Posts by acarr

there is a major difference between a stray cat who is spayed or neutered and one who is not.

i agree with augustnkate, i think your best option would be to speak with the neighbor and voice your concerns. offer to help if you can rather and the neighbor might be a bit more open to you.

i understand the instinct to take care of animals but if they are not spayed or neutered then the problem is just being perpetuated. clearly your neighbor is unable to take care of these cats in a meaningful way, and the cats deserve a better life than the one they currently have.

if your neighbor will not cooperate with you then you will have to involve animal control. i agree that this is not a healthy or safe situation. it's not really fair to you that you have to be the one to do something about it, but since no one else will take responsibility you do not have much of a choice.

i am also a big larabar fan! they are so delcious and made of wholesome ingredients, all raw and all vegan!

yum!

hm maybe try soy yogurt?

it's a little gray looking but pretty tasty.

Original Post by susiecue:

Original Post by acarr:

i meant "low-fat" as in low in animal protein/fat... i think fat from avocados/nuts is great and i eat TONS.

But that's not how most people will interpret your post - and it may put them off good high-fat plant foods like avocados/nuts.  I think just saying "plant-based" gets the same message across.  (I've read this phrase from you in a few different posts, so figured it was worth mentioning.) 

glad you are here to clarify, then.

Original Post by susiecue:

acarr, I agree with some of your advice but I thought that the evidence was that a plant-based diet (not necessarily vegetarian but primarily plant-based) was healthiest.  Not that a "low-fat plant-based diet" was healthiest.  I've never read anything to indicate that consuming high fat plant-based foods like avocado or nuts was bad for you.

i meant "low-fat" as in low in animal protein/fat... i think fat from avocados/nuts is great and i eat TONS.

low-carb diets work the same way every other diet does, by providing less calories than your body burns.

it is important to know that there is ABSOLUTELY NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE that a low-carb diet is healthy. extreme low-carb diets like atkins are, in my opinion, icky. they also encourage dieters to eat foods that are high in cholestorol (hello, heart attack) including red meat (oh, hi colon cancer).

what there IS scientific evidence for is the health value of a low-fat, plant-based diet with little or no animal protein and LOTS of whole, unprocessed foods.

i know i am not in the vegetarian forum here, but this really is TRUTH. if you want to live a healthier life (and lose weight!) concentrate on cutting out processed foods and increasing vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

eating after a workout, esp including protein, will help you recover faster/better so that you can grow stronger and be ready for another workout sooner.

i usually eat a piece of fruit and some nuts, easy enough to bring with you just about anywhere!

it's true that there's nothing wrong with going over your protein requirement in theory. but if your protein intake is coming from animal products, along with it you're also getting excess cholesterol and saturated fat, and little to no fiber for the effort!

it's difficult to eat a high-protein, low-fat vegan diet because many veg sources of protein also contain a fairly good amount of fat (the "good" kind ;p). you just have to pay really close attention to everything you eat.

i want to apologize if i seemed flippant in my earlier posts... as a vegan i just get tired of being asked nearly constantly, "where do you get your protein?" and i've done a fair amount of reading about high-protein fad diets (ie atkins) which are full of BALONEY in more ways than one ;p. of course it's always important to research any decision you make about dietary choices thoroughly and on your own, but from what i understand, there is no scientific basis for the claim that a high-protein diet like atkins is healthy. what IS proven to be a healthy lifestyle is a low-fat, plant-based diet! veg 4 life haha ;) !!

Original Post by k_cool:

Original Post by acarr:

WHY would you want to eat a high protein diet? most americans get MORE than enough protein.

Most americans are also not vegan.

Protien is important, and 25% is not that high of an amount really.

I reccomend textured vegetable protien, which you can buy at bulk barn. it's high protein, high fibre, and high in iron. Buy a little at first, some of my veggie friends find it upsets their stomachs. It tastes like shredded wheat on it's own, but mixed in with tomato sauce it's reminiscent of a carbonara sauce, or it makes a good filler in veggie chilis (try simmering together a small jar of medium salsa, mixed with two cans of rinsed beans, some chopped veggies and TVP to thicken it up)

also hempseeds are about 50% protein, they're about 90 cals per 10g of protein, which is about 2 tablespoons.

 

the op isn't vegan, either!

i'm not saying protein isn't important, i'm just saying that most ppl spend far too much time worried they aren't getting enough. embedded below is part of an about.com article that allows you to calculate your daily protein needs. the formula here is on the HIGH end of daily protein need estimates... i've seen other sites with formulas recommending about 30% less protein, and some suggesting that women can thrive on as little as 20g of protein a day!

How to Calculate Your Protein Needs:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary. Use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are under stress, are pregnant, are recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

Example: 154 lb male who is a regular exerciser and lifts weights
154 lbs/2.2 = 70kg
70kg x 1.5 = 105 gm protein/day

bottom line, in my opinion, is that as long as you are eating a variety of foods, meeting your calorie needs, and feeling sated/energetic, you are likely fine and getting all your nutrients!

oh me! ;) you CAN run through it, but it's best to take about 2 weeks off. calf stretches really help, as do a new pair of running shoes. there are also supports you can buy at a running store that will keep the tendon from contracting while you sleep.

if the pain persists you might want to consider seeing a doctor, in case the tendon is torn or there is something else (like heel spurs) going on.

i take a vegetarian multi with iron and b-12, and then just make sure to eat a varied diet. for me, swallowing a huge, weird-tasting pill is a small price to pay for maintaining my vegan diet.

for iron i know that a serving of cream of wheat has 57% of your daily value. so if you like it, eat it.

beans, squash and spinach all have a ton of potassium, but so does soy, so if you are eating a lot of soy-based meat subs you probably don't have to worry about that too much.

carrots and spinach have a lot of vitamin a in them.

good luck!

running is actually one of the few sports found the STRENGTHEN joints, like knees. nike has a feature on your website that lets you find "the shoe for you" based on your stride and running surface. if you want a good running shoe, be prepared to spend close to $100, unless of course you find a good sale!

if you have access to a local running store, GO! they will watch you run and be able to recommend a shoe for you.

if you are vegan you need to take a b-12 supplement and it may be a good idea to include a multivitamin with iron. i take a multi with b-12 and iron every other day (vs every day) and that's worked well for me.

i agree with the other posters here, just make sure you are aware of the actual amount of peanut butter you are eating. i LOVE nut butters, including peanut and would never want to give them up!

my doctor is vegan, and when i asked her about this issue she said that there are just two things you really need to worry about getting enough of when you're vegan. the first is iron, the second b vitamins. one really easy way to deal with this is to just take a veg vitamin daily or every other day with both iron and b vitamins. also, something that i found surprising was that cream of wheat has almost 60% of your required daily iron. red meat is not necessarily the best way to get iron, when my iron was tested (after being vegan for about 2 years, not taking any vitamins) i was only a tiny bit low. so if you like cream of wheat, eat it! otherwise a vitamin will take care of you as far as iron goes.