why would you HAVE to eat meat?

Songburst

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

About 2 weeks ago my 12 year old daughter went vegetarian, so recently I've done a little reading on soy & soy products. Most soy found in tofu or soy milk is BAD FOR YOU. Soy is only good for you when it's unfermented, as found in soy sauce. So, I don't allow soy in my house.
Therefore, it's been pretty hard trying to make dinner for my family with one vegetarian. In general my family has meat, green veg & beans or brown rice for dinner. If she has dinner with us that means she's basically eating pan-roasted asparagus and some rice. What kind of life is that??? How can a person be full without a meat product? We don't eat pasta, potatoes or bread products so that rules out a lot of vegetarian-friendly dishes.
Oh, and I told her what gelatin is so now she won't take part in the s'mores-around-the-campfire tradition

No pasta, potatoes or bread? Why?

_

Songburst wrote:

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

About 2 weeks ago my 12 year old daughter went vegetarian, so recently I've done a little reading on soy & soy products. Most soy found in tofu or soy milk is BAD FOR YOU. Soy is only good for you when it's unfermented, as found in soy sauce. So, I don't allow soy in my house.
Therefore, it's been pretty hard trying to make dinner for my family with one vegetarian. In general my family has meat, green veg & beans or brown rice for dinner. If she has dinner with us that means she's basically eating pan-roasted asparagus and some rice. What kind of life is that??? How can a person be full without a meat product? We don't eat pasta, potatoes or bread products so that rules out a lot of vegetarian-friendly dishes.
Oh, and I told her what gelatin is so now she won't take part in the s'mores-around-the-campfire tradition

No pasta, potatoes or bread? Why?

Just to kill the joy in life...

PJaddicted

One of my friends was a veg for about 10 years and ate a lot of Tofu and drank soymilk. She and her young daughter ended up Hypothyroid, and their doctor told them to stop eating Tofu and drinking Soymilk, and at the very least add some fish to her diet. She is doing much better now and her daughter is completely off of thyroid meds now that they eats a bit of fish or seafood each week. I think adding Tempah to the diet of a 12 year old would be a good alternative to meat, it is easy to prepare and can be used as a substitute for meat in almost anything you would make for your family, it readily takes on flavors and has a much better texture then tofu. You can find it in most supermarkets now. I find it more digestible if it is steamed first for 15 minutes and then used in a recipe. http://www.tempeh.info/recipes/tempeh-recipes.php

Here's a site with a ton of info....you could spend weeks reading all the articles!!!
http://paleodiet.com/

iluvcats

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

About 2 weeks ago my 12 year old daughter went vegetarian, so recently I've done a little reading on soy & soy products. Most soy found in tofu or soy milk is BAD FOR YOU. Soy is only good for you when it's unfermented, as found in soy sauce. So, I don't allow soy in my house.
Therefore, it's been pretty hard trying to make dinner for my family with one vegetarian. In general my family has meat, green veg & beans or brown rice for dinner. If she has dinner with us that means she's basically eating pan-roasted asparagus and some rice. What kind of life is that??? How can a person be full without a meat product? We don't eat pasta, potatoes or bread products so that rules out a lot of vegetarian-friendly dishes.
Oh, and I told her what gelatin is so now she won't take part in the s'mores-around-the-campfire tradition

please tell me what gelatin is. are you referring to Jello? there used to be some time type of gelatin by Knox years ago which one would drink to harden their finger nails.

ugh, one time I got soy powder from GNC and made gross shakes with it and I could not go to the bathroom.
then I read soy is constipating. this was when some test i had said i could not have cow's milk but it did not specify which component of cow's milk i am intolerant to. the test was not through my doctor, i sent my blood to a lab in england after they sent me a kit, then test results.

PJaddicted

Try Almond Milk instead

JaneNY

iluvcats wrote:

please tell me what gelatin is. are you referring to Jello? there used to be some time type of gelatin by Knox years ago which one would drink to harden their finger nails.

She mentions s'mores. Those are snacks with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. Marshmallows contain gelatin (though there are vegan ones), and gelatin is made from animal bones.

_Crazy_Mary_

Jane answered it correctly. Gelatin is made from animal bones. It's found in jello, gummy candies & marshmallows.

Oh and Songburst- you asked why no potatoes, pasta or bread? That's because we cut those out of our diet a few years ago to be healthier. We have brought bread back into our lives in small quantities, but pasta & potatoes are still out. I lost 30 lbs. 2 years ago & intend to keep it off!

decides2dream

scb wrote:

Songburst wrote:

No pasta, potatoes or bread? Why?

Just to kill the joy in life...

seriously made me laugh - and i whole-heartedly agree!
a life without pasta?! :shock:
be still my first generation american, 75% italian-descendant, heart!

whole wheat pasta is an excellent and tasty alternative to the non-nutrion of white flour pasta. one can eat just about ANYthing, and be healthy, stay in shape, etc. it's all balance and moderation. potatoes i could live without, but delicious bread and pasta.....no way.

_Crazy_Mary_

haha! this explains why my 5 year old always orders the ravioli when we go out to eat! (goat cheese ravs are the BEST)

Ms. Haiku

iluvcats wrote:

I subscribe to a vegetarian magazine, although I'm not considered a vegetarian. I've always been grossed out by meat but I cook it for my family. I try to eat it and can't finish it or just pick at it. I eats lots of nuts, oatmeal, salad, some veggies and junk food. I never found out why I'm light headed even though I had tests performed. Anyway, I was reading my vegan magazine last night and there was a letter from a woman who was told she had to eat 5 oz of meat daily to get better....she only said she was very ill. Do you suppose she was malnourished? Even though it is going to be hard, I'm going to try eating 5 ounces a day too. Also, the doctor said she had to eat animal protein....would that exclude poultry?

I wrote a long answer which I saved instead of submitting. How do I find my saved answer?

ajedigecko

i dice up jalapenos and onions and mix them into the beef that we raise.......makes for a wonderful burger.

Commy

to the OP, you don't HAVE to eat red meat. in fact you may not want too...

People who eat red meat every day have a higher risk of dying over a 10-year period -- mostly because of cardiovascular disease or cancer --than their peers who eat less red or processed meat, according to a new study of about half a million people.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/23/he ... .lifespan/

dunkman

big sharp teeth called incisors.

we have them, ergo we have them to eat meat.

MayDay10

I tried to go veggie. It lasted a little over a month. I started eating way too much pasta. My diet wasnt correct. I failed.

decides2dream

_Crazy_Mary_ wrote:

haha! this explains why my 5 year old always orders the ravioli when we go out to eat! (goat cheese ravs are the BEST)

depriving a child of the joy of eating delicious pasta say once a week i think may constitute cruel and inhuman treatment. best be careful no one calls child protection services on you.



i was a veggie for about 2 years? i think. the only thing i REALLY missed was buffalo wings. if my hubby also went veggie, perhaps would've stayed with it....but given the fact that i don't cook and he does, and he eats meat.....just got to the point that i went back to meat. i ate surprisingly healthy as a veg or a meat-eater......it's all the junk food that was always my nemesis. :twisted: however, i am doing faaaarrrrrr better nowadays. little by little...i'll get back to where i want to be.

_Crazy_Mary_

MayDay10 wrote:

I tried to go veggie. It lasted a little over a month. I started eating way too much pasta. My diet wasnt correct. I failed.

See that's one thing I've noticed: vegetarians eat a lot of bread & pasta. Two things that are not good for you. Maybe that's the only way to ever feel full? The fat from meat helps to give a person that full feeling.
Also many of the vegetarians I know are overweight. There. I said it! Not all, but I've noticed that 50% of the vegetarians I wait on have an extra 20-30 lbs.

ajedigecko

because when i have my back turned to the cow, chicken, and fish.............they mock me.

sickgirl

Anyone that thinks a vegitarian or vegan diet is unhealthy should really try to do some research instead of assuming. Besides the obvious health benifits, there are so many diseases that can be prevented. Before you put it down or forbid a child the choice it is really worth it to do some real research. I've got plenty of links to websites with info and the names of some books, if anyone wants them.

pearljamjen

sickgirl wrote:

Anyone that thinks a vegitarian or vegan diet is unhealthy should really try to do some research instead of assuming. Besides the obvious health benifits, there are so many diseases that can be prevented. Before you put it down or forbid a child the choice it is really worth it to do some real research. I've got plenty of links to websites with info and the names of some books, if anyone wants them.

EXACTLY. I wasn't going to post in this thread, but I had to say I'm glad you posted what you did.

I know a lot of meat-eaters who are overweight too. Not all, some are very fit. Just like some vegetarians are, and some aren't. It depends what you eat. :roll: You DON'T need bread or pasta to feel full.

There are a lot of options. You just have to do some research.

mickeyrat

ajedigecko wrote:

because when i have my back turned to the cow, chicken, and fish.............they mock me.

What about the pig?