rvijay07:

Fish/Seafood are NEITHER Vegetarian nor Vegan. A diet that includes vegetarian dishes and fish/sea-food is called Pescetarian

It's a start in the right direction....better than cold cuts. 

 I have seafood on occasion - I just simply like this board because it's painful to read on the other boards how people are so enthralled with finding processed foods on sale that are void of nutrients the body can use but chock full of calories. 

I did not say that she had been converted to vegetarian eating.  I said that she had tried mahi mahi and liked it.  Fish is much better for the human body than the fried meat-that-once-ran-around-on-legs that she usually eats.  And she was really excited about liking the taste of this healthier alternative, so I still stand by my post, even though they are NEITHER vegetarian or vegan.

I have tried to become a veggie ... but don't have the will power. I enjoy my steaks now and then. I have given up pork. I enjoy eating most veggie meals but there are some vegetables that I don't care for that are crucial for being a veggie... beans (I'd have to invest in beano), avacados (they just look nasty to me), eggplants (not palateable to me). I love tofu! I would have to be a lacto-ovo-veggie if I was to make it at all, mainly since most of the soy-based substitutes are have gluten (and I'm sensitive). I dabble in being a veggie from time to time, just for fun and when I walk around the farmer's markets/ produce section (all these ideas). There are days where I won't eat meat. 

Number 4:

I did not say that she had been converted to vegetarian eating.  I said that she had tried mahi mahi and liked it.  Fish is much better for the human body than the fried meat-that-once-ran-around-on-legs that she usually eats.  And she was really excited about liking the taste of this healthier alternative, so I still stand by my post, even though they are NEITHER vegetarian or vegan.

It would be better to start a General Healthy Food Alternatives discussion for this. Such a thread would also benefit those who are also like Vegetarian food but also like to eat non veggie food sometimes. I am sure this issue will comeup more in the future.

This way we can also focus on Vegetarian/Vegan aspects of diets/life here in this topic.

rvijay07:

It would be better to start a General Healthy Food Alternatives discussion for this. Such a thread would also benefit those who are also like Vegetarian food but also like to eat non veggie food sometimes. I am sure this issue will comeup more in the future.

This way we can also focus on Vegetarian/Vegan aspects of diets/life here in this topic.

There's no reason to have a strangle hold on the conversation. The essence of these forums are the free flow of information and comaraderie.  

Number 4:

The only real trouble I have is giving up sugar.  It is so hard!

Stevia is great! You could also try agave, which is what we use. This is what we use regularly--almost never use processed sugars. This is what I used exclusively when I was on my "sugar fast," (i.e., I ate NO processed sugars at all). It's got a low glycemic index, so can help break the "sugar cycle" of insulin spiking, etc.. Honestly, I like it better than sugar anyway.

I was vegetarian for almost 6 years, and loved it. For various reasons, it's not really reasonable for me anymore; so, I eat responsibly (100% pastured, humane beef and chicken, etc.). But, I still use a lot of my vegetarian recipes. We eat vegetarian several times a week. It's a great way to eat healthy, get our fiber, cut our grocery bills, and eat a much more reasonable amount of meat (we rarely eat whole cuts of meat, instead using it as a "filler" or "flavoring." I am actually planning to post some of my favorite recipes, including veggie ones, later this week.

I agree that people often don't understand the link between what they eat, and how they feel. A good example is ADD in children. In all but a small percentage of cases, it's pretty easily treated by a diet change and sleep changes (which often take care of themselves with the diet changes). A fair percentage of depression cases can be effectively treated and managed by diet, as well (not all, of course, though diet management can still often lower necessary dosages). Aging is another one. I don't botox, etc., and I get regularly guessed 10 years younger than I am. It's all in the food and basic exercise (I do not eat any diet of "low fat" foods, and almost no processed foods).  Processed soy also presents a good bit of problems for vegetarians, and that is finally being explored and researched. Fortunately, when I was veggie, there were almost no soy alternatives available. I can't eat it at all now for medical reasons, and wow is that difficult. It's in *everything*. I hope that more people become educated about how what they're eating controls so much of their life, but I fear that time is far off. 

Oh, I meant to add:

One of the big issues facing everyone, but especially vegetarians, is rising grocery costs. Vegetables and fruit are certainly not immune. It's no longer meat that is often the most expensive item, per pound, in the grocery part. Our produce costs have skyrocketed here--up 10-20%--in the last 6 months or so. It's no longer cheap to do veggie stir fry and brown rice, or veggie lasagna. It's one reason we're so serious about using our scraps to make stock--it's just too expensive to let anything go to waste.

Falconinburgundy:

Aging is another one. I don't botox, etc., and I get regularly guessed 10 years younger than I am. It's all in the food and basic exercise (I do not eat any diet of "low fat" foods, and almost no processed foods).

I cannot agree with this more.  I've never had anyone come within 10 years of guessing my age.  In fact, since I won't disclose my age, most people guess on average that I am 13 years younger than I am.   Another thing that I swear by is Thayer's Rose Water Witch Hazel which I use on my face day and night.  It's wonderful!   And keep in mind that I ride a motorcycle so I am dealing with Texas heat and wind during this time of the year which is very drying.

Pat:

There's no reason to have a strangle hold on the conversation. The essence of these forums are the free flow of information and comaraderie.  

Definetely not a strangle hold. It helps to keep the topic in focus. In retrospective if someone started a fish thread/meat thread and I were to discuss just vegan items, I am sure that would not be acceptable. By the way, I would never do that also.

Falconinburgundy:

Processed soy also presents a good bit of problems for vegetarians, and that is finally being explored and researched. Fortunately, when I was veggie, there were almost no soy alternatives available. I can't eat it at all now for medical reasons, and wow is that difficult. It's in *everything*. I hope that more people become educated about how what they're eating controls so much of their life, but I fear that time is far off. 

Soy has been used for generations in the Orient without any problems. So it has basically been tested in the real world. Nothing is perfect and I am sure something can be found wrong with everything.