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#1
03-27-2007, 11:11 PM
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well thanks for letting me ask lots of questions....but really this is all just personal choice....and all walks of life have their own opinions as to what they eat and even how its prepared......some people feel guilty from very simple things and some people have no conscience about brutal things....but I think being raised on a farm....and an alberta farm growing your own animals for food or whatever.....does make you think differently.....its like raising your own 4H calf and keeping him groomed and well fed so that after your project is over you can take him to the auction to be sold. The kids get so used to it....and its really for the best meat....anyways...im rambling now
i just always thought that people chose to be vegetarian because of health reasons....never gave it any thought as to ethics or what is immoral... 
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#2
03-27-2007, 11:33 PM
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Hey guys. Wow, and THANKS! I never expected such a response. It IS encouraging to see so many people doing this and enjoying the benefits of it.
I'll answer a few questions. First, BC564, go watch this video. It's not how all animals are treated, but it seems to be quite common. Personally, I just can't support that. BUT...it is a personal choice, and I don't blame anyone for deciding to eat meat. My family owns a huge dairy/cattle farm up near Stoney Plain, sooo....  I'm definitely not plunging into the Vegan thing. That's way too hardcore for me. First of all, I'd have to throw away all of my shoes and half my jackets. LOL. I enjoy cheese WAY too much. I will, however, only buy "free range" eggs....somehow that will ease my conscience a little bit?....maybe? I'm also going to visit the Farmer's Market this weekend and see what it has to offer. We shall see. The jury's out on fish still. I'd love to be able to eat fish. I'll have to do some more research. So again, thanks everyone. Keep 'em coming if you have something to say!
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~Drew 10G Nano * 10G Sump * Deltec MCE 600 Skimmer * JBL Viper 150w MH * Zeovit * Vortech MP40W Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. ~S. Ertz 
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#3
03-27-2007, 11:56 PM
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that video was disgusting. frightening really. I can only hope that that movie was a compilation of the lowlights of the industry and that those clips were worst case scenarios.
on a lighter note, Drew i know you're in calgary, but for any Vancouverites, here's a good seafood option. it's called oceanwise. It's basically a program headed by the Vancouver aquarium in which a bunch of restaurants agree to only serve seafood that comes from a sustainable source. check it out... http://www.vanaqua.org/conservation/oceanwise/ scroll down and click on "participants" for a list of participating restaurants.
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#4
03-28-2007, 02:43 AM
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Just to clarify, there were some comments about omega-3 fatty acids in relation to proteins.
Amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are completely different from fatty acids. Both are essential in the diet. Just completely different things. As far as the different arguments for vegetarianism, one of the best reasons is for improved health. Look around and see the epidemic of obese people having heart attacks by age 50. A vegetarian diet can be excellent for heart health. The conditions we keep farm livestock in are appalling. I would rather see improved standards for the care of farm animals, even if it means paying more for my groceries.
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#5
03-28-2007, 03:29 AM
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i just wanted to say that a diet of meat and veg doesn't automatically mean it's more unhealthy. obesity/shortened age is a problem if you over do it on fatty stuff and trans fats and all the fast food... i could go on. of course on the other hand, being veg means that most of that crap is out of your diet anyways... a definite bonus!
 the key to health is just a good well balanced diet and plenty of excercise. and a lack of other crap like smoking too for example.
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#6
03-28-2007, 04:37 AM
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Quote:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/he463w.htm
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#7
03-28-2007, 07:06 AM
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You can be healthy eating a vegetarian diet. It's just harder (significantly) then it is for us omnivorous types.
A personal note... _ALL_ of the vegetarians I know are either unhealthy or fat. I think the problem is that junk food is so readily accessible and without proper meal planning with restricted food options... you tend to grab that junk food quite often simply because it's easy. It's funny that the vegetarians I know (and I know a few) rarely seem to eat veggies - except my aunt, who is buddhist. But then she barely eats overall and is the only skinny vegetarian I know (the rest are fat while she is unhealthy and can't even go on a long walk due to no energy). I also think that a lot of people have a big problem eating a diet high in fat and carb's. I don't know the exact science behind it, so I don't want to spread misinformation. But I do think that people who eat high fat high carb diets tend to become fat. How about whey protein powder for supplementation? Check out places like proteinfactory.com that allow you to customise your protein powder if you aren't comfortable with protein coming from milk (whey, casein, etc.) - they have egg and possibly other protein blends available. I am sure other sources are available. If I were to go vegetarian, I would track my calorie intake and ensure I was getting enough protein and healthy fats/vitamins etc. I am no vegetarian, but I like to workout and keep some idea of what I eat, so I currently use fitday.com to track my dietary habits. I know there are better online tools available, but I have been using fitday for years and wouldn't want to lose the data. I would like to spend my food budget on more ethically treated food - organically farmed foods, grass fed beef, honestly free range chickens etc. but can't afford it. I have a list of sites in BC where you can buy food direct from farmers, but most want you to buy in sides of beef, which are for me too much to store... and I wouldn't know how to properly cut it up etc... Being in BC and you being in Alberta, I don't think any of my links would help you... although a quick google search would probably net you some good farms to purchase from in Alberta. Best of luck with the new lifestyle!
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#8
03-28-2007, 04:13 PM
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Interesting points to mention - I myself am overweight, and have been - as is my wife. I ws before I started becoming vegetarian, but due to the fact that with being vegetarian, carbohydrates are much more readily available (pasta, breads, etc)
The factor to look at is pretty simple. I'm overweight and a bit unhealthy as a vegetarian, but the person next to me is overweight and unhealthy as a omnivore. OR, is not overweight but consumes very high amounts of bad cholesterol, fats, hormones from meat, etc. However I do eat my fair share of vegetables, fruits, etc - but I unfortunately know few other vegetarians. Anyway - I think the point I'm trying to get across is that even if someone is overweight, it doesn't mean they're unhealthy, just as if someone is skinny it doesn't mean they're healthy. It'd the total package that counts and matters in the end. I don't exercise enough, I know that- however if I did exercise a bit more, even being a bit overweight, I'd still be healthy 
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#9
03-28-2007, 06:31 AM
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Quote:
I flirted with this too when I was a bit younger. I blame my German roots for my failure, there's something about a good sausage that brings a tear to my eye. The thing that I found tough was the difference between lifestyle change and "diet". Just because you ate some bacon yesterday doesn't mean you may as well have a burger today. If it's really a lifestyle change you are after take it one day at a time and let it happen slowly.
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