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How many vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians you know?


shootingstar

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In Canada, apparently there are 6.5 millions folks.  It sounds a lot higher than I thought.

https://calgaryherald.com/pmn/life-pmn/food-life-pmn/new-federal-food-guide-may-be-out-of-reach-for-most-canadiansreport/wcm/e0ec3a03-0f76-44f1-8a0f-5fd56b0f0837   

None of my long standing friends (over past 25-35 yrs.) are vegetarians.  I know 1 woman who is pescatarian....she will eat fish/seafood.  This is not to say my friends eat a lot of meat, they don't.  But probably abit more often than I.  No one in my family is vegetarian/vegan.  My sister who is no longer alive, was vegan for about 3 yrs. before she went off the diet to some meat. 

Though I'm not vegetarian, I only eat meat 3-4 times per month. Approx. fistful of meat per meal.  If I eat more, I feel constipated.  I learned my lesson while vacationing in Europe....and also in Japan when I didn't eat enough veggies and fresh fruit.

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4 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

.  I know 1 woman who is pescatarian....she will eat fish/seafood.  

I know a woman whe is Presbyterian.

one of my friends is a vegan triathlete but that doesn’t make her a bad guy. She has a dog named Botox and a bunch of cats. Her husband prepares all her meals.

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22 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

Not many.  The acquaintance normally ends when someone exclaims " I don't eat animals, I am a vegan" and I respond with "Well aren't you just so special!" 

But why do we have to be sarcastic about that?  It would be no different than if I ate tofu and others wondered how could I eat such stuff...

I did have a close friend where we just grew apart. She was/probably still is vegetarian. That's when lst learned that some vegetarian interpretations were just too heavy....we made some dishes where they had a lot of cheese, potato, etc. How I eat a vegetarian meal..is most definitely be Asian in style. It's just lighter for my palate.

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4 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

But why do we have to be sarcastic about that?  It would be no different than if I ate tofu and thought could I eat such stuff...

I did have a close friend where we just grew apart. She was/probably still is vegetarian. That's when lst learned that some vegetarian interpretations were just too heavy....we made some dishes where they had a lot of cheese, potato, etc. How I eat a vegetarian meal..is most definitely be Asian in style. It's just lighter for my palate.

The sarcasm of one comes from the preachy holier than thou attitude of the other.  For some, it is a fanaticism or extremism.  I don't like extremists of anything. 

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Daughter#2 and Daughter#3.  They aren’t preachy about it.  Just very selective.  Daughter#1 became very health food conscious in HS and made her own meals which was fine with us.  Her 2 younger sisters did the same sometime after graduating HS.  They all had their own independence and it showed in their eat habits.

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7 hours ago, shootingstar said:

Though I'm not vegetarian, I only eat meat 3-4 times per month. Approx. fistful of meat per meal.  If I eat more, I feel constipated.  I learned my lesson while vacationing in Europe....and also in Japan when I didn't eat enough veggies and fresh fruit. 

I thought Europe was 'sposed to be the epitome of civilisation, and they don't eat their veggies?  Wierd!  :D

 

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6 hours ago, Kzoo said:

Daughter#2 and Daughter#3.  They aren’t preachy about it.  Just very selective.  Daughter#1 became very health food conscious in HS and made her own meals which was fine with us.  Her 2 younger sisters did the same sometime after graduating HS.  They all had their own independence and it showed in their eat habits.

That is fine, their choice, all is good.  Take a hop into P&R and you will see exactly what I am talking about.  I did a trip last year with a flight attendant and the three crew members usually meet up for dinner on the road.  After the fourth day, she decides to rip into the pilots about the fact that we had eaten four meals together and not once did either of us ask why, or even notice, she was vegan.  She was offended but that was her way of initiating the sermon and how it disgusted her that we had meat or fish every night.  That is the kind of vegan I mean.  If thay haven't told you 40 times, they expect you to notice.  I didn't really notice to tell you the truth. I just assumed she had a thing for pasta.. Who knew? 

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2 hours ago, Wilbur said:

That is fine, their choice, all is good.  Take a hop into P&R and you will see exactly what I am talking about.  I did a trip last year with a flight attendant and the three crew members usually meet up for dinner on the road.  After the fourth day, she decides to rip into the pilots about the fact that we had eaten four meals together and not once did either of us ask why, or even notice, she was vegan.  She was offended but that was her way of initiating the sermon and how it disgusted her that we had meat or fish every night.  That is the kind of vegan I mean.  If thay haven't told you 40 times, they expect you to notice.  I didn't really notice to tell you the truth. I just assumed she had a thing for pasta.. Who knew? 

For our toxic vegan, this is just the latest in a long line of manic subjects.  It's the internet and there are so so many uninformed people who need correcting.

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8 hours ago, Kzoo said:

Daughter#2 and Daughter#3.  They aren’t preachy about it.  Just very selective.  Daughter#1 became very health food conscious in HS and made her own meals which was fine with us.  Her 2 younger sisters did the same sometime after graduating HS.  They all had their own independence and it showed in their eat habits.

Come to think of it, when dearie's daughter was in her mid-teens she went several yrs. being vegetarian, which got her to start prepping her own food.  Then she dropped out of it over time.  

3 hours ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

I thought Europe was 'sposed to be the epitome of civilisation, and they don't eat their veggies?  Wierd!  :D

 

Probably is, but we didn't have time to hunt down the perfect restaurants with wide range of veggies, meaning tons of veggies.  One thing I did notice was the lack of variety in different types of salads/ veggies on menus.  A lot of North American restaurants tend to offer 2-3 items, in addition to entrees.

I think the health thing is food portion control and less car dependency there.

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I have a vegetarian friend..not preachy..I share a recipe that includes meat..she will say "That sounds good...except for the __________ (fill in chicken, beef, pork, fish) :D  If we are eating & cooking together I can do a vegetarian meal or two...but not a lifestyle,,if we eat out...I get meat.  Another friend spent some time as vegan but she wasn't strict with it...it helped her blood sugar levels..but now she just watches her diet...

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42 minutes ago, petitepedal said:

I have a vegetarian friend..not preachy..I share a recipe that includes meat..she will say "That sounds good...except for the __________ (fill in chicken, beef, pork, fish) :D  If we are eating & cooking together I can do a vegetarian meal or two...but not a lifestyle,,if we eat out...I get meat.  Another friend spent some time as vegan but she wasn't strict with it...it helped her blood sugar levels..but now she just watches her diet...

If you want to help her with blood sugar issues, introduce her to Dr. Jason Fung and intermittent fasting.  Lots of stuff on YouTube and his IDM group. 

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12 hours ago, Dottles said:
12 hours ago, Wilbur said:

I don't like extremists of anything. 

100%

I did get a chuckle from your response.  :D

I'd rate veganism the closest to "extreme" of the three, and it is so far from "extreme", I'm not sure where folks would come up with such a misconception. :( Considering hundreds of food ingredients available to a omnivore, removing say 30% would still leave HUNDREDS of ingredients.  It's a vast world of food out there, and limiting things you don't like (tomatoes @jsharr ) or don''t want (animal products) seems fairly "normal" behavior. 

As an aside, I know a few people who don't eat "fish" and/or shellfish.  That is almost an identical limitation in % as not eating ALL animal products.  Not a lot of hate here for the non-fish eaters, though.

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2 minutes ago, late said:

Anybody know about a lowfat tofu that's good? Most of them are really soft, which doesn't work well for most dishes.

there are varying degrees of firmness in tofu.  I usually get extra firm as it holds up better in stir fry & sauces/soups.  You might have to look around for it.

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30 minutes ago, late said:

Anybody know about a lowfat tofu that's good? Most of them are really soft, which doesn't work well for most dishes.

Wtf cares about lowfat tofu?  You are just gonna fatten it up anyway, and fat is generally quite good for you.

I get the sprouted tofu at TJ's, it is extra firm.  I have never looked at the fat content of tofu.

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17 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

there are varying degrees of firmness in tofu.  I usually get extra firm as it holds up better in stir fry & sauces/soups.  You might have to look around for it.

The firmer it is, usually the higher the fat content.

Soy fat has plant hormones they might be bad for you.

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7 minutes ago, late said:

The firmer it is, usually the higher the fat content.

Soy fat has plant hormones they might be bad for you.

Huh never heard that.  Isn’t plant based fats supposed to be better for you than animal based fats?  Or is it the hormones and not so much the fat?

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18 minutes ago, 12string said:

so how do you get the protein you need eating only flex?

They do eat meat. And dairy. And all sorts of protein.  Protein isn't a real issue with a "proper" vegan, veggie, or flexie.  It's the usual folks who mess up any "diet" that will mess up a vegan, veggie, or flex diet.

flex·i·tar·i·an
/ˌfleksəˈterēən/
noun
plural noun: flexitarians
  1. a person who has a primarily vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish.
    "in my close social circle I have a vegetarian, a pescatarian, and a flexitarian"
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Many. I grew up vegetarian and still eat very little meat. Many of my friends are vegetarian or mostly vegan.  My husband likes hamburger, bacon, and pork chops.  Two of my children are vegetarians my dad eats some fish, crabs, and oystersnow that my mom has passed and maybe once in awhile when she wasn't looking.   I remember eating oysters with him as a very young child. 

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My mom has been a vegetabletarian for many decades. She subsists on greens, pb, and hummus. She grows a big garden every year, so in summer also green beans, onions, and tomatoes. She is very thin. 

Mph wait. I think she converted to vegan a few years ago and that is when she got even thinner. No more cheese and eggs. 

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