Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > Bye bye meat

Bye bye meat
Thread Tools
Doc HM
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: UKland
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 20, 2020, 04:07 PM
 
So after a last scoff on Jan 1st (leftovers etc), and after a lot of prodding from my daughters I have waved good bye to the fleshy joys.

Now I have always considered myself to be one of those unredeemable hold outs who would go to the grave eating meat but (so far) it appears not.

20 days in and so far so good. No major internal bowel changes (no further information needed), and everything still feels the same. Its not an ethical animal choice. I guess its partially health and partially the environmental cost of meat.

Anyway. Any advise on ways to go to ensure things continue to go OK. So far the biggest driver is the "pinky promise" with my youngest daughter. How could anyone break that!

Top tips? Tricks? Pitfalls? Advise.
This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
     
subego
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 20, 2020, 07:37 PM
 
Pepper and egg sammiches.
     
Thorzdad
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 20, 2020, 08:06 PM
 
How meatless are we talking? Fish ok? Eggs? The best way to go, imho, is to adapt a lot of Mediterranean, middle-eastern, asian, and vegetarian dishes. Also, tofu can be made very delicious.
     
Waragainstsleep
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 20, 2020, 08:31 PM
 
I'm not a huge meat eater which is why I don't give any thought to giving it up. I go for quality over quantity where possible so I'm not doing much harm to the environment at all. Local, organic, free range etc.
I could never go vegan. Cheese is life.

Halloumi is a great thing if you aren't already acquainted. I'm sure everyone is by now.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Ham Sandwich
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Jan 20, 2020, 09:32 PM
 
[...deleted...]
( Last edited by Ham Sandwich; Apr 23, 2020 at 10:36 AM. )
     
andi*pandi
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: inside 128, north of 90
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 20, 2020, 09:48 PM
 
best of luck, I couldn't do it.

from what I can tell from veg friends, make sure you are eating enough other proteins.
     
Doc HM  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: UKland
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 03:21 AM
 
Fish is ok although it seems a bit like cheating. Likewise eggs are fine although probably best to limit them as the aren’t all that great for you in quantity.

Specifically the Asian stuff is great. I love dishes that meat doesn’t add anything to and a lot of stir fry stuff is like this. As was the vegetable goulash I made the other night.

On the flip side it turns out that pizza is NOT a foodstuff that meat doesn’t add anything to. Looks like I’ll have to add that to the short list of things that won’t be the same or as good again.
This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
     
OreoCookie
Moderator
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hilbert space
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 03:39 AM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
Fish is ok although it seems a bit like cheating. Likewise eggs are fine although probably best to limit them as the aren’t all that great for you in quantity.
That depends on why you want to become a vegetarian: if it is on ethical grounds, well, I sort of see your point, although fish are certainly more primitive than mammals. And if you go by the suffering you inflict, you may want to limit yourself to e. g. shellfish and the like. Their nervous system is so primitive that some vegans are ok eating shellfish (because there is scientific evidence that these creatures do not suffer).

If you want to be healthier, incorporating fish in your diet is an excellent option. Of course, you should stay away from fish and chips, but steamed, grilled or baked fish is delicious and rich in essential oils and amino acids.
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
On the flip side it turns out that pizza is NOT a foodstuff that meat doesn’t add anything to. Looks like I’ll have to add that to the short list of things that won’t be the same or as good again.
IMHO there are some foods that naturally lend themselves to vegetarians, e. g. curries and pasta, but others that do not. I would not want to eat any meat substitute, because compared the original, they just aren't that good.

I'm trying to reduce meat consumption, too, but I feel like I have to learn how to make good vegetarian dishes. Last Sunday I prepared an eggplant curry, which wasn't bad, but when I ate it, I thought “this would be tastier with meat”. I have eaten enough curries, though, to know that with good vegetable curries this thought does not bubble up to the surface of my mindscape.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 04:10 AM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
On the flip side it turns out that pizza is NOT a foodstuff that meat doesn’t add anything to. Looks like I’ll have to add that to the short list of things that won’t be the same or as good again.
Try adding a bit of hot sauce to pizza. Cranks up the heat nicely.
     
Doc HM  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: UKland
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 08:27 AM
 
Have found an excellent sweet potato satay curry. Simple and tasty. No meat required.
I’m a sousing replacing meat with processed veggie alternatives ie bean burgers etc. Rather move to food that works on its own not meatless versions of meat meals
This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
     
Waragainstsleep
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 08:33 AM
 
Originally Posted by OreoCookie View Post
That depends on why you want to become a vegetarian: if it is on ethical grounds, well, I sort of see your point, although fish are certainly more primitive than mammals. And if you go by the suffering you inflict, you may want to limit yourself to e. g. shellfish and the like. Their nervous system is so primitive that some vegans are ok eating shellfish (because there is scientific evidence that these creatures do not suffer).
I've never seen that kind of flexibility from a vegan. If anything they go to extraordinary lengths in the opposite direction. Like who suffers if you pick up an egg that a chicken just dropped and left in a free range environment?
Also its my understanding that vegans reject those lab grown "cloned" meat burgers that were created from a skin scraping from a cow that likely didn't notice.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
OreoCookie
Moderator
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hilbert space
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 09:14 AM
 
Some vegans start from the premise is that they want to avoid animals suffering on behalf of humans. And some are open to the argument that environmentally friendly farmed shellfish such as scallops are ok.That’s why to them plant-based and vegan are not synonymous. There are other edge cases like honey: most vegans don’t eat it, but some do. The reason seems to be the claim that some beekeepers burn the beehive at the end of the season.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
     
dav
Mac Elite
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: sic semper tyrannis
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 10:31 AM
 
We switched to a whole food plant based diet over the summer. The hardest aspect, I found, was finding good recipes, and taking extra time to prep meals/cook. This website (no affiliation) has been a great source of WFPB recipes for us:
Monkey & Me

Best of luck.
one post closer to five stars
     
Thorzdad
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 11:42 AM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
On the flip side it turns out that pizza is NOT a foodstuff that meat doesn’t add anything to. Looks like I’ll have to add that to the short list of things that won’t be the same or as good again.
Nah. A well-made margherita pizza is sublime! Sauce, mozz, basil, and a dribble of olive oil. Simple and delicious.

Similarly, when I'm in the mood for a quick pizza at home, I'll take a flour tortilla, spread some pesto over it, add some sun-dried tomato, parmesan, and mozz, and pop it on a piping-hot baking stone for about 8-10 minutes.
     
subego
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Jan 21, 2020, 04:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
Have found an excellent sweet potato satay curry. Simple and tasty. No meat required.
I’m a sousing replacing meat with processed veggie alternatives ie bean burgers etc. Rather move to food that works on its own not meatless versions of meat meals
I was a vegetarian for all of 8 months some 20 years ago, and I’ll make a plea for bean burgers.

The ones I had didn’t try to taste anything like a burger. They have their own distinct taste, which I personally liked.

What they do try to do is fill the “hot patty on bread” niche, which can be nice to fill at times.
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:18 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,