Lawrence Toppman:
A reader intimated this weekend that a vegetarian shouldn't have much of a problem keeping weight off: After all, we eat nothing but salads and fruit, right?
I wish! (Actually, I don't wish, as that would be the full menu of the Hades Cafeteria and Grill.) But US Airways used to have the same misconception: Whenever I ordered a vegetarian meal -- not vegan, which was in a separate category -- I used to get a limp salad without dressing, carrot sticks for dessert and a box of raisins. What gave the dietitians the idea that sugar and fats were anathema to vegetarians?
We like starches. We eat ethnic foods where the base materials are rice, pasta and potatoes. (In fact, we eat more of those than the average person.) We like cakes and pies and muffins and ice cream and pudding. And we're likely to feel, after a meal of rabbit food, that we deserve those desserts as compensation!
Vegetarians don't experience the thousand natural shocks the flesh-eaters are heir to, to paraphrase "Hamlet." But we have no trouble sinning with self-indulgence in our own patch.
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9 years ago
6 comments:
Thnak you for this blog. Yes, I am a fat vegetarian. I haven't eaten meat, poultry or seafood in almost 30 years. I too eat alot of carbs, but I try to choose mostly whole grains. I don't drink soda or beer, or eat sweets or desserts (I don't like them, even sweet fruit), fried foods, packaged meals, fast food or artificial sweeteners. However, I love to eat - and often! But I'm healthy. My blood work is normal, my skin is clear - no wrinkles or age spots, my hair grows thick and soft, my nails are strong and grow very fast, and my doctor is happy I eat more than the RDA of veggies and fiber than any other patient. I do yoga, walk, swim, bike and hike. I don't sit at a desk for 40 hours a week. I enjoy wine and cooking. My self-indulgence is extra hummus or some homemade bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I choose organic when I can. I find joy in being active in fun ways, enjoying a meal with friends, and being passionate about life and all the pleasures out there - including food.
I couldn't do it. I'm a healthy weight and think by eating lean meat and fish I curb my other bad habits. I eat a lot of Veggies though. But hey, to each their own!
I like eating meat. I had three chicken breasts for dinner and feel great. Flank steak, italian sausage, chuck roast, pork tenderloin, chicken...it's all good. Humans are at the top of the food chain, so loosen up the veggie/grazing thing and enjoy the carne.
This is so very true. I've been veg off and on for 15 or so years. And there have been definite times that I've slipping into "junkatarian" as my husband likes a joke. (When you live in a house full of meat eaters, eating a bowl of pasta is faster than cooking two separate meals.)
I love pasta and potatoes and so many other things that aren't particularly good for me as far as diet goes. Some years I'm better than others, but it's so easy to slip into that "fast, easy and tasty" mode.
Being at the top of the food chain, humans should be smart enough to realize we don't need to slaughter millions of animals per year just so we can sit on top of the mountain. Factory farming is about as inhumane as they come in terms of modern day industry. Do some research if you dare...
The human body was made to eat meat. What it wasn't made to eat is refined sugar and flour and that is the cause of most of our obesity and health problems.
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