IMO there are a lot of vegetables and vegetarian foods that are really good - it's the attempts to make fake "meat" that are just NASTY and keep many people from becoming fully vegetarian.
Never eat meat again.
- Thread starter Teresa Cline
- Start date
-
Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
The Gradual Vegetarian
Mikecatadjuster,
Hats off to you for trying! I admire such open mindedness and honest effort towards positive change. It may be that a more gradual approach would work, should you have the desire to try again.
When I made the shift to vegetarian eating, I did it gradually. First I cut out red meat except once a week, and started adding bean and rice dishes to compensate. Then I cut out all red meat, and reduced fish and chicken quantities and frequencies. Meanwhile, I experimented with tofu, tempeh, wild experiments with grilling all sorts of stange things, and international cuisines that are largely vegetarian or easily made vegetarian (Indian, Italian, Asian, and eventually, back home to meatless Southern soul food!). Going vegetarian opened a vast new world of culinary adventure that I might not have explored otherwise. Eventually -- I'd say in a few months -- I was able to cut out meat altogether, and I didn't have any digestive problems at all. Now, I have digestive probelms if I eat to much animal food!
In the meantime, I have learned that many of us have poor digestion because of the effects of SAD (Standard American Diet), and many of us need to tonify and rebuild the health of our digestive system. Not something that happens overnight, and different approaches work for different folks.
For me, this is what seems to help: Generally, eating more raw foods (with enzymes still intact to help with digestion and absorption) -- or taking enzyme tablets (available at For the Health of It). Raw pineapple is delish and has very beneficial enzymes for digestion, as does raw green papaya, though that is hard to get hold of without driving to Ft. Walton to the Asian markets there. Small amounts of cultured dairy products are fine (kefir, active yogurt, cheese), but non-fermented dairy gives me fits. Too much refined grain is also a problem, but whole grains in moderation are okay; live sauerkraut provides tasty probiotics (I make my own) that help my digestion also.
I won't go into the whole deal about fiber, except to mention it ;-) And drinking lots of water makes anything better, for me I mean.
There was a cookbook I used when making the transition -- The Gradual Vegetarian was the name of it. I'm sure it's out of print and pretty dated by now, but there are probably half a dozen similar ones at every bookstore, now that eating less meat is more mainstream than when I went that route YEARS ago. FWIW, I do eat animal flesh now, but not much, and it's more as a matter of convenience when eating with/cooking for others than a matter of my own preference. I flat ran out of the energy it takes to be a strict vegetarian in a world of carnivores! It is VERY easy for me now to cook fantastic meals with no meat at all, or no dairy/grain, or with just a little bit of meat for seasoning. I think the whole adventure has made me a better cook and exposed me more broadly to foods than sticking to a meat centered diet ever would have....
But I am rambling. Bon appetit!
Mikecatadjuster,
Hats off to you for trying! I admire such open mindedness and honest effort towards positive change. It may be that a more gradual approach would work, should you have the desire to try again.
When I made the shift to vegetarian eating, I did it gradually. First I cut out red meat except once a week, and started adding bean and rice dishes to compensate. Then I cut out all red meat, and reduced fish and chicken quantities and frequencies. Meanwhile, I experimented with tofu, tempeh, wild experiments with grilling all sorts of stange things, and international cuisines that are largely vegetarian or easily made vegetarian (Indian, Italian, Asian, and eventually, back home to meatless Southern soul food!). Going vegetarian opened a vast new world of culinary adventure that I might not have explored otherwise. Eventually -- I'd say in a few months -- I was able to cut out meat altogether, and I didn't have any digestive problems at all. Now, I have digestive probelms if I eat to much animal food!
In the meantime, I have learned that many of us have poor digestion because of the effects of SAD (Standard American Diet), and many of us need to tonify and rebuild the health of our digestive system. Not something that happens overnight, and different approaches work for different folks.
For me, this is what seems to help: Generally, eating more raw foods (with enzymes still intact to help with digestion and absorption) -- or taking enzyme tablets (available at For the Health of It). Raw pineapple is delish and has very beneficial enzymes for digestion, as does raw green papaya, though that is hard to get hold of without driving to Ft. Walton to the Asian markets there. Small amounts of cultured dairy products are fine (kefir, active yogurt, cheese), but non-fermented dairy gives me fits. Too much refined grain is also a problem, but whole grains in moderation are okay; live sauerkraut provides tasty probiotics (I make my own) that help my digestion also.
I won't go into the whole deal about fiber, except to mention it ;-) And drinking lots of water makes anything better, for me I mean.
There was a cookbook I used when making the transition -- The Gradual Vegetarian was the name of it. I'm sure it's out of print and pretty dated by now, but there are probably half a dozen similar ones at every bookstore, now that eating less meat is more mainstream than when I went that route YEARS ago. FWIW, I do eat animal flesh now, but not much, and it's more as a matter of convenience when eating with/cooking for others than a matter of my own preference. I flat ran out of the energy it takes to be a strict vegetarian in a world of carnivores! It is VERY easy for me now to cook fantastic meals with no meat at all, or no dairy/grain, or with just a little bit of meat for seasoning. I think the whole adventure has made me a better cook and exposed me more broadly to foods than sticking to a meat centered diet ever would have....
But I am rambling. Bon appetit!
Susan, you always write so well. You said it perfectly.
See you soon!
Gidget
See you soon!
Gidget
Thanks for taking time out, Susan. All well said. Honestly, I eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly on honey wheat bread. Why? Because of a cost analysis I did 
Plus, I like to eat it.
Food is actually a pretty big drain on ones budget. I also eat Ramen noodles. That's like 33 cents a meal. Well, hard to call it a meal, but...
I eat a decent amount of salad. The Publix ones are pretty good. Their spring mix is desirable as well as another I recently tried. But you make me wonder about your exploration into cooking up some creative gifts. I'd like to sample your offerings.
My normal food consumption is cereal, granola type bars, P&J sandwiches, Ramen noodles, salads, Hershey's Cream Pie, fruits, Greens drink, water (mostly easy stuff).
Translation: I need a good woman
Plus, I like to eat it. Food is actually a pretty big drain on ones budget. I also eat Ramen noodles. That's like 33 cents a meal. Well, hard to call it a meal, but...
I eat a decent amount of salad. The Publix ones are pretty good. Their spring mix is desirable as well as another I recently tried. But you make me wonder about your exploration into cooking up some creative gifts. I'd like to sample your offerings.
My normal food consumption is cereal, granola type bars, P&J sandwiches, Ramen noodles, salads, Hershey's Cream Pie, fruits, Greens drink, water (mostly easy stuff).
Translation: I need a good woman
Thanks for taking time out, Susan. All well said. Honestly, I eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly on honey wheat bread. Why? Because of a cost analysis I did
Food is actually a pretty big drain on ones budget. I also eat Ramen noodles. That's like 33 cents a meal. Well, hard to call it a meal, but...
I eat a decent amount of salad. The Publix ones are pretty good. Their spring mix is desirable as well as another I recently tried. But you make me wonder about your exploration into cooking up some creative gifts. I'd like to sample your offerings.
My normal food consumption is cereal, granola type bars, P&J sandwiches, Ramen noodles, salads, Hershey's Cream Pie, fruits, Greens drink, water (mostly easy stuff).
Translation: I need a good woman
In the interim (until you find Mrs. Right), perhaps a personal chef service would help, or some exciting new cookbooks, or a cooking class? Sounds like quick, cheap and easy is the sort of cooking you're into? (BTW< Americans spend less on food as a percentage of income than just about any other nation on the planet, I believe -- our food is super cheap, relatively, only because of the stupid Farm Bill and the way it subsidizes overproduction of commodity crops like corn. Very involved, too complex for me to try and explain; Netflix has a movie called King of Corn that spells it out entertainingly if you're interested).
Okay, quick cheap and easy. I have recently renewed my commitment to healthier eating (having allowed life's stresses and schedule to knock me off that path lately), and am having healthy fun in the kitchen again. Will try to remember to post recipes that might fit your requirements, even though I don't ever cook from recipes.
This week's newest experiments are with flax crackers (high in fiber, healthy omega-3 fats, etc.) and they are super easy. Even my very carnivorous men (Hub and sons, just to be clear about why I have plural men, LOL) have expressed delight upon tasting these babies!
So basically you get a big jar and top, and soak a cup or two of flax seeds in an equal amount of water and seasonings overnight -- at room temp, not fridge).
Seasonings: any combination of soy sauce, tamari or Bragg's liquid aminos; lemon/lime juice and/or grated rind; garlic, ginger, cayenne, dill, cilantro, cumin, whatever you like; apple cider vinegar or ume vinegar; sky's the limit)
Next day, stir up the gooey thick resulting glop, and spread it on oiled (I used olive oil) cookie sheets about 1/8" - 1/4" thick. If you have silicon baking hseets to line the metal pans, all the better. If you have a dehydrator with nonstick sheets, that would be the best (mine is on order).
If you don't have a dehydrator, put the cookie sheets in the oven on the lowest setting possible, like 150 F or lower. Check often and when they have dried out enough, turn them over (ideally flip a whole sheet like a pancake, though if they stick it could take some scraping and fiddling). This will reveal the still-gooey moist bottom which needs to be on top a while to dry out. Put the flipped giant cracker sheets back in the low oven and check often, taking them out when they have reched a consistency you like. I like crunchy, some folks prefer the moister chewy stage.
I can't wait to try this in my dehydrator, since the crackers will be raw (anything that hasn't been processed at more than 110 degrees F) and thus all the enzymes and other goodness of the ingredients will remain at their peak of nutritiousness.
So all that may sound complex, but really it is SUPER easy. BTW, if you oven won't go any lower than say 300, then just get it up to heat then turn it off and crack the oven door to allow steam out. Keep doing that till the crackers are ready.
Next time, easy tasty blender drinks. Remind me if I forget!
SUSAN! I want to come break "cracker" with you sometime!!
Speaking of your raw crackers, I am on my 4th summer all raw day today! Cantaloupe, figs, tomatoes, asian pears, smoothies, salads, peaches, and a few raw walnuts! Feeling super dee dooper!
Here's some pics of some of my raw "cooking" lol!
MANGO RAW TART
RAW CORN SALAD
RAW "ICE CREAM"
and last but not least, the pure simple joy of a bowl of ripe figs (my FAVORITE FOOD ON EARTH!) Now THAT is living!
ENJOY the fruits of the Earth!
Gidget
true! also, it takes some real commitment and study to become vegetarian so you can develop a healthy diet (fake meat is so unnecessary). some of my vegetarian friends are the most unhealthy because their diets are just "no meat", but filled with every other thing on the planet, including tons of bread, pasta, and other carbs.
Last edited:
This is SO totally true. As is relying way to much on dairy. Also, one can get such an array of "vegetarian" junk food out there. Yes, it is better for the animals, but when Nature provides such a variety of plant foods, it is crazy no to take advantage of the simplest of harvests.
Good observation Tootsie!
G
Gidget,
LOVE your raw food pics. Beautiful! I can tell you're way more experienced at this than I am, and will sit at your feet and learn once you're here and settled, if you will allow me to! I'll bring some flaxers.
We have a small fig tree and I ate a ripe one yesterday. So fine. We coppiced our big fig tree this year b/c it had gotten too leggy, so it's not bearing this year ;-( But Renee may bring some to Seaside Market when hers come in (Twin Oak Farms).
I am on my 5th almost all raw day, and feeling better already. Energy and digestion MUCH improved from leaving out cooked and junque.
LOVE your raw food pics. Beautiful! I can tell you're way more experienced at this than I am, and will sit at your feet and learn once you're here and settled, if you will allow me to! I'll bring some flaxers.
We have a small fig tree and I ate a ripe one yesterday. So fine. We coppiced our big fig tree this year b/c it had gotten too leggy, so it's not bearing this year ;-( But Renee may bring some to Seaside Market when hers come in (Twin Oak Farms).
I am on my 5th almost all raw day, and feeling better already. Energy and digestion MUCH improved from leaving out cooked and junque.
GOOD for you! I know you feel ENERGIZED! I have so much energy it is unstoppable which I will need because THE MOVE IS THIS WEEKEND!
If you can turn me on to a source of figs then I will be eternally grateful! Not sure we will have the space for a fig tree unless dwarf - but that might just work. Still, it will be years before it really produces for us.
TTY Soon
G