the meat debate

[silentjohn]

vegetarianism/veganism

I really like good meat, is anybody here a vegan/vegetarian? Has it affected you in any signigicant ways?

[deviadah]

I am a vegetarian, and if you eat fish you AIN'T a vegetarian... just want to clear that up.

Changed me?

Well, got better digestion, feel better, less odour and all animals love me now! Also I don't need to wake up screaming that I have wasted all my money on fast food. Happy Meal... :laugh:

What a fuckin' joke!

Watch The Meatrix (http://www.themeatrix.com/)

[MythMath]

Unfortunately, meat ain't what it used to be... :no:
__________________________

And since humans can't effectively eat meat without fire,
does that indicate that humans aren't carnivorous by nature...? :p

[deviadah]

That is a great point MythMath... never crossed my mind...

Should shut up those we've-eaten-meat-since-the-dawn-of-time morons...

[Talkingfox]

Unfortunately, meat ain't what it used to be... :no:
__________________________

And since humans can't effectively eat meat without fire,
does that indicate that humans aren't carnivorous by nature...? :p

Hate to tell ya this MM...humans can and do eat meat effectively without fire. The basis of the Innuit diet is raw flesh of all kinds. Zero grain, very little green stuff and only seasonally. And until they adopted sugars of all sorts into their diets heart disease and diabetes were virtually unknown.

But then again that's all wild meats and sea products without all the ickiness that goes into the factory farmed stuff that the US populace is fed on.

[iAL]

Hi SilentJohn
I am a vegetarian and ever since I feel my awareness/perception is more sharp and I feel better physically too. I don't feel as sluggish then when I use to eat meat. I feel more better on many levels too. The only bad part is I lost a lot of weight and protein is hard to find and maintain in my diet.

[deviadah]

The best way to get hold of some protein without eating meat is to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and beans.

Some foods contain little protein, but by eating a mixture, you will get what you need. For example foods low in protein are brown rice, whole wheat, barley, rye, buckwheat, millet, dried beans and peas, nuts, seeds and vegetables.

Then there are foods with high concentration of protein like tofu, texturized vegetable protein, and various soy bean products that contain a concentrated amount of protein.

For best result eat not only tofu, but a mixture of all of the above, and top it with a bowl of fresh strawberries and cream.

[iAL]

Thanks Deviadah ,
Yeah I eat Tofu a lot but I'm going to start mixing it with other proteinish foods

[Radiant Star]

Well, got better digestion, feel better...
Same for me since I started eating more carbs and vegetables and much less red meat.

We tend to eat organic foods here too though not sure what will be available in some areas since the floods.

[Ci Celli Ddu]

Well, I'm not a vegetarian. When it comes to healthy eating a lot depends on where you are living and what you can afford. Organic food tends to be expensive here in the UK, and local produce is pretty much a dissappearing industry even in rural areas. At the beginning of this century it was still possible to find and buy local veg here in Wales for an exceptionally good price in any small town, but only a few years later the locations where this is possible has been reduced dramatically, as the supermarkets have taken over.

In Spain on the other hand there is an abundance of local produce in rural areas, and anyone with even a small garden tends to grow their own veg.

[Fio Praeter Humanus]

I would like to switch to a vegetarian life style, not due to any moral issues but rather concern over hormones and antibiotics in the farm raised meat.

Although the rub is I eat almost no grain products what so ever. In fact I follow a very low carb diet for health reasons. Other than just eating a salad every day I am not sure what else I could eat as a vegetarian. For the most part I have lived the last two years off of tuna fish and cheese. Every now and then I go crazy and have a piece of double fiber whole wheat cheese toast. Any suggestions?

[Ci Celli Ddu]

For the most part I have lived the last two years off of tuna fish and cheese.

I'd switch to a different fish. All fish contain mercury, but apparently tuna, shark, marlin and swordfish contain more mercury than the rest.

Mercury in fish (http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/faq/mercuryfish/)

[Oblio]

As Deviadah mentioned, there are a lot of things you can eat to get your aminos, most important is to mix your food sources (as vegetables don't offer as complete a source of protein as meat). I used to be vegetarian, and I wanted to do it in a healthy way, so I forced myself to get more interested in making interesting meals. Tofu's great, but man does it get boring after a while. Mucking around with salads is great - try black beans, chick peas and lentils mixed with paprika, lemon and garlic (add chili if you're into that :D). Also, avocado, tomato, onion guacamole is great. Oh, can't go past a good Dahl to spice up the tofu!

So many options, but it does take a bit of effort to make nice food.

Eggs are good too, if you're not strict vege.

[Radiant Star]

As Deviadah mentioned, there are a lot of things you can eat to get your aminos.
Mixed bean sprouts and rice is nice for this with a drop of flaxseed oil drizzed on top if you like that kind of thing.

[Oblio]

Mixing cold pressed flaxseed oil with cottage cheese is apparently very healthy. Getting a bit OT, but here's some info from this (http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/flaxseed.htm) site:

Dr. Johanna Budwig is known and highly respected around the world, as Germany's premier biochemist. Over the years she has published a number of books including "Flax Oil as a True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer, and other Diseases (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0969527217/healingdailyc-20)".
In the mid 1950's, Dr. Budwig began her extensive research on the benefits of flaxseed because of its rich essential fatty acid content known as "linoleic and linolenic". Dr. Budwig assisted many seriously ill, even those who were given up for terminal by orthodox medical doctors, helping them to regain their health through a simple regimen of flaxseed oil blended with cottage cheese.
Dr. Budwig supplemented her patients' diets with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil combined with 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. Dr. Budwig found that a yellowish green substance in their blood was replaced with a healthy red pigment, hemoglobin. She also found that the tumors receded and disappeared, anemia was alleviated, and vital energy was regained.
Here is Dr. Johanna Budwig's Blend:
Put in your blender:
1 cup organic cottage cheese
2-5 Tbsp. of flaxseed oil
1-3 Tbsp. of freshly ground up flaxseed (electric coffee grinder ($15) works fine)
enough water to make it soft
a little Cayenne pepper (http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/cayenne.htm) http://www.qksrv.net/image-1236392-10273898 (red hot chilly pepper) Why cottage cheese? Flaxseed oil is made more effective when 2 tablespoons of the oil are added to 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. The essential fats bind to the proteins in the cottage cheese making them more easily absorbed by your body.

[deviadah]

If tofu gets boring just have, once a week like I do, Vegetarian Sushi: fucking great! The sea-weed and green-tea is also good if you are a smoker or recently quit. Helps kill those roaming radicals...

:yes:

[Radiant Star]

Apparently eating meat has affected our teeth and they are too big for our jaws, see this:

news.nationalgeographic.com/human_diet.html (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0218_050218_human_diet.html)

[fr.novumorganum]

I would like to switch to a vegetarian life style, not due to any moral issues but rather concern over hormones and antibiotics in the farm raised meat.

Although the rub is I eat almost no grain products what so ever. In fact I follow a very low carb diet for health reasons. Other than just eating a salad every day I am not sure what else I could eat as a vegetarian. For the most part I have lived the last two years off of tuna fish and cheese. Every now and then I go crazy and have a piece of double fiber whole wheat cheese toast. Any suggestions?


there are lots of tasty dishes to make with beans....
also many vegetable stir fries.....just take a gander at a tai menu
and indian food :yes::yes:

[m1thr0s]

yeah...it's so funny how we are programmed to think that way. There's TONS of vegan options from all over the world. Indian Cuisine and Asian alone could fill up your whole apartment with recipes that taste great and are easy to prepare. You just have to learn to think a little differently. I haven't totally made this whole transition but I live in a vegan household so I have learned a lot I didn't know before. One of the interesting things going on here is spices. It turns out that if the tongue is happy the deal is 98% done already. The stomach doesn't really give a shit and so long as you are getting a balance of nutrients the rest of the body much prefers a no-meat diet...once you past the actual addiction aspect of meat. So a great deal of the challenge is how to prepare things that actually taste good. Vegetarians soon become quite adept at spices. And there's tons of meat-substitutes out there that are getting better and better every day. Not just meat-substitutes but substitutes for milk, eggs, sourcream, cream cheese...just all kinds of things coming out almost daily.

It's actually kind of an exciting time to make the switch since you soon get a real sense of supporting a food industry you can have a little faith in just through your daily food buying habits. And the more people support it, the more options come online and the more space regular stores start making for these products in their stores. They don't care...so long as it sells, they're happy...

m1thr0s

[Oblio]

Spices are great! You do learn that quickly as a vege. Isn't there also the Ayuervedic position that different spices will produce different effects on different foods, while they're cooking (so, digestions actually starts in the pan :D). This would probably be reflected in the elemental properties of foods (e.g., heating or cooling...). Interesting stuff!

[Frater SI]

All you Need is Bacon Salt (http://www.baconsalt.com/) :) Zero Calorie , Vegetarian , Kosher Certified, Seasoning Salt that makes everything taste like real bacon :) ... I bought this stuff for a vegan friend as a joke its actually brilliant if you crave the taste of mammal flesh now and again.

[magickingdl]

... if you eat fish you AIN'T a vegetarian... just want to clear that up.

I 2nd that!

Veggie-Power! :D

[Ci Celli Ddu]

Veggie-Power! :D

I second that! I never eat them! Vegetable Rights Now! :p

[Oblio]

That's actually something I've wondered about for a while.

Doesn't the term vegetarianism more correctly refer to a philosophy on life/eating etc rather than what in particular you eat. Of course, the two go hand in hand - vegetarians typically believe in animal rights or the health benefits of vegetables over meat etc.

I mean, humanitarians don't eat humans do they... :eek: