A Library.

Before I post my links, I have a confession to make.  Not only have I broken my vegetarian diet once, but I have broken it again today.  I honestly feel like the biggest hypocrite right now, and I ask that my followers forgive me.  I will go into more detail about this tomorrow because I want this post to be about the awesome links of vegetarianism, not my failures.

The first link is a recipe.  You can find the specifics for the recipe here.  This recipe is a dish called Japanese curry with edamame.  It is a thick dish filled with a plethora of vegetables.  This dish will cause any backsliding vegetarian to get back on the right track.

The second link is a blog.  This blog is written by a chef who is eventually offered a show on the Food Network.  I like this blog because I think it defies the stereotype that all vegetarians are health nuts.  I'm  not saying that we should consume unhealthy food just for the sake of breaking a stigma; however, I am stating that it is essential to be realistic in such a tempting western culture.

The third link is a video which can be seen above.  The video was produced by PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, for the purpose of promoting vegetarianism.  This video touched on a myriad of the issues that I have touched on in the past, such as animal cruelty and the environment.  However, there was something new in this.  I did not know that poop was in packed chicken containers.  I found this to be revolting, and I think the packing industry needs to do something about this.

The fourth link is a fact sheet on vegetarianism.  These facts can be found here.  I found the first fact very interesting; it stated that over 70 percent of vegetarians are from India.  This goes back to the fact that spirituality plays a key role in several vegetarians.  In India's case, they are a country known for Hinduism, a religion that loves vegetarianism.

The final link is from an academic article titled "The Chicken and the Bath Water: Exploring a Basic Limit to the Vegetarian Ideal".  This blog, written by Stephen H. Webb, counter argues the belief that if the world was entirely vegetarian, then the number of farm animals would decrease because they would not be as useful.  This article gave me excellent information on a subject that I have thought about.  Although it is academic, it is still a must read.

These are my five links.  I am so glad I decided to try this project because there is so much information on vegetarianism.

Although I failed by eating meat, just like Batman, I will rise.

Diversity

As I converse with my friends and family about my vegetarian project, there seems to be confusion on what a vegetarian actually is.  There are four types of vegetarians, and I want to show you a video of expert dietitian, Christine E. Marquette, defining and explaining the types.

1. Lacto-ovo vegetarian:  A person who does not consume any meat or seafood, but he or she will still consume dairy products and eggs.

2. Lacto-vegetarian:  A person who will use dairy products, but he or she will not consume eggs or any other meat product.

3. Ovo-vegetarian:  A person who can consume eggs, but will not consume any other animal products.

4. Vegan:  Someone who does not consume any animals products or by-products.

I have talked to a couple of people who believe that I am not a vegetarian because I consume dairy or eggs, so I usually have to explain to them the types of vegetarians.  Also, I have heard the phrase flexible vegetarian.  This is someone who will eat meat on occasion.  However, this is not a form of vegetarianism.  Another controversial type is pescetarianism.  This is someone who can consume seafood.  One of my friends is a pescetarian; however, he started as a vegetarian.  I think that happens with some vegetarians.  They will begin as vegetarians and change into another form such as vegan.

I consume no meat or seafood, but I still consume dairy and eggs.  Therefore, I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

People ask me all the time if I am vegan or vegetarian.  However, what I have learned is that vegans are vegetarians.  I think there is a plethora of confusion circulating on what vegetarianism is, what vegetarians represent, and the diversity of vegetarianism, and hopefully this blog will shed some light and information on vegetarians.  Not only am I an activist and ethnically Jewish male, but I am also an educator who teaches society about the entire scope of vegetarianism.  I want this blog to serve as a hammer that smashes the confusion of vegetarianism away and drives the nail of vegetarian education into the world.

Obese Marijuana

When I first started my vegetarian project, I had defined reasons for starting it.  One of those reasons was to become a healthier person.  One of the purposes was not to lose weight like so many others who begin their vegetarian lifestyles although I definitely have lost a couple even though I could lose a few more.  However, I did not realize that being overweight was correlated with bad health.  Being overweight or obese can lead to coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and certain cancers.  In "Vegetarian Diets and Weight Status", Dr. Susan E. Berkow states in the Nutrition Reviews that vegetarians tend to have a lower body weight than non-vegetarians. Vegetarians are 3% to 20% less heavier than their non-vegetarian counterparts.  This information makes complete sense.  The more one cares about what he or she consumes, then he or she will care about his or her health.  You are what you eat, and I eat plant-based products.  I am "vegolving".

The information on weight can be attributed to another fact from her article.  Vegetarians are less likely to become smokers than non-vegetarians.  This is an excellent reason why vegetarians are healthier than omnivores.  Smoking is well-known to be unhealthy.  Also, this is just one more statistic that disproves the stereotypes of vegetarians, and in this case, it disproves that we are all hippies.  However, hippies, in my experience, seem to be pretty cool and chill, but that's for another post in the unforeseeable future.

I have never smoked before in my life.  Growing up around a mother who constantly smoked displayed to me the reality of the dangers of smoking physically, emotionally, and financially.  At an early age,  I told myself that I would never smoke, and I have kept that promise to this day.  Just like the smoking promise, I hopefully will keep the promise of the vegetarian project.

Eat Me.

Today, I failed at being a vegan.  As soon as I walked into my university's cafeteria, my eyes and my stomach went straight for the cheese pizza.  However,  I still have not eaten any meat.

Speaking of meat, I had the pleasant opportunity to survey 20 people on some questions pertaining to my vegetarian project.  Seventeen of the people were males, and there were three females who participated in the survey.  I asked the following five questions.

Q1:  On average, how many servings of meat do you eat in a usual day?

The average of the responses was 2.625 servings.  When I asked this question, I was honestly wondering if the people I surveyed were telling me the truth.  Not on their personalities, it was just the fact that they ate so much less than what I used to eat.  I could easily eat five servings in a day, almost double the average.

Q2:  How many servings of meat do you think is healthy for one day?

The average of the responses was 2.55.  Unfortunately, there were no responses of zeros.  Everyone agreed that having some servings of meat is still healthy.

Q3:  Have you ever tried to become a vegetarian?

Six people replied that they have tried being a vegetarian, and fourteen people have replied that they have not tried being a vegetarian.  Out of the six who have tried, none of them are still vegetarians today.  Once again, I found this to be disappointing.  I could not figure out why they stopped.  Is meat really that tempting?  Are we living in a society where taste buds trump everything else?

Q4:  Do you think the vegetarian's diet is better than the omnivore's diet?

Six people replied that the vegetarian's diet was better than the omnivore's diet, and fourteen said that they did not believe that the vegetarian's diet was better than the omnivore's diet.  The majority would say something like people need protein.  Right, because the only source of protein comes from meat, it does not exist any other meats.  I was so frustrated at the responses I was obtaining.  When I asked people these questions, it was almost like this self-defense mechanism went off.  It was like they internally knew it was wrong, but they were defending their lifestyles in the best way they could.

Q5:  If you became/were still a vegetarian what food group would you consume from the most?

Six people said grains while two people said fats, oils, and sweets.  Four people said vegetables, and eight people responded with fruits.  I asked this question because I have found that my diet consists of a plethora of dairy products.  However, nobody said anything about dairy products.  Over 50% of people said fruits and vegetables, and I think that leads back to question three.  People have this stereotypical image of what vegetarians are which is why I think so many people leave.  Vegetarians are horrible advertisers.  When is the last time you saw an advertisement on the television or newspaper campaigning for vegetarianism?  I have learned that vegetarians must stick up for themselves because their is a world of defensive omnivores ready to consume us.

Vegan?

As a vegetarian, I have noticed a characteristic about my diet that is very interesting.  Most of my meals are usually based around some sort of dairy or egg product.  For instance, most of my meals consist of cheese pizza, cheese and rice tacos, salads filled with eggs and cheddar cheese, vegetarian wraps and burritos, pasta, and cookies.  Dairy and egg products can play a positive or negative role for one's health, and these dairy products sometimes lead to several questions.  Do you consume cheese, eggs, or milk?  Are you fully committed to animal rights considering that you consume dairy?

There is a huge debate going on between vegetarians and vegans.  Vegans do not consume any animal products or by-products such as eggs or milk while vegetarians can consume by-products.  Because animal cruelty can happen from the production of eggs or milk, some vegans might propose that their diets are superior to vegetarian diets.  I have even heard a vegan say that vegetarians are uncommitted and lazy to their dietary ideas.  However, I have to disagree.  Vegetarianism does allow for more options, but we still have our restrictions, and we can be fully committed to our personal and spiritual goals and obligations if we just follow through.  

I want to know what it feels like to be a vegan.  I want to understand the vegan's side of the argument, and I believe the only way I can fully do that is by being a vegan.  I started to choose veganism for my project, but I love food products such as cereal, ice cream, and macaroni and cheese to such an extent that being a vegan for 28 days would be too difficult.  However, I am willing to give those precious food items away, and I can still be a vegan while being a vegetarian thus I will become a vegan for one day.  My followers might think I am crazy for tackling on more than what I have to do, but the idea of understanding veganism instead of attacking it excites me.  Vegetarianism is a beautiful tree with many branches, and tomorrow, I am reaching out to vegans.      

Christian and Vegetarian?

As a Christian and a vegetarian, I obtain strange glares.  Why are you a vegetarian?  God created animals for one purpose, to eat.  Is that not what we are constantly being told?  I have found that nothing could be farther from the truth.  Although the Bible does not state anywhere that being or not being a vegetarian is a sin, it does not mean that humans still have the spiritual right to treat animals terribly.  Note, I am not saying that non-vegetarians are animal abusers.

Michael Morris, a zoologist and professor at the University of Canterbury, is an evangelical and a vegetarian.  He writes on why Christians should be for the rights of animals and debunks the typical excuses of the omnivores of the church.  You can read the full article here.  Morris has done an excellent job of explaining that even though animals do not have souls, they are still created in the image of God.  Morris expounds on the ways that animals are being tortured and killed, and he connects how their deaths are leading to global warming.  However, he concludes by stating that animals are homo sapiens and deserve to be treated as such.

In my last interview, I learned that vegetarianism can be rooted in spirituality.  However, when I started this project, it was, unfortunately, not led by a voice from God or a Bible verse, but just internal desire.  I have learned, however, that the information that I have learned from the past two days has given me this spiritual awakening.  I have became aware that this project is glorifying God.  My misery has become my ministry.

Vegetarianism Intertwined With Spirituality?

I have finally interviewed my resident assistant, and he has chosen to remain anonymous.  Here it is.

Q:  What is vegetarianism?

A:  It is a lifestyle associated with eating foods that are not made from animals.  It is also associated with hippies

Q:  Are you a vegetarian?

A:  Yes, I am.

Q:  How long have you been a vegetarian?

A:  Almost ten months.

Q: Why did you become a vegetarian?

A:  I became a vegetarian to become closer to God.

Q:  What motivates you to stay a vegetarian.

A:  I am obeying God by finishing the course.

Q:  What are some struggles you have had?

A:  Great question!  I was living overseas in a culture where being a vegetarian is not culturally accepted.  The other reason is that often the public is not vegetarian friendly.  I have had strange looks from people.  You are a red blooded male, not a hippie or weird animal activist.

Q:  What characteristics of vegetarianism do you like?

A:  I like that it is healthy.  I have only been sick once in 10 months.  I have to also be creative with my food choices, and it has expanded my realm of food possibilities.

Q:  What characteristics do you dislike?

A:  I dislike that its difficult to eat in certain places, and it is associated with other lifestyles that I haven't chosen.  

Q:  Can you be more specific with the spiritual realm?

A:  The Biblical model for being a vegetarian is that you can be a vegetarian and a Christian, but you can still have them not related.  I am fasting from certain foods.  For me, I was having dialogue with the Lord, and I had an agreement where I would do anything for the Lord.  I heard the Lord tell me to give up sweets and meats.  

Q:  Is there any advice you could give me for pushing forward as a vegetarian?

A:  It is good to have a goal.  You have to have purpose with whatever you are doing.  Make sure you are revisiting why you are doing what you are doing?  Find good foods, recipes, and hummus!