Plant Based Diet

If you eat eggs then you are not a vegetarian.

I believe it's called lacto-ovo vegetarianism.

Call it what you want, I call it "I don't eat most animals, but I eat baby chickens".

Actually its not a baby chicken, its an unfertilized egg so basically the hens * ahem* period/ovulation.It has never been alive. If it was a baby chicken it would look like this: http://www.mrstyleking.com/best-most-delicious-most-bizarre-filipino-food-balut/

No, just no, to that link.

Since sharing personal anecdotes is the in thing on this thread, here's mine

I went through quite a long phase of being vegan, and guess what, I got fatter. I blame this on two things. 1. the fact that in order to get enough protein, I had to eat a lot of carbs. Low protein high carb diets don't suit me. I'm the same if I eat way too much bread and cereal bars and not enough protein when I'm getting that protein from animals, so it's not just the vegan diet that has this effect on me. 2. vegan soft cheese. Like philadelphia, but made from tofu. But making it from tofu doesn't make it any healthier than philadelphia.

After starting a high protein diet, where I get most of the protein from meat, fish and dairy, I found it a lot easier to maintain a healthy weight. Additionally, when I included a significant amount of red meat, I felt even heavier. Also the inclusion of probiotic dairy makes me feel healthier than when I don't include that in my diet. My digestive system seems to like dairy a lot. (I'm descended from European dairy farmers so can digest lactose just fine). It seems that my body prefers to get quite a lot of protein and I have to be careful not to overeat on carbs. It's much much easier to do that while eating meat and fish than it would be on a vegan diet, in fact I'm not sure how I could get enough protein on a vegan diet (and I mean all 8 essential amino acids in sufficient quantities) without overeating on carbs in the process.

BTW I've nothing against the vegan diet as an ethical choice. It's this recent trend for pseudoscience claiming benefits of the vegan diet that either don't exist, are greatly exaggerated, or come from eating more vegetables not from cutting out animal products, and how they demonise animal protein. I mean for some people, "eat less animal protein" is probably good advice. Some people do eat too much of it. But "all animal protein is bad" errr... no.

I think if you want to do it, do it at your pace. You can either go cold turkey OR just start eliminating it meal by meal until you're comfortable. Eating a plant based diet is definitely beneficial in my opinion, but I don't exclude animal protein as of now. I believe that the meat we eat now are definitely more hazardous than just a few generations ago. Most of the meat we eat has been factory farmed, injected with all kinds of crap that gets consumed by us. BUT plants can also be genetically modified and hosed with pesticides. So now I don't get caught up in either side, I enjoy what I want, try to make the best decisions based on what my body needs, and go from there. Some days I eat only plants, some days I eat chicken and fish, some days I eat lots of junk, but the key is to do what is best for YOU!

If you eat eggs then you are not a vegetarian.

I believe it's called lacto-ovo vegetarianism.

Call it what you want, I call it "I don't eat most animals, but I eat baby chickens".

Actually its not a baby chicken, its an unfertilized egg so basically the hens * ahem* period/ovulation.It has never been alive. If it was a baby chicken it would look like this: http://www.mrstyleking.com/best-most-delicious-most-bizarre-filipino-food-balut/

Considering that most vegetarians don't eat meat because they want to avoid eating an animal that was treated cruelly and then killed for consumption, it is ironic that anyone who wants to be a vegetarian would choose to consume either dairy or eggs, since those are two of the cruelest ways animal products are harvested over a long period of time.

This is a feed lot. This is not where the cattle were raised. They are there for a short period of time before they are slaughtered. A vast majority of the beef in the U.S. is raised on a free range for 95% of their lives.

No, this is a freestall barn. This is where the dairy cattle spend 90% of their time. The only time they leave this area is when they walk up a concrete path to a milking parlor, get milked, and then return to the freestall barn.

And the vast majority of the beef steers and heifers in the U.S. are raised in small concrete stockyards where their food source is carefully controlled. Then they are "grained out" for the last few weeks to marble the meat and slaughtered.

Maybe i am biased because i grew up on a ranch and we butchered our own meat, but if you want to eat a healthier meat than what you would buy at walmart (because they do actually inject a whole bunch of dyes etc... into their meat-raw meat directly from the cow is not usually bright red) get to know your local ranchers and farmers. and buy your meat from an actual butcher shop instead of the grocery store. The butcher shop should be able to tell you if the meat is local and or range fed etc... I haven't bought beef at a store for years, and there is definitely a different taste for store bought beef vs. butcher shop beef or home butchered beef. I know some people who will buy it directly from a rancher (usually they do this as a group and then each get a half/quarter whatever). If you do this you can see exactly how the cows are raised usually. Humans have eaten meat for thousands of years, but the less stops you have between the animal and your table the better.

I agree with the flavor part of this post.
In my opinion, "barely dead" meat tastes better than grocery store meat. For that reason alone, I wish I could get my hands on more of it, but it's just not practical for me.

I just finish watching ,"Forks over Knives" and I must say , lots of interesting things on there, especially the part on Protein!! All meat protein are bad for you! Even chicken and turkey , according to the show. My question is,are there anybody on here on this Plant base diet? And how did you lean off all meat ?

You can't just blatantly believe every television show you see. Humans have been consuming meat protein since they first appeared on Earth. If you want proof that we are supposed to be carnivores, just look at our teeth. They are designed for biting, tearing, and chewing meat as well as plants.

Oh I dont believe every show I watch lol. Thats why I ask if anybody is eating like this, just wanted some feedback ! But some stuff you do see is a bit scary to what they do too animals on farms and stuff!!

As many others have stated, we are omnivores and meant to eat plants and animals. Don't get the grocery store meat. YUCK.

Source out locally grown and raised animals that are humanely slaughtered and buy directly from the farmer. You will be telling the large corporations that you don't like the CAFO (factory farming system), helping your local farmer and economy and you will be feeding you and your family wholesome, real food.



If it has a face and had a mother - safe to eat
If it grows in the ground or on a tree and I can pick it and eat it - safe to eat.

Grocery store meat is also safe to eat.

Grocery store EMPLOYEES have faces and mothers. NOT safe to eat.

Potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, onions etc. grow under the ground. MUCH safer to eat than grocery store owners.

I just finish watching ,"Forks over Knives" and I must say , lots of interesting things on there, especially the part on Protein!! All meat protein are bad for you! Even chicken and turkey , according to the show. My question is,are there anybody on here on this Plant base diet? And how did you lean off all meat ?

You can't just blatantly believe every television show you see. Humans have been consuming meat protein since they first appeared on Earth. If you want proof that we are supposed to be carnivores, just look at our teeth. They are designed for biting, tearing, and chewing meat as well as plants.

Oh I dont believe every show I watch lol. Thats why I ask if anybody is eating like this, just wanted some feedback ! But some stuff you do see is a bit scary to what they do too animals on farms and stuff!!

As many others have stated, we are omnivores and meant to eat plants and animals. Don't get the grocery store meat. YUCK.

Source out locally grown and raised animals that are humanely slaughtered and buy directly from the farmer. You will be telling the large corporations that you don't like the CAFO (factory farming system), helping your local farmer and economy and you will be feeding you and your family wholesome, real food.



If it has a face and had a mother - safe to eat
If it grows in the ground or on a tree and I can pick it and eat it - safe to eat.

Grocery store meat is also safe to eat.

Grocery store EMPLOYEES have faces and mothers. NOT safe to eat.

Potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, onions etc. grow under the ground. MUCH safer to eat than grocery store owners.

Not to mention multiple plants that are toxic for human consumption - not safe to eat.

and if it has a face and a mother, you should make sure mother is not around before you attempt to eat it, or you may become the eaten.

True...
You know what? This is all getting too confusing!
I think I'm just going to stick to eating the food I like in moderation and leave the rules, people-eating and unsafe plant eating to others.

Those types of shows on Netflix are great for entertainment purposes but I've yet to see one that uses credible scientific studies to back them up (except The China Study - they love that even though it's been highly discredited for lack of control measures).

The China Study -- on which "Forks Over Knives" is entirely based -- wasn't just debunked by "lack of control measures"; their own data actually says the *opposite* of what they claim. There's a thorough critique and takedown here: http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/the-china-study-myth

Bad science is bad.

That movie is amazing. After watching it, i thought it was BS, but i decided to research a little more, and give it a shot. After only a short while, i realized that eating plants made me feel amazing! My cycling speed increased, my stamina increased, and i just felt awesome.

I think the key is just to start trying out new recipes. Find some whole foods, plant based recipes all over the internet. Start swapping out your usual foods for some plant based meals. As you try out new recipes, they wont always be something you like, but many will be recipes you'll want to keep. Once you develop a good amount of plant based recipes that you enjoy eating, and make you feel great, you will just gravitate towards those foods.

Start simple, just add some fruit to your break fast, and add a big ol' salad of greens to your dinner.

Lack of control measures??!!??! Hmmmmmmmmmm like what? Does that "debunk" the data?

I don't think most people understand what that WOULD have meant for the data in that documentary.

Most people don't know how to evaluate a project like that and draw reasonable conclusions. "Debunked" is such a terrible word.

That study, the book about, the documentaries that reference it, the people that did - this is fairly typical of "science" and "data".

AND what we are doing in this thread is some version of what makes Carl Sagan admirable and exceptional.

cliffdc said:

That study, the book about, the documentaries that reference it, the people that did - this is fairly typical of "science" and "data".

Half the data was fabricated and the rest shows the opposite of what they claimed. The quality of the China Study is not at all "typical of science." At least, not typical of peer-reviewed science, which is why it was self-published rather than appearing in any respected journal. What's typical is that the entire "study" was debunked -- science is self-correcting, given enough time.

It's just a shame that "Forks Over Knives" was released to the masses who will never read a scientific study in their lives, and so spend their lives believing a lie. (Not that I'm against vegetarianism. It's just that if your reasons for it come from "Forks Over Knives" you should seriously reevaluate.)

http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/the-china-study-myth

There is so much advice and much of it is polar opposite of other advice. If I were to follow it all, I'd explode.

No, evaluate the evidence critically and go with that. Throw away the junk, like "Forks over knives".