Vegetarian diet question

[Ghost1988]

jamesh75 no dairy isnt a big deal really. theres alternatives that you can get used to. right now im currently on a strict diet for my colitis. i dont eat dairy, gluten, oil, caffeine, or any beans. now THAT is hard to keep up with. they have lactose free milk and dairy products, as well as gluten free breads, as well as caffeine free drinks. so its really not hard to keep up with if needed.

[Alexander215]

jamesh75 no dairy isnt a big deal really. theres alternatives that you can get used to. right now im currently on a strict diet for my colitis. i dont eat dairy, gluten, oil, caffeine, or any beans. now THAT is hard to keep up with. they have lactose free milk and dairy products, as well as gluten free breads, as well as caffeine free drinks. so its really not hard to keep up with if needed.

I can't stand soy milk, but vanilla rice milk is effing good, brother.

[Ghost1988]

they have regular lactose free milk too. its tastes identical to 2% milk in m opinion. im not gonna drink soy or rice milk if i dont have to haha.

[Sean25]

Eat cheerios. Haven't you seen the commercials.  Two bowls a day for a month and it will go down 10%. 

[Razor X]

they have regular lactose free milk too. its tastes identical to 2% milk in m opinion. im not gonna drink soy or rice milk if i dont have to haha.

Yep; you definitely don't want all that estrogen.
 

[Larry]

Milk has both protien and calcium in it and that's unfortunate because the protien cancels out the calcium which is why they add vitimen e to some brands of milk to help the absorbtion of calcium.  Egg whites and green leafy vegetables are much better.  Better yet, drink a glass of orange juice you squeezed yourself for your calcium.

[Nihilist]

vegan/vegetarian diets are only heart healthy till age 50, after that its all bets off. plus without protein, you wont stop carnosinase enzymes which contribute to wrinkling and other effects of glycation.

cranberry juice, and lots of it, can reverse atherosclerosis. id start there.

superoxide dismutase [SOD] and resveratrol are good to look into as well. they are supplements and in the care of the Res, can be had by drinking red wine.

not lots of that though... or maybe so?

[Smoof]

My wife decided to go veg about a year ago.  Seeing how she does most of the cooking, that means I decided to pretty much do the same thing!

So....fast or slow.  That really just depends on what you want to do.  That being said, there are really some good options now. 

Anyone interested in living a "more" meat free diet should definitely try out some of the (gah...it hurts to type this) food "products" made of Quorn.  It is basically mushroom, but it's good stuff...as meat substitutes go. 

But...as a good note...switching to this kind of diet has had a very good effect on my cholesterol.  I still eat meat, but just a lot less.  Add in oatmeal and some meds from your doctor and you may be surprised.

[BrotherBanzai]

I quit meat consumption in one day, never look back. It's a lot fantastic meatless products on a market nowadays , " QUORN ", for instance. 
Most important thing, IMHO, if you decided to stop eating meat voluntarily, not under somebody's presure.
You can try a meditation also, work like a charm against high blood presure ( but only if you meditate constantly, every single day )
Hope it helps.

[allegrodonfuoco]

I think a key to success when switching to a non standard american diet (the initials of which, many books advocating a more "natural" way of eating gleefully point out, spell SAD), is that you have to change how you think about eating.  For example, if your definition of a proper meal is a huge piece of meat and some starch, then you'll never be happy on a vegetarian diet, no matter how much "smeet" or boca burgers you eat.  As far as milk, I like all milk substitutes, but almond milk is my favorite.  I only use milk on cereal anyway, so I'm not too picky (although don't be fooled into thinking you need milk as a calcium source... many vegetables -- dark green leafy ones especially - have lots of calcium).

I think you also have to really focus on variety.  I was doing a raw diet at one point and I ended up eating spinach salad everyday for like 2 months.  I just really liked it and once I got into the habit of buying the ingredients, it was easy and convenient.  However, anything gets old after a while (except for steak and potatoes... unfortunately.  Most people could eat that everyday and never complain).  Try experimenting with new foods that you don't normally eat.  If you like to cook, this can actually be fun.

From what I've read, a well planned vegetarian or vegan diet will furnish adequate protein and nutrients, despite what many people seem to think.  There is a great book called Becoming Vegan (or something like that) with really great studies and data on protein and nutrient consumption by vegetarians.  It's a great book packed with lots of info.

[chgobuzzbald]

What has worked very well for me is no red meat at all, ever. I eat a skinless chicken breast in one form or another each day at lunch, juice or water only fro breakfast. Sometimes just a Subway chicken teriyacki- no cheese, no sauce and veggies on whole wheat- very boring I know but it works or just a grilled chicken breast sandwich- no fries ever. Salmon once a week.  If I need a snack in the afternoon it is a Zone bar.

 I do take Crestor and Diovan/HCT for the last 2 years since I found my BP was getting super high. Went to an alternative MD who has me taking 6 to 8 Omega3 tabs each daily and I think even better Q10 of at least 400 milligrams. Q10 builds heart strength somehow and when you take a statin the liver does not make enough Q10. I do have some heart disease and it runs in my family. (Dad died at 50 overnight of heart attack) I do 2 hours of Step Class a week and some weight training. I can keep up with people half my age in the class so I know Im doing something right. My overall Chorl. is 129, bad 61 and good 55 this last time a few weeks ago as I recall. BP 120/80. I do drink a glass of flavored Light Soy milk, chocolate each night, no real milk but I eat cheese on pizza still. ALso an 81 mg Bayer aspirin each night with Phytosterols to lower cholst. These last results were some 30 points less than 8 months ago. My doctor cant understand it LOL. The alternative MD insists most disease is caused by Inflammation and he has given me other things like Myrhh, Berberine etc. to take but all with the goal of reducing all inflamation, even in arteries. The only fountain of youth is vigorous exercise and a I plan to do another day each week. Every few days we all need some vigorous exercise, even just fast walking. A couple years ago I was up to 180 and had reduced the cardio but increased weight lifting because I wanted to be a bulky football player type LOL. Had a bigger belly for sure and that is when the BP went super high. Now vary between 165 and 170 which seems to work better for my body and I am 5 10. Not sure if I want to risk stopping the BP meds yet. I also started Vitamin D at 5000 mill. each day. We all have a D deficiency and it also leads to a weaker immune system. I doctor I know insists we never need flu shots if we get enough D. So no flu shots for me this year and I never get sick. But some would say I have a boring diet LOL. My weakness is diet coke at lunch so I am not perfect. But do drink lemon flavored mineral water daily at home. Lemons restore PH balance which is another way to prevent illness Im told.

[marty22]

I agree on Q10 Chicago. Im making a goal for 2010 to work at getting off my HTZ (water) pill. My family has a long history of high cholesterol for men, so the Crestor stays.  Oh well!