Plant Based diets........heart attack proof......sanjay gupta

[cornflake]

I also love almond milk. hate hate hate soy milk. the dairy I will miss the most is my half and half coffee creamer.

Creamers aren't dairy, that's the point of them!

Heh don't they make non-leather ones? There are vegan Birkenstocks!

 

[npmommie]

Creamers aren't dairy, that's the point of them!

Heh don't they make non-leather ones? There are vegan Birkenstocks!

I use really dairy creamer. half and half.
cream and milk. its awesome. I get it at a local dairy, but its in the dairy section of the supermarket too.
its not the fake stuff.
that stuff tastes good but its all oil and sugar.

and yes there are vegan danskos, I was checking them out last week on zappos.
but I have too many pairs of leather ones, and they cost too much $$ to ditch them now. LOL

 

[cornflake]

I use really dairy creamer. half and half.
cream and milk. its awesome. I get it at a local dairy, but its in the dairy section of the supermarket too.
its not the fake stuff.
that stuff tastes good but its all oil and sugar.

and yes there are vegan danskos, I was checking them out last week on zappos.
but I have too many pairs of leather ones, and they cost too much $$ to ditch them now. LOL

Ok, in my world, creamer is the non-dairy stuff.

Half and half is just... half and half, not creamer. Don't ask for creamer, or half-and-half creamer here (that'll tend to be the little coffee shop tubs of creamer (not the ones of actual milk, cream or half and half), you'll get ... creamer, heh.

Well you can stop wearing the dead things on your feet from now on though!

 

[npmommie]

Ok, in my world, creamer is the non-dairy stuff.

Half and half is just... half and half, not creamer. Don't ask for creamer, or half-and-half creamer here (that'll tend to be the little coffee shop tubs of creamer (not the ones of actual milk, cream or half and half), you'll get ... creamer, heh.

Well you can stop wearing the dead things on your feet from now on though!

LOL what are those little tubs!
I don't get coffee out, I just have a cup or two at home in the AM

 

[fall08CP]

Creamers aren't dairy, that's the point of them!

But they still aren't vegan. They contain milk products, so even though they still HAVE "dairy", they can be called non-dairy because there's no lactose

/Flamsuit on

There's a plethora of vegan ignorance in this thread. What does a vegan eat at a bbq? Grilled veggies, fruit, potato chips (original lays, fritos, there's even a variety of Dorito's that are vegan!), baked beans (just leave out the bacon), corn, rolls.. what's the big deal? You'd be surprised at how many foods are naturally vegan. And when they're not, you can substitute non-dairy milk (for baking) or margarine for butter. No big deal! Even Oreo's are vegan!

The protein issue: there is none. If I had a penny for every time I got this comment, I'd be a billionaire. Protein comes naturally in oats, breads, bagels, nut butters.. and dare I even go into the realm of beans? I eat at least one bean based meal every single day. Healthy and delicious! And let's be honest, how many in here know somebody who is protein deficient? The bigger issue is having too much protein. I eat more protein as a vegan than I ever did as an omnivore.

I don't eat tofu, tempeh, or any faux meats. Just veggies, fruit, and grains- surprisingly filling and yummy. Oh, and finally, the cheese debate. Usually cheese is the biggest turn off for going vegan. I went cold turkey from omni so I had no choice. Cheese is addictive, literally. But once you've dropped it, you stop missing it. After doing vegan for lent, I tried a slice of pizza and was so excited to experience cheese again- I thought I missed it! After one bite, I realized that it's more mental. Cheese in and of itself isn't that delicious. I scraped the cheese off and ate just crust and sauce. I haven't fallen for cheese again... and I LOVED cheese before.

/Flamesuit off

Veganism has been good for me, but I wouldn't push it on anyone else. It works for me- I've lost over 20 pounds without any other lifestyle change. My skin is literally glowing. I have a ridiculous amount of energy. It just works. I do it for my health (otherwise I'd be tempted to eat grilled cheese and mac n cheese all time!), but I appreciate that it also helps the environment and animals. I cannot force myself to eat healthy on a vegetarian or omnivore diet- I'm just too tempted. Now when I want a treat, I have to go to the store, buy the ingredients, and spend the time actually baking. My co-workers love that I'm always bringing in vegan treats- they don't taste like cardboard or broccoli, I swear!

If anybody wants to talk about veganism, please feel free to PM me. I have awesome blogs with recipes and it really is a lot easier than it sounds. From the school cafeteria today I had ratatouille, watermelon and cucumber salad, and red beans and rice. All vegan, all readily available. Now I'm grabbing a few cookie dough balls on my way back to work, they're mouthwatering!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

What the heck am I supposed to do a at BBQ?

Pass out PETA brochures and lecture people on how eating charred or burned food causes cancer.

 

[npmommie]

Pass out PETA brochures and lecture people on how eating charred or burned food causes cancer.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We are joking in case you did not read the whole thread.

 

[golfgal]

I'm always mystified by the *tooth* argument for meat-eating. I've never met a human with teeth that look like they could help take down an animal, kill it take off its outer protection, and just gnaw away. Well, I guess if we're designed to be scavengers, maybe...



Having been vegetarian since I was 20, I obviously approve of being vegetarian. Vegan is too hard for me, too addicted to lattes and cheese and ice cream (and rice milk makes my throat itch and while I like tofu depending on what it's "in", soy milk is grosser than cow's milk IMO). I've come to terms with it that I will likely not ever be vegan.

In the meantime, my friend/chiropractor is doing some sort of "primitive" diet where he eats as close to caveman food as possible. And he has found research that the fat IN foods isn't what makes the fat inside the blood vessels....

And when I was in college for my exercise science degree, we read the actual studies on low fat, low calorie, etc diets, and how they work, and the level of fat used in those diets where it actually worked was FAR lower than ANY typical meat-eater is EVER going to go in their diet. The studies showed xyz, then "they" realized that the American public wouldn't do it, so they watered down the recommendations, so that...nothing at all could change, because the recommendations were so much higher than was actually done in the studies.



It's all over the place!

It isn't that we are designed to take down animals with our bodies, we are not "designed" to kill that way. It's the lack of thick enamel on our teeth to sustain a vegetarian diet before there was running water . Animals that are herbivores have very thick enamel because raw grains, etc. are gritty and erode your teeth. Because humans do not have this, they are omnivores by design.

 

[Tinkermommy]

I don't think you can say any diet is "heart attack proof" especially since genetics may play a role in that scenario.

I do think eating mainly unprocessed food is good. We eat pounds and pounds of fruit and veggies weekly at our house.

My grandmother lived to be 91 and was in very good health until the last two years of her life (kept her own house until 87). She was a southern cook so fried everything in bacon fat or butter or lard. She had a hardy disposition.

Then you have Steve Jobs who is reported to have been a raw foodist, vegan, vegetarian or fruitarian at one time or another and now sadly he is still battling cancer.

I think know you have a genetic predispostion to something like heart disease, you should try to make sure your diet supports a healthy heart.

Best wishes OP. I think being vegan is very tough and I wish you luck with it!

 

[cornflake]

But they still aren't vegan. They contain milk products, so even though they still HAVE "dairy", they can be called non-dairy because there's no lactose

The creamer I have - which is what you'd get if you were in my house and asked for creamer - is just oil and sugar afaik. Now I'm going to look. I'm not a vegan though, so I don't care, but I didn't think there was anything in there but transfats and crap, heh.

Oh, and finally, the cheese debate. Usually cheese is the biggest turn off for going vegan. I went cold turkey from omni so I had no choice. Cheese is addictive, literally. But once you've dropped it, you stop missing it. After doing vegan for lent, I tried a slice of pizza and was so excited to experience cheese again- I thought I missed it! After one bite, I realized that it's more mental. Cheese in and of itself isn't that delicious.

Ok, so you just ate bad cheese, clearly. Because cheeses? Are delicious. Even by themselves.

Also, no, I wouldn't stop missing cheese. I love cheese. I have like 6 kinds of cheese in the house atm. and was thinking of stopping at the market to pick up stuff to make a smoked caprese. Cheeeeeeese. Which is not to say I couldn't do it I suppose, but from my perspective going vegetarian wasn't hard - going vegan would be.

Also vegan, just btw - Oreos!

 

[Iri920]

I would also pick up The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith while you're at the library. I'm not trying to be snarky, I just think people should hear both sides of an argument before making a decision.

 

[LisaR]

I am a big believer in Dr. Esselstyn, and I was SO glad Sanjay Gupta did this special. Even though I'm in my early 20s with no family risk of heart disease, I've eaten this way for years and truly cannot recommend it more strongly.

Love Dr. Essy! I honestly can't imagine eating any other way. It is so simple, inexpensive compared to the way some eat, and it feels good to not open a box or a can to make dinner. I know most people don't want to eat this way because they like dairy and meat too much but it works great for our family.

 

[npmommie]

It isn't that we are designed to take down animals with our bodies, we are not "designed" to kill that way. It's the lack of thick enamel on our teeth to sustain a vegetarian diet before there was running water . Animals that are herbivores have very thick enamel because raw grains, etc. are gritty and erode your teeth. Because humans do not have this, they are omnivores by design.

yes we are omnivores, which mean we can choose, we don't have to eat meat for survival.
I guess that is the key

Love Dr. Essy! I honestly can't imagine eating any other way. It is so simple, inexpensive compared to the way some eat, and it feels good to not open a box or a can to make dinner. I know most people don't want to eat this way because they like dairy and meat too much but it works great for our family.

I think this is the key. a whole foods real food diet. whether it is vegan vegetarian or flexitarian including a small amount of animal protein.

but to get away from science experiment food.
even a loaf of bread from the regular grocery is not "real" food. imo.

but I do think the Dr. Fuhrmans and Dr. Esselstyns are on the right track , again imo.