Vegetarian?

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I prefer to ear vegetarians, not be one.

i like to eye them myself.

[vivaldirules]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i like to eye them myself.

Yeah, baby!

Ooops. Sorry.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Yeah, baby!

Ooops. Sorry.

another instance of great minds thinking alike, vr ?

[Elsi]

For several years, I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Now, I'm not a full-time vegetarian, but I do consume more non-meat meals than most. I enjoy eating at some of the Vegan restaurants in the area, and when I am outside of the USA, I avoid all meats, though I do eat eggs and cheese.

I think the biggest problem when one is converting from a traditional "American" style meal to vegetarian is that we tend to still look for the one *main dish* with supporting vegetables. That kind of thinking leads to overconsumption of milk and/or egg products if you're still eating those. I think a much better approach is to make sure that each meal includes a variety of small servings instead. Vary the textures and colors and you'll automatically be including most if not all of the essential nutrients at each meal. The Japanese recommend 5 colors at each meal, and it can be fun trying to plan your menu around a visually pleasing presentation as well as taste.

Today's news presented new diet recommendations which I think are still not agressive enough. They said to eat less animal-based foods and more vegetables. 1.5 cups of fresh fruit weekly. Oatmeal once per week. Reduce alcohol intake to less than 1 glass of wine per day. No saturated fats or trans fats. I've looked for an online source of what was mentioned on the morning news, but I can't find it right now. I like the UK Government's promotion of 5-a-day (http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/ ) which seems to have been picked up by the CDC in the USA (http://www.5aday.gov/ ).

[Peverel]

I do like vegetables, especially brussel sprouts, they have a special place in my heart (and that is heart spelt with a F instead of an he)

(he he sorry really juvenile but hey I am a guy and it was a fart joke opportunity - admittedly not a good joke but.........gonna shut up now)

[Donnageddon]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i don't eat "anything with a face" as a friend once put it... "i like cheese."

I imagine if you ever had head cheese, the cognitive (and nomenclatural) dissonance would spin you through the planet's crust.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Elsi

For several years, I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Now, I'm not a full-time vegetarian, but I do consume more non-meat meals than most. I enjoy eating at some of the Vegan restaurants in the area, and when I am outside of the USA, I avoid all meats, though I do eat eggs and cheese.

I think the biggest problem when one is converting from a traditional "American" style meal to vegetarian is that we tend to still look for the one *main dish* with supporting vegetables.

in french cuisine also a lot of people (particularly from older generations) expect meat to be at the center of the meal. they are sometimes quite flustered when they learn i don't eat meat, as if there weren't anything else that was actually food.

That kind of thinking leads to overconsumption of milk and/or egg products if you're still eating those. I think a much better approach is to make sure that each meal includes a variety of small servings instead. Vary the textures and colors and you'll automatically be including most if not all of the essential nutrients at each meal. The Japanese recommend 5 colors at each meal, and it can be fun trying to plan your menu around a visually pleasing presentation as well as taste.

i've never really thought about it much (as i said, i've been doing it my whole life, so i didn't have to adapt) but i really like the idea of 5 colours. of course, that could be difficult sometimes as i generally don't make very complex meals with a lot of different courses. on the other hand i do like to cook with a lot of different vegetables when i make things like soup or ratatouille or such. maybe that counts.

Today's news presented new diet recommendations which I think are still not agressive enough. They said to eat less animal-based foods and more vegetables. 1.5 cups of fresh fruit weekly. Oatmeal once per week. Reduce alcohol intake to less than 1 glass of wine per day. No saturated fats or trans fats. I've looked for an online source of what was mentioned on the morning news, but I can't find it right now. I like the UK Government's promotion of 5-a-day (http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/ ) which seems to have been picked up by the CDC in the USA (http://www.5aday.gov/ ).

i like oatmeal. i add it to soup as a thickener, and when i'm feeling under the weather sometimes i make that for dinner. i like the "5 a day" idea as well although i don't know whether i'm disciplined enough to actually keep track...

i'm not really a big alcohol drinker but i do like to have wine with my dinner (not every day though) and i drink when i go out. but some days i don't drink at all. it probably averages out to one glass a day or maybe a bit more, but i'm not sure. then again i've heard red wine is good for your heart so i'm not going to worry too much.

[vivaldirules]

5 colors? How about chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, blueberry, and mango ice cream?

Dinner's ready!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Donnageddon

I imagine if you ever had head cheese, the cognitive (and nomenclatural) dissonance would spin you through the planet's crust.

i don't even want to know.

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

5 colors? How about chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, blueberry, and mango ice cream?

Dinner's ready!

miam !!!!

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

5 colors? How about chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, blueberry, and mango ice cream?

Dinner's ready!

On my way!

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

[*]ethics. i am very uncomfortable with the human-centric point of view of many people and i consider that animals deserve respect and good treatment just as much as humans do...

Ethical considerations for me too - well said Queen Z!

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i like oatmeal. i add it to soup as a thickener, and when i'm feeling under the weather sometimes i make that for dinner. i like the "5 a day" idea as well although i don't know whether i'm disciplined enough to actually keep track...

I don't like oatmeal as in a bowl of mushy, slippery, stuff at breakfast. I use oats in various dishes including just the classic oatmeal cookies. I do like cooked cracked wheat cereal and good old Southern grits, but I don't add milk or sweeteners to either of them. Rather, I eat them more like other people will eat potatoes for breakfast or sometimes with cheese stirred in. I found a recipe for upma made with oatmeal and thought I might try that for breakfast some time.

If you're a vegetarian, then you're definitely getting 5 a day -- the "5" is meant to indicate 5 cups of vegetables or fruit, not 5 different plants. But, variety is good and if you strive for colors, then you'll get the variety:

Salad
.. leafy lettuces (green)
.. tomatoes (red)
.. carrots (orange)
.. mushrooms (brown)
.. onions (purple)
.. cucumber (white)

Then add a small dish of mixed berries (blue, red, purple) and you've got a very colorful meal.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Elsi

I don't like oatmeal as in a bowl of mushy, slippery, stuff at breakfast. I use oats in various dishes including just the classic oatmeal cookies. I do like cooked cracked wheat cereal and good old Southern grits, but I don't add milk or sweeteners to either of them. Rather, I eat them more like other people will eat potatoes for breakfast or sometimes with cheese stirred in. I found a recipe for upma made with oatmeal and thought I might try that for breakfast some time.

hm, that upma recipe looks delicious, i will have to try it sometime...

i use oatmeal similarly to any other grain like rice or barley, although it does have a more mushy texture when cooked alone. i like to make it with spinach when i'm feeling lazy or not in form : put the oatmeal in a bowl with water, add some frozen spinach (i like the chopped spinach prepared with crème fraîche for this), some garlic and ginger (fresh, not powder), and put the whole thing in the microwave for 3 minutes or so. very good in winter and when you are not feeling up to "real" cooking.

i love oatmeal cookies, do you have a good recipe for them ? i would have to make them myself because they are still pretty unknown in france.

If you're a vegetarian, then you're definitely getting 5 a day -- the "5" is meant to indicate 5 cups of vegetables or fruit, not 5 different plants. But, variety is good and if you strive for colors, then you'll get the variety:

Salad
.. leafy lettuces (green)
.. tomatoes (red)
.. carrots (orange)
.. mushrooms (brown)
.. onions (purple)
.. cucumber (white)

Then add a small dish of mixed berries (blue, red, purple) and you've got a very colorful meal.

ha okay, i was misunderstanding, i thought it was 5 different ingredients per day. good to know. actually i love salads with a lot of ingredients but i hate to prepare them myself, it's so much work !! so usually i make salads with only 2 or 3 ingredients. but i'm sure i get plenty of vegetables nonetheless. although individual meals might not be too varied (last night i made a soupe from potimarron and zucchini, plus some onions, garlic and ginger. only 2 main ingredients), but i don't eat the same thing every day (although, that pot of soupe is going to be at least 3 or 4 meals... i had some for lunch and there is still about half left...) and i do like to eat a variety of different foods.

[netseeker]

I'm neither a vegetarian nor a vegan, i like eating meat. Well, i don't do so with every meal but i do it three or four times a week. Animals must die because i like to eat meal - i know it and i'm fine with it. No apologies, no excuses.
Health is also no reason because i smoke and drink, i'm short of sleep all the time and i'm generally a unhealthy living person. I know i'm like a "dinosaur" in this modern, healthy and animal-friendly world - but i am what i am and i'm fine with it.

[ahammer]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

5 colors? How about chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, blueberry, and mango ice cream?

Dinner's ready!

bacon ice cream anyone