JournalNow.com: Veggin' Out

Contrary to a popular stereotype, vegetarians are not all champions of self-denial, pathetically munching a sprout on the sidelines while watching the omnivores have all the culinary fun. Instead, the vegetarians we know love good food and know where to get it. They aren't about to settle for a bland meal, either at home or at a restaurant.

Comments

For the person looking for the RSS feed: you can always get to it for blogspot by adding “rss.xml” to the end of the URL. The feed for this blog is http://journalnowveggie.blogspot.com/rss.xml

3/06/2007 10:34 PM

lauren

I’ve been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for about 17 years. Started slowly, first eliminating red meat (that was pretty easy), then poultry a few weeks later. Fish/seafood was hardest (because of all “flesh” food, I tolerated it the most), and I eliminated that about 4 months after I started. I eat eggs rarely (and then, it’s usually as an ingredient, rather than scrambled, fried, etc.) and milk/dairy on cereal (take calcium cubes for the D and calcium). I do like cheese, though and probably eat it daily in some form or another. Why did I become a vegetarian? I never really liked the taste of meat that much. Didn’t matter what kind. As a child, I would try to give my pork chop to the dog or tuck pieces of meatloaf under my mashed potatoes. As an adult, I moved to Colorado and discovered that a lot of people in the town I lived in were vegetarians—and that restaurants and grocery stores supported them with veggie entrees and products to purchase. It wasn’t seen as “odd” or “strange” around the area where I lived. What a culture shock when I came back to NC in 1990! But it was a lifestyle change for me, not a fad or “diet,” so I stuck it out and have slowly, but definitely, seen changes around here. I think it’s also helped some of the people I work with, neighbors, friends, etc. to see that I’m still a typical wife, mother, professional, etc.—I’m not living in a commune, shaving my head, or doing psychedelic drugs (or any drugs, for that matter!). Being a vegetarian has become more mainstream, rather than “weirdo” fringe. The benefits? I’m healthy, lean (but definitely not skinny), no blood pressure problems, no cholesterol issues, no acid stomach or indigestion, no headaches, don’t catch the yearly colds/flu bugs that everyone around me gets over and over, lots of energy—no worries about mad cow, mercury in fish, hormones in chicken. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

BTW, neither my husband or son (who was young and living at home at the time I became a vegetarian) were then or are now vegetarians. I tell people that I’m not a “militant” vegetarian—I can touch meat, prepare it, cook it for others. I don’t get upset if a piece of meat touches my food. I’ve found that, if I’m tolerant and patient (without compromising my principles about eating meat), non-vegetarians have a more positive attitude about me, my diet choice, and vegetarians in general. My husband is probably one of my strongest supporters: if we’re at a restaurant and I ask for a salad “without the bacon bits” and get a questioning look from the server, he’ll jump right in with “She’s a vegetarian and she doesn’t eat meat. No bacon, please.” Ya gotta love him!

9/22/2006 9:15 PM

solitarieone

I became an ovo-lacto vegetarian four and a half years ago mostly for health reasons. I still eat too much cheese and junk food, but I do feel healthier without the meat.
I also don’t like the idea of eating animals, although I still wear leather, so I guess I’m still working that issue out in my mind and heart.
And the third reason stems from the ideas I read several years ago in Frances Moore Lappe’s book Diet For a Small Planet. Eating lower on the food chain makes sense for so many reasons. If more people chose a meat-free lifestyle, we could eliminate [or at least reduce] world hunger!

9/08/2006 8:55 AM

brooks

My husband and I are vegans, but only for health reasons. While it is true that “vegans” eat no animal product, dairy, or eggs - it is not necessarily true that they wear no animal products, etc. Your readers may be interested in visiting the website of Dr. John McDougall (www.drmcdougall.com) to learn more about the health advantages of the vegan lifestyle.

9/07/2006 4:24 PM

apple

For me, I was a vegetarian in college just because I couldn’t afford meat. Then, when I’d go home, I’d get sick if I did eat it, unless it was seafood. I did start eating meat again when I started dating my ex-husband, just to appease his family. But now, I’m back to a Vegetarian. I’m told I’ve a “Vegetarian” rather than a vegetarian because I don’t eat any meat or seafood, but I do eat dairy, so I’m not vegan.

I started my Vegetarian lifestyle again just because of all the chemicals that are in the animals. I don’t even really trust the organically fed animals really. The only meat I’ve eaten in the last year is venison, because I knew where that came from.

However, I’ve gained a lot of weight, which I’ve found surprising. I think it’s because I use cheese as my protein most of the time. I’d like to start learning how to cook more with tofu.

9/06/2006 10:41 AM

heather

Hello-
We have a small CSA in Germanton, just north of Winston-Salem. Our garden provides fresh, local, organic vegetables on a weekly basis to our subscribers. We are completeing our second year and are taking names for our third. Please see our blog below for great articles, photos of the garden and veggies and to get more information.
Tony
http://roundrockfarmblog.blogspot.com/

9/06/2006 9:39 AM

tony

Welcome to the world of food blogging—I look forward to reading more!

-Mel Umbarger
designer and food blogger at the News & Record

9/05/2006 10:06 PM

mel

We are glad to see this new Journal feature. We have Wiston Salem roots and always look forward to returning “home”. We are a vegan family and share the Reverence for Life” values expressed in your new blog. We hope that you will update your readers on “vegan friendly” places to eat in W-S! Tom & Mary Beth Johnson.

9/05/2006 7:08 PM

tom

Restaurants with Veg- and Vegan-Friendly menus would be helpful.

How about an RSS feed?
http://www.feedburner.com/

9/05/2006 4:19 PM

julie