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| Vegetarian | Opposite of Lacto-Vegetarians or Confused Vegan? | Jul 05 2008 22:24 (UTC) |
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Catsy2, If you occasionally eat meat, the appropriate term to describe your diet would be 'flexitarian'. A flexitarian is someone who eats a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eats meat, for any number of reasons (social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional). If you eat meat on a regular basis, but in small amounts, then I guess it would be most appropriate to still say that you are an omnivore, albeit one who doesn't eat the very excessive amounts of meat that most people seem to. Traditionally, most cultures have had some meat in their diets, however, it has been a much smaller quantity than the amounts that most americans eat today, which has had such an adverse effect on the weight and general health of the american population. |
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| Vegetarian | Anyone loose energy going vegetarian? | Jun 13 2008 11:37 (UTC) |
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I am a 50 year old vegan and I've got more energy now than I've ever had in my whole life. It is not specifically because I'm vegan, but because I follow Dr. Fuhrman's dietary recommendations, which involve eating a very nutrient dense diet. Regardless of whether you are vegetarian or not, as long as you are experiencing any sort of nutritional deficiency (and there are many possibilities), you will not be at your full potential. Sorry you experienced this problem with your energy. All I can really say is that I know for sure that meat or fish should not be necessary in order to have energy, so your situation is a bit puzzling to me. If protein and fat are an issue, then sunflower seeds are a good thing to try, and might do the trick for you.
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| Vegetarian | Vegan with too many carbs! | Jun 05 2008 19:15 (UTC) |
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Actually, 50% sounds kind of low to me, although exact percentages aren't really critical. I think that the quality of the protein, the carbs, and the fat are actually much more significant than the relative percentages of each. That is, not all carbs are created equal, and its much healthier to get your carbs from whole natural foods, than from candy (candies are carbs) or other empty calorie junk foods. In other words, most of the calories in a food might technically be carbs, but we would say that they are 'empty calories' if they don't provide much in the way of vitamins, minerals, and phyto-nutrients (these are called 'micro-nutrients'). The same thing goes for protein and fat. We should be eating protein and fat that is of a high quality, i.e. dense in all the important micro-nutrients that are essential to our health.
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| Vegetarian | Peanuts are Meat. | Jun 02 2008 11:37 (UTC) |
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I think what this really speaks to is the disconnect that people have with their food and where it comes from. A lot of people don't want to think about the fact that meat is something that comes from the slaughter of animals while they are in the midst of eating the stuff. That is why we have names like hamburger instead of just calling it dead cow. My stepmother actually once insisted that hamburger wasn't meat and that there was no reason why I shouldn't eat it (I was a vegetarian at the time).
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| Vegetarian | cheap vegan snacke | Jun 01 2008 14:30 (UTC) |
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I don't see how anyone can get buy on $20 a week these days, considering how prices have been skyrocketing. That said, the cheapest way to go with nuts/seeds is to buy sunflower seeds. I buy organic raw unsalted sunflower seeds in bulk for $2.19 a pound. This is way cheaper than any of the other nuts I might buy. A couple ounces of sunflower seeds is really a lot, and only costs me about 27 cents. Thats 27 cents for about 328 calories worth of food. Not bad! My doctor tells me that it is a great food to eat for muscle recovery after a workout. As far as fruit goes, I would go with some fresh ones. As we get a little further into the summer, and the price of watermelon drops, it will become much more economical than any of the other fresh fruits. I love watermelon and will be eating tons of it. Truthfully, I don't officially 'snack' between meals. Sometimes I might munch on some raw veggies (love those cherry tomatoes) while I'm making a salad, but I don't have any planned snacks. Instead I just stick to two to three meals a day, with no snacking. Usually its just lunch and dinner, and both meals are rather large and satisfying. On mornings that I go to swim practice, I have been eating a couple ounces of sunflower seeds afterwards, which I guess you could call my breakfast.
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| Vegetarian | Grains | May 25 2008 16:46 (UTC) |
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Original Post by muttlover: Oats, whole wheat bread, and pearled barley sounds like a ton of grains to me. I'm a vegan and rarely eat any grains at all. Occasionally I might have some brown rice, but mostly I prefer the more nutrient dense colorful starchy vegetables over the colorless grains. When I was eating a more grain based diet I was rather pale, but now that my diet is more colorful, so am I! |
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| Foods | Apples Addiction...anyone? | May 11 2008 13:57 (UTC) |
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I too have an apple addiction, but I'm not a bit worried about it! Usually, I prefer pink lady's, the crisper the better. It is really by far the crispest apple I've ever had (in case the person who brought up crispness might be interested). Of course, this does vary some. Lately, I got a hold of some very flavorful tiny little galas, which have been quite excellent, even though normally not my favorite. It truly amazes me how much one variety of apple can vary, and can be so wonderful if you get the right batch of it, at just the right time. Those apples can truly have an exquisite taste! The only thing that has really slowed down my apple addiction has been the fact that it is now strawberry season, so I'm now eating strawberries like they are going out of style! Can't get enough of them. Yummy!
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| Vegetarian | yogurt | May 11 2008 13:48 (UTC) |
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Original Post by meyoueveryoneweknow:
If you have been subjected to anti-biotics, you can purchase a vegan 'pro-biotic' which contains beneficial enzymes that restore the natural flora in your gut. One that I have used is Dr. Fuhrman's Favorite Flora, which can be purchased from his website.
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| Vegetarian | Veggies and Fruits | May 04 2008 14:33 (UTC) |
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Original Post by gi-jane: Being a healthy, sensible vegan myself, I have to agree with you. Although I eat tons of vegetables and fruit, and fully recognize their importance, I also include beans, and nuts and seeds in my diet. These foods provide protein as well as healthy fats. Although a high percentage of the calories found in leafy greens are from protein, they are so low in calories, that you won't be able to eat enough of them to get your protein that way (unless you are a gorilla with jaws that can handle eating 15 pounds of greens every day). In order to get all the nutrients you need, you do need to consume some of the healthier higher calorie foods, such as beans, nuts, and seeds. If a person needs to lose weight, having a small amount of healthy fats from nuts and seeds can actually help them lose weight faster. Ironically, a person needs a certain minimum of calories from fat in order to facilitate the weight loss process. I know a lot of people who have experienced stalls in their weight loss as a result of trying to cut all the fat out of their diet, and then the weight loss suddenly resumes when they add some fat back in. Conversely, if a person needs to maintain or gain weight, then adding larger amounts of the beans, nuts, and seeds, along with some starchy veggies, and/or grains, will give them the additional calories they need. As far as the peanut butter goes, it is definitely not a health food. It is made from roasted peanuts, which contain acrylamides as a result of the roasting process. Another widespread concern with regard to peanuts has to do with peanut mold (I forget what the mold is called), which is invisible but toxic. In general, one should look for nut butters which you can get raw and unsalted, such as cashew or almond butter. The unroasted nuts do not contain acrylamides.
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| Vegetarian | Veggies and Fruits | May 02 2008 22:45 (UTC) |
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Original Post by svkas09: Personally, you might not want to take her too literally. What people say and what they do are often not the same. Fruits and vegetables 'except for peanut butter' sounds a bit suspicious and strange. She is probably eating other things besides the peanut butter that weren't mentioned, like maybe bread, for example (pb sandwich). Sometimes the way a person thinks of their diet and characterizes it doesn't quite reflect reality. Sort of like how you hear people complain that they are overweight and can't imagine why because they 'hardly eat a thing'. Anyway, I'd observe closer rather than take this at face value. |
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| Vegetarian | Sea salt and dextrose? | Apr 25 2008 11:23 (UTC) |
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Original Post by shiremancer: I use the plain, unsweetened edensoy. It has no added salt. The only ingredients are osmosis purified water, and organic soybeans. It only has 5 mg of sodium per cup, whereas a cup of silk soymilk has around 100 mg if I remember correctly. Generally, I try to get pure stuff that isn't candy coated. The less ingredients the better. If I want to sweeten something that has soymilk in it (like maybe a smoothie), I'll do it myself by adding something naturally sweet like berries or other fresh fruit, or dates (which are a nice sweet sugar replacement). Claudia |
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| Fitness | no energy to work out- what should I do? | Apr 20 2008 16:38 (UTC) |
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Original Post by safina1: I don't know what the exact amount of calories is that would be right for your, however, when it comes to having energy its about more than simply the number of calories. You need to make sure you are getting the most nutritional bang for the caloric buck, so to speak. In other words, if you make sure that you are getting excellent nutrition, and avoiding all empty calorie junk, this will give you greater energy to fuel your activities, and actually make you feel more like you want to move around and exercise. If your diet is deficient in nutrients you will not have energy no matter how many calories you are eating. |
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| Foods | Luna bars vs. real food | Apr 20 2008 16:00 (UTC) |
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Original Post by sarah_mc21: I do not see any real benefit, and in fact would say that the Luna Bars are detrimental to your health. They contain isolated soy protein, which is a highly processed, and un-naturally concentrated form of protein. Isolated Soy Protein has been linked with high levels if IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1), which in turn has been linked to breast cancer. I would stay away from anything containing this highly processed soy product. If you want the convenience of a bar, a better choice would be Lara bars, which contain only raw nuts and dried fruit, and absolutely no other additives. In other words, Lara bars are real food, although more calorie dense than fresh fruits and vegetables. The benefit is that they contain some 'healthy fats' due to the raw nuts. I like to have one with a cup of hot chamomile tea after a swim workout. This makes a nice little breakfast. Normally I don't eat breakfast at all (I just do lunch and dinner), but I get hungry earlier in the day when I swim, so I have this little breakfast. The Cinnamon Roll one, really does taste like the flavor of a cinnamon roll, but without all the bread. Its my favorite one, and goes really well with the tea (actually its 'Calm' tea from 'Tazo', which is mostly chamomile). |
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| Vegetarian | Is it a good idea to be vegetarian while pregnant? | Apr 15 2008 11:19 (UTC) |
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Hello, I'd like to suggest that you get a copy of 'Disease-proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right', by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. This book promotes a plant-based diet for the optimal health of you and your child. It also goes into what the research says about the important connection between childhood diet, and the chronic diseases that occur in adulthood. The bottom line is that what you eat during (and even years prior to) pregnancy will have an effect on the baby, and a healthy vegan diet can provide ideal nutrition.
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| Vegetarian | Toooo Many Veggies!!! | Apr 15 2008 02:31 (UTC) |
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Original Post by gi-jane: Nah, I eat around a couple of pounds of veggies a day with no problems (and I am pretty small). Some veggies just weigh a lot more than others. A single tomato could weigh a half a pound all by itself. |
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| Vegetarian | Toooo Many Veggies!!! | Apr 14 2008 13:13 (UTC) |
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Original Post by cypherous: It is perfectly healthy to eat that much vegetables, however, if you are not used to consuming that quantity of fiber it can upset your stomach. If your body hasn't been used to very much fiber it might be something you have to work up to gradually. |
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| Vegetarian | vegan lunch ideas? | Apr 13 2008 15:16 (UTC) |
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Original Post by meyoueveryoneweknow: I usually pressure cook a big pot of black bean soup on the weekend so that I can heat it up and put it in a thermos to take to work with me during the week, along with a small salad and some fruit. Also, on some nights I'll make an enormous salad with tons of veggies and chickpeas on top, and then take that to work with me in the morning, along with some fresh fruit. I do that on mornings where I don't have time to heat up the soup and thermoses, and make the salads. I do all the prep for both myself and my husband. |
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| Vegetarian | Do you know how to cook Tofu ????? | Apr 13 2008 15:05 (UTC) |
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I had tofu last night. Its a recipe called 'Tofu Chard Pot', which I adapted from the 'Tofu Spinach Pot' recipe in Dr. Fuhrman's 'Eat to Live' book. Its pretty simple. Heat up 1/2 cup water, 2 TBSP lemon juice, 1/8 tsp each of cayenne and hing (or you can used onion powder), and 1/2 tsp of powdered (low-sodium) vegetable broth. Add 1 1/2 pounds of fresh chopped tomatoes, 1 bunch of chopped red chard (or other chard), and 1 pound of tofu chopped into small cubes. Cook on a medium or medium low heat until done to your satisfaction. The tomato/lemon/broth combo has great flavor and really goes nicely with the greens and tofu. We have this once a week, and like that it is simple and water-based, and doesn't involve any frying in oil. The tofu that we use is a firm one that is made fresh locally in the town we live in. It stays wonderfully fresh tasting in this recipe. Claudia
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| Vegetarian | New to this and need some input please | Apr 06 2008 15:28 (UTC) |
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I concur with the beans and nuts. Furthermore, there is a way that you can eat and enjoy the hard fruits such as apples and pears, despite your dental issues. I would get one of those apple corer/slicer gizmos. They are very hand to have, and I got a lot of use out of mine after I got my wisdom teeth pulled. I couldn't bite into an apple afterwards for awhile, however, once the apple is split up into smaller pieces, it is easy to bite into and chew. At first I would actually heat up the pieces in the microwave, which made them soft and sweet, and then as I healed more I was able to eat the hard pieces. |
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| Vegetarian | Are you REALLY vegetarian? | Apr 05 2008 14:43 (UTC) |
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Original Post by bee_roach: I concur with the straightforward, correct, and widely accepted explanation that you have provided. Good job. BTW, let there be no doubt that when a manufacturer labels a product such as a vitamin as 'suitable for vegetarians' they understand full well that animal by-products resulting from slaughter (such as the gelatin capsules) can not be included as ingredients. Otherwise, they are opening themselves up to lawsuits. In order for a product to be labeled as 'vegan' or 'suitable for vegans', it cannot contain any animal products, even if the products are not the result of animal slaughter. This means that vegan products cannot contain dairy, but vegetarian ones can.
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| Foods | i don't get iceberg lettuce | Apr 05 2008 14:30 (UTC) |
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Original Post by sweetblea: Contrary to popular belief, Iceberg lettuce, although not quite as nutritious as romaine, is actually a very nutritious food. In fact, it is more nutritious than many of the foods that people typically include in their diet: |
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| Vegetarian | Anyone got a recipe for vegan hard cheese???? | Apr 04 2008 12:06 (UTC) |
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Original Post by veganmamma: I use Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella, that I buy in the store. It is excellent, and I guess I'm not really interested in trying to make cheese myself. There is a book called the un-cheese cookbook, but frankly I didn't care for the recipes and prefer to just buy the vegan gourmet stuff.
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| Vegetarian | Vegan but so many Carbs!!! | Mar 24 2008 18:06 (UTC) |
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Original Post by jerichocheyenne: I'm 4'11" and 90 pounds, and my diet is full of carbs, and this is not an issue. Personally, I don't touch the Amy's line of frozen foods because they are full of sodium, and you just won't get enough fresh veggies and fruits if you eat that way. If you want to lose weight, it is important to focus on eating large volumes of food in the form of vegetables and fruit, because they are relatively low in calories and provide the kind of volume that it takes to feel full without over-eating on calories. |
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| New Members | [♥] Is this a reasonable goal? | Mar 24 2008 18:00 (UTC) |
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Original Post by ohhhhhhh: I believe that 107 is an ideal weight for your height. According to my doctor, on average, women should weigh 95 pounds for the first 5 feet of height, and 4 pounds for each additional inch. My doctor is a nationally recognized expert on nutrition and weight control, and is also a former world class athlete. He would tell you exercise, but not for the purpose of losing weight. It would be for the purpose of optimizing your health. |
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| Vegetarian | Worse hangovers since starting eating vegan...happen to you too??? | Mar 22 2008 13:15 (UTC) |
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A healthy body rejects substances that are noxious to it. |
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| Vegetarian | What did YOU eat today? (veg*n style) | Mar 19 2008 18:05 (UTC) |
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Breakfast: Lara Bar (Cashew Cookie) with hot chamomile tea Lunch: Enormous Salad (spring mix, shredded carrots, celery, green bell pepper, mini sweet peppers, cauliflower, garbanzo beans) w/ Green Velvet dressing (home-made), 1 orange, 2 apples (1 fuji and 1 pink lady) Dinner: Salad (romaine hearts w/walnuts and raspberry vinagrette), 2 bowls of blended greens soup, carob smoothie (1/4 cup pomegranate juice, 1/4 cup soymilk, 2.5 ounces baby spinach, 1/2 TBSP ground flax, 1 TBSP Carob powder, 1/2 banana, 5 ounces frozen blueberries), and an apple I don't have any need for snacks. In fact, on most days I don't eat breakfast. Its only on days that I go to a morning swim practice that I have the Lara bar afterwards, because the swimming causes me to get hungry earlier than usual. Otherwise, I'm fine waiting until lunchtime to eat my first meal. I enjoy having large satisfying meals, and waiting until I am actually hungry to eat them. |
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| Vegetarian | are there any vegan supplements? | Mar 19 2008 17:45 (UTC) |
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According to Dr. Fuhrman, sunflower seeds are great for muscle recovery. He has referred to them as his 'preferred food' for muscle building. I would recommend getting the ones that are raw and unsalted (much healthier that way). BTW, in case you didn't know, besides being a family practice doctor with an expertise in nutrition, Dr. Fuhrman is also a former world class athlete (pairs figure skating), so he does know a thing or two about exercise! Other than that, I don't know what to tell you about supplements.
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| Foods | Confused!! is peanut butter good or bad for you?? | Mar 15 2008 21:09 (UTC) |
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Original Post by jess36: The woman at the natural food store was probably referring to aflatoxin which is a mold found on peanuts which is very toxic, and which you cannot see. Afltatoxin has been used to induce liver cancer in rats. Governments recognize aflatoxin as very dangerous and regulate how much of it can be present in foods. If you want to limit your own exposure, peanuts are one of the main foods to avoid. The other bad thing about peanut butter is that the peanuts are roasted, causing acrylamides to form, which are carcinogenic. Raw Almond butter would definitely be much safer than peanut butter. |
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| Fitness | How do you build a nice back? | Mar 15 2008 13:16 (UTC) |
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Original Post by nenewa: I would recommend swimming. Its a great upper body workout and has made my back stronger than its ever been. All that pulling in the water is really a lot of work for the back!
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| Vegetarian | Vent... | Mar 04 2008 00:26 (UTC) |
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Original Post by smj0563: Such a shame that people view doctors as being god-like know-it-alls. Meanwhile, most medical schools don't even require any courses in nutrition, and most doctors really don't know much about it. |
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