Are you a vegetarian? A vegan? Do you eat all organic? Or only locally grown? Do you eat high protein or low carb? Are you lactose free? Gluten free? Pork free? Do you have an insane love for junk food? Are you a choco-holic? Crave pizza or soda? Or do you simply eat what your mom/spouse/the guy at McDonald's serves you?
Why do you eat the way you do? Do you have personal health issues or allergies? Do you believe it's healthiest for your body? Best for the environment? Are you taking a stance against animal cruelty? Or satisfying your body's loyalty to Papa John's? Had you never thought about it before? Do your eating habits reflect an overall lifestyle or not? Should they? Or are they different things all together? Tell me your position. I'm curious. And perhaps you might even inspire a change.
6 comments:
We were preservative free/whole foods and about 75% organic for a (very) short time in Calgary (well, aside from the ice cream...). We still try to stay away from preservatives and I get whole foods as much as is practical (i.e. no packaged dinners, convenience foods (chicken nuggets etc.) but I still buy bread - preservative free when I can). We also drink/use soy instead of cow's milk, but still have cheese and yogurt.
For me it's a health thing. Cutting out convenience foods and excess preservatives made a big difference in how I felt. We're not doing so good with that right now because neither of us feels like cooking most days (my morning sickness doesn't really go away), but once baby is here and htings settle down I'll be back to that as much as I can.
We are lactose/dairy free - entirely.
Here is why:
Mya: Allergic (actual allergy to it)
Andrew: Intolerant (gut issues, but can still cheat and pay the price-pain- if he really wants)
Grady-and by default ME since I'm nursing - breaks out in rash
Obviously my little family has dairy issues! :) It started as an allergy thing, but I've found it to be a healthier habit we've adapted. In turn it rules out a lot of bad for you foods like: ice cream, and most desserts loaded in creamy fats. High calorie foods filled with too much cheese, etc.
To compensate we drink high calcium enriched juice and also use soy based or lactose free products - which there are MANY to chose from. So yes, we do still eat cheese and ice cream - just lactose free versions.
No convenience foods are ever purchased in our grocery store run. 1. for cost purposes (SO overpriced when I can do the same thing at home)
2. Too many additives...
I'd rather cook from scratch and know what I'm eating and serving my family. So I make all of our meals, doughs for breads, chicken nuggets, baby food, pancake syrup, etc.
Fresh Foods - Very rarely do I buy canned goods...perhaps in the winter when the fresh supply is harder to come by. I try very hard to buy only fresh fruits and veggies. It is not uncommon for my entire grocery purchase to be in the produce department.
Organic - I have a list of things that I chose to purchase organically. Basically the selection is few and the prices are insane. So I pick and chose what I think is the priority and go organic as much as possible.
I also have started trying to grow my own tomatoes and cucumbers from pots on the deck. We don't have enough yard to do a garden, so this is my personal attempt to get around that. I found a place that supplies organic soil, which I've used for these pots. (1/3 natural top soil, 1/3 manure, 1/3 compost)
Most of these choices are health based, and sometimes financially based (budget budget budget). Environmental choices & responsibilities are ALWAYS a part of it as well.
P.S. My downfall is chocolate...all rules go out the window if chocolate is involved.
First choice is always dairy free chocolate. Which would be a darker chocolate w/ pure cocoa that has no added milk ingredients, or lactose free chocolate brownie ice cream, or carob. BUT if those options aren't available it's not too long before I succumb to the real stuff.
I go to the gym so that I can eat whatever I want.
I'm vegan. I've been meaning to expound on this on my blog, and I think that will happen soon. But for now...
I'm vegan because of 1) animal issues, 2) health reasons, 3) world hunger, and 4) the environment. These reasons are explained at http://www.goveg.com/vegetarian101.asp
Let me just say that I was a meat-eater until 3 months ago. I now wish I had been vegan all my life. Since going vegan, I have more energy, I love eat (it's always been something I've almost hated), and I'm more sensitive to people and animals...I used to consider myself an animal lover, but you can't really call yourself that if you are eating them. Cows, pigs, chickens, etc have the same will, mind, and emotions that our cats and dogs do, and ultimately the same strong desire to live that WE do. They aren't any different. Would I ever have considered eating a cat? Never, so why would it be okay to eat a cow? The dairy and meat industries have blinded the general population from the truth and are driven primarily by money, not by the motivation to keep people in good health. Our bodies were not designed to consume meat, and especially not to subsist mostly on that alone (like many people do). There's no question that we CAN consume it, but we shouldn't be.
Over 27 billion animals in the US alone suffer terrible deaths needlessly every year to meet the animal product demands. We need far less protein than we're commonly taught and excess protein has actually been linked to the skyrocketing cancer rates. A book I recommend is The China Study, which talks primarily about the health issues related to animal flesh and secretion (milk, eggs) consumption. The author was an avid meat-eater at the beginning of his study, but soon became vegan after discovering the results.
I didn't realize I felt a very heavy burden of guilt until I stopped eating animals. It's hard to explain how freeing it is to know that no one suffered so I could eat, but now I get to feel that freedom every day. And I really am much more mindful of how my actions affect other living beings...When we eat meat, we are encouraging violence. How can we have a peaceful and loving world when we're teaching our children and others that killing for our own pleasure is okay?
I would definitely encourage you to read whatever you can and watch lots of videos (http://www.farmsanctuary.org/mediacenter/videos.html), especially Earthlings (http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=119). Compassionatecooks.com also has a great podcast (available on itunes too) that addresses many myths and concerns related to vegetarianism.
To answer some other questions, I eat organic what I can and whatever is local that I can. I love vegan ice cream (Temptation) and baked goods, but I mostly eat whole foods (foods as close to natural state as possible). I crave unhealthy foods a lot less than I used to and can only handle a little at a time. I think eating should reflect our lifestyle. As Christians, we are teaching people about love and compassion. I have come to believe that veganism goes hand in hand with Christian living. It's best for the animals, best for your body, best for the environment and mankind as a whole.
Great question, Dena!
I am vegetarian:)
I became veg because I was bored, and thought to myself "hey, maybe i'll try not to eat meat and see how I feel."
Well, I felt great! So I decided that if this was going to be something I would continue with I should read up so I can still stay healthy.
After reading some of the information at:
http://www.goveg.com/vegetarian101.asp
and other sites I became quite passionate about this choice, which had started off so randomly.
Since becoming vegetarian I feel that I am much healthier and have much more energy!
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