I am in dietary hell....

[OpusXKC]

I've never met a cigar smoking vegan, seems counter-productive

 

[NotAquitter]

My son has been vegan for about 5 years and the other son is a meat eating jock. I go back and forth depending on who is home for dinner. There are some decent vegan things even the meat eater likes fried tofu with garlic sauce from the Chinese place. Fantastic makes soy taco "meat" and sloppy joes. You will find a compromise and can enjoy some of it with them and do your own thing at other times. You don't have to quit smoking cigars cause they don't smoke....do you have to quit meat cause they did?


Pm me if I can be of any help

Beth

 

[garvey]

Wow, wonderful responses!

I know the moderation approach, and so do they. We've actually lived that life quite well. But now, for some reason, they have the desire to make the change. They argue it makes sense to minimize meat and dairy and want to see if they can make a healthy diet without including these foods. I want to be supportive, I really do. But following the diet is another story.

My difficulty (and that of my wife) is we are busy (who isn't) -- and the idea of making two sets of meals is damn near impossible to fathom. I'm sure we could pull it off -- if I can find a way to integrate the meat into the menu they are structuring for themselves. And that's the approach I plan to take.

And meanwhile, I'm off to an Ethiopian restaurant for my daughter's birthday (her b-day, her choice). Should be interesting....

 

[Petthefish]

Just stop eating beef and pork and switch to
venison ???

 

[DesertRat]

What is the point of living longer if you aren't enjoying yourself? ???

Especially since we all finish the game the same way.

 

[Outsidesmoke]

I feel for you man. I'm sure your family won't force you to eat vegan with them. My advice is to go along with it for maybe a week (to the point where they might be craving meat), then one night bring home a nice juicy prime rib and grill it up for yourself. Sit down at the table with a nice tall bottle of A1 and make comments like

"Man this steak is really tender"

"I brought enough for you guys if you'd like me to one up for you"

But honestly, family is forgiving.

 

[jgohlke]

I spent a little time poking around the web and found a bunch of information, pro and con about the book "The China Study". Interestingly, most of the "pro" information is anecdotal and non-professional. There is quite a bit of "con" from the medical community (here is an example: China Study Book Review). I have not personally read the book.

Learning and trying new things is important. Thinking critically is important too. I think it is very important to teach children to think for themselves and question everything.

There is a lot of pseudo-science floating around these days and once it gets into the mainstream, it's hard to get out. You can visit snopes.com for hours of entertaining reading on all manner of fakery that suckered folks at one point in time (and some of them just keep coming around).

I would encourage your wife and daughter to do some additional research. Thinking and research is lot like medicine in general (medications, rehabilitation, surgical procedures, etc)....just because it's easy (easy to do, easy to understand) and makes you feel better (says what you want to hear or physically makes you feel better) doesn't make it good for you. Lots of times, medications, surgical procedures, rehab, etc....can be pretty uncomfortable and make you feel worse (at least at first). Exercise is a classic example of something that isn't all that much fun to do, but is generally accepted as a positive thing for your body and mind.

If it was all just about feeling good, mentally and physically, we'd all be sitting around watching Oprah, smoking cigars and drinking beer.

 

[golfgar]

I have a couple of friends who eat no meat, they still eat some cheese and such, but no meat or eggs. From observing them, you will lose weight and appetite (for food). I was at a BBQ at the house of his mother, on a grill she had some meat for the rest of us and on another grill some stuff for them. Grilled veggies are good, very good, and they had some of those. I made a bad choice, what looked to be chicken nuggets grilled and covered in BBQ sauce was really tofu, nasty, especially when you are expecting something else.

I myself have gone on the antithesis of the vegetarian diet, a modified Atkins diet, more fish and acceptable veggies, less beef and other meat. It serves me well.

 

[Marco-Polo]

home a nice juicy prime rib and grill it up for yourself. Sit down at the table with a nice tall bottle of A1 and make comments

A1? Heresy. A good piece of meat needs salt and pepper, nothing more.

(Then again, a good piece of meat can cost as much as I spend on cigars in a week. Or two weeks. Or a month.)

My wife loves red meat and red wine. I am the luckiest man in the world.

 

[Dave]

Beans are your best friend at this point, especially black beans. They are high in protein and fiber, both of which help to keep you feeling full, especially the former. If your family is going total vegan, I'd suggest cutting out all forms of pasta as well and get your carbohydrates from the fruits and vegetables such as potatoes and corn.

 

[Charley]

Just stop eating beef and pork and switch to
venison ???

Ok brother......I'll take it......name your price....!

 

[SweetMelissa]

I made a 16.8 lb prime rib and a 9lb pork shoulder for Christmas, everything in moderation. I'm with Doc, we can't live for ever.

*swoon* Man after my own heart...but you didn't invite me

Seriously though, It's one thing if you want to try it out with them(I just personally do not see how or why anyone would want to do that), but if you are getting pressure from the wife to go it solely because they are? Then to me that is where the issue is. You do not have to alter your diet to suit their vegan interest. Simply try it if you want, but keep the things you enjoy there for yourself.

Melly
*Full supporter of the People Eating Tasty Animals*

 

[Eshaw99]

I could never do that. I need prime rib. I've tried eating healthy (salad), however a couple hours later I find myself starving, and having to go out and get In N Out, which really defeats the purpose of eating healthy.

Mmmm, In N Out...

I made the mistake of going there for the first time about 7 years ago when my then girlfriend (and current wife) went to California to visit her brother. We didn't have them in Georgia and I had never been there before. We don't have them here in Indy either, and now I know exactly what I'm missing. I went there a whole bunch of times on our honeymoon in Vegas, but that was five years ago, and I have had In N Out since.

 

[ggiese]

You want to make everyone happy?

I know it's expensive, but pick up a VitaMix 5200 - and a whole bunch of fruit and veggies. That bugger will grind up just about anything you toss in there!

I usually toss in some fresh Pineapple, apple, banana, carrot and a Acai berry juice. Throw in some ice and a scoop of Soy based protein powder - and you got a meal in a glass. Tastes to me like an incredibly nice shake - first thing in the morning keeps me full until well in the afternoon. :thumbs:

Read the book that comes with it - there are some very interesting and tasty meatless recipes (soups, etc.) As a matter of fact - if you visit the website there are plenty of great recipes to review.

I have found that if I eat all the fast food garbage I'm used to eating (burgers, Italian beef, french fries, etc.), I feel like crap. I feel much better when I'm eating "healthier".

However - I did opt for a very nice slice of prime rib and a baked potato with all the trimmings this afternoon. And Christmas is just not the same without the ham and turkey. Hard to fully shed the old ways...

 

[ggiese]

I could never do that. I need prime rib. I've tried eating healthy (salad), however a couple hours later I find myself starving, and having to go out and get In N Out, which really defeats the purpose of eating healthy.

Mmmm, In N Out...

I made the mistake of going there for the first time about 7 years ago when my then girlfriend (and current wife) went to California to visit her brother. We didn't have them in Georgia and I had never been there before. We don't have them here in Indy either, and now I know exactly what I'm missing. I went there a whole bunch of times on our honeymoon in Vegas, but that was five years ago, and I have had In N Out since.

Do they have Whataburger down by you in Indy? Or is that a Texas/Georgia only kinda place?

 

[Macion Grey]

Another bit of wisdom, this from Rumpole of the Bailey, "No vice is worth giving up for an extra year on a geriatrics ward".

Doc

Nice one! I have a Rumpole collection floating around somewhere. Good stuff.

 

[Seanholio]

For some a vegan like diet can not only be unhealthy but dangerous. [...] Normalizing insulin is a big key to long term health in my opinion.

I agree with Marcos on these statements. The research I have read supports insulin management, whereas the research on vegan diets suggests that they are dangerous, especially when they're not carefully planned to create complete protein intakes from the various essential amino acids.

Human beings are not herbivores. Our bodies, from our dental configuration to our endocrine system to our digestive tract, are all designed for an omnivorous diet. The biggest problem in modern society is the prevalence of carbohydrate-dense foods which create insulin spikes. Further, these carbohydrates tend to make the body acidic, which allows all kinds of disease and ailments to occur.

A balanced diet is important, and not the one suggested by the USDA. If your wife and daughter insist on their vegan diet, I suggest you go the opposite direction and begin the paleolithic diet or the metabolic diet. Not only will you feel better and experience better health than your family, your food will smell and taste better.