I read Eat To Live by Dr. Fuhrman last year and he referenced Forks Over Knives as well as The China Study. I started following the "Nutritarian" lifestyle immediately which is close to vegan. I am still improving everyday and would refer to myself as "almost vegan". I am 100% vegan when I am home or eating my packed lunch at work. However, I live in the midwest and still enjoy going out to dinner 1-3 times a month. I could honestly go less often myself but my fiance would like to go once a week. I try to find healthy options on the menu but I might be lucky to find a vegetarian pasta dish that is swimming in oil. So I will choose Tilapia or Salmon on those occasions. I will often order the large dinner salads when it's available. But I am often still hungry when I select the vegetarian option like a salad because it is a ton of spinach, one slice of tomato, two slices of green pepper, and some onions. That is not enough for dinner. And it winds up being so expensive if you order everything al a carte at the nicer restaurants with better options. Therefore, I think I would be 100% vegan all the time if I lived in California, New York, or Oregon where there are tons of veg-friendly restaurants to choose from!
Katie Henderson - 13 years ago
I was vegan for about a year, and then I slipped into a vegetarian lifestyle (mainly ovo-lacto, but occasionally pesco-pollo). I've been vegetarian for about 2 years. When I was vegan, I followed the RAVE diet, and I felt great and lost weight without trying. However, I love cooking and trying new foods. I also live in a smaller town in the Midwest, so even vegetarian options are scarce at restaurants. Dining vegan is almost impossible in some restaurants, and the options they do have are less than creative (e.g., garden salad) or have hidden meat products (e.g., rice cooked in beef/chicken broth). On top of that, I only know 3 vegetarians, and many of my meat-eating friends and acquaintances are less than supportive in my diet choice. For all of these reasons, I am not eating as well as I would like to. I know a few people who went vegetarian or vegan but gave up for at least one of the reasons I mentioned.
I do hope that this movement continues to gain popularity, as a vegan diet is really the best diet for people and our environment!
Jai - 13 years ago
After reading just the intro to The China Study, I committed to a vegan diet. The rest of the book and everything else I read buttressed my new conviction.
So did my recent physical which revealed that my total cholesterol dropped from 206 to 130.
Shirley L - 13 years ago
My husbands father always had very high cholesterol. His first heart attack at age 40 led to a quadruple bypass. He then went on the 'Pritikin' diet for 10 years thinking he was doing the right thing with lean meats, skim milk, etc. He was also an avid tennis player, and played daily. Despite all this and the drugs he was on, his cholesterol remained high and he eventually had a second heart attack which led to his second quadruple bypass. My husband unfortunately inherited his father's cholesterol pattern. We went vegan just under two years ago, and his cholesterol has dropped almost 100 points. His LDL has dropped and his HDL has increased.
Some may poo-poo the animal-product/heart-health connection, but I say, try it and see. There's been enough case examples to strongly suggest otherwise. Yes, those meat products are tasty, good enough 'to die for'? I work in the dental industry and we do not have carnivorous-worthy teeth. Without guns, arrows, traps, and slaughter houses, we would not be eating meat.
Michelle - 13 years ago
I am vegetarian and eat free range eggs.
Kevin - 13 years ago
My diet consists of mainly vegetarian meals with a good deal of vegan dishes. I eat meat now and then. I thank vega for their amazing products and not to mention all the great information. I am currently reading and incorporating Brendan's 30 Day Thrive diet into my lifestyle.
One more comment, food is one part or a healthy lifestyle; the other is exercise which can be as simple as putting on a pair of shoes and going for a walk.
Buddabelly - 13 years ago
Due to my religious practices I consume an Edenic diet for at least half of the year. I tried eating vegan years ago but had so much heartburn I should have bought stock in Tums. When we lived in a different part of the country the meat my family and I ate was harvested by me from nature via hunting and fishing. That is one way to ensure that the meat you do eat is not loaded with chemicals like the meat you get from the stores. Personally I believe that if you eat a well balanced diet, exercise, and keep a healthy, positive, and happy attitude you can live a healthy and happy live into old age.
Vicki - 13 years ago
I have been vegan for 3 years and have felt great. My decision was not just one thing it was many. Caring about my health, the planet, animals and reducing my carbon footprint were all part of my decision. While it took a bit to get the hang of cooking and relearning a little, it was a good challenge and I love to cook now more then before. I feel better and have found I do sleep and am more active then previously.
Bill the Cat - 13 years ago
Humans evolved to eat both meat and plant foods. Vegan diets may be theoretically more healthy for some, but to declare it more healthy for all is simple nonsense. And scare tactics like linking animal protein to heart disease is equal nonsense. Dr. George Mann's independent studies of the Maasai done many years after Dr. Price, confirmed the fact that the Maasai, despite being almost exclusive meat eaters, nevertheless, had little to no incidence of heart disease, or other chronic ailments.
animallovr - 13 years ago
I feel choosing to be vegan or even vegetarian is an excellent choice and I was a vegetarian for 4 decades. Unfortunatly I lost my job and currently have to live on food from food banks which are mostly processed carbohydrates and there is little fresh fruits or vegetables. I do get some canned fruits and veggies tho. I will be planting a garden this summer for myself but I live in N. NV which has a very short growing season so getting what I need and can afford to be vegan or vegetarian is VERY difficult. For every1 not living on food from a food bank, please try this diet, you'll feel great!
Ramona - 13 years ago
I was vegetarian and then vegan for two years. I had terrible stomach aches, constant gas and eventually started passing blood. Turns out in addition to my allergies to nuts and raw foods, which I wasn't eating, I was also allergic to soy protein. We all need to wake up to the fact that eating a variety of vegetables is important, vegetarianism is not the right choice for many people for a variety of reasons.
sarita shrestha - 13 years ago
I was veg since 8 yrs n became vegan from last year.its not only about the physical fitness but about the compassion for the animals..though it was hard to be vegan at first but the hapiness within is more imp..i become vegan due to spiritual supreme master ching hai...we can have her on www.suprememastertv.com. she is teaching the noblest way to live life.being vegan is just very good way..the body and mind remains good in a way that ..no guilt feeling of being part of a sin to kill n eat other n not being a part of giving pain to other...for the recommendation you can watch the video called EARTHLINGS (www.Earthlings.com)..after watching this you may get the ans y to be vegan...where the meat comin from..where the leather n milk n the fur we wear coming from...how much animals have to suffer for that..
while for physical fitness..its the best..our body structurly also not fitted to take meat..like .the length of our intestine is very long but all the carnivorous animal have short intestine..so as the meat decayes so fast in intestine...you can imagine ..how much its going to creat trouble in body
and for enviromental view..life stock farming is the major cause for the climate change..we can view the detail in suprememastertv.com....
the major cause of globel warming is the green house gases like carbondioxide,nitrous oxide n methane.n where r they coming from..of course life stock farming..according to the UN report meat consumption is the major cause of GLOBEL WARMING.
~livestock's gas and waste produces the no 1 source of nitrous oxide and methane,which are 310 times and 72 times more power than carbondioxide respectively.
~livestock's industry produces 18%of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.that is more than that of the world transportation systems-all cars,trains,planes etc..
n all that etc etc..lots of things ..there r ...
n you can say that whats the effect of globel warming...
"the Arctic ocean could be nearly ice free at the end of summer by 2012"..Dr.jay Zwally,NASA climate scientist..
this gonna be the destruction of planet...(the cities near the sea r gonna sink under water,climate change,drought,feimene,snow from mountains melting,floods,big storms etc etc..
so only way to save planet is...jus be vegan..just Show mercy to other fellow beings i.e animals and God will show mercy for u...
CHANGE YOUR LIFE,CHANGE YOUR HEART,CHANGE YOUR DIET
just be VEGAN
"Conclusive proof" is a claim that's been made over and over again on many topics only later to be recanted based on updated information. Our understanding of nutrition is ever evolving and I've changed my views on the topic multiple times in my 40 + years. I just finished reading "The Perfect 10 Diet" and am currently reading "How We Get Fat and what to do about it". My views are evolving and strengthening concerning the obesity epidemic. I see patterns in my client base, my own experience as an aging human, and what the prevailing nutrition dogma has been for the last 40+ years. I'm convinced we need a greater understanding about the interaction of food and their impact on our hormones. Simply put; low carbohydrate fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats should make up the bulk of our diet. Grains, sugars and other starches whether they be processed or not are not good for our bodies. There is such a thing as good calories and bad calories and meat isn't the enemy. I encourage you to explore the books I mention - it could change your thinking on the topic.
I read Eat To Live by Dr. Fuhrman last year and he referenced Forks Over Knives as well as The China Study. I started following the "Nutritarian" lifestyle immediately which is close to vegan. I am still improving everyday and would refer to myself as "almost vegan". I am 100% vegan when I am home or eating my packed lunch at work. However, I live in the midwest and still enjoy going out to dinner 1-3 times a month. I could honestly go less often myself but my fiance would like to go once a week. I try to find healthy options on the menu but I might be lucky to find a vegetarian pasta dish that is swimming in oil. So I will choose Tilapia or Salmon on those occasions. I will often order the large dinner salads when it's available. But I am often still hungry when I select the vegetarian option like a salad because it is a ton of spinach, one slice of tomato, two slices of green pepper, and some onions. That is not enough for dinner. And it winds up being so expensive if you order everything al a carte at the nicer restaurants with better options. Therefore, I think I would be 100% vegan all the time if I lived in California, New York, or Oregon where there are tons of veg-friendly restaurants to choose from!
I was vegan for about a year, and then I slipped into a vegetarian lifestyle (mainly ovo-lacto, but occasionally pesco-pollo). I've been vegetarian for about 2 years. When I was vegan, I followed the RAVE diet, and I felt great and lost weight without trying. However, I love cooking and trying new foods. I also live in a smaller town in the Midwest, so even vegetarian options are scarce at restaurants. Dining vegan is almost impossible in some restaurants, and the options they do have are less than creative (e.g., garden salad) or have hidden meat products (e.g., rice cooked in beef/chicken broth). On top of that, I only know 3 vegetarians, and many of my meat-eating friends and acquaintances are less than supportive in my diet choice. For all of these reasons, I am not eating as well as I would like to. I know a few people who went vegetarian or vegan but gave up for at least one of the reasons I mentioned.
I do hope that this movement continues to gain popularity, as a vegan diet is really the best diet for people and our environment!
After reading just the intro to The China Study, I committed to a vegan diet. The rest of the book and everything else I read buttressed my new conviction.
So did my recent physical which revealed that my total cholesterol dropped from 206 to 130.
My husbands father always had very high cholesterol. His first heart attack at age 40 led to a quadruple bypass. He then went on the 'Pritikin' diet for 10 years thinking he was doing the right thing with lean meats, skim milk, etc. He was also an avid tennis player, and played daily. Despite all this and the drugs he was on, his cholesterol remained high and he eventually had a second heart attack which led to his second quadruple bypass. My husband unfortunately inherited his father's cholesterol pattern. We went vegan just under two years ago, and his cholesterol has dropped almost 100 points. His LDL has dropped and his HDL has increased.
Some may poo-poo the animal-product/heart-health connection, but I say, try it and see. There's been enough case examples to strongly suggest otherwise. Yes, those meat products are tasty, good enough 'to die for'? I work in the dental industry and we do not have carnivorous-worthy teeth. Without guns, arrows, traps, and slaughter houses, we would not be eating meat.
I am vegetarian and eat free range eggs.
My diet consists of mainly vegetarian meals with a good deal of vegan dishes. I eat meat now and then. I thank vega for their amazing products and not to mention all the great information. I am currently reading and incorporating Brendan's 30 Day Thrive diet into my lifestyle.
One more comment, food is one part or a healthy lifestyle; the other is exercise which can be as simple as putting on a pair of shoes and going for a walk.
Due to my religious practices I consume an Edenic diet for at least half of the year. I tried eating vegan years ago but had so much heartburn I should have bought stock in Tums. When we lived in a different part of the country the meat my family and I ate was harvested by me from nature via hunting and fishing. That is one way to ensure that the meat you do eat is not loaded with chemicals like the meat you get from the stores. Personally I believe that if you eat a well balanced diet, exercise, and keep a healthy, positive, and happy attitude you can live a healthy and happy live into old age.
I have been vegan for 3 years and have felt great. My decision was not just one thing it was many. Caring about my health, the planet, animals and reducing my carbon footprint were all part of my decision. While it took a bit to get the hang of cooking and relearning a little, it was a good challenge and I love to cook now more then before. I feel better and have found I do sleep and am more active then previously.
Humans evolved to eat both meat and plant foods. Vegan diets may be theoretically more healthy for some, but to declare it more healthy for all is simple nonsense. And scare tactics like linking animal protein to heart disease is equal nonsense. Dr. George Mann's independent studies of the Maasai done many years after Dr. Price, confirmed the fact that the Maasai, despite being almost exclusive meat eaters, nevertheless, had little to no incidence of heart disease, or other chronic ailments.
I feel choosing to be vegan or even vegetarian is an excellent choice and I was a vegetarian for 4 decades. Unfortunatly I lost my job and currently have to live on food from food banks which are mostly processed carbohydrates and there is little fresh fruits or vegetables. I do get some canned fruits and veggies tho. I will be planting a garden this summer for myself but I live in N. NV which has a very short growing season so getting what I need and can afford to be vegan or vegetarian is VERY difficult. For every1 not living on food from a food bank, please try this diet, you'll feel great!
I was vegetarian and then vegan for two years. I had terrible stomach aches, constant gas and eventually started passing blood. Turns out in addition to my allergies to nuts and raw foods, which I wasn't eating, I was also allergic to soy protein. We all need to wake up to the fact that eating a variety of vegetables is important, vegetarianism is not the right choice for many people for a variety of reasons.
I was veg since 8 yrs n became vegan from last year.its not only about the physical fitness but about the compassion for the animals..though it was hard to be vegan at first but the hapiness within is more imp..i become vegan due to spiritual supreme master ching hai...we can have her on www.suprememastertv.com. she is teaching the noblest way to live life.being vegan is just very good way..the body and mind remains good in a way that ..no guilt feeling of being part of a sin to kill n eat other n not being a part of giving pain to other...for the recommendation you can watch the video called EARTHLINGS (www.Earthlings.com)..after watching this you may get the ans y to be vegan...where the meat comin from..where the leather n milk n the fur we wear coming from...how much animals have to suffer for that..
while for physical fitness..its the best..our body structurly also not fitted to take meat..like .the length of our intestine is very long but all the carnivorous animal have short intestine..so as the meat decayes so fast in intestine...you can imagine ..how much its going to creat trouble in body
and for enviromental view..life stock farming is the major cause for the climate change..we can view the detail in suprememastertv.com....
the major cause of globel warming is the green house gases like carbondioxide,nitrous oxide n methane.n where r they coming from..of course life stock farming..according to the UN report meat consumption is the major cause of GLOBEL WARMING.
~livestock's gas and waste produces the no 1 source of nitrous oxide and methane,which are 310 times and 72 times more power than carbondioxide respectively.
~livestock's industry produces 18%of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.that is more than that of the world transportation systems-all cars,trains,planes etc..
n all that etc etc..lots of things ..there r ...
n you can say that whats the effect of globel warming...
"the Arctic ocean could be nearly ice free at the end of summer by 2012"..Dr.jay Zwally,NASA climate scientist..
this gonna be the destruction of planet...(the cities near the sea r gonna sink under water,climate change,drought,feimene,snow from mountains melting,floods,big storms etc etc..
so only way to save planet is...jus be vegan..just Show mercy to other fellow beings i.e animals and God will show mercy for u...
CHANGE YOUR LIFE,CHANGE YOUR HEART,CHANGE YOUR DIET
just be VEGAN
"Conclusive proof" is a claim that's been made over and over again on many topics only later to be recanted based on updated information. Our understanding of nutrition is ever evolving and I've changed my views on the topic multiple times in my 40 + years. I just finished reading "The Perfect 10 Diet" and am currently reading "How We Get Fat and what to do about it". My views are evolving and strengthening concerning the obesity epidemic. I see patterns in my client base, my own experience as an aging human, and what the prevailing nutrition dogma has been for the last 40+ years. I'm convinced we need a greater understanding about the interaction of food and their impact on our hormones. Simply put; low carbohydrate fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats should make up the bulk of our diet. Grains, sugars and other starches whether they be processed or not are not good for our bodies. There is such a thing as good calories and bad calories and meat isn't the enemy. I encourage you to explore the books I mention - it could change your thinking on the topic.