Flirting with Vegetarianism
For the longest time I have preferred vegetables to meat. I do not know too terribly much about being an out and out vegetarian. Are there any on the board?
I'd like to know about the risks and the benefits. Also, how easy is it?
Which is better, ovo-lacto vegetarianism or vegan? I am genuinely curious.
:) :D ;D
Juliette de Sade
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
hey hon...
i have been a vegetarian for 12 years... since i was 8 years old... and i'm 20....my mother has been veggie for almost 30 years...i am a lacto-ovo vegetarian... i used to be vegan (no dairy..eggs..honey...gelatin..) but when i was recovering from my e.d. i had to stop to get my blood levels back to normal...
now i eat eggs (rarely), and milk products...but eat no meat at all no fish... no chicken...nothing...i still won't eat gelatin products b/c it grosses me out...
i have excellent cholesterol... and i think it has a lot of good benefits... but it depends on you
you have to maintain a balanced diet...
a big misconception about vegetarianisim is that you loose weight... which is not true esp. if you are going to keep dairy in your diet...b/c you tend to eat more cheese and things of that nature... but it depends on the person....i personally love it!!!
why do you want to become a vegetarian?... ethics... health reasons...food preferences...etc.?
i recommend boca burgers... morningstar farms meatless products (esp. CHIK nuggets!!!)...eggplant... portabello mushrooms....fruit smoothies...tofu...kidney beans...there are so many great veggie foods out there...and if you love veggies you're off to a good start...
as for vegetarian or vegan...it depends on the person and what you want to get out of it...
let me know...
im gonna find some good sites for you to help you make an educated decision... ;)
good luck
xoxo
heidi
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
Hey Heidi-
Thanks for the response!!! All of the foods you listed I love. Vegetarianism appeals to me because the diet keeps TOO many excess fats and cholesterols out of your diet. For protein, I am going to add a lot of soy, beans/legumes into my diet. And I don't see how one could really not lose weight, with all of the complex carbs. Some fat IS necessary......but I think it is time to be more conscience of what I am eating.
Thanks so much for the expertise!
Juliette de Sade
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
thats great!!! i'm psyched for you...
i <3 veggie foods...
last weekend i made veggie lasagna for my bf's family... it had sauteed zucchini...eggplant...baby bella mushrooms...and spinach...
it was awesome if i say so myself...
anyway....
here's a good site for beginners...
http://www.vegsoc.org/newveg/
http://www.chooseveggie.com/
http://veggietable.allinfo-about.com/
and remember it's great to watch you diet and eat healthy... but don't loose those SEXY curves... ;) LOL
xoxo
heidi
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
I'm generally oblivious, but somewhat educated.
I think the very best diet advice/explanation that I've ever seen was the chapter on food in the Nearings book, The Good Life.
Lena
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
I was a vegetarian for a long time, and even went vegan for a few years(no animal products and nothing that contained animal products, which almost everything packaged seems to, I also used special shampoos, soaps, toothpaste,etc bc all of these products are tested and most of the time contain animal parts) However, I did start eating meat. Slowly of course, I met my bf and he made me fish about a year and a half ago. I then added chicken and even beef once in a while and it must be lean. I do not eat pork. I actually LOST weight. People think that meat causes weight gain it doesnt, it actually makes you fuller and is acutally low in calories for what you are eating. Do NOT become a vegetarian for weight bc like most of my college buddies who went veggie, you may gain weight. They did bc at resturants and stuff they would eat pasta, rice and bread, and be hungry 2 hours later. Everyone has said to mean that i am much more toned and thinner now, and i dont work out half as much as i did when i was a veggie. Acutally i was a competitive athlete then. This is just what happpend to me, not saying it will happen to everone.
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
Word of Caution on Vegitarian/Vegan diets:
You may start to suffer from Anemia if you go Vegitarian or Vegan. Some women are more succeptible to this than others. So be careful and have your blood iron checked every once in a while.
You may also develop food allergys to certain processed Vegitarian/Vegan food products.
This actually happened to a friend of my family. She was a Vegan for years. Got put on disability for chronic fatigue. Get's a skin test for allergies, and it turns out her body was allergic to just about everything thats used in processed Vegan/Vegitarian food. She changes her diet and all of her chronic fatigue dissappears.
The reason I'm telling you all this is not to scare you out of going vegan or vegitarian. It's just to remind you that everybodys body is different, and while some people do fine on a vegan or vegitarian diet with no ill effect; others may not.
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
Hi Juliette I was a vegitarian for four years. A vegan for one of them. At the time I really enjoyed it but I started resenting the fact that I could not eat everything that I wanted (I hate feeling restricted) Also if you do quit meat be aware not to fill up on carbs. I did that all the time. Also beware of cheese. I would fill up on thease and that caused me to gain a little weight. I was so hungry from fruits and veggies that my body was starving for something a little more filling like bread and cheesy foods. This is not to say you will gain weight if you become a veggie but pay extra special attention to what you are eating. Now that I eat meat there is still only a few meats that I actually like : Hamburger, chicken, turkey and ocasionaly ham. Anything eles I want to gag! I do not even like steak!! I am so used to eating soy hot dogs that real hot dogs do not taste good to me. What I do now is eat one meal a day with meat and the other meals veggitarian. Cutting down on meat is probably a good bet for you. You are creating a good balance between eating other healthy foods but not eliminating nutirents like zinc (very important for women) and ataquete protien. I actually eat more fruits and veggies, eliminated more white bread and eat healthier now that I have alowed a little meat into my diet. Well it is your choice I just hope you choose the discion that will make you the happiest. If you want a good book on the subject get Vegitatrism for Beginers it is by Vegatarian Times. :)
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
I'm veg. I have Anemia. It sucks. I get tired very quickly if I miss even 1 vitamin suppliment. Easy on the cheese, it will make you gain wieght faster than anythng and TAKE YOUR VITAMINS!
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
I think it would be important to educate yourself before making any drastic diet changes. I'd take the advice of my doctor and nutritionist before listening to the average person's advice. I changed to vegeterian in January 03, never going back...
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
Juliet, a lacto-ovo vegetarian eats milk and eggs but not raw meat. A vegan eats only vegetable products.
Foods from animal sources contain complete proteins, that is , proteins that contain all the essential amino acids for healthy life. Vegetative sources alone can only provide incomplete proteins, proteins missing some of the essential amino acids.
If you choose the vegan route then you must combine certain vegetables to get all the essential amino acids that your body requires.
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
When I was a tweenage up till I was 17 I was a vegetarian. I did become anemic as well, but thats because I was careless. I was to busy though with school activities and after school activities, I didn't give much thought to my health. I saw eating as an obligation as something I didn't want to do, but my mom made me do anyway. My mom didn't know anything about vegetaraianism, so it was easy to tell her, it's ok I ate enough and she believed me due to this way of life. If there was a pill that supplemented 100% of all my daily needs I would've taken that pill, rather what I saw as wasting my to eat. I became pale though and all my energy went to crap. My mom noticed and took me to see the doctor she worked for. He said I had anemia, and I should at least eat chicken and fish.
Now that some time has gone by, and I've learned more about vegetarians and the different levels or stages and the wider range of food I was too "flirting with the idea" of going back to vegetaraian. Only this time I think I would like to try the vegan way, because it seems like a more natural thing for me and my body.
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
I was a vegetarian from 13 to 26. I was really healthy about it for years because in the places I lived I was forced to make all my own food so I had a great repertoire of legume, nut and vegetable based recipes from around the world. Nice balanced meals and snacks.
When I moved to a big city and started having a busy life I started eating more and more pre-packaged vegetarian foods which are predominantly soy based (besides being overly salty... ick). This combined with soy lattes, soy cheese, morning star farms microwaveables (GMO foods Monster, btw) gave me an intolerance to unfermented soy that I have to this day. Read a label at the grocery store and see how difficult that is. My symptoms from this were initially being diagnosed as Lupus :o so this isn't even funny. It took a battery of tests and three doctors (who all eventually agreed) to determine that my horribly deteriorating health was a self-inflicted dietary mess.
This is an extreme, I know, but the moral of the story is to not be a "junk food vegetarian". If you have the time and inclination to do this healthfully, by all means do so. I am still predominantly veg except for when my life gets to be too fast. But I'll nosh turkey and fish if I have to to keep my body happy.
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
Veronika,
Can you tell me more about soy intolerance? What are the symptoms? What is the difference between unfermented/fermented and how would you know which one was in a product?
I am curous because I am lactose intolerant, so I tried soy milk, ice cream. etc. I was surprised that I felt almost as sick from those products as I would have from dairy, so I avoid any soy based dairy substitutes. I have wondered though, when I get sick after eating certain foods, maybe soy could be the culprit?
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
[quote]At the time there were very few alternatives for vegetarians and I basically lived off of Big Macs, hold the meat, add french fries and ranch dressing. REAL healthy. But I wasn't doing it for my health.
quote]
LMAO.... i always eat... whoppers with cheese from burger king... hold the mayo...hold the meat... ;)
xoxo
heidi
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
Quote:
Veronika,
Can you tell me more about soy intolerance? What are the symptoms? What is the difference between unfermented/fermented and how would you know which one was in a product?
Well, symptoms are probably different for every body. Mine ranged from cystic acne to debilitating joint pain, fatigue and weight gain (sexy, huh :-X). Some tests also came back with something really wonky going on with my white blood cell count which had my doctors stumped and worried. Like I said in my original post, I had *extreme* issues. PM me if you want the gory details.
To be a short story, my doctors decided to try an elimination diet before moving on to medications because no one really knew where to start. Two weeks of no soy and my symptoms were significantly improved. When soy was added back as a test, every last one returned. At this point all symptoms are gone and I have perfect skin. Weird, huh.
I can't go crazy with dairy either. nut and rice milks make me happy these days.
Fermented v. unfermented: tempeh, miso and soy sauce are fermented soy products. Tofu, soy milk, soy flour, soy oil... etc. are unfermented. Basically if you are looking at an ingredient list and see anything besides soy sauce, it is probably unfermented. However, if it is far down the ingredient list you are probably fine as there probably isn't enough to cause you trouble.
I looked info up on this as to the why a little while back and I found that even traditionally, unfermented soy products were used in extreme moderation and usually combined with other protein sources. Poorer areas in China (according to one report) which relied primarily on soy as protein source had unusually high instances of rickets and neurological abnormalities. It has something to do with digestibility and nutrient availability. Also, the high heat used in commercial manufacturing of soy milk and related products does something to the protein bonds in the actual chemical makeup of the product. Soy milk is your basic starter ingredient for tofu. Remember, fermenting something makes it already partially digested so it is easier on the body... like how yoghurt can often be eaten by a person otherwise intolerant to dairy.
I'll have to track down the article again. Apparently in the UK soy intolerance is now ranked right after dairy intolerance.
Any other details, please PM me so I don't run off with this topic.
In short, eat a varied and nutritious diet and you'll be fine. If you are a busy veg, make food ahead of time so you don't succumb to fast food veggie-dom. That is all...
Out
~V~
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
You know? I am doing a trial run with it and I don't like it. Defeats the purpose if I am DOTING on food constantly. Trying to eat with moderation, not overdo it.
AND I have a low red blood cell count, which means I need Iron. In short....ooooh baby.....I Need Meat.
Juliette de Sade
would be down for a turkey and avocado sammich :)
Re: Flirting with Vegetarianism
Hmmm. For the last week or so I've only eaten fruit and veggies... no pasta, no processed or ground food.. just beans and rice and fruit and veggies. I feel good and I definitely have more energy :-)
Lena