View Full Version : Vegetarians/vegans/raw foodists...
I was just wondering if there are any other vegetarians on this board. The oddest reaction I ever got to my vegetarianism was when some people in a Bible study told me that I couldn't be Christian and vegetarian at the same time! :confused: Does anyone else think this way, or can I file that away as a wacky, isolated incident?
Currently I'm working on becoming vegan after nearly a decade of vegetarianism. It's going relatively well. I became veg for health reasons, btw, which is why I put this in the Healthy Living forum. I don't know these boards well enough to know if this is the proper place, so feel free to move it. :)
butterfly
06-24-03, 02:31 AM
I'm vegetarian, I have thought about going vegan but that would have to happen pretty gradually because I absolutely loooove cheese, it would be very hard to give that up. I would classify your incident as definitely wacky and isolated. There's no Biblical basis for saying you can't be a Christian if you don't eat animal products. The New Testament at least is very clear that you are allowed to make your own decisions about what you do or don't eat. Check out Romans 14 for example.
That's what I thought. :)
My love of cheese is what has been holding me back, but it's getting easier. I had my first cheese-less pizza yesterday and it was (surprisingly) better than pizza with cheese! I was floored -- I certainly hadn't expected that! And I didn't feel all heavy like I generally do after an evening of gorging on pizza. :)
I'm not yet sure what to do about Mexican food... that'll be the last obstacle, I think.
CalledByGrace
06-24-03, 07:11 PM
I've been vegetarian all my life. I find it funny that someone said you can't be a christian and a vegetarian. It was the original diet. LoL Not saying that there's anything wrong with eating meat either.
ooh.. I only wish I hadn't been raised on a meat-and-potato diet. Not that it was terribly hard to quit when I decided to. If I ever have children (which I seriously doubt will happen), they'll be veg -- at least until they're old enough to make their own decisions about food.
f.r.o.g.413
06-26-03, 08:10 PM
I don't think it would ever be possible for me to be a vegetarian..... I love steak and chicken way too much to give them up.... (living in the South has made a HUGE comtribution to that...just about everyone I know loves fried chicken......)
Originally posted by f.r.o.g.413
I don't think it would ever be possible for me to be a vegetarian..... I love steak and chicken way too much to give them up....
Tee-hee... I'd say at least 3/4 of the vegetarians I know said the same thing repeatedly before going veg. Heck, I think I even said it! It's amazing how quickly I lost my taste for it after I removed it from my diet.
Candice
06-27-03, 03:30 AM
my roommate is vegetarian and when I'm at school I become close to one although I still eat some meat.
butterfly
06-27-03, 03:57 AM
Originally posted by Azelma
Tee-hee... I'd say at least 3/4 of the vegetarians I know said the same thing repeatedly before going veg. Heck, I think I even said it! It's amazing how quickly I lost my taste for it after I removed it from my diet.
How true that is. I went to an awards banquet recently for swimming and everything, and I mean EVERYTHING had meat in it. Even the Caesar salad had bacon bits, not even the fake kind, real bacon. You'd think they could at least have a vegetarian salad but oooh no! I was very hungry after a long day of competition and almost decided to just eat what was there but I couldn't. I felt sick just thinking about it. So, I ended up staying hungry and going to out to Subway afterwards. That's actually another concern I have with going vegan. I mean, it's hard enough finding food to eat as a vegetarian, but vegan? I don't want to have to bring my own food with me everytime I go to someone's house or go to a restaurant.
Obviously I can't say for Canada but here during my on and off veg times I've found that by ordering side dishes I can manage fairly well. But there is absolutely bno guarantee except at Wendell's that the vegies are not cooked w/ something I'd rather not have. Salad bars can be a blessing IF they are the kind that have more that lettuce and tomato and a few sorry canned peaches. (nothing against canned peaches but some on some salad bars....) for coverd dish things I take a couple of things that are OK for me and everyone. For banquet type things I note special diet and then Vegatarian and most comply. Of you can ask waiter to bring you something you can eat. Of course a meal bar in the pocket when venturing into unknown territory never hurts, :)
It's nearing a month since my first post, and the vegan diet is going surprisingly well. I've even had Mexican food without cheese -- and that was even scarier to me than cheeseless pizza!
I'm good about asking for details at restaurants, and I tip really well, so if the server finds me annoying, they usually don't the second time they see me. :) My friends are also unusually supportive of my dietary experiments... I thought they were all going to be mad at me about giving up cheese (which was the last animal product to go), but they've just moved on to more cooking experiments. I still don't know why they make all the meals work around me... I always offer to bring my own food, but I rarely have to. My friends and family rock. :D
from the stupid's desk:
What's the difrence between a vegatarian and a vegan (besides the time it takes to type them)?
Originally posted by Metta
from the stupid's desk:
What's the difrence between a vegatarian and a vegan (besides the time it takes to type them)?
ha! :)
A vegetarian doesn't eat any meat (and yes that includes fish and poultry), and may or may not consume eggs and dairy. He or she will not eat things that require the death of an animal (such as gelatin, supposedly rennet, etc...)
A strict vegetarian does not eat meat, eggs, dairy, or any other animal products or by-products. There is an ongoing debate as to whether or not they can eat honey.
A vegan is a strict vegetarian who, in addition to not eating animal products, does not use any products that have harmed animals, e.g., leather, shampoos that have tested on animals, etc...
Vegetarian refers to a diet. Vegan refers to the lifestyle. Currently I'm a strict vegetarian... one step at a time. :)
Orpheus42
07-17-03, 02:14 PM
Mexican food without meat or cheese? :eek:
Whatever floats yer boat ;) Even though I don't follow I respect the decision.
butterfly
07-17-03, 04:16 PM
Actually, when I was in Mexico, the locals that I met hardly ever ate meat or cheese. Meat and cheese are expensive. They had beans and tortillas and some fish (there was a fish taco stand on every corner), but mostly beans....lots and lots of beans, that was on the coast though, I don't know what it's like in the interior.
Orpheus42
07-17-03, 04:26 PM
Darn me and my pithy Los Estados Unidos-ified ethnic food wannabes ;)
butterfly
07-17-03, 04:35 PM
I'm afraid I'm going to have to claim utter stupidity and say...I didn't get that...:o What's Los Estados Unidos...Help me out here!
Wait, nevermind I got it! :lol: Sorry, my brain is very slow today....
trixiepup
07-18-03, 02:31 AM
when i tried doing the vegan thing a few years back, i found that almond cheese is actually pretty good. however it may have casein in it, which would not be vegan, so check the ingredients. from what i recall, it actually melted (unlike the soy cheeses, from what i recall).
seitan (wheat meat) is actually pretty good too...cheaper than tofu (or at least the fancy marinated stuff, which i actually like).
and when people say you aren't a good christian bc you are a vegan, just smile and nod and thank them for their concern about your salvation and spiritual life, and that you appreciate having such loving and caring friends in your life.
I've heard about almond cheese, but never actually found it. I don't know about whether or not it has casein, but if it melts, it probably does. As far as I know, the only really melty veggie cheeses have cesein. :( On a whim, I got vegan parmesan, and it tastes kinda nasty... it was worth a try, though. On the up side, tofutti makes great vegan cream cheese and sour cream. :)
I've never tried seitan or marinated tofu... so many foods out there still! :) I do love regular tofu, though. I use the silken stuff in puddings, the firm stuff in stir fries, and I've recently become addicted to fried tofu... yum! I'm not a big fan of fried anything, generally -- maybe my body just needs the fat. (Or so I justify it in my mind ;) ).
trixiepup
07-18-03, 01:08 PM
i live in California, so I've been exposed to lots of different veggie foods.
The almond cheese I got was from Whole Foods, but other health food stores would probably have it. A vegan from work introduced it to me (he did more of a raw foods diet, and hearing him eat at lunch was like feeding time at the zoo, but that's a topic for another thread).
Tofutti makes ice cream sandwiches named Cuties, and they are really really good. Like real ice cream good.
FYI, silken tofu pureed works really good as an egg replacement in recipes. I impressed the vegans in my botany class when I made a yummy vegan cake. :-)
butterfly
07-19-03, 04:24 AM
Mmm, I love tofu too.:yum: Admittedly, it doesn't taste of much but it can soak up any flavour you want. I really don't understand why so many people dislike it. They probably just cook it wrong.
I've never had seitan. Is that another soy product or is it made from something different? Just wondering because I've heard consuming alot of soy is a health risk so it would be good to have a non-soy alternative to tofu.
Mmmm... tofutti. :) The cuties are great. Have you tried the Too-Toos? They were my first introduction to tofutti... they're drool-worthy.
I use powdered egg replacer with great results -- maybe I'll experiment with silken tofu for fun.
trixie -- you're in Cali, eh? L.A. is having its tofu festival tonight -- are you close enough to go to that? :) I'm tempted...
butterfly -- too much of any one thing is not good. I think soy only becomes a danger if you're having soy milk for breakfast and some soy bacon, soy hot dogs for lunch, soy lunchmeats for snack, tofu for dinner and soy pudding or ice cream for dessert. You've got to eat something else sometimes! :) Sadly, I know some people who eat like that -- that's just as limiting as centering all your meals around meat. :(
Does anyone here make their own soy-free garden burgers and will you share your recipe?
:) Teresa
I've never made my own garden burgers -- I'm not too big on them, personally. But I'd be happy to help you search for a recipe.
Do you want it to be vegan, or are you okay with eggs?
You might try the recipe database here:
www.vegweb.com
If you don't see anything there, there are excellent links on that site. :)
I wonder if the members of the Bible study are aware of Genesis 1:29-30? Seems to me that text says that God wants us to be vegetarian. Since God later killed animals in order to make clothing for Adam and Eve does strict vegan fit here?
:confused: :canada:
Diane
Hey Diane - welcome to the boards :)
Hope you enjoy it here!
are you saying that you believe all Christians should be vegetarians?
Hi Nicole
Each individual has the responsibility for their own decisions including the foods that they do or don't eat. My suggestion was an observation that it appears God designed the human body to be vegetarian. After the fall the diet was modified and included restrictions.
It seems that eating raw or vegan/vegetarian creates increased health. I, for one, notice a difference when my meals are raw or cooked.
Should, would and ought are parenting words that I have chosen not to use.
Diane
:):canada:
apothegm
08-30-03, 09:13 AM
Hello,
I just signed up on these boards due to a low tolerance towards alternative (aware!) life-styles on another christian message board. I believe in high tolerance towards others and inner conviction for myself.
Being a vegetarian (lacto-ovo mostly) for longer than most of you have lived :) Allow me to offer myself to any questions you may be moved to ask, it would be a pleasure to help if able. I have conceived and raised two children vegetarian and studied nutrition in lieu of seeking a nutritionalist.
Greeting and peace,
apo
welcome to the boards apo :) Hope you enjoy it here - feel free to check out some of our other forums in addition to the Healthy Living forum :)
Michele
08-30-03, 10:42 AM
Welcome! We can always use the wisdom from more people with nutritional experience around here. :) I hope you stick around!
Thanks for the welcome:)
I've spent a long time reading nutrition literature and the scriptures. You might say it's a bit of a passion.
For months I've read 2 Corinthians 6: 14 - 7: 1 and get an interesting understanding. I've got to put that scripture together with a couple of others and then I'm sure there will be something to see!
Diane
:wave: :canada:
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