Vegetarianism

[KBCB]

Our entire family is vegetarian. I started in college because meat is gross, then we just didn't really cool meat for the kids, and H slowly converted over time for health reasons.

We try to do the following:
-eat a variety of things
-eat whole grains
-eat less processed stuff (like fake meat)
-reduce sugar

That's basically it. We eat tofu, beans and dairy for protein.

Our meal planning looks something like this on a typical week:

1. Tacos (with beans)
2. Rice and beans (various toppings, could be a grain other than rice)
3. Pizza (h is allergic to cheese so his just has veggies)
4. Pasta of some kind (often just plain tomato sauce, sometimes something more involved like pad Thai)
5. Soup (usually bean and vegetables in the Crock-Pot)
6. Leftovers
7. Something the kids pick out like Mac and cheese, and big salads for the adults
8. Baked tofu + french fries or onion rings or something like that

We aren't fancy cooks, and we both work FT so we go for quick and reasonably healthy. We usually have a frozen veggie with it in the winter, and more fresh veggies in the summer.

This is a great easy list. Do you plan a weekly meal schedule or do you kind of do it on the fly. Also if you eat the same types of food regularly how do you keep it fresh with variety?

[KBCB]

Been a vegetarian my whole life. Being from India we have vegetarians for religious reasons. Been living in the states for about 20 years now and I have never eaten any kind of meat. Take all the studies with a grain of salt. For those studies to come true, you would have to eat a LOT of those offending vegetables. For example, someone told me that eating cruciferous vegetables leads to hypo thyroid related complications due to the presence of Isothiocyanates. Then I did some digging. All these studies were based on 1 woman who got hypo thyroid disorder in China when she ate about 2lb of Bok Choy every day for about 2 months or something like that. You'd never eat like that if you were normal. So, I say, don't worry and enjoy the colors.

I know you did not say or ask anything, but I see a lot of people complain that vegetables don't taste good. And the American diet doesn't help to address that, as Vegetarian food in America is mostly eating salad which sucks. Look into recipes in India cooking for vegetarian food. Not saying because I am Indian but, IMO, Indian food is the best if you want to be a vegetarian.

Would you be interested in sharing a few recipes of food you like to prepare? I would be interested in these foods. I am always looking for ways to prepare vegetables.

[Goldendog777]

I went Vegan about 2.5 years ago after my wife asked me to take a 1 week challenge.  At eggs for breakfast and chicken for lunch consistently for like 4 years.  Have always been pretty active and what I would call healthy.  Had ACL repair from a soccer injury about 13 years ago and had to deal w/constant swelling.  Vegan diet had noticable inflamation reduction within 3 days.  3 days!  After dealing w/icing and anti-inflamatory anytime after coaching for years and w/in 3 days a vegan diet allowed me to ditch it all.  Bodies react differently to different stuff, but it was so good for me that I went cold turkey and have never looked back.  Side benefit is that total cholesterol went from 185 down to 130 within 2 months (maybe faster, that was just when my physical was) and the following year total cholesterol was 110, Dr. was even amazed that diet did that.  I think the key is to find the easy meals to cook and stick with it, then expand from there.  I did oatmeal and berries for breakfast, seitan/beans/kale/hot sauce for lunch and something similar for dinner.  I eat Seitan everyday (no gluten issues) and it super cheap to make and easy and more protein than chicken breast calorie for calorie.  I'm doing intermittent fasting now to drop some weight which I've enjoyed the benefits of so don't do breakfast anymore.  I do cook a lot more now though b/c I get more interested in vegan dishes, so have been doing kung pao tofu, mongolian seitan, things like that, which are not particularly healthy, but there is a youtube video for anything you want to do in life, so just look something up that interests you, or one of your non-vegan go to dishes and there will be a vegan alternative and some people are really talented at making easy to follow and condensed youtube video's. 

Overall, I didn't want to take the plunge, thought I would get through a week of the challenge and go back but I stuck w/it, it's easy if you see/feel the benefits, reduced swelling was the one for me, then you find secondary benefits (animals, planet, etc.).  Side note is that they said it takes like a week for your gut bacteria to change.  For me I think it took like 3 weeks, it was longer, so gassy and stuff for that time, but after that it was good to go.  Good luck!

Would you mind sharing the  kung pao tofu recipe?  I need some new ways to make tofu dishes!  Thanks!

[jamesbond007]

Would you be interested in sharing a few recipes of food you like to prepare? I would be interested in these foods. I am always looking for ways to prepare vegetables.

Absolutely.

[NextTime]

How about all of the plant-based athletes, then?  See: Game Changers.  Novak Djokovic, Tom Brady, Nate Diaz, Venus Williams, Scott Jurek, Kendrick Farris (the strongest American weightlifter at the 2016 Olympics), many members of the Tennessee Titans, etc. all follow a completely vegan or nearly-completely vegan diet.

Not saying vegan is the magic diet or best for being an elite-level athlete, but many high-level athletes follow a plant-based diet and are doing great.

Yes, all of those you mentioned ate meat for most of their lives growing up and working out building all the muscle and stamina. Then one fine day they decide to go Vegan/Vegetarian. Somehow all the foundation they built eating meat disappears. If you have any "Elite-level athlete" who has been a lifelong Vegan/Vegetarian, then we are talking.

Game Changers did a job marketing veganism but them referring to these athletes is a stupid thing they did, among other things, and lost credibility.

If I'm remembering correctly, there was one body builder on "Game Changers" that said he had never eaten meat in his life.

[KBCB]

Would you be interested in sharing a few recipes of food you like to prepare? I would be interested in these foods. I am always looking for ways to prepare vegetables.

Absolutely.

YAY!!

[jamesbond007]

Would you be interested in sharing a few recipes of food you like to prepare? I would be interested in these foods. I am always looking for ways to prepare vegetables.

Absolutely.

YAY!!

I am putting together a blog. I will send it when I have it ready. What kinds of food are you interested in?