O/T: I'm Thinking About Going Vegetarian ...

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BunnyMommy

BunnyMommy

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Anyone here already pursuing this type oflifestyle? If so, how do you compensate for the resultingiron, calcium,and protein deficiencies that must inevitablyfollow?
 
Hi! I'm totally new to this forum but I've been avegetarian for as long as I can remember, and my daughter (who is fouryears) has been vegetarian her whole life.

It's a great step to stop eating meat, as it really is dead yuckystuff, which has been said to nourish your body in terms of vitamins,but actually is clogging your system up with tons of toxins...As far asthe vitamins go, all the great food that God put on the earth for us toeat has more than enough vitamins, for example, iron can be had fromiron, dried figs and raisins. Calcium is very attainable from a varietyof fruits and vegetables, as is protein! People have so manymisconceptions about protein, and the reason why is because scientistsand doctors push meat because it is a "complete protein" which meansthat it has all the necessary amino acids, but if you eat enough of avariety of fruits, nuts, seedsand veggies you will get allthe same amino acids, which make up the protein quota your bodyrequires (which is, by the way, a much lesser amount than themainstream has been taught to believe) Your body also creates a certainnumber of amino acids (sorry, I can't remember how many at the moment)but if you torture your body with lots of heavy, bad foods, it can losethe ability to manufacture these, as well asB vitamins.

This sort of information is always contraversial, as everyone has beentold one thing or another, but for some people it is more simple; Theyfeel it is inhumane to kill another creature just for the sake of ameal, or they may believe meat is a dead carcass and not meant to beingested.

The same thing applies to any cooked food for that matter (in terms ofnot being meant to be ingested) It has been scientifically researchedand proven that cooked foodloses valuable enzymesifheated past 38.9 degrees celcius (102 degrees ferenheit). The verygoodness that the food is intended to transfer to the body just isn'tthere anymore, and it also taxes the body because the digestive aidsinherent in the food are gone. So, if you're going to go vegetarian,try and balance your diet with lots of fresh, live food and don't eattoo manycomplex carbs (pasta, bread and rice) because they'llpuff you right up and make you feel heavy and blah all the time.

Well, that's my two cents! Hope you find the courage to stay with thisnew transition in your life! Health is such a beautiful, sacred thing.

~Sammi~
 
Hi again BunnyMommy!

Here's a few sites I've touched base with over the past couple years:

A good general FAQ:

http://www.living-foods.com/faq.html

Here's one about B12 deficiency:

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/b12.html

This one has a bunch of testimonials, from being cured of disease to losing weight and gaining energy:

http://www.rawfood.com/testimonialsgen.html

http://www.yogajournal.com/food/2_1.cfm

http://www.rawandjuicy.com/index.html

This girl is from the UK, and cured herself of many ailments and hasconsequently made health her whole life, she now educates others aboutraw foods...

http://shazzie.com

Yeah, there's a lot of them there, but they are all pretty interesting in different ways!
 
Hi, Sammi! Welcome here and thanks for all of this wonderful information! :)

I especially appreciate the info on the complex carbs as I wasn't aware that this could be an issue in the process.

My plan for my austerity program is this:

  • Concentrate on a variety in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
  • Dairy at a minimum.
  • Complex carbs at a minimum (of course).
  • Meal preparation emphasis on steamed, grilled, and rarely boiled.
  • Lots of water.
  • One protein shake daily.
I followed this program roughly five years ago and lost approximately100 pounds and never felt better in my life. Along with thisI walked 30-45 minutes a day five to six days a week. Many ofmy major ailments cleared, my skin was radiant, my hair growing andglossy, I was able to get by on five to six hours of sleep a night, andhad a ton of energy!

I'll continue to research this subject matter. Appreciate all of the input!
 
sammi wrote:
Hi again BunnyMommy!

Here's a few sites I've touched base with over the past couple years:

A good general FAQ:

http://www.living-foods.com/faq.html

Here's one about B12 deficiency:

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/b12.html

This one has a bunch of testimonials, from being cured of disease to losing weight and gaining energy:

http://www.rawfood.com/testimonialsgen.html

http://www.yogajournal.com/food/2_1.cfm

http://www.rawandjuicy.com/index.html

This girl is from the UK, and cured herself of many ailments and hasconsequently made health her whole life, she now educates others aboutraw foods...

http://shazzie.com

Yeah, there's a lot of them there, but they are all pretty interesting in different ways!
Click to expand...


WOW! :shock: Thanks for all of this great info, Sammi!

Will be back to comment on the links after I've had a chance to explore them.

Thanks again! :cool:
 
We're not vegans, but do limit the meat weeat. My hubby was raised as a meat and potatoes man, butreally doesn't miss the meat.

Dark mixed green salads with beansprovide a goodbalance. You can find a wide variety of canned beans (such askidney, chic, navy) to add to the salad. Very filling and agood source of protein.

We eat quite a bit of pasta, but go light on the fattening sauces.

Noodles and cabbage along with a piece of whole grainbread make an easy, quick and satisfying meal.

Not certain if you still plan on eating eggs, cheeses, milk -- butlasagna with cottage cheese and canned spinach is one of my favs!

Since Matthew had allergies to cow milk proteins, he could never havemilk, cheeses, etc. so calcium was a concern after he was weaned frombreastfeeding. There are orange juices that have addedcalcium and as was mentioned, many veggies, such as broccoli are goodsources of calcium.

You can find an endless array of meatless recipes on the internet.

Remember, that the balance of your diet should come from breads,cereals, rice and pasta. Look for whole grain products thathave been minimally processed. You'll find this diet verysatisfying without the "starvation" that you'd suffer on a lettuce diet.

Good Luck and let us know how it's going! You won't miss the meat at all :):)

Pam
 
Hi Bunny Mommy, I've just seen this post and Ithink it's great that you are thinking of going Veggie. I have beenvegetarian (not Vegan) for about 13 years, and John has for about 6years. We eat dairy, but 'nothing with a face'. I have to say we bothfeel better healthwise for it, and don't miss meat at all. I don't knowif you can buy it in the States, but we eat something called Quorn. Itis a (distant) member of the mushroom faily, has the texture of meatand can be flavoured to taste like it, but has much less fat, thereforecalories in it. We also eat a lot of pulses and nut based foods. Ibasically went vegetarian because of the way most meat animals areraised - factory farming - and the cruelty they suffer both there andin the abbatoirs. Many animals aren't actually dead when they arebutchered, and that horrified me, along with questionable hygienemethods. From there I have gone on to not wearing leather or suede, butthat is just my choice.

I would never condemn anyone for eating meat - everyone can do whateverthey feel is right - but I will say be prepared to come up againstpeople who feel that you are 'wierd' and a 'tree hugging hippie'. A lotof people just can't understand not eating meat, and therefore thinkthat makes you strange. I just smile at them and let them get on withit. Good luck in whatever you decide- Jan
 
LuvaBun wrote:
I wouldnever condemn anyone for eating meat - everyone can do whatever theyfeel is right - but I will say be prepared to come up against peoplewho feel that you are 'wierd' and a 'tree hugging hippie'. A lot ofpeople just can't understand not eating meat, and therefore think thatmakes you strange. I just smile at them and let them get on with it.Good luck in whatever you decide - Jan
Click to expand...

I got a lot of those responses too when I was a veg
icon_rolleyes.gif
. Forsome reason, when you mention you're a vegetarian, people feel the needto get defensive. Of course just as many vegs feel the need toevangelize so I guess it's even
icon_lol.gif
I'm not avegetarian anymore, but I was a vegan/vegetarian for several years. Idon't regret making the switch back to a balanced diet with meat (yeah,there's just as many health reasons on my side ;)), but Ireally, really respect those who are vegetarians or vegans :)

I don't have any resources for you, but I bet I could pull up somegreat veg jokes
icon_biggrin.gif
Ishared them with everyone in my veg days.
 
Oh my. This is weird. Lastnight I was eating a chicken and cheese sandwich and half way throughmy sandwich I just felt like crap. I had to take the chickenoff. That was the first time this ever happened.
 
Yeah, was the chicken straight from thesupermarket? A lot of times that meat's chock full all sorts of nastythings. It tastes "dead". I can usually only handle organic orwild-harvested meats for that reason. Organic poultry is so muchdifferent :)
 
I agree with m.e. I buy organic chicken too. There is SUCH a difference.

I used to be a vegetarian, but as I'm anemic, I just felt horrible nomatter what I ate and whatever suppliments I took. I was tired all thetime too. On my doctors orders, I started eating meat again.

It is, however, a very good life style and I commend it. I eat meatnow, but not every night and as most of you may have gathered in myprevious posts, I love to cook and cookhealthy. I'm a little"crunchy" still.....my oldest brother still calls me Earth Girlactually. lol

Good luck Bunny Mommy! I had a lot of fun discovering new and tastyrecipes and things to eat in place of meat. I actually miss myvegetarian cookbooks that are still in VT. It opened me up to a wholenew world of cooking, including a love of Indian food.
 
Jason would probably divorce me if I stoppedeating any more meat. I already eliminated red meat from mydiet years ago. He's a meat lover and being a vegetarian withhim in the housewould be very difficult.
 
Lissa, it is not easy being a vegetarianwitha non-vegetarian. Dave would not be happy with me either.He's half german, and meat is a HUGE part of his diet. When I don'tmake dinner with meat in it, he asks where the meat is. That guy couldeat sausages daily. I guess in Germany (where his mother grew up andhis mom's family immigrated from), they eat a lot of meat.


 
Meat is a big part of my family, too. My dad isGerman which leaves me, my brother, and my sister half German. I'm theonly one that's boycotted all red meat and I think my family may not betoo pleased if I were to turn total vegeatarian.

If it was up to me, I'd probably go vegetarian totally, but I'm pickywhen it comes to food and wouldn't get enough vitamins to make up forthe lack of meat.
 
So how do you become a vegetarian with a meat lover in the house? Is there a way?
 


I love meat, was raised on it, but there are times when I think aboutit or look at it closely and I can get turned off very quickly. If Isee a vein or soemthing like that, I can lose my appetite immediately.I can't think about it too much if I'm eating it. I just have to enjoythe taste.

There have been times where I have gone without meat, but I felt weakafter a few days or a week of it. I noticed a big change in how I feltthe minute I had a piece of meat.

I have toyed with this idea for years and will continue to do so; it's a love/hate thing for me.

-Carolyn
 
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