Eating more vegetarian....

[bicker]

Yep, I would eat that in a heartbeat. I would serve it over brown rice and have a nice big salad with it and consider that a complete meal. I don't have a single problem with that recipe.

Okiedokie... so could you clue me on on which restaurant I should avoid then? Sounds like you found a real loser of a restaurant there.

 

[LisaR]

Okiedokie... so could you clue me on on which restaurant I should avoid then? Sounds like you found a real loser of a restaurant there.

It was a restaurant in FL so I am not sure it would pertain to you. It was a local place that claimed to be all vegetarian. They used boxed fake meat many of their meals. The calories in almost every meal was ridiculous. Between oil, cheese (and many things used soy cheese instead but it is still high in fat) and nuts, it really wasn't worth eating there. Even most of their salads were a joke. We ended up heading over to a vegan restaurant that we like much better.

 

[LisaR]

With regard to vegetarians, I don't know any who slather everything with cheese? Many I know don't use cheese as it too is an animal product...

We must just hang out with different people. Most people I know think that a cheese pizza from the local pizza chain is a great, healthy meal. I see this trend even more so with teenagers. So many want to be vegetarians but their idea of healthy eating is pizza, ice cream, bagels with cream cheese, etc. I am not against any of those things once in awhile but these are daily meals for many that my kids hang with. One girl eats potato chips and Gatorade every day for lunch at school because it is vegetarian. I am 100% against chicken nuggets but I would seriously consider eating nuggets over sugar water and chips.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

...Any suggestions for us??
Thanks

Rush to your nearest fast food restaurant and order a large bacon cheeseburger deluxe. Take a bite. That should cure your problem. If it doesn't, yours may be a terminal case.

BTW, do you know what the word vegetarian means in Cherokee? bad hunter

 

[bicker]

:facepalm:

 

[Colleen27]

Rush to your nearest fast food restaurant and order a large bacon cheeseburger deluxe. Take a bite. That should cure your problem. If it doesn't, yours may be a terminal case.

Ugh, that could almost make me want to go vegetarian. Cheap, greasy, poorly prepared fast food meat is not the way to 'persuade' someone that meat is worth eating!

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Ugh, that could almost make me want to go vegetarian. Cheap, greasy, poorly prepared fast food meat is not the way to 'persuade' someone that meat is worth eating!

 

[npmommie]

Food, Inc seemed to have this effect on a lot of people. It is important to remember that vegetarian eating can be very unhealthy. Many people I know turn to meat substitutes that are full of chemicals and sodium. Vegetarians are also famous for gorging on high fat cheese. There is a belief that they will not get enough protein so they slather cheese on everything. I would make the claim that cheese is just as harmful, if not more so, than the meat.

If health is your number one priority, I suggest books like The China Study, books by Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. McDougall and websites like this one:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Good luck to you.

the majority of the vegetarians I know do not slather cheese on everything, they lean toward veganism, if not fully vegan.
very little cheese
Cheese is actually very unhealthy, and looking at it from a cruelty and health standpoint, meat is the better choice.

Not trying to generalize at all. Simply basing my opinion on the numerous vegetarian websites, books, message boards, restaurants and people in real life that I know. DH and I went to a vegetarian restaurant last weekend and walked out without ordering. Aside from a salad (minus their high calorie dressing) there wasn't anything we found to be healthy and filling. I am not a calorie counter and never have been but their stir fry had enough calories in it for the entire day and enough sodium for two days. I have three vegetarian recipe books sitting in front of me at the moment. I just checked them out of the library yesterday. I will be lucky to find three recipes between the three books that I would consider healthy. Of course, healthy is subjective so someone else may find them to be the greatest books ever written or the best restaurant on the planet.

I will give you some titles to check
Vegetarian Family Cookbook, by Nava Atlas ( or any of Nava's books)
Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moscowitz ( she has a website filled with recipes www.theppk.com)

I was surprised to hear that Food, Inc. had this effect also. To me it wasn't about NOT eating meat anymore, but more about being responsible about where the meat comes from.

We now get our meats only from the local "Grass" farms in our community. The taste is incredible, and it helps to know that the animals are not treated like they are at the factory farms.

As to the OP, there is a lot of information on meatless dishes out on the Intrawebs. Make sure you do your research, though, because you want to make sure you get a collection of recipes that will fulfill all of your dietary/nutritional needs. I've known some vegetarians who ate the same things over and over again, and wanted to know why they felt rundown and tired. Turns out they needed to add 1 or 2 new ingredients to their dishes because they were missing out on some important vitamins/minerals.

I agree with knowing where the food comes from and patronizing local farms as much as possible, but also I want to point out that Micheal Pollen advocates a diet that is mostly plants. actually most will say that a plant based diet is the healthiest and if you do use meat use it as a condiment, not the focus of the meal.

With regard to 100% grass fed beef, not only is it kinder (although that's weird to think of, the animal still dies, eh? ) but it's healthier for human consumption. It does taste better and there is a marked tendency to eat less (it's more "filling" so to speak).

With regard to vegetarians, I don't know any who slather everything with cheese? Many I know don't use cheese as it too is an animal product...

Moosewood Restaurant cookbook is the Grand Dame of vegetarian cooking. Old, but still very good.

I LOVE my Moosewood cookbook, its an oldie but a goodie!

my hubby is not veg so I do buy him meat and chicken and always from a local farm.
he does say it tastes better

my goal is not to use the meat analogs anymore, I go thru phases where I use them a lot, and that is unhealthy.

 

[MzDiz]

Add me as another that doesn't know any long time vegetarians that eat a lot of dairy. Although, LisaR did say something about the people her kids hang out with, so that may have something to do with those peoples' choices.

I have been vegetarian for years, leaning toward vegan, but I still love my eggs once in a while. I strive to eat as much raw food as possible too, but that can get a little pricey.

My advice for the OP is to look to other cultures for recipes. There are many, many countries whose populations live on very little meat, if any at all, and hundreds of years have given us some good eatins. With a little practice you'll be able to whip up a mean veggie curry in under 30 minutes.

People also don't need nearly the amount of protein they think they do. OP, do your homework and use your head, it will be easier than you think!

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

I have gone vegeterian several times in my life (first time no "red" meat for 10+ years, 2nd time no meat or dairy products for 1 year). I admit I felt I over did it on the carbs, but I did feel healthier. I would love to go veggie again, at least a couple of days a week! The main problem I encounter is the cost. It stinks to think that faux meat products are so expensive compared to ground meat (and we're really trying to pay off our debt, so my grocery budget is tight!). And if I were to buy from local farmers, wouldn't that be expensive too? Not sure what to do...

 

[LisaR]

Two things I would like to change/retract. I would like to retract my use of the word slather. Because I don't eat dairy, even small amounts look slathered to me. Second, I would like to change my word cheese to include all dairy and dairy substitutes.

Having said that, most people that I know that are vegetarian include, what I consider to be, large amounts of dairy (or the equivalent substitute) in their everyday diet. Milk or soy milk to drink or add to beverages and soups. Cream cheese, sour cream,yogurt, sliced cheese on sandwiches, small chunks to munch on, etc. Cheese on weekly pizza night, weekly pasta night and weekly Mexican night add up to a lot of dairy in my book. But I recognize that it may not be a lot to others. No biggie for me. I was simply warning the OP that there are some very unhealthy items out there and just because it says vegetarian doesn't mean it isn't full of fat, calories, fillers and preservatives.

I eat a low fat, whole grain, plant based menu. While it would be considered vegan because I don't eat any animal products, it has the added factor of no added oil and no soy. I realize this lifestyle isn't for everyone. It works for me and my family. It is all about finding something that you are comfortable with and that you will stick with. Good luck, OP.

 

[bicker]

the majority of the vegetarians I know do not slather cheese on everything, they lean toward veganism, if not fully vegan.
very little cheese

Yes that's my experience as well at least among vegetarians in my generation. I'm not so sure that that's generally true among vegetarians of the younger generation.

Cheese is actually very unhealthy,

I agree with that, but...

and looking at it from a cruelty and health standpoint, meat is the better choice.

Huh? As a generalization, I think that's not true. Substitute "fish" for "meat" and maybe that's true, but I doubt it is true for, say, bacon. The old adage (slightly adapted) rings true: "The cow is involved, but the pig is committed." And that's before we start talking about saturated fat.

my goal is not to use the meat analogs anymore, I go thru phases where I use them a lot, and that is unhealthy.

We almost never use them, anymore; not even veggie burgers.

 

[bicker]

The main problem I encounter is the cost. It stinks to think that faux meat products are so expensive compared to ground meat (and we're really trying to pay off our debt, so my grocery budget is tight!). And if I were to buy from local farmers, wouldn't that be expensive too? Not sure what to do...

I have to admit that, at ethical vegetarians, we're not necessarily worrying about the cost. So I had to look up how our food expenses changed...

April 2008 - April 2009 (as animal-eaters) $XX,071
April 2009 - April 2010 (as vegetarians) $XX,464

So we spent about $400 more in a year of being vegetarians.

 

[npmommie]

Huh? As a generalization, I think that's not true. Substitute "fish" for "meat" and maybe that's true, but I doubt it is true for, say, bacon. The old adage (slightly adapted) rings true: "The cow is involved, but the pig is committed." And that's before we start talking about saturated fat.

comparing apples to apples.............whole milk to bacon, the milk is worse.
nutrionally and cruelty wise.

whole milk 1 c ....8 gm fat, 5 gm sat fat, 24 mg cholesterol
bacon 2 slices ....6 gm fat 2 gm sat fat, 18 mg cholesterol

cruelty wise, the poor dairy cow, is kept perpetually pregnant their whole life, have their babies stolen away and killed for veal, drain the life right out of them , then they are no longer useful, they are slaughtered.

the pig is fattened up and killed.

 

[VBsHustla]

I think I spend less as a vegetarian. I can't be sure since I was a little kid when I stopped eating meat, but I stock up on things like pasta, beans, cereal, and rice about once a month. All I buy most weeks is fresh fruit and vegetables.

As far as cruelty, Jonathan Safran Foer said that from what he saw, egg laying hens are treated the worst by far and that if you give up any one thing for ethical reasons alone, it should probably be eggs. It also seems that dairy cows are treated just as bad, sometimes worse, than cows used for meat (based on what I've read, not personal experiences or anything.)

Also, LisaR, I really liked Dr. Esselstyn's book, and I've been looking into Dr. McDougall's programs. I basically followed them already, since I have nut and soy allergies, but I used to eat some olive oil. I cut out the oil like a month ago. I know they say not to worry about fat, but I can't imagine I'm getting enough. I calculated it the other day, and I only had like 16g that day? Is that way too low? I can only find their recommendations on percentage of fat, but not in grams.

 

[npmommie]

I think I spend less as a vegetarian. I can't be sure since I was a little kid when I stopped eating meat, but I stock up on things like pasta, beans, cereal, and rice about once a month. All I buy most weeks is fresh fruit and vegetables.

As far as cruelty, Jonathan Safran Foer said that from what he saw, egg laying hens are treated the worst by far and that if you give up any one thing for ethical reasons alone, it should probably be eggs. It also seems that dairy cows are treated just as bad, sometimes worse, than cows used for meat (based on what I've read, not personal experiences or anything.)

Also, LisaR, I really liked Dr. Esselstyn's book, and I've been looking into Dr. McDougall's programs. I basically followed them already, since I have nut and soy allergies, but I used to eat some olive oil. I cut out the oil like a month ago. I know they say not to worry about fat, but I can't imagine I'm getting enough. I calculated it the other day, and I only had like 16g that day? Is that way too low? I can only find their recommendations on percentage of fat, but not in grams.

yes I agree about the egg laying hens.
I refuse to patronize any factory farming industry at all.

milk is still in the house, hubby is resistant to giving it up. so it comes from a local small grass fed pasture raised farm.
same with eggs so the eggs come from a neighbors farm they have a few hens, and put out the extra eggs for sale, if I don't get the eggs from them we have a free range organic egg farmer near by and they do farm sales on saturdays, so I go there.

I have found it incredibly easy to give up eggs, I don't eat them, I don't use them in baking at all, its very easy to bake vegan and there is no difference in taste or quality.

I have a hard time giving up milk in my morning tea. I did try a coconut based creamer, it was good, but hard to get.
and the soy creamer is good, but I am trying not to eat so much soy in a processed state.

 

[bicker]

comparing apples to apples.............whole milk to bacon, the milk is worse.
nutrionally and cruelty wise.

We'll have to agree to disagree, at least about how you gauge cruelty, including the extent to which you choose to impose factors that are not the general case.

 

[Vegcentric]

This is such a good discussion so far.
It sounds like some of us have run into some really bad vegetarian restaurants. I don't like the veggie restaurants that rely on fake meat (i.e. Loving hut). I actually get grossed out by meat analogs that are too similar to the real deal, so I don't buy them. For other good resources, I like to hang out over on veggieboards.com, though the discussions can get quite lively.
Some cookbooks that I really like using are The Kind Diet, Veganomicon and Vegan Soul Kitchen. They're vegan cookbooks, but since I don't eat dairy and I rarely eat eggs, they work out best for me.

I am looking for some decent ethnic vegan cookbooks (italian, french, etc.) so if anyone know of any, let me know. And I agree with another poster, just because it's vegetarian doesn't mean you automatically get a clean bill of health. There's a lot of unhealthy vegetarian food out there. I'm pretty sure you can unhealthy no matter what your lifestyle. You need to do a bit of planning, or else it becomes easier to fall off the wagon.

 

[princessmom29]

Food inc is propoganda released by people with an agenda. It is NOT an accurate reperesentation of how most american meat processors do business. I am no longer workng in the foods industry, but I have worked for several chicken companies, and can tell you that what you see on that video is NOT how we did business. I really, really bothers me when something is so grossly misrepresented.

 

[Imzadi]

One of the biggest challenges for vegetarians is to incorporate enough protein & iron into their diets.

Here's a recent thread that talked about various proteins, like protein enriched pasta, tofu, garden burgers. Obviously, weed past the meat recipes/suggestions:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2443114