QOTW:Where are you from and what, when and why made you decide to

[Guest guest]

Our Question of the Week -

 

Where are you from(be as vague or specific as you choose)?

    ~~ I'm from central " downstate " Illinois, originally from Indiana..

 

 

What helped you consider being a vegetarian?

   ~~I am still considering it...I am not completely, totally " vegetarian " yet,

but at this time, both my DH and I eat at least 70-80% less meat than we did 4

years ago, and probably 90-95% less than the way we were " raised " to eat.

     That sounds weird, I know, but for us it's helped to make the gradual

changes. 

      My DH was raised in a family that ate only about 10-12 foods, total--most

of it starches, " white " foods, milk, ice cream and fried meats.  MY parents did

a lot of gardening each summer.  They were school teachers and a garden helped

stretch the summer income out--my two siblings and I learned to eat several

conventional " midwestern " garden veggies like broccoli, green beans, corn,

carrots, beets and radishes, squash, etc.  Over time, as an adult, I have

learned to like and try all sorts of " new " foods--and many of them are

vegetables that I wasn't exposed to as a child.

      On the health side of it, my mother has very high cholesterol, and has had

repeated cardiac episodes--it seems to run in her side of the family.  My DH has

high cholesterol and triglycerides for his issues, as well as diabetes (his dad

has it) and DH gets kidney stones.  I have read that high amounts of animal

protein in the diet can contribute to this.  I worry about osteoporosis for

myself. (2 generations of women in my family have had it already).  Again, I

don't think they've totally proven it, but I have read that high amounts of

" animal-based " protein in the diet can " drain " calcium from the bones (of the

person) because of the way digested animal protein alters the pH of the urine. 

For the sake of my bones and for the sake of my DH's " stone-making " kidneys, we

think " veggie " eating is much better.

       Another reason WE decided to work toward this direction is that we feel

it is a better use of the earth's resources to consume foods that are

plant-based than animal-based.  We live in the midst of field after field of

corn or soybeans--raised to either burn in some car's motor or to feed large

numbers of animals for meat production.  All that acreage is DUMPED on with tons

and tons of chemicals--just to coax it to grow--and the chemicals to fertilize

and " pest-control " the fields and the enormous equipment to till it and the

trucks to haul it--all use or are products made from petroleum.  What a waste! 

I am chemically sensitive to a lot of petroleum products, anyway, so my way of

thinking is, " consume less or no meat and there will be less need for some of

this stuff to grow and pollute and waste, eventually. "

      Ok--enough of that!  Next question!!

 

What do you enjoy about being a vegetarian?

   ~~Frankly, I love vegetables.  There isn't one that I can think of that I

don't like, or at least find a way to cook or fix it to make it taste good.  I

have never been a huge fan of meat, and, up until just recently, I honestly

thought " it " was important for at least a tiny part of a meal.  However,  when I

tried " just vegging " for a period of a few weeks, I found I did feel better and

I have had less problems with a chronic skin problem when I leave out the meat. 

Getting a satisfying meal is not a problem with just vegetables and grains,

etc.--I find there is a great variety and not depending on " meat " as the primary

part of the diet leaves one to focus on the VARIETY with vegetarian foods--which

is healthier, I think, in the long run, than loading up on the concentrated

protein, fat, cholesterol, calories, and so on.

        Basically, I just like to EAT--and I like to cook, and to experiment

with new recipes and new foods.  It is fascinating.  Vegetarian cooking allows

so much creativity--I enjoy it a lot!

 

What tips do you suggest to new vegetarians?

~~Everyone has his/her own reason for being vegetarian.  Some can jump into it

full-force and cut everything to the chase--straight-on, all at once.  I also

remember reading here someone who wrote that it was just a matter of liking all

the veggie recipes more and more--until that was all he/she was cooking and

eating--and the family, as well.  That's how it seems to be for DH and me.  I

see many more good, interesting, tasty recipes for vegetarian meals and want to

try those first of all.  The " other " recipes, I am sure, are out there, too--but

they don't seem as interesting.  For us, we are not " forcing " it, and so, we

don't feel deprived.  (We allow ourselves to say, " If I want to--I can eat

meat... " but usually, 90% or more of the time, we don't want to; we don't miss

it.)  Taking it slowly, gradually, seems to work for us.

 

      --Just an aside, here:  My DH can be VERY emphatic about his so-called

" likes and dislikes " when it comes to food.  (Okay, I will admit, I am the same

way--I just don't notice my own food prejudices as much, hypocrite that I

am!--LOL!) 

       Anyway, DH has always said how he HATES " kidney beans " and will " always "

refuse to eat them--his own words, that " always " thing.  Well, today I made some

mildly seasoned brown rice and cooked a small batch of dried beans to put with

the rice.  We eat bean-rice combinations often, and DH seems to like most that I

make.  Today, he helped choose which kind of rice I would make, and I already

had started the beans.  The beans were a mix of " Mayo-Coba " (also called

" canary " beans) and some dark red KIDNEY beans.  (I had no idea whether or not

DH would eat the kidney beans, but I wasn't going to tell him that's what I was

cooking!)

       The beans cooked up nicely--tender, plump and delicately- seasoned.

For supper, DH and I had a bunch of left-over vegetables from the refrigerator:

a carrot/raisin/cashew salad from the day before, a couple of small corn-ears

(re-heated), a broccoli salad DH had brought from the local deli...and the beans

and rice.  DH ate a nice batch of the rice, topped with the cooked beans; the

light brown Mayo-Coba beans and the contrasting dark, red-brown kidney beans

were easy to see--and he just wolfed them down and said they were great! 

(Woo-HOO!)

 

     " What do I like best about being vegetarian? " --seeing my DH eat something

that he thought he would " never " eat--and liking it!  LOL!!!  (NO, I am not

gonna tell him just yet--he has some more " discovering " to do!)

     

  Still smiling about it--I'm so sneaky!  Tee-hee-hee!

 --Laura B., in Illinois