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Thread: Vegitarian wanna-be

  1. #1
    Chicagoeditor
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    Default Vegitarian wanna-be

    While I love me my meat, I'm thoroughly bored with my diet lately. Moreover, I've had fascinating conversations with happy and healthy vegitarians (a few of them dancers) over the years. So, I'm thinking, "Why not give it a try?"

    On top of this, I'm on a health kick lately: Modest booze intake, no sugar, watching the carbs (actually, this would be my only concern about taking up the V-way).

    The question: Where to start? Haven't checked, but I suppose there's a "Vegitarianism for Dummies" out there.

    Advice?

    Mods: My mistake. I thought I was starting this in Body Business. Move if you like.

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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by Chicagoeditor
    Haven't checked, but I suppose there's a "Vegitarianism for Dummies" out there.

    Advice?
    I have that cookbock/guide! It's actually kinda good!

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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    I get like that sometimes....so i have a few vego days a week. Or to put it more correctly. I only eat meat/poultry or seafood a day or two a week. It does make me feel better

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    Chicagoeditor
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Just ordered via Amazon: Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies by Suzanne Havala

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    Veteran Member Paisley's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    I was a vegetarian as a teen and even a vegan or 2 years. I am no longer a vegetarian but I still never eat cow or pig and still eat a lot of tofu.

    I would slowly wean yourself off of meat. Like cut out pig this week, and then cut off the beef this week, and then chicken and then fish. Some of the people that I know who immediatly cut meat out of their diet either missed it too quickly, got sick, or couldn't adjust as well to soy products.


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    God/dess Emily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    yeah, do it in steps.

    You won't miss it.

    Start buy cutting out pork and beef.
    Then start making more meals without meat during the week. Go whole days without any meat at all.

    Cut out poultry.

    Eat fish/seafood less frequently until it's like once a week (like basically this means eat veg at home and eat this at restaurants because eating out with other people is the trickiest part of being a veg.)

    Then it'll seem natural to not eat any seafood. That texture of meat will become less appealing.

    This whole process took me about 6 months, but it worked. When I'd go "cold turkey", I'd still crave meat and "eat it accidentally". Now I just have zero interest in eating any kind of animal.

    And, I don't really do cooking, so cookbooks don't work for me. I usually eat pasta, soup or some tofu/rice/vegetable/sauce mixture.

  7. #7
    Jay Zeno
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    I'm not vegetarian by any stretch, but I hear what you're saying. The older I get, the less I can tolerate some of the stuff I really used to enjoy.

    Beef just doesn't have near the appeal that it used to, although I can still enjoy a small portion of a grilled steak or something like that. But I can't remember the last time I got a steak of any type at a restaurant. We do a lot more cooking now with skinless chicken, fish, lean pork cuts, and vegetarian dishes.

    We do a fair amount of stir-fry, and not just Oriental stir-fry. We'll make a "Mexican" stir-fry, or just throwing in different spices and vegetable combinations.

    Some self-styled vegetarians eat fish. We get creative on different spices on that, too. Or like, say, broil the fish with teriyaki marinade, and then shred it and mix it up in a salad of spinach, bell pepper, mushrooms, snow peas or something like that. Delicious.

    Cut up vegetables in big chunks for a marinara sauce. It'll have enough substance to make up for the lack of meat in it.

    (If I were to cut out eating animal flesh entirely, it'd be because I had ethical problems with it, or because I felt it was bad for me. I don't feel either way, so I probably will never completely give up animals.)

    Just some thoughts. I've never been much of a cookbook cook.

  8. #8
    Chicagoeditor
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by Paisley
    I would slowly wean yourself off of meat.
    I'm thinking of reducing the meat intake, not so much for health benefits as to see what a meatless cusine has to offer. Boosting my intake of fish/shellfish sounds dandy, too. Although just this morning on NPR I heard a troubling report about sushi tuna (love me my sushi) and mercury levels.

    I think it makes excellent sense to treat eating out as play time: When I can guiltlessly eat and drink bad stuff.

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    God/dess Emily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    I've been veg about a year now. What I've noticed is that since I pay more attention to what I eat, I'm eating healthier. Less processed, more organic. Growth horomones can't be good. I get plenty of protein. My skin looks better, imo.

    Without sounding gross, my bowl movements are much smoother and regular now.

    I'm in the middle of putting my dogs on a vegetarian diet now. I think it's good karma. So far they are adapting well. They still try to eat roadkill though!

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    Veteran Member azcustomer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Here's a start:

    http://www.allinfoaboutvegetarianism.com/index.php

    Go to "Vegeterian Recipies: A-Z"


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    Veteran Member badpixie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Zeno
    Some self-styled vegetarians eat fish.
    And some celibates have sex? Some Red Sox fans root for the Yankees?

    I learned to cook through Vegetarian Times magazine. Their website has a database of all their recipes (free). It's a good way to learn about which foods and spices compliment each other.

  12. #12
    Jay Zeno
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by badpixie
    And some celibates have sex? Some Red Sox fans root for the Yankees?
    Yeah, it's a logical disconnect for me, too, but I've had a vegetarian at the house who said she'd gladly eat my broiled salmon. Had lunch with a client who said he was vegetarian who ordered a chicken soup before his vegetarian pasta.

    I don't care what people do or how they label themselves. That's why I called it "self-styled."

    In deference to Emily, when I started eating healthier, yeah, I noticed improved GI function, to put it delicately. I suspect that cutting fatty meats out of the diet (because we don't work hard enough to burn them up anymore) and increasing food with more roughage did as much as anything else.

    I believe that one can have a healthy vegetarian diet or a healthy omnivorous diet. It's easier to have a healthy vegetarian diet, because you're more focused on what you eat, and what you eat in a vegetarian diet is generally better for you than the meatier diets. I sure don't discourage people from going vegetarian.

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    God/dess leilanicandy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Since you live in chicago.
    Also go into that health food store on north ave. Right before the bridge(if you are coming form the lake). They have alot of vegetarian stuff there, reading books is a good way to start but knowing where you should go to get better healthy food is a plus. I am pretty sure they have others good health store. But thats the one I go to! My son is a celiac child. So I have to be careful about what he eats. I meet a lot of vegetarian who shop there!
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    It's an unfortunate misconception that being vegetarian or vegan is about rigidity and ascetic purity. It really is not. For example, if you want to be vegan and can't bear giving up cheese, then be vegan except for cheese. Duh.

    I've been a vegan for 5 years now. I eat whatever I want--including TONS of fake meat!! (no longer have any desire the "real thing")--and am healthy and slender. Mmmmm...Gardenburger Riblets...mmmmm....

    Vegcooking.com is without a doubt THE best vegetarian cooking site I've found.

    Good luck!

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    Featured Member cameronfl's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Zeno
    Some self-styled vegetarians eat fish.
    Thats actually a pescatarian or pesco-vegetarian.

    I eat fish occassionally so I'd be in that category....but unless I am eating it right in front of the person I call myself a vegetarian. Its just easier then going into the 10 minute log explanation of what a pescatarian is and why I eat that way...since most people have never heard the term.

    eats chicken and fish occassionally? Pollo-pesco-vegetarian. Kinda a mouthful....
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    Veteran Member badpixie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by Dottie Rebel
    It's an unfortunate misconception that being vegetarian or vegan is about rigidity and ascetic purity. It really is not. For example, if you want to be vegan and can't bear giving up cheese, then be vegan except for cheese. Duh.
    Uh, no. The words "vegetarian" and "vegan" were invented by the Vegetarian and Vegan societies in England with the express purpose of defining people who eat no meat (including poultry and fish), and, in the case of vegans, dairy, eggs, or animal products. To say you are a vegan and you eat cheese is ridiculous, since by definition a vegan is someone who does not eat cheese.

    More and more I'm seeing people say they're vegetarian "but" they eat chicken, fish, and even beef, pork, etc "a few times a week". Dude, it's great that vegetarian food is becoming more mainstream, but I'm tired of people using it as a fashion statement.. and yes, it DOES make my life more difficult, because I'm constantly having to argue with people who try to feed me fish and chicken "because they aren't meat and vegetarians eat those things." I have even been told that beef is vegan because vegans don't eat milk or dairy, but meat is OK.

    Sorry to go off topic, but it's a serious pet peeve of mine. I really wish people would stop misusing the words to make themselves look cooler; it's insulting.

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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Their are people out there that define meat, as only red meat, or all other meat than fish etc. In the US meat can usually refer to beef in common usage, in China the word for meat tends to refer to pork.

    I get into phases where I don't want meat. These phases are usually accompied by an incress in the level of exercise. Your health kick would seem to be what is bringing it on. Some people do go vegetarian with this.

    While I do feel there are nasty things in meat these days (especially on this side of the world), I doubt I'm going to stop eating it anytime soon. The Empress could not live without it. I once cooked an excellent vegetarian meal, multicourse, she did nothing but complain about the lack of meat. She did the same thing when she stepped into a vegetarian restuarant... you can imagine her level of service.

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    God/dess Jenny's Avatar
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    I don't know - it doesn't bug me, really, but I don't see how you can be a vegetarian who eats meat - or how chicken can possible be construed as not an animal. Fish seem... different somehow (although I think defining fish as un-animals is wrong, somehow the impulse seems more understandable. But chickens? When did they become honourary plants? Or grains?) You can be an almost-vegan, I guess. An almost-vegetarian. Although, I went "cold-turkey" about 10 years ago, and have never looked back (except one unfortunate incident when I was really drunk and ate chicken. But that was once. And I was REALLY drunk). It was never really a problem for me, and after a month or so, you really won't be thinking about it. You automatically scan menus and filter out all the meat dishes, or automatically filter the meat out of dishes ("Can I have the Eggs Benedict without meat, please?" - not that any of you healthy people would ever dream of eating hollandaise sauce. I do, though. I'm weak. And will die young.) You don't spend a lot of time thinking about it or missing it.

    Speaking of - the thai paste I have has a recipe on the jar that requires fish sauce. Any idea what to use instead?
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    "It's okay to eat fish, because they don't have any feelings."

    If I got upset everytime some hipster was identified with something I believe strongly in or have more than a passing fancy for, my life would be very sad indeed.
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    I think for some, and I dont know how many, the red meat vs white meat thing might be religious. Dunno.... then others hear about it, like the idea, it stems off and morphs into something else...
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by Jenny
    "Can I have the Eggs Benedict without meat, please?" - not that any of you healthy people would ever dream of eating hollandaise sauce. I do, though. I'm weak. And will die young.) You don't spend a lot of time thinking about it or missing it.

    Speaking of - the thai paste I have has a recipe on the jar that requires fish sauce. Any idea what to use instead?
    Jenny, you have not had eggs benedict till you have had it with smoked salmon rather than that meat that is on it. Now that is a blissfull meal.

    Fish Sauce, if you need fishy, you need fishy. There is nothing I know that will replace it. Although there are at least 2 differenet types of fish sauce I know about.
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by badpixie
    Uh, no. The words "vegetarian" and "vegan" were invented by the Vegetarian and Vegan societies in England with the express purpose of defining people who eat no meat (including poultry and fish), and, in the case of vegans, dairy, eggs, or animal products. To say you are a vegan and you eat cheese is ridiculous, since by definition a vegan is someone who does not eat cheese.

    Sorry to go off topic, but it's a serious pet peeve of mine. I really wish people would stop misusing the words to make themselves look cooler; it's insulting.
    I worked for a national vegan organization for over 3 years. And I'm aware of the origins of the definitions of the words. I've done more than my share to spread the word about healthy and compassionate eating and I share your frustrations about the lifestyle being used to gain street cred by hipster kids with way cool hair and punk buttons on their messenger bags. Barf. It's fucking lame any time a person uses some sort of pop terminology to look cooler.

    And I'm a vegan, by the way. The real kind--I read labels and don't fudge. I guess you could say I'm pretty hardcore.

    My point was that I hate it when I hear people say, "Well, I'd really love to give up meat and eggs and everything else, but could never give up cheese so I could never be a vegan." Then they proceed to eat all the meat, dairy, egss and anything else they want because they think that there's no point in trying to abide by our "insanely strict regiment of raw tofu and quinoa" or whatever they think we eat.

    To me, veganism is about making compassionate choices. No one can be completely, 100% vegan. It is not possible if you live in civilized society (and I use the word civilized loosely).

    My pet peeve is that many people think vegans and vegetarians are self-righteous stuck up pricks and that folks shouldn't even try to attempt a discussion about a healthier or more compassionate lifestyle for fear of stepping on their tender little toes.

    Yes, you can be almost vegan. Yes, you can be almost vegetarian. No, a chicken is not "almost a vegetable." Yes, this bothers me to. But I have never had the desire to sign up for the vegan police or join the convent of the Sisters Who Are Veganer Than Thou.

    Last edited by Dottie Rebel; 09-01-2006 at 04:30 AM.

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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Quote Originally Posted by cherryripeboy
    Jenny, you have not had eggs benedict till you have had it with smoked salmon rather than that meat that is on it. Now that is a blissfull meal.

    Fish Sauce, if you need fishy, you need fishy. There is nothing I know that will replace it. Although there are at least 2 differenet types of fish sauce I know about.

    There is DEFINITELY imitation fish sauce!!! Oh my goodness! Just go to the Asian market. There is imitation fish sauce, imitation oyster sauce (usually made with mushrooms). You can make mean Thai dishes with it. It's not some weird hippie westernized product. It's only found in Asian groceries. There is a replacement for nearly every single meat/dairy product under the sun.

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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    I have vego days...but there is nothing more annoying in my opinion than calling yourself vegetarian/ vegan whatever if you're not.
    My sisters hippy fucking boyfriend says he's a vegetarian but he eats bacon and sometimes chicken. NO YOU ARE NOT A VEGETARIAN. There is nothing vegetarian about eating pigs and chickens. I had another friend who was 'vegetarian' but would have a bite of her boyfriends steak sometimes...cause she didn't want to 'miss out'.

    Why feel the need to give yourself a title anyways? It's so infantile.
    Last edited by MishaBliss; 09-01-2006 at 06:28 AM.
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  25. #25
    Jay Zeno
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    Default Re: Vegitarian wanna-be

    Sorry I brought it up (meaning the self-description versus the reality). I only did so to suggest some fish dishes to ChicagoEditor, if he was still interested in them - I wasn't sure whether or not he would be from his initial post.

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