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Everything You Wanted to Know About Becoming a Vegetarian (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Started by Daniel Gibbons · 7 months ago

Becoming a vegetarian is a life choice that can have many benefits, both to you and the planet. If more people were vegetarians, or at least ate less meat, we could use the land more productively, and cut down on water usage and pesticides, since we wouldn’t need to grow gra ... Continue reading »

8 comments

  • Jay Reeder

    7 months ago

    Good article. Here are some factoids that should make vegetarians out of everyone:

    1. Heart disease is by far the #1 cause of death in America

    2. For those with a cholesterol of < 150, the rate of death from heart disease is near zero (i.e. not a single one observed in the long-running Framingham study).

    3. An all-vegetarian where only 10% or less of calories are from fat will bring your cholesterol below 150, if you also eliminate all butterfat (i.e. choose skim or non-fat dairy products only), refined oils, and any other food rich in saturated fat.

    So, basically, if you want an extra decade or so of extra life, just go low-fat vegetarian.
    reply
  • Manon

    7 months ago

    A Vegetarian doesn't eat any animal products only products from plant matter. Ideally this includes no gelatin, rennet, or other things made from animal flesh or bone that are often hidden in margarine, jello, jelly, cake mixes, yoghurt, and other weird places. Basically we don't eat anything with a face. This includes fish. They are an animal yes? No vegetarians eat fish.

    A Pescetarian is someone who excludes land animals and birds, but includes fish, mollusks, and crustaceans in addition to fruits, vegetables, plants, legumes, nuts, and grains. Eggs and dairy may or may not be present in the pescetarian's diet.

    Please don't mix the two. This is how vegetarians get served fish at dinners or restaurants. We don't want to be served fish. If we did, we wouldn't be vegetarians.

    It is strictly my view, although it matches scientific reports, that the oceans are being overfished. Many fish are actually endangered. Reefs are endangered. It is best to leave the fish alone in the sea, and if you must eat them then please get your meat from a sustainable fish farm. This will help the environment. That was the point of this topic yes? The environment? Then please if you eat meat eat only from sustainable fish farmed sources and free range meats.

    And remember, vegetarians don't eat meat, which includes fish!

    Thank you
    reply
  • Daniel Gibbons

    7 months ago

    To be fair to the author, the definition of "vegetarian" is taken quite loosely in lots of different contexts, and it's very common to encounter people who call themselves vegetarians but do eat fish.

    As to the farmed fish point -- there are very few truly sustainable forms of fish farming. It's a subject close to home here in Vancouver, where salmon farming has had a calamitous effect on the wild salmon population, mostly because of sea lice infestation.
    reply
  • LDGourmet

    7 months ago

    Sustainable seafood is the subject of my annual blog event "Teach a Man to Fish." You are correct that salmon farming is one of the most environmentally hazardous. From 3 to 9 lbs of fish are used to produce one lb of farmed salmon. That alone makes it inherently un-sustainable. The waste concentration and the sea lice are other complications. I have an entire list of resources, links to organizations in Canada, US, abroad, books, and more (including a great short video for kids) on my resource page.

    Cheers,
    Jacqueline
    reply
  • Devorah Stone

    7 months ago

    I know many vegetarians who eat fish and still call themselves vegetarians. So I felt safe saying that. Its like everything its open to interpretation. Thanks for reading and commenting! Love the response.
    reply
  • LDGourmet

    7 months ago

    Devorah! I just stumbled upon this post and this periodical. In response to readers' requests, I've begun a Meat-free Tuesday feature on my blog and I'll be sure to post a link to this. Between the low carbon eating, concerns about GMO and antibiotic loaded foods, as well as the ethical issues many are looking for more meat-free ways to enjoy good food. Come check my Tuesday column, too.

    Cheers,
    Jacqueline
    reply
  • ThirstyApe

    7 months ago

    I would highly recommend The Flexitarian Diet by Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD. She promotes a "mostly vegetarian" lifestyle in the book and offers more than 100 recipes in the book. Her website also offers many more recipes for download (for free). http://www.dawnjacksonblatner.com
    reply
  • Naturopathy

    3 weeks ago

    "No one teaches basic eating skills. What we see in our culture encourages fast, mindless eating. Go through these skills to reprogram your eating habits".
    reply

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