For anyone interested in the psychology of meat eating (carnism) I HIGHLY recommend this book by PhD in Psychology Melanie Joy
Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows
If I could make the entire developed world read one book, that would be it. It’s mind blowing how many psychological defense mechanisms animal agriculture relies on.
Yes, it is possible to make arterial plaques regress significantly by switching to a plant-based diet. See the scientific papers (and books which are easily read by laypeople) of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Full of great references, and the books explain the science beautifully.
There's nothing wrong with a little humility.
And you should take pride in knowing that you're intentionally avoiding participating in some of the most cruel industries in history.
There is a lot of stigma associated with being vegan, especially for men. It's considered "girly," feminine, and weak to be vegan. In reality we know that it's none of those things. Eating the flesh of an abused and terrified creature does not make you manly.
I'd highly recommend reading Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Dr. Melanie Joy. It touches on what you're experiencing and gives fascinating information on the social psychology of meat consumption.
I recommend this book, mate. If you really care about yourself and your own health, you would give up meat right away.
As for the outcome of a vegan society? Only time will tell. Veganism is rapidly rising while the meat and dairy industries are in decline. Change is coming and it is inevitable.
Show me a market where meat is cheaper than rice, vegetables, beans, and legumes. It's not.
Your body will thank you. Raised vegan, sometimes saw my parents “lapse” into vegetarianism, went to mostly vegetarian as an adult but rebelled by trying inconsequential quantities of meat. I had a myriad of mystery health problems that I couldn’t understand and neither could my doctors; I’m early 30’s. It was a horrible journey, but I feel like a new person on carnivore/zero carb and I’m only three months into it. Also everything is starting to make sense which is glorious.
I’ll be honest with you, changes in weight or muscles are not as visually dramatic for me initially. If your experience is like mine, your body will spend a lot of time nourishing deprived joints, bones and muscles in the beginning, but you’ll feel more energy and stronger. I also experienced extreme oxalate dumping which was tough. I wrote some of my experience here (kind of went on a tangent, tbh!): https://www.reddit.com/r/zerocarb/comments/df5qdp/optimizing_my_way_of_eating_for_further_health/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
If you have more questions, feel free to message me. I’m still learning about meat (I didn’t even know what each cut was or how to cook it) but I hope you enjoy that first steak as much as I did!!!
Oh I suggest some good reading for recovering vegetarians/vegans, message me if you’re interested in a book list but “vegetarian myth” by Lierre Keith is a good primer: https://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Myth-Food-Justice-Sustainability/dp/1604860804/ref=nodl_
This is the absolute bible on the subject:
https://www.amazon.de/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002
Forks over Knives is also a good resource, as is anything by Dr McDougall (The Starch Solution, The McDougall Plan) and Dr Greger (How not do die).
All the best!
Second vote for Katz's The Art of Fermentation more accessible for the home cook than the Noma one.
For sausages though, The Art of Making Fermented Sausages by Stanley Marianski is legendary in charcuterie circles.
Animal ag is working as hard as they can to hide it from us. It’s extremely naive and oversimplified to say that policies would have been passed long ago if empathy and intuition was enough
It is enough
The problem is not seeing it and the profits that depend on us denying it. Denial and avoidance are just a few or the defense mechanisms in play that ensure the oppressive system of meat eating continues
I’d suggest this book from PhD in psychology Melanie Joy
My doctor gave me this book, Eat to Live, that describes how to have a good plant based diet, and why it can be good for you. I thought it had great info, even if you don't go all the way vegetarian, and it bases it's recommendations off of a really wide swath of public research, not just a doctor who's making a buck from one super specific idea like "your endothelial lining becomes inflamed".
Jesus Christ NO wtf
I am saying that your culture is not justification for anything. If you think anyone can justify their behaviour by "it's my culture", then americans who eat bacon and beef 3 times a day don't have to change either
Culture is why we're in this mess
I am asking you to PLEASE stop using indigenous people as a cover for your own flaws. That is absolutely disgusting. Don't try to pass this off as being "woke" or "taking them into consideration"
Environmentalists who try to change the world for the better are going to be perceived as smug. Why are you even here?
We cannot have a discussion about this or change the world in any way if getting called out on your own behaviour and excuses triggers you to bring up 0,01% of the population as though they're relevant to you
We are screwed because of this defence mechanism. I won't discuss this further with you because you are legitimately not interesting in solving the issues we face. Maybe if you had a shred of understanding of what carnism is, we could have a discussion.
>this massive protein counterjerk in vegan spheres
Yeah, I think it's a kneejerk reaction to all of the annoying comments about veganism and protein. Unfortunately, people take it too far in the other direction and there are some well-known doctors/authors who have done their own disservice to the community with their claims about the dangers of protein (Proteinaholic is the one that comes to mind most often).
This book and it’s cook book state they can totally clear any plaque buildup. The Dr’s approach is plant based and shows X-ray proof it works:) good luck
I agree with the ATK book posted here by /u/PM_ME_A_FACT, but would also like to add the book "Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi." The ATK book is more of a begginers book than Plenty, but both are great resources.
Dr. Garth Davis has a lot of info on protein for various kinds of athletes in his book Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession with Meat Is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It .
He says that the science on this subject is inconclusive, but he gives some useful information all the same.
Hello and welcome. I had gastroparesis before I had weight loss surgery, and one of the only consistent pieces of advice I was given by multiple practitioners was to reduce fiber intake. As the vegan diet is very high in fiber, it is not optimal, or even suitable, for someone with gastroparesis.
Let me say that I also felt very guilty about eating meat and even fish, but after doing some personal research, I realized that....life IS death. They are opposite sides of the same coin. You cannot have life without death, because all organisms are consuming something in order to live. That is just the natural law of life. Many of us assume that the most compassionate thing is to eat only plants, but in reality, growing plants is very resource-heavy work, too. Harvesting plants kills many animals, particularly in industrial agrilculture. Industrial agriculture also relies mostly on fossil fuels, which pollute the land and destroy watersheds. You really can't have sustainable plant agriculture without animal input from manure....the system isn't a closed loop.
I highly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Myth-Food-Justice-Sustainability/dp/1604860804 It is NOT perfect, and there are some logical flaws and hyper-emotional arguments made, but I think there is valuable information for those of us struggling with the ethics of eating meat.
The best advice I can give you is to eat soft eggs and nice flaky fish to start. Your body is going to be SO happy - and my guess is, it's going to tell you LOUD and clear what it needs.
Be well.
Recommended reading too: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X/
They key is making the pain you experience emotionally over the torture and death of animals greater than the pleasure you get from eating animal products.
Be careful to seek out recipes and foods that are whole-foods plant based (WFPB) and friends who support these choices and help you cook/eat well and don't belittle your vegan choices.
If you can manage to avoid stocking your pantry with highly processed vegan foods, that would make bingeing potentially less harmful, but I am NOT an expert and do not have experience with ED, though I do struggle with eating too much processed vegan foods and struggle with weight I want to lose.
You'll also need to tread carefully as most healthcare professionals prepared to work with you through ED will likely see veganism as a harmful aspect tied to your ED, rather than seeing it as a potential positive that could help you emotionally and physically when handled appropriately.
Edit: Oftentimes certain vegan processed foods like non-dairy milks and Nutritional Yeast will be fortified with nutrients that non-vegans get from animal sources. A couple of years after going vegan, I had a full blood-panel done and happily found that my B-12 levels were perfectly healthy! I believe it's because I cook with Nutritional Yeast and it has super high levels of B-12. I personally find this book really helpful when working through nutritional considerations: Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet
I read the book Vegan for Life by Jack Norris (https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Life-Everything-Healthy-Plant-Based/dp/0738214930) before I went vegan. But I think there are a lot more books out there. And I would just try it out instead of worrying too much. One can at least try. I mean I thought I could never go vegan because it would be way too difficult and I am not the most resolved person out there but far from it but I tried and it was the best thing I have ever done. Vegan for 3 years now
one of the best books i've found on the topic is vegan for life. it's full of great nutritional information and even has sample meal/diet plans. it definitely changed the way i ate!
100%. My wife is the most hardcore recycler I know, she knows what they actually recycle, what stuff can't be recycled, and what stuff she has to load into the car and haul off to the specialty recycler by the airport, which she does a couple times a month (styrofoam, etc). She knows it's a drop in the bucket, she knows that for-all-she-knows half of it ends up in a landfill, but she's like "At least I'm doing something", and we're both really conscious about choosing things that are less wasteful. And the big one for us, both serious cooks, trying to only do meat a couple times a week. Re-learning to cook vegetarian and still have awesome meals? That's a "journey" for sure (but thanks Ottoleghi!!)
(She's also like "This is a FOIL-COATED PLASTIC BAG, it does NOT go in the recycling!!!" She's awesome so I just say "yes dear" a lot around here!)
Thank you for sharing your story. I am aware of the health benefits. I have read Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. The stories of reversing heart disease are very compelling.
The general recommendation is mininum 0.8g per lean weight. My lean weight is aprox 41 kg sk I am good. Most women need only 46 g (that is US recommendation for average woman). Protein deficiency in developed world does not really exist, unless you eat too little kcal or have some diseases that can change the way your body deals with protein. On the contrary, most people, especially meat eaters, tend to overeat protein which leads to obesity. Of course, I am not a doctor, so don't consider this a medical advice. But there is a book about this topic written by a surgon: Proteinaholic. Long story short: I don't worry about protein. Neither are gorillas or an oxes who are not eating protein rich foods at all. And yet, look at their muscles.
The term was coined by Melanie Joy, author of this book, because she thought we needed to name the invisible belief system used to justify how we treat animals. Carnism is a belief system in the way that veganism is, it's not a diet or a biological classification. Carnists are people who follow that belief system.
The term was not coined as a pejorative, but since it was largely picked up by vegans it has been used in that sense, especially online. Every Reddit community seems to have these terms, so you see it more on Reddit than elsewhere.
I'd recommend the book Fiber Fueled. It's written by a board certified gastroenterologist who has dealt with this hundreds of times with his patients. He has at least one full chapter devoted to this very topic, and much of the book explains how the digestion of fiber benefits you. I can't adequately summarize it, but I will say that he changed my mind on how to think about gas; essentially our digestive tract is something that needs to be trained, just like our muscles. Avoiding beans or other items that do cause discomfort comes as a cost for the benefits they provide, so making a program where you reduce them and then slowly introduce them back again can be helpful. But check out the source for a better answer.
This is the system President Clinton used to recover from his cardiac surgery and lose weight. It is written by a cardiac surgeon
The book Fiber Fueled has a meal plan and recipes w/fodmap restrictions. I'm not sure if appropriate for your health condition, but he also discusses how to slowly increase fodmaps as most people can tolerate them after a slow introduction. https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=6969430c-54b8-4cd0-a462-fb1cedf94ece
When will this society’s obsession with protein stop already smh. Please read Proteinaholic by Garth Davis, there are many other awesome books on vegan nutrition also.
Few doctors know a lot about nutrition. If you continue to have problems, ask for a consult with a nutritionist.
My husband had high cholesterol and significantly lowered it it through diet, using a modified version of the diet in this book by Caldwell Esselstyn.
Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure https://www.amazon.com/dp/1583333002/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_75XKHN30R63BEMXAZ27K
If you can buy this book, I would highly recommend it. It's a vegan nutrition manual written by registered dietitians, and it gives dietary recommendations for children. If you can show your parents that literally dietitians have okayed veganism and show them the meal plan suggestions, maybe you can prove to them that it's healthy? Also, there are a lot of great YouTube videos about the health benefits of veganism. Mic the Vegan is pretty good and goes into the science, so that could be something to share too.
Also, can you help with the grocery shopping or cooking? Maybe you can ask for oat milk or soy yogurt, then buy a lot of vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, etc... That's all really healthy and nutritious, so they shouldn't object to that.
One other thing to consider is lying. I know it's a bit unorthodox (so do it at your own discretion and never put your life in danger), but you could lie to your parents and tell them that eating meat or dairy makes you feel sick. Lactose intolerance is a real condition, so you could pretend to have it (if you don't already), then use that to try to get nondairy alternatives into your diet.
If none of this works, just do the best that you can. It's not your fault your parents are so controlling. Thank you for trying so hard to go vegan. I admire your bravery and compassion! You'll be an awesome vegan someday.
Just mostly eating plants:
https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Fueled-Plant-Based-Optimizing-Microbiome/dp/059308456X
It's the same advice you find on most microbiome podcasts/lectures: avoid processed junk, eat a diverse range of plants.