Switching to a Vegetarian Diet

[Yieu]

I think the book "You Don't Need Meat" by Peter Cox does a good job at debunking the blood type diet and the atkins diet.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/You-Dont-Need...3386/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309457412&sr=8-1

Note: When I say you don't need meat, I mean it is an option, you can go with or without it. But it's not a requirement.

 

[Acala]

Fish oil is mostly derivatives of the parent omega 3 oil that is vital and thus it is not very healthy. Flax and hemp oils are much better.

Be aware that flax seed has more phyto-estrogens than even soy. Not sure it matters. The science doesn't seem clear.

As far as fatty acids go, flax and hemp are fine IF you don't have other sources of omega 6 and unless you are being VERY careful I can guarantee you do. They put vegetable oil in EVERYTHING!

 

[Yieu]

I don't think phytoestrogens matter. Also, it's better to cook your own food than buy processed foods anyway, and you can control the oil that way. Ghee is a great oil -- healthy, and more delicious than you'd think.

 

[Acala]

I don't think phytoestrogens matter. Also, it's better to cook your own food than buy processed foods anyway, and you can control the oil that way. Ghee is a great oil -- healthy, and more delicious than you'd think.

Absolutely!. Cook your own food. And butter or ghee are fine for cooking, as are coconut and palm oils. Recent studies suggest that olive oil doesn't like the heat.

 

[PaulConventionWV]

So I've been meaning to do so for awhile, but I've been continuously been putting it off. Recently after discussion with a few people and reading a few books and watching a few videos, I feel it's time that I go through with it. Consequently, I've also quit smoking. Even though I only smoked a cigarette or two a day, it was a nasty habit and I just threw away my packs of cigarettes.

I thought I'd open this thread to others too who perhaps are interested, but are not sure where to start.

I'm planning on switching to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. Still eating eggs and consuming milk products.

Any tips on meals to prepare, foods to switch to(and to snack on), etc. Would be awesome.

Hey, I think it's a great idea. About 4 years ago, I went on a completely vegan diet and mostly raw. I've never felt better in my life than I did then. I think a vegetarian diet will help boost your immune system as you won't have to deal with all the potential toxins and parasites you might find in meat. My vegan diet wasn't practical once I went to college, but I still don't consume dairy products, so pretty much the opposite of you. I've also consumed some eggs.

If you are interested in doing it the right way, however, I suggest you get the book "The Detox Miracle Sourcebook" by Robert Morse, N.D. It's hard to adopt the diet he's suggesting, but I think you will find it useful for a vegetarian diet as well, such as for advice on how to get the proper amino acids and sources of protein without meat.

 

[PaulConventionWV]

Alternative to soy milk: "Rice Dream" and now Silk has almond milk. Nice thing is, since they're not MILK, they don't scald or curdle in cooking or mixing. You can mix them with orange juice for a creamsicle flavored treat.

YES! I love Rice Dream and almond milk. Rice Dream also has a variety of soft cold desserts, which are every bit as good as ice cream. Almond Dream also as a variety of ice cream substitutes in the form of buckets of non-dairy desserts or even non-dairy ice cream sandwiches. I have them all the time and they are every bit as good as ice cream. This is one thing that makes a vegetarian or vegan diet so much easier.

 

[MartyMoose]

I crave meat. I need meat. Sometimes I even kill for meat.
Its quite clear the human is a predator of predators. Eyes in the front to gauge distance, Complete mastery of tools and environment. Why waste it on some tofu? All that aside best of luck to you on your plans. I have heard both good and bad things about removing one half of an omnivores diet. Bears seem to do just fine and have adapted well. Maybe humans have as well.

Grats on quitting smoking. I hate smoking so much, i need to quit.

 

[dannno]

I crave meat. I need meat. Sometimes I even kill for meat.
Its quite clear the human is a predator of predators. Eyes in the front to gauge distance, Complete mastery of tools and environment. Why waste it on some tofu? All that aside best of luck to you on your plans. I have heard both good and bad things about removing one half of an omnivores diet. Bears seem to do just fine and have adapted well. Maybe humans have as well.

Grats on quitting smoking. I hate smoking so much, i need to quit.

What is your blood type?

 

[dannno]

I went on a completely vegan diet and mostly raw. I've never felt better in my life than I did then.

What is your blood type?


Also curious about the OP's, I thought I had asked.

 

[Yieu]

No human needs meat. Do you crave and desire it? Sure, but that's different. But there is no requirement for meat. Also, why waste the rare human body on just chasing after meat, when one's intelligence could be employed in pursuing God instead? That is what the human body is designed for, not merely for being an aggressor or 'predator'. God designed humans the way He did because this intelligent form is most suited for understanding Him. Of course, He is kind enough to allow us to forget Him if that is our desire.

 

[Yieu]

What is your blood type?

What is your blood type?

I don't believe that matters at all in this topic.

 

[dannno]

As far as smoking cigs, I was also smoking 1-3 cigs (not packs) a day for a few years, but have gone to 6-10 cigs a year for the last 7 or 8 years. I don't find that one every once in a while is bad, especially if they are American Spirits. The problem comes when I have 2 or 3 in a single day or night, or if I'm having one a night for 2 or 3 nights, then I notice a difference in my lung function for sure. I have asthma though. I know of a few (very, very few) super athletes who some how are able to overcome cig smoking and still be the best in their highly strenuous sport.

 

[dannno]

I don't believe that matters at all in this topic.

In my experience it absolutely does matter. Not blood type as a rule, but as a rule of thumb. I've met plenty of people who either simply know that they have to eat meat, or have tried going vegetarian and become very lethargic, their metabolism slows way down and they don't function properly. Yet I know many others, including myself, who are the exact opposite, the same thing happens to me when I eat meat with my metabolism. I have no problem figuring that different groups of humans around the globe changed their diets and evolved to eat differently than others.

 

[Vessol]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. I've bookmarked this topic for future reference.

As for my ethical reasoning for vegetarianism, it definitely falls into the non-aggression pact of trying to minimize the pain and suffering of that which can feel it(ie: animals with central nervous systems). On the subject of requiring meat, I think that humans are really born scavengers. Like many apes and monkeys, we are able to process meat, but in our early history I doubt you'd see a early human(before use of tools) chasing down and hunting other creatures. More likely, a early human would use scavenged meat as a small addition to his diet. Of course I have nothing to back this up via books or studies or anything, this is just my belief.

A quick question on oils. I love cooking with olive oil as often as possible, it's expensive though. That's why I end up using vegetable oils more often than not. Is there a similarly priced alternative, and with palm and flax/hemp oils do they cook similarly to olive oil?

 

[specsaregood]

In my experience it absolutely does matter. Not blood type as a rule, but as a rule of thumb. I've met plenty of people who either simply know that they have to eat meat, or have tried going vegetarian and become very lethargic, their metabolism slows way down and they don't function properly. Yet I know many others, including myself, who are the exact opposite, the same thing happens to me when I eat meat with my metabolism. I have no problem figuring that different groups of humans around the globe changed their diets and evolved to eat differently than others.

Yeah, i know people that have taken the blood type information and really felt much better after using it as a guideline. I tried it; but I'm an O I just don't really enjoy preparing/eating meat daily. Primarily because I won't eat it unless it is fresh and organic which makes it a PITA to always have on hand.

 

[specsaregood]

A quick question on oils. I love cooking with olive oil as often as possible, it's expensive though. That's why I end up using vegetable oils more often than not. Is there a similarly priced alternative, and with palm and flax/hemp oils do they cook similarly to olive oil?

Definitely get the olive oil in large containers it cuts the cost/oz down significantly. Also, olive oil has a low smoke point, you don't want to burn it so use it on relatively low heat. coconut oil is also good for you and can work as a substitute for baking as it is solid at room temperature like butter/margarine. I'll leave the hemp oil question for dannno.

 

[gerryb]

I'll second the vitamix -- those things are beasts for smoothies -- I make mine with frozen blueberries, strawberries, and a banana -- add in some warm water and you've got a tasty meal replacement.

I even became a distributor for them -- if you use my code 06-006075 you'll get free shipping. I recommend buying the "refurbished" units. These are usually brand new units, and only the base is potentially used at a few trade show events.

Be careful not to fall into the trap of eating processed vegetarian food, it's just as bad for you as everything else that comes in a box from a factory. Do some research on the "Raw vegan food" diet, too -- It's a tough track to follow but if you do it 30-40% I think there are great benefits. Basically it focuses on ensuring you get the enzymes you need and don't cook them away

 

[Yieu]

In my experience it absolutely does matter. Not blood type as a rule, but as a rule of thumb. I've met plenty of people who either simply know that they have to eat meat, or have tried going vegetarian and become very lethargic, their metabolism slows way down and they don't function properly. Yet I know many others, including myself, who are the exact opposite, the same thing happens to me when I eat meat with my metabolism. I have no problem figuring that different groups of humans around the globe changed their diets and evolved to eat differently than others.

Well, I don't know what my blood type is (and don't think it matters really), but when I ate meat I was so lethargic I could hardly stay awake sometimes. About a month or two after quitting, I felt much less lethargic and my veins felt as though they were no longer full of heavy oils bogging me down (I hadn't really noticed it until the feeling was gone), my body felt cleaner. But my choice to abstain from flesh is not based on health reasons, though there are health reasons to consider abstaining --for me it is based on moral and religious reasons. The moral and religious reason being the non-aggression principle, which I believe is a religious principle.

As for my ethical reasoning for vegetarianism, it definitely falls into the non-aggression pact of trying to minimize the pain and suffering of that which can feel it(ie: animals with central nervous systems).

I figured this was the reason you made this decision, because you've been a huge proponent of the non-aggression principle. When you think about the non-aggression principle deeply enough, it only makes sense to apply it to all aspects of your life, including your diet. Glad to see you connected the dots.

As for oils, do not cook flax oil... it burns very easily and heat destroys it, it is meant to be taken cold. Vegetable based oils that are good are the ones mentioned by Acala, coconut and palm oils. I buy olive oil in bulk. Ghee is like nectar from the gods, though. It can be expensive if bought (usually about $1 per ounce), but cheap if made at home by cooking butter slowly on low heat until it is an oil, then straining the butter solids out with a doubled over cheese cloth set into a fine strainer. Trust me... you'll like it! It can be used at high temperatures and won't burn, too. And you can reuse the strained butter solids on toast if you want.

 

[dannno]

Definitely get the olive oil in large containers it cuts the cost/oz down significantly. Also, olive oil has a low smoke point, you don't want to burn it so use it on relatively low heat. coconut oil is also good for you and can work as a substitute for baking as it is solid at room temperature like butter/margarine. I'll leave the hemp oil question for dannno.

Hemp oil is probably way too expensive (due to it being illegal to grow here, and highly restricted in countries that allow it), I don't know if I've even seen it anywhere for sale.

Coconut oil is awesome, ESPECIALLY for desserts, but it's kind of impractical at times because it is so hard (much harder than butter.. it's hard to get out of the container, even with a knife, and I always feel like i'm going to injur myself). Maybe somebody can help me out as to how to make the stuff more practical...obviously I'm refrigerating it, should I not do that? How long will it last?

But I've been grilling a lot of veggies lately on my mangrate (cast iron grate for bbqing, great addition to your bbq if you have the cheap clothes hanger style grill grate), and I use this coconut oil spray to season the grate, and I spray it on all my veggies which is good for flavor and helps attach seasonings.

I actually could only find this stuff at ONE health food store in town, which is ridiculous because there are soo many god damn health food stores here that sell Spectrum oils. Even regular coconut oil is a bit hard to find and seems to be really expensive, which is annoying considering how healthy it is.

 

[Created4]

No, a lot of Buddhists and Hindus are vegetarian. It has nothing to do with western culture and everything to do with religion. I keep hearing these arguments, but they don't make any sense to me.

I was not commenting on vegetarianism, but the volumes of research regarding soy, and the fact that it has never been a major part of traditional diets. The American soybean industry changed that. It has nothing to do with Buddhists or Hindus.