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I would love to go vegetarian. I just don't practically see how it's possible without a massive commitment in time and research. A lot of vegetarians seem to enjoy eating all sorts of interesting food wheras I'm a really fussy eater.

As it stands right now, I don't eat fast food from McD's, BK or anywhere like that, been that way for about 5 or 6 years now (bar a few times I was literally desperate for food when on the go). I totally cut out and stopped buying red meat just over a year back after watching a horrendous video of how animals were still being slaughtered. Honestly, it was the last straw.

I love to eat chicken, if I could find something that I loved to replace it, I'd maybe go for it. Fish I could rule out too, even though I love salmon, but I don't really see fish in the same light as other types of meat..
 
Just because of this thread, I'm going to make sure I eat this tomorrow;

photo-82.jpg


T
photo-81.jpg


Korean Pork Don and Gyoza dumplings. Look what you're missing!


On a serious note, fair do's if you can make a go of it - I really couldn't, quite a few of my friends are veggies though and they haven't dropped dead and the food they make is pretty tasty.


This is how easy it is to be vegan, you could just eat this instead


korean-pasta-stirfry.jpg


2335279607_d5100f3469.jpg



Point is, vegans eat the exact same stuff as everyone else, ours just doesn't have dead animal in it.
 
I love to eat chicken, if I could find something that I loved to replace it, I'd maybe go for it. Fish I could rule out too, even though I love salmon, but I don't really see fish in the same light as other types of meat..

How bout this?

17_chicken_patty_swap.jpg


or this?

mvc-142x.jpg


or this?

free-gardein-product-coupon-284x300.png


or even this?

chickn_scallopini_295x350.jpg
 
This is how easy it is to be vegan, you could just eat this instead


korean-pasta-stirfry.jpg


2335279607_d5100f3469.jpg



Point is, vegans eat the exact same stuff as everyone else, ours just doesn't have dead animal in it.

I've eaten some really tasty veggie meals before don't get me wrong, but some veggie equivalent tastes like arse (and not the lovely kind).

I've noted that most of the time it's difficult to eat a live animal as they move around too much, I should try harder.

Dead animals can be very tasty, I recommend that herbivores try some once in a while to expand their horizons.
 
I would love to go vegetarian. I just don't practically see how it's possible without a massive commitment in time and research.

I like how you assume vegetarianism will involve a massive commitment of time and research.

Why doesn't eating meat require the same of you?

It's funny how we take established habits for granted and on the other hand fear the unknown to such a degree.
 
Being a vegan or a vegetarian is easier now than it ever was. I'm not either but I spent 9 months without any solid food so I could likely handle a vegan/veggie diet if I wanted. However it would sure put a damper on wings and beer day. :D

FWIW, Trader Joe's makes a tofu crumble that tastes just like taco meat. That's how far they've come, not to mention tofurky.
 
I love the sniping, divisive comments, and personal crusading going on in what is essentially a thread about nutrition. It's interesting to see the offensiveness of both sides of the isle and really demonstrates the identity politics at play in what we as a society and as individuals consume, and the degree to which we moralize our choices and are threatened by the moralizing of others. I guess it's true what they say -- we are what we eat.

As far as what the human body has evolved to eat; your body is a complex piece of machinery that's evolved to consume and process whatever it is that will promote the greatest chance of survival and spreading your genes. Part of the reason for the immense proliferation of humanity is our innate adaptability, and as such you should eat whatever it is you feel is going to promote your longevity and health. There are plenty of available studies that extol the many health virtues of a vegetarian diet, just as there are many studies that demonstrate value for a number of diets, lifestyles, and exercise modalities. There are even studies coming out now about paleolithic (or heavily animal based) diets succeeding at promoting good health and body composition.

We like to think in terms of singular factors, that there's a lone variable that can be plugged into the equation of good health and unlock it. The truth is that the solution is multifaceted and good health is a measured result of many considerations. In terms of nutrition alone a dietary choice is successful when it reduces the consumption of unhealthy calories (typically processed) and increases the consumption of whole foods. If you feel that a vegetarian diet will provide you with the framework for making healthy eating choices, then you should do it. Just remember to balance it with adequate sleep, water, and exercise.
 
the issue I have with those is that the amount of processing they go through to get to look and taste like that ,
it might be healthier just to eat the real chicken

It depends, some go through very little processing and use non-gmo organic whole soybeans like gardein and gardenburger.

Boca on the other hand tends to use more processed soy.

Chicken is absolutely god awful for you, especially when produced the way conventional chicken is.
 
It depends, some go through very little processing and use non-gmo organic whole soybeans like gardein and gardenburger.

Boca on the other hand tends to use more processed soy.

Chicken is absolutely god awful for you, especially when produced the way conventional chicken is.

Yes some are quite good tasting and good quality products, others I have seen are absolute trash.

the other issue with these products is people who are Gluten sensitive cannot eat most of them.

Why would chicken be awful for me ?
Majority of my meat is local as well as SPCA and Organic certified (milk and eggs too).

My point is that a GMO pesticide sprayed, waxed, and who knows how else treated to look pretty vegetable is not going to be a healthier choice than
chicken or beef raised on organic pasture in pure terms of stuff that is toxic to our bodies.
 
That is absolutely blatantly false.

Our anatomy actually suggests that we should not eat meat.

No claws, no incisors, long intestines ( Every animal on the planet that eats a lot of meat has a short intestine)

...

Let me rephrase that.... Humans have evolved to be omnivores, eating both plants and animals. I do not believe that we should eat predominantly meat (or plants for that matter). Our bodily needs are easiest met if we eat a healthy diet balanced between plant and meat. In your example of the bonobo, they eat - among other meat - flying squirrels. Not a plant, far as I know.
 
to the OP

I was a vegetarian for 3.5 years
now I eat meat again but i am mostly vegetarian in my food.

You can make bad food choices when being a vegetarian just like you can when being a non-vegetarian

I think the quality and methods behind the food you it is more important than the debate over is it vegetarian or not.
You can still be unhealthy and filled with industrial garbage while being vegetarian.

Food is only one of the lifestyle choices that affect how healthy you are and feel. Look into your lifestyle and see what else can be done to be and feel good
 
Yes some are quite good tasting and good quality products, others I have seen are absolute trash.

the other issue with these products is people who are Gluten sensitive cannot eat most of them.

Why would chicken be awful for me ?
Majority of my meat is local as well as SPCA and Organic certified (milk and eggs too).

My point is that a GMO pesticide sprayed, waxed, and who knows how else treated to look pretty vegetable is not going to be a healthier choice than
chicken or beef raised on organic pasture in pure terms of stuff that is toxic to our bodies.

I don't necessarily disagree with this although I still think it should be limited to a small portion of the diet.

There is another issue here, aside from the ethical reasons for not wanting to kill other animals, and as has been said before it is an inefficient way to produce food.

We do not have enough pasture land to produce and feed meat grown in a sustainable way for 7 billion people with a population estimated at reaching 12 billion by 2050. So then it becomes a matter of privilege.

I don't think allergies are a good argument against specific foods. If you have an allergy to something don't eat it, otherwise it makes no difference.

I mean I know people who are allergic to bananas, does that mean bananas are bad for you in general?

Also I think there is a bit of a false dichotomy here, who says you have to choose between eating organic meat or pesticide ridden plants?

Why not an organic all plant based diet? I personally believe that is the healthiest choice a person can make.
 
I love the sniping, divisive comments, and personal crusading going on in what is essentially a thread about nutrition. It's interesting to see the offensiveness of both sides of the isle and really demonstrates the identity politics at play in what we as a society and as individuals consume, and the degree to which we moralize our choices and are threatened by the moralizing of others. I guess it's true what they say -- we are what we eat.

As far as what the human body has evolved to eat; your body is a complex piece of machinery that's evolved to consume and process whatever it is that will promote the greatest chance of survival and spreading your genes. Part of the reason for the immense proliferation of humanity is our innate adaptability, and as such you should eat whatever it is you feel is going to promote your longevity and health. There are plenty of available studies that extol the many health virtues of a vegetarian diet, just as there are many studies that demonstrate value for a number of diets, lifestyles, and exercise modalities. There are even studies coming out now about paleolithic (or heavily animal based) diets succeeding at promoting good health and body composition.

We like to think in terms of singular factors, that there's a lone variable that can be plugged into the equation of good health and unlock it. The truth is that the solution is multifaceted and good health is a measured result of many considerations. In terms of nutrition alone a dietary choice is successful when it reduces the consumption of unhealthy calories (typically processed) and increases the consumption of whole foods. If you feel that a vegetarian diet will provide you with the framework for making healthy eating choices, then you should do it. Just remember to balance it with adequate sleep, water, and exercise.

A little snipey, but overall, I agree.
 
did you miss this?

Nope. I quite clearly read where you said "especially," not "mainly," "primarily," or "only." It's important to be clear when making these kinds of statements, especially when one is representing an unpopular but important point of view; if you add to the truth, you subtract from it.
A little snipey, but overall, I agree.

When you have a hammer…
 
as the others have suggested, read some books and survey any vegans you know.

We've cut down our meat consumption and limit any red meat to venison which is not farmed so there are no chemicals or hormones etc.. to keep it red and fat. It's very lean and I don't eat alot.

We eat enough chicken although we're trying to cut that back and supplement with other sources of protein.

I do eat enough tuna and salmon although I do worry about the mercury intake somewhat, but it seems there are studies for both sides so who really knows.

Best of luck in your endeavour.
Cheers,
keebler
 
I'm not vegetarian but don't see any problems with it. If people are getting sick being vegetarians then they don't know how to eat properly. I know a lot of vegetarians (so many that I seldom eat meat) and none of them have had diet related illnesses. You will need to find a good source of protein - wheat germ is a good and good tasting (IMHO) source.
 
I'm a pre-medical student who spent 2 months volunteering in an ER. Granted, I'm not about to write a report for the Journal of the American Medical Association, but EVERY SINGLE PATIENT I came across (at least 5 per day) with colon cancer, hemorrhoids, and hernias had two things in common

1) a low fiber intake

2) a high meat intake

I've been a vegetarian ever since then.
 
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