Mid-Western Boy Goes Vegetarian, or, Life on the Edge of Culinary Boredom!

chess9

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Apr 15, 2000
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I ate my last meat for dinner yesterday. Chicken. For a Mid-Western boy raised on beef, it's going to be tough. Low-fat cheese, skim milk, and beans, will be my principal source of protein in the future. But I know I'm going to miss eating dead animals. :(

My best friend has been vegetarian for 10 years and he's very healthy, so I think I will survive.

Any other vegetarians here? Anyone have any tips?

I'm taking multivitamins and a little extra Vitamin C and E, but nothing special.

Had bean soup for lunch. My wife had a cheeseburger! :(

 

Handle

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Oct 16, 1999
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I'm not saying that it's right or wrong to take extra Vitamin C, but I don't see how cutting meat out of your diet should trigger the need to have an extra source of Vitamin C -- don't you normally get it mainly from plant material?

But more importantly, good luck on your new diet.
 

chess9

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Apr 15, 2000
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Handle:

Taking the extra Vitamin C is unrelated to the meat issue, but apparently most vegetarians take vitamin supplements. I simply wanted to inform the vegetarian gurus here of my current supplement status. With all the orange juice I drink here in Florida, I probably don't need much Vitamin C anyway. On the other hand, I have a lot of respect for Pauling. :)
 

Isla

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Sep 12, 2000
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Ah Chess, you have many joys to discover!

I was a vegetarian (lacto-ovo... I won't give up cheese!) but married a meat and potatoes kind of guy from a strongly meat kind of family. So, I'm kind of a part-time vegetarian now... sometimes I eat meat but I could easily live without it.

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks...

Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven (and ANY Mollie Katzen cookbook!)
Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook
Natural Health Cookbook

 

IamDavid

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Sep 13, 2000
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Chess9, Learn to cook with eggplant.. Great source of nutrition and many different ways to use it.
 

Isla

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Mmmmmmmm, Eggplant! One of my faves. :)

I forgot to tell you Chess, Boca Burgers are great for when you really feel like a burger. You should find a few decent meat substitute products (usually the Amy's brand or Morning Star) in the freezer at your local Publix.

 

yakko

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Apr 18, 2000
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Eggplant is good. I am lacto-ovo vegetarian myself. I have been for 9 years now. I refuse to give up dairy and a couple times a month I will eat a piece of fish. It is not as hard as you think anymore with so many more vegetarians out there and more imitation meat products. Morning Star Farms makes some awesome fake hotdogs and burgers.
 

iconn

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Jan 16, 2000
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don't go veggie!!! MAD COW DISEASE ain't here yet!!
BEEFFFF, steak, burgers, ribs, mmmmmmmm!! shucks i'm hungry now!
 

chess9

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IAMDAVID and Isla:

I have some BocaBurgers already. Picked them up at Costco. I love them, but my wife hates them.

Eggplant. Hmmm. Not too bad, not too bad. Certainly not broccoli. I'll look for some recipes. If I can add hot sauce to it, should be ok. It ain't filet mignon, but then, no animals died in the production of eggplant...probably. :p

Thanks for the cookbook recommendations. I'll pick up one of them. I'll have to re-train my wife, or, worse, I'll have to learn to cook! Argle-bargle!!!! :(
 

chess9

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ICONN:

I already have Mad Cow Disease. I picked it up from the political threads. Unfortunately, the cure is 3 years 10 months and change away. :)
 

IamDavid

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The best way to prepare eggplant is in a dish calle Mousaka. Its a greek dish made with eggplant and potatoes.. Making me hungry just thinking about it.... Gotta go eat lunch
 

chess9

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RGN and IBHACKNU:

I'm interested in reducing the fat in my diet as well as avoiding the many chemicals fed to cattle these days. Even at 57 I don't want to start glowing in the dark unless I can be paid for it. One of my doctor friends thinks you have to be nuts to eat meat, but then what does he know, he's an orthopod?

Also, my youngest son has been after me to quit eating dead animals.
 

prontospyder

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Oct 9, 1999
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I really admire people who have been meateaters their whole life take the plunge...since it's painful. I was practically raised as a vegetarian so it was pretty painless.

Vegetarian for 18 years...(since I was 4 years old). I have started drinking one Myoplex shake everyday...(42g of protein).

If you live closeby, my mom can teach you to cook some tasty vegetarian Chinese food. :)
 

Tominator

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Oct 9, 1999
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chess9...there you go! Here I was ready to tell you good luck and how I've cut down on fat...then you go and spoil it by talking about avoiding chemicals in meat......Liberal Vegetarian Hogwash!;)

Good Luck anyway!:D
 

vi edit

Elite Member
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Oct 28, 1999
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I have pitty on your colon.

Those veggie burgers will rip you a new one.
 

chess9

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prontospyder:

OOH! Chinese! I forgot. No more Kung Pao Chicken, Szechuan Beef, and the like. Ugh. I probably spent $500 at the Chinese carryout this year. Looks like Szechuan Green Beans will be high on the list, although those oils are very fatty.

Tominator:

I'm actually not as well informed on that issue (chemicals in meat) as I'd like to be, but what I've heard is not encouraging. This site is one my son sent me to:

Do not eat beef or pork, which have some of the largest concentrations of dioxin of all food sources.
 

Meat is good.
Probably less harmful then the radiation from the monitors you view on
;)
 

chess9

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vi_edit:

Naw, I love those things. Been eatin' em for two years. But, my wife would agree with you. Too much methane production!!
 

Tominator

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Here's a very good Doctor that promotes a healthy diet Dr. Mirkin...he will give you advice based on Medical knowledge and not some wacked out idiots with an agenda. I think you are on the right track, but for the wrong reasons.



 

Grendel99

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Dec 12, 2000
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No meat!? AAAAHHHH!!!! I could eat meat alone with no veggies ever! Well I do LOVE broccoli. You could become a hunter and shoot your own food :) Venison is very good for you. I live in SC and hunt alot, dang, just realized deer season ends in 8 hours :(. I have heard of some things about the chemicals and all they put in meat. But don't you think you might notice by now (sees green reflection of himself in monitor)? Oh well, thats juts what I think.....

PS. Don't you think you should change your pic? Unless those things are vegetarians now and I didn't notice :D
 

chess9

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Grendel:

Yes, but cats have 9 lives, and chess players need all the lives they can get!

Besides, I love cats. Have 3 of 'em. Also 2 dogs, 3 cockatiels and a goldfish. I actually share them with my 12 year old. :)

I haven't hunted since I was a boy. I'm afraid I'm a wuss in that department.