Going Vegetarian

[Allen]

Good luck! I could never do it.

I saw a television show yesterday with a girl who was a fruititarian. She went around the L.A. area picking fruit that hung over peoples yards and over the sidewalk. She was a complete cook. She wasn't about eating fruit she was about eating FREE and stealing from people's fruit trees. I would dare her to come take stuff of my tree!

I was visiting my parents a few summers ago. They went to church and I stayed home. I heard the dogs freaking out so I looked out in the garden and found two women picking tomatos and green beans. So, I texted my mom and asked if they had told some people they could pick anything in the garden. Of course, she hadn't. So I opened the door and told them to get out of the garden. The stupid bints tried to argue with me about. They stopped, but were going to take what they had with them. I may have chased them away with a shotgun.

[michiruwater]

I saw a television show yesterday with a girl who was a fruititarian. She went around the L.A. area picking fruit that hung over peoples yards and over the sidewalk. She was a complete cook. She wasn't about eating fruit she was about eating FREE and stealing from people's fruit trees. I would dare her to come take stuff of my tree!

There's an old legal principle that confers the right to pick fruit from trees overhanging the property that is upheld in Los Angeles called usufruct. There's a website for the city of Los Angeles actually devoted to the principles of usufruct which offers maps to publicly accessible fruit trees called fallenfruit.org

This is all from Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. He wanted to get fruit for a meal that was entirely created from foraging and hunting, etc.

Basically, what she did was totally legal and apparently practiced by many others. I don't know if it's just an L.A. thing or what.

[KikiSashaFan]

You are aware that it is possible to obtain meat from animals that are not being fed steroids and growth hormones?

Uhh yeah I am. But it's also more expensive and not everyone is willing to or can spend the money on it. I'm not saying everyone should run out and replace every bit of meat they eat with soy, I'm just saying that it is an acceptable replacement for certain things and definitely isn't any worse "child abuse" than feeding kids hot dogs or other types of processed meats that I bet a lot of kids do have on a daily basis.

[milanessa]

There's an old legal principle that confers the right to pick fruit from trees overhanging the property that is upheld in Los Angeles called usufruct. There's a website for the city of Los Angeles actually devoted to the principles of usufruct which offers maps to publicly accessible fruit trees called fallenfruit.org

This is all from Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. He wanted to get fruit for a meal that was entirely created from foraging and hunting, etc.

Basically, what she did was totally legal and apparently practiced by many others. I don't know if it's just an L.A. thing or what.

I think that's true in other places. The fruit must be over the property line and freely accessible without damaging anyone's property. I also think overhanging branches can be cut by adjacent neighbors as long as it doesn't result in the death of a tree.

[Ziggy]

I would recommend:

Mixing vegetable protein (beans, tofu, nuts and seeds, etc.) with complex carbs (brown rice, buckwheat, wholemeal bread and pasta). This way you get complete protein.

Quinoa is a great protein source and has loads of minerals as well. It cooks very quickly. It can be used instead of rice or eaten on its own, cooked with vegetable stock and possibly some veg.

Nettle tea is a source of iron and aids digestion (the taste isn't great but I got used to it).

Fruit + nuts or seeds is a healthy, satisfying snack. Plus you get your omega oils from them.

I take supplements to stay on the safe side as despite all the knowledge shared above, I am lazy and my diet is rather shit.

Solgar has a great multivitamin complex for vegans and vegetarians with lots of B vitamins:
http://www.solgar.co.uk/product/form...ets-E1183.html

I also take their Gentle Iron supplement, together with a Vitamin C tablet (or a piece of citrus fruit) because iron gets absorbed much better with vitamin c.

I stopped being vegetarian because I found it very hard here (amongst other things, like my iron levels). The Chinese actually don't eat brussel sprouts but I can buy them at the foreign store. They definitely don't seem to understand vegetarianism here buf that's ok, I like to cook.

I remember speaking to somebody who was vegetarian and went on a trip to China. He had a piece of paper with "I'm a buddhist" written on it, in Chinese, as they wouldn't understand the concept of being vegetarian if he didn't had that reason.

[KikiSashaFan]

I love the versatility of quinoa. I make big batches and use it all through the week. It's good with chopped veggies and a bit of salad dressing, but it's also a really filling breakfast mixed with yogurt and toasted almonds. The combos are endless.

[bardtoob]

May I ask why you desire to go to a vegetarian diet.

My humble opinion is that if products are not locally available that both meet one's personal taste and supply sufficient macro and micro nutrients, then a minimal meat diet can be just as economical, ecological, and ideologically satisfying if one recognizes the sacrifice that brought one the meat.

Throughout most of the human experience, meat has been a food used primarily for a dietary supplement, a feast/special occasion food, and as a rich food for hunter/warrior/athletes and pregnant women. Making a declaration of prohibiting oneself was not necessary. If a person chose not to eat meat when it was available in abundance, it was because the person simply did not crave it. Cravings were an indicator of a nutrient deficiency.

My best recommendation is start adding all those foods you intend to use to replace meat (legumes- amino acids , whole grains- amino acids and minerals , seeds- both for oils and protein, nuts- both for proteins and oil, and green vegetables- minerals ... and obviously egg and dairy ), then see if your desire for meat decreases accordingly, and do not judge yourself to harshly if you eat meat occasionally. Variety, variety, variety will do you a lot of good.

BTW, do you like peanut butter or other nut butters. I'm inclined to believe you are from a region that dislikes them in preference to brewer's yeast based spreads.

Also, you might try cooking with cast iron pots and pans, as it often transfers ionic iron into the food one is cooking.

[PrincessLeppard]

Did you have any side effects when you made the switch?

Not that I recall, other than people questioning my decision.

[*Jen*]

I love the versatility of quinoa. I make big batches and use it all through the week. It's good with chopped veggies and a bit of salad dressing, but it's also a really filling breakfast mixed with yogurt and toasted almonds. The combos are endless.

I hate quinoa. I've tried to like it. I've tried to eat it in so many things. I tried to force myself to eat quinoa for breakfast for a week, made with chai tea and a bit of plain yoghurt and fruit. In theory, it sounded wonderful. But I just can't shake the impression that I'm eating bird seed.

I love legumes, and often put them with brown rice. I also eat eggs quite regularly. I eat soy occasionally, but generally I stick to the legumes, pulses, some nuts, seeds (pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein).

[heckles]

I eat soy stuff maybe twice a week at most, usually when I'm making a recipe that contains meat and need a substitute. It can't be worse for you than meat pumped full of hormones and steroids.

Depends on the soy product. The processed fake meat products, such as the Morningstar Farms mini-corndogs, are full of unhealthy ingredients. Read their labels sometime; pretty gross stuff. If you're eating soy several times a week, it's a good idea to get your thyroid tested.

If you're going for meat texture, wheat or mushroom protein meat analogs taste just as good as soy brands. Quorn is the probably the best non-soy brand.

[KikiSashaFan]

Depends on the soy product. The processed fake meat products, such as the Morningstar Farms mini-corndogs, are full of unhealthy ingredients.

It definitely depends on the product. There are good and bad soy products, just like there are good and bad meats. Like anything, moderation is key. Some weeks I do eat soy multiple times, other times none at all. I just know that everytime I attempt to eat any type of meat I feel like I'm digesting a mixture of nails and glass, and soy doesn't do that.

[Angelskates]

Mixing vegetable protein (beans, tofu, nuts and seeds, etc.) with complex carbs (brown rice, buckwheat, wholemeal bread and pasta). This way you get complete protein.

This is a myth. It drives my dietician and my doctors crazy. If I eat a balance diet, there's no need to mix.

Quinoa is a great protein source and has loads of minerals as well. It cooks very quickly. It can be used instead of rice or eaten on its own, cooked with vegetable stock and possibly some veg.

I've yet to see quinoa here, but I've yet to look either. Will give it a shot.

I remember speaking to somebody who was vegetarian and went on a trip to China. He had a piece of paper with "I'm a buddhist" written on it, in Chinese, as they wouldn't understand the concept of being vegetarian if he didn't had that reason.

I've tried this unsuccessfully, but I'm not a huge fan of eating Chinese food out - it's very oily. I'd rather cook!

May I ask why you desire to go to a vegetarian diet.

My humble opinion is that if products are not locally available that both meet one's personal taste and supply sufficient macro and micro nutrients, then a minimal meat diet can be just as economical, ecological, and ideologically satisfying if one recognizes the sacrifice that brought one the meat.

I'm becoming vegetarian for personal reasons. I can get everything I need locally, but some of it needs to be bought at the local foreign store. I shop there once a week anyway (for brown rice, cheese, avocado, pasta etc.)

BTW, do you like peanut butter or other nut butters. I'm inclined to believe you are from a region that dislikes them in preference to brewer's yeast based spreads.

I love vegemite, and think peanut butter is okay in satay sauces. I hate nutella and other weird spreads.

Not that I recall, other than people questioning my decision.

I've dealt with it once, I can do it again. My parents don't know yet, but I'm preparing myself for the backlash.

[PrincessLeppard]

You know, my meat and potatoes parents were about the only people (along with Spinner) who didn't question my decision. Random strangers, of course, chime in all the time. (I was told that I was personally ruining the Nebraska beef industry.)

[milanessa]

I love vegemite, and think peanut butter is okay in satay sauces. I hate nutella and other weird spreads.

Like vegemite isn't a weird spread.

[CynicElle]

I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago: Insanely Quick Creamy Chickpea/Coconut Curry

Assuming you like coconut milk and curries, it's easy and *really* good. I didn't have any potatoes around and cut the turmeric down a bit, but it was still tasty. And it's very filling -- I ate what I thought was a small-sized portion and felt like I was going to explode afterwards.

[emason]

I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago: Insanely Quick Creamy Chickpea/Coconut Curry

Assuming you like coconut milk and curries, it's easy and *really* good. I didn't have any potatoes around and cut the turmeric down a bit, but it was still tasty. And it's very filling -- I ate what I thought was a small-sized portion and felt like I was going to explode afterwards.

Looks and sounds delicious; I think I'll give this a try. Thanks for sharing.

[milanessa]

Looks and sounds delicious; I think I'll give this a try. Thanks for sharing.

yes it does but "Insanely Quick"? Not with all that chopping.

[Angelskates]

I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago: Insanely Quick Creamy Chickpea/Coconut Curry

Assuming you like coconut milk and curries, it's easy and *really* good. I didn't have any potatoes around and cut the turmeric down a bit, but it was still tasty. And it's very filling -- I ate what I thought was a small-sized portion and felt like I was going to explode afterwards.

Ooohhhh, thanks for the recipe, I'll give it a try!

[Allen]

You might also try Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks blog. I'm not a vegetarian anymore, but I still use a ton of her recipes. I usually end up adding more spice to her recipes because they sometimes come out a little bland for me, but that might just be me. Her saffron pasta salad is my favorite pasta salad.

One thing that worked for me on protein was veggie burgers. Morningstar Farm and Amy's brands have a lot of protein, especially if you combine them with a wheat bun.

I also eat a lot of quinoa. I make a salad with cranberries, apricots, and quinoa with a maple vinaigrette and it's delicious

[JerseySlore]

You might also try Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks blog. I'm not a vegetarian anymore, but I still use a ton of her recipes. I usually end up adding more spice to her recipes because they sometimes come out a little bland for me, but that might just be me. Her saffron pasta salad is my favorite pasta salad.

One thing that worked for me on protein was veggie burgers. Morningstar Farm and Amy's brands have a lot of protein, especially if you combine them with a wheat bun.

I also eat a lot of quinoa. I make a salad with cranberries, apricots, and quinoa with a maple vinaigrette and it's delicious

Oh that salad sounds heavenly.