Any vagans here?

[discordia]

I hope I put this in the right catagory. Anyway, I am seriously considering becoming a vegitarian. The appearance and taste of meat has been making me sick lately, like the last 3-4 years. I don't understand why, but one by one I've been giving up the "good stuff" and eating differently. I would like to stress that I know nothing about vegetarianism, it's just an question I've got. I looked at some of the vagan forums I found online but they looked a little hostile, but they probably get a lot of "bull" anyway, so I'll ask you guys. Any insights?

[liz32]

vagens are the extreem in vegetarians. If I understand them correctly, they consume nothing that comes from animals. No milk, no eggs no dairy-yogurt, cheese etc. It's done to extreems. If you are thinking of becoming vegetarian, alot of them eat fish, eggs and dairy product but nothing "meat". It can be healthy but takes alot of research and you need to be carefull not to leave out certain vitamins that are found in meat products. I'd consult with a dietition especially one who specializes in vegetarian diets. I hope this helps a little. Maybe someone will come along with more info.
Liz

[Rhino]

I do know that a lot of vegan cooking involves seitan, a proteinish substance derived from vital wheat gluten which is like poison to me (all right, I use hyperbole, but still, NOT good stuff for a diabetic.)

Remember this is a YMMV disease, but I would NEVER eat vegan. Fish is a very important part of my diet.

Discordia - LOVE your name, LOVE the license plate. Eaten any apples recently? How about a horcrux?

[discordia]

vagens are the extreem in vegetarians. If I understand them correctly, they consume nothing that comes from animals. No milk, no eggs no dairy-yogurt, cheese etc. It's done to extreems. If you are thinking of becoming vegetarian, alot of them eat fish, eggs and dairy product but nothing "meat". It can be healthy but takes alot of research and you need to be carefull not to leave out certain vitamins that are found in meat products. I'd consult with a dietition especially one who specializes in vegetarian diets. I hope this helps a little. Maybe someone will come along with more info.
Liz


I guess I didn't mean vagan then...like I said I really didn't even know the difference. I drink lots of milk but I don't eat fish either...I'm a confused boy I guess. Meat in general is pretty much grossing me out, all of it, so what catagory does that put me in?

It can be healthy but takes alot of research and you need to be carefull not to leave out certain vitamins that are found in meat products. I'd consult with a dietition especially one who specializes in vegetarian diets.

Maybe I should look into this now.

Thanks.

[discordia]

Remember this is a YMMV disease,

Discordia - LOVE your name, LOVE the license plate. Eaten any apples recently? How about a horcrux?


Whats YMMV?





No horcruxes, but I have been known to sample the polyjuice potion from time to time.:flute:

Snape....good or bad?:questionm

[jen_slc]

Vegans: don't eat *any* animal products; no eggs, no dairy, no honey.
Ovo-Lacto vegetarians: eat eggs and dairy
Ovo vegetarians: eat eggs but not dairy
Lacto vegetarians: eat dairy but not eggs

A new label is the flexitarian: mostly vegetarian but still eats some meat on occasion. I think this label fits me the best. I still eat fish, don't mind chicken broth or other food cooked with meat, and do eat white meat during the winter holidays....until I eat enough to remind myself that meat is too chewy and grisly for me. Then I'm good to go without for the rest of the year. I went through a similar phase to what it sounds like you're going through right now, discordia, in my teens. I didn't eat that much meat to begin with (usually only poultry) and I gradually cut all that out. I had too many grisly/fatty experiences and decided that if I was going to sit at the table and spend hours trying to chew and swallow my meat, I was probably better off not eating it at all. I went for about 8 years with no meat, then a few years ago started eating little bites every once in a while to become the flexitarian I am now.

It's true that you could miss out on a lot of nutrients, you do have to be vigilant about getting everything you need. I hate eggs and most dairy products, so I have a tough time, but I manage. Lots of legumes, veggies and healthy carbs. I can handle tofu as well, but only if someone other than myself cooks it. :biggrin: Also, I think one of the biggest problems in becoming a vegetarian is that your fat consumption can increase quite a bit, so you'd want to watch that! I wouldn't be too worried about not getting enough protein, the actual RDA for protein isn't that large and as long as you continue to eat a healthy diet as a vegetarian, I think you'd be fine.

Good luck in your research! Maybe try it out for a few weeks and see how it goes? There's lots of good cookbooks out there, I just got this fantastic one for xmas and I still haven't made my way through all the recipes yet, but every one I've tried I absolutely love. Ask all the questions you want! oh, YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary.

[Finn]

My fiance is vegan, I am not (but we still get along :evil: ). There are tons of good web sites for going veg. The vegan sites do tend to mean and sometimes quite self righteous, while the vegitarian sites seem to be more open. Like jen_slc said, there are different version of vegetarian. If you don't like meat, don't eat it. Do some reaserch and adjust your diet accordingly. Protien is in many other sources, not just meat. I don't know if you like to cook but if you do, pm me and I'll give you the titles of a few excellent books.

[Erin]

If a diet exists, I've probably tried it.

You don't have to define yourself as "vegetarian" or "vegan" or "lacto-ovo veg."

My favorite is "pescatarian" people who will eat fish, but not other animals. "Now fish may not be the most intelligent of all of God's creatures, but calling them vegetables is just insulting"

Decide what you will and will not eat, and do that. If there's a name for it, great, if not, also great. Just make sure you're getting a balanced diet. If you're not eating meat, you might want to check out soy products, and beans for protein. Make sure you eat lots of colors. Sounds silly, but different vitamins actually turn foods the colors that they are... so if you eat lots of colors, you're getting a balanced diet.

Particularly when you're working the kinks out of your new diet be sure to take a good multi-vitamin, and a B-complex and you'll be good to go.

[Sarmar7]

Hi.

Im new to diabetes, but have been a veggie for about 17 years. There's no real problems with not eating meat, but you have to make sure you balance the things you are missing by not eating meat. If you still eat fish this would be great. (Unfortunately I struggle to eat fish and eggs!)
I tend to have lots of pulses and use soya and tofu alot in cooking.
Ive only been diagnosed with Type 1 for a few weeks but the nurses etc said that the lack of meat, fish etc shouldnt be a problem. Up to know the veggie diet doesnt seem to be causing me any problems, but I suppose tiime will tell.

[Diana]

Hmm, this sounds like me! Over the last few months I have had increasing trouble with eating meat, as I get grossed out by it due to stuff I'm doing at uni. At the start I would start off eating a piece of meat, but halfway through I would get disgusted, feel sick and have to stop. So now I've just pretty much stopped eating meat. Im not classing myself as a vegetarian or anything else, as I dont have any kind of ethical or moral view against meat, and occasionaly I will eat it, its just that I generally cant bring myself to eat it.

What I have done is improve my diet by adding things like beans to it. I have beans on toast for brekkie, kidney beans instead of meat in nachos and tacos, beans and potato mash, bean salad... They are a really good food for people with diabetes as they have a low GI.

If I go to a bbq I just feast out on the salads and stuff. I have had people ask me if I have become vegetarian when they see I dont get any meat, but I just say "no, I just dont really feel like it tonight" or something like that. Over here, sometimes there is a bit of a thing against vegetarians, its considered a bit alternative and perhaps even slightly 'un-Australian'.

Anyway, good luck with it, but dont yourself to eating rubbish food just because you arent eating meat. Maybe having a look at some vegetarian cookbooks and stuff might hep you out with figuring out some good foods to eat.

[SugaryOne]

I'm vegetarian, and I must say, I am mostly doing it for health reasons. Meat in general has a high fat content and the alternatives (tofu, beans, etc) are not only a high protein count but lower fat content as well.

As for having diabetes with it, I've had no problems. I've lost some weight which benefits insulin absorption rate. I wouldn't listen to the PETA website or anything similar, they're basically extremists. You're right, most of it is bull.

[jenet]

My fiance is vegan, I am not (but we still get along :evil: ).
My hubby is quasi-lacto veggie. He won't eat any meat or fish. He drinks milk, and loves cheese. He eats eggs only when used in making breads or pastas. It seems to work for him, as he's been doing it by choice since before the age of 2. I understand it drove his mother to distraction that he just quit eating meat and eggs one day - period, end of story, no more. I, on the other hand, love a great piece of prime rib (only once a year because of the fats) or broiled salmon. ;)

cheers,
j

[Rhino]

YMMV = Your mileage may vary (i.e. it's different for everyone)

Snape = Not good, but he killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders. It's the "Severus... please...." bit that convinces me.