Modern Buddy

Hey Modernbuddy'ers-

I have a feeling there might be a vegetarian or two among us and since this is one of the best and coolest social networks I'm a part of I wanted to ask for some advice on making the switch from meatasaurus to veggiesaurus.

I don't mean to take up lots of valuable "premium or regular," "where do I buy good gear," and "what should my oil smell like" space so please feel free to just PM me if you think you might be able to point me to some good reading/info!

Thanks!

There's a lot of great info here, and you can get a free starter kit there as well.


Personally, I still eat creatures, but I'm very selective about the creatures I'll eat: No factory farming whatsoever, and if I'm in a restaurant, they have to tell me where they get their meat before I'll eat it.

I've actually been really impressed with the number of businesses in my area who buy their meat from local farmers.

As a former vegetarian, I recommend making sure that you still get the right servings of the five food groups. Say hello to beans, tofu, and veggie burgers. It's easy to get off track and eat many things that aren't good for your health. This is especially challenging at restaurants, where you may be limited to salad.

Mind if I ask why you're going veg? (And no I am not just trying to give you $#!^)

if PETA were an animal, i'd eat it.




i couldnt resist. sorry guys.

maribell wrote:As a former vegetarian, I recommend making sure that you still get the right servings of the five food groups. Say hello to beans, tofu, and veggie burgers. It's easy to get off track and eat many things that aren't good for your health. This is especially challenging at restaurants, where you may be limited to salad.

Mind if I ask why you're going veg? (And no I am not just trying to give you $#!^)

yeah I was actually going to post that it's purely health related ( though I haven't yet been convinced it's 100% more healthy way to go for everyone, I'm pretty sure it is for me). I don't really have any problems eating animals from an ethical standpoint (though I don't know anyone who can say that the state of our animal processing industry is very pretty!).

I'm also planning on keeping fish on the menu (which I know would make me not truly a veggie), and I already eat veggie burgers and beans, even tofu, so I should be ok on the areas you talked about. I won't just start eating pizza and french fries!!!

More than anything I need to get rid of meat and dairy.

And I'm with you, mad olive. I love red meat- burgers, steaks, meatballs. you name it. But I gotta do this.

madtolive wrote:if PETA were an animal, i'd eat it.




i couldnt resist. sorry guys.

I saw a bumper sticker once that said,

"If God had meant us to eat vegetables, why did He make animals out of meat?"

To answer the question, yes, I have been a vegetarian for 20 years now. But I tend to keep my vegetarian habits to myself. However, I'd say the following:

- Most people make way too big of a deal about what you eat. I don't worry about nutrition; I just eat a very wide variety of foods (pretty much anything that doesn't have eyes or a central nervous system) and I've gotten by, like I said, 20 years, and have managed to run marathons and stuff without any problems.

- It's actually pretty easy to be a vegetarian now - not like it was back then - all the meat substitutes are good and easy to prepare.

- If you're looking for some inspiration, try Diet for a Small Planet by Francis Moore Lappe. If you want nutritional info and some recipes, get the New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. Those are good places to start. There's tons of info on the web too, of course.

BM wrote:To answer the question, yes, I have been a vegetarian for 20 years now. But I tend to keep my vegetarian habits to myself. However, I'd say the following:

- Most people make way too big of a deal about what you eat. I don't worry about nutrition; I just eat a very wide variety of foods (pretty much anything that doesn't have eyes or a central nervous system) and I've gotten by, like I said, 20 years, and have managed to run marathons and stuff without any problems.

- It's actually pretty easy to be a vegetarian now - not like it was back then - all the meat substitutes are good and easy to prepare.

- If you're looking for some inspiration, try Diet for a Small Planet by Francis Moore Lappe. If you want nutritional info and some recipes, get the New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. Those are good places to start. There's tons of info on the web too, of course.

Thanks, BM- great info there. I appreciate it lots. Good thing is there really aren't any foods I don't/won't eat so I should be able to have lots of variety.

I've been a vegetarian for about a decade now and have never looked back. It's been a rewarding experience all around. I second the notion that people make way too big a deal out of what you eat. Since cutting meat from my diet I have not had any nutritional issues at all.

I use www.happycow.net all the time to find restaurants that are Veggie/vegan friendly. There's also a database of recipes there that I've had a lot of success with.

If you're ever in the NYC or Seattle areas I can recommend some of the amazing restaurants I've found.

Good Luck!

Ovo-Lacto for over 7 years. Recently started eating seafood because, well, I like seafood.

Biggest recommendation is Becoming Vegetarian I've had to buy that thing 3 times after loaning it out and having it not come back. It is the most comprehensive guide to making the switch: recipes, nutrition, diplomacy...

Oh your one of those. I say go for it Jmazza, I've lost 25 Lbs since I reduced my animal intake.


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.p ... Vegetarian


3. vegetarian


A secret underground society that takes pleasure in torturing fruits and vegetables. They also are trying to monopolize the bottled water market.
The vegetarian continued peeling the banana, despite it's blood-curdling screams of pain and horror.

I only eat fish and eggs, which I know doesn't even seem to count as vegetarianism, but if you want to try it out for a bit or ease yourself into it, that might be a good option for you.

krysbrezinski wrote:I only eat fish and eggs, which I know doesn't even seem to count as vegetarianism, but if you want to try it out for a bit or ease yourself into it, that might be a good option for you.

Interesting.

I just cut back on my meat intake. One chicken breast a week and one steak a month. The rest of the month is fish, eggs, vegetables and fruit. I used to eat meat every meal except breakfast. I know I feel better. And like UXO, I've lost some weight. I imagine if I was more determined about it, I could cut out the meats and just stick with fish and eggs...

although, I am a sucker for a thick slice of bacon.

Hi you all. Just a word from your friendly, neighborhood moderator. I sincerely appreciate you all keeping this thread nice and friendly in keeping with the general tone of this site. In the past, this kind of topic has been the kind of thing that tends to blow up into a flame war at about 10 PM Friday evening, my time, which is about 5 hours from now. So, let's all keep our cool if somebody says something in this thread that you don't agree with.

Thanks!

i used to be a vegetarian for many years, but not because i love animals or anything. i just really hate plants.

seriously though the reasons to adopt a less meat-centric diet are many and imo valid, but the consumption of a lot of stuff made from processed soy is now being found as no muy bueno. but don't take my word for it, take google's. there are of course other things to eat, so make yourself aware of them if you are concerned with issues eating so many soy derived foods. like ethanol for example.

jrsjr wrote:Hi you all. Just a word from your friendly, neighborhood moderator. I sincerely appreciate you all keeping this thread nice and friendly in keeping with the general tone of this site. In the past, this kind of topic has been the kind of thing that tends to blow up into a flame war at about 10 PM Friday evening, my time, which is about 5 hours from now. So, let's all keep our cool if somebody says something in this thread that you don't agree with.

Thanks!

Hi John-

I can see how this could quickly nosedive into flame wars of religious/political size, that's why I was specifically just asking for resources and not opinions on the lifestyle (and PM's too!).

I just wanted to leverage the super cool and chill community that is MB because I figured there'd be a few veggies here. (Also, I did a search first to see if this had come up before and maybe there were some people I could just hit with PM's but nothing turned up)

Thanks everyone for good resources... if anyone has any other good books or especially websites/forums, could you PM them to me?

UXO wrote: 3. vegetarian


A secret underground society that takes pleasure in torturing fruits and vegetables. They also are trying to monopolize the bottled water market.
The vegetarian continued peeling the banana, despite it's blood-curdling screams of pain and horror.

I'm down with that. A secret, underground society? I already ride a scooter.

And I've always been a little put off by the way bananas have glared at me. So screw them. I'll peel them right off.

krysbrezinski wrote:I only eat fish and eggs, which I know doesn't even seem to count as vegetarianism, but if you want to try it out for a bit or ease yourself into it, that might be a good option for you.

You mean only fish and eggs in addition to fruits and veggies, grains, etc? I'm keeping fish and will probably keep eggs around. But not JUST those two right?

jmazza wrote:I just wanted to leverage the super cool and chill community that is MB...

Nooooo problem. I'm just doing that relaxed, but vigilant moderator thing.

Check out veggieboards.com. Lots of great information and chit chat.

jmazza wrote: I'm keeping fish and will probably keep eggs around.

I don't eat fish or eggs, just because I don't like the taste. However I took a Zoology class last semester and most fish are pretty dirty... I'd watch out for raw fish because they often carry worms and other parasitic infections that can transfer to humans. Also many fish have high mercury levels (mackerel & tuna for example)...

Freshwater fish are generally less safe to eat than saltwater. Larger fish with longer lifespans are also a higher risk than smaller varieties and shellfish (although shellfish are scavengers and can carry toxins). I wish I could remember what fish my teacher said she would never eat (it was one of the commonly served ones). I know mackerel and swordfish are bad and Albacore (white) tuna, clams & oysters. If you're buying fish from the grocery store, stay away from fish that has been dyed to preserve color.

Sorry, that's pretty long huh? My teacher was obsessed with fish and has been a scientist studying worms/parasites for a long time, so I assume she knows what she's talking about.

Sorry, but I didn't claw my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables..... I like meat and seafood.....to me, vegetables are what dinner eats....

Krusty, how come you left out Goldfish - the pond kind that is?

Kaz

Everything in moderation.

KRUSTYburger wrote:

jmazza wrote: I'm keeping fish and will probably keep eggs around.

I don't eat fish or eggs, just because I don't like the taste. However I took a Zoology class last semester and most fish are pretty dirty... I'd watch out for raw fish because they often carry worms and other parasitic infections that can transfer to humans. Also many fish have high mercury levels (mackerel & tuna for example)...
<Deleted for space>

jmazza wrote:You mean only fish and eggs in addition to fruits and veggies, grains, etc? I'm keeping fish and will probably keep eggs around. But not JUST those two right?

No, I mean I only eat fish and eggs.


Pfft, of course I eat an otherwise-balanced diet. I guess I should've been more clear; I meant that as far as meat-products go, I only eat fish and eggs. It's too hard for me to find protein elsewhere; I'm just not up for the challenge, especially at college, where half my meals come from the cafeteria, anyway. Not exactly the best place to look for meat-alternatives.

bunny wrote:I just cut back on my meat intake. One chicken breast a week and one steak a month. The rest of the month is fish, eggs, vegetables and fruit. I used to eat meat every meal except breakfast. I know I feel better. And like UXO, I've lost some weight. I imagine if I was more determined about it, I could cut out the meats and just stick with fish and eggs...

And technically, as long as you're not eating meat, it counts as vegetarianism. Probably won't give you a lot of street cred with the Whole Foods vegan crowd, but it's legit.

although, I am a sucker for a thick slice of bacon.

Well, that could be a problem. Haha.

KRUSTYburger wrote:I wish I could remember what fish my teacher said she would never eat (it was one of the commonly served ones).

I'm guessing catfish and I'm right there with her on that one.

joe, i'm also on the train to becoming a vegetarian. tons of reasons and I won't go into it.

I have some problems though and I, too, would like resources.

I am allergic to wheat so there are a LOT of meat alternatives that I cannot eat...Plus I have moral/ethical problems with all the corn products/byproducts that are in foods today, so I'm trying to avoid corn too... cutting out meat doesn't leave many options left, so any tips would be appreciated.

What are your ethical issues with corn? I feel sort of clueless even asking...

I'm not veggie but I do love veggie meals just as much as ones that include meat. I love my steaks and such too much to let them go forever, but I have considered trying to be more veggie and less meat than I am.

We have a really great Vietnamese place here with some outstanding veggie menu items. The things they can do with soy blow me away. If all vegetarian food was that good, I'd drop steak and chicken without question.

Do you veggie folks have any problems balancing your diet to get the right amounts of all the stuff your body needs?

Have any of you who went veggie (or fish/chicken light) tried eating meat again and if so did it bug you/make you ill/etc?

Piedmont wrote:What are your ethical issues with corn? I feel sort of clueless even asking...

no, it's ok. I watched a documentary on corn. It goes into how it's grown, processed and what it's used for and how much excess is produced each year. High Fructose Corn Syrup, Cattle feed farms, corn filler in foods.

it will be almost impossible to cut all corn out of my diet, and I know that, but i want to limit my own corn demands on the market with hopes that overall corn demand will decrease and less non-edible corn will be produced. by non-edible I mean corn that HAS to be processed into something else to be used...not kernel or cob.

oh and the documentary is called King Corn.

But won't consuming it in a pure form send the message to the producers that there's money in it that way? If you avoid "real" or "semi-real" corn it seems to me they'll just see that the money is in HFCS and feedcorn.

Piedmont wrote:But won't consuming it in a pure form send the message to the producers that there's money in it that way?

yes and i'd MUCH rather corn farmers grow edible cobs than the crap that almost all corn farmers actually grow which is processed into feed, filler, HFCS, ethanol, etc.

I believe you mistook what I was originally saying. I will eat real kernal/cob corn. i will avoid all the non-edible-in-cob-form-corn.

and that is all i'm going to say on the corn matter.

I'm with you I'm with you. I misread earlier.

My only other piece of advice is Quorn rocks hot-ass. It's totally not natural, but it's pretty daggum close to chicken in taste and texture.

Piedmont wrote:My only other piece of advice is Quorn rocks hot-ass. It's totally not natural, but it's pretty daggum close to chicken in taste and texture.

Interesting. My brother and I will have to try some of their products. I dislike most all the tofu "fake meat" products but this sounds different.

Christy wrote:

Piedmont wrote:What are your ethical issues with corn? I feel sort of clueless even asking...

no, it's ok. I watched a documentary on corn. It goes into how it's grown, processed and what it's used for and how much excess is produced each year. High Fructose Corn Syrup, Cattle feed farms, corn filler in foods.

it will be almost impossible to cut all corn out of my diet, and I know that, but i want to limit my own corn demands on the market with hopes that overall corn demand will decrease and less non-edible corn will be produced. by non-edible I mean corn that HAS to be processed into something else to be used...not kernel or cob.

oh and the documentary is called King Corn.

I really need to see that doc. Fast Food Nation (the book) had some interesting stuff about corn (unless I'm getting books confused), and this issue is becoming hotter with the debates over Ethanol and the floods in the Midwest.

alienmeatsack wrote: Interesting. My brother and I will have to try some of their products. I dislike most all the tofu "fake meat" products but this sounds different.

It is. The only other fake stuff I keep in my freezer for the most part is Amy's Texas Style veggie burgers. Very tasty, and you can pronounce everything that's in them.
I also keep Fantastic Foods Chili and Sloppy Joe mixes around for emergencies. They keep forever and are pretty tasty. I serve the sloppy joes on the rare occasions when I entertain kids, and not one ankle-biter has mentioned that it's not meat.

I don't have kids, but I can only imagine how difficult it is to fool a wee one who is used to real meat (aka fillers and odd parts) in their hotdogs, hamburgers made with real ham (aka cow) and all that.

If a kid will eat it and not complain, it means us big people will probably be OK with it too.

I am going to stop by Akins and see about the Quorn stuff and some of the others you mentioned. I could stand to lighten up on the meat and garbage I eat for sure.

And thinking about it, if I dropped say, 20lbs thanks to eating less meat, I'd have 20 less pounds for my scooter to haul around. Oh, and um yeah, I'd be healthier.

alienmeatsack wrote: And thinking about it, if I dropped say, 20lbs thanks to eating less meat, I'd have 20 less pounds for my scooter to haul around. Oh, and um yeah, I'd be healthier.

Yup... that sums up, in a very general way, a big part of what I'm thinking (though of course in the opposite order). If changing to this kind of pseudo-veggie diet can make me healthier, is it THAT hard to do?

The ethical issues follow, but are secondary to me at this time.

Christy, I hear you on the corn issues too. I've read Fast Food Nation as well and it will make you think... and be sick. One thing at a time for me!

And I never eat catfish, but I can't see cutting out tuna, salmon, swordfish, and anything found at a sushi joint just yet!!

And Piedmont, thanks for the tip on Amy's Texas Burgers- I'm gonna try them out. That's the second time I've heard that Brand talked about and while Garden Burger and Boca Burger are ok, they aren't THAT great.

Regarding kids, it's sort of ironic in my house because my son has a severe dairy allergy (like he'll die if he eats dairy and doesn't get an epi shot) so he already does dietary restrictions and eats just about anything- not picky at all. He tried some veggie burgers and veggie sausage and loved it. Lucky us!

This is a pretty awesome group of people here... it's rare to get diverse opinions with no arguing and instead have an overall a sense of wanting to know others' viewpoints. Buy a scooter- it will make you a better person!!

Morningstar Farms has some really excellent chic-n-nuggets (hubs and I call them Faux-nuggets). Their Spicy Black Bean 'burger' and the Tomato Pizza 'Burger' are definitely tastier than Boca.

Christy wrote:I am allergic to wheat so there are a LOT of meat alternatives that I cannot eat...Plus I have moral/ethical problems with all the corn products/byproducts that are in foods today, so I'm trying to avoid corn too... cutting out meat doesn't leave many options left, so any tips would be appreciated.

I'm a vegetarian with a gluten intolerance so I totally get how difficult it is! Meat alternatives are pretty much a no-go for me, so I've had to get used to a whole new way of eating. I do eat eggs and cheese. There is one kind of Gardenburger I can eat. Otherwise, I had to get used to eating basically whole foods all the time, no cutting corners with prepared food. There are some good "fake breads" which never have meat and many of which are dairy free (there's a large # of people who use a gluten free, dairy/casein free diet for autistic children, so stuff is always well-labeled). I was veg for long before I found out about the gluten thing, so it was an easier transition.
I pretty much shop only in the produce section have gotten really friendly with lentils, beans, and sometimes eggs or cheese for protein (people are generally scared of tofu, but if you treat it kindly it's great). Rice is fine to eat, and Tinkyada brand rice pasta changed my life. I fill the rest in with veggies and fruit. My nutrition is actually much better now than ever before.
It's hard at first but it's not impossible and it gets to be easy, especially now that it's summer with all the lovely farmers markets to scoot to.

When I get sad about it, I go get Indian food, Thai, or veggie pho All three usually have excellent gluten free veggie food.

Christy wrote:Morningstar Farms has some really excellent chic-n-nuggets (hubs and I call them Faux-nuggets). Their Spicy Black Bean 'burger' and the Tomato Pizza 'Burger' are definitely tastier than Boca.

Oh yeah I forgot Morningstar and their black bean burger. YUM!!

Well, that settles it. We're going to try for completely no meat except fish.

Anyone here got any good recipes for home-made "burgers" that are bean, mushroom, or similar non-meat contents, etc?

I've tried some from online and most end up mushy and fall apart. If you add egg to keep them together, well, it kind of defeats the purpose.

scooteh wrote:I'm a vegetarian with a gluten intolerance so I totally get how difficult it is! Meat alternatives are pretty much a no-go for me, so I've had to get used to a whole new way of eating. I do eat eggs and cheese. There is one kind of Gardenburger I can eat. Otherwise, I had to get used to eating basically whole foods all the time, no cutting corners with prepared food. There are some good "fake breads" which never have meat and many of which are dairy free (there's a large # of people who use a gluten free, dairy/casein free diet for autistic children, so stuff is always well-labeled). I was veg for long before I found out about the gluten thing, so it was an easier transition.
I pretty much shop only in the produce section have gotten really friendly with lentils, beans, and sometimes eggs or cheese for protein (people are generally scared of tofu, but if you treat it kindly it's great). Rice is fine to eat, and Tinkyada brand rice pasta changed my life. I fill the rest in with veggies and fruit. My nutrition is actually much better now than ever before.
It's hard at first but it's not impossible and it gets to be easy, especially now that it's summer with all the lovely farmers markets to scoot to.

When I get sad about it, I go get Indian food, Thai, or veggie pho All three usually have excellent gluten free veggie food.

thanks!

it's kind of overwhelming...I only found out last year I had to stop eating wheat and I still haven't completely pulled it from my diet. Luckily it's an allergy, not Celiacs, so i'm not damaging my body if I ingest wheat, AND luckily it's not a life threatening allergy. I just get headaches, tired, and I get congested as if I had a seasonal allergy. I've been on the road to vegetarianism for about 5 years, cutting more and more meats out and am now to the point where I see it as something I need to do, not just want to do. it won't be easy, but I'm learning more and more about food.

alienmeatsack wrote:Anyone here got any good recipes for home-made "burgers" that are bean, mushroom, or similar non-meat contents, etc?

I've tried some from online and most end up mushy and fall apart. If you add egg to keep them together, well, it kind of defeats the purpose.

I don't know but I just got a new cookbook from Amazon (I think maybe it was recommended to me in this thread) and I'll see if there's any in it.

A really great smoky 'meat' taste are the portobello mushrooms - the huge ones - on the grill.

My parents will do this every now and again and they taste and smell fantastic.

If you see any good ones, let me know. I love trying to make new things to eat.

I've found some foods are way easy to make veggie - like chili, soups if you take the time to make the veggie base, that sort of thing. You'd be surprised at how many soups that claim to be veggie have beef as their base!

A friend has been reading some books called "YOU the instruction manual" and "YOU on a diet" that I think have some good food info on it about how foods affect you and why. I think they might help those of you trying to get veggie by explaining what things in foods do what to you and then allow you to not just go veggie, but also help you to clean up your body inside by lowering the amounts of the kinds of artificial stuff you ingest as well.

bunny wrote:A really great smoky 'meat' taste are the portobello mushrooms - the huge ones - on the grill.

My parents will do this every now and again and they taste and smell fantastic.

If you grill them right, they are awesome and can be used as meat in many recipes. I've found people who don't like mushrooms will eat them grilled if they are slightly crispy on the outside and seasoned well.

BTW, the Quorn products are made from mushrooms, not soy, and are THE closest to tasting like real chicken...texture-wise too...stuff is my fave...I don't even eat chicken anymore, because I like it better (not a veg, just only eat meat 1-2 times a month).

Eh. They're actually not even mushrooms. It's a vat-grown mycoprotein, but I didn't bring that up since it's not terribly appetizing sounding.