Any Vegetarians out there?

[jerman]

Curious to know if any of the DR Forum community are vegetarians. Another thread got me thinking about meat eating and was wondering what you veggies do diet wise? Like what are your main food staples and do you use protein sustitutes, etc?

[xjoex]

I am a vegetarian and have been for 15 years, I eat a fair amount of beans, nuts, tofu/seitan/tvp and in the summer I drink smoothies with protein powder (organic hippy stuff from wholefoods). Cheese and whole grains are good sources of protein too.

I'd love if Dirtrag would interview Vegan Rob (http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/issue.php?thumb_issue_number=121&iss=current) again and find out about his diet being a really competitive athlete and vegan.


-Joe

[PutAwayWet]

I'm 98% veg. I don't buy any meat sold commercially, and don't eat any at restaurants. My family has a small farm w/ beef cattle and chickens so I do have the occasional hamburger or roasted chicken.

Why am I veg? I had the pleasure to work near a feed lot in TX for a while. I've never seen anything so disgusting in my life. I grew up on a farm, and those 'animals' they were getting ready to process did not resemble the cows they were supposed to be. Awful, awful stuff. Also had a friend who worked at the largest turkey processing plant in CO - similar stories. I try to put good things in my body that come with good nutrition and good Karma - and processed meat just doesn't cut it for me. If I need antibiotics, I'll go see a doctor - If I need artificial growth hormones, I'll go see Roger Clemens.

So what do I eat? Lots of whole grains, legumes, and nuts for protein. My favorites are Tempeh, cashews, and wild rice. And some local organic raw (unpasteurized) whole milk with my sprouted grain cereal and frozen blueberries in the morning. I eat lots of natural peanut/almond/cashew butter sandwiches, with low sugar (but not artificially sweetened) jellies, bananas, apples, or raw honey. In my salads are just about every veg I like plus sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, goat cheese, raisins, and whatever else is lurking in the cupboard. Dinners usually have a legume component to go with some sort of whole grain and veggie dish.

I don't miss meat one bit. And I've never had issues getting enough protein. The key is to just get it from the right (and diverse) sources.

I'd stay away from the new 'miracles of food science' like protein replacements and stuff. The more processed a food is, the less true nutrition it contains (regardless what the label says). Whole, fresh, minimally processed foods have nutrients the way your body evolved to absorb them, and you need much less of them (from proper foods) than what the RDAs claim (That's a whole other discussion). I would also stay away from too much soy. Soy contains a component that impairs the body's ability to fight off cancer. When eaten in moderation and with a good supporting diet it's not a big deal but I'm not too keen on many veg's diets that are essentially based on soy. Soy can be a good part of the diet, but it is without a doubt more of a marketing success than anything else. Soy is also inherently hard to break down (and thus produces lots of 'off gassing' - just ride behind someone overdoing the clif bars sometime), which I why I like Tempeh - it's fermented soy which means it's like the yogurt of soybeans. The microorganisms break down some of the soy during the fermentation process freeing up more nutrition for our bodies to absorb.

Really the key is variety. Good fats/oils, whole grains, lots of differently colored veggies.... your body will thank you :)

[poison idea]

Been vegan for 12+ years. I’m currently in horrible shape due to lethargy, but getting ready to snap out of it.
Staples for me are greens, legumes, grains and (unfortunately) beer. Also, as much fresh veggies I can get.
local and simple are best.
As far as protein is concerned, Tofu/Soy is ok, but there are studies saying that it boosts men’s estrogen levels.
Check out www.veganfitness.net (www.veganfitness.net) it’s a pretty good resource.

[vladamir]

Vlad, so you don't worry too much about protein substitutes? A Prof of mine is vegetarian and he says he stays away from soy products and feels he gets enough protein from all the vegetables he eats. Just curious what your approach is, like I said above, I am leaning toward a vegetarian diet.

No, not needed. Folks get plenty of protein without resorting to suppliments/replacemnts. Vegans often times still get way more than daily recomended amount.

I eat soy but I ate soy when I ate meat too. I like tofu, miso and soy milk.

Everything has protien in it and humans need very little. Once upon a time it was thought that you had to combine protiens in order to get comtplete protien so vegans and such were urged to combine protien sources. This has been fully debunked and I think these replacement protien concerns stem from this old mythology.

Once upon a time vitamin B12 was a problem for vegans because very little available plant matter contains significant amounts. Most foods are fortified with more than enough so this isn't an issue any longer either.

Alot of vegetarians eat cheese and eggs.

Vegans abstain from all animal products as far as food is concerned and the crazy overzealous ones will actively go nuts if a vegan wears animal products. Stay away from the crazies Jerman. There are crazies on both sides of the issue. If you see someone coming at you dressed head to toe in twigs and hemp they are the crazy vegans. If they are wearing fringe leather with coon skin cap they are carnivores. Either way, turn and run.

If you are gonna body build or play competetive sports you will need to adjust your diet just as you would if you were a practicing omnivore.

I eat a fairly high protien diet.

I eat 5-6 meals a day at 4-500 calories per meal. I eat around 30-40 grams of protien per meal.

The avaerage recomended amount for a full grown adult male is around 55 grams per day.

Eggs and Dairy
Egg, large - 6 grams protein
Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams
Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams
Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz
Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz
Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz

Beans (including soy)
Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein
Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams
Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams
Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans
Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein
Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams

Nuts and Seeds
Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein
Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 19 grams
Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

Breakfast might be scrambled tofu, high protien wheat wrap, serving of almonds, peanut butter or tahini(sesemea seed butter), whole avocado, banana, whole grain cereal, bread, whole wheat blueberry/pecan or almond pancakes, potatoes, whole oat meal with raisins, pecans, almonds, whatever spices, ground flax seed, various fruit, soy yogurt etc.

Lunch dinners might be stirfrys, indian dishes, ethiopian dishes, middle eastern dishes, typical americana like mashed patatoes, whole wheat brown gravy, vegetables of your choice, baked or fried wheat gluten, pizza, thai, mexican, italian, salads, fruits, vegies.

I make almost everything from scratch. If you can avoid it, cut out the convenience foods and processed crap. It's more expensive, you can't control the ingredients and it's less in nutrition.

If you have an asian market, indian/middle eastern market, mexican market or any combo then you are set cause you can get alot food items that would normaly be "specialty items" in grocery stores for super cheap.

Vegetarianism will be an open door to world foods.

Good luck.

[Hand/of/Midas]

been a pesco-veg(i eat fish) for 5-6 years or so. theres too many good reasons and ive never heard a bad one.
my protien comes from nuts,beans,eggs and dairy(trying to cut back) and fish is packed with the stuff,along with omegas and other good stuff.
i hate driving thru 25miles of corn on my way to work and realize its all just getting wasted(95%) on feeding cows,and thinking how many people could be feed on it. thats what one of my main motivations is with being vegi,we could END world hunger if people went vegi.thats a reason along with body health of course, and animal cruelty to an extent, i dont think eating meat is wrong, if your a hunter or something thats cool, but the amount of meat consumed is outragous,and not healthy.

[Hand/of/Midas]

[QUOTE=vladamir;183987]


I eat 5-6 meals a day at 4-500 calories per meal.


QUOTE]

yea,since i went vegi i cant eat a large quantity of food at once,i get full fast, but since your body digests vegi food better i can eat again not long after, which is very good because it keeps your metabolizm higher and less food is stored as fat. i just have to take a box of granola bars,fruit,vegi or something with me everywhere and have one every now and then, im seriously eating all day long,and i stay 155#, my friends hate me for it.

and also i used to have serious sleep problems(days without), they went away after i cut meat out of my diet.

[PutAwayWet]

Once upon a time vitamin B12 was a problem for vegans because very little available plant matter contains significant amounts. Most foods are fortified with more than enough so this isn't an issue any longer either.

Alot of vegetarians eat cheese and eggs.

Vegetarianism will be an open door to world foods.

Good luck.

I did a little research on the B12 thing, and from what I've read there is no B12 in plant based foods. There is in RAW milk (the Pasteurization process destroys it), and in eggs. I've also seen that the fermentation process of making yogurt destroys B12 in milk. Another good reason to support your local dairy farm.

One thing's for sure - my food world-view has increased dramatically since I stopped being a meat and potato kind of guy.

[vladamir]

Been vegan for 12+ years. I’m currently in horrible shape due to lethargy, but getting ready to snap out of it.
Staples for me are greens, legumes, grains and (unfortunately) beer. Also, as much fresh veggies I can get.
local and simple are best.
As far as protein is concerned, Tofu/Soy is ok, but there are studies saying that it boosts men’s estrogen levels.
Check out www.veganfitness.net (www.veganfitness.net) it’s a pretty good resource.

I've read the same thing. I have to wonder though, cultures that have a high soy consumption do not seem to have suffered any adverse effects from their consumption. I would think one would have to consume an awful lot for a protracted amount of time to produce any effects. Also, plant estrogens have been found to be ineffectual as hormone treatment for women. Couple that with the fact that the cabbage family of plants (among others) actively block estrogen in men and I'd say that it's probably not a concern. Wonder when the science will have an answer though?

[jerman]

Man, you guys put down a lot of info. I really want to go veggie. Don't think I could be a vegan. I love cheese waaayyy too much! The hard part is convincing my wife to try this with me. She gets panicky when I suggest giving up meat. I think she has some of the misconceptions some of you have posted above about not getting enough protein. But next time we go grocery shopping I am going to do my level best to not buy any meat of any kind and stick with the basics. Thanks for the info!:D

[poison idea]

I've read the same thing. I have to wonder though, cultures that have a high soy consumption do not seem to have suffered any adverse effects from their consumption. I would think one would have to consume an awful lot for a protracted amount of time to produce any effects. Also, plant estrogens have been found to be ineffectual as hormone treatment for women. Couple that with the fact that the cabbage family of plants (among others) actively block estrogen in men and I'd say that it's probably not a concern. Wonder when the science will have an answer though?

Not sure if unfermented soy is truly detrimental to your health. The folks that initially told me about it were Muay Thai fighters/trainers. They explained that while training for bouts at Lumpinee they were forbidden to consume unfermented soy as it is traditionally believed to lower aggression. Whether or not this is true , I can’t say, but I reckon those fellas have been doing it for centuries. Then again, they bless themselves with venom, so who knows.

Good luck Jerman.
keep it varied and tasty and you'll do fine.

[wigger thomas]

I'm lacto-ovo. Have been for 20+ years.

Studied east indian [ayurvedic] and macrobiotic theories. Middle eastern food can easily be done veg. So can mexican but be careful of lard at low end mex. restaraunts.

Eat lots of dark greens for calcium and B vitamins. Twinlabs makes a veggie b12 sublingual vitamin. I stopped worrying about B-12 a while ago. I do eat eggs sometimes.

[fxdwhl]

Vegan for about 3 years now. Eat a variety of grains, soy, greens, fruits, nuts, etc. Try to avoid junk vegan food but still get sucked in now and then. Buy some cookbooks and learn your way around a kitchen. I don't get hung up on protein too much cause like said earlier, it's in almost everything and in a much more digestible form then meat. I will get clif bars for longer rides but daily commuting type stuff my regular meals keep me moving just fine. As for B12, nutritional yeast contains a variety of B's if I remember correctly and adds a cheesy taste to dishes.

[PutAwayWet]

I will get clif bars for longer rides but daily commuting type stuff my regular meals keep me moving just fine.

Try Larabars - I find them much better on my system. And they're fully raw.

[fxdwhl]

Try Larabars - I find them much better on my system. And they're fully raw.

Tried them and they are tastey with like 5 ingredients each. Clifs I can get at the grocery store so out of shear ease I tend to buy them.

A homebrew combo I'm fond of is almonds, raisons, and sea salt mixed up in a ziploc. Sugar, fat, salt, protein. Cheap too.

[abegold]

As I'm close to Mexico in AZ. I do love burritos. If you don't want the gas, I just add some baking powder while in the crock pot. I get 20 miles to the burrito!
For all high energy rides I take about 4 spirulina tablets and always ride stronger.
Always try to eat fruits first, aids digestion.
I do eat cheese as pizza is a staple. Back in the 70's it was really tough to eat out. Now there's mexican, indian, italian and more. Not that big on chinese anymore, just not that healty.
When I first tried it I felt so much better after 3 weeks I knew I'd NEVER go back to eating meat.

[jerman]

I'm lacto-ovo. Have been for 20+ years.


What's lacto-ovo? I forgot there were all kinds of vegetarians out there.

[PutAwayWet]

Lacto - consume dairy products
ovo - eat eggs
pesce - eat seafood
schlongo - love tube steak :eek:

[tryandgetme]

schlongo - love tube steak :eek:

don't you mean meat whistle?

[PutAwayWet]

don't you mean meat whistle?

Trouser trout? That falls under the pesçe I think :p

[wigger thomas]

What's lacto-ovo? I forgot there were all kinds of vegetarians out there.

It means I eat dairy and sometimes eggs. Eggs are very hard to avoid altogether. Like when people bake stuff and offer it to you.

[jerman]

It means I eat dairy and sometimes eggs. Eggs are very hard to avoid altogether. Like when people bake stuff and offer it to you.

Well Wigger, It has been about a week now and I have not eaten a bit of meat. Have decided the Lacto-Ovo route is for me. Gotta say, even after only a week I feel better.

[vladamir]

Well Wigger, It has been about a week now and I have not eaten a bit of meat. Have decided the Lacto-Ovo route is for me. Gotta say, even after only a week I feel better.

Good for you! How's your pocket book? I found that my grocery expense dropped by half when I became vegetarian. I spend 80ish bucks a week in groceries for a three person household.

[Knapes]

In theory I would love to eat an all vegetarian diet, I just don't know if I could adapt to the lifestyle. I eat very little meat but every now and then I've got to have some fajitas or a nice burger. The question I have is: why did you (the vegetarian crowd) make the change. Is it a health decision, an environmentally motivated one, or just an animal rights fan? I think all three are pretty good arguments but just wondering, what is the main reason you switched. (Assuming you weren't raised vegetarian)

[davkatreb]

Good for you! How's your pocket book? I found that my grocery expense dropped by half when I became vegetarian. I spend 80ish bucks a week in groceries for a three person household.
You get what you pay for.

[poison idea]

The question I have is: why did you (the vegetarian crowd) make the change. Is it a health decision, an environmentally motivated one, or just an animal rights fan? I think all three are pretty good arguments but just wondering, what is the main reason you switched. (Assuming you weren't raised vegetarian)

good question. always curious about others motivation.

for me it was '95. me'n some friends were headed to the beach and being a lustfull young buck, i wanted a six pack. a veg friend advised me to either give up beer or red meat/dairy. naturally i gave up meat.

went to college and a buncha friends were involved in the vegan sxe scene. sobriety made no sense to me, but they educated me on the impact of the meat/dairy industry on economy/society/earth/animals. made a lot of sense and i figured if i could live my life causing less harm to others, i was obligated to do so. as long as i have options, i'll stay vegan.

[jerman]

Good for you! How's your pocket book? I found that my grocery expense dropped by half when I became vegetarian. I spend 80ish bucks a week in groceries for a three person household.

Too early yet to judge the checkbook. Had to buy a lot of staples I didn't have in the pantry. Hopefully will see a reduction in grocery bill but the wife does have expensive tastes.:D

[jerman]

In theory I would love to eat an all vegetarian diet, I just don't know if I could adapt to the lifestyle. I eat very little meat but every now and then I've got to have some fajitas or a nice burger. The question I have is: why did you (the vegetarian crowd) make the change. Is it a health decision, an environmentally motivated one, or just an animal rights fan? I think all three are pretty good arguments but just wondering, what is the main reason you switched. (Assuming you weren't raised vegetarian)

The first thing that got me thinking about going veg was watching Fast Food Nation. Caused me to do some research of my own and I found that these factory farms are very inhumane not only to the animals they raise and slaughter but also to the humans that work for them. Just feel I don't want to support that type of industry. I am not anti-meat as much as I am anti-inhumane treatment. They hard part is finding egg and dairy products that don't come from the same type of industry.

Also, I find that not eating meat makes me feel healthier overall.

[Hand/of/Midas]

They hard part is finding egg and dairy products that don't come from the same type of industry.

.


find a local farmer who sells his eggs,there are alot around me, but i live on the edge of the burbs/cornfield jungle. the eggs are smaller than store jumbo eggs, but are totally steroid/chemical free, and cheaper, and your supporting your LEF(local egg farmer).:p

[jerman]

Been Veg for about 3 weeks now and am happy so far. Only problem is I am getting some serious gas now! When I take the dogs for a walk I end up "crop dusting" along the way.:D

Any of you other vegetarians have any issues with severe gas? If so, what do you do about it?

[vladamir]

Been Veg for about 3 weeks now and am happy so far. Only problem is I am getting some serious gas now! When I take the dogs for a walk I end up "crop dusting" along the way.:D

Any of you other vegetarians have any issues with severe gas? If so, what do you do about it?

Sorry buddy, package deal:eek::D:p

Just keep expelling during your outdoor excursions, cycling is even better than walking the dog.;)

It will subside some with time. Cut back on the cabbage family, beans/legumes etc. (gas causing foods) and or try prepping and cooking them differently. Try soaking and rinsing beans/legumes and eating spices with them that lessen gas issues. Some folks handle them better than others. Some folks do better with particular foods than others.

[PutAwayWet]

Been Veg for about 3 weeks now and am happy so far. Only problem is I am getting some serious gas now! When I take the dogs for a walk I end up "crop dusting" along the way.:D

Any of you other vegetarians have any issues with severe gas? If so, what do you do about it?

My biggest issue was soy. Once I cut most of the unfermented soy out of my diet, most of the gas went with it. Soy milk, tofu, etc - all gas mongers. Tempeh is fermented, so I don't have an issue with that. My nutritionist said that soy isn't very digestible (meaning there's lots left over for the sulfate reducing bacteria in your gut to eat). Also, pro-biotic foods like raw milk and yogurt can help you digest stuff and help control the gas producing biota. Stay away from lentils. They can be deadly for anyone within 100 yards (91.44 m for you non americans) :eek:

Like Vlad said though - there's a time it's going to take for your body to adjust. Get an odor absorbent office chair, take lots of outdoor breaks, and apologize profusely at home. It'll lessen a bit as time goes on :)

[Knapes]

Stay away from lentils. They can be deadly for anyone within 100 yards (91.44 m for you non americans) :eek:



...got to love them lentils. Even though I'm only a part time vegetarian lentils are a staple in our household. The best part is that we save a fortune by not having to fumigate the house. The worst part was lentiling up my little girl growing up. The diaper changes were unbelievable.