Carnivore going to try the Veggie path :-)

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brentbat
brentbat Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been chuckling to myself as I have been reading through some of the posts on this board... At risk of re-heating a fairly fiery debate, I thought I'd share my experience.

I'm a pretty die-hard meat eater... Love my meat... all types.

Well I read Collin Campbell's book The China Study and I found it pretty compelling. I'm not a scientist, but I was pretty persuaded by the journey that the author has taken in his research. Persuaded enough to give up meat. Yes, just over 1 week ago I stopped eating meat... and dairy.

Now before everybody points me to the criticisms of the book, save your breath... I've read them... and I've read Campbell's responses... It is not going to change my mind to try life as a Veggie and see how I feel.

I'm still deciding on whether I'll eat fish or not. (I love fish).

I'm recording my diet for a couple of weeks, then I plan on meeting with a nutritionalist to analyze my diet and get their advice.

Now here's the interesting thing. 1 week in and I'm not really missing meat. I'm finding some really yummy recipes and I'm enjoying experimenting with food. So all I can say is so far so good. If any other meat eaters have ditched meat and have any words of wisdom or favorite recipes.... Please share.

I have to say, I'm feeling great and I've been losing weight.... Viva la Veggie!!!


:-)

Brent

Replies

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    O.K. as long as we are clear about Campbell : )
    Most of the time I eat vegetarian. Once a week or two I have some chicken.
    I notice sometimes that I am not getting enough oils, so I increase fat/oil.
    I have noticed that when people change their diets and do well, they do not miss the old . . . except for the smells.
    The smell of certain foods can bring people back to fond memories of past good meals.

    Joel Furhman has good recipes:
    "Eat to Live Cookbook: 200 Delicious Nutrient-Rich Recipes for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Reversing Disease, and Lifelong Health"

    Hubby does the cooking in our house so I do not have much to contribute to recipe ideas. When I "cook," as I did today, I put garbanzo beans in a crook pot for my lunches this week.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,020 Member
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    I'm not vegetarian, but I do eat a lot of vegetarian and vegan meals. I tend not to use recipes much other than for baking -- I just throw things together for salads, stews, stir-fries, soups, curries, etc. based on what I have on hand, and what I'm in the mood for.

    From logging, however, I do know what was in a very yummy chick pea (a.k.a garbanzo beans) curry I just finished off the other night (It was leftovers stored in the freezer since just before a trip I took a couple of months ago, so I wouldn't remember without the logging and the MFP "my recipes" function):

    245 g. fresh tomatoes (chopped -- I use the seeds and skins because they don't bother me, but feel free to blanch, peel, and seed)
    9 g. ginger root (I peel and dice, because I don't mind finding a piece of ginger in my food, but feel free to grate)
    4 cloves garlic
    1 small hot pepper, seeded and chopped (it weighed 21 grams)
    13 g. fresh parsley, chopped (I had it on hand, but I'm sure it would taste fine without it)
    5 g. ground coriander seed (probably a half teaspoon)
    3 g. ground cumin (probably about a half teaspoon)
    1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
    38 g. shallots, diced (I think that was a couple of small to medium size shallots)
    318 g potato (I used russet potatoes, but I think waxy potatoes would do well in this)
    1 can (about 15 oz) chick peas

    I believe what I did what make a large dice of the potatoes and steam them first, then pan-steamed (i.e., "sauteed" in water) the shallots, added the spices, let them cook a minute or so, added then potatoes, chick peas, and tomatoes, and simmered 5 minutes or so to let the flavors combine.

    I topped it with plain, unsweetened kefir "smoothie," but it was good without it. Or you could try a soy yogurt.

    I think I'll try adding a little cinnamon another time.
  • brentbat
    brentbat Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks Lynn

    Will try that recipe out for sure.

    BP
  • IllustratedxGirl
    IllustratedxGirl Posts: 240 Member
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    I've been a vegan for 3.5 years! I loved watching Forks Over Knives, which goes over the China Study.

    I do not miss meat or cheese at all. I love the way I eat!! Everything I make is so good. My meat eating fiancé loves it all lol. Plus, the vegan restaurants in LA rock, and there are so many vegan options at non-vegan restaurants. It's definitely a good time to be living a plant based lifestyle.

    Funny story, when I was in Europe recently with my fiancé and his friend, there was this one meat dish at this one special restaurant and both of them agreed this dish was in their top 5 dishes ever (and we are all total foodies, mind you). Seeing that it ranked so high, I said, ok what the heck, I'll try a bite. For non-vegan stuff, it had land sausages and yogurt sauce with other vegan stuff. I took a bite... And really didn't feel like I had been missing anything. I shrugged and went right back to eating my marinated peppers- yum!

    Then we were in Paris... And France is like.. Impossible to eat vegan in! I was thinking I would just eat baguettes all the time, but I know those have dairy in them. So, I have up and decided to eat just vegetarian (even though dairy is my main concern, not meat). Honestly, I didn't really care for the non-vegan foods I are.. Everything was too rich and the texture of cheese seems pretty weird to me.

    Don't get me wrong.. I are some amaaaaazing food in Europe. But man, was I excited to come back to eating my regular vegan food :)
  • IllustratedxGirl
    IllustratedxGirl Posts: 240 Member
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    Oh, and for recipes, check out the vegan8 and finding vegan. They don't list the calories so you'll have to use your best judgement or upload the recipe first to see.
  • SpicesOfLife
    SpicesOfLife Posts: 290 Member
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    Then we were in Paris... And France is like.. Impossible to eat vegan in! I was thinking I would just eat baguettes all the time, but I know those have dairy in them. So, I have up and decided to eat just vegetarian (even though dairy is my main concern, not meat). Honestly, I didn't really care for the non-vegan foods I are.. Everything was too rich and the texture of cheese seems pretty weird to me.

    i was not impressed by the food in paris either. i dont know what people are talking about when they sing hymns to the french cousine! :p
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    I was low carb for most of a year, then bounced in and out of low carb for a year, I'm vegan now for ethical reasons. I hope I live forever because I went plant based. Well, I hope I live forever, anyway!

    But there is one thing I've never been sure of in that study: Did they control for pollution? People in cities tend to get more exposure to pollutants (although from what I've read China is now getting pretty polluted everywhere) and people in cities also tend to be the ones who can afford a Western diet.
  • mathmatt
    mathmatt Posts: 58 Member
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    I've been vegan for about 7 years and, while I get a craving for some sort of meat every once in a blue moon It's usually because I'm lacking something (most of the time fatty acids). I would recommend going to see a registered dietition instead of a nutritionist though as their certification process is much more rigorous. Forks Over Knives is a great documentary that talks about the china study and Fat Sick and Nearly Dead is another pretty good one but a little more extreme.

    If you're fairly active, Brendan Brazier wrote a book called Thrive that's got some great information as well as some pretty good recipes. If you're into indian food do a search for Manjula's Kitchen and her recipes are wonderful.
  • mchristo918
    mchristo918 Posts: 16
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    I was a vegetarian for 7 years and loved it. However, my health suffered (a different story all together) so I went back to eating a bit of meat weekly. I still eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but once or twice a week I do eat some sort of animal protein. It's such a a personal choice, and one only you can make; you'll get opinions from others whether you want them or not. My advice is always listen to your body, cut anything back slowly, and add back what you need, but again, slowly. And if you love fish, eat it!
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    Check out the Happy Herbivores group. Lots of good info there.
  • jzombee
    jzombee Posts: 14 Member
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    Welcome to the other end of consciousness :) ha ha ha I left all animal products about a month ago, never felt greater cleaner energy. I am full, losing weight, and feeling great. The array of different meals and dishes available to a plant based diet is beyond anything I could have imagined. I am totally loving it. I had a few health issues including mental fog, digestive issues galore and migraines. Since Going plant based I am 100% regular and no more migraines. I also feel a greater level of mental alertness. For awesome tasting recipes try this website: http://engine2diet.com/
    The main thing about eating plant based is you have to learn how to eat all over again. Teach your self the correct food groups and nutrition, do your homework and you will get great results. I researched different meals, nutrients and the 'vegan' food groups and built my menu on that.

    Along with some of the other documentaries mentioned. I would like to add vegucated and hungry for change. They all have great information on how to go Veggie correctly and getting the right nutrients for your body.

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