| 9/3/2015 10:43:34 PM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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godsbutterfly1
Woodlyn, PA
62, joined Dec. 2010
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A friend of mine who has seen my prayer requests regarding my heart catheterization, asked me to read, Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD.
Although I've only read the first chapter, I have scanned through it. In theory, it sounds good but I would think it would be hard to stick to.
- You may not eat anything with a mother or a face (no meat, poultry, or fish).
- You cannot eat dairy products.
- You must not consume oil or any kind (this includes olive oil)
- Generally, you cannot eat nuts or avocados.
You can eat:
- all vegetables except avocado.
- all legumes - beans, peas, and lentils of all varieties
- all whole grains and products, such as bread and pasta that are made from them, as long as they contain no added fats.
- All fruits.
This was taken from page 6 of the book.
I've been leaning toward a vegetarian diet anyway, as lately the sight of mean makes me ill. 
But, I'm wondering what your thoughts are on this very drastic diet change, basically going vegan.
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| 9/4/2015 7:10:18 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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janet5360
Pittsburgh, PA
64, joined Dec. 2013
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Thats fine but not at our age group. I am post menopausal and have osteoporosis. We nee the protein for muscle repair and bone density. I limit the use of red meats and supplement with turkey and wild caught meats. I also exercise 45 minutes a day and take a med for high cholesterol. Talk to you doctor about any diet concerns you may have and get a nutritional consult prior to making any changes. I am currently following myfitnesspal and get a lot of e mail sent to me.
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| 9/4/2015 7:25:50 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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janet5360
Pittsburgh, PA
64, joined Dec. 2013
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Meant to say wild caught fish Check the label and be sure it is not farmed as fat and omega 6 content higher. All fruits have sugar, some more than others. Bananas are one example along with water melons peaches and the like. Legumes can be in place of meat sometimes but certain acids are missed on no meat diets.
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| 9/4/2015 10:25:39 PM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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godsbutterfly1
Woodlyn, PA
62, joined Dec. 2010
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I gave up beef and pork 5 years ago. Now, I mainly have poultry. I'm not a big fan of fish but have eaten tuna and fish sticks, on occasion.
There is a dietitian where I go for therapy so I will be asking her and bringing the book.
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| 9/25/2015 9:22:53 PM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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belle2013
East Brunswick, NJ
50, joined Aug. 2012
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Going vegan can be very healthy if you do it correctly. I would read up on it before making the switch. I've been a vegetarian for 14 years or so and vegan off and on. I've had many health issues but none have been attributed to my diet.
I wish you luck and hope you find something that works well for you
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| 9/27/2015 8:25:31 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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godsbutterfly1
Woodlyn, PA
62, joined Dec. 2010
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Thank you. I've been vegetarian for a couple of weeks now. This diet is supposed to be fat free and I'm finding it incredibly hard... I've gotten tofu franks and sausage. I'm not sure they agree with me. It's kind of trial and error. Yesterday, I was feeling a bit weak, so I had some cheese on my salad. That will be the hard part, giving up cheese and some kind of butter or margarine. Right now, I use olive oil butter but I'm not supposed to be using any. I will say this though. Without the butter, I'm finding I am really enjoying the actual taste of the food more. 
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| 9/28/2015 10:59:54 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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sirdoesalot
Williamstown, NJ
47, joined May. 2011
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I'm sure it is specifically relative to what your heart disease is...weak heart...hardened blood vessels, etc...
but if you are referring to cholesterol blockages etc.
Actually...most researchers on this subject matter would NEVER tell you to eliminate avocados seeds, nuts, etc from your diet...as the good fats are actually a necessity to lower the bad fats...if you do not consume good fats, all the whole grain in the world by them selves will not lower your bad fats (cholesterol)
http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/fats/Pages/default.aspx
on top of that Avocados, seeds, nuts, etc are not only high in good fats but also are often loaded with a number of other nutrients...and these food help to stabilize blood sugar levels which is more of a bad cholesterol trigger than eating cholesterol itself.
Often times you here of burning fat vs burning carbs...and many people think of it like a switch where it is either or...but the fact of the matter is it is more like a parallel process...as the body will try to resource energy from both depending on what the energy demand is...
needless to say keeping stable blood sugar and a good source of good fats in your diet are the easiest way to eliminate and lower bad cholesterol and a healthier heart.
also, there are other little tidbits as far as metabolizing food that we are just starting to tap into...such as legumes and beans...these foods have a lot of fiber...and a lot of carbs...this is good because the fiber helps to stabilize the blood sugar levels with resistant starches...however most people don't realize that in order for the body to metabolize all of the bean properly to maintain healthy sugar levels...it should be eaten cooled, not hot...hot beans and legumes prevent proper absorption of resistant starches to keep sugars from spiking...thus you can actually instigate the production of cholesterol...rather than lower cholesterol...
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/090112p22.shtml
I hope I didn't make this confusing for you...but understand we really are just starting to understand the human body and its intricacies...
This is a HUGE subject matter and discussions could go for hours elaborating on the newest discoveries...
I would strongly suggest you rethink most of the old established way of nutrition thinking and read...read...read...
BTW, I'm no professional in the matter, but I have been following a lot of research on the matter for years because of a close family tragedy...much of what I've read on the newer studies comes from studies at Harvard...Johns Hopkins...etc.
I wish you well in your search to stay healthy.
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| 9/29/2015 2:46:44 PM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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godsbutterfly1
Woodlyn, PA
62, joined Dec. 2010
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Thank you for the information. I plan to talk to a dietitian soon. This diet sounded a little too extreme and I don't think I'm getting enough protein.
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| 11/6/2015 10:08:20 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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sirdoesalot
Williamstown, NJ
47, joined May. 2011
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yeah and protein is vital as well because if your diet doesn't actually have enough it will breakdown your own body's muscle tissue to convert into the specific amino acids that are missing and use it to make sure your organs and such have everything they need.
Actually this is another good point about avocados, while an average avocado only has about 3 grams of protein...it has all of the amino acids that make up the 9 basic proteins the human body actually needs...now you can say the same for most meats, fish, beef, etc...but the difference is the animal proteins need to be broken down into the various amino acids since the body doesn't use protein to build its own protein, it uses amino acids to build its own protein, because it will only resource the amino acids it needs to build the new proteins...since the avocado proteins are already in amino acid form, it is more easily and quickly assimilated.
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| 11/8/2015 12:09:57 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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frecklefarmer
Lebanon, MO
45, joined Oct. 2014
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I think the main thing is simply getting the proper nutrients your body needs
You may need to add supplements to make sure your getting the necessary vitamins and minerals
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| 11/25/2015 11:49:40 PM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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godsbutterfly1
Woodlyn, PA
62, joined Dec. 2010
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I do take supplements but really should take more, I think.
I am officially a vegetarian, as of two months ago. This will be an interested Thanksgiving. I haven't given up candy though. I just bought my first package of Peppermint Hershey Kisses and Peppermint Bark. (The first of many )
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| 11/26/2015 12:52:28 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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saddestangel7
Santa Clara, CA
55, joined Apr. 2011
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If you're feeling weak and faint your starving your body. Definitely, talk with the dietitian because he/she can teach you how to eat properly. No extreme diet form is healthy. They are simply fad diets. A diet plan must be nutritionally balanced. It must include healthy fats. So toss the book out and work out a plan with the dietitian. You'll be much happier.
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| 12/6/2015 1:51:09 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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godsbutterfly1
Woodlyn, PA
62, joined Dec. 2010
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I pretty much gave up on Vegan. But, I'm doing okay with vegetarian. I had some tests done on Thursday and found out I have gastric ulcers, so I'm thinking that has a lot to do with why I haven't been feeling good. The doctor put me on Prilosec and was pleased with my decision to go vegetarian.
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| 12/14/2015 3:38:10 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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peachy1954
Sacramento, CA
63, joined Oct. 2010
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I have spent the last year really started almost two years ago revamping my diet that had slid into being really bad.
I have worked on the "hand " diet.
Basiclly that is where the meat I eat is the size of my palm of my hand once or twice a day and the fats and oils the size of my thumb. Then I crossed over to whole grains for 1/4th of my diet (leaning much nore often to the low glutin alternatives), half veggies and only one fourth fruit. The very important part of the diet was I also could only snack on what I could hold in my one hand no container in front of the TV/Computer. That really cuts down on the garbage you stuff in your face. And I have slowly scaled down the size of my "drinks". Liquid calories are real diet killers. Took some retraining but I actually carry water and want it more often than any other beverage now. My old diet was very hard on a bad "stomach" and pretty much the rest of the plumbing. Believe me mine was so bad at one point I almost died last Christmas and really would not have cared because I felt so terrible.
Right now the only forbidden food is coffee creamer that my surgeon convinced me was a huge contributer to gall(kidney) stones but I am learning to correlate what makes me feel bad by keeping a food diary and a pain symptom diary. Caffine is a major pain amplifyer for me and so messes up my sleep that I just don't see it is worth the misery. You fix your sleep depression becomes a lot more manageable. I am pretty sure Dr. Pepper and Hershey stock has dropped a couple of points but so has my pant size. It is a lot easier to walk with out pain when I am not lugging around the fanny/belly pack twins.
What also helped me was to see that I added back in a new food each week. I am not way into the whole vegan thing because I get I was born a carnivore and I get hungry without a little meat and cheeze I just don't have to rustle up the whle cow. I was not a fan of fish and never would have been if I did not have someone teach me some better fish dishes. Fish is actually quick and easy to eat and steamed with the right incrdients has a much more appealing taste than I thought possible.
If you get in eating ruts and persecution diets you obsess on foods and they are often very boreing and you consume a lot of calories without even thinking.
And anything with sugar/fat is EXPENSIVE. You reduce what you spend of sugar/fat you can afford some of the better foods. The new foods were sometimes a bust,especially if I tried them raw they were just too strong, but more often they were easy and flavorful; especially adding fresh herbs, whole grains, and a few exotics. Now instead of making meal time a punishment I actually found it interesting trying new foods and new ways to cook old ones. My stacking steemer and mini crock pot are great kitchen pals.
Keep in mind I cook for one now and it was/is tough to revamp but adding smaller storage containers, dishes, and scaled down recipes made it less of a chore. I also found if I don't have the garbage around I can't binge and I ran out of excuses when I stopped "fooling" myself I was buying it for anyone else. If I want to tithe to my church pantry I do it in cash from what I save not over feeding myself.
I have also found holing off on buying holiday treats until 48 hours prior is way less temptation to "stock pile " it a little here and a little there. And not decorateing with food. It is a lot easier to avoid candy canes if they are not covering the tree. My friends are a lot happier to get bowels of blooming bulbs than candy they can't resist.
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| 3/9/2016 11:28:12 AM |
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets |
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cupocheer
Assumption, IL
68, joined May. 2010
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A body needs meat protein.
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