Vegans, Diet, Raw Foods and Health Posts

[jonmou]

There are some simple things you can make.  Adrian pointed out this stuff called Quorn  http://www.quorn.com/  All the work in preparing is already done for you.  Of course they don't sell it at most typical groceries.  Have to go to a natural food store most likely.  Though I talk a lot about being a carnivor I also enjoy veggies      Some other simple things of course is a tasty salad.  You can buy salad premixed as well in many different types.  Another quick thing to make is a veggie sandwhich (lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, and whatever else you like).  But yeah you can search the interent and probly find a bunch of quick meal ideas.  Oh, and of course to make the transition easier there are plenty of soy based products that looks and taste like meat and can be prepared in the same manner.
 enjoy,  

[nay]

I thought cheese, eggs and whatnot was a no-no for a vegan diet?

I do love Portabella mushrooms...yummmmmy.  Very nice when skewered with some onions and green peppers tossed in some Olive oil then thrown on the grill.

Nay

[Reisender]

Since we are on the subject of recipies, I am still very much interested in Adrian's "Hot and Spicy Quorn Curry" recipe.  Indian and Southeast Asian Currys are extremely flavorfull. Thai Red, Green, and Yellow Currys are true taste treats. Vegetarian foods do not have to be bland and boring. They can be whatever you make them to be.

Reisender

[knucklebrain]

I think if you are to do a vegan diet, eggs are very important. I use free range eggs, and nothing is killed when your eating an egg, so I suppose it's not as bad as eating meat, from a cow that has been in a 4'x6' stall for all of its life. That's what makes me not want to eat meat anymore.

Eggs however have lots of nutrients and protein in them. Eat the yolk too, that's the good part.

I've been told by an Indian that I know that beef is angry. By eating the meat of a cow that has had a life of just eating and not being able to move because of how they are raised that they get angry. By consuming their meat, you are consuming the anger of that cow. I don't know how true this is, but it's interesting.

I think I'm going to wean myself off of meat altogether.

I don't know if fish is considered meat. Jesus ate it so I guess it's got to be ok right?  

Kevin

[Feefee]

Maybe this is going to sound like a silly question but I think it is a significant one.

There's no such thing as silly question. The only silly question is the ones we fail to ask

How does one shift their diet from meat based to vegetable based?

You can hear the countless studies saying we need to eat less meat and more vegetables. But no one tells you how.

 

anyone who has tried to shift their diet to vegan or just reduce meat can understand the frustration, unless I am just totally clueless.

 

Several years ago I tried to cut out meat from my diet. To be honest I never felt so good, but I got very bored with it. I did not know what to do or how to make such a diet interesting and appealing. I was raised on a heavily meat based diet

Where is a good place to start?

What a brilliant, intriguing, and thoughtful questions!!!. I like that.... "Scorpio"

All our lives and perhaps previous lives, we have been nourishing our physical bodies with meat based diets and the body has become well accustomed to it. So to completely eliminate meat from our diets in an instant would be very unwise move for some people.

First of all you will set yourself up for failure. Secondly, certain people may actually suffer certain health problems or an adverse reaction to such a sudden dietary changes, due to their mental attitude.

The wise man will have a plan. First, he will start by eliminating red meat (the most nauseating of all meats) from his diet, and stick to white meat, such as chicken, turkey, etc. As his body gets used to that, he will gradually eliminate white meat as well and stick to only fish or seafood diet. Over a certain period of time he could then wean himself from that as well without any difficulties.

By so doing, we slowly train our system and ourselves how to live healthily and happily  without  animal consumption, and we will feel very proud of ourselves in the long run.

By using the above method, the time it would take to wean ourselves completely from meat base diet is totally dependant upon our commitment to spiritual growth, willingness to change, and adaptability. It could take certain people a week, a month, a year or more to make the complete change over. Yet, others could take a day to transform without any adverse reaction or cold feet. All depend on the individual.

Now the question of making vegetarian diet more interesting and palatable is very easy. There are a lot of vegetarian cook books with very interesting and appetizing recipes. But be careful which V. Cook Book you buy, not all of them are health based. I personally prefer the ones that are spiritually based.

Someone raised a question that certain animals kill other animals for food and if that's not wrong, why should it be wrong for humans?

Well, this may shock you but there is basically nothing wrong with killing and eating animal fresh for food. It is just a matter of one's stage in the Evolutionary Ladder.  Animals can kill and eat other animals for food without any consequences due to their level in  the evolutionary journey.

As we become more and more enlightened and starts to dispel the illusions of the physical world, we become more aware of the universal truth, that there's no such thing as the animal, the tree, the sea, etc. We are the animals, the trees, the sea, etc. because there's but only "One Life"  The Universal Life Of The Source expressing Itself in milliards of Ways. We are all indeed from the same source, therefore by hurting any living thing we are infact hurting ourselves, and in time the The Universal Law of Cause and Effect would caught up with us.

There's an Occult truth that states "Acquiring knowledge is very dangerous undertaking". When we seek knowledge and arrive at certain truths and continue to transgress them, we become danger to ourselves. This is where ignorance is a bliss.

Everyone who's a registered member of this site is a testament to the fact that we are waking from our slumber, our consciousness is being raised from the world of illusions, we are on the part to enlightenment, we are seeking promotion from the earth school of experience. And it is incumbent upon each and everyone of us to desist from contributing to the mass slaughter of millions upon millions of sentient beings each single day around the world, just to appease our palate.

Becoming a vegetarian is a huge self sacrifice and commitment. And there's no sacrifice or commitment that ever goes in vain, our efforts will surely be rewarded tremendously by the Universal spirit.

May we continue to teach, help, inspire, and empower each other as we seek advancement from the school of Earth.    

[Adrian]

Hello knucklebrain,

Actually a Vegan does not eat eggs or dairy products either. Those who do are technically vegetarians.

The reason for not eating eggs or dairy produce is because often the animals are still kept under attrocious conditions. I appreciate the fact that free range eggs are not the same as "battery" hen eggs but one has to take a position and that position should exclude all forms of animal protein.

We do not need meat or dairy products to survive, indeed it is much healthier to do without them. There are many excelleny sources of protein such as soya and nuts. Peanuts are very rich in protein as well as other useful nutrients.

Best regards,

Adrian.

[Adrian]

Hello Feefee,

Very nice post

It is true that these things are intuitive. When you reach a certain stage it becomes intuitively obvious that eating meat and indeed harming life generally is quite simply wrong, and there is never any question about it.

There are of course millions of people who might think it is wrong from the point of ethics, but because their material desire for a big mac or a steak or a chicken sandwich or whatever always prevails, they immediately succumb to the demands of the sense of taste.

If you walk through any supermarket you see that it is one huge assualt on the physical senses designed to make you buy things. Food is food and yet is is all wrapped in in brightly colored packaging with all sort of tempting offers etc.. Same goes for all goods. Why? Because it is human nature to be seduced at some level by this visual presentation and cause people to buy things. How many people would but the same thing wrapped in brown paper?

Until people realise it is all an illusion, and make no mistake it is an illusion, then they cannot progress.

Going back to food; we were never "designed" to eat meat; that has been scientifically proven. It is only due to mans craving for meat that evolution has provided man with some means by which to eat it; it is a reality that man has created for himself.

On a medical level; eating meat is unambiguously bad for you on many levels, and is a major cause of for example obesity, heart disease and colon cancer. The Law of Cause and Effect is ever present, and these are all effects of causes that man has created.

Best regards,

Adrian.

[Feefee]

I don't know if fish is considered meat. Jesus ate it so I guess it's got to be ok right?  

Kevin

Kevin, actually there's no where in the Bible that states that Jesus ate fish

[Feefee]

Very well said Adrian:
Great contribution and summary to the topic, good job

[Scorpio Of The Woods]

Thank you all for your posts and ideas. I guess I need to find some good recipes. So Adrian is not giving his up?  

While you may not be eating an animal exactly by eating eggs, are you still not preventing the life of a chicken by eating an egg? I guess that could be debated but it is really of little concern to me personally because I don't like eggs anyway so I rarely eat them, and never if left up to me.

If you want protein have you tried roasted soy nuts? They are really good and make a great snack. I have been known to eat on them throughout the day.

[Scorpio Of The Woods]

Thank you both for the very good posts.

My plan is not to make a drastic change and cut out meat all together right now. To be honest I don't know if I will completely cut it out, but it may come to that in time. I will see. I was actually planning on doing much as you said, Feefee, by cutting out red meat for now and then maybe moving on down the list. I can definitely feel a difference in my body when I eat red meat compared to when I don't.

I must be honest, my main reason for wishing to change my diet really has little to do with morals or ethics but for health reasons. Maybe I am being selfish but I can tell a difference when I eat a meal that is mostly or completely vegatables. I like feeling better and healthier. At this point I see nothing wrong with eating meat, but I do know of some of the coniditions that atleast some of the animals are kept and how they are slaughtered and that does trouble me. I like to hope that not all animals suffer in poor conditions, but maybe I am being optimistic.

Adrian, do you have the sources of the scientific studies that concluded we are not designed to eat meat? I would like to read them if they are easily available. The "popular" studies and groups do tell us that we eat way too much meat and that we need to eat more grains, nuts, and vegetables. Though they do not go so far as to say to cut out meat completely, but they do stress eating much smaller portions.

I am not so sure that the foods in the supermarket are even about taste. Have you tasted much of it? Most of it does not have a very good taste compared to fresh, natural foods as most of it is processed to death. It is about advertising and packaging. They may look pretty on the box, but that is all some things have going for them. The sad thing is that most of the "junk" food is cheaper, sometimes a lot cheaper, than the healthy food. That makes it really hard for those that are on a tight budget or when you hit a rough spot finicially.

[Feefee]

I had no clue how to really cook vegetables and such a diet. So I am asking, How? Where is a good place to start?

http://veggietable.allinfo-about.com/articles/veggie101.html

The main reason I stopped is because it is very time consuming eating vegetables all the time. To be a proper vegan, you have to devote at least 1 hour a day to food preparation. Kevin

http://veggietable.allinfo-about.com/recipes/easyrecipes.html

[Adrian]

Hello Scorpio Of The Woods,

Thank you all for your posts and ideas. I guess I need to find some good recipes. So Adrian is not giving his up?  

While you may not be eating an animal exactly by eating eggs, are you still not preventing the life of a chicken by eating an egg? I guess that could be debated but it is really of little concern to me personally because I don't like eggs anyway so I rarely eat them, and never if left up to me.

If you want protein have you tried roasted soy nuts? They are really good and make a great snack. I have been known to eat on them throughout the day.

If I had some good recipes I would willingly share them here But I eat an extremely basic diet of cereals, fruit, nuts etc just as they are.

I do sometimes make curries, but I tend to make it up as I go along

I also drink alot of juices etc..

Best regards,

Adrian.

[Scorpio Of The Woods]

Thank you for the link, Feefee. That site looks like a good source for a wealth of information.

Sorry, Adrian.  Reisender has lead me to believe you had a recipe.  

I drink a lot of juice too. Usually I drink water, teas, and juices and some mornings a cup of coffee. Sadly enough here in the US it seems most people's main drink is pop (soda, coke, or whatever you call it depending on your location). I drank it a lot as a teen until it started giving me problems with my kidneys and I stopped cold for several years. Now I can't stand to drink it. It all tastes like chemicals to me now, which for the most part it is and tons of sugars.

[Adrian]

Hello everyone,

Here is a very well written and in my view balanced and accurate article:

Best regards,

Adrian.

Got Milk?
You've Got Problems
By Karen Dawn
Los Angeles Times
8-15-5
 
Note - Karen Dawn runs the animal advocacy media watch DawnWatch.com and is a contributor to "In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave" (Blackwell Publishing, 2005).
 
Dairy cows have overtaken automobiles as the No. 1 air polluter in parts of California, according to a Los Angeles Times article. A New York Times editorial discussed "the eye-stinging, nose-burning smell of cattle congestion in rural California," acknowledging that something had to be done. What nobody wants to say, in this land of milk and cookies, is that we shouldn't be drinking cow's milk.
 
In the last edition of his "Baby and Child Care" bible, Dr. Benjamin Spock made it clear that cow's milk is for baby cows, not for human children. He wrote that it was "too rich in the saturated fats that cause artery blockages" and that it "slows down iron absorption." He suggested that it may cause ear and/or respiratory problems, and may be linked to childhood onset diabetes. He stressed that infants should drink only human breast milk and older children should try soy and rice milk products.
 
But the dairy industry would rather you didn't know that. As it spends millions of dollars telling us that milk consumption will help us lose weight, it would rather we didn't see a study published in the June issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The study found that children who drink more than three servings of milk daily are prone to becoming overweight, even if it is low-fat milk. Neither does the industry advertise the Harvard School of Public Health finding that 15% of whites, 70% of African Americans and 90% of Asians are lactose intolerant.
 
The dairy industry prefers to scare us with tales of brittle bones, hoping we don't notice studies showing that people in Asia, who consume almost no dairy products, have a significantly lower rate of hip fractures than people in "got milk?" America. Consistent with those results is Harvard University's 1997 Nurses Health Study, which followed 78,000 women over a 12-year period and found that those who consumed the most dairy foods broke the most bones.
 
And a study published just this month in the International Journal of Cancer found a 13% increase in ovarian cancer risk in women who increased their lactose intake in amounts equivalent to one glass of milk per day.
 
Men don't need milk either. A Harvard study published in 1998 linked high calcium consumption to prostate cancer, and in this week's news, we learned that Dean Ornish's low-fat, vegan diet (no dairy) may block the progression of that disease. While touting its products as a fundamental part of a healthy diet, the dairy industry won't rush to tell us that Scott Jurek, who just won the Western States 100-mile run -- for the seventh time in a row -- is vegan.
 
Now, we learn that the dairy industry may also be harming our children by polluting the air. The Times article quoted an attorney for the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, who said that in Fresno, in the center of the nation's dairy industry, one in six children carries an inhaler to school.
 
Instead of protecting us, the government aligns itself with the dairy lobby. The California Milk Advisory Board, a government agency, playfully took advantage of society's increasing concern for animal welfare with its phenomenally successful "happy cows" campaign, which shows extended bovine families grazing in meadows.
 
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sued the board for false advertising, arguing that most California dairy cows live miserable lives on overcrowded dirt lots. They are artificially inseminated annually, because they don't produce milk without pregnancies, and are pumped full of hormones so that they will give 10 times as much milk as they would naturally. Their calves are carted off to veal crates. Then at about age 5, the "happy" cows are turned into hamburgers. PETA's suit failed -- on the grounds that government bodies are exempt from fair advertising laws. Government is free to say whatever it wants about the conditions in which cows live, or about the "health benefits" of milk.
 
Unfortunately, the government is unlikely to start running ads suggesting we follow Asia's lead and switch to tofu, or even kale, though both have more calcium per cup than cow's milk. But for your health, the environment, the animals, and for those kids in Fresno carrying inhalers, why not change your next Starbucks low-fat latte order to soy?