We are Eating Less Meat. Why?

?

[Robin Garr]

Why does this even have to be an argument?

Because it's not Garage Logical?

Just FYI... 7 days into my new meatless life style and I have dropped 6 pounds. I am very encouraged.
And Steve... Rest assured your BBQ ribs are STILL never far from my mind and when I DO decide to enjoy some meat it'll no doubt be ome ribs. I am, after all, only human.

Just FYI... 7 days into my new meatless life style and I have dropped 6 pounds. I am very encouraged.

Good for you, Carla! But please don't let your mood drop when the rate decreases. Human metabolism adapts and if you stay with sensible dining with a focus on weight loss you should settle at about 1.5 - 2 LB a week reduction after a bit. Some people get discouraged when a fast rate doesn't stay linear but, trust me, it is working! I lost a lot of weight some years ago with the idea that I consume typically 21 meals a week. I'd be disciplined for about 17 of them, mostly vegetarian and many vegan. I'd pick usually four when I'd eat whatever I wanted but not to Roman orgy levels. For me that was with my wife for Friday night, lunch & dinner Saturday and lunch Sunday. That's three out of four days a week when I could splurge to some extent - not bad! When those weekly planned indulgences come along they come with true enjoyment. Not in the sense of release from deprivation but as in finding a new sensory refinement that emerged from beneath a lifetime of hammering my poor senses with excess. Like all the really good things in life, it just plain works. And works well. Ain't rocket science!

Sounds like a good plan Lonnie. The other thing I have noticed is that with the decrease of my consumption of meat, cheese and refined sugar I seem to have lost my taste for them. I have dropped from one 12 oz regular coke a day to, maybe , 3 a week. No sweat. I realize now that my reaching for a piece of cheese to satisfy a hugar pang was just habit. Little stuff. Even if I never lose another pound I'll know my heart is in better shape. And I think that's why I can keep doing this. After all, I understand Johnny Depp is single now...

It's been almost 4 months since I started my "near vegan" diet. I thought I would post how my body is responding to it. I am NOT posting this to preach or cajole anyone to this lifestyle. More like posting the results of an experiment.
First I cannot say I am a vegan, or even a real vegetarian for that matter. I still use cream in my coffee, eat about 2 or 3 eggs a month, allow myself 4 oz of fish twice a month and once a month I enjoy a beef or pork meal. Actually in the 4 months I've only had 2 real meat meals... one meal of pork BBQ and another fried chicken. I guess I have cut my animal protein intake by 80%. So, still some animal protein but nothing near what it was before.
Changes? You bet. I awaken much more easily and get going in the morning than before. Not near as sluggish as I used to be. My weight dropped about 12 or 14 pounds but still not as much as I would like. Took my belt up 2 notches. Got into a pair of jeans I haven't worn for over 2 years. Then there's some weird changes too. My weight distribution as changed from my gut area to, well I'm not really sure where it went but there's less of it around my middle. The texture of my hair has changed dramatically. (I use all the same hair products as before.) Now my hair is real soft, not corse like it was before. My skin is clearer, I notice that some of my old lady age blotches are fading. Haven't been to the doctor so I cannot report about things like blood pressure or what a blood work up looks like .
What does it mean? Don't know really. Why would anyone else care? Don't know that anyone would or should. Will I keep it up? Oh yeah, without a doubt. I feel bloated and miserable after eating meat even if it tastes magnificent at the time so my meat intake keeps dropping. The only thing I really miss is cheese. Oh yeah, can't say my grocery bill has gone down much. What I don't spend on meat I do spend on buying organic whenever I can so that's a wash I guess. Bottom line... I feel better. Much better.

Good for you Carla!
We have been trying to eat better around our house as well. While I'm not ready to bite the bullet and do what you seem to have had some success with; we have made a real conscious effort to buy and eat meat from local producers and I have quit eating bread with every meal.
I've pretty much knocked out all of the fast food from my diet during the past year, although sometimes I do get a hankering for Taco Bell. I hardly ever drink any sodas, maybe 2 or 3 a month.
Although the biggest reason for my sudden weight gain was a thyroid condition I dealt with in the last year, I was by no means skinny before that. I have managed to lose about 20 lbs. from where I started and maintained it. Now if I can quit drinking so much delicious beer, I could probably lose some more.

Wow! 20 pounds is awesome Dan! Kudos to you sir.
As far as fast food, I think Louisville is ready for some healthy, fast food. Someone mentioned Fresher Cooker in another thread. We could use something like that again. I think now it would flourish. I do stop at Paul's sometime and find suitable (and interesting) stuff in their deli section. But a drive thru would be great!

Congrats Carla and Dan, and thanks Carla for re-opening this thread on a "touchy" subject. I'm still vegetarian (of course) and nearly vegan (cheese is my only sin), and exercise on a regular basis (almost daily). There is a lot of evidence, beyond anecdotal examples, that shows how plant-based diets, in combination with exercise and some relaxation techniques can have drastic effects on one's health. I was disappointed to see Mark Head's earlier comments (I think he's a doctor himself, but Mark, how many nutrition classes did you take, and what year were those?).

Dr. Dean Ornish has conducted a bunch of studies in peer-reviewed journals like the American Journal of Cardiology which clearly show how diet and lifestyle changes can radically improve your health. Sure, smoking isn't good either. A no-brainer. Here are some of his studies http://www.pmri.org/research.html#articles (sorry, not direct links, as most journals aren't open to the public, but you can get abstracts and a general feel).

I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing. There is no one silver bullet to good health, and happiness is certainly a component. But healthy eating can be a big part of a happy life. Better get to bed, big soccer game in the morning if the rain holds off....(my kiddo is bottom right, healthy vegetarian at 97%+ percentile for height and weight in the growth charts at age 4, and I'm the coach, rolling in around 175 lbs - good fighting weight)...Cheers!

That's a good lookin' bunch of kids! I bet they tear up the soccer field !
Thank you for sharing your encouragement Chef Couzin. I wasn't out to stir up anything, just sharing what has happened to me since I started eating this way. My progress is slow but it is progress and I feel healthier. I am grateful to this food forum for all the help I have received with recipes and new food ideas as well as information for both sides of the discussion.

Nothing new folks.... just a very goood visual presentation of what we already know. Thought it worth sharing:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=311_1358011348

Oh my. I went off my meat free diet for the holidays. Thanksgiving wasn't too bad, a little turkey, some fish. But Christmas had country ham, and bean soup with ham and bacon. A burger or two while I was out shopping and needed something fast. And cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. Just the usual backslide that starts when you start making little concessions here and there. My waist inflated almost immediately. I was draggy in the morning despite plenty of sleep. My energy level dropped to almost nothing. All of these things could be attributed to other things besides diet (maybe even guilt for going off the diet) but I did learn that I just don't like the way I feel when I eat meat regularly. I've learned I can tolerate a very small amount maybe once a week. But frankly, just for me, the taste no longer outweighs the health benefits. Its kinda like drinking - its sooo much fun and enjoyable when you're doing it but the hangover the next day is a real payback. After a while it just isn't worth it. Now I am 5 days back on the diet and I feel better already. Realistically I know I will indulge every once in a while but it'll take some killer meal to seduce me.