Originally Posted by AelyaS

As someone who doesn't eat a lot of animals to begin with, I have to watch my nutrient intake as well. I'd think that the process of seeking out nutrients from sources other than meat can only be difficult for someone who eats a lot of it.

You definitely have a point.

I realize I ended up merging two points into one. First being difficulty of preparing a meal and the second being the difficulty of being healthy.

Originally Posted by alh24

I honestly can't recall how long I did this. I want to say a year, but I'd be lying if I said I was anywhere over 50% sure of that.

Nearly a year is good.

I heard of the health benefit but did you actually experience any first hands?

Originally Posted by thedog123123

Meat is what kept your ancestor alive. Eat it, love it, get strong from it. Dessert soy? my god....

Originally Posted by JEFF_CHAN

Vegetables are what kept your ancestors from regularly finding blood in their systems. Eat it, love it, don't spend an hour going 'HRRRNNNNNNNNNGGGGGUU UUHHHH' every few days from it.

And I can't think of any dessert with meat in it off the top of my head (well depending on whether or not you count eggs)

Inuit seems to be doing well with their mainly meat diet. There are certain exceptions though which you can read in the WIKI.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_diet

Meat isn't the evil-health killer that people take it for. Its all about what and how you eat. Moderation is also the key.

EDIT - Inuits probably don't have any problem with the number 2 because of the high fat content in their diet. It won't be solid, more like peanut butter.

Originally Posted by PHLN

I heard of the health benefit but did you actually experience any first hands?

I know that I had a lot more energy during exercise. I'm not sure if that's directly because of what I was eating, or just because I felt healthier and it was some sort of psychological effect, haha. My roommate went vegan when I did (yay, support systems!) and claimed that her hair felt a lot better after a couple weeks and that her, er... PMS... was non-existent. I'm not sure if there's anything to that, but she read online that those can be nearly instant benefits to being a dietary vegan.

For me, though, just the energy boost, which I no longer have nowadays. If I had stuck to it longer, I'd probably be able to answer this better. I'm a quitter.

Originally Posted by PHLN

I'm wrong a lot so that isn't a surprise.

Are you a vegetarian?

I hate soy. The texture just turns me off. Tried it steamed and stir-fried.

I recently had soy "meatballs", and I could barely tell the difference (only because I knew about it).
I'm sure if someone else cooked me spaghetti and gave me soy meatballs without telling me, I woud have no idea.

Originally Posted by Kathy2

I recently had soy "meatballs", and I could barely tell the difference (only because I knew about it).
I'm sure if someone else cooked me spaghetti and gave me soy meatballs without telling me, I woud have no idea.

If cooked properly, things you didn't think would taste good, can.

This idea applies to not only vegetarian meals, but just healthy meals in general. People are often turned off because their experiences with vegetables/soy products have been negative ones. One bad meal can ruin the whole thing.

Originally Posted by AelyaS

If cooked properly, things you didn't think would taste good, can.

This idea applies to not only vegetarian meals, but just healthy meals in general. People are often turned off because their experiences with vegetables/soy products have been negative ones. One bad meal can ruin the whole thing.

alh24 made a good point about texture though.

I agree with you that proper flavoring can definitely change. But no matter how they do it, the mushroom (used to make it seems like meat) will never taste like meat to me.

There is this one restaurant in Toronto that advertise their ability to mimic meat with only vegetables. Have to dig it up and try it one day.

Originally Posted by PHLN

alh24 made a good point about texture though.

Every time I eat dried apricots, I feel like I'm chewing on the ear of an old person.

Originally Posted by AelyaS

Every time I eat dried apricots, I feel like I'm chewing on the ear of an old person.

Erhm...

Ok. *walk away slowly*

Originally Posted by AelyaS

Every time I eat dried apricots, I feel like I'm chewing on the ear of an old person.

That's hilarious, and horrifying.

I've never had dried apricots, and now I never will.

You say that like chewing an old persons ear is disgusting.

Soft, supple, succulent, slightly hairy and bitter all in one bite. Yummy.

I have turned into a vegetarian a couple of weeks ago, and trust me I could not be happier

Originally Posted by L'Étoile

I have turned into a vegetarian a couple of weeks ago, and trust me I could not be happier

Why?

More details is needed!

Where's Marlowe when you need him?

I don't know why, but I feel like the motivation for this is a bit off.

If I was going to try and influence people and show them what I believe is the 'correct' way to live, or introduce new alternatives to them, I wouldn't start out by declaring everything they were doing is wrong...that just screams street-corner preacher to me.

I like my meat, and perhaps I'm not the healthiest individual on campus, but I'm sure I could make healthier choices and still enjoy my red meat. Exercise more, try to enjoy leaner alternatives...So the question is, what motivation do I have to buy into this? From reading the initial post, it just kind of turned me off of the idea.

There are plenty of delicious dishes offered at Bridges (some of the best on campus imo). Maybe you could host get-togethers in Bridges (or another pre-selected veggie location that changes week to week so it doesn't get boring) where interested people can shoot the breeze and get to know each other. If that happened, I'd definitely be more inclined to attend and give the whole meat-less thing a try.

But as it stands now, and no offense to any vegetarians here, it just makes me want to bust out the barbecue and fry up a huge steak.

Originally Posted by AelyaS

Where's Marlowe when you need him?

Godspeed Marlowe, godspeed.