require cholesterol as a active precursor. No cholesterol - no testosterone. If you're a guy...this is not a good thing. If you're a chick, no cholesterol = no estrogen, again, not cool.

 

http://www.cytochemistry.net/Endocrine_System/adrenal.htm

 

 

I suggest getting a blood test done now. See what your stats are, and compare them to four months later on your meat-free diet.

 

Word. This we agree on.

[Papillon]

Thanks for all the advice, folks!

 

I know all about the biochemistry of nutrition, so I really value your experiences on actually being a vegetarian/piscetarian the most. The blood test is a good idea...I haven't had my cholesterol tested in ages, anayway.

 

Curly, South Africa is not that backward . I will admit though that it's takes a look-around to find really exotic stuff here - we have lots of specialist deli's here but they're expensive (I watch Jamie Oliver shows in awe of the ease you get weird stuff, overseas). Then again, the kind of fruit that we have here, considered everyday here, are considered exotic overseas, for example bananas, kiwifruit, watermelon, figs, pomegranates, pears, blood oranges (pomelo's), muscat grapes, passion fruit, papaya, etc..the list goes on and on. So you win some, you lose some.

[magda]

I was a "vegetarian" for awhile, for no reason at all. I have some friends who are pretty anal about their vegetarian ways (which is so annoying) so let me say up front that I was "not a REAL vegetarian". I ate marshmallows. And bean burritos from TacoBell if I felt like it. So I had to say "I don't eat meat" when they brought up my eating habits because they were total veggie nazis. Although they'd eat eggs, which I thought was worse than lard. I mean, hello, embryos?? I hate the pretension of some of those people.

Once, standing in my grandmothers kitchen, I ate a bite.. of PORK! ! Then one day I ate chicken and screw it. I don't eat a lot of meat, still, but I don't think twice about doing so.

 

It's hard to get a taste for soy milk. I really am not wild about it. It's okay if it's vanilla, but... and soy YOGURT I can't consume. Anyway, plenty of soy and peanuts and the like and I never had a problem. My favorite lunch was a peanut butter and jelly blueberry bagel sandwich, toasted and still warm. Yum!

ps. Don't eat too much broccolli in one sitting.

[CurlyIam]

Originally posted by Papillon

 

Curly, South Africa is not that backward .

 

I know!!!! What I meant of it deppends from country to country on the type of frozen food and brands. Europe "ain't" that backward either, still each time I read posts about food, at least half of the brands are unfamilliar to me(sometimes is frustrating like that thread on 'fess up, chocooholics!" )

 

IT's not only about consumption habits, it's also about distribution of 'em all over the world. You'd think someone from Eastern Europe is a bit more open-minded about developpment!!!

[DerangedAngel]

I know all about the biochemistry of nutrition

 

Then I won't bother with all that!

 

I was a steady vegan for nearly 3 years. I started falling out that way of life during my relationship with my last boyrfriend. He only ate meat, it seemed. It looked so good...

 

During those 3 years, I was the healthiest I have ever been. I had more energy than before, my skin glowed (it did), my diet (combined with my new doctor and some natural healthcare) greatly improved an illness I had been suffering with for several years.

 

I have been trying to eat much healthier recently, and although I have not fully reverted back to veganism, I want to.

 

I have tons of vegan (and a few vegetarian) recipes! If you ever want me to dig some up for you, just send a PM.

 

Side note:

 

Hmm - I "enema-ize" every day, so I'll have to wait to let'em...err..."compact"....

 

Ever tried colonics?

 

-Deranged