Any other Vegans?

[DarinM]

I'm a mostly vegetarian - probably 90%. I do this for health and philosophical reasons.
I'm onboard with the evidence that moderate amounts of animal protein are healthy and beneficial.
The benefits of eating fish (other than toxic metal poisoning, etc) are also well established.
I don't eat much dairy - I am lactose intolerant, but I do occasionally enjoy some good cheese or a big glass of milk. Soy "milk" and "cheese" just don't do it for me.
I make stuff like hamburger helper with pretend meat. I make meatball sandwiches with pretend meat meatballs, stuff like that.
I need to eat more fresh vegetables, but I can't eat much from a quantity standpoint, and because of that I have to eat a protein heavy diet first. I have found that my veggies tend to become very non-fresh before I finish them and I end up throwing them away.
It's hard to match the protein load you can get from a chunk of meat, so it's been an ongoing challenge to try and find balance in my diet while significantly reducing my meat consumption. I also am trying to limit carbs/starches. Can't really eat stuff that grows after you eat it - rice/pasta/most grains. Also the nutrititional value of most of that stuff isn't very good anyway.
Quite realistically, I'm probably not doing the best job.
I'll check out some of the links as well and see what I can learn.

 

[jimed43]

I have been doing Daniel Fast since 1-2. It is fruits, nuts, veggies and water. I been able to drop 11 pounds since the 2nd of Jan. I am trying to find out how to modify my life to follow this more and more. It is normally a 3 week program, but I think I am going to stretch it out.

 

[Mike_rupp]

If you are a male, I suggest that moderation is also important when consuming soy products unless gynecomastia is a goal of yours.

Logic tells me that a diet that is based on diverse, minimally processed foods will be the most healthy.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Storz,

You probably know about these products, but they're both vegan and more importantly really excellent. The ProBar is my go-to for dense calories for backcountry trips. The Primal Spirit jerky is just offensive in concept - soy based jerky. However, it's really good.

http://www.primalspiritfoods.com/products.php

The ProBar seems spendy, but penny for calorie, it's a good value.

http://theprobar.com/products/

 

[Corey]

Having been a vegetarian since '82, I have tried just about every jerkey on the market including the one Flounder pointed out.

The best I have found is Stonewall's.
http://soybean.com/faq/snack.html

Comes in many flavors, and if you put it in the nuclulator for around 16 seconds, it is even better slightly warm.

I buy mine via Amazon, and I have tried all the flavors:
Original Mild
BBQ "Beef"
Teriyaki "Beef"
Tandoori "Chicken"
Original Wild
Spicy "Chicken"
Peppy "Pepperoni"
Hot "Pastrami"
Cajun "Bacon"

Teriyaki Beef is my favorite one.
A pack of those, and a few of the Laughing Cow cheeses you peel make a great snack when camping or at home.

 

[Co-opski]

book for traveling

Here is a good reference book on healthy restaurants and stores for you all when traveling.
Tofu Tollbooth by Elizabeth Zipern
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Tofu-Tollbooth-Elizabeth-Zipern/dp/188610106X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295473751&sr=8-1-catcorr"]Tofu-Tollbooth-Elizabeth-Zipern[/ame]

 

[Storz]

Thanks for all the great links! I am going to try some of the jerky sugestions. As mentioned earlier in the thread there is an awesome app called VegOut for the iphone that uses your GPS location to bring up a list of local vegan/vegetarian places to eat. Excellent for travel

 

[Basement Yeti]

I'm Vegan, Vegetarian beforehand for a while.

I never really enjoyed meat, thus I don't really see the need to use meat replacements. I eat a lot of legumes, beans, fruits, veggies, oats, nuts, nut butters, soymilk, and sprouted bread.

FYI, soy myth is garbage. Isoflavins found in fermented soy can actually prevent hair loss in men.

Soy/Whey/Testosterone study.
http://www.jissn.com/content/4/1/4

If you're around San Diego (Or many other places in the US) check out Pizza Fusion, get the Daiya cheese Vegan pizza, it's gnarly. Also, Evolution Fast food is a totally Vegan 'burger' joint. Also, invite me.:drool:

 

[ScottReb]

Daiya cheese is great! If you have a Whole Foods, they have whole wheat pizza crust. We dump some BBQ "chicken" by Gardein or Trader Joes. Its a grain based product. It is great BBQ chicken pizza. 10 minutes. My kids and friends eat it like crazy.

 

[trailsurfer]

I have been following the CLEAN diet for the last 8 weeks. I have always been in very good condition/shape, but my diet has been horrible. So I decided in early December to start eating like a healthy "adult".

I have lost 35 pounds and 4 inches from my waist, and I have never felt better. I have cut out all cheese, milk, fried foods, cream, sugar, oils, red meat, potatoes, cereals, and almost all bread, I eat multiple portions of Organic raw vegetables, fruit, nuts and berries every day, along with a little lean fish, turkey, or chicken. This is 180 degrees from my old diet.

So almost Vegan and Raw, except for my one or two portions of lean meat a day.

The book is "CLEAN", by Dr. Junger, Cardiologist.

 

[Expedition_Matt]

I was thinking of going vegetarian for weight loss. Vegan sounds interesting but would it be better to start off completely vegan or starts vegetarian? Are there any web sites that talk about how to transition from carnivore to vegetarian or vegan for someone? Other than quit eating meat, it would be great to see some direction, especially for weight loss. I've tried not eating meat but I get major headaches. Is there a remedy or preventative for that?

 

[joeyumbra]

Truth be told, I applaud anyone who tries to reduce their consumption of industrial-produced animal products. For foods, I found small, gradual changes helped me reduce, but not eliminate all corporate flesh.

Now if I could get a start on the rest...:ylsmoke:

 

[Basement Yeti]

People who use that 'car tire' argument are extremely ignorant.

I can't speak for other Vegans, but as a Vegan I do a lot more to reduce animal suffering in my daily life than they do. And picking out our flaws won't change the fact I do so much more than the majority of the population to reduce animal suffering and exploitation. Now us as a whole combined do magnitudes more.

Sure I've accidentally eaten Gelatin and Honey. Sure the car tires in my sisters car may have animal product. But I learn from my mistakes and improve my lifestyle be eliminating and replacing things. Searching out Vegan hygiene products, foods, etc.

I will never be 100% perfect, there are some things you just can't avoid. The difference is I don't go looking for another way to make another creatures short life hell. But this isn't a who can be the best Vegan competition, this isn't a who can be holier than thou competition. This is a proactive lifestyle to stop the exploitation and mass murder of beings less evolved than us and live a more peaceful life.

We as the dominant species should strive to preserve this planet, not run it into the ground. Which is exactly what you do when you mass produce livestock and the food and water to feed them, and the energy to keep them cool or warm.

When we have more mouths to feed in our own country than we can sustain on livestock, then people will start to open their eyes and realize, "Crap, we could have saved billions of starving peoples lives by not diverting unnecessary resources towards producing tons of livestock" Which suffered miserably their entire lives.

 

[Hilldweller]

The wife and I are vegan.
Since quitting the animal products, I'm off statins and a blood pressure med. No more seasonal allergies. 4 inches thinner so far and still leaning-out. More wind, less fatigue, require less sleep. Arthritis symptoms down by 75% on good days and 50% on bad days.
Mirtes has other health-related revelations as well.

There is no mainstream scientific evidence that proves a vegan only (or raw for that matter) extends your lifespan- NONE. Trust me, I have researched this at great length. You will find many claims, but they have proven time and again to be anecdotal. In fact, the all-cause death statistics for vegetarians are actually higher than omnivores- much higher (Burr and Sweetnam, 1982) and that vegetarians only had a .11% lower incident of heart desease.

Check out the Cornell University series of studies by T. Colin Campbell.

http://www.tcolincampbell.org/courses-resources/

Lets not forget most of the studies showing vegans not being healthy are funded by Dairy Council, Cattlemens' Assoc etc. The same ones who provide nutrition education to our young people and our medical schools in the US. Talk about "sudo-science."

This is painfully true and America should be livid over it.

Everybody (especially Scott) read this book.

 

[Corey]

Very true comments Bill, and glad to see you are reaping the benefits from this.