Vegetarian/Vegan Diet for climbers?

Post by **squeezindlemmon** » Mon May 10, 2004 12:55 pm

KD wrote:and that place at the New - i don't recall the name right off but it is in a refurbished chapel. Great food at both places.

Cathedral Cafe

Post by **Meadows** » Mon May 10, 2004 2:31 pm

Yasmeen wrote: I have one glass of soy milk a day, have been doing that for 1.5 years, and I'm doing just fine. Anyway, I'm not a professional... all this stuff is either speculation or a compilation of things I've read over the past couple of years. .

Yas, you're so young though so any issues with lack of calcium won't show up now, unless you cut it out completely you'll see the repurcussions.
Doctors will tell you that women should get between 1000-1500 mg of calcium per day albeit from dairy, soy, supplements, fortified food. Considering the research done on bone density and osteoporosis, you might want to consider a little more than a glass.

Post by **Yasmeen** » Mon May 10, 2004 9:04 pm

That's good to know, Meadows-- thanks. I'll start paying attention and see how much I actually take in throughout the day. I know soy milk isn't my only source of calcium... I always have yogurt and usually cheese throughout the day.

Post by **MiaRock** » Mon May 10, 2004 9:13 pm

I was veggie for 5 years for ethical reasons, and I was terrible. I lived on cheese, bean burritos and french fries (most of which aren't actually vegetarian). I dislike most common veggies (i detest corn, peas, carrots and lettuce) plus i hate to cook so it was not a healthy choice for me.

However if you are super dedicated and careful about getting a good variety of foods in your diet you should be fine. Just don't be an idiot like me and just eat meat-free crap.

I am now a full carnivore again and though I still feel bad about eating animals I feel I am much healthier for it.

Post by **Spragwa** » Mon May 10, 2004 9:47 pm

I'm a psuedo-vegetarian, meaning that I eat fish, eggs, loads of cheese and drink moo juice. I talked to a dietician who told me that with my activity level, 45-50 grams of protein taken intermittently throughout the day was more than sufficient for my lifestyle. Also, a fantastic way to get extra calcium is to eat the calcium chews they rock! I don't eat them like I should though.

Post by **tomdarch** » Tue May 11, 2004 12:48 am

I was tempted to chime in on this thread (and somehow I think I may have said something similar in a previous tread, but I'm too lazy to do a search). I was going to point out that you don't need to go 100% veggie. I'm an even more psuedo-vegitarian than Sprag. I'll eat pig, birds, cows etc. just not that often. If I go a few days without eating any dead animal, it isn't unusual. I had cereal for breakfast, tofu pad-thai for lunch and I'll be having pizza with some vegitarians for dinner (so no pepperoni!). Will I eat any meat tomorrow? I have no idea.

For people who find meat gross or have moral objections to factory raising animals, then killing them and chopping them into bits for our (unnecessary) consuption, then this isn't a good approach. But for folks like me who enjoy meat, but know that producing huge quantities of meat is environmentally very harmful, and eating lots of meat has lots of negative health consequences, then cutting back my meat consumption makes sense (and I don't miss it).

Post by **Spragwa** » Tue May 11, 2004 2:40 am

Yeah, I forgot to mention that I don't have a moral objection to meat...I just think it's dagnasty. My family raises cattle. I've seen my aunt's swing chickens around by their heads and pop their knecks off on a fence post. We never went to the farms during slaughter season though because mama thinks it's icky. Apparently during slaughter season, for miles around the air hangs so heavy with the coppery smell of blood and guts that you can taste it on her tongue. She claims that she could even taste it in her sleep.

Post by **dipsi** » Tue May 11, 2004 4:18 am

I have a cousin who was born vegitarian. Her mother could never get her to eat meat of any kind. She does drink milk and eat cheese, but has never had meat in her mouth that she didn't immediately spit out. It's fun to go to McDonald's with her and listen to her order a Big Mac with no meat! I'm a pseudo vegitarian as well limiting my meat to fowl and fish and an occasional BLT, but every now and again, I want a rare steak or cheeseburger. Can't help it, it is the carnivor in me.

Post by **jefflehmkuhl** » Thu May 13, 2004 7:56 pm

I have a friend or two that are veegan and it all seems like too much work. If I wasn't supossed to eat meat, then God wouldn't have made animals taste so yummy!

Post by **dipsi** » Fri May 14, 2004 3:33 am

Oh by the way, I used to own a livestock market. I know from whence cometh your Big Mac............