A Request To All Vegetarians and Vegans On ATS

Hey there everyone.

I wanted to make a request to all vegetarians and vegans out there but first i need to make the situation clear.

I'm a meat eater, i rarely eat much red meat and generally i don't eat much meat but i do like a bit of chicken, fish, rabbit and deer. A while ago i went on a vegetarian diet jus tot see what would happen, it resulted ina loss of energy, muscle loss and general tiredness.

This however was when i was well and healthy and weight lifting a lot. Anyway i wanted to try a vegetarian diet again simply as a sort of experiment, if it resulted in a healthier feeling i would stick to it.

So i would like to request that any vegetarian or vegan would help me out planninga healthy diet, something full of all the nutrients and protein i need. Note i'm going vegetarian and not vegan here so i can still have things like eggs.

So if some kind hearted person wants to give me a boat load of recipes, maybe plan a diet for a week as an example i would be grateful as i want to make sure i'm hitting all the areas i need to be healthy.

This isn't a joke, i will take it very seriously as a real experiment with my health. I'm looking to follow this diet for a good 6 months to give it a go as it were and see how i feel.

So if someone could help me out, especially with the recipes i would be deeply grateful. Thanks.

Hello there....

And I'm so pleased that you are trying this....I know you will do it properly, from the way you have approached it. Veganism or vegetarianism can be a very healthy way to live if you do it right. A book I can highly recommend is The Healing Foods Cookbook by Jane Sen....gorgeous recipes and I find that I'm much more energetic, sleep better and am less worn out at the end of the day when I'm on this for a bit. I will find you some nutrition links tomorrow, and maybe Dead Flag Blues will drop by to help out.

Meanwhile, one of my favourite recipes....I usually miss out the rice milk, and put more curry paste in to make it hotter. I also put Quorn pieces in it near the end of the cooking time to make it a meal on it's own. This recipe makes loads, but half the quantities and you will still have more than enough for two people. I aslo use full fat coconut milk, but it's up to you.

From: Vegan Express: Featuring 160 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Healthy Meals, by Nava Atlas.


Nearly Instant Thai Coconut and Corn Soup

From Nava: “Soup is something I could eat every day — and often do. It’s a fantastic way to get a variety of nourishing ingredients in one dish, and no matter how homey or jazzy the flavors, it’s my favorite kind of comfort food. When I first came up with this soup, I was looking to make something speedy to serve with a main-dish salad. And speedy it is, taking only about 15 to 20 minutes from start to finish, yet it tastes like a long-simmering soup. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but having made it many times since, that’s just how long it takes. The tiny bit of red curry gives it ample heat; if you’d like a spicier soup, use more, and for a less spicy effect, omit the red curry altogether.”
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon light olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into short, narrow strips
Two 15-ounce cans light coconut milk
1½ cups rice milk
One 16-ounce bag frozen corn
2 teaspoons good quality curry powder
¼ teaspoon Thai red curry paste, more or less to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ cup minced fresh cilantro


DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil in a small soup pot. Add the garlic, the white parts
of the scallions, and the bell pepper. Sauté over medium-low heat
until softened and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the coconut milk, rice milk, corn, curry powder, the green
parts of the scallions. If using the curry paste, dissolve it in a
small amount of water before adding to the soup.
3. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer
gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat.
4. Serve, passing around the cilantro for topping.
Yield: 6 servings.


Enjoy!

And if you like to cook and want the mother of all vegetarian cook books, try Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian...absulutely packed with all the stuff you'll need.

Cait

I can't add much information to the thread for you because I'm mostly a carnivore, but I did put two tags at the very bottom of the page so you can click them and find other ATS/BTS threads on the topic.

Some of them have great recipes you might like to try.

I think one of the Supermods is a vegetarian, you might want to let Worldwatcher know about this thread, she has some great recipes.

reply to post by ImaginaryReality1984


U2U me your current diet, the route you want to take, your daily routine, and any health issues you currently have or had in the past. I could probably point you in the general direction, even a specific direction you want to go while keeping you away from all the veggie fads and the poor health that follows coming into the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle prematurely.

Seriously... Any question ever.

Well to be strong on a vegetarian diet you need to eat a lot of fresh fruits like apples, oranges and bananas.

The vitamins just fight away all bad bacteria and viruses.

The reason why Iam saying this is I have been a vegetarian all my life

Thanks a lot to everyone who replied, will probably be starting next week once i have an idea of what i'm doing Will be reporting the results back to ATS as a proper experiment. So i'll be keeping a diary every day checking how i feel, appearance of my skin etc.

Thanks again to those who have replied offering help.

I have started out with my experiment.

I have undergone a blood test, it's unrelated to this change but it's a basic blood test covering liverm function, kidney function, my immune system and various other things. I have also taken an accurate measure of my weight and general health and so i'm going to be very fare on this trial.

I will be monitoring my health in numerous areas and in six months time ill get another blood test, although my blood tests tend to be every 3 months and so it'll keep me up to date anyway.

Basically i will report everything fairly and equaly, i will not colour results and i will present the tests as they come. I want it to be fully scientific. I would like to thank a couple of members here especially deadflagblues and caitlan, as they've helped me a lot with my experiment.

I will present my personal results monthly unless something comes up before that.

I almost can't give you any advice you don't already know. You have your head on straight and your diet was almost spot on as it was. I'm concerned about how your chronic exhaustion is going to factor in with a vegetarian diet. Just make sure you're consuming positive fuels and we'll hope for the best. I know I gave you a cop out recipe list and if you want a comprehensive one, I would be more than happy to provide one. Holla at me.

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
I almost can't give you any advice you don't already know. You have your head on straight and your diet was almost spot on as it was.

By that i assume you mean the fact i had a small amount of meat in my diet Well meat isn't evil it provides many good functions but the experiment is as i stated already, scientific. So we'll see how it goes.

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
I'm concerned about how your chronic exhaustion is going to factor in with a vegetarian diet. Just make sure you're consuming positive fuels and we'll hope for the best.

If the vegans and vegetarians are correct then it shouldn't be an issue as they all state quite clearly that you don't need meat to feel healthy. I am following a very good diet according to them and so they have no arguement. Again we'll see. I will give it time, the human body has to adapt afterall. However to make it clear, i am dong this only as an experiment, if i felt better on it i would stay on it, if i felt worse then i'd go back to meat. I'm being very logical about it all if that's ok.

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
I know I gave you a cop out recipe list and if you want a comprehensive one, I would be more than happy to provide one. Holla at me.

No no, you were very helpful so don't do yourself down please, if i have any questions i will ask away don't worry I'm grateful for the help and advice.

No, I just meant your diet was nearly spot on, period. The moderation in meat and the absence from red meat was perfect. I used to eat the exact same way (minus the bambi) when I had taken a short break from vegetarianism to see how big I could get. After a month, my conscience wouldn't let me eat birds anymore, but I was eating a lot of fish. I've noticed similar gains in the pea protein I use now, and I train differently anyway.

I actually am what they call a pescatarian.

I don't eat meats. I chose this lifestyle mostly because of the hormones they place in all the meats and how expensive it can get to buy the organic meats. Although I am a big fan of laughing at yourself so permit me my moment.

I talk about the price of organic meats an I buy 10 dollars for two tuna patties :-p

There is nothing wrong with veganism and such but it's important to rememebr body chemistry is different for everyone. Some people cope very well on a vegan diet and others suffer. Do what's right for you I say.

Good luck also I am VERY interested in the results.

-Kyo

Well it has been nearly a month and so i'm presenting my personal findings.

I noticed absolutely no difference for two weeks, after two weeks i found i was feeling rather tired. As stated earlier in the thread i am unwell, however vegetarians say this diet is as good as a meat eaters diet and so that shouldn't matter.

I felt extremely unwell, to the point i was stuck in bed for three days straight. However i wanted to stick with the experiment and so i continued with my diet. Three weeks in i felt the tiredness was less and i thought maybe my body was just getting used to the diet. I can therefore say it's only fair to assume my body was adapting to a change and there was no fundamental flaw in the diet.

After a full month i am able to report my weight has reduced by nearly 8 pounds. I had very little body fat to begin with and i was worried this was muscle loss. However after looking at my self in the mirror it seems i have lost extra body fat as my muscles are showing more than they used to.

My stomach, arms and lats are showing far more definition than they used to and so this could only come about by loss of body fat. This would make sense as my intake of saturated fat has been dramatically reduced. Whilst the meats i originally ate were the lean ones, they still contained some of it.

My energy levels are back to their normal levels after a month on this new diet. I have noticed no improvements or problems after this month. It could be said that the reduction in body fat is a positive however i was always well within a healthy weight so i can't see this being a boon to my health.

I therefore treat this month as a neutral period. Five months are left until my next blood test and i will continue to update this thread per month. The results will be presented honestly and without bias.

All the best.

IR.

Hey guys.

I'm sorry for this delayed response but i havn't been to well and i completely forgot about this thread.

Ok so an update. Basically my energy levels have been the same as always, although i've felt slightly more tired i put this down to more activity recently and so i cannot blaim this upon the diet.

I have noticed a rather large improvement in my skin. I was never spotty or anything but my skin seems to be very healthy at the moment. It's very shiny (not greasy) and healthy looking. I would put this down to the increased intake of vitamins and minerals rather than a lack of meat though.

However it's a definate upside to the diet.

That's my update for this month, all the best to everyone who actually keeps following this experiment of mine.

Good for you for sticking to this and really giving it a good try!

I ate meat for most of my life (I am 26 now), but didn't like it very much and always felt pretty guilty about it. My family is full of carnivores, so I didn't get much support in my earlier attempts at vegetarianism.

Over the past couple of years, my meat intake dwindled to once a week and then a few times a month. For the past several months, I have gone without any meat from land animals, and am slowly weeding fish out of my diet. It is challenging sometimes. For example, when I stay with my parents, I end up eating little more than spinach salad or pasta, because most of what they buy has meat in it. My mom has started buying me some meatless hotdogs and things... it means a lot to me that she is trying : )

I honestly do feel so much better when there is no meat in my diet. I am trying to kick caffeine right now, because I think I would feel perfect if that was gone, too. You might not feel your best without meat. I think everyone's body is different. Ever since I was little I have tried to avoid meat. I think a meatless lifestyle is just natural for me.

Plus, there are some who theorize that blood type dictates how you should eat. I am O negative, but I have never really looked into what type of diet that blood type should follow. I feel good on the diet I am on now, so why change?

Again, kudos to you and good luck! We should all be so brave as to make a true effort to try something new. Whether you keep this new diet or go back to your old one, you will have gained from the experience.

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
I ate meat for most of my life (I am 26 now), but didn't like it very much and always felt pretty guilty about it. My family is full of carnivores, so I didn't get much support in my earlier attempts at vegetarianism.

Well this isn't an attempt at vegetarianism, it's just an experiment For the record i'm not a big meat eater. Yes i eat chicken, deer, pigeon, rabbit but i don't eat vast quantities. And i don't eat beef at all, horrible stuff.

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
Over the past couple of years, my meat intake dwindled to once a week and then a few times a month. For the past several months, I have gone without any meat from land animals, and am slowly weeding fish out of my diet. It is challenging sometimes. For example, when I stay with my parents, I end up eating little more than spinach salad or pasta, because most of what they buy has meat in it. My mom has started buying me some meatless hotdogs and things... it means a lot to me that she is trying : )

Not sure about weeding out fish, i mean it's really good for you, but each to their own On this diet i am avoiding fish as i class it as meat. Still having eggs and things like that though.

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
I honestly do feel so much better when there is no meat in my diet. I am trying to kick caffeine right now, because I think I would feel perfect if that was gone, too. You might not feel your best without meat. I think everyone's body is different. Ever since I was little I have tried to avoid meat. I think a meatless lifestyle is just natural for me.

Natural i would agrue with as our ancestors ate a large amount of meat, especially in cold winters. However if it feels right do it

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
Again, kudos to you and good luck! We should all be so brave as to make a true effort to try something new. Whether you keep this new diet or go back to your old one, you will have gained from the experience.

Well i'm sure i'll have gained insight and knowledge on vegetarianism, and it's always god to gain both those things on any subject. If i start feeling even more tired than i am now i will have to switch back to my old diet. It's hard to judge whether it's the lack of meat or my cndition playing up. So if i switch back i'll find out, but for now i'm continuing with it.

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984

I'm a meat eater, i rarely eat much red meat and generally i don't eat much meat but i do like a bit of chicken, fish, rabbit and deer. A while ago i went on a vegetarian diet jus tot see what would happen, it resulted ina loss of energy, muscle loss and general tiredness.

I at times resemble that remark~but for the lack of energy, muscle loss, tiredness.

You can be (or nearly) entirely vegetarian, and *very healthy and strong*

For one: Check out an Asian Indian/Paki/Kashmir cookbook.

I especially reccomend the spinach dish *sog* as a main course everyday and often. Tons and tons of water and activity. It is basically boiled and spiced spinach-yummy!

Tofu as unbearable as it appears can be stirfried in garlics, onions, peppers and celerys with sweet teriaki to taste and fill in a *very* meat like way.

Olive oil cook to near crisp sweet teriaki dipped thin sliced medium consistancy Tofu. (use the honey glazed thick stuff till you find your taste for sauce)(kikkoman brand). I mean thin, so it cooks and still doesn't exactly resemble icky weird Tofu once cooked.

Steam white rice. Rice cookers are a neccesity. (unless like me doc has said, no rice.).

Here is what I do with white rice when I'm going vegetarian but don't really have a lot of cooking savy or will. I take my plate of white rice and a lunch pack of plain 'Lays" and I smash the lays and mix the whole bag in with my plate of sticky rice. Then douse with 'Kikkomon' (sp) Soy.

Cook up the tofu dish.
Dish the Tofu dish onto the rice with cruncies- stuff.

Grub a dub.

Terribly filling, and for my size and gender I am as persnickity and hopelessly territorial with my food as most men. It satisfy's my rampant hunger, anyways. Healthy. Encorporates all those food stuffs. And is Yummy Yummy Yummy. Just...strange. I always been very strong. I feel really good when I eat this dish.

Of course: season with TABASCO to taste..

If I ever understand the camera, I'll post with photos.
I have to go over to (forgot name)'s Indian dish section-if you search around, there is *the most fantasic* photo cookbook for some indian dishes on here. ...

I can learn to make sog and roti! docs not takin my roti--nuh uh.

Good Luck!

[edit on 1-11-2008 by HugmyRek]

reply to post by HugmyRek


At the time when i had less energy and muscle loss i was undergoing a seriously heavy training period. Whist vegetarians can be bodybuilders they're always (without exception) smaller. There is simply something in meat that the body needs for stupid levels of training. Introducing small amounts of meat fixed the problem very quickly.

Currently i'm unwell and i just wanted to see what the difference would be on this new meat free diet. I like to save my updates for a monthly thing but i should mention i've been feeling very very unwell the last week. Now i don't know whether it's my illness or the diet.

If it doesn't go away after another week i'll have to break this new diet and see if i feel better on meat again. Trying to be as scientific as i possibly can.

I believe I am the total opposite of a vegitarian,growing up I was always told I'd never grow if I didn't eat them,and here I am 50 some years later,only time I've had to see a Dr was for a physical injury,so I say yuck to vegetables,I hate them they hate me,and I'm 6'2 190 not fat not skinny

I think veggie and fish is the best way to diet. I don't understand why so many vegans refuse to eat fish but will eat the eggs that come out of chicken battery farms. Even dairy I really try to avoid, not just because the price has gone up so much lately but b/c its all around fattening and bad for you.

Techsnow...

to be entirely correct, vegans and vegetarians won't touch battery eggs at all, or even any other kind of egg, if one is a very strict vegan. And on a personal note about eating fish....I think it tastes disgusting...even the smell turns my stomach. It's not always just about the ethics....I have tastebuds too!

And Oldtimer....vegetables don't hate you.....you just havent learned how to talk to them yet...*s*

Cait x