Chickens become your life-has this happend to anyone??

[mnm]

Is meat bad for you? No. We evolved to consume it in moderation. Think about how we used to get meat. We caught a squirrel, a bird, maybe once in a while killed a deer or whatever; we had to work to get our meat. We didn’t go to the store and have racks and racks of meat, it just wasn’t available like it is now. We supplemented by eating plants.

Actually, yes it is....

Lions eat meat raw. This helps him digest because the natural enzymes (did i spell that right?)
are still there. The meat is easier to digest and passes through his short small intestine in a matter of hours. However, the humans intestine is much, much longer, taking almost 15 hours to digest!! This is good for PLANT eaters because it allows the body to absorb as much nutrients as possible. But meat, on the other hand is stuck in your warm, moist intestine, rotting away. GROSSSSS!!! And on top of that, the rotting meat releases more free radicals in your body.
Make a long story short, free radicals have been associated (not the cause of) heart disease, aging, cancer and other horrible malfunctions of the body. They are "essentially the tiny mechanisms that break down the body so that, eventually, we die"
Moving along, we eat our food cooked, which kills germs. YAY!! But it also kills the enzymes i mentioned earlier. NOT YAY!!! This means meat is extra hard to digest, and puts more strain on the pancreas. DISTINCTLY NOT YAY!!!
This may have been exaturated, but it is (mostly) true. More at:

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vegetarian_foods.html

and

http://www.veggie123.com/veggie/chapter7/​

 

[Tutter]

Mnm, I'm not a vegetarian, I can't be for health reasons, but I understand what you are saying completely, and have had those moments.

If that is how you feel, then I think that you should go with your feelings, and either stop eating meat, eat only fish, or whatever you feel comfortable with, because ultimately, that's what matters.

That said, I would strongly suggest that you study vegetarianism deeply, and make sure that your meals are well rounded, and that you supplement what you can't easily get from not eating meat.

I understand the spirit in which you had a cucumber sandwich, and I've never met a sandwich I didn't like, even if it was just a tomato, a piece of green onion or something similar, but now it's time to plan if you are really going to make this change.

There are so many delicious, hearty, healthy meals which don't use meat. Will you be fine with dairy products like cheese? If you get them locally, from well treated animals not fed antibiotics and such, perhaps they would be okay?

You can make a list of all the protein sources you can still eat, such as cheese, nuts, eggs, buckwheat (If you need a good recipe for this, let me know.) etc. and then plan your meals to include them.

Eating toasted seeds as snacks, or putting them on/into your dishes is good, also.

A wide variety of vegetables and fruits is good....for everyone, whether they eat meat, or not. Do you like brassicas, such as broccoli? How about "greens?" I believe that watermelon has more pottasium than bananas.

Basically, a vegetarian meal is a success, in my book, if it tastes like any meal you'd make, and doesn't look or taste like something totally foreign. That helps when feeding others, to.

Some examples of meals you might feed to others who are not sure what eating a vegetarian meal is all about, and might rebel:

Macaroni and cheese with a fresh green salad.

Pizza with toppings like black olives, mushrooms, or whatever people like which aren't meat.

Egg salad.

How about omelettes? (sp?)

If you ever make breakfast for dinner, you can make something like pancakes or waffles.

Or, what about eggs and cottage fries, or hash browns, with freshly squeezed orange juice?

I make a hearty 2ce baked potato which we eat with chicken, or sometimes they are the main dish with a salad.

Spaghetti with a thick, rich sauce, garlic toast and a salad.

Fried rice.

Soups. You can make vegetable and noodle; bean soups; hearty potato soup with garlic toast (did I mention that I like garlic toast?)

; mushroom soup with French or sour dough bread, or rice etc.

How about chili and corn bread? Or just a pot of beans and corn bread? There are bouillons which sub. for chicken, pork and beef, but are actually vegetarian. You could use them in your soups, beans and chili.

Tortilla casserole.

Enchiladas.

Chile-cheese tamales.

Vegetable pot pies. (If they are thick, with lots of veggies in them, and you use the same spices...poultry seasoning...the chicken won't be missed easily.)

Grilled cheese sandwiches served with any side you like. Maybe soup, or a vegetable, or a salad, for a complete meal.

My point is, if you want to serve familiar foods, there are many which are, or can easily be, vegetarian. These aren't all stellar examples of nutritionally complete meals, but they are good, and adding vegetables helps.

Even sweets can be tasty and healthy. I made up a loaf earlier this year which started to be either a banana bread, or carrot cake. I compromised and put in both. Then I added some applesauce to cut down on the fat needed. Meanwhile, I had these dates which were begging to be used, so cut some up and added them. Before the the batter was done, my son found some crushed pineapple leftover.... Believe it, or not, it was delicious! Also, low fat, with eggs for protein, and it would have been extra good with some nuts. It's now my "Crazy Loaf!" Actually, the family calls it, "The fruitcake that will never be given away....because it tastes too good!"

Anyway, as long as you eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, protein sources, grain, seeds, and supplement where needed, I think you'll be just fine. As with everything, read, read, read, and then enjoy!

 

[chickenshadow]

Quote:
This has been a good thread so far. I'd love to make many comments but will just make
a few.

Your above question has no black and white answer. Here are two thoughts. As I said
for every hen you buy in a store there is usually a roo that was killed at birth for lack
of value. Plus the mortality rate among chicken farms are very high. So it's not really
a 1 to 1 comparison.

Another thing to think about is the vast majority of domesticated animals are alive and
in existance because we domesticated them and keep them as a food source. None of
our well cared for backyard chickens would be around if it wasn't for that fact. I'm not
saying it's morally correct to enslave entire species, such as we do with cows, to overfeed
ourselves but for better or worse we are preserving and advancing the breed.

Finally, since I've begun to cull my own birds for food I have developed and appreciation
for life and food I never had before.

If you decide not to eat meat than that is your own decision. It is true that most meat
and the quantity we eat of it is not healthy. My favorite meat is raw fish. I do agree
with Max that we are natural meat eaters. Our stomachs and digestive systems have
evolved to digest cooked meat.

 

[max13077]

Quote:

Think I'll go butcher me a chicken right now!

 

[HorseFeathers]

I could never be veggi, but I AM free-range-itarian. Hate factory farms. Thats the difference between the farm chickn you cuddled and the fridge one: The fridge one NEVER SAW SUNLIGHT AND WASN"T EVER EVEN ABLE TO TURN AROUND.

 

[mnm]

I could never be veggie, but I AM free-range-itarian. Hate factory farms. Thats the difference between the farm chickn you cuddled and the fridge one: The fridge one NEVER SAW SUNLIGHT AND WASN"T EVER EVEN ABLE TO TURN AROUND.

So why should i support anybody by buying there meat necessarily?
Coyotes, cats any other carnivorous meat eater NEEDS meat to stay alive. WE don't. So why should we eat the meat?​

 

[HorseFeathers]

Quote:
1) um... no reason! Thats why i only eat free-range!

2) I tried being veggi but i love steak too much.

 

[max13077]

Quote:
Quality of life. I’m going to the BBQ this week to pig out on ribs!!! Dem ribs is gooooood! I can't that get excited about, celery. :|

 

[mnm]

actually, cool fact but irrelavent
it takes more calories to eat a piece of celery (without peanut butter) then there is in the celery itself.

 

[chickenshadow]

Quote:
So why should i support anybody by buying there meat necessarily?
Coyotes, cats any other carnivorous meat eater NEEDS meat to stay alive. WE don't. So why should we eat the meat?

I buy no factory raised birds, except turkey. It may not make a huge difference but
change starts in our own back yards.


So why should we eat meat? Because it is a nutritious and readily available food source.
Because I believe I should have it in my family's diet. I do not say to you that you should
or shouldn't eat it. That is your decision. It's no secret that vegetarians have dramatically
lower cancer and heart disease rates. I do admit I eat meat because I like it but I
consume a lot more eggs as a protein source than I do meat.

Wanna get scared? Google the ill effects of corn and soy? We're all gonna die from something.