Question about vegetarians...

LOL Krickette! I think some people do seem to need meat in their diets. Me? I haven't eaten it in over twenty years and have never missed it. AND I have enough energy to run circles around most people. 8-)

I don't think my meat eating has done anything to help my energy levels. I don't know many vegetarians who frequent mcdonalds haha! But I find myself craving protein all the time. Glenn doesn't believe me, but i do crave meat!

Oh, I just know a bunch of people who say you can't possibly have enough energy if you don't eat meat but for me that isn't true.

I have not eaten anything from McDonald's in over a decade. I used to indulge in the occasional apple pie from there but now I won't eat anything. Basically I won't eat fast food, meat, or anything with high fructose corn syrup.

I've been vegetarian all my life- so thats 45 years next month. I don't ever crave meat and even the smell of fish makes me feel nauseous.
Sometimes I think its a bit limiting- I didn't bring my children up to be vegetarian although I didn't buy or cook meat. Sometimes their father cooked them fish or chicken and now as adults they will have meat, my daughter is actually seriously addicted to chicken.
I do have to think about my protein intake. While I think a lot of people eat more protein than they need its possible to not get enough. I don't like processed meat substitutes and cheese is too fatty so I'm pretty much limited to eggs and pulses.
Also I do sometimes need vitamin supplements. I don't think being vegetarian is particularly natural!
If you want veggie soup to fill you up put split peas or lentils in it, or a tin of pulses like cannelini beans.

hehe! I made the veggie soup work by putting seasoned ground beef in it!
But yeah, I'm just amazed at y'all, I don't think I could ever do it. Glenn was a vegetarian as a kid, he just didn't like meat and refused to eat it. That was back when he lived in California. But I have loved meat since I was little, and I guess growing up on a beef farm didn't help to dissuade me from eating meat either. I was very comfortable with the fact that what was a cow one day was a meal the next, I guess my parents did a good job of explaining that to me. I did used to make the other kids uncomfortable in elementary school by telling them their hamburger's names haha!

I'm not uncomfortable with cows becoming meat (any more...), I just don't want to eat them.

I'm not a vegetarian, and I LOVE certain meats, but I'll argue for the meat-is-not-necessary side. Meat is basically just protein, fat, umami ("savoriness"), and minerals, which can each be achieved in alternate ways. If you have a balanced diet that includes your typical "healthy" spectrum of veggies, relatively unprocessed starches, and legumes, and you prepare these foods with enough fat and skill to make them yummy, I think you'll be A-OK without relying on dead-animal supplements.

Let's first consider protein. Protein is an important component of your diet, but unless you're actively training for something (to the point where your muscles are sore), I don't think you don't need to consume meat to meet your requirement. Most fruits/vegetables/grains have some, especially wheat, so if most of your calories come from these things you'll probably be OK (on the other hand, if your diet consists mostly of processed starches, you would be ingesting less protein). Legumes (esp. lentils, beans) are good sources of protein, iron, and fiber, so these should also feature prominently. Eggs and dairy are good, complete sources of protein that should also be included.

The other stuff besides protein in meats is the stuff that makes it taste good--the fats, the free amino acids like glutamic acid that are responsible for the 'umami'/savory taste, and the products of Maillard reactions (browning) that also taste delicious. If you're accustomed to meat and want to reduce it from your diet, make sure you don't skimp on these things--fat is an important part of your diet, and having your food taste good makes you happy. Remove these things and you will become unhappy, your food will taste bland/unsatisfactory, and you will switch back to meat. Think olive oil, butter, cheese, tomatoes, soy sauce, fish sauce, caramelized onions, grilled/browned things.

If you get enough protein and yum from other sources, you might crave meat less. Personally, I only rarely eat meat. I was raised eating plenty of it, but now that I feed myself I don't really seek it out--partially out of thrift, but mostly because I just don't even really think of it when I think of food. Instead I think of it as a condiment or treat. I appreciate steak the one or two times a year I eat it, I like to include little bits of cured pork in dishes, and I'll occasionally roast a chicken so that I can eat its wings and make stock (I don't really like chicken--the rest usually gets given away), but for me meat just isn't something that I crave or eat regularly.

So yeah, it is possible--but make sure you're eating tasty food instead :D

I think meat actually drags you down. No scientific data to prove it, but it's carbs that give me energy. Meat makes me tired. I try to steer toward complex carbs, but I do love bread. I could live on bread, cheese, and veggies.

O - and wine. Wine is a must.

[quote="Jenks"]Wine is a must.[/quote]
... ... ... :lol:

Oh I looove carbs! And starches! I love bread! Just love it. I often take an extra roll instead of desert at my grandmother's house. Some of my friends don't understand! They think it just tastes like flour, but it's so delicious, and the texture is the best.
And I found the best potatos ever! Gold ones! I will never use any other potato again. I just happened to buy them a couple of weeks ago, and I've been thru like 2 bags now. I've been baking them, roasting them, nuking them, grilling them (amazing, btw!) I <3 potatoes!
I <3 food, basically. Except for fruit. Not a fan. Everyone says "oh but it's so sweet!" But to me it's not. Candy is sweet, sugar is sweet, fruit is tart, not sweet. I'd rather eat candy. But then again, that's why I have such a big :booty

[quote="Jenks"]I think meat actually drags you down. No scientific data to prove it, but it's carbs that give me energy. Meat makes me tired. I try to steer toward complex carbs, but I do love bread. I could live on bread, cheese, and veggies.

O - and wine. Wine is a must.[/quote]

I'm with you, Jenks, I get my energy from carbs although if I do too many carbs without proteins I will eventually crash (like when I'm really busy and just graze instead of really eating). I know of people though who tried to be vegetarian and just got really tired. Maybe they weren't eating the right things, but then maybe not everyone has the time or desire to have to ponder their protein intake. I eat lots of eggs and dairy so I don't think I have any trouble meeting my protein needs, and I work my muscles pretty hard.

I love wine but more than one glass and I will get a guaranteed 24-hour headache. :cry:

[quote="Sara"]
I love wine but more than one glass and I will get a guaranteed 24-hour headache. :cry:[/quote]

Oh you adults and your [i]moderation[/i] ! :lol:

<- still in college-land! :toast

Heh. This headache would make a non-drinker out of anyone.

I don't drink but I do eat meat.
Mostly chicken form known sources, and soon to be piggy-pork form a[i] very[/i] well known source, namely two little Tamworth X Gloucester Old Spots that have just moved in!!
I did try not eating meat, and I don't eat so much that you would think I would miss it, but I did, I must not have got the balance right as I absolutely [i]craved[/i] meat, and had to come off the diet!

I find I get hungry without meat or fish, I think people have different metabolisms.

My sister feels sick and dizzy without carbs and isn't very keen on meat, she is veggie now and is fine on it.

I feel really hungry without protein, preferably meat or fish and get major ups and downs from carbs. Hungry again half an hour afterwards and feel nackered and dizzy an hour afterwards but protein fills me up and makes me feel fine for hours.

I don't eat a lot of meat but I really start to miss it after a week or two. I think you do have the make a little the extra effort to get your proteins/vits/mins when you are vego

[quote="rabbitsfizz"] namely two little Tamworth X Gloucester Old Spots that have just moved in!![/quote]

Oh lucky you!! I so want to get some Tammies for our freezer...nobody breeds them in our part of the country (i.e., the entire South Island).

Diane

I don't really ever have a meat [i]craving[/i]. I've found myself going meatless for a week or two and not even noticing. :lol: I tend to panic more without dairy and grains. I will notice if I eat meat for several days in a row and get a craving for a giant meatless salad. Usually meat is an occasional thing, basically my rule is "good meat or not at all" and sometimes I find some delicious options and restaurants because of this. Like yesterday at mayfest stopped in a little deli and ordered the 3 cheese and avocado sandwich for a light dinner and it was really tasty. If the veggies are fresh I enjoy it way more than a flavorless meat. If I include cheese and/or nuts, seeds, mushrooms, avocado, things like that, I get pretty full.
When I'm out and need to eat I usually stop at the chinese buffet because I can get stuffed on tasty veggies (I think asian cooking has perfected veggie eating more than anyone) and seafood. I MIGHT eat beef from a good restaurant while I'm out but I wont touch pork or chicken except at home where I have only free range. Around here it's cool cause you can sometimes find a bison burger and that is good (I'd like to see someone TRY to factor farm them :rofl ) or lamb is good too. As for the tofu stuff....ummm tofu in and of itself is awesome, just be careful of "vegetarian" food that is trying to be something it isn't.... (garden burgers and black bean burgers done right though are amazing).

I get meat cravings, if I've not had a good dose of quality meat (i.e., not mince/hamburger meat--that stuff doesn't count as meat). But a lot of times it is a craving for a style of meat, i.e., ribs, a steak or stew. That said, I could seriously go for some venison right now...good wild, hunted, venison, not the farmed stuff from the store--tasty, but just doesn't have the right texture!

Diane

[quote="NZ Appaloosas"]I get meat cravings, if I've not had a good dose of quality meat (i.e., not mince/hamburger meat--that stuff doesn't count as meat). But a lot of times it is a craving for a style of meat, i.e., ribs, a steak or stew. That said, I could seriously go for some venison right now...good wild, hunted, venison, not the farmed stuff from the store--tasty, but just doesn't have the right texture!

Diane[/quote]
they sell venison in stores?!
Also, speaking of venison, I have 3 lbs of sausage and 3 steaks in my freezer right now haha! Dad kills maybe one deer a year, and that deer lasts us a loooong time, with some usually going to waste :(
Well, it used to go to waste, but i know college boys who don't care if it's freezerburnt or not lol!
The other day we had deer fest! We made amazing hamburgers from deer, and then we took jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and chedder and wrapped those in backstrap and bacon. It was amazing. We grilled a few deer steaks, too. And someone had deer sausage in casings, mine's just ground up.

I have 1 week left of school and sooo much meat in my freezer! All that deer, a bunch of fish, a pork loin, and some chicken breasts. Things I planned on cooking but ran out of time. I'll just have to get it to Glenn, he's staying in Ruston this summer.

Ayup, they farm deer here...in fact, velveting some deer was one of MP's first jobs with our vet when she was here. We've a deer farm across the road from our farm, too, just haven't figured out how to sneak one over the fence and hide it amongst the appies. :rofl

A real easy recipe for backstrap is to take it out of the freezer, and 'chip' the meat off, so you get very thin small slices/pieces (not quite as big as a slice, not as small as a piece, if you get my drift), quick fry them in with some onions and peppers (usually fried before the meat, since they take longer), and then slice up some pepper-jack cheese, lay the cheese slices over the meat mixture and pop a lid on, and "steam" until the cheese starts to melt and gets gooey. Can be served over rice, mashed taties, and is really good over noodles (I used to use egg noodles).

Diane

Oh good God that sounds [b]delicious[/b]. :shock: *dies*

My friend just gave me some deer steaks and deer burger. I can't wait to cook it up. She also said that she'll shoot me my own deer next season if I just pay for the tag, which is actually super cheap. That means I'll have a freezer full of meat for a long time.

:shock: Lizzy :sad

:rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl Jazzy. It makes it hard doesn't it?

Lizzy's a doe, she's mostly protected, I'd imagine. I know in NY state, it used to be really difficult to get a doe tag unless one could prove that one was a working-farm land owner. 'Sides, doe meat isn't as flavourable as buck meat.

Diane

lol, a little bit, but I'm not much of a meat eater, I'll occasionally eat hamburger, and on a rare occasion salmon or poultry, but I highly dislike steak and pork, it makes me feel terrible! I'm more of a fruit person! :D

In Virginia it is legal to shoot does! They have certain days where it is legal, and the hunters shoot the crap out of them in this area, if they shoot my deer, I'll make sure their death is much more slow and painful :twisted:

Update wise:

She now has decided the bed is hers! Refuses to sleep on the floor, if I leave she screams her head off :? and tonight she decided she needed a shower with me....

[quote="JazzyPaintsnQtrs"]and tonight she decided she needed a shower with me....[/quote]

ROFL :rofl :rofl

haha! She sounds precious!

And that recipe sounds amazing. I have 2 deer steaks left that I'm gonna fry up soon, and only 3 lbs of sausage left (2 hots, 1 med). I used a lb of it last night in my pasta, it was really good.

And we have doe days here, too. Actually where my grandad lives they kill does all the time. The white tail are super overpopulated, and its choking out the other deer populations like sika, axis (my fav!), fallow, and mule deer. I don't think the blackbuck are having any problems, though, there are toooons of those. But yeah, they trap the deer at my grandad's place. Certain breeds of deer are treated as livestock under the law and not as wildlife, so it makes population control a lot easier.