How Many Vegetarians Here?

[K1JJ]

Hola ,

There was a time years ago when I was a meat and potatoes kinda guy. But over time I found that the chemicals added to most meats, like meat extenders and other stuff caused me bad headaches. I can go months without a headache. But then when if I eat beef, chicken, turkey or pork I get a bad chemical type headache. I like eating all meats, but, by no choice of my own, except for fish and sushi, I am a vegetarian now. I feel very healthy, trim and have no real problems except when I overdo the tower climbing.

Lately I've been reading stuff that is alarming. For example, over 80% of people over 50 years old in the USA are overweight. If 5' 10", of normal build, male and between 175-205 pounds, you are considered overweight. More than 205 pounds means obese. (tough standards)

In addition, being only 10-20 pounds over means a 30% chance of dying prematurely, before the average male lifespan in the USA. (I think that's about 77 years old these days.) 

I read yesterday that being a meat eater increases the chance of getting cancer by almost 40%. Vegetarians are generally more healthy if they do it correctly. A doctor said that if the USA went all vegetarian, it would "revolutionize" the health of America.
He also said that eating meat and fat is a big contributor to overweight problems, heart, circulation, etc., too.  In the USA, we eat over 1 million chickens an hour...

I realize that statistics and opinions are open to interpretation and maybe eating meat is not that bad. But since I have no choice in the matter and must be a vegetarian now, I wondered how many others over 50 have thought about all this and are moving away from meat?   Has anyone actually focused on preparing healthy vegetarian meals or are you living on salads, fruits, nuts and berries like me? I understand there are some great substitutes, almost like gourmet foods.

 I'm open to suggestions from anyone who has already plunged into the vegetarian food whirl wholeheartedly... 

T

[k4kyv]

Watch out.  Your posting may be pulled.  Isn't this a little "off-topic" for this board?

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Get the Moosewood cook books. Great vegetarian fare in these.

Vegetarians are generally more healthier if they do it correctly.

If they do it correctly. I know this is anecdotal, but several vegetarians I know are way over weight. They don't eat meat, but they still eat too much food (too many calories) and most of it is crap food (high fat carbohydrates).

More evidence is showing caloric restriction is the key to longevity, not necessarily magic diets or vegetarianism.

Also, most vegetarians I know drive Pink PT  Cruisers.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Watch out.  Your posting may be pulled.  Isn't this a little "off-topic" for this board?

Not likely. Was your post about Web filters pulled?

But you are right, any talk about healthy eating on a ham radio board is WAY off topic!

[K1JJ]

Watch out.  Your posting may be pulled.  Isn't this a little "off-topic" for this board?

Not likely. Was your post about Web filters pulled?

But you are right, any talk about healthy eating on a ham radio board is WAY off topic!

What? I always thought HossTraders cuisine was the best!

Tnx for the Moosecock veggie cookbook suggestion, Steve. I'll do a search for it.
Yes, caloric intake restriction does seem the best way to control weight, no doubt.

Don:  Did someone delete one of your recent threads?   

T

[Herb K2VH]

I believe it was Ronald Reagin who once declared katsup to be a vegetable.     If you think about it, beer is also a vegetable, with its barley and hops.  On the other hand, the yeast might make it an animal product.  So maybe there's meat in beer.  At any rate, good avatar, HUZ (Guinness).

K2 Vegetable Herb

[John Holotko]

I wouldn't call myself a vegetarian but I have dramatically reduced the amount of meat andd fish that I will eat. I prefer to moderate than to give it up  completely. For example through most of my childhood and young adult years and for many years thereafter I ate meat regularly on a daily basis. Dinner was not dinner unless I had some form of meat, i.e.hamburgers, steak, ham,pork chops, veal, lamb, beef, pork loin,  venison, etc... These days I will eat meat  but only  occaisionally. Meat is no longer a requirement for a meal. I consume mostly  plant matter.  I guess you could say that I  like meat too much to give it up completely. For example over the winter my mom made a really delicious fresh roast ham. There was no way I wan't going to enjoy a few nice slices of that ham,it was too tasty to pass up. But I didn't have any meat for at least a week afterward. I'd say on average I'll have some form of meat or fish once every week or two weeks. In between however I'll mostly eat salads and vegitables.

[WD8BIL]

Vegetarian is an old indian word meaning; " I don't hunt so good !"

[K1JJ]

Vegetarian is an old indian word meaning; " I don't hunt so good !"

 

How about:

"If animals weren't meant to be eaten, then why are they made out of meat?"

T

[The Slab Bacon]

I have to get politically incorrect here.  Most people who are veggies BY CHOICE are a bit wierd and or eccentric! Most that I have ever known are quite strange. They are terrified of eating an animal. Sorry that is what animals were put here for. NOTHING satisfies like a good piece of meat! A nice porterhouse steak 2" thick cooked kansas city rare is a feast fit for a king, it just doesnt get any better.

In recent times I have went om my "life is too short for crappy food" diet and lost
55 lbs without giving up anything that I enjoy eating. I gave up the nasty, greasy fast food lunches and over processed better living through chemistry chain resturaunt food. And I dont miss it. However I still eat as much of the stuff I enjoy, and lost 55 lbs. If there is no place around to get something descent to eat, I simply dont eat. Since everything I enjoy supposedly clogs my arteries, the less that I clog them eating things that I dont enjoy, leaves more room to eat the things that I do enjoy.
I (being Sicillian) take eating seriously, and consider it to be one of lifes greatest pleasures.

If you have to give up meat for some wierd medical reason, that is a shame, and I feel for you. But if you become a veggie because you dont want to eat animals, you have to be some kind of wacko! Man was not designed to exist on celulose. Man, by nature is a carnivore!!

Tom, try staying away from the fast food joints, and buy your meats from a good reputable butcher, and your problem should go away.

I grew up in the food business, and was a meat cutter in my younger years, I was known for eating my beef absloutely raw!
                  
                                                                 the Slab Bacon

[The Slab Bacon]

Vegetarian is an old indian word meaning; " I don't hunt so good !"

I love it!!

[The Slab Bacon]

A meal has to satisfy the soul as well as fill the belly. (I guess its that Sicillian thing)
If a meal fills the belly, but doesnt satisfy the taste buds, it always leaves you wanting to eat something else! Which will make you gain weight.

                                                                 the Slab Bacon

[Glenn NY4NC]

I read yesterday that being a meat eater increases the chance of getting cancer by almost 40%. Vegetarians are generally more healthier if they do it correctly. A doctor said that if the USA went all vegetarian, it would "revolutionize" the health of America. He also said that eating meat and fat is a big contributor to overweight problems, heart, circulation, etc., too.  In the USA, we eat over 1 million chickens an hour...

All true Tom.....
 

I realize that statistics and opinions are open to interpretation and maybe eating meat is not that bad. But since I have no choice in the matter and must be a vegetarian now, I wondered how many others over 50 have thought about all this and are moving away from meat?   Has anyone actually focused on preparing healthy vegetarian meals or are you living on salads, fruits, nuts and berries like me? I understand there are some great substitutes, almost like gourmet foods.

 I'm open to suggestions from anyone who has already plunged into the vegetarian food whirl wholeheartedly... 

T

Been doin it for 20 years now.... except I can't really claim to be a veggie anymore because of my recent addition to sushi  ... Check out Steve's suggestion, My wife and I have been whipping up stuff from the Moosewood Cookbook for years!... tasty stuff... Great soups..

Do you have an asian markets near you? There al all kinds of "fake meats" available made from tempe <sp?>, wheat gluten, TVP, .... bet I could fake out a few meat heads! 

[Glenn NY4NC]

Funny!! That's what people say about hams! 

I have to get politically incorrect here.  Most people who are veggies BY CHOICE are a bit wierd and or eccentric! Most that I have ever known are quite strange.

[Glenn NY4NC]

Some kind of wacko? right back at ya Frank!!

If man was meant to be a carnivore his teeth would be structured like a meat eating animal which they are not.

FYI... Ape's are not carnivores..

But if you become a veggie because you dont want to eat animals, you have to be some kind of wacko! Man was
not designed to exist on celulose. Man, by nature is a carnivore!!

Tom; E-mail me if you want to discuss.... I can see this turning into an attack me fest very shortly...

"Human characteristics are in every way like the fruit eaters, very similar to the grass- eater, and very unlike the meat eaters.The human digestive system, tooth and jaw structure, and bodily functions are completely different from carnivorous animals."

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I made to 50 and beyond and I enjoy a well-cooked bacon cheese-burger, lettuce, celery, and a tall cold beer. Then a good mild cigar after dinner and another tall cold beer or some good scotch. In my early 40’s, I went the veggie route for lunch each day. Didn’t feel any better, didn’t lose any weight, and always felt hungry most of the afternoon. You can die stepping off a curb, driving your car, or a thousand other ways. Life’s too short; eat a chicken or a great steak and be happy.

[WD8BIL]

"If animals weren't meant to be eaten, then why are they made out of meat?"

Try this one VU:

If we weren't meant to eat meat why do we have CANINE TEETH !

If man was meant to be a carnivore his teeth would be structured like a meat eating animal which they are not.

Glenn: Did you flunk biology
Not only is our mouth setup for tearing and slashing but our digestive system is primo for both veges and meat. Except corn, of course. Never seen any un-digested meat in my stool !!!

[Glenn NY4NC]

Now THAT's funny!!!

how is baby oil made?

[Glenn NY4NC]

BAck to school bud...

Glenn: Did you flunk biology
Not only is our mouth setup for tearing and slashing but our digestive system is primo for both veges and meat. Except corn, of course. Never seen any un-digested meat in my stool !!!

"The human anatomy seems ideally designed for a plant-based diet. Upon close examination of our digestive system, you'll find a 29-foot intestinal tract. We share this elongated design with other herbivores so that we may enjoy a gradual absorption of our plant-based foods in the digestion process. Carnivores have a short digestive tract so that the rapidly-putrefying flesh can make a quick exit. The stomach acid of a carnivore is 20 times stronger than ours, which was obviously intended to accommodate the denser materials of their diet. Our jaw and teeth structure, like other herbivores, is clearly designed for the grinding and chewing action required for eating fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seeds and nuts while a carnivore has some serious fangs (much sharper, longer, and bigger than our own "canines") and a jaw that operates in a vertical fashion for the gnawing and tearing of hide and flesh. Additionally, our hands were made to pick things from trees and bushes or pull things from the ground, not rip and tear like the hooves and claws of carnivorous animals. "

[Glenn NY4NC]

That's because it's all stuck in your colon!

Never seen any un-digested meat in my stool !!!

[Glenn NY4NC]

Can you say "Ted Nugent On Hunting" ? 

[John Holotko]

Humans are not carnivores. Our digestive systems resemble herbivores more so than carnivores. Not only do we lack the large mouths and sharp ripping teeth commonly found in virtually all carnivores but the chemical makeup of our digestive systems resembles the herbivore rather than the carnivore. Carnivores are also far more adept in handling the high cholesterol levels found in meats. Simply put their arteries don't clog up the way ours do.  Nor do they require fiber (cellulose) to maintain intestinal motility. We do. Ask any  true carnivore, like a  lion what he thinks of humans as carnivores and he'll probably have a good laugh. . But regardless my main concern regarding eating meats lies in what Tom mentioned.  Commercially produced meat incorporates too many hormones, chemicals, and other substances which can be detrimental to human health whcih is my primary reason for greatly reducing my  intake of meats. Yeah, it's true you only go around once in life so you  might as well enjoy it. But I think I can enjoy it better if I don't have a bunch of health problems.  Heck, I enjoy my meats just as much as the next guy. Whether it's nice hot Italian sausage, meatballs, pork, roast chicken, or a back yard barbecue I can still enjoy it.  I just enjoy it once in a while (once a week, 2 weeks)  rather than every day.

http://www.rense.com/general20/meant.htm

[WA1GFZ]

I only eat quality meat, my brother was a meat cutter for many years and my family ran a food joint so know what good stuff is.
I do eat lots of different nuts and berries with a pair of garlic tabs each day for good measure. I love fish.
A balanced diet is the way to go with quality food.
I'm not ready to file my teeth flat either.
I have not taken a sick day off in about 12 years.
My ass is fat cause I can't run anymore with a family from a few hundred miles noth of Frank's
We friggen love to eat cause you can't get laid all day long.
And shoot it down with pickled eggplant and a glass of wine.
and I don't eat bait.
The animal brain advanced when it started eating other animals because it was better fed.
Being limited as I am, don't want to go backwards.

[Glenn NY4NC]

Great site John.

Here's another one...

http://www.bobbyrock.com/foryourhealth.html

http://www.rense.com/general20/meant.htm

[The Slab Bacon]

Some kind of wacko? right back at ya Frank!!
If man was meant to be a carnivore his teeth would be structured like a meat eating animal which they are not.
FYI... Ape's are not carnivores..
[

Glenn, FYI- we are not apes!! speak for your self!! 

This is not an attack fest on you, I'll always try to "put one accross your bow" I dont expect you to run and hide, I full well expect you to fire one back! 

I only eat quality meat, my brother was a meat cutter for many years and my family ran a food joint so know what good stuff is.
I do eat lots of different nuts and berries with a pair of garlic tabs each day for good measure. I love fish.
A balanced diet is the way to go with quality food.
I'm not ready to file my teeth flat either.
I have not taken a sick day off in about 12 years.
My ass is fat cause I can't run anymore with a family from a few hundred miles noth of Frank's
We friggen love to eat cause you can't get laid all day long.
And shoot it down with pickled eggplant and a glass of wine.
and I don't eat bait.
The animal brain advanced when it started eating other animals because it was better fed.
Being limited as I am, don't want to go backwards.

there ya go Frank said it all !!

Buddly, I'm with you,
                              Good food, Good meat, Get ready. Lets eat!!

                                                     The Slab Bacon