Vegan / vegetarian thread!

[EastinChickens]

I want to start off asking that you excuse any typos, for I am using my iPod and the touch screen is quite difficult to type on.

Anyway, I am wanting to go vegetarian. My reasons for doing so are that in am both slightly overweigt (by about six to ten pounds) and I am against animal abuse in any way, shape, or form.

I am looking for a support line, so are there any other vegitarians out there?

 

[Moabite]

I'm not a vegetarian, but there are lots of great foods out there that don't have animals in them. I haven't become a vegetarian because I love and value my plants at least as much as my animals. So I guess what I'm trying to say, is that be it a pig or a carrot, I would want them both to have a good life and a meaningful death. And that is all I could expect of myself as well. I think feeding a tiger would be a great way to go, but not likely to happen. I've lost interest in beef and sea food lately, but haven't sworn them off. I gave given more interest to other more sustainable foods like venison, beans, and squash.

Ever enjoyed a portabella mushroom sauteed in butter and balsamic vinegar and served with goat cheese on bun? I'm glad I didn't miss out on that one!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Don't count on being a vegetarian to slim down. My son, who is 6'4" weighs about 290 and was a vegetarian until recently. It's not what you eat as it is how much you eat.

I'm not a vegetarian per se... I just can't seem to eat meat any more. I do admit that since owning chickens I can't enjoy a drumstick any more.

 

[PotterWatch]

I am a vegetarian when away from home. By that I mean that I only eat meat that I know has been raised and processed in a humane manner, so I only eat meat that has been raised by myself or at the local farm that raises steers and turkeys for me. I am working on going vegan other than dairy products and eggs raised in the same way as the meat, but I am not quite there yet. Giving up dairy is far harder than giving up meat.

 

[PoultryGirl]

I agree with Knock Kneed Hen, it's not what you eat but how much you eat.
I'm a vegetarian, and only eat eggs and drink milk when I know it wasn't done in a factory.

 

[StupidBird]

Way back a bit (over 5 years), DH was shocked to learn that along with all the extra weight he'd been packing on, he'd gotten the diabetes/high cholesterol/orbital level triglycerides/high blood pressure and all that. We managed to stay purely vegetarian for about a year, a ton of work on my part (hard to balance nutrition as vegetarian with allergy to milks and soy and gluten). Miraculously all these problems went down lots and lots. Backslid though, and is worse than before. Did I mention the entire grass fed beef in the freezer? *sigh*

So, I want to do it again. Before I'm a widow, and for my own health. I will join!

This will go hand-in-hand with the ginormous garden plans. How much extra gets planted to cover juicing? because I kill more plants...

 

[Mattemma]

I still eat meat one in a while,but I enjoyed the health benefits I had when I cut meat out of the diet. I like to try vegeterian recipes from around the world.My mil makes the best non-meat stuffed grape leaves.I am getting hungry just thinking about all the great non-meat recipes I have tried.Portion control is the key.My dh eats healthy foods,but he has no self control to stop eating so much at one time. I have read you should drink a lgass of water before meals to lessen your total intake.

If I really was going no meat I would be a vegetarian not a vegan. I like jucing too,but not so much into raw food recipes I have read.

Stupidbird-my dh has the same health issues.I am hoping less weight will lessen the health issues.He lost some and then packed it back on.Total yo-yo situation.

 

[featherz]

I'm a vegetarian, but didn't do it for weight loss - I didn't lose an ounce! I haven't missed meat at all. I admit to indulging in some of the 'not so good for you' meat substitutes now and then, but hey, they taste good.

I'm not vegan or I'd have so many eggs and nothing to do with them. My chickens make me breakfast after all!

 

[StupidBird]

Mattemma, his blood work had improved faster than the weight! I just felt so much better on it. My digestive problems are so tedious now, it's a big motivation. So, I'll be sending lots of beef with the DS's as they return to college. Would a stack of roasts make a good birthday gift? Its so interesting I got that deluxe cabinet smoker for Christmas - for my healthier bacon and sausage and fish. I don't like to eat bacon by its self (ok, I'm lying, I've binged on bacon), but I really like just a tad of the dry smoked fancy stuff in my eggs or greens. What's a girl to do?

My big first thing, then, is to cut out all the white stuff: flour (even the non-gluten), sugar (and the associated chocolate), coffee/black tea (even the super mild decaf), and the fried method of cooking. Due to digestive problems, I already have avoided all processed meats (miss 'em though!)

Protein - alternate grains, beans and eggs only from my birds. This isn't pure vegan, but I gotta lay off all the beef. I'm too much of a skinflint to just toss these things I already have....how do you all plan on clearing the cupboards?

 

[True Grit]

Before we were married my hubby was vegan, with a little cheating, so I became vegan when I found out how easy it was. I hadn't been eating meat really anyway and not a lot of dairy except for yogurt. My cholesterol was borderline and I didn't want to take drugs so that was my main motivation. Because you tend to eat more carbs, it doesn't really help you lose weight unless you are are paying attention. If you just eat PB&J sandwiches, you'll gain weight, but if you are a big meat eater now, eating lots of saturated fat, it should help your health and perhaps your weight. Personally I found it easier to keep my weight down when I ate lean animal protein, no bread or fries and lots of fruit and veggies. After 2 years of being vegan I started to eat fish about 3 times a week, for the omega 3s. Now that my chickens have started laying I do treat myself to a couple of fried eggs on toast on the weekend. I eat meat substitutes and cheese substitutes at times. If I thought the eggs would give me what I need in the way of omega 3s, I would probably stop eating fish; I'll have to check it out.
ETA Eggs per each have about 79 units(can't remember what the units were) and salmon per same number of calories had about 12 times that . I guess I'll keep eating (wild) fish.