Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Giving up VEGETABLES – who’s with me?
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June 26, 2008 at 6:24 pm #629007
RainyDay1235Memberfunny is funny. rude is rude. glad she’s gone.
June 26, 2008 at 6:31 pm #629008
KayleighMemberIt’s retro because now we know we can survive and thrive without meat, because we know how bad it is for you (chemicals, fat, hormones, etc) and how bad it is for the environment (pollution, animal suffering, consuming grain resources, etc.)
June 26, 2008 at 7:04 pm #629009
RSMemberHmmm. Survive, yes. Thrive, that depends on how you define thrive. I didn’t feel good about taking supplements, obsessively reading labels and missing the taste (not the comfort, nostalgia, or whatever was mentioned in the other thread, the actual TASTE) of meat, so I didn’t feel like I was “thriving” on a veggie diet. Also not totally buying the bad for you part. There are studies that show that nearly everything is bad for you and just as many that show that those same things are good for you. I’ll give you that factory farming is bad for the environment, so I’ll keep buying local, grass-fed, small farm type stuff. Animal suffering- a slippery slope and depends on where you get your meat from and how much you care about farm animals. In short, not convinced that eating meat is bad. But I can understand and accept that people make the choice not to do it.
June 26, 2008 at 7:09 pm #629010
KayleighMemberhttp://goveg.org/healthConcerns.asp
The American Dietetic Association states that vegetarians have “lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; … lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer†and that vegetarians are less likely than meat-eaters to be obese.
The consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products has also been strongly linked to osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, asthma, and male impotence. Scientists have also found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat-eating friends; this means that they are less susceptible to everyday illnesses like the flu. Vegetarians and vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.
June 26, 2008 at 7:14 pm #629011
RSMemberOkay, great. So my vegetarian and vegan friends will live longer, healthier, happier, more righteous lives. I still choose to eat meat because I was unhappy as a vegetarian and would rather live fewer happier years than more unhappy ones. I don’t really know why I got into this debate. I live with two vegans, I get enough of this at home. :)
June 26, 2008 at 7:21 pm #629012
soclwrkrinmotnMemberRS: I will back you up on this one. I had a similar experience, and a doctor told me to stop being a vegetarian. (He didn’t say skip my veggies.) I started to lose my hair and other fun things. I have some malabsorption issues, so I am much happier and healthier eating a touch of meat.
June 26, 2008 at 7:22 pm #629013
KayleighMember:-) That’s an honest statement, RS.
I’m not even a vegetarian, just mostly. Someday I may find a way to make it work for me. Don’t think I could ever give up cheese, though.
June 26, 2008 at 7:40 pm #629014
RSMemberYes, giving up cheese feels both wrong and sad. It’s so freaking good. (cue cheese fantasy montage, wipe drool)
I hear you on the malabsorption issues Socl. When and if the docs finally decide that I have some kind of celiac disease, meat may well be the only thing I can eat!
June 26, 2008 at 7:47 pm #629015
JanSParticipantFunny thing..I was recently told to eat extra red meat, perhaps liver, too, by my doc…have had low red cell counts since my surgery 6 weeks ago, low energy, too. Of course, he also said to take an iron supplement…and I have misgivings about those. I asked him about spinach..his response – lol…was, ohhhh, I don’t like spinach..cracked me up. So, I had liver and onions this week…yum.
As a cancer survivor, I have read many, many things about what to eat, what not to eat…my theory is..moderation in everything. There was one study that said if I ate french fries when I was a kid, I was more susceptible to getting breast cancer as an adult…and that’s only one of many, many studies that I’m not sure do any good but put fear into you. I need extra calcium because the cancer drug that I take can cause osteoporosis, yet dairy isn’t good for me? I could go on and on…
and, no, I will not give up my veggies, either :) Sometimes when I neglect them, I actually start craving things like green beans and broccoli…and don’t get me started on cabbage – lol…
being a vegetarian..and especially a vegan, is not the easiest thing in the world to do. There are many unhealthy vegetarians out there because they don’t do their homework to ensure that they are getting enough protein, enough balanced nutrients. It’s not a license to eat whatever just because it has no animal products in it….you still have to be sensible..
I don’t eat beef often, but, boy , when I do, I really, really enjoy it :)
June 26, 2008 at 7:48 pm #629016
JanSParticipantand, Kayleigh, I’m with you on cheese…bad, bad food, but oh, so good :)
June 26, 2008 at 7:53 pm #629017
CMPParticipantHey, this reminds me of the breast-feeding debate from a few days ago. People laugh at me when I say I won’t eat fish b/c I feel bad that the salmon (and other fish, of course) population has significantly declined in the past few decades. I truly don’t like the taste, but I tell people this to see their reaction and they bring up farmed fish as a good alternative. What’s the difference between that and cows that were raised for slaughter? I don’t want someone making me feel bad about my choices i.e. don’t believe in global warming, breastfeeding in public or the benefits of being vegetarian.
June 26, 2008 at 7:55 pm #629018
KayleighMemberNobody makes you feel anything, CMP. People offer you information and opinions and you make of it what you will.
Jan, RS, can you imagine life without pizza…or goat cheese….or grilled cheese sandwiches with real butter on sourdough…or sour cream on a warm baked potato…
too cruel to contemplate.
And sorry but the fake cheeses taste like poo to me.
June 26, 2008 at 8:05 pm #629019
RSMemberGreat, thanks Kayleigh, now I’ve drooled on myself at work! My colleagues are going to thing I have some sort of personal problem. :)
Yes, fake cheese is wicked gross. But not as gross as fake bacon!
June 26, 2008 at 8:13 pm #629020
MargLMemberFake cheese in a can is pretty gross but I’m trying to decide if real cooked bacon in a can is any better…
http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-364/Yoder%E2%80%99s-Celebrity-Canned-Bacon/Detail
June 26, 2008 at 8:38 pm #629021
KeithMemberI have two cans of that bacon. Haven’t opened one yet. I’m saving it for a special occasion.
June 26, 2008 at 8:39 pm #629022
JimmyGMemberI worked with an animal rescue group down in New Orleans right after Katrina. They were rabid vegans, we weren’t allowed to even wear leather work gloves when out on rescues (I did anyway).
So after a week with no cheese working 20 hour days I felt ready to die from lack of my beloved cheese. A co-worker snuck some Kraft singles in and you should have seen me shoveling slices of bad cheese in my mouth, hiding in a back room feeling like a criminal.
All for the love of cheese.
June 26, 2008 at 8:59 pm #629023
AlkiKmacParticipantJanS – what are your misgivings about iron supplements? I need to take high doses daily and don’t have problems (yet), but I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.
June 26, 2008 at 9:11 pm #629024
Bikefor1MemberDon’t iron pills have a tendency to constipate you? And they’re wicked big.
June 26, 2008 at 9:19 pm #629025
keleesoMemberBikefor1 and Jan, strawberries have iron and they are yummy, and blackstrap molassess has iron too. You can take a spoonful. I am a vegan, but I am about the worst vegan I know. I fall off the (meat) wagon way too often. I salivate when I drive by KFC or the teriyaki place by the WS bridge. I also salivate when I smell bbq hamburger or steak.
June 26, 2008 at 9:34 pm #629026
JoBParticipanti just believe in eating real food…
and if possible, i would like that food grown in my backyard… or at least locally.
i want any meat i eat to have been raised in a humane environment… without hormones or antibiotics.. on organic food if possible…
I’m not rabid about it.. it’s just a preference. even i have been known to enjoy processed gunk… but i do find i am consuming less and less of it all of the time.
this last week i gave up coke again… every bit as addicting as it’s namesake.. and thus hopefully the last consistent source of high fructose corn syrup…
high fructose corn syrup is so pervasive that i have been reduced to drinking water. it ain’t easy being green:(
but in this case, it sure is cheaper:)
June 26, 2008 at 9:39 pm #629027
JoBParticipantrainyday1235…
i know enthusiasm can get the better of us when we decide to try something new.. such as your decision to give up meat… but just because you think it is a great idea doesn’t mean that everyone does… or should.. for that matter.
and… i am afraid i have a problem with you deciding JenV is just a rude persona and being glad to see the back of her because she thinks your enthusiasm got the better of you.
i have been the target of some of her pithy statements myself… but on the whole know her to add a great deal to any conversation she is in.. and to light any room she graces.
perhaps it would be a good idea to get to know people better before passing judgement…
June 26, 2008 at 9:42 pm #629028
JiggersMemberThe way the prices are at the store with today’s inflation and recession woes, I almost have no choice but to give up the veggie’s. Veggie’s aren’t cheap anymore. It’s not cheap to maintain a healthy diet that features fruits and stuffs like that. Sure you can buy canned veggie’s, but it’s not the same as fresh.
June 26, 2008 at 9:44 pm #629029
JiggersMemberJOB I’m with you on your last post
“perhaps it would be a good idea to get to know people better before passing judgement”.
June 26, 2008 at 9:51 pm #629030
JoBParticipantJiggers..
sure you can afford veggies. you’re right, they aren’t as cheap as they once were.. but with a little work.. they definately are affordable.
visit our local veggie markets.. both the one on Barton and 35th and the farmer’s market. they can help you make good healthy choices and tell you how to fix them so that you get the most bang for your buck…
June 26, 2008 at 9:58 pm #629031
RainyDay1235MemberYes, I judge people on their words. This is a one-dimensional interface – and words are what we see. A poster can still be sarcastic and opinonated (please do!) while staying respectful and not picking fights. I certainly didn’t ask anyone to leave – that person chose to do so on their own.
Since I only stopped eating red meat *yesterday* (I still eat other meat!) I’m hardly prostelitizing a new way of life for everyone. It’s just one tiny step – and it was interesting to see people’s reactions…from “Wow, no way – I could never give up steak” to “I’ve tried that and it didn’t work” to “Way to go, I’ve been meat-free for 20 years!”
…all valid points and a fun discussion otherwise.
P.S. I could NEVER give up cheese either! :)
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