WHY are you a veggie?
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As someone who is not a millionaire or benefitting from access to a personal chef, I can honestly say that a vegetarian diet is no more demanding to cook for than a meat diet. Does it take longer to cook a chicken stir fry or a vegetable one? Does a vegetable lasagne take longer to cook than one containing meat? Do you need to be a millionaire to make a fruit salad for dessert as opposed to prawn cocktail? Does it take a lot to cook tofu or to add cashews to give that little bit extra protein to a veggie meal? Of course not. Truth is, most vegetarians and vegans pay more attention to the contents of their food because they have to, anecdotally speaking. It's been scientifically proven that those who have a vegetarian diet are generally healthier with less problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, heart problems, obesity and consequently diabetes, cancers, etc. Healthy snacking is generally encouraged by dieticians who encourage the eating of more regular smaller meals throughout the day rather than 3 bigger meals which serve to bloat, particularly when they are less fibrous than vegetable based diets. But, thanks for your anecdotal input nonetheless. The scientific facts, however, speak otherwise.
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well its unfortunate then but true none the less that most vegetarians do have problems eating a balanced diet THAT I KNOW. i include my wife ,my father and my sister in that anology. forgive us all for not being as clued up and nutricious as yourself.
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Aw shucks, thanks. If your family need some assistance in finding out about following a more nutritious vegetarian diet, the vegetarian society are always willing to offer helpful advice.
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How can you say that most veggies have "very very poor diets"!! On the basis that you know 3 veggies who have a poor diet. I've been veggie for 24 years now, and it was hard at first - I lived on macaroni and chips I think! Now there is so much choice out there, it's easy to have a balanced diet, you can make the same food as you would if you were a meat eater, and use meat substitues like tofu or quorn. It's not difficult.
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its okay if your a millianaire with a cook or people to prepare you balanced healthy veggie meals. however in my experiance i find vegetarians have very very poor diets [in general] for a start they are always snacking because there NEVER full. i think alot of veggies make the mistake of thinking that they must be eating healthy when they are not. although i full support anyones decision to not eat meat.
shock Funny, I know a lot of people, meat eaters and vegetarians alike, who eat rather poor diets. It's the person, not the lifestyle choice, that makes someone eat a poor diet.
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Oh, and most dieticians these days suggest eating small snacks throughout the day and five small meals versus just three giant meals.
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walliebaby:
its okay if your a millianaire with a cook or people to prepare you balanced healthy veggie meals. however in my experiance i find vegetarians have very very poor diets [in general] for a start they are always snacking because there NEVER full. i think alot of veggies make the mistake of thinking that they must be eating healthy when they are not. although i full support anyones decision to not eat meat.
Funny, I know a lot of people, meat eaters and vegetarians alike, who eat rather poor diets. It's the person, not the lifestyle choice, that makes someone eat a poor diet.
You`ve hit the nail on the head there. You could equally say all meat eaters have a bad diet because you know three people who live on Big Macs and chips. Not particularly good research there, LD. (Personally, I think rotting flesh has no place in a healthy diet anyway, but hey ho...).
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it wasn't research it was my experiance theres a difference you know!
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it wasn't research it was my experiance theres a difference you know!
1. This is how to spell "experience". 2. There is a very big difference between research and your experience reality. ) wink
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walliebaby:
it wasn't research it was my experiance theres a difference you know!
1. This is how to spell "experience". 2. There is a very big difference between research and your experience: reality.
" Criticizing someone's spelling or grammar on the internet is the last refuge of someone who doesn't have an argument."
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lazydynamite88:
walliebaby:
it wasn't research it was my experiance theres a difference you know!
1. This is how to spell "experience". 2. There is a very big difference between research and your experience: reality.
" Criticizing someone's spelling or grammar on the internet is the last refuge of someone who doesn't have an argument."
I think the arguments are pretty good actually. You can turn off the bold now
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Funny, I'd heard that using other's quotes on the internet was the last refuge of someone who's been one-upped. wink
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I had to have my heart stopped, lungs collapsed and chest sawed open three times in two days. Well, really I stopped eating animals and most fat (We now use grapeseed oil) about six months before the heart attack, that sent moi to the ER, because of the HORRIBE chest pains. Even though I was ONE REALLY SICK, OLD MONKEY the pain lessened a great deal after stopping the animal eatin'. Oh, I thought I was having gallbladder attacks, not heart attacks. So far, as with my birth, I've fooled just about everyone 'cause jsut about everyone thought moi, especially the doctors, 'twere dead 3.4 years ago.
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I dabbled in vegetarianism for over 15 years. My previous record was eighteen months. Then, for about nine months, I was an "at home" vegetarian; I would not have any meat at home, but I allowed myself meat in restaurants depending on where I ate & what the menu options were. Even when I was an omnivore, most of my favourite restaurants were vegetarian. Currently, I am borderline vegan: I have a weakness for Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the summer. I have tried the vegan dairy alternatives but they do not satisfy me as much. Besides that, I am otherwise vegan. I am also careful about what products I purchase & make sure they have not been tested on animals. Having said that, I usually describe myself as "vegetarian." It's easier than the lengthy explanation I just offered. I have been a vegetarian since May 2, 2008. That was the day my beloved dog, Arrow, was put down. he was 13 & 1/2 years old at the time. He had trouble walking, was partially blind and had cysts on his body. I held him in my arms as he was put down. It broke my heart. Watching him die, I made the connection. I never wanted to be responsible for another animal dying. I saw all animals as equal. The epiphany I had when Arrow died was that if I had to go out & kill what I ate, I could never do it. If I was incapable of taking the life of an animal, then I had no business eating one ever again. When I was an omnivore, I usually bought skinless, boneless chicken. When it's packaged and chopped up, it was easy to not think of it as an animal. So, I became a vegetarian to never be responsible for another animal dying. I also see it as a way of honouring Arrow's memory. Perhaps, it's also good "doggie karma." The way I see it, Arrow is more likely to make friends with cows, ducks, chickens, turkeys and other animals in "Pet Heaven" if they know his guardian doesn't eat their brothers & sisters anymore.
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Feel led to share my story...
About 16 years ago I started having symptoms of some health problems, and was concerned and worried I might have cancer. Because I dislike going to doctors, and was afraid of what I might hear, I didn't go to get things checked out. In spite of this, I continued eating what I always did... mostly "picnic and church potluck" stuff --- fast food, pizza, eggs & bacon for breakfast, cheesy casseroles, hotdogs, hamburgers, fried chicken... you name it! lol I wasn't drinking enough water, and was seriously dehydrated, not taking walks or exercising, and overweight, etc etc.
I wasn't a "rabid" Beatles or Paul McCartney fan until about 2015 when I had a dream that I feel changed my life. I knew who Paul and Linda McCartney were of course but didn't know that much about who they were as people. I was only 9 or 10 when the Beatles broke up, so except for hearing my older cousins talk about them and playing their music now and then or seeing posters of them on their walls, that was the extent of what I knew. My parents were very religious and strict and sheltered me and my brother and sister from the outside world, and in the mid 1970s it was to the point where we didn't have a TV and never went to movies or concerts.
Anyway, in 2015, I dreamed that I was walking on a beach and enjoying the scene, and from a distance saw a house with open windows and lace curtains that were blowing in the breeze, and felt led to walk over to it. There was a woman standing outside the house, who I sensed was a good person, I wasn't afraid of her at all, and she looked as if she was expecting me to be there. She had long dark blondish hair that was pulled back and pinned into a kind of roll. She was wearing an off white dress with a long brown shawl or cloak, with beaded bracelets and dangly earrings. She said hello and smiled at me and asked if I'd like to see the inside of the house. After a while she was showing me some books, and I remember there was a small photo album, like anyone would have, and she was showing me some photos from it... and there were framed photos here and there... I wish I could remember now what they were, lol... and there were other people there, and children running around, and she said there were many people she was trying to help that she often visits.
In a nutshell, she gave me a basket of food and (I wish I could remember in detail) was telling me about each item in the basket and what was good about them, and how I'd benefit from them. Then she gave me a personal message to always love myself, in spite of the hurts I'd face from the world, and from other people, and not to be afraid to be who I am. She gave me a hug and I thanked her and she handed me the basket, and when I turned to walk back out to the beach, I woke up. For a second I was disappointed it was only a dream and I didn't have the basket! lol
Anyway, that very day I was inspired to start eating more vegetables, and that was a good starting point to living a healthier life.
A few days later I was at Barnes & Noble, and saw a copy of one of Linda's cookbooks on display. I immediately recognized her as the woman in my dream. I bought the cookbook of course, and started reading more about Linda and her life with Paul, and their family and causes, etc. After a new diet and drinking more water, I started feeling better, healthwise, and even started some creative writing, and had a new outlook on life and enjoyed exercising and taking long walks, etc. It seemed everytime I turned on the radio I was hearing either "Maybe I'm Amazed" or "Silly Love Songs", and was inspired by their love story.
Regardless of what anyone believes about spiritual dreams or whatever, I believe I was led to Linda and her work so I could take better care of my health, in order to save my life. I like to post in this thread to honor her because I do feel that even though she's on the other side I have no doubt she's a ministering angel so to speak that is still helping people, and I feel Paul and their children are good people as well who are really trying to make a difference in this world. I also have no doubt she is always with her family in spirit to guide and protect them and continually sending love and support.
In 2019 I had a dangerously enlarged spleen and liver, and had to go to the Emergency Room. I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and blood disorder, but was told it was not fatal, and 87% of people who have it live normal lifespans. After leaving the hospital I credit Linda and the few years of eating healthier to saving my life. If I hadn't have followed that, I'm sure the outcome of that hospital visit would have been much worse, and I could have died. I'm continuing to be monitored once a year for my condition, and am glad to report after 5 years I'm doing good and one of the 87%.
I'm not perfect, on this journey there have been times I've fallen off the veggie wagon I'm afraid to admit, but as long as a person wants to make this commitment, and keeps trying and doing their best to stay with it no matter what, that's all that matters. The decision to become vegetarian or vegan is a lifestyle choice, and for me, in order to have optimum health you have to stick with it, and the result is a better quality of life!
I appreciate Linda and the spirit in which she and Paul lived their lives, they had such a beautiful love story, and I'm a fan of her just as much as I am of Paul and his music. I sense she was a very kind person, and I'm grateful for her example and the integrity with which Paul and his family are living their lives today, in trying to make the world a better place within the sphere of the global issues we have to face today.
Thanks for reading this! I know it's a long post, but as I've told many of you here, I type 185 words per minute so i'm typing at the same speed as I speak and words just seem to pour out! lol
Anyway, just felt led to share my story. As we age it's even more important to make healthier food choices, so I hope sharing all this can help someone