Vegetarians/Vegans

[danforth]

I was just wondering if there are any vegetarians or vegans who frequently visit this site and if there was a special group or websitefor vegan/vegetarian emets? [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[jezebel]

im a vegetarian. ive been one since i was 9 so 6 years now. sorry no idea about the veggie/vegan emet site.. foods a problem for me tho.

[pianolover]

Hi danforth,


I'm a vegetarian who cheats with a few bites of fish now and again.I was vegan for a few years but I lost so much weight and became anaemic! So last December I started eating dairy again. I'm allergic to eggs so I still don't eat them. Are you vegan??

[harmonygirl72]

I was a vegetarian for 6 years, but now I eat meat again. Oddly, I never felt different either way!


Mary

[hollyjean]

Im not vegetarian, however i eat very little meat. I eat like a veggie most the time

[stella9]

I have been a vegetarian since I was 14 and I am now 36. I occasionally will eat fish and, even then, will only eat a few variety. I could give you tons of information as I used to teach nutrition at a college. I teach nutrition from a yogic viewpoint. I could give you lots of sources. Being a vegetarian does not always equal healthier if a person is eating cookies and other sweets.


The basic philosophy is eating lots of whole grains, unbleached and organic. You also should have beans (legumes), nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables; again organic if possible. Drinking water, green and other teas is also very beneficial. Yogurts, without bovine growth hormones, are a great source of calcium as is veggie and rice cheese. Brown rice or nutty rices are a great source of carbs. Pasta is great if it is brown, vegetable, spelt or rice. Barley, oatsand quinoa are terrific grains. Sweeteners such as raw honey or molasses are okay in small quantities. Stay away from white or bleached flour and sugar.


There are plenty of books to read for food ideas and recipes. Let me know if you are interested. I could passthe titles on to you.


Stella

[danforth]

Hi danforth,


I'm a vegetarian who cheats with a few bites of fish now and again.I was vegan for a few years but I lost so much weight and became anaemic! So last December I started eating dairy again. I'm allergic to eggs so I still don't eat them. Are you vegan??

Hello [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]. Indeed, I am vegan. I was vegetarian for about a year and a half but made the transition to veganism after I found out about the reduced severity of many common ailments, one of the major ones for me being stomach bugs but I've now reaped even more benefites from this lifestyle, andI've done all this,despite being only 19!

[tayda]

How do you guys do it? I don't think I could ever forsake meat. (Though I wish I could).

[reese]

I am a vegetarian... and as close to a vegan as you can get without actually
being a vegan. I eat very little dairy. NO meat, fish, eggs... I do love honey
though.

[tayda]

I wish I could do that; it seems SO much healthier. But I'm afraid that I just wouldn't have the willpower for something like that. I like certain fruits, but get sketchy around veggies that look "funny" even if I'm told they aren't. Lettuce w/ any brown I will not eat. I will pick it out. I do like a lot of fruits w/ peanut butter. But mostly I'm a water, tea, and carb-o-holic.

[reese]

I also eat an outrageous amount of carbs. I would just die without them.

[tcsarah]

I'm vegetarian and have been for about fifteen years now!


Tracey

[kristeenamarie]

Hi danforth,


I'm a vegetarian who cheats with a few bites of fish now and again.I was vegan for a few years but I lost so much weight and became anaemic! So last December I started eating dairy again. I'm allergic to eggs so I still don't eat them. Are you vegan??

Hello [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]. Indeed, I am vegan. I was vegetarian for about a year and a half but made the transition to veganism after I found out about the reduced severity of many common ailments, one of the major ones for me being stomach bugs but I've now reaped even more benefites from this lifestyle, andI've done all this,despite being only 19!</font>

I'm also 19 and have been vegan for nearly four years. Veganism is great because it not only helps animals but it helps with emet too!

[chicajojobe]

I'm not a vegetarian, but I do like a lot of vegetarian recipes. I
could never go vegan though because I love cheese so much! I could not
live without cheese.

I've read on PETA's website some of the ailments dairy can supposedly
cause and what they don't mention is that most of them happen due to
lactose intolerance....which I don't have.

Another reason is you mentioned that you eat a lot of carbs. I could
not do that or I'd gain back the weight I spent 4 years losing.

[krebstar]

don't know about any groups, but i've been a vegetarian since age 3,
and recently became vegan. i cheated the other week and had pizza
with cheese. it (i'm assuming) gave me mild d*, so now i'm sticking
to NO DAIRY. don't have to worry so much about spoiling.

[purpleteacher]

I alternate between being veggie and not being veggie. I like turkey and I eat beef sometimes. I'm mostly veggie because I eat more soy than I eat anything else. I have to have my turkey on occassion and the beef when I'm craving iron.


I dream of being totally vegan someday though...

[crimgoddess]

I've been a vegetarian for about 13 years now- I do eat dairy, but mostly only cheese. I prefer soy milk and soy yogurt, because I just think it tastes better. I thought about going vegan for awhile, but then figured why would I punish myself? Good cheese (havarti, brie, and blue cheese) is like my chocolate cake.


I also don't eat a lot of carbs- and being a vegetarian doesnt necessarily mean you have to eat a lot of carbs Chica. I just substitute the 'meat' in a meal with a non-meat soy/tofu alternative. I don't eat the buns on veggieburgers, bread, or a lot of pasta. You can actually even get low carb pasta too


*amber*

[kristeenamarie]

I think my emet has improved ten fold since going vegan, because I no longer have a terrible full feeling after eating and rarely suffer from d*. I think it's the most logical choice in the world.


and yes, you can in fact, live without cheese.

[crimgoddess]

LOL- YOU can live without cheese- but to me that will almost make my life not worth living. For me food doesn't really play a factor in my emet, so I have no real incentive to go vegan. So, what is a logical choice for you, would be an illogical one for me


I went vegetarian primarilybecause I am not comfortable with eating the flesh of an animal- and I have never really liked the taste of meat all that much. Now, with all the hormones and added stuff to meat, I would never go back. That is just the icing on the cake.


*amber*

[purpleteacher]

I think my emet has improved ten fold since going vegan, because I no longer have a terrible full feeling after eating and rarely suffer from d*. I think it's the most logical choice in the world.


and yes, you can in fact, live without cheese.

No - I can't live without cheese. I can't live without cheese or peanutbutter. I could technically live, but no one would want to be around me

[confusedgirl]

I'm a vegetarian! I've been one for 3 years.. I hope to go vegan next fall when I move out and attend college (because then I'll be more independent so I'll be able to have complete control over what I buy/eat).I've been a lot healthier since I became vegetarian (well I was anemic... but taking iron got rid of that, and I got a lot of colds last yr, but I think that was because of stress... I haven't been getting sick monthly like I used to - though my going vegetarian had nothing to do with emet). I think I'll have a hard time giving up butter and cheese though.. I LOVE butter, but I basically eat vegan butter now anyways. And I don't like cheese, except for three brands... but that's like where I get my entire calcium from o.o;; that and occasional soymilk... Oh well, I'll figure it out and make it work I don't know of any vegetarian/vegan emet sites, that would be cool though!

[luna33]

There are lots of us here. I've been vegetarian since 1987. My husband has also been vegetarian for about 5 years now, and my 4-year-old daughter is also (since birth). We are currently switching to a vegan diet, which isn't too hard as we were almost there anyway.

[tcsarah]

You can get vegan cheese - they sell it in our local health food shop. They sell vegan pizza too!

[lilyann]

I am definitely a meat eater. I grew up on a dairy farm and it was unethical for us not to eat the meat and waste it. When an animal was no longer productive, we sent it to the butcher, and put it in the freezer. As kids, we were constantly asking, who are we having for dinner tonight? Bessie? Blackie? Ha, ha! It was just a way of life. We never thought of it as exploiting the animals as it has been done that way for thousands of years. But what I am definitely against eating is carb free diets (we need grains in our diets) and all of that diet food with the calorie free sweeteners in it--Splenda, aspartame, etc. I firmly believe that stuff will give you cancer. Since I met my husband, the neo-hippie that he is, I have definitely started eating healtier though. Only whole grain bread, less sugar and sweets, more vegetables, less canned foods, etc. And he was right, I have been much healthier for it!

[crimgoddess]

Splenda is actually different frommany other artificial sweetenersbecause it doesn't contain aspartame. It's made out of sucralose, which is derived from regular white sugar (so there is no weird chemical aftertaste). The difference is that it doesn't get absorbed into the bloodstream, so it's even safe for diabetics. I generally use it when I'm baking- I like it because the finished product actually tastes better to me- lighter, and not so sweet that it hurts your teeth.


About aspartame causing cancer- it's pretty funny, because 1 study was done that said that there was a correlation between certain types of brain tumors and high dosages of aspartame (higher than any normal person would ever injest)- in lab rats. Other studies have since contradicted this finding, yet this info is still making the rounds. For every study that correlates aspartame with cancer (note- correlation does not equal causation)- there is another study that contradicts it, or attacks the methodology used. The way I see it- since there is no definitive proof that aspartame is linked to cancer - obesity and diabetes are more critical issues to me, since both run in my family. Is aspartame/nutrasweet, etc. in drinks, yogurt, baking products, etc. help me to control my weight and the amount of sugar I am putting in my body, then I'm going to use it.


Tcsarah- I tried the vegan cheese.....I was so dissappointed! Maybe it's because I am used to eating really high end cheese (i'm not really a cheddar or mozzerella girl- unless it's really old cheddar)- it just didnt taste good to me. *sigh*


*amber*