Vegetarianism

[Saveman]

Is that a word?

Does anyone have suggested diet plans that make sure you're getting all your needed nutrition etc. without eating any meat.

I've heard that it can be of great benefit to health if you can manage it..........I'd like to give it a trial run for a couple of months........

[Rheghead]

If you are just cutting out meat then just your normal vegetables, you do not have to worry about losing any nutritional stuff, veg and dairy has it all.

I eat textured vegetable protein (veggie mince, veggie burgers and sausages) now and again for a pseudo meat fix, it is quite palatable nowadays, the early stuff was rubbish (either that or I hadn't got used to it then).

Leave tofu and nut loafs alone at first or you'll be back on the red stuff in no time.[lol]

My favorite dishes are shepherdess pie, spagbol with veggie mince, an Italian carrot and pepper dish with pasta.

Good luck.

[botheed]

i wish u all the very best, i gave it a go a few years back but caved in after six weeks.:cool: i must say, i felt much better over that six weeks.

[johno]

hmmm, not a lover of red meat myself, more chicken , fish & pasta,s, but i do like a good steak about once every six months or so. maybe i will try this veggie diet myself, FOR ABOUT AN HOUR , NO MORE THAN THAT.???:eek:[lol]

[Tubthumper]

I would have tried it myself, however I believe that wind is an issue with vegetarianism.
I pride myself on being a gas-free individual,and thus have avoided this sect so far. However, if fart-free products are available now (and I believe Linda McCartney, bless her, was on the trail some years ago) then I'm willing to give it a blast.

[Angela]

I eat textured vegetable protein (veggie mince, veggie burgers and sausages) now and again for a pseudo meat fix, it is quite palatable nowadays, the early stuff was rubbish (either that or I hadn't got used to it then).



Any particular brand you'd recommend, Rheghead?

I found I'd cut out red meat recently almost without noticing it (my second attempt- the first, years ago, lasted 5 months, when I succumbed to a bacon sarnie), but I do get the odd craving for chilli, cottage pie and spag bol in particular.

Is it very different in terms of cooking times? :confused

[helenwyler]

Is that a word?

Does anyone have suggested diet plans that make sure you're getting all your needed nutrition etc. without eating any meat.

I've heard that it can be of great benefit to health if you can manage it..........I'd like to give it a trial run for a couple of months........

Hello Saveman:D

I have two vegetarian daughters who don't like TVP, Quorn or Tofu:confused so I use lentils and different kinds of beans and peas for protein in things like spag bol, chilli, shepherd's pie etc. They also make tasty burgers.

As an introduction to vegetarianism and some recipes (there are lots on the web) you might find www.allinfoaboutvegetariansm.com (http://www.allinfoaboutvegetariansm.com) useful.

Good Luck...and let us know how you get on!!

Helen

[johno]

Crikey, and i thought that everybody farted, in fact i always thought that if you did,nt fart there was something far wrong wi you.
anyway im seeing the doctor tommorrow. FIRST THING. [lol]

[mccaugm]

:RazzI went veggie over 20 years ago....and it was a nightmare to start with because the options were limited then. Now its a dawdle as there are so many products available. I know its a dirty word but Tesco has a great selection.
I am now trying to cut out dairy and am finding soya products difficult to come by. Does anyone know if there are any health food shops which sell soya cheese as I am missing cheese...I can eat goats cheese but would love a bit of cheddar.

[Tubthumper]

Ladies don't fart, do they?

[Geo]

You can't be a superhero on 24 hours hours standby to save Caithness from the latest supervillan and expect to keep your superpowers at their peak, eating rabbit food! The first sign of a problem will be your x-ray vision failing, then you'll lose that extra spring in your step, no more bounding over tall buildings or leaping across Berriedale. You will start to exhibit a slight green tinge and The Hulk will not be happy about that and you really don't want to make him angry. You might develope invisibility though but only when you stand side on, so not as useful as it first seems. Before you know it the evil Dr. er Evil will gain a foothold and be demanding some sort of stuff that we don't him to have. Can you live with that?

Don't do it Saveman, we need you!

;)

[karia]

Angela & Helen,

I went through a mock veg stage a few months ago and steamed veg are a wonderful addition to a normal diet,..use steamed veg instead of carbs and the weight just drops off!

I have an allergy to Quorn however,..and I am so not alone in that...thing is, your body will 'cope' with Quorn even if allergic,...and then think..Nah!

When it goes 'nah' as a lot of folk have discovered , it is best if you are in your own bathroom and know what colours the walls were painted![evil]

Beware!

Karia

[Tubthumper]

Tubthumper- Wind is a gastro-intestinal problem not a result of being vegetarian. LOL ie. Humans are physiologically frugivores/herbivores unless someone can find me a carnivore with intestines as long as a humans? Carnivores have short intestines so the putrefaction of flesh happens outside the body before it happens inside the body like it does with humans. Not to mention a carnivores digestive tract produces hydrochloric acid of a concentration thousands times stronger than a humans to deal with consumption of raw flesh. Wind is caused mostly by constipation. Constipation is not just having a hard time pooing either. The bowels should be evacuated 3 times a day or roughly 45 minutes after each meal (which does happen with a strict vegetarian diet without too much dairy) If poo has a shape and you go less than two times a day you are constipated. It should be mushy and nearly odourless. If not you are being poisoned from the inside out - autointoxication. Putrefaction in the intestines and colon causes acid production which destroys the intestinal flora. Poisons the blood, the heart and nervous system and is also believe it or not the root cause of headaches, depression, high blood pressure and a range of other chronic ailments. Besides the constipation and wind, a coated tongue and bad breath is also a red flag for autointoxication which requires lactose, dextrin and B. acidophilus to rectify the intestinal flora environment....

So do you fart?

[golach]

If you've met a vegetarian with bad wind they maybe just indulged in a jerusalem artichoke au gratin!:lol:
Lol Lived on farms most of my younger life and the biggest Veggies I ever met were the Cattle, and goodness me they created an awful lot of wind, and never saw them eating artichokes :lol:

[rockchick]

I've been vegetarian for a long time. Here's what my pantry looks like! :D

nuts.... lots of them and any kind you can think of
seeds (hemp, linseed, sunflower, apricot kernels)
lentils
beans
chick peas (lots!)
cous cous
corn meal aka polenta
quinoa
amaranth
millet
oats
bulghur (lots of it!)
brown rice
tofu
garlic
whole wheat, quinoa, spelt & hemp pasta
japanese noodles like soba and udon
felafel is a staple!
nut butters and lots of tahini (fattening but, good!)
hemp oil goes on anything that doesn't need heated
various nut oils and grapeseed oil on other things
lots of raw veg
garlic
fresh homegrown greens everyday!
lots of freshly cooked veg
edible mushrooms of every description
spirulina
nori, wakame, kombu seaweeds
miso
LOTS of fresh herbs both store bought, homegrown and wild
seasonal fresh fruit
dried fruit
did I mention garlic?
cheese
butter
yoghurt
eggs
manuka honey
agave
aloe

These are the basics in my house. !:lol:

hmmm...interesting that most of these items are also in my pantry...along with a marinating steak in the fridge! Good nutrition and a varied diet is not the sole realm of the vegetarian...meat eaters can manage this as well.

Just curious - and I'm not being cheeky, actually, i really want to know - are strict vegetarians allowed to eat honey, seeing as it comes from bees? Also, I understand that only certain types of cheese which don't use rennet are allowed (although which cheeses those are I haven't a clue) - do you allow rennet-based cheeses in your diet?

[Margaret M.]

I'm not vegan & in my opinion it's not the diet humans can live a healthy life on.

I'm not a vegan either but I disagree with your statement. The info below is typical of what I read whilst doing nutritional research -- many sources state that the healthiest diet is a balanced vegan diet. Recent studies show that a vegan diet can also help reverse Type II diabetes.

"As with any diet, a vegan diet requires planning. However, when properly planned, a vegan diet can be considerably healthier than the traditional American diet.

In its 1996 position paper on vegetarian diets, the American Dietetic Association reported that vegan and vegetarian diets can significantly reduce one's risk of contracting heart disease, colon and lung cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, and a number of other debilitating conditions.

Vegan foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans, are low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are rich in fiber and nutrients. Vegans can get all the protein they need from legumes (e.g., beans, tofu, peanuts) and grains (e.g., rice, corn, whole wheat breads and pastas); calcium from broccoli, kale, collard greens, tofu, fortified juices and soymilks; iron from chickpeas, spinach, pinto beans, and soy products; and B12 from fortified foods or supplements. With planning, a vegan diet can provide all the nutrients we were taught as schoolchildren came only from animal products."

[Rheghead]

Just curious - and I'm not being cheeky, actually, i really want to know - are strict vegetarians allowed to eat honey, seeing as it comes from bees?

There are no rules that people need to abide by when they decide to go for a diet with less meat or no meat or animal product free. It is all about what the individual wants to do. I still eat meat but only if there is absolutely nothing else to eat, I am not breaking anybody's rules by doing so. I like honey btw! :)

My intention was just to eat less meat and I've done that. For me it is mostly about the environmental impact (http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19526134.500-meat-is-murder-on-the-environment.html) of the meat industry with a bit of animal welfare thrown in for good measure.

[Margaret M.]

I've been a vegetarian for a number of years and could not eat meat again if I tried. Just make sure you eat a balanced diet comprised of the four food groups the body needs -- fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Try to cut back on dairy and don't use cheese as you main source of protein. Soy milk and rice milk are great -- I prefer soy in tea or coffee since rice is not as creamy. We have some wonderful veggie cheeses here but blue cheese calls my name now and then.

There is a lot of good info on this website:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/

[Lolabelle]

Ahhh, get a good steak into ya, and forget all this vegetarianism stuff. Protien all the way, I say. I love meat, veg, fruit, dairy and eggs. I just can't eat gluten. And in my opinion, gluten products are what gives me wind. No Rye, Wheat, Barley or Oats, and I don't fart (or fluff as my neice would delicately say).
I think that moderation is the key!
My cousin was a vegetarian for about 15 years, and she also had bi-polar, when she wanted to go off her medication to have another baby, she had to resume eating meat. And now she no longer needs the medication??? I don't know why scientifically or otherwise, but it is working for her and her family.

[rockchick]

"As with any diet, a vegan diet requires planning. However, when properly planned, a vegan diet can be considerably healthier than the traditional American diet.<snip>"

Considering the high levels of obesity in America, that's not really much of a claim!

[Saveman]

Well thats all very interesting.......it sounds like going strictly veggie would call for a lot of planning and preparation and buying a lot of foods that I've never even heard of!

But maybe in the long run it would be worth it?

[Gleber2]

Well thats all very interesting.......it sounds like going strictly veggie would call for a lot of planning and preparation and buying a lot of foods that I've never even heard of!

But maybe in the long run it would be worth it?

After 27 years of being 98%(approx) vegan and being as fit and healthy as I am I would say that it would definitely be worth it. The difference in conciousness alone makes it a worthwhile change and our modern supermarkets supply most of what I use in the kitchen.
One needs to be a good and adventurous cook to make it an enjoyable change. The only thing you need to be aware of is your vitamin B12 level. B12 coming mostly from meat and sunlight.
Good luck with the change and I hope you make it. PM me if you need to know something and I would be glad to help.

[Margaret M.]

Considering the high levels of obesity in America, that's not really much of a claim!

Ah, but the typical American diet is very much the same as what I see people eating in the UK. As far as eating out goes, there is a much greater variety of healthy choices here than in the UK. I'm not sure what the obesity level is in the UK and I don't have any desire to research it but I see a higher level of obesity in Scotland each year I come home. There used to be a very noticeable difference in body size between the two nations but not anymore.

[Margaret M.]

The only thing you need to be aware of is your vitamin B12 level.

Even meat eaters, at least in this country, need to watch their B12 level since the level in the soil is depleted in many areas.

[Margaret M.]

Ahhh, get a good steak into ya, and forget all this vegetarianism stuff. Protien all the way, I say. I love meat, veg, fruit, dairy and eggs.


Whatever works for you, Lolabelle. After a brush with cancer, I researched nutrition pretty thoroughly and no matter how much I wanted to ignore it, meat and dairy stood out as the worst offenders in causing a multitude of diseases including heart, cancer and diabetes. I love the level of energy and sense of well being, not to mention the excellent health reports that I get since eliminating the offenders.

Your cousin must have been a very unhealthy vegetarian if she had to start eating meat before becoming pregnant. And in the multitude of research I have done, I don't recall a hint of anything to support your conclusion that your cousin's bi-polar condition was caused by being a vegetarian.

[Saveman]

Thanks for the receipes and offers of help, and PMs......much appreciated, I'll let you know how I get on. :)

[EDDIE]

I would have tried it myself, however I believe that wind is an issue with vegetarianism.
I pride myself on being a gas-free individual,and thus have avoided this sect so far. However, if fart-free products are available now (and I believe Linda McCartney, bless her, was on the trail some years ago) then I'm willing to give it a blast.
juicing fruits and vegs is healthy but i tried juicing a carrot and cucumber and mixed the 2 together and drunk it and like most really healthy drinks it taste crap and honestly boy it made me fart i never farted so much in all my life honestly.