Becoming a Vegetarian...

[cptcorn]

Humans are omnivores, we eat both. This is why we don't have teeth like a dog, cat, lion, velociraptor.

The problem with today's society is we focus mainly on the meat part of the meal when it should be the other way around.

 

[Shovelhead]

That was a good point about gorillas though. Chimpanzees are cannibals...I would be led to believe that gorillas are also, considering the canines.
Nature doesn't lie.

 

[paul luszcz]

I was a vegetarian for seven years, choosing to follow a low fat vegetarian diet as a way to reduce my cholesterol and lower my blood pressure. I did neither. I increased my triglycerides five fold, and gained twenty pounds.

We now know why, although it was unknown at the time. You're probably not surprised to learn that an all carbohydrate diet is no way to lose weight or lower blood pressure.

I went to Weight Watchers, lost thirty pounds and my cholesterol and blood pressure returned to normal. During the course of my WW program, I reintroduced low fat animal products into my diet, which helped me lose the weight.

A sensible diet can help you accomplish your goals. That diet may or may not contain animal products. You can have a highly processed, unhealthy vegetarian diet or a natural, unprocessed diet which contains animal products, and everything in between.

Learn the basics of good nutrition and follow them, with or without becoming a vegetarian.

 

[BigfishDM]

You can have a highly processed, unhealthy vegetarian diet or a natural, unprocessed diet which contains animal products, and everything in between.

Paul nailed it!

 

[OldPaint]

arlo, you got skype? or you can call me 850-637-1519. i AM EATING MEAT.........since april 2009. and MY CARDIOLOGIST........put me on it!!!!!!!!!!! hard to belive. 18 years i didnt eat meat. wife is still a vegitarian.
levels of vegitarian are:
1. VEGAN, no, ZERO animal product ingestion!!!!!
2. LACTO/OVO VEGITARIAN, this is where i was. i did MILK, BUTTER, EGGS & CHEESE.
this is your best route to go being that you still get the AMINO ACIDS, the building blocks of protein based life.
3. RAW FOODERS:
this is a tuff one to do. you eat only plants and never cook more then 105 DEGREES!!!!!
this is mostly practiced by those with really bad health aliments. IT HAS MADE A LOT OF PEOPLE BETTER, from those ailments!!!!!
4. SEAFOOD/LACTO/OVO: these do seafood, along with dairy and eggs.
i went to PONCHACULA, LA in 2003, to a letterhead meet. CAJUN COUNTRY, no vegetarians LIVE THERE))))) you eat seafood OR DIE))))))
5.THOSE WHO CALL THEMSELVES VEGETARIANS...........and still do red meat, SPARINGLY)))))) NOT!!!!!
the main thing you want to do WHEN CHANGING TO VEGITARIAN, is to limit SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES!!!
eating COMPLEX CARBS..........is the key to changing the bodies metabolism
leafy greens, fresh vegetables, NO CANNED VEGGIES......all the salads you want, make simple veggie SOUPS, do BROWN RICE not white, BAKED POTATOES, never fried, sweet potatoes.
STAY WAY FROM BREADS, MUFFINS, PIZZA. as all are SIMPLE CARBS, and this is what my cardiologist and 2 otf the others doctors i see said: 85% OF THE CHOLESTROL CREATED IN THE BODY, COMES FROM.....CARBOHYDRATES!!!!!! scary huh?
this was one of the reason i went back to a modified ADKINS DIET. more like the SOUTH BEACH. I DO eat fish, chicken, MOSTLY, red meat still does not appeal to my taste buds. so i dont have a lot a problems not eating BURGERS OR STEAKS!!!
a also STILL DO A LOT OF VEGETABLES!!!! salads, are a complete meal for me sometimes. a little chicken or ham on it is all i need. brocilli, cauliflower, bok choy, stir fried veggies(brown rice, not white, and small quantity only). i do a lot omelets!!!! peppers onions, shrooms, some cheese, ham/bacon! NO TOAST, GRITS, or POTATOES!!!!!!
when i 1st did the vegetarian change over, i was very DEDICATED to eatin only COMPLEX CARB VEGGIES..................in 90 day i had dropped 30 pounds, reduced my total cholesterol number from 305 to 160!!!!!!!!!! this was in 1990-or 91. in 1988, i hada serious heart attack(at 42), didnt go to hospital, but started to change LIFE HABITS..........no smoking anymore, did tai chi till 1996, maintained a healthy weight till we started fixin the house to sell it, and VEGGIE PIZZA was the meal of the evening,!!!!!!
still maintaned the veggie eating habits but went off course with to many SIMPLE (non-animal)CARBS.
the resaon i know i hada serious heart attack in 88, is when i had the heart cath done JUNE 1, 2009. they saw that i hadlost my right artery to blockage !!!!!! the human body does some wonderful things, my heart REGREW collateral VEINS AROUND THE BLOCKAGE!!!!!! and i got 21 years of NO HEART PROBLEMS AFTER A SERIOUS HEART ATTACK.
this is probably because of the VEGETARIAN & the TAI CHI practice, that helped me get weller.
i did a blood test yesterday, and i have a appointment with cardiologist nov 20. so we will have results of meat eating to REDUCE CHOLESTEROL!!!!!

 

[rjpjr]

the main thing you want to do WHEN CHANGING TO VEGITARIAN, is to limit SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES!!!
eating COMPLEX CARBS..........is the key to changing the bodies metabolism
leafy greens, fresh vegetables, NO CANNED VEGGIES......all the salads you want, make simple veggie SOUPS, do BROWN RICE not white, BAKED POTATOES, never fried, sweet potatoes.
STAY WAY FROM BREADS, MUFFINS, PIZZA. as all are SIMPLE CARBS, and this is what my cardiologist and 2 otf the others doctors i see said: 85% OF THE CHOLESTROL CREATED IN THE BODY, COMES FROM.....CARBOHYDRATES!!!!!! scary huh?
this was one of the reason i went back to a modified ADKINS DIET. more like the SOUTH BEACH. I DO eat fish, chicken, MOSTLY, red meat still does not appeal to my taste buds. so i dont have a lot a problems not eating BURGERS OR STEAKS!!!
a also STILL DO A LOT OF VEGETABLES!!!! salads, are a complete meal for me sometimes. a little chicken or ham on it is all i need. brocilli, cauliflower, bok choy, stir fried veggies(brown rice, not white, and small quantity only). i do a lot omelets!!!! peppers onions, shrooms, some cheese, ham/bacon! NO TOAST, GRITS, or POTATOES!!!!!!

I could not agree more with the above. Avoiding meat is not the answer, rather avoiding carbohydrates or processed foods is. An all meat OR an all veggie diet will quickly restore your blood chemistry. I personally lost 85 pounds about 10 years ago following the Atkins diet. I lost the weight over a 3 month period of time. Eventully I put about half of it back on (enjoyed doing it too) but high blood pressure became an issue. I now follow the South Beach way of eating. It is easy, effective and very sustainable. I highly recommend it. My favorite breakfast on this diet is 3/4 cup whole grain granola cereal, 3/4 cup vanilla fat free yogurt, 1/2 cup of blueberries or fresh cut strawberries all mixed together in a bowl. It is called a sunrise Parfait and it rocks! It is VERY good eating AND you lose weight while keeping your blood chemistry in line. The doctor that created the South Beach diet specializes in stabilizing blood chemistry, so even if you do not necessarily need to lose weight, the diet should definitely help keeping diabetes at bay.

<---don't eat this! :Big Laugh

 

[GAC05]

Best part is that if enough people convert to full on vegetarian the price of corn is bound to go up.........

wayne k
guam usa

 

[Si Allen]

What???? and make Mosh rich?

 

[Rodi]

If I were a vegetarian, I would sorely miss these words
"Very RARE" PLEASE!

 

[Pat Whatley]

best part is that if enough people convert to full on vegetarian the price of corn is bound to go up.........

Wayne k
guam usa

 

[iSign]

I swear Wayne reads the boards every day just waiting to crack the best jokes at the perfect time!!

BTW, I was a veggie for 8 years (actually seafood/lacto/ovo by OP's definitions) and I was quite healthy, as well as never stressing "what to eat" like OMG has dealt with...


...it may be a freak-of-nature diet, but so is almost every other freaking thing in the fridge... including having the fridge itself... so it was a lifestyle change for me, that included becoming insanely aware of protein alternatives & the various food combinations that resulted in a healthy balanced diet... after 8 years, I returned to eating meat & poultry. Gradually my cooking skills & my diet consciousness took a dramatic turn for the worse... simply because I reached a point where I made different priorities & I never really regretted too much that I eat a lot of crap, because I know better & I still remain in decent shape & I can improve my diet again when it matters enough to do it...

...point being, if Arlo has some serious reasons to consider a vegetarian diet, I can honestly say that I think it is a significant enough of a transition as to expect it will have far reaching ramifications in his life... like a much better understanding of nutrition, & lot of new cooking skills, more ability to taste diversity in foods, & improved health. YES... I get it that there are plenty of less drastic changes that MAY also result in better health... but everything less drastic, is also less different, with less room for improvement & less likely to lead to other positive lifestyle changes.

I took a year off from excessive consumption of ganja and alcohol when I was 39 years old. The word "quit" is so final that it scares people, but after 25 years of partying, I knew I needed to take a break... so my "year off" was perfect, because it avoided the concept of forever. I broke my fast 10 years ago, but the amount of ganja I've consumed in the last 10 years has been equal to what I consumed on average almost every day or two for the previous 20 years... so, I pretty much "quit" but not saying that made it easier. The amount of alcohol I've consumed in the last 10 years is also down to about what I consumed every couple weeks... so that was pretty much a dramatic shift also, ending my decades of excess, without "quitting"

Anyway, that long tangent was to say I think a serious change can be good on several levels, and given at least 6 months, I think your bodies actual experience, and your doctors assessment of that, after the fact, will be the best judge of if it makes sense for you. I suggest you charge into it with optimism. It is far easier than quitting tobacco or something, & will really be pretty easy if you begin to enjoy cooking, or have someone else who enjoys cooking that will learn to try new things without meat. I never missed meat from the food I was eating. There will be plenty of great foods & recipes you can enjoy, as long as someone puts it together.

 

[Brandon708]

Best part is that if enough people convert to full on vegetarian the price of corn is bound to go up.........

wayne k
guam usa

Corn is the key staple of the Meat Industry. So it could have a reverse effect if you think about it.

My wife is a Vegan and I am a part-time vegetarian. I don't eat fast food at all. The only fast i eat is Subways Tuna Sandwich. We do eat seafood though. I eat meat only about once a week if that. I make acceptions when I go to a game because I always got to have a polish sausage when I go to either a Baseball, Football or Basketball game. It's kinda a tradition.

We put Tofu in alot of stuff we eat and you would be supprised that its a great subsitute for meat. My favorite is Chili with tofu or Morning Star patties ground up. You cant tell that its not meat. I even fooled my dad when he came by to watch the game a couple weeks ago, He loved it.
But im sure he wouldn't of eaten it if I told him what it was before it was served.

I just started this quest a few months back so I am still learning new things about it.

 

[Gino]

Not being a doctor makes what I'm about to say worthless, but a trainer told my wife and me that six small meals a day is the main ingredient for losing weight. Exercise along with those small meals will also help tremendously. Eating as little carbs.... simple and complex, will also help you lose. Vegetarian or meat eaters won't really make a difference... it's all your mindset. If you truly want to lose and are dedicated... you will with six small meals and exercise and common sense. Do you think if you eat gobs and gobs of lettuce, soy products and artificially sweetened desserts..... you're gonna lose weight ??

The sugar thing for the 'Pre-diabetic' is also carb related. As we grow older, most of our bodies mechanisms start to react slowly or in some cases stop all together. This is what the pharmaceutical companies preach to our doctors who then dictate how we should act. All things in moderation is my key. I'm still overweight, but I've lost maybe 15lbs in the last year. My goal is to get there slowly and then maintain it. I've been pre-diabetic for almost 6 years. When I met my wife, the numbers on being diabetic were 140 to 150. It was reduced down to 120 some years ago and then to 110. Now as recent as a few weeks ago, they want the number to be 100. Otherwise, you are considered pre-diabetic, while you're considered at risk of hypoglycemic at 70. Now, in the last 25 years they've narrowed that window of healthiness down to within 30 points of being healthy or not. Who's kidding who ?? They want you to think you're sick so they can sell us drugs and the kind that aren't any fun. Their job now seems to be to keep us unhealthy and shoving pills or medicine in us to prevent things, rather than doing it naturally because they know the average American is too lazy to do it on their own when they can buy this crap with a promise of it will help you.

How many people do you know that can follow a routine and make themselves better by their own hand ?? Not many and that's what they count on.... pumping us all full of drugs and keeping the big pharmaceuticals and doctors happy selling preventive snake oil rather then getting us back to health.

​

 

[OneUpTenn]

Red meat also has a lot of iron in it. I know this is more important for a woman than man. But like OP my veggie friend's doctor put her back on meat for this very reason.

 

[signmeup]

If you have a "spare tire" you're eating more calories that you're burning. Eat less or burn more. Simple.

I'm surprized nobody mentioned salt. How much salt do you eat?

 

[David Wright]

Well I did mention sodium.

 

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

If you have a "spare tire" you're eating more calories that you're burning. Eat less or burn more. Simple.

I'm surprized nobody mentioned salt. How much salt do you eat?

I don't know how much salt I eat. It's not like I take it by the spoonful ever. However, salt is in almost everything we buy in a can or frozen. My previous fitness trainer took hold of my love handles once and shook them. He said "this is all water... stop using salt".

Gino... I agree with you about doctors putting ideas in our head of how we're sick and pushing drugs to treat us. A good part of a doctor's income is from royalties from drug companies. It only makes good economic sense for them to prescribe something for us at each visit. I am, however, possessed of the fortitude to make sweeping global changes in my life. I want off BP meds by any means in the shortest possible time. A medical doctor wrote the info on the website I found that said people who go on a vegetarian diet can stop BP meds 8-9 weeks later. That's all it took for me to decide - I'm doing this, right after Thanksgiving. A girl who works here turned me onto a good vegetarian cookbook so, like Doug mentioned, I'm going to widen my horizons by trying new things. I will, however, reserve the right to satisfy overwhelming cravings for a T-bone should such a time ever arise. Quit in moderation - that's my motto.

 

[JoySigns]

Arlo, Here is a must read book for you: Food Matters by Mark Bittman. Bittman is a wonderful cook and food writer for the NY Times. He had health issues similar to yours and he corrected all of them by a change in diet...and he likes meat (as do!). He partially subscribes to a vegetarian diet. The first half of the book is the why's of doing it, the second half is recipes. It makes you want to eat better but it is also not an ultimatem on what you can and cannot eat. I am having wild turkey for Thanksgiving (not the booz although that is good too!), but also lots of veggies!

 

[Arlo Kalon 2.0]

Arlo, Here is a must read book for you: Food Matters by Mark Bittman. Bittman is a wonderful cook and food writer for the NY Times. He had health issues similar to yours and he corrected all of them by a change in diet...and he likes meat (as do!). He partially subscribes to a vegetarian diet. The first half of the book is the why's of doing it, the second half is recipes. It makes you want to eat better but it is also not an ultimatem on what you can and cannot eat. I am having wild turkey for Thanksgiving (not the booz although that is good too!), but also lots of veggies!

Much obliged!

 

[signmeup]

I don't know how much salt I eat. It's not like I take it by the spoonful ever. However, salt is in almost everything we buy in a can or frozen. My previous fitness trainer took hold of my love handles once and shook them. He said "this is all water... stop using salt".

Water......riiiiiiight.