Going Veggie

by Sirona 40 Replies latest jw friends

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  Fe2O3Girl

  You did know a vegetarian when you were a JW! I can't remember how long I kept it up for though. I seem to recall other JWs being quite judgemental about being veggie, as though eating meat was a command or requirement. Also, I just remembered another JW who is veggie - elderly, lives near where my folks used to live - pm me if you don't remember her.

  I don't have an overall ethical objection to eating meat (including poultry and seafood) but I do have serious concerns about the meat industry. Meat just shouldn't be as cheap as it is. How can you possibly get a chicken processed, packed and on a supermarket shelf for a couple of quid? It isn't right.

  I like the "River Cottage" approach to meat - give an animal a good life, minimal transportation prior to slaughter, and use as much of it as possible. I think it shows more respect for the life of the animal to use every edible bit of it, but I just don't fancy most of the offal and tripe!

  I am glad that these days I have plenty of game to eat, pheasant is definately easier on the conscience than factory farmed chicken!

  I am not sure how sustainable a completely vegetarian approach to food production is. How do you farm without muck? Dairy farming needs calves - what does a dairy farmer do with male calves? Is soya an environmentally friendly crop? How (and where) is it grown? That is not to say that I don't think it is important to go with what you feel is ethically or environmentally right.

  We usually have a couple of meat-free meals a week, usually based on beans and pulses rather than artificial meat. My favorites are roast peppers with goat's cheese, and a chickpea balti with lots of spinach and coriander.

  Enjoy your new diet - let us know how it goes!

  Rachel xx
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  rebel8

  I am mostly vegetarian. I eat seafood and chicken once in a while. I do it because I prefer these foods. I believe in it from the health and environmental perspectives too, and it helps my pocketbook, but my #1 reason is food preference.
  
  I rarely eat tofu & those sorts of things. Sometimes I will add a handful of textured vegetable protein to soup. Mainly I eat beans, vegetables, and lean dairy. I am into whole grains which are higher in protein.
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  unique1

  For locally raised meats and veggies, this is a good place to start. http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
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  dobbie

  I was a veggie jw! no one said anything, only that one day we all might be veggie like before in the days of Adam and Eve as iin the new system we wouldn't need meat.I turned veggie at 12 (which didn't go down well as dad was a butcher!) then turned vegan at 15 (when he was a milkman lol!) but that didn't last a year, soya milk and chocolate - yuk!Still veggie but cook meat for hubby and boys, though hubby quite often asks for veggie meals as he thinks they're so tasty!
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  tim hooper

  I've been a veggie since the early 90's.

  I watched a programme about the meat processing industry, and simply felt that I didn't want to support or sponsor such practices in the future.

  Don't get me wrong, I've no objection to anyone going out with a rod or gun and bagging their own supper, but it's the wholesale forced-growing and casual abuse of live animals that makes me a little queasy. Maybe too much compassion is a bad thing?

  Yes, I eat dairy products, wear leather shoes and feed my cats on non-specific offal. That's my line that I've drawn, and I'm happy where I am.

  At 6ft and 200lbs, I'm not your archetypal skinny & pale veggie, so it comes as a surprise to some people.

  Just one observation though; whenever it does come out in company, there'll always be at least one knuckle-dragger who feels compelled to point his finger into his own open gob, and say "See them, mate? Canine teeth they are, mate..................."

  tim
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  barry

  There is a show on the tv in Australia called 'Whats good for you ' and last night they annalysed 5 different diets from vegan , lacto vegetarian . balanced diet with lean meat to a diet with excessive amounts of meat. From the annalysis by the experrts the lacto vegetarian diet was the best because it provided all the essentials but had a very high amount of good fats.

  The worst diet was the vegan because b12 was dangerously low folllowed by the high meat diet because the colestrol level was high.

  The lacto vegetarian diet is actually one supported by the SDA church although only about one third of SDAs follow the diet. In studies the one third of SDAs that are vegetarian live five to ten years longer and they have a better quality of life. the other two thirds of SDAs who have a regular diet have the same ailements as the rest of the population. Because of the longivity of ministers and church workers the churches retirement plans have been in the red and is not likely to improve in the near future.

  Being an SDA myself maybe I should change my canivorous ways.
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  LittleToe

  I have a few friends who are vegetarian, one of whom is quite antagonistic to the idea of a pescetarean claiming to be a vegetarian

  I suspect its harder for men to become vegetarian than women, more out of a lack of self-control than a need for protien. One of my brothers disrupted our household for a while by insisting on becoming vegetarian. It lasted for about a year before he finally came to the conclusion that he actually liked meat and wondered why he had made such a fuss.

  Personally I enjoy my meat too much. I've tried and enjoyed substitute products but they are no real substiture, as you shall find when you try your first bacon buttie after a period of abstinance
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  jaguarbass

  Who here is vegetarian or vegan? Do you think its something people should adopt? Are you against being veggie? Why?

  Sirona

  I eat vegetables and grains as often as I can. I have not yet become disciplined enough to totally give up meat. I might eat meat once a week. salmon once a week and vegies the rest of the week. Beans and rice. pasta and beans. Broccoli and pasta. Vegetarian chilli. Lentil stew.

  When I got into my 50's I noticed my cholesterol started rising. Now I am taking cholesterol medicine vytorin to keep my cholesterol in balance. The instrucitons are to eat reasonable along with the medicine. Reasonable is lots of whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruits. Small amounts of meat.

  Also eating less meat and salt keeps your blood presure where it should be.

  It takes work to eat a good vegetarian diet. So people will speak against it. It is easier to go to Micki D's and have a grease burger and greasy potatoes.

  I think those who have health issues, should look into being a vegetarian. Tonight I had brown rice, which is whole grain unprocessed, beans, garlic, tommato, scallions. The beans are good for taking the excess cholesterol out of my system and the total meal is very high fiber which cleans my colon out.

  A piece of meat takes like 2 days to pass thru your digestive track. Vegetables pass thru in hours. While that meat is hanging out in your colon, the steriods and poisons from the animal are in your colon for all that time. That might not be good for you.
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  BrentR

  All the vegetarians I know are anemic, have joint deteriation and sick most of the time. You really have to hit the vit/min supplements hard and know what you are doing to stay healthy. We are omnivores and when any species deviates away from how thier digestive tract was designed there will be serious problems. Getting enough amino acids and cyanocobolamin (B-12) is very difficult w/o meat.

  The healthiest diet is to eat the way your ancestors did. An Asian would not do good on an Eskimo diet and vice-versa. Our digestive tracts have adapted over a very long time to a certain diet. When you start monkeying around with those adaptations there will be problems.

  The only meat I eat is small farm raised and does not have homones, pesticides,dyes and antbiotics in it.
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  barry

  Gday brentr, While I agree with you in some ways our ancestors didnt have refrigerators and they didnt eat meat every day. They did eat meat after a hunt or when something got fat. So meat eaten occasionally would probably more heathfull Also if you were to havedairy foods and eggs in youre vegetarian diet it would take care of the deficencies normally accociated with a vegetarian diet vit b12 etc.