# Going Vegetarian or Vegan



## smarch (Apr 15, 2015)

I've been thinking for a very long time about going Vegetarian or vegan. I'm getting older will be in a place of my own soon enough cooking all my own meals, and I've been thinking now is a good time to really start thinking about it. 
When I say Vegetarian or Vegan I don't exactly mean the same way as others. I'd still eat meat if it was hunted or farmed by me (or a local friend). More or less my opinion is grocery meat is kind of a cheating way out since said animal never really had "a chance" but that could go on and be debated and I don't even need to get into that. There's also all the antibiotic crap and hormones and stuff... I mean it's never seemed appealing. 
I know there's many here who are vegetarian or vegan, i guess I'm just looking for advice or how to start since I can't just throw out animal products I have. I tried tofu today... I mean it wasn't terrible. Other good substitutes and how to cook tofu into yummy dinners would be welcomed greatly!


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## Turtlepete (Apr 15, 2015)

The idea of eating meat only hunted or farmed by you is admirable. Good idea. But the vegan thing has never made sense to me. "Vegan" is a person that doesn't eat anything that comes from an animal….Cheese, milk, eggs….Kind of silly to me, considering that you can buy all of these from free-range animals for a little bit more. The animals didn't suffer to produce it…But whatever.


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## Team Gomberg (Apr 15, 2015)

2 months ago my family of 4 transitioned to what I call a "plant based" diet. None of the other titles really seem to fit..lol

We try to eat as much live plant foods as possible.
We will eat meat on rare occasion (1x these past 2 months and it was a tiny side of chicken in a veggie heavy dish) ya, I don't like factory farm practices (for the animals or the workers) but animal protein isn't needed in the large quantities our culture now consumes. Opinion on that varies but multiple studies have me convinced.
We also limit processed foods and refined sugar as much as possible. Refined sugar is in everything!! It's interesting how some compare it's addiction to heroine.

We mainly juice, blend smoothies, eat rice, beans, nuts, fruits and veggies, sprouted bread with other foods being the minority. We also use natural soaps and hair products, oils for lotion and avoid injecting toxins into our bloodstream.
We left cows milk for almond milk, limited chesse and drink lots LOTS of water.

Honestly, If you expect to ditch everything bad you'll feel like you fail and beat yourself up on it. You can't get away from everything. So, do what you can.

In these 2 months my family has seen huge health improvements!

Anyway, you asked about getting started... Joe Cross offers great resources for juicing fasts. It helps you detox while supplying your body with the micro nutrients it needs.
It also helps re train your taste buds.
I think it's rebootwithjoe.com he also has tons of recipes categorized by meal type and color. I use it daily 

We started with a 10day juice fast.
Then we went to 2 juices a day and added a plant based meal with raw nuts, fruits or veggies for snacks.

Now we all have a big morning juice, fresh smoothie for/or with lunch and the plant based meal for dinner.
Snacks include the raw fruits, veggies, nuts etc. Or things that are considered healthy and minimally processed.

It's about time too.... I feed my tortoise as naturally as possible, fed my dogs and cat raw diets (natural for them) why not my human family, right?
We love it and are thriving on it. We now feel sick when we eat processed foods :/

You'll find support online if you don't have anyone around you...support really helps!

I love it....My boys (4 and 5) LOVE broccoli and will drink a juice of kale, cucumber, green apples, celery, lemon and ginger root (this morning's juice) begging for more! LOL


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## Prairie Mom (Apr 15, 2015)

You really should watch the documentary "Vegucated." It's on Netflix, Amazon, etc.


It answers a lot of the questions and misconceptions people have who don't understand the Vegan lifestyle. It also answers some of the questions raised in the previous post. It's pretty convincing. I am NOT a Vegan. I eat meat regularly, but have begun preparing more and more totally Vegan (not just vegetarian) meals for my family. In fact, we're having one tonight...Spaghetti made with zucchini, soy protein, and cauliflower on top of spaghetti squash instead of noodles.--Just for fun and my kids will actually eat it!

I've seriously considered getting my own chickens to use the eggs, because even eggs marked "Humane" and "cage free" aren't really either of those things. But even the hen buying industry is so corrupt! The mother hens are treated horribly and male chicks are sorted and chucked into grinders ALIVE. -It's pretty disgusting. Germany has just spent a ton of money studying chickens and has made it illegal to kill male chicks like this. Instead they created the first system to incubate female Chicken eggs and do without the gross killing. -WAY TO GO, GERMANY! I hope we'll follow this example some day!

Good luck with whatever you decide Sarah! Check out the film!


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## Prairie Mom (Apr 15, 2015)

HEATHER!!! WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE SAME EXACT THING AND SHARE THE EXACT SAME MENTALITY YOU JUST POSTED!!! You totally speak to my other personal beliefs... I hate factory farm practices and am strongly opposed to Ag-gag bills!!! If you ever blog or post about what your family is doing and how things are going, please tag me!



Team Gomberg said:


> 2 months ago my family of 4 transitioned to what I call a "plant based" diet. None of the other titles really seem to fit..lol
> 
> We try to eat as much live plant foods as possible.
> We will eat meat on rare occasion but really rare. I don't like factory farm practices (for the animals or the workers) and animal protein isn't needed in the large quantities our culture now consumes. Opinion on that varies but multiple studies have me convinced.
> ...


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## Team Gomberg (Apr 15, 2015)

Also on Netflix:
Fat sick and nearly dead 1 and 2 (how I learned of Joe Cross)
Food Inc.
GMO OMG 
Forks over Knifes
...and then some LOL

I'd love to raise my own chickens. For eggs and occasional meat. 

Here in Oregon I have many resources to real free range chicken eggs and meat, real grass fed beef and multiple farmers with organic and local produce... It's pretty cool



Prairie Mom said:


> HEATHER!!! WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE SAME EXACT THING AND SHARE THE EXACT SAME MENTALITY YOU JUST POSTED!!! You totally speak to my other personal beliefs... I hate factory farm practices and am strongly opposed to Ag-gag bills!!! If you ever blog or post about what your family is doing and how things are going, please tag me!



I don't do any blogging. No FB or other social media. TFO is it LOL

But I bet we have lots more in common  let's email or text hehe


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## Prairie Mom (Apr 15, 2015)

Team Gomberg said:


> Also on Netflix:
> Fat sick and nearly dead 1 and 2 (how I learned of Joe Cross)
> Food Inc.
> GMO OMG
> ...


2 of those are already on "My list." I'll add the others to my queue. 


Team Gomberg said:


> Also on Netflix:
> 
> But I bet we have lots more in common  let's email or text hehe


Sneaking suspicion you may be correct on this


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## smarch (Apr 15, 2015)

Ah so much to reply to in the 2 hours it took to eat dinner and go walk. So rather than replying to all individually and repeating myself I'm assuming you'll see this (since on the phone it doesn't let you tag people). 

I've always been against eating meat from my dads farm just because I didn't like the fact that they raise them to eat them... I don't know i just never liked It since I grew up naming them and petting them. And they don't get much roaming space, and treatment medically if they get sick it's more or less hoping for the best. But I could go off on a whole rant about that, I mean in reality they're taken care of much better than the "industry" ones and aren't shot up with hormones and stuff and are definitely fresh. But I honestly can't wait to try venison for the first time, the idea of an animal having its shot and living as nature intended before coming to me just seems the purest form of meat. So I mean I'm really not specifically going vegan or veggie, but more or less in times I can't access meat like I want i would go plant based. I can not wait for garden season! (And the grass to grow for free tortoise food!) 

I'll have to look into the juice cleanse, I specifically have to avoid Apple since my gut isn't a fructose fan and apes really disagree, I can retrain taste buds but my gut wins that. I also certainly need some self control since I'm a bit of a munchie maniac because I crave processed crap, and I know it's terrible but I start wanting it so bad I binge out on it. 

I've heard the refined sugar more addictive than cocaine not heroine but I mean addiction is addiction, and I can't argue about sugar being humanity's biggest addiction. 

I've had stomach issues for 5 years now, and I know a lot is acid reflux and stress but I also know a lot is eating crap, I can feel processed foods making me feel gross, so I really think going away from those too will make me feel better. 

I guess vegan and vegetarian aren't words that fit, but you guys basically picked it up EXACTLY what I'm aiming for! 

If you're ever in the MA area and want to drive home a hen my friend raises them and would probably sell you one or 2, he'd offered me when I wanted to raise them, now I think I'll just buy fresh eggs from him when I can (or the flea market). He also has a sulcata tort and several monitors, and other exotics, I didn't know we had so much in common when we worked together, he's actually how I found my tortoise vet  he also raises geese and was raising turkeys. And he lets males age, at least to more than industry's do.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Apr 15, 2015)

I went vegetarian for a couple of weeks thirty odd years ago.
A gorgeous young lady I fancied was veggie and told me she wouldn't kiss a guy who ate meat. So I stopped.
It was very difficult, as there wasn't the range of alternative products there is now, but I stuck it out until I was lured by the smell of cooking bacon and I cracked.
I was honest and told her and we split, amicably.
My best friend of 40 years is a vegetarian, but does eat dairy products and eggs. He's healthy and a little chubby.
Now, I only eat red meat a couple of times a week and white meat maybe once. Fish, I don't much like.
I love the organic veggies we always eat, but I relish the meat more when we have it.
We do have wild venison, wild boar, rabbit and even hedgehog sometimes and they are all delicious.
Tofu is vile. In my opinion.


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## smarch (Apr 15, 2015)

Tidgy's Dad said:


> I went vegetarian for a couple of weeks thirty odd years ago.
> A gorgeous young lady I fancied was veggie and told me she wouldn't kiss a guy who ate meat. So I stopped.
> It was very difficult, as there wasn't the range of alternative products there is now, but I stuck it out until I was lured by the smell of cooking bacon and I cracked.
> I was honest and told her and we split, amicably.
> ...


After my first Warped Tour I read into a pamphlet PETA gave me during the day (yeah I know not the people to listen to but heck it was my first encounter with them) just flat out refused to eat meat for a good couple of weeks... Until I realized that incised bacon I cried a little then gave up, and ate bacon. That darn bacon! 
I'd eat all of the above wild ... Except hedgehog, nope too cute couldn't do it! And tofu isn't great, it certainly isn't meat or even close to it, but it was not nearly as terrible as some people have said to me.


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## Tidgy's Dad (Apr 15, 2015)

smarch said:


> After my first Warped Tour I read into a pamphlet PETA gave me during the day (yeah I know not the people to listen to but heck it was my first encounter with them) just flat out refused to eat meat for a good couple of weeks... Until I realized that incised bacon I cried a little then gave up, and ate bacon. That darn bacon!
> I'd eat all of the above wild ... Except hedgehog, nope too cute couldn't do it! And tofu isn't great, it certainly isn't meat or even close to it, but it was not nearly as terrible as some people have said to me.


Bacon v tofu?
No contest.


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## Team Gomberg (Apr 15, 2015)

You know what....Maybe refined sugar was compared to cocaine, not heroine. I'm not well versed in drugs lol.


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## Team Gomberg (Apr 15, 2015)

Never had tofu. Not sure if I'll get to it eventually or not.

I don't really miss meat..but again it isn't "forbidden" in my diet. It's just kept to a minimum. We used to have it multiple times a week and sometimes in more than 1 meal a day. 

I did have a small amount of chicken (1/4 breast for 4 of us) in a veggie stir fry last month and next week I'll be having some crab at Red Lobster (wedding anniversary).
Oh wait, I had a hamburger on Easter. 

So see, meat is not forbidden but it's not eaten often by any means. 

Let us know how you do with your diet changes  good luck!


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## leigti (Apr 15, 2015)

I could be a vegetarian if I absolutely had to. But I just don't think there's anyway I could be vegan. I am an omnivore, I can't help it.


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## mikeylazer (Apr 15, 2015)

A burger a day keeps the doctor away.


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## Team Gomberg (Apr 15, 2015)

A burger a day keeps the doctor paid LOL


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## ascott (Apr 15, 2015)

smarch said:


> Ah so much to reply to in the 2 hours it took to eat dinner and go walk. So rather than replying to all individually and repeating myself I'm assuming you'll see this (since on the phone it doesn't let you tag people).
> 
> I've always been against eating meat from my dads farm just because I didn't like the fact that they raise them to eat them... I don't know i just never liked It since I grew up naming them and petting them. And they don't get much roaming space, and treatment medically if they get sick it's more or less hoping for the best. But I could go off on a whole rant about that, I mean in reality they're taken care of much better than the "industry" ones and aren't shot up with hormones and stuff and are definitely fresh. But I honestly can't wait to try venison for the first time, the idea of an animal having its shot and living as nature intended before coming to me just seems the purest form of meat. So I mean I'm really not specifically going vegan or veggie, but more or less in times I can't access meat like I want i would go plant based. I can not wait for garden season! (And the grass to grow for free tortoise food!)
> 
> ...




*



But I honestly can't wait to try venison for the first time, the idea of an animal having its shot and living as nature intended before coming to me just seems the purest form of meat.

Click to expand...

*
So, does this mean you will track and hunt the animal? As this is truly the only way you will achieve entirely what you have described....it is completely different to look an animal in the eye and then shoot it dead....entirely different. That is why there is such a market in which the animal is farmed vs individually hunted....I am not starting anything...I am simply saying....if you are not going to track and kill your own...then you sound like organic is more of what you will want to look into...there are communities that raise different livestock and such and then that community trade and sale their goods amongst their community...


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## ascott (Apr 16, 2015)

smarch said:


> I've been thinking for a very long time about going Vegetarian or vegan. I'm getting older will be in a place of my own soon enough cooking all my own meals, and I've been thinking now is a good time to really start thinking about it.
> When I say Vegetarian or Vegan I don't exactly mean the same way as others. I'd still eat meat if it was hunted or farmed by me (or a local friend). More or less my opinion is grocery meat is kind of a cheating way out since said animal never really had "a chance" but that could go on and be debated and I don't even need to get into that. There's also all the antibiotic crap and hormones and stuff... I mean it's never seemed appealing.
> I know there's many here who are vegetarian or vegan, i guess I'm just looking for advice or how to start since I can't just throw out animal products I have. I tried tofu today... I mean it wasn't terrible. Other good substitutes and how to cook tofu into yummy dinners would be welcomed greatly!




http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/vegetarian/protein/tofu/

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-suppl...tiveingredientid=975&activeingredientname=soy

http://www.utne.com/science-and-technology/the-dark-side-of-soy.aspx

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/278340.php


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## ZEROPILOT (Apr 16, 2015)

I totally agree about the being on a farm thing. I can't look an animal in the eye today and eat it tomorrow. However, I could not go very long without eating meat. My brain can somehow separate the two. 
I wish I had the courage to make a new life style for myself. Especially a healthier one.
Too bad that animals are so damned delicious.


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## FLINTUS (Apr 16, 2015)

Not sure whether you've got a brand called 'Quorn' there, but as a meat substitute I favor that over soya-as above, does have some negative effects as well, although there are some brands here at least that say they don't do the bad stuff-, and tofu-just not a fan of it at home, never been able to cook it very well. Didn't see it on a recent visit, although that was to NY and the Carolinas. 
And as already mentioned, try to go with free range and organic eggs-luckily we have banned battery hens in the UK, and our meat is free-er by comparison of antibiotics etc. due to EU laws, but even so...


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## WithLisa (Apr 16, 2015)

Prairie Mom said:


> Germany has just spent a ton of money studying chickens and has made it illegal to kill male chicks like this. Instead they created the first system to incubate female Chicken eggs and do without the gross killing.


Where did you get that information? As far as I know there was only one state of Germany that thought about making it illegal to kill male chicks, but they scrapped the idea.
Sexing the eggs after incubating them for only a few days is possible but still very expensive, so that method is not used yet.


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## Prairie Mom (Apr 16, 2015)

WithLisa said:


> Where did you get that information? As far as I know there was only one state of Germany that thought about making it illegal to kill male chicks, but they scrapped the idea.
> Sexing the eggs after incubating them for only a few days is possible but still very expensive, so that method is not used yet.


I'll try to find the link and will post it here. I think I saw it on a website called "Modern Farmer" I will look into it and let you know. Also, I won't be ashamed to admit that maybe I misunderstood what I read. I'll check it out!


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## smarch (Apr 16, 2015)

ascott said:


> So, does this mean you will track and hunt the animal? As this is truly the only way you will achieve entirely what you have described....it is completely different to look an animal in the eye and then shoot it dead....entirely different. That is why there is such a market in which the animal is farmed vs individually hunted....I am not starting anything...I am simply saying....if you are not going to track and kill your own...then you sound like organic is more of what you will want to look into...there are communities that raise different livestock and such and then that community trade and sale their goods amongst their community...


I do want to track and hunt. I won't be able to prepare the animal for meat after, but at least hunting it, looking it in the eye, I experience how something really gets to my plate. I mean people like to ignore how and what is on their plate. I actually mentioned to my dad I wanted to learn and he said he would if I really wanted, though my mum said she'd refuse to cook it... (But I'm a big girl and can do that part)


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## Prairie Mom (Apr 16, 2015)

WithLisa said:


> Where did you get that information? As far as I know there was only one state of Germany that thought about making it illegal to kill male chicks, but they scrapped the idea.
> Sexing the eggs after incubating them for only a few days is possible but still very expensive, so that method is not used yet.


HI Lisa,
I couldn't find the exact article I was talking about, but here are a few that also discuss this. I assume we are talking about the same thing or something very similar. I support anything that keeps thousands of chicks being put in shredders alive.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11425532
https://www.thedodo.com/germany-stop-culling-male-chicks-1068701850.html

Feel free to correct any information. You're closer to the real news story after all!​


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## WithLisa (Apr 16, 2015)

Prairie Mom said:


> HI Lisa,
> I couldn't find the exact article I was talking about, but here are a few that also discuss this. I assume we are talking about the same thing or something very similar. I support anything that keeps thousands of chicks being put in shredders alive.
> http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11425532
> https://www.thedodo.com/germany-stop-culling-male-chicks-1068701850.html
> ...



Thanks for the Links! It's true that they plan to stop the killing as soon as possible, but there are no definite laws or anything at the moment and I doubt they can achieve that goal within the next two years.
But there is another Trend in the German speaking counties. Some poultry farmers have started to use other breeds that can lay eggs and also have good meat, so the male chicks can be raised and slaughtered. They already offer those eggs in supermarkets.

It takes time, but slowly it seems to change for the better.


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## ascott (Apr 16, 2015)

smarch said:


> I do want to track and hunt. I won't be able to prepare the animal for meat after, but at least hunting it, looking it in the eye, I experience how something really gets to my plate. I mean people like to ignore how and what is on their plate. I actually mentioned to my dad I wanted to learn and he said he would if I really wanted, though my mum said she'd refuse to cook it... (But I'm a big girl and can do that part)




Tracking is a very spiritual experience....it is a time where you have a legitimate reason to get really quiet and truly hear all that goes on around you in the forest....it is a time where you are expected to be silent ....aware of each step you take....each and every sound your body creates....your mass in the space surrounding you....if you are with another person, you will quickly learn to move along with another and do so quietly....and if the other person is someone you are familiar with, it is even better.....I, however, can only track--and truly truly love it....but I am not capable of making myself make an animal from live to dead....I have been there when it happens and I simply can not be that moment in time that causes it...this was confirmed for me when once we had tracked and hiked for a number of hours in the snow....it was cold in the air, but I was warm from the hike....this handsome gigantic buck strolled into our sight, literally less than 50 feet away....we spotted him, he spotted us and bolted....we took chase and the moment that buck crested the ridge, stopped turned breathing heavy, you could see his breath envelope his head and his handsome rack.....he looked straight at me, as I was in the lead of our group, and the moment he locked eyes with me, I stopped and I was confident that there was simply no way I could nor would ever line up a shot and stop his life....that though is my personal boundary....that does not in anyway mean I have any problem with someone shooting for food....I will rarely eat meat at this point in my life...all personal choice based on the fact my ignorance is gone and I know too much on what transpires to create a cheap .99 cent burger...just sits badly with me personally....

Good luck on your adventure and choices you are working through now....


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## Prairie Mom (Apr 17, 2015)

WithLisa said:


> Thanks for the Links! It's true that they plan to stop the killing as soon as possible, but there are no definite laws or anything at the moment and I doubt they can achieve that goal within the next two years.
> But there is another Trend in the German speaking counties. Some poultry farmers have started to use other breeds that can lay eggs and also have good meat, so the male chicks can be raised and slaughtered. They already offer those eggs in supermarkets.
> 
> It takes time, but slowly it seems to change for the better.


Interesting. Thanks for filling me in!


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## smarch (Apr 18, 2015)

ascott said:


> Tracking is a very spiritual experience....it is a time where you have a legitimate reason to get really quiet and truly hear all that goes on around you in the forest....it is a time where you are expected to be silent ....aware of each step you take....each and every sound your body creates....your mass in the space surrounding you....if you are with another person, you will quickly learn to move along with another and do so quietly....and if the other person is someone you are familiar with, it is even better.....I, however, can only track--and truly truly love it....but I am not capable of making myself make an animal from live to dead....I have been there when it happens and I simply can not be that moment in time that causes it...this was confirmed for me when once we had tracked and hiked for a number of hours in the snow....it was cold in the air, but I was warm from the hike....this handsome gigantic buck strolled into our sight, literally less than 50 feet away....we spotted him, he spotted us and bolted....we took chase and the moment that buck crested the ridge, stopped turned breathing heavy, you could see his breath envelope his head and his handsome rack.....he looked straight at me, as I was in the lead of our group, and the moment he locked eyes with me, I stopped and I was confident that there was simply no way I could nor would ever line up a shot and stop his life....that though is my personal boundary....that does not in anyway mean I have any problem with someone shooting for food....I will rarely eat meat at this point in my life...all personal choice based on the fact my ignorance is gone and I know too much on what transpires to create a cheap .99 cent burger...just sits badly with me personally....
> 
> Good luck on your adventure and choices you are working through now....


I think of anything the experience alone will do me good to just be so conscious of myself and everything around me, contradicting the usual face at a computer TV or phone life seems to give me. And I honestly may have the exact same thing and not be able to actually take an animals life, it wouldn't surprise me based on the animal lover I am. But I'd at least like to find out if I can or can't. I can't eat anything I even have to question the meats process, pink slime, making chicken stay "pretty" with arsenic to sell it. I just can't get over things I hear about cheap meats.


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## ascott (Apr 18, 2015)

smarch said:


> I think of anything the experience alone will do me good to just be so conscious of myself and everything around me, contradicting the usual face at a computer TV or phone life seems to give me. And I honestly may have the exact same thing and not be able to actually take an animals life, it wouldn't surprise me based on the animal lover I am. But I'd at least like to find out if I can or can't. I can't eat anything I even have to question the meats process, pink slime, making chicken stay "pretty" with arsenic to sell it. I just can't get over things I hear about cheap meats.



http://www.circlesixmagazine.com/2010/03/03/blame-it-on-corn-why-our-food-is-so-cheap/


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## Randi (Apr 19, 2015)

smarch - I noticed what you said about your stomach issues. This is a little off topic but have you ever had an allergy test? Around grade 7 I started having stomach issues. In my case I was passing blood among other things. Acid reflex. Stomach pains. I had barium and scopes constantly. I had to take stomach medication with every meal, and if I had stomach pains, etc.. doctors worried about chron's disease as my oldest brother has it bad. I am now almost 23 and had blood work to check for allergies a couple of months ago as my doctor was curious.. it turns out I am severely allergic to eggs and the protein in milk. Who woulda thought? I am now going to see an allergist to determine the severity. I have to walk around with an epipen now. It may be something worth considering. It's as simple as having your blood taken. Best of luck with your health.


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## smarch (Apr 19, 2015)

ascott said:


> http://www.circlesixmagazine.com/2010/03/03/blame-it-on-corn-why-our-food-is-so-cheap/


Wow I was genuinely unaware of all of that... Well minus the concept of feedlots, that's not new I guess I didn't think much about it. 
Cool article, I liked how it went back to the history of it all


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## smarch (Apr 19, 2015)

Randi said:


> smarch - I noticed what you said about your stomach issues. This is a little off topic but have you ever had an allergy test? Around grade 7 I started having stomach issues. In my case I was passing blood among other things. Acid reflex. Stomach pains. I had barium and scopes constantly. I had to take stomach medication with every meal, and if I had stomach pains, etc.. doctors worried about chron's disease as my oldest brother has it bad. I am now almost 23 and had blood work to check for allergies a couple of months ago as my doctor was curious.. it turns out I am severely allergic to eggs and the protein in milk. Who woulda thought? I am now going to see an allergist to determine the severity. I have to walk around with an epipen now. It may be something worth considering. It's as simple as having your blood taken. Best of luck with your health.


Thanks for bringing that up and suggesting. Unfortunately before I was even scoped they ran tests, I don't know what they tested but remember them taking 8 large vials of blood taken, my mum couldn't watch but it was my arm and I watched the entire process (that stuff stopped bothering me after all the dr stuff i had been dealing with.) those tests came back with nothing. Lactose was negative, fructose showed a "mild intolerance" so basically if I ingest anything Apple specifically my stomach might riot, and bananas are less likely but still have, so I just avoid both now. I had a scan of my gall bladder, remember the name but definitely not the spelling, to see if it emptied right and all that, cool test watching the imaging come through live on the scanner thing, got to actually watch my gall bladder empty through stop pictures. Anyway they said the test came back positive for something with the gall bladder, but when I went to thy specialist they told me 1 in 3 tests is a false positive and taking it out could help or could do nothing, so I still have it and was upset I even bothered with the test. 
The proteins in eggs and milk? Hmmm interesting, does that mean anything with eggs and milk in baking is bad? Like if I made cookies with eggs and milk in the ingredients could you eat them? Because I know in cooking things that can cause allergies sometimes get cooked out. Thankfully there's many substitutes out there now, my friends lactose intolerant so we had ice cream before and I've had dairy free stuff and it's actually quite yummy.


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## Randi (Apr 19, 2015)

8 vials of blood for 8 tests. It's neat to see the blood collected. I understand your frustration with the tests being done and nothing happening afterwards. 

I am told to stay away from anything that contains eggs or milk. I am allergic to Casein, the protein in milk. If you brought me delicious cookies, I could not eat them.


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