#194 - vegetarian, again

don't get me wrong, i love meat. i don't need it though and right now my body wants me to be vegetarian! it's been a long time coming and i've thrown the idea for a few months now. i have no aversion to tofu, tempeh, seitan and other non-meat substances. for that, i am lucky i guess. eventually i want to get to being vegan but that is quite a jump for now. so i'm in the transition period. i don't want to waste food so i'm gonna eat up or give away whatever i have in my fridge/freezer.

there are many reasons for me wanting to live the vegan life. i'm not trying to be preachy but sometimes when i read posts about becoming veg that's what it sounds like. this is just me and how i feel. so if you'll be offended, stop reading, i'm not trying to convert you.

reason #1 - health
my family has a history of high cholesterol and i know that when i eat meat it goes up and when i don't, it goes down. this is a fact cause i've tried it. i've not been veg for a few years now so i'm sure it's up over 200, which is "high". there are so many things associated with high cholesterol and i'm young so i want to avoid them. i also don't want to get on any kind of medications for this like my whole family. the less pharmaceuticals i need to take, the better. when i am veg i am more conscious of what i am eating, and will gravitate towards fresh fruits and vegetables. i don't have to worry about saturated fats or cholesterol, which is not found in plant products. a meat-based diet leads to heart disease, cancer and other icky diseases.

reason #2 - animals
i don't want this to become an animal rights blog but i watched this show called "earthlings" which was narrated by joaquin phoenix (world famous actor and now rapper). it talks about all the ways in which animals are used by humans. also that using animals is like any other kind of -ism. it's an interesting documentary. i've seen a lot of other vids and read lots of other books on the subject. the majority of meat, eggs, dairy and other animal products are from animals who lead a terrible and horrifying life. they are in cramped quarters and do not live on a "farm". many times they live in concrete buildings. the ways in which they are slaughtered are a whole nother thing. yuck. enough about animals.

reason #3 - environment
living in oregon i am very conscious of environmental issues. everyone drives a prius, everything is recycled and there are tree hugging hippies here. i'm not about to chain myself to a tree anytime soon but i do appreciate what we have here on earth. i see how it is fading and the future generations will have nothing but muck. muckety muck. how does eating a vegan diet help the environment?! in many ways. growing grain to feed the animals instead of feeding humans is a waste of resources. rainforests are being cut down to create grazing land for cattle. the water supply is not only used mindlessly by the industry but is also being polluted by animal waste. another thing is that the world is not prepared to have all its people eating a meat-based diet. it is not sustainable but more and more are trying to follow the SAD (standard american diet).

reason #4 - spiritual
i have been thinking a lot about living a more conscious life and with that comes the idea of karma and nonviolence. i grew up without religion really so i love to study it. in this great world i am only one little piece so why should i matter more than other beings? it's not that i don't believe i am worthy, it's that i have respect for others. the animals were killed so that i could enjoy a steak or what have you. they were in pain. when i think about that, i don't want to eat meat. they say that if slaughter houses were made of glass or you had to kill your own animals, most people would be vegetarian.

reason #5 - you don't really need meat
the first thing people think about is protein, which is easily attainable on a vegetarian diet. you get the protein without saturated fats and cholesterol. most americans eat too much protein anyway. if you are worried about protein, eat more beans! most other vitamins and minerals are found primarily in plant foods. all except vitamin b-12, which can be easily supplemented. fruit and veggies are where it's at.

reason #6 - obesity
i am definitely not doing this to lose weight nor do i think i am fat/obese. this is a good reason though. although it's not one of my reasons, eating a good, balanced vegan diet has a side effect of losing weight. obesity is an epidemic in this country, just look around you. fat people everywhere. what else do we have a lot of? fast food joints.. they are correlated people! obesity is linked to lots of bad stuff (see reason #1). i've read that 1 in 3 children are considered obese. they have crazy metabolisms and should not be obese but they eat crap and sit around all day. it's scary.

ok that's more than enough reasons for now. some people eat meat for every meal, every day. if they were to just skip one of those meals and replace it with a vegetarian one, it would still be beneficial. you have to start somewhere. it may be challenging to change your ways but you can do it. now is the part where i actually recommend trying to eat less meat. this would mostly go under the health reason because really it is dangerous. there are more and more young people with clogged arteries ending up on my cardiac floor. gross. try going veg for a day. i challenge you!

#96 - salad

i am not a big fan of salad, yet i eat it every night for dinner. there are two kinds of salad: the kind with mostly lettuce and fancy dressing, and the kind that i make. lettuce is not my favorite thing, yet i put some into my salad. it's just boring and i don't really like eating cold food in the first place. i am not so sure how i got started with salads for dinner. perhaps it was because i knew i should eat more salad and raw veggies. perhaps. i tried eating them for lunch but it wasn't filling enough and i was hungry soon after. plus it didn't give me much energy. dinner is a time when i can easily eat too much, if the food is in front of me. the problem/solution is salad, it's not filling so i eat a whole big bowl of it.
my salads vary from day to day, depending on my mood and what was on sale at the store. i always include a little bit of lettuce and lots of cabbage. the rest, includes but is not limited to the following:

• carrots (shredded!)
• kalamata olives
• cheese - mostly parmesan, but i also like feta and pepper jack
• radishes
• avocado (when i can afford it!)
• protein - beans (black, garbanzo, edamame), grilled meat (chicken or steak)
• corn
• roasted red peppers
• bell peppers
• poached egg
• tomatoes
• roasted beets

it's usually lettuce, cabbage and 3 other things. i like a lot of substance to my salads but i like to keep it simple. makes me think i'm eating more than lettuce, which is basically water. so then on to dressing.

i've never really been a huge fan of dressing. i do enjoy the japanese-style dressings you get at japanese restaurants. i guess it's ginger based? i dunno but i like it. i've had many dressings that i enjoy like sam choy's oriental, green goddess, and sometimes ranch. at home, i stick with simplicity. oil and vinegar. i've got a few different oils that i use: olive oil, flax oil (omega FA!), macadamia nut oils (from my sister), sesame oil, and chili oil. i don't use them all, if anything i'll mix two. for vinegar i use red wine vinegar (for something light), balsamic vinegar (for a more rich flavor) or rice vinegar (for an asian style). and really the most important part i think is salt and pepper. you have to put the right amount. salt livens up the flavors you have and pepper adds a little kick.

sometimes i make a seaweed salad instead. i've got some dried wakame that i just reconstitute for 5 minutes in cold water. i chop up some carrots, cucumber and daikon if i have it, drain the wakame, throw it all together with some sushi vinegar and a teensy bit of sesame oil, let it sit for a bit and then eat it. it's wonderfully fresh and easy. sometimes you just want to eat seaweed!

#26 - good and bad news

bad news first, always.
bad news is plentiful.

one, my cholesterol is up again at 210. it's supposed to be less than 200. i took a blood test as requested by my awesome NP and that's the only thing abnormal - total cholesterol. i knew it too. i could feel it in my arteries i guess. i've been eating pretty crappy lately. just whatever i wanted.

two, i can't eat all the stuff i've been eating. no more 2 eggs a day. no more pepperoni pizzas. no more cheese with every meal. no more genoa, sopressata, or finocchiona salamis. oh how i ache. i had fried chicken for lunch today. this is why my cholesterol is up. i love fried eggs, all runny and warm. i've even come to like poached eggs, on toast. a little salt and pepper. and of course bacon would complete the perfect breakfast sandwich.



three, i'm going home in a month and 10 days and i will be tempted to eat as many loco mocos as i can. you see, a loco moco is pretty much my perfect cholesterol-laden hawaii comfort food. you've got rice, a hamburger patty, fried egg and gravy all over. plus lots of pepper and definitely a side of mac. it's just delicious, and what i want when i go home. i eat it everywhere.



so enough with bad news. there is good in all this.

good news is...i'll be going back to being vegetarian. it's really the only way for me. i've gotta have it all or nothing. i got my cholesterol all the way down to almost 100 i think the last time i was a veg. i enjoy all my veggies, tofu, and even beans now. so there is no reason not to be veg for me...except i love my salami, bacon, pork ribs, lamb, chicken, and steak. my problem really is self-control. i have none. so if i am not vege then i just go all crazy with meats. it's a good thing beer doesn't have cholesterol.

i'll still eat eggs for now, just not as many yolks. i've got some chicken to eat in the fridge too. at least i'll go to a thanksgiving dinner with tofurky available. yum. i actually am not too crazed about turkey on t-day, it's all about the STUFFING!