Meat & non-eat meaters (READ ME)

It's seems weird to me to eat something that resembles the food I chose to give up. I'll stick with whole foods instead of super processed foods.

I can't eat most meat substitute products because I'm gluten free and have an MSG sensitivity.

AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT has a high level of MSG, its what makes the brain think that this product has a "meaty" taste.

So - that's a no go for me. Also the soy sauce contains wheat. A lot of other brands use barley malt, which is also a no-go for the gluten free. The main ingredient in Gardein is wheat gluten. So - the main brands available in most grocery stores - Gardein, Morningstar, and Boca are not gluten safe.

That said, there are gluten free vegetarian burger options that are gluten free and soy free. SOL Cuisine makes a really tasty one made out of mushrooms and rice. However, to get products requires a specialty trip to Whole Foods or another "natural food store" where they are often expensive compared to the nutrition and satisfaction gained from them. So - for meat once or twice a week, is a more feasible and budget friendly option than paying to kind-of enjoy a $5.99 box of gluten-free veggie burgers.

That said, last time I was at Whole Foods, I had a portabello mushroom burger with cheese and pineapple on it, and it was the delish.

syntonicgarden: When they make a product that's not made of wheat gluten and doesn't make me ill, I'll consider it. If they had a non-GMO option that was wheat-free, that'd be cool too.

No painful wheat burgers for me, thanks.

I just don't understand why anyone would want to eat the stuff they use to make veggie burgers.

Vegetarianism should be clean, not pumped with chemicals. Oh of course once in a while it's ok...but daily? omg.

As a gluten free veg-head myself, I make things from scratch or close there to. I make burgers from black beans and rice and other such things...it's not difficult.

Attacking people over their choices to be vegetarian seems to me a whole lot rude. I have no issues with people's eating choices that differ from my own. I'm not vegetarian but I respect other people's choices to follow it, and at parties I have always made sure there were options for them, because I know how it feels for myself needing options...

But as far as the charge of martyrdom goes when a large portion of this thread has been people talking about various conditions they have as to why they don't like the product particularly under discussion, I found it fairly ridiculous so I made fun of it... sue me :P

Others said practically the same stuff as me in this thread.

jbonow1231 :

I can't eat most meat substitute products because I'm gluten free and have an MSG sensitivity.

AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT has a high level of MSG, its what makes the brain think that this product has a "meaty" taste.

So - that's a no go for me. Also the soy sauce contains wheat. A lot of other brands use barley malt, which is also a no-go for the gluten free. The main ingredient in Gardein is wheat gluten. So - the main brands available in most grocery stores - Gardein, Morningstar, and Boca are not gluten safe.

That said, there are gluten free vegetarian burger options that are gluten free and soy free. SOL Cuisine makes a really tasty one made out of mushrooms and rice. However, to get products requires a specialty trip to Whole Foods or another "natural food store" where they are often expensive compared to the nutrition and satisfaction gained from them. So - for meat once or twice a week, is a more feasible and budget friendly option than paying to kind-of enjoy a $5.99 box of gluten-free veggie burgers.

That said, last time I was at Whole Foods, I had a portabello mushroom burger with cheese and pineapple on it, and it was the delish.

syntonicgarden: When they make a product that's not made of wheat gluten and doesn't make me ill, I'll consider it. If they had a non-GMO option that was wheat-free, that'd be cool too.

No painful wheat burgers for me, thanks.

That_Girl

I just don't understand why anyone would want to eat the stuff they use to make veggie burgers.

Vegetarianism should be clean, not pumped with chemicals. Oh of course once in a while it's ok...but daily? omg.

As a gluten free veg-head myself, I make things from scratch or close there to. I make burgers from black beans and rice and other such things...it's not difficult.

We're just a bunch of martyrs, lol.

Because I raise my own pastured chickens and I eat them. I raise heritage breed Dominiques. They are naturally breeding, and I'm always going to have excess roosters. Always. I only need one rooster for every five to six hens to have maximum fertility. It's not really possible to rehome boys. Everyone wants girls for the eggs, but no one wants a bunch of roosters around that are going to fight. I kill them myself as humanely as possible. I know what they've had to eat their entire lives, I know where they've lived. I take responsibility for feeding myself and my family, and I feel good knowing that our food is clean. When we eat other meat, I buy from local farmers that I know and I approve of their standards.

I am always baffled by the phrase "humane killing".

I'm always baffled by people that think if they stop eating meat it will stop the inhumane treatment of animals on factory farms instead of actively trying to change it.

I am really confused by this comment.

Is your point that we should just eat meat because it won't put a stop to animal cruelty?

That seems like pretty broken logic...

If your point is that you think no one should be a vegetarian without waging some active war against animal cruelty, you still don't make any sense to me. People do what they can and shouldnt' be expected to give every last ounce they have for what they can do to be considered an effort.

Weirdness.

I take it that most of you guys are stateside( apologies if I'm wrong but didn't actually read all of the posts here) here in the jolly old U.K. we have stuff called Quorn (which the search engine reads as Quern!) which is basically mushroom protein (Mycoprotein) we get sausages (YUMMY) bacon (O.K. I guess) Burgers (YUMMY) etc etc.
Still in the midst of the 'horsemeat scandal'(horsemeat being put into lower end burgers,pies and ready meals here in the U.K and Ireland) I have preferred for some time to try and avoid meat completely. Healthier or not, I guess the answer to that one is I'm just not sure but never having the inclination to visit and abbatoir (it would give me nightmares for the REST of my life) I just figure if I can't bear to watch stuff being killed so I can eat it then I have absolutely NO right to eat it in the first place.
I have no argument against carnivores (I'm married to one) i just know healthy choice or not it's not for me.
H

Funny, every statistic I've seen has shown meat consumption in the US is rising, not falling.

I've seen that beef consumption is going down but poultry is rising. Those birds are treated no better than the cattle.

I also raise chickens free range. We hunt and eat venision instead of beef. If we do buy beef it's straight from a friend's farm.

I eat vegan a few days each week (vegan because I can't eat eggs or dairy for digestive reasons) and the rest of the time I eat fish or birds - no red meat or pork. On the nights I go meatless, why would I replace the meat with a meat substitute? I don't like faux food. There are enough yummy non-meat things to eat without adding a bunch of wierd stuff to my plate. If I wanted to eat meat I would eat it. I don't want fake meat. On meatless days I enjoy whole grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. And I cook those healthy foods from scratch into delicious meals. No need for factory meals here. :drinker:

I mostly eat chemical-filled factory foods to avoid becoming this smug.

and how's that working out for you?

Pretty well! My lack of smugness is pretty awesome, and makes me way better than other peop...

Aww, man.

I also raise chickens free range. We hunt and eat venision instead of beef. If we do buy beef it's straight from a friend's farm.

I'm sure most all of you have heard of Morning Star foods.
Why not substitute?
On a night you're going to have burgers, why not have a vege burger? They are so delicious.
Chicken nuggets, why not Morning Stars?
So much less fat, no grease, all entirely healthy & delicious.

Yes, pricey. But who has burgers every night? Who has chicken nuggets every night? I know I don't. Though Morning Star is delicious.. & It does tempt me to make one. Yummy yummy substitution

I also raise chickens free range. We hunt and eat venision instead of beef. If we do buy beef it's straight from a friend's farm.

jealous. we're not all this fortunate.

You can't source this why? I know of UK and USA grassfed organic pasteurised meat is available and is delivered to you

I do only eat grassfed, pasture raised, free range, etc, etc. I'd just rather raise them myself and or get it from someone I know like the poster I quoted.

Because I raise my own pastured chickens and I eat them. I raise heritage breed Dominiques. They are naturally breeding, and I'm always going to have excess roosters. Always. I only need one rooster for every five to six hens to have maximum fertility. It's not really possible to rehome boys. Everyone wants girls for the eggs, but no one wants a bunch of roosters around that are going to fight. I kill them myself as humanely as possible. I know what they've had to eat their entire lives, I know where they've lived. I take responsibility for feeding myself and my family, and I feel good knowing that our food is clean. When we eat other meat, I buy from local farmers that I know and I approve of their standards.

I am always baffled by the phrase "humane killing".

I'm always baffled by people that think if they stop eating meat it will stop the inhumane treatment of animals on factory farms instead of actively trying to change it.

I am really confused by this comment.

Is your point that we should just eat meat because it won't put a stop to animal cruelty?

That seems like pretty broken logic...

If your point is that you think no one should be a vegetarian without waging some active war against animal cruelty, you still don't make any sense to me. People do what they can and shouldnt' be expected to give every last ounce they have for what they can do to be considered an effort.

Weirdness.

No, I'm saying put up or shut up. It's that simple. If you use the excuse that you don't eat meat because of the treatment, I think you should follow that up by trying to change it. If you don't eat meat because you don't want to or don't like it or can't, that's fine, just say that.