Red,
I just figured out what is wrong with you....Your a VEGAN. You don't have any meat in your system, and no leather on your feet. That must be the problem.
JUST JOKING.........Actually, I admire your commitment to that lifestyle. I'm still trying to conquer the vegetarian thing.
Phats
My kid is a vegetarian. Went yesterday to Stonefire Pizza where they have an awesome buffet. She had all sorts of veggies and fruits and a salad. And she had the vegetarian pizza. She hasn't quite come to the step of being vegan because as she says....I like ice cream entirely too much Mom. LOL!!!
I like my steak entirely too much to even try to be vegetarian.
I wish I had been raised as a vegan because I do believe it is a better lifestyle, but as an adult, I just can't do it.It is a huge committment and I'm sure people who are vegan feel a lot better. I do believe there is a connection between what we put in our mouths and how we feel. I wish I had the committment....maybe I'll take my energy towards Roxy and put it towards becoming vegan
My 17-year old granddaughter became a vegan about 2 years ago. She always had loved cheese, but has found vegan substitutes for a lot of things. I am amazed at how much she has learned about nutrition. But when she devotes herself to something she does it with her whole heart. I was more worried about her getting enough protein than anything else, but she eats a lot of beans, p-nut butter, etc. She knows way more about that than I do. Also something called tofu scramble? Sounds strange to me but she says it's great. I'm not much for meat either, but that's just a personal choice, not a religious or lifestyle thing. I do eat meat, but not much. Mostly white meat chicken, but not even much of that. By the way, I know some of you also have Sjogren"s, as I do. Has it effected your appetite or ability to swallow easily? My appetite has gone way, way down the last couple of years and I have to drink frequently when I eat because of the dry mouth making it hard to swallow. Hope you all have a good Holiday (those here in the States). Be well, Nini Wow, this was interesting. I opened this thread with my name on it with trepidation and found what a lovely topic it is! Vegan is only as hard as you make it. This weekend was tough, my first vegan cookout with mom's potato salad there. I resisted but it was really hard. My reasons started out as for animals, but quickly joined with the health reasons. I feel better than I have in years. If we were made to eat meat, we wouldn't have to grind or cook it first to eat it. Our teeth are not those of carnivores. Look at lions and such and you'll see the difference. What a great topic! As I have said before, I learn something from you all every day. I am not a vegetarian, but sort of eat that way, I guess. For some reason, I am no longer able to eat beef. It gives me a horrible tummy ache for a couple of days. I am noticing the same thing now when I eat/drink dairy products. With our busy lives, it is so easy to throw something on the grill. My hands hurt way too much to chop veggies and fruits, so I think it is time to insist my family help in this dept. I would love some recipes. I feel ya on the chopping. There's things like veggie burgers, though. And frozen veggies are great for stir-fry's. Pasta with marinara. I'm a veg who looks for convenience whenever possible. I'll check into the recipe thing and let you know. I just found a great website...I'll get the link and post it. Actually I have several. Owie, There are several great websites out there! I'll see if I can round some up for you too. I also tried the RAW way of eating. I felt so good, but it was so expensive. I do really good at the veg. thing, but I can't do the vegan thing, yet. There are animal products in so many things. It truly is a commitment and life altering path to follow. I'm jealous for those who are able to do it, as I'm not to that point yet. Who would have thought there were animal products in Twizzlers, or gum. Almost anything that is packaged has some type of animal product in it. The list is endless and scary to boot. I'm still working towards a good, healthy way of eating. Phats Here are a few... http://www.fatfreevegan.com/etl/index.shtml This is what I'm screamin! Sorry, but I cannot buy into the fact that soy is so bad. There's too much research to the contrary and not enough saying it is. Vegetarians are among the healthiest people on earth and all for the most part consume higher levels of soy. Since giving up animal products and eating more soy, I feel better than I have in 10 years or more. But that's just me. This is what I'm screamin! Sorry, but I cannot buy into the fact that soy is so bad. There's too much research to the contrary and not enough saying it is. Vegetarians are among the healthiest people on earth and all for the most part consume higher levels of soy. Since giving up animal products and eating more soy, I feel better than I have in 10 years or more. But that's just me.
There are great recipes on the net and in recipe books for vegan dishes. Maybe Theresa can post some of hers or give us an idea of what she would eat over a few days.
A lot of research out there says it is better for us rheumatoids.
I get a lot of vegetarian recipes off of the net for my daughter. Hmmm...now that I know they make a good vegan ice cream...I will talk more with her about it. I also believe what you put in your mouth is directly related to how you feel. With her having the JRA...I want to encourage her to be as healthy as possible since she is so young (12). Thanks for that info cassandra I really appreciate it. I can direct some of her pred energy this weekend into vegan diet research!!!! I LUFF YOU GUYS!!!! LOL!!ummmmm did someone say ice cream, I like the three flavors......
I am so upset. We were going to go to the chocolate fest this weekend, but situations have arose that are preventing us from doing that. Oh well, there is always next year. Phats, I do also believe that there is a direct correlation between what we eat and how we feel. We humans are carnivores, I think we need a little meat every now and then. I do eat a lot of seafood and probably only eat meat once every two weeks. I do feel better, lighter (if that makes sense) when I don't eat a lot of meat. Also, I come up with more creative recipes for chicken and say, hmmm, shrimp than I do with a pound of chopmeat or a steak. I eat a lot of nuts - walnuts and raw almonds, yogurt, fruit and veggies. Dinner is usually salmon with some great marinade or shrimp w/olive oil, lemon juice and linguine. Lunch is my hardest meal. It's very easy to grab a Lean Cuisine or something like that but it's soooo filled w/salt. I think I wandered a little off topic here but there are my thoughts on this subject. Hey if anyone wants any recipes.... Honey - I beg to differ but we are not made to be carnivores. Our teeth are not made for eating meat and neither are our digestive tracts. I think being vegetarian is either philosophical or for health reasons.
The Seventh Day Adventist Church, of which I do not belong but have quite a few of their books have done a lot of research into vegetarianism over many years and if you can get hold of some of their books you may find them interesting reading.Well I am a pure cajun from Louisiana, and every one seems to think we eat anything that does not eat us first.....lol.....But you know some of that might just be true..... [QUOTE=Cassandra] You can get good vegan icecream. I admire vegans
- I am a vegetarian and eat quite a lot of vegan but just cant get over my
addiction to milk in my cup of tea.
There are great recipes on the net and in recipe books for vegan dishes.
Maybe Theresa can post some of hers or give us an idea of what she
would eat over a few days.
A lot of research out there says it is better for us rheumatoids.
Cassandra, have you tried soy milk or rice milk in your tea? I personally
prefer milk but I know you have tried alternative milks. I also ran across
chocolate almond milk at our coop last week but didn't buy any. Have
you ever tried that? I can no longer drink milk. I have pretty much given
up on it as I get headaches and nausea every time I consume it. It is
depressing as I love dairy. I eat meat about 2 times a week anymore as
meat is very hard on the kidneys. I also do not feel that we are an animal
that should eat meat but my husband insists that our canines are there
for a reason, lol. I would love to have a nutrition thread on here that was
ongoing that we could share vegan/vegetarian recipes. I'm a beans and
rice addict and would love some ideas.
[/QUOTE] Hi Lori - think a thread for nutrition and vegetarian/vegan recipes a good idea. The milk in my cups of tea problem is because of the sweetness of substitute milks I think - I have a sweet tooth but not in my tea. I have an excellent recipe for marinated tofu that tastes just like marinated fetta - is one of Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipes I think - she is a great vegan cook. Will find it & post it. With my RA induced short term memory loss I may need a reminder in a week or so!I love tofu in any italian dish. I would love the marinated tofu recipe.
home page of fatfreevegan looks so good. More people should try tofu, they
would be surprised at how many way s you can prepare it and how good it
tastes once it incorporates the other flavors. For the first time in 10 years,
my recent albumin level is normal...always around 2.8 which is way too low.
I now eat way less meat and way more veg protein so it is very possible to
actually have better albumin levels with veg protein diets. It is all in how you
balance it out. It is so important for us to watch our albumin levels as this is
a big part of our nutritional status. You can be overweight, and have a
horribly low albumin level indicating that you are malnourished. I think it
goes hand in hand with chronic disease states. Anyway, I"m off to work
another 12, ack. Pulled this off of MSNBC today.
Organic Milk: What You Get for the Money
By Karen Collins, R.D., American Institute for Cancer Research
Find More
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Demand for organic milk, which can sell for up to double the cost of
other milk, is booming. Deciding whether to spend the extra money is not
as clear-cut a decision as some suggest. People may turn to organic milk
for health benefits, or environmental and animal rights’ issues. When
evaluating the health claims, thus far, research does not support a health
advantage of organic over conventional milk for any segment of the
population.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires four characteristics to
define milk as organic, and confusion abounds about each. Milk that is
labeled “USDA Organic” must come from cows that have not been treated
with bovine growth hormone (BGH) to increase milk production. People
who focus on this goal express concern that hormones in milk could raise
the risk of hormone-related cancers, or lead to higher levels of an
insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) linked with cancer.
However, BGH is a protein hormone, which means that if any does appear
in milk, enzymes and acid in our digestive tract destroy it. Dale Bauman, a
professor of animal science at Cornell University, emphasizes that if
IGF-1 is slightly higher in milk from BGH-treated cows, it represents a
tiny fraction of the IGF we all produce each day. Bauman reports that we
would have to drink 95 quarts of milk to equal the IGF-1 we make daily in
our saliva and other digestive tract secretions.
We need to differentiate between levels of IGF in our blood, which some
studies link to a possible increase in cancer risk, and levels of IGF in our
food. Several organic-related web sites refer to a study in which vegans
(who eat no animal products) showed 13 percent lower IGF than non-
vegans. However, a closer look at that study shows that milk consumption
was not related to blood levels of IGF. Research shows high blood levels
of IGF are linked with overweight, lack of exercise, and diets too high in
saturated fat, refined carbohydrates or total calories.
A second characteristic of organic milk is that these cows are not treated
with antibiotics. If a cow in an organic herd does need to be treated with
antibiotics, she is not returned to the herd for a period of 12 months. Yet
in conventional herds, milk from cows that receive antibiotics is not used
until tests show it is antibiotic-free. Tanks of milk are routinely tested to
ensure no antibiotic content.
A third requirement of organic milk is that cows’ feed is grown without
pesticides, whether the feed is grass or grain. Recent USDA reports show
that nonorganic milk may contain low levels of certain pesticides, but
these are far below established tolerance levels. Using organic feed may
support sustainable farming practices, yet research has not found it
affects the nutritional value of the cows’ milk.
The final requirement for organic milk is that cows must have “access to
pasture.” Many consumers assume this means cows graze in fields most
of the year. However, the current standard does not require a specific
length of time in pasture. A cow can graze in pasture only a limited time
and still produce milk that is certified organic.
On the question of grain- versus grass-fed cows, some suggest that
pasture-fed cows may produce milk that contains more conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA), a special type of fat that may protect against cancer
and other health problems. But Michael Pariza, professor of food
microbiology and toxicology at the University of Wisconsin, and a leading
expert on CLA in dairy products, says grass feeding by itself does not
assure increased CLA. He and Bauman both note that cows fed mixed
grains with soybeans or other additions can produce milk that has higher
CLA levels than milk from grass-fed cows. This may lead you to spend
less on milk and more on fruits, vegetablWill look more closely at these interesting posts when I have some more time - life is stressful and hectic at the moment but hopefully will quieten down soon.
The Japanese have been eating soy products for thousands
of years and have the best health statistics of anyone.
I think there may be a problem when manufacturers dont use the whole soybean - a lot of soy milks are not made from the whole soy bean. I think Vitasoy is.
I read an article on the evils of soy and after investigation by journalists it was found that the people who started the articles were dairy farmers and were not keen on the economic losses soy was going to be causing. They made claims of birds dying from soy products but it was economic propaganda.
The dairy industry is huge and competition from soy must be a real concern for them.
Professor Jane Plant in the UK has written an interesting book re the part dairy plays in reproductive cancers - she claims it causes it and was named scientist of the year recently and one of the hospitals in London - Charing Cross Hospital I think, has adopted her method of treating repro. cancers. She had it herself and had worked in China as a scientist and knew the Chinese did not get anywhere near the reproductive cancer the western world does, did research, cut out dairy and last I read was cancer free after 10 or 12 years - it had returned something like 5 times before this.
I was on the Fit for Life diet (Marilyn & Harvey Diamond)
some years ago which is a vegan book and felt really good on it and the recipes were nice.
My eating habits have slipped over the past few years so I need to do something about this.
Love the idea of sharing information on this link.
If anyone has good easy recipes to post would love to try them.
Not aware of the effects on autoimmune disease but will do some research. I also use brown rice milk as well as soy - I believe that is very good for you.
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2 007/05/barbecued-seitan-ribz.html.
The recipe is a version of a vegan spare ribs recipe I used to make years ago and the site is great, lovely recipes and lovely photos with them. The 'ribs' are made from vital gluten flour which is made from the inside of the wheat kernel. It is unfortunately not suitable for coeliacs or gluten intolerant but my daughter said the recipe was yummy and her boyfriend couldnt stop eating them.
Her recipe for the barbecue sauce is:
1/2C cider vinegar
1/8c light brown sugar packed
small tin tomato paste
1t chilli pdr
1-2T liquid smoke - recipe said 1/4c but it varies in its intensity so would start off with maybe 2T and add more if necessary.
1T soy sauce
1t onion pdr
1/2t dry mustard pdr
1 clove garlic, crushed
dash cayenne
1T oil
Simmer on low 5 mins, brush over ribs while cooking, serve extra as dipping sauce. You could use a good commercial barbecue sauce.
They look really good in the photographs and shows how to do them which would be a help for those new to making these. No cholestrol in these ribs.
[QUOTE=Redheadtheresa]
I think those who use soy in moderation are o.k. There is evidence that soy, like everything, can have some adverse affects. Americans tend to go overboard. Soy everyday probably won't hurt you, but eating soy like some eat meat could cause problems. I wouldn't recommend soy eggs, soy sausage, washed down with soy milk in your coffee for breakfast everyday. All things in moderation.Amen to that!
SarahYou're right and that's true with anything. There are other protein sources and I try to use most of them. Seitan and TVP and Tempeh are still new to me, and I haven't figured them out yet. But I do beans and flax seeds quite a bit. I do use soy milk and veggie burgers with soy, and soy sour cream. But I don't tend to combine them all together. Either way, my diet is healther than ever now.Here's a good tempeh recipe:
1 block tempeh (fresh or frozen) cut into 1/8" cubes
Oil
Sauce
about 1/2 cup Kecap Manis (a thick and sweet soy sauce found in the soy sauce section---should be low priced)
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 fresh chili finely chopped, or to taste
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
splash lemon juice
Put all the sauce stuff in a saucepan and simmer over low heat while
you fry the tempeh in oil until golden brown. Drain on some paer towel
or paper bag (or I guess in a metal seive to be green). Mix into the
sauce.
Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve over brown rice.
I cant imagine where it ended up but I posted there was an error in the barbecue sauce recipe that goes with the barbecued seitan-ribz I posted yesterday - it should have read 1t of liquid smoke and should have included 1 bayleaf. Sorry for this mistake.
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