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Are there any current or former vegetarians/vegans on this board?

PirateDeacon

PirateDeacon

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I experimented with a near vegan diet for about a month back in January of this year and despite seeing certain benefits, I lost way too much weight so I returned to eating meat but I try to avoid factory-farmed meat as much as possible. Currently I try to eat vegetarian 3-4 days a week but I still eat meat but it's mainly organic chicken and wild fish.

Cheated big time yesterday by eating Skylight Inn Barbecue in Ayden, NC. Yum:bowrofl:
 
yes. is there a question with this, or are you just asking?
 
Well, I'm kind of a health nut and I was wondering how you all were able to balance the protein/zinc/other things efficiently using a plant-based diet and how do you avoid strong cravings to the greasy bad foods?
 
i ate a good amount of legumes, beans, and tofu. salads were always spinach-based and i was sure to be diverse in the types of foods i ate (lots of colorful veggies, complex carbs, etc.). I still ate dairy. I felt pretty balanced in everything.
In the last couple years I started eating chicken again because I could feel my body wanting more... protein? Something. Just more. I try to be conscious of where the chicken I eat comes from (locally sourced when possible).

I don't usually crave "bad foods" but i'm comfortable enough with where I'm at in life/in my body that if I really, really want onion rings... I'm going to get some onion rings. I find that giving in to the occasional craving keeps them away longer, rather than constantly dwelling on what I'm not allowing myself to have.
 
Been a vegetarian/vegan for around 30 years. Became one as a kid. For me it's always been about the suffering of the animals. Never been for health reasons. But for people who are concerned about the environment or their diet I think it makes sense as well.
 
lbE08 said:
i ate a good amount of legumes, beans, and tofu. salads were always spinach-based and i was sure to be diverse in the types of foods i ate (lots of colorful veggies, complex carbs, etc.). I still ate dairy. I felt pretty balanced in everything.
In the last couple years I started eating chicken again because I could feel my body wanting more... protein? Something. Just more. I try to be conscious of where the chicken I eat comes from (locally sourced when possible).

I don't usually crave "bad foods" but i'm comfortable enough with where I'm at in life/in my body that if I really, really want onion rings... I'm going to get some onion rings. I find that giving in to the occasional craving keeps them away longer, rather than constantly dwelling on what I'm not allowing myself to have.
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This is kind of what I do, I follow the 80-20 rule. Which is what my Dad's ex-wife taught me. Eat 80% good, 20% whatever you want. It has worked pretty well, I think the Paleo Diet has a lot of benefits as well. Gluten is really not that great for anyone.
 
going back to the cravings question... i'm also a big believer of 'anything in moderation.' i really, truly believe that 75% of the food issues americans deal with result from just consuming too much.

"eat [real] food. not much. mostly plants." this pretty much sums it up.
 
What's the health benefits of both avoiding dairy and/or meat? I'm certainly no health expert by any means, but I remember cheese and meat being apart of the food groups I remembered.
 
BobStackFan4Life said:
Been a vegetarian/vegan for around 30 years. Became one as a kid. For me it's always been about the suffering of the animals. Never been for health reasons. But for people who are concerned about the environment or their diet I think it makes sense as well.
Click to expand...

I think I'm in it more for the health but I can sympathize with the ethical aspect of it as well. Factory farms are pretty grotesque to say the least.
 
All you people should be ashamed for casting dispersions on our new sponsor, Smithfield and the always enjoyable "Smithfield Sizzle."
 
PirateDeacon said:
This is kind of what I do, I follow the 80-20 rule. Which is what my Dad's ex-wife taught me. Eat 80% good, 20% whatever you want. It has worked pretty well, I think the Paleo Diet has a lot of benefits as well. Gluten is really not that great for anyone.
Click to expand...

what i don't get re: gluten is that diets based so much around wheat/grains (mediterranean, for example) have existed largely issue-free for centuries. something about the balance of the grains w/ the oils in olives that makes it work.
 
palmab03 said:
What's the health benefits of both avoiding dairy and/or meat? I'm certainly no health expert by any means, but I remember cheese and meat being apart of the food groups I remembered.
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Dairy is actually not that great for you. It clogs the system with mucous, it doesn't help with bones (this is a huge lie being sold by many), it's full of saturated fat, and not to mention the highest levels of osteoporosis exist in the United States which you guessed has the highest consumption of dairy. I drink Almond milk these days.
 
palmab03 said:
What's the health benefits of both avoiding dairy and/or meat? I'm certainly no health expert by any means, but I remember cheese and meat being apart of the food groups I remembered.
Click to expand...

with meat, i think it's cholesterol. i've never felt good after eating red meat, and stopped when i was 16. haven't had it since. with dairy, some people have lactose issues (human adults aren't really designed to process it, but some do) but many vegans are doing it for ethical reasons (anecdotal).
i could never live w/out cheese... but meat just makes me feel gross. I do have issues w/ the meat industry as well, but this wasn't as big of a factor or consideration for me until recently.

eta: i've also started drinking almond milk, but that's just because i like how it tastes on my cinnamon life. i still use 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee (but that's like, 1 T a day).
 
Have we had enough time to determine if Vegans/Vegetarians have a longer lifespan than non-Vegas/Vegetarians. I would imagine this would be a difficult study since anyone who is a Vegan/Vegetarian is at least cognizant of health and likely does other activities to extend their lifespan, and the "non" pool would have too many smoking/drinking/obese to be an accurate comparison.
 
btw, I'm pretty fascinated by food and our (americans) fascination with it.
part of me wants to go back to school to be a nutritionist/dietician.
 
lbE08 said:
btw, I'm pretty fascinated by food and our (americans) fascination with it.
part of me wants to go back to school to be a nutritionist/dietician.
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Yeah same here, I'm in school right now as a Marketing major but I have a strong interest in nutrition. I would love to land a job out of college in a health related field.
 
palmab03 said:
Have we had enough time to determine if Vegans/Vegetarians have a longer lifespan than non-Vegas/Vegetarians. I would imagine this would be a difficult study since anyone who is a Vegan/Vegetarian is at least cognizant of health and likely does other activities to extend their lifespan, and the "non" pool would have too many smoking/drinking/obese to be an accurate comparison.
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lower rates of cancer, heart disease, and lower average cholesterol and blood pressure.
i'm curious though because i feel like veggie/vegan lifestyles are more prevalent in higher-income groups (read: more educated, lower rates of smoking. obesity is pretty prevalent throughout these days..); it's fairly rare to find in a very low socioeconomic groups because the cost of the diet is more expensive to do successfully. cheap meat is easier to come by than good, balanced veggies.
 
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