Three years vegan, a few years vegetarian before that, and a hunter a long time before that. New to the forum, first post; be kind, remind.

The very last thing holding me back from becoming vegan was cheese. I thought I'd never be able to live without it. Somehow I stumbled upon a podcast called Vegetarian Food For Thought by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, and she has an episode titled "Life After Cheese." After that episode, I didn't look back. I realized that I wasn't really craving cheese itself, I was craving the fat and the salt that was in it, and I could get those same things from better -- and healthier -- sources. Better for me, and way better for the cows!

Did anyone mention that as the casein in cheese is digested by the body, it produces casomorphins, which are highly addictive opiates?

After the first time I had Daiya at a restaurant, I was in love. I tracked down a big bag of it and started throwing it on a bunch of things. Ended up with Daiya overload and I can hardly touch the stuff now. So enjoy it, but don't go nuts like I did.

I briefly experimented with a raw vegan diet for about a week, and tried vegetarianism for about a week and a half a few months later. Both times, for the first two days, I felt very 'clean' and energetic, but by the third day, I felt like I had a severe flu. Body aches, not thinking clearly, unable to exercise, and in general not feeling well. Vegan friends tell me that was my body detoxing, but I think it was because I wasn't getting enough calories or nutrition. I have an ectomorph body type and I struggle to eat enough for my wicked fast metabolism. I still eat a healthy diet consisting mostly of fruits/vegetables, but meat is an important part of that healthy diet for me.

Factory farming is undoubtedly a scourge, but I see no inherent immorality in killing anything for food. I make very little distinction between whether I killed an animal or a plant for my food. In both cases, I acknowledge the suffering of the living being, thank it for its sacrifice, and contemplate how this oblation of brahman is offered up by brahman and consumed by brahman. The only thing that bothers me somewhat is people who refuse to acknowledge that death is inherent in the act of eating. Arguing that microbes, plants, fungi, insects, fish, or whatever do not feel pain when consumed is just semantics to me; death still occurs. There is nothing wrong with death, it is an integral part of life. Especially absurd are those who eat meat while simultaneously saying that hunting is barbaric. Ideally, I'd like to get to a point where all the meat I eat is hunted by me, heavily influenced by how many native american tribes view hunting. I can ensure that the animal lived a happy life in the wild, offer thanks/respect to the animal personally, and have the blood exclusively on my hands.

That said, this is all just my personal opinion. I don't push my beliefs on anyone, or look down on other views of how food works, unless it is blatantly hypocritical with a holier than thou attitude. Everyone's bodies are different and they should put some thought and responsibility into their food, regardless of what diet they end up choosing.

Eat well, friends and family! ˆ◡ˆ

Vegetarian for 6 years, vegan 3 and I feel pretty good all the time. The hardest thing for me is trying to find affordable vegan art supplies. Some paints and inks do have animal ingredients, but I think trying to limit that as much as possible will indeed help the cause and influence my art in a positive way.

This guy is swoe! Thanks for this post.

cantorset said:

Just saw this from Michael Clarke Duncan. I know, kind of a random post but anyway I thought someone might find it interesting :)

deadlights said:

shikoku said:

Life is so much easier when you don't omit what you like.

Most of my family hasnt made it past 73 and I intend to live forever. Join me.

Smoke a bit of DMT and you won't worry about that silly "death" thing any more.

Hi.

This is my first comment on the forum. 6 years vegan.
I just wanted to say that, today I have completed 30 days raw vegan and I'm feeling great. I have more morning and evening energy than I have ever had, and my mental clarity is through the roof. I first thought about going raw after hearing Duncan discuss it earlier in the year.

I started working out 4 months ago (I was a full couch potato before hand) and I was finding my recoveries were very slow. I started thinking about giving raw a go, to see how this would improve my recovery. The final straw was hearing a body builder publicly saying "you can't build muscle on a raw diet". Challenge accepted.

For the record, my recovery times are greatly reduced. I'll have to report back in a year regarding muscle building, though looking good so far.

I've been vegetarian for about a year now and am enjoying the shit out of it (but I'm pretty lucky because my lady is a great cook and loves trying out different vegetables and recipes).

Just a quick question though, with in the first few months i dropped from 86kg (190lbs) to 70kg (154lbs), did anyone else have such a dramatic weight loss? i didnt change my exercise routine only major difference is i dropped meat from my diet.

yeh pretty much, i guess that could be the reason why ive dropped so much.

stuiereds said:

yeh pretty much, i guess that could be the reason why ive dropped so much.

Same thing happened to me. The hard part is staying junk free.

another interesting video:

Half vegan here. No eggs,milk only after bacteria has processed it(cheese,yogurt). Juicing like crazy,homemade hummus dip and tons of raw fruits and veggies. Been doing this for 15 years and my energy is better than when I was a teen.

Wheatgrass!

Do any of you grow it? Any tips on preventing mold?

I thought I should drop an update. I have been raw vegan since Feb. I have lost over 20kg (98 down to 78). I have also been working out 3 times a week.