Congratulations. I've toyed with it from time to time, but as a French chef, well.... Seriously, to you and to Marcel, I respect your choice. Not easy to accomplish.
It has been remarkably easy. Just like quitting drinking, smoking, and watching TV. It takes about 3 weeks to make any practice into a habit.
Not everyone has a the same definition of vegetables. But if you eat only salad, your going to lack protein... of course Vegetables + legumes ( beans ) + Nuts are the best combination for a vegetarian protein. And it's very easy to eat too much protein, just eat a 15 almonds, and your body might start to leach calcium just to get rid of it. Usually the average person eats too much protein. There are small amounts of protein in lots of the starchy carbohydrates we eat such as rice and potatoes. It adds up. Nuts and especially Almonds are excellent source of protein. And then there are beans... From what I hear there are 200+ beans varieties. That's 200 different beans to use ! Just imagine the possible food combinations and cultural interpretations. Eating only soy protein is a classic example of very bad nutrition that can even contribute to cancer. Eating any food item as a single source of protein will be harmful.
Agreed, particularly if the "habit" itself isn't wrapped up in one's livelihood or broader lifestyle. I am a southwestern French chef. It's my family blood, tradition; winemaker family, as well. All a roundabout way of saying that food and wine is deeply enmeshed in what I am about. That said, as I choose to eat and serve meat, I take responsibility for how an animal is raised, and how it died. In my kitchen, no living thing is considered worthless...lobsters come to us live and I kill them with a knife immediately on receipt, and par-roast them, for instance. I hunt, and have run down a deer and plunged a knife into its chest to end its life as quickly as possible. As a person of Native American blood, I have no other way of living than seeing myself as part of the chain. Anyway, enough preaching. As much as my debate with Marcel has seemed so, I'm sure, I am not without my own moral quandaries over all this. If I think his argument of pork v. other meats is fallacious, I have morally wrestled with the very notion of meat eating itself. I have no firm moral conclusions either way. I do honor anyone making their choice along honorable lines. Marcel - hahahah - just saw your post. Maintenant je sais pourquoi nous avions combattu. Sang gallique! Sérieusement, j'ai appris quelque chose de cet échange. Merci.
Beans and others like it, such as lentils can be high in protein. They however are not nearly as high as meat counterparts. As far as 'too much protein' I guess it's possible, I myself struggle to even get close to the amount of protein I need daily. If I had to rely on just beans it would be impossible. They do not have that much protein compared to chicken, fish, beef, etc, I'd need to eat about 50 servings of beans to even get close to my required amount of protein, and that being the beans with the highest protein per serving. --- nuts also do not contain much protein versus meat counterparts either, they are also high in fat. Thankfully many nuts are high in good fats. 15 almonds too much protein? How do you figure.
I think you know it already, but there is nothing is wrong with eating meat. There is not shame or guilt attached to it. Eating meat or not eating meat won't determine acceptace into heaven. It's all about doing what's best for your body. I am determined to eat right for my mind and health. I live in a very polluted country, so I'm determined to minimize the damage. The indians and chinese live in very polluted environments, but their diets and eating habits help offset the harm. American fast food and pollution would spell disaster for them. Unfortunatly, the rich indians and chinese are starting to eat American style fast foods. No, offence intended to my American DPers .
Men don't eat their shit, nor other humans. There are exceptions though, which considered as maniacs.
I do not believe in an afterlife, and I do not believe we human beings were given dominion over the earth - I believe we evolved, but have seriously screwed it up. We are to be stewards of the earth, not its master. This is my philosophy.
Sure they do, in other cultures.. I'd argue it is cultural and survival that dictates these things, not someone's sanity. Anyway, you are assuming that pigs do this.. And you are completely off base in saying that.. Farm raised pigs do not.. Just like civilized cultures of man do not.. However, uncivilized man does and wild pigs do If you ask me, Fish are the dirty animals.. They swim in their own shit and piss... ICK..
Hmm...anonymous rep comment, in response to post no. 317: Anyone want to claim it? Troffkid? That a German pork dish?