Veganism and Raw Foods.

[Betticus]

I have been looking into the raw food lifestyle more and more and it is looking pretty good. Mere vegetarianism wasn't good enough for me and couldn't control my blood ammonia levels but once I went vegan and cut out the dairy stuff I haven't had to take any of the goo medicine to control ammonia. I've recently cut out pretty much all breads and starchy carbs, grains, potatoes, etc... and in the past week or so of that it seems that my skin is beginning to see improvements. So I have been looking around and it seems that maybe leaning further towards a raw food lifestyle might be in my future. It also seems to be the direction that my body is pushing me towards naturally.

Is anyone here into or familiar with what I'm talking about?

 

[Keroin]

I have been looking into the raw food lifestyle more and more and it is looking pretty good. Mere vegetarianism wasn't good enough for me and couldn't control my blood ammonia levels but once I went vegan and cut out the dairy stuff I haven't had to take any of the goo medicine to control ammonia. I've recently cut out pretty much all breads and starchy carbs, grains, potatoes, etc... and in the past week or so of that it seems that my skin is beginning to see improvements. So I have been looking around and it seems that maybe leaning further towards a raw food lifestyle might be in my future. It also seems to be the direction that my body is pushing me towards naturally.

Is anyone here into or familiar with what I'm talking about?

We have a raw food restaurant here, believe it or not. Does quite well but then this is hippie central. Personally, I don't think I could do it, but lots of folks swear by it.

If I come across any resources I'll let you know!

I loved it when I ate vegan. I felt very, very healthy. This cookbook looks good.

Smiles - K

 

[Betticus]

We have a raw food restaurant here, believe it or not. Does quite well but then this is hippie central. Personally, I don't think I could do it, but lots of folks swear by it.

If I come across any resources I'll let you know!

I loved it when I ate vegan. I felt very, very healthy. This cookbook looks good.

Smiles - K

You up in Canuckistan? I have one here called Vegan Planet (cookbook) and have also been poking around on the net for stuff. I found some neat vids on youtube. Like this one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3xOU2tLl7g

There was also a neat one about these ppl who did a 30 day raw food thing as something of an opposing viewpoint from that 30 day mcdonalds diet movie called supersize me but they had people who had been diabetic for years getting off their insulin and other neat stuff.

Nice av, who's the cute girl?

 

[Etoile]

Eh, I am not into raw so much. Veganism I can handle - though I'm ovo-lacto myself - but raw is just over the top to me. Like Keroin says, a restaurant is handy, but actually sticking to it yourself is insanely hard. Life's hard enough as a vegetarian, harder as a vegan, and going raw is masochistic!

Then again, Bett, you have a very unusual health issue, and this might be an alternative solution for you! I'd say go for it and see how it works out.

 

[YourCaptor]

Flinches at the plant eaters

I doubt its cooking that’s the problem. Due to the denatured food vs bacteria trade off, those that can’t tolerate cook food would have had a very hard time surviving to this day. Seems more like what is used during the cooking and shelf life extension process that causes harm. Stuff like oils, preservatives, gasses used in packaging, etc. Buying food raw is one way to overcome that, although make sure you wash things good. I don’t know the term, but it describes foods that have no preservatives added. You may want to try those.

As for cooking, vegan/vegetarian cook books, look into old hindu stuff. It’s a bazillion times better then these awful meat substitute attempts and those shit chefs just dicing stuff and throwing it together. It’s actually food.

 

[Betticus]

I actually don't care at all for the stuff that attempts to mimic meat or animal products to include fake cheeses.

I was surprised that after cutting out the breads and grains the appetite goes way down and you get full on a lot less for a lot longer so being hungry or feeling deprived isn't an issue at all. What is the issue is that much like smoking there seems to be a powerful habit and psychological reward system in place that is attached to eating. So you find yourself wanting to eat even when you aren't hungry at all. It's not a big problem if all you're gonna eat is some raw broccoli or some other low cal/high nutrition veggie but if you go for something like high fat nuts you can get into trouble quickly.

So, I'm viewing it much like getting over the habit of smoking vs. the addiction to nicotine. Like any other habit, it should take only 20 days of rigid compliance for the neurological reinforcement mechanisms to break down and for new patterns to have become established.

 

[WriterDom]

I stopped buying bread a long time ago. But a hot buttered roll sounds so good right now. One of those yeast rolls they have at the steakhouse.

 

[Wife of Bath]

My mother is a raw food fanatic. She looks amazing and she has all kinds of great raw cookbooks/tricks.

I won't tell you her age but trust me, since she started this (about two years ago) she has probably lost 15 years. She also says she's never felt better, physically. I know she loves these:http://www.goraw.com/ products.

Best of luck!

 

[Etoile]

Flinches at the plant eaters

Christ. Everywhere you go on the Internet and mention vegetarianism, people freak the fuck out. Twitter Facebook, Lit, only forums FOR vegetarians are safe from this kind of bullshit. I'm sick and tired of people judging the lifestyle I choose to live as somehow deviant. People tell me shit like "I LOVE MEAT" and "bacon is gooooood" and "ewwwww tofu" and I'm fucking tired of it. I'm not blaming YC here completely, but he is a contributor to a problem that is fucking EVERYWHERE online. People HATE vegetarians. Why the fuck are we so goddamn threatening? Why does MY choice have to be commented on by OTHER PEOPLE all the time? FUCK.

 

[MisterSir]

You need to find better forums to frequent, Etty. Only reason vegetarians get even close to any of my nerves is because one of my favourite restaurants has maybe three vegetarian choices, so when dining with vegetarian friends (which is often) it's no longer an option. But we survive.

 

[WriterDom]

Christ. Everywhere you go on the Internet and mention vegetarianism, people freak the fuck out. Twitter Facebook, Lit, only forums FOR vegetarians are safe from this kind of bullshit. I'm sick and tired of people judging the lifestyle I choose to live as somehow deviant. People tell me shit like "I LOVE MEAT" and "bacon is gooooood" and "ewwwww tofu" and I'm fucking tired of it. I'm not blaming YC here completely, but he is a contributor to a problem that is fucking EVERYWHERE online. People HATE vegetarians. Why the fuck are we so goddamn threatening? Why does MY choice have to be commented on by OTHER PEOPLE all the time? FUCK.

Aww, don't get upset Etoile. They aren't worth getting upset about.

 

[Etoile]

You need to find better forums to frequent, Etty. Only reason vegetarians get even close to any of my nerves is because one of my favourite restaurants has maybe three vegetarian choices, so when dining with vegetarian friends (which is often) it's no longer an option. But we survive.

Gee, I'm usually the one who offers to go to seafood places and steakhouses for my friends and family. I don't mind having only a few items to choose from, I figure it's part of my choice to be a vegetarian - by making that choice, I have limited my restaurant options. But I'm not going to limit the options for my friends for that reason.

As for better forums...what, I should only frequent vegetarian places? No thanks. I'd rather people show a little common courtesy and respect my choices as I respect theirs.

 

[Etoile]

Aww, don't get upset Etoile. They aren't worth getting upset about.

Actually, getting upset about this is semi-effective. There's a guy I've known for 12 years who used to say this shit to me ALL the time. Anytime I would mention "mmm yummy veggie burger" on Twitter, he'd say either "eat a REAL burger" or "yuck soy" or something like that. I finally went off on him and he hasn't said anything like that since.

 

[Wife of Bath]

Christ. Everywhere you go on the Internet and mention vegetarianism, people freak the fuck out. Twitter Facebook, Lit, only forums FOR vegetarians are safe from this kind of bullshit. I'm sick and tired of people judging the lifestyle I choose to live as somehow deviant. People tell me shit like "I LOVE MEAT" and "bacon is gooooood" and "ewwwww tofu" and I'm fucking tired of it. I'm not blaming YC here completely, but he is a contributor to a problem that is fucking EVERYWHERE online. People HATE vegetarians. Why the fuck are we so goddamn threatening? Why does MY choice have to be commented on by OTHER PEOPLE all the time? FUCK.

I think you need some vegetarian love. (hugs) I love vegetarians! See, wasn't that nice? I enjoyed it.

 

[Etoile]

I think you need some vegetarian love. (hugs) I love vegetarians! See, wasn't that nice? I enjoyed it.

*grumbles unconvincingly*
*giggles*

 

[ultramarineblue]

Gee, I'm usually the one who offers to go to seafood places and steakhouses for my friends and family. I don't mind having only a few items to choose from, I figure it's part of my choice to be a vegetarian - by making that choice, I have limited my restaurant options. But I'm not going to limit the options for my friends for that reason.

I'm kinda like MisterSir with this. I like going places that offer more choices for vegetarians. The only thing about where I live is that there are very few places for that.

 

[WriterDom]

I love the vegetarian plate at the Mexican place. It's about a million calories though.

 

[JMohegan]

My mother is a raw food fanatic. She looks amazing and she has all kinds of great raw cookbooks/tricks.

I'm confused by the notion of a raw cookbook. Is that an oxymoron, or is "raw food" something other than a literal description of what's being consumed?

A typical non-cooked meal for me would be a salad made with spinach, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, red onions, chickpeas or nuts, and grated cheese. Is that the type of thing that you mean?

 

[Etoile]

I'm kinda like MisterSir with this. I like going places that offer more choices for vegetarians. The only thing about where I live is that there are very few places for that.

That is really sweet of you, honestly - and it's how my friends and family feel too. But as long as I can drag my wife out to my favorite vegan place once in a while, I honestly don't mind going other places. And I think most vegetarians - who are not snotty PETA types - feel the same way.

But this is entirely off the point of raw foodism!

 

[CutieMouse]

I'm confused by the notion of a raw cookbook. Is that an oxymoron, or is "raw food" something other than a literal description of what's being consumed?

A typical non-cooked meal for me would be a salad made with spinach, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, red onions, chickpeas or nuts, and grated cheese. Is that the type of thing that you mean?

Raw Foods are "cooked"; however, never allowed to be heated over 104º. So "raw foods" are generally things that have been dehydrated, or otherwise prepped at a very low temperature.

 

[Etoile]

Call it an instruction book if it makes you feel better, too!

 

[JMohegan]

Raw Foods are "cooked"; however, never allowed to be heated over 104º. So "raw foods" are generally things that have been dehydrated, or otherwise prepped at a very low temperature.

Thanks.

"Raw foodists typically believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits." That part makes a lot of sense to me. Sashimi beats breaded & fried, no question - from both a taste and health perspective.

Not sure I get the point of the 104º max, though. And as a general rule, dehydrated isn't a food choice I'd go for.

 

[lightsaver]

Eh, I am not into raw so much. Yep Veganism I can handle - though I'm ovo-lacto myself - but raw is just over the top to me. Yep Like Keroin says, a restaurant is handy, but actually sticking to it yourself is insanely hard. Life's hard enough as a vegetarian, harder as a vegan, and going raw is masochistic! Absolutely, Yep!

Then again, Bett, you have a very unusual health issue, and this might be an alternative solution for you! I'd say go for it and see how it works out.

Uh-huh! Yep!

 

[lightsaver]

Christ. Everywhere you go on the Internet and mention vegetarianism, people freak the fuck out. Twitter Facebook, Lit, only forums FOR vegetarians are safe from this kind of bullshit. I'm sick and tired of people judging the lifestyle I choose to live as somehow deviant. People tell me shit like "I LOVE MEAT" and "bacon is gooooood" and "ewwwww tofu" and I'm fucking tired of it. I'm not blaming YC here completely, but he is a contributor to a problem that is fucking EVERYWHERE online. People HATE vegetarians. Why the fuck are we so goddamn threatening? Why does MY choice have to be commented on by OTHER PEOPLE all the time? FUCK.

I concur wholeheartedly...perhaps people who dislike or hate what they refer to as fake meat or fake cheese...should omit their focus on their determination that it is 'fake' and instead, focus on their cooking skills.

Cuz its GOOOOOOOD!
I made a veggie blt for my mom last week. A woman who is typically fond of calling my food, 'fake'. And she devoured it and could not believe it was....dun, dun, dun, dun....veggie bacon.

 

[lightsaver]

Flinches at the plant eaters

I doubt its cooking that’s the problem. Due to the denatured food vs bacteria trade off, those that can’t tolerate cook food would have had a very hard time surviving to this day. Seems more like what is used during the cooking and shelf life extension process that causes harm. Stuff like oils, preservatives, gasses used in packaging, etc. Buying food raw is one way to overcome that, although make sure you wash things good. I don’t know the term, but it describes foods that have no preservatives added. You may want to try those.

As for cooking, vegan/vegetarian cook books, look into old hindu stuff. It’s a bazillion times better then these awful meat substitute attempts and those shit chefs just dicing stuff and throwing it together. It’s actually food.

Dunno... the preference in Hindu cooking for ghee, is not for my taste. It wreaks havoc on my digestive system. Too rich for me.