by Dagney 82 Replies latest jw friends
Good question, if you just eat insects are you a vegan?
Vegans don't knowingly eat any animal (or insect---) protein. Some vegetarians do---those that eat milk, cheese and eggs do---but that's not vegan. In the past, people 'accidentally' got proteins from insects---today we are pretty good at killing the critters---making B12 an issue.
NC
NC I pretty much grew up a vegan (my father was a strict vegan), and frankly I'm against it. B12 is a very serious issue. My mother is currently having to get B12 shots once a week, because she is so low. She's not a vegan, but damn close to vegetarian. Knowing what I know now, I think back on some of my dad's health issues and can not help but wonder what B12 might have done for him.
I know I don't post here much, but I've been a vegetarian for a few years. My reason for becoming one is pretty stupid, though haha. I saw Paul McCartney in concert a few years ago. I'd been thinking about the idea of cutting meat out of my diet for a while, as my mom and dad said that was when they were at their very best health. (They were vegetarians for a few years after they got married. It was the 70s; everyone was doing it!) Anyway, Mr. McCartney comes out, and my immediate thought it is, "Dang! This dude is old enough to be my grandpa and he has roughly 3,000 times my energy level! He's been a vegetarian for nearly 40 years. Maybe there's something to this..."
So, literally the next day, I say, "No more meat." I still really miss seafood. Sometimes I watch Finding Nemo and want to punch Bruce the shark in the face for his "fish are friends, not food" mantra. But then I agree with him. =p But yeah, I feel SO much healthier. I've lost 15 pounds or so since then. I've also been trying to eat a little less dairy. I could never fully cut it out, but soy milk isn't that bad. I'm too big of a cheese head to give up that, though. I would also do a disservice to my screen name if I did.
I'm a vegetarian with a nightshade and diary allergy. I eat eggs and fish occasionally. I eat vegan approx. 90% of the time
I had a daughter that kept it up as a teenager for a year or more ... drove me NUTS! I found it a bit over the top (in my own personal opinion) that a vegan goes as far as avoiding honey because bees are used to produce it. (Is there a PETA movement to free bees from slavery?)
goodbye,, I have a sensitivity to nightshades as well (nausea, etc), and cannot process grains. Have you ever checked into the possibility of Celiac's? A lot of folks have problems with dairy (which should be very limited in our diet anyway, as it's hard to digest) because their system is irritated due to inability to process gluten (Celiacs Disease) or in my case, grains. .... just a thought ...
I am allergic to anchovies - now, that is a weird allergy, imo.
tal
Thank you all for the input. I ordered the Neal Bernard book this afternoon and have been reading it. I'm going to do the 21 day plan he has, probably start in a week.
Ive been taking a B12 supplement daily for a few years, just one from Costco. I have always heard about the vitamin B12 deficiency issue with vegetarians. I'm wondering why so many vegans seem to flourish if that is the case. I'm not all the way through the book yet, but if it doesn't address the issue I will email the doctor/writer.
I feel the need for a life shift...I do every so many years. It was 10 years ago that I left JW. What a ride that has been. I'm ready to distance myself even more from it all. Even though my health is good, it can be a whole lot better, those joints are starting to aggravate me. I'm hoping this may help that along with what everybody else has said here.
I can't imagine not eating red meat, sushi, cheese ever again...but I can do it for 3 weeks.
Thank you all again!
I'm wondering why so many vegans seem to flourish if that is the case.
Do they? I've never seen any actual research that shows they do better than omnivors, just books, forums and websites by converts. Some of them contained as many falacies, cherry picked statistics and straw men as your average Watchtower.
Watch it with young girls too, many have used veganism as a cover for anorexia.
People will often experience a short term lift when they try a new diet that convinces them they are on the right path, but it might not last.
It can really become a problem if the vegan takes up the lifestyle for philosophical reasons and develops an aversion to meat. Not everyone thrives on the diet, even if they are careful and do their homework.
If a practitioner doesn't thrive, there is a lot of incentive to spank themselves for not being strict enough, rather than to admit that their gurus might be wrong, especially if they have been doing a lot of preaching for their new found lifestyle. What can happen then is that the little bit of 'cheating', that helped them do ok for as long as they did, gets the blame for their failure to thrive and they cut that out.
If you don't do well, admit it to your friends and converts and move on.
Chris
@Black Sheep: I have a friend (JW) whose dad died at 44 from heart disease, and my friend also had a bipass at 44, and another heart issue about 5 years ago. He has struggled with his weight. He's been vegan for a while now, I think less than a year, and his whole blood profile has changed, he's dropped quite a bit of weight, and he feels and sounds great. In fact he doesn't even sound like the same person. His meds usage is going down. So it appears for some with serious issues with heart and diabetes, it can make a huge difference.
He's been nipping at me to do this for a while...but I'm reluctant because I really like red meat. I've been eating it about once a week until I got on this brisket kick. But I don't think dairy is that good for me, except I do love cheese. I do believe a more plant based diet is good for reducing inflammation, a precursor for many ailments, and I believe that is well documented. I would like to see if there is the difference in my joint pain, and give my arteries a good scrub.
I don't see it as a life style for me, but more of a healthy spring cleaning, especially for the liver. We'll see. Thank you for your comment...I'll keep it in mind.
try a mediterranian diet. Thats how wifey and I eat now. My cholesteral has gone back to normal, as has my blood pressure and tryglicerites, (however thats spelled). heart rate improved as well. The weight is slowly coming off.
If u want a liver spring cleaning, try bliling down some artichokes and drink the liquid. Did wonders on Mom
