Vegetarian or not?
Replies
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'm a vegetarian because I simply don't like meat. I think your mother has the right idea that protein is important, but that protein doesn't have to come from meat.
I'm very particular about hitting my protein goals, and like other posters mentioned above, I also use Beyond Meat products. Even my meat eating husband and son like them. But most of my protein comes from beans and grains, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt.
If you dislike meat, why eat something that's supposed to taste just like it?
It's like me disliking olives, but then eating little balls of olive flavored tofu. These things seem contradictory to me.0 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
how are you vegan and low carb?
I don't understand this question.
Vegan: not eating any animal products.
Low carb: not eating carbs.
I'm not sure how they relate to each other?
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The idea that every meal must contain meat is an odd one. For starters, why would every meal need it? Beans on toast is a common lunch. Cereal is a common breakfast...
Meat everyday is a very modern concept only made possible by modern intensive farming methods.0 -
@heiliskrimsli
If you dislike meat, why eat something that's supposed to taste just like it?
It's like me disliking olives, but then eating little balls of olive flavored tofu. These things seem contradictory to me.
Because it doesn't. It gets close, sure, but it does not taste or have a mouthfeel that is EXACTLY like meat. Food is complex -- it's not just taste, but texture and presentation that make something delicious. Maybe somebody likes the taste of olives, but not the texture or the fact that they look like rubber. Tofu has a different consistency and appearance, making those little balls taste like heaven to the person who dislikes traditional olives.
EXAMPLE: I went vegetarian for religious reasons mostly, but I also was getting more and more finicky about meat. The veins and just general signs it came from a dead animal were giving me the heeby jeebies. I stopped eating chicken off the bone and started just eating the boneless stuff. Then even that skeeved me out after a while. So I was barely eating meat before I gave it up. Now I will demolish some vegetarian chicken nuggets or strips -- taste is similar, but the texture and general animal parts are missing.1 -
jbirdgreen wrote: »@heiliskrimsli
If you dislike meat, why eat something that's supposed to taste just like it?
It's like me disliking olives, but then eating little balls of olive flavored tofu. These things seem contradictory to me.
Because it doesn't. It gets close, sure, but it does not taste or have a mouthfeel that is EXACTLY like meat. Food is complex -- it's not just taste, but texture and presentation that make something delicious. Maybe somebody likes the taste of olives, but not the texture or the fact that they look like rubber. Tofu has a different consistency and appearance, making those little balls taste like heaven to the person who dislikes traditional olives.
EXAMPLE: I went vegetarian for religious reasons mostly, but I also was getting more and more finicky about meat. The veins and just general signs it came from a dead animal were giving me the heeby jeebies. I stopped eating chicken off the bone and started just eating the boneless stuff. Then even that skeeved me out after a while. So I was barely eating meat before I gave it up. Now I will demolish some vegetarian chicken nuggets or strips -- taste is similar, but the texture and general animal parts are missing.
I guess I will just never understand it, because there's nothing about an actual made of chicken type chicken nugget that even resembles a chicken either. The faux chicken nuggets and the real ones look the same, they feel the same, they supposedly taste the same with the same texture as those chicken nuggets that are made of the formed chicken paste (mechanically separated chicken, it's called). Is it really that you're just worried about there being a bone in the one that's made out of actual chicken?0 -
SarahLascelles1 wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
how are you vegan and low carb?
I don't understand this question.
Vegan: not eating any animal products.
Low carb: not eating carbs.
I'm not sure how they relate to each other?
It's challenging to be vegan and low carb because a lot of the "healthy" low carb staples that most people know/talk about -- eggs, cheese, lean meats -- are off limits to a vegan. It's not impossible to be a low-carb vegan, just a little more difficult than it would be for a meat eater or even a vegetarian that eats eggs/dairy.
I for one want to know what @willnorton eats, because I'm thinking about eating more plant-based food (less dairy) and less carbs.2 -
SarahLascelles1 wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
how are you vegan and low carb?
I don't understand this question.
Vegan: not eating any animal products.
Low carb: not eating carbs.
I'm not sure how they relate to each other?
It would be extremely hard. Think about what foods are low in carbs yet are not animal products, and also think about things like getting enough protein and calories. It also depends on what "low carb" means, of course.4 -
heiliskrimsli wrote: »jbirdgreen wrote: »@heiliskrimsli
If you dislike meat, why eat something that's supposed to taste just like it?
It's like me disliking olives, but then eating little balls of olive flavored tofu. These things seem contradictory to me.
Because it doesn't. It gets close, sure, but it does not taste or have a mouthfeel that is EXACTLY like meat. Food is complex -- it's not just taste, but texture and presentation that make something delicious. Maybe somebody likes the taste of olives, but not the texture or the fact that they look like rubber. Tofu has a different consistency and appearance, making those little balls taste like heaven to the person who dislikes traditional olives.
EXAMPLE: I went vegetarian for religious reasons mostly, but I also was getting more and more finicky about meat. The veins and just general signs it came from a dead animal were giving me the heeby jeebies. I stopped eating chicken off the bone and started just eating the boneless stuff. Then even that skeeved me out after a while. So I was barely eating meat before I gave it up. Now I will demolish some vegetarian chicken nuggets or strips -- taste is similar, but the texture and general animal parts are missing.
I guess I will just never understand it, because there's nothing about an actual made of chicken type chicken nugget that even resembles a chicken either. The faux chicken nuggets and the real ones look the same, they feel the same, they supposedly taste the same with the same texture as those chicken nuggets that are made of the formed chicken paste (mechanically separated chicken, it's called). Is it really that you're just worried about there being a bone in the one that's made out of actual chicken?
To me, I can tell the difference. Maybe not as much chicken or faux chicken nuggets, which are super processed and full of fillers that can mask that taste -- but mostly in things like chicken strips (beyond meat, gardein, or boca strips) and cutlets (quorn). There is a taste in real meat that is indescribable, and I haven't tasted an exact replica yet. A restaurant accidentally sold me a vegetarian burrito that had real chicken in it. I knew on one bite that something was off and that it was real meat, even though it was chopped up in a heavily-seasoned sauce.0 -
heiliskrimsli wrote: »I guess I will just never understand it, because there's nothing about an actual made of chicken type chicken nugget that even resembles a chicken either. The faux chicken nuggets and the real ones look the same, they feel the same, they supposedly taste the same with the same texture as those chicken nuggets that are made of the formed chicken paste (mechanically separated chicken, it's called). Is it really that you're just worried about there being a bone in the one that's made out of actual chicken?
I actually went vegan for ethical reasons and I liked to eat meat when I was a kid, but to me there is a difference in many meat substitute products. For me it's honestly mostly smell. I've been vegan for 20 years, so even though I used to like meat, I'm certainly not used to it now. Most "real meat" products, even those made from "pink slime" of blended up meat smell strangely metallic to me. Actually cow's milk smells like blood to me a little now. Once my old roommate got some cow's milk (she wasn't vegan but often ate vegan anyway) and poured a big glass in the kitchen and I came in and was like "are you bleeding? I smell blood?" but it was the milk. Weird.
From what I remember of chicken nuggets they had a greasier feel and a chunkier texture (I think they blend up skin and cartilage in there too) than the fake ones, but the smell will get me every time. I guess jbirdgreen says she can tell even if it's covered in sauce, and that might get past me on smell, but I think it might taste metallic to me now. It hasn't happened, so I don't really know.
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There are plenty of plant based options that aren't massively carby. Legumes, nuts, soy (technically legumes but worth mentioning). If you eat dairy, there's eggs, milk, cheese, yoghurt...
Vegetarian and vegan foods aren't just carbs.0 -
SarahLascelles1 wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
how are you vegan and low carb?
I don't understand this question.
Vegan: not eating any animal products.
Low carb: not eating carbs.
I'm not sure how they relate to each other?
Because most vegans ad vegetarians tend towards higher carb diets...fruit, veg, grains, legumes, lentils, etc all tend to be mainstays of these diets typically.
Every vegetarian and vegan I know eats a diet fairly high in carbohydrates...I would think being both vegan and low carb would substantially limit options.6 -
Yeah, I made the mistake of reading that book. Basically, in a nutshell: every disease known to man is caused by animal products, and here is an out of context study that doesn't even say what I'm trying to say for ya.
ETA: To give you an idea of what's in the book: Chicken has arsenic and fecal residue, and it causes cancer, obesity, insulin spikes, UTI, and a bunch of other diseases that I forgot. They're also fed prozac so you better watch it. Plus eggs accelerate cancer at a rate faster than anything on earth. Why aren't you dead yet?
If you are interested in veganism I would look into better sources for info.
Edit #2: I don't like meat, so I just pick it out of the meal when possible or eat the other parts of the meal that don't have meat if not possible. Picking it out would not work if you are going vegetarian (you would still have residue and broth) but you could easily eat with your family without having them change their cooking habits. Just tell your mom she doesn't have to change anything and that you will manage. Vegetarian food can be really delicious. Eat the parts of your meal that have no animal protein and supplement with your own cooking.4 -
When I transitioned to becoming vegetarian, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. There are a lot of foods to make up for the protein and fat you get from animal meat. I find that I actually feel better without the meat. I still do eat eggs though. If it wasn't for eggs and cheese , I would be vegan. I love finding new creations in smoothies, dinners, and even creative lunches and finding out how to get my daily amount of protein in. I find it fun and creative. I guess if you motivate yourself to do it, you can do anything.1
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SarahLascelles1 wrote: »There are plenty of plant based options that aren't massively carby. Legumes, nuts, soy (technically legumes but worth mentioning). If you eat dairy, there's eggs, milk, cheese, yoghurt...
Vegetarian and vegan foods aren't just carbs.
Beans are fairly high in carbohydrates. It would be challenging to eat a low carb diet and get a substantial portion of one's protein needs through beans.4 -
SarahLascelles1 wrote: »There are plenty of plant based options that aren't massively carby. Legumes, nuts, soy (technically legumes but worth mentioning). If you eat dairy, there's eggs, milk, cheese, yoghurt...
Vegans don't eat dairy, so that's out.
The carbs in those other foods add up pretty quickly.
I'm not saying it's impossible (that depends on what "low carb" means), but I think it would be extremely challenging to do, especially in trying to get a reasonable amount of protein. Plant foods by definition have carbs. Nuts are higher fat, but still (since I just logged some) almonds contribute about 24 g carbs for 24 g protein (and also 680 calories). Half a cup of lentils (dry) have about the same amount of protein, but twice as many carbs -- 48. Soy options have less, but it would be a tough diet to do.4 -
MadInGlasvegas wrote: »I m not sure which country you live in but most have national health organisations advising on healthy diets. Direct your mum there to get facts right. Me and my non vegan partner manage to cook for two or four (if kids are around tgat is who are also not vegan but sadly coeliac) and eat together the same meal.
You need to be the poster person for all those people that continually complain about how they can't eat the way they want because of their S.O, children, roommates, other family, etc.0 -
I'm a pescetarian and I know a whole lot of vegetarians. Lots of balanced meals can be made without meat.4
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If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding.7
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Michael Greger is a militant vegan who has an agenda to push.3
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Personally I do not eat meat for ethical and moral reasons. Plus, it's way too easy to get protein without meat (and you also avoid a lot of cholesterol and fat!)
You should do what you think is right for YOU based on YOUR decisions, no one else's.1
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