anonymousff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > After many years of following a primarily vegetarian diet I have > blimped out with no end in sight. It's clear that the grains, startchy > veggies, beans will keep packing the pounds on my already not small >frame. > > So, after much research I am now adding some form of meat to my diet > twice daily, 3-4 ounces each time. ... > I'd really be interested in hearing from others who gave up their > vegetarian diet and added meat back in their diet.
I went through the same thing some years ago -- figuring out that rice and beans and veggies were not an ideal diet -- though the doctor, Rothenberg?, at the LA av place told me, "excellent diet, thats all you need" I read a lot, got into the theory behind zone and atkins, tried a lot of high protein and "protein adequate" (a zone phrase) food combinations. And researched food compostions pretty deeply --created a large spreadsheet dumping data from dept ag data base (excellent food composition source). One thing I was able to confirm is that you can get all the protein, of the right type, from a veg diet. There are 8 amino acids that your body can't produce, and things like tofu and milk -- combined with healthy servings of vegetables ( vegs have protein too, just fairly "diluted relative to their mass) gives an amino acid mix similar to meat. After 30 years or so, I played with eating eggs, chicken, fish, but no red meat. One issue with fish is the surprisingly high mercury levels, so I abandoned eating that regularly. Though all animal products have their curse (perhaps literally) -- hormones in chickens etc. And I cut way down on carbs -- I gave up, for the most part, grains and beans. And things like honey (I have not used sugar since my teens -- except in specialty things once in a while). And I cut way down on fruit. I think the problem with a ru diet is not the lack of protein but the high level of carbs which do lots of damage to your system over time. People switch to meat thinking their problem is low protein when its really high carbs. You need about 50-60 grams of protein /day if you lead a "normal life" - athletes in training need 100 or so. And need varies by sex, size etc. Actually protein need is not a settled area. The UN I think sets levels at 30-40. The tests for protein deficiency are bsed on testing nitrogen levels -- and some studies have shown a total rice diet did not bring subjects into protein deficiency. Lots of people eat more protein than they need, which is just then used as calories. Eating "adequate protein" is a good target. If you have acess to good firm fresh tofu, i find it a good source. Some tofu in supermarkets is horrible stuff. But most healthfood stores carry reasonable to good stuff. I bake mine at low heat -- 200 or so, until it turns a light golden brown. It becomes delicious this way -- IMO, can then be easily slice -- very thin if you want, add to stir fry, etc, and keeps a very long time. Good firm tofu provides about 5 grams of protein / oz. (Look at pacakge, it varies by producer and desnity). So 8 oz of tofu divided between meals (2-3 oz / meal) plus a couple of cups for milk (9g prot/cup) gives you 58 grams / day. And if you eat healthy servings of vegetables (not beans or squashes, but greens, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, celery, etc) you can pick up an extra 10 grams of p. / day -- plus all the other benefits of fresh vegetables. So even 6 oz of tofu, one cup of milk, and lots of fresh veggies will give you 50 grams of good quality protein. No need for meat if you have ethical, ecological or other misgivings about it. I tend to mix it up -- I have added 1 free-range no-hormone eggs to my diet per day (6g) (or so), 4-8 oz firm tofu (20-40 g), a bit of low fat cheese (5-10g), a couple of cups of skim milk (in coffee and tea mostly) (18 g) , a skinless chicken breast once in a while (20-30 g). A few nuts now and then -- not regualrly -- too heavy for me. And lots of fresh vegies (10 g), and fruit only as an occasional treat. The protein to carb ratio of such exceeds the zone, but is not as drastic as atkins. And protion size is critical. I generally eaten good foods - but too much of anything is bad. Try eating half the portion size as "normal" for a week and see if you feel ok. And fasting once a week -- i did that regualry on thursday in my TMO days, i have found to be a great habit. And extending the fast the second (even thrid day) if I feel good. hope this helps. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
