First, here's a brief look at the different levels of vegetarianism:
A Flexitarian is a person who eats meat but incorporates vegetarian meals into their diet regularly.
A Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian is a person who does not eat any meat or fish, but does eat dairy and eggs and other animal byproducts. A Lacto-Vegetarian still consumes dairy, but not eggs. An Ovo-Vegetarian eats eggs, but not dairy.
A pescatarian is a person who does not eat meat like beef or pork, but does include fish as part of their diet. They also include dairy/eggs and other animal byproducts.
A Macrobiotic person will sometimes eat fish, but no other meat. Their diet is mostly vegan but includes many grains and sea vegetables and they limit consumption of some (nightshade) vegatables. This diet is based more on a philosohpy of yin and yang foods...which sounds hokey, but if you take the time to learn about what yin and yang represent in foods, it makes sense.
A Vegan is a person who, for either health, animal rights or environmental reasons, does not consume any animal products or byproducts at all. That includes meat, eggs, dairy, honey, certain dyes (did you know they use bug juice....seriously....squeezed bugs to create red dyes?....yuck!).
A Raw Foodist will not cook their food. They use creative methods for 'cooking' that include sprouting grains, nuts and seeds, dehydrating food, blending, mixing and more. Nothing is ever heated past a certain degree (the degree remains debateable among raw foodists. Usually between 104-118 degrees) as to not destroy the active enzymes present in raw food. A raw foodist is generally vegan, or Raw Vegan; But some do consume raw meat, fish and raw dairy.
I eat the way I do for health reasons. Not because I need to. It's preventative. I am not an aninal rights activist, although after eating this way for so long and knowing what I do about the food insustry, you tend to become a far more compassionate person and although Ive always been an animal lover, you wont find me running naked in the streets protesting fur. I will not give up my Louis Vuitton handbag without a serious fight and as much as I disapprove, my husband hunts and I will not be the bitchy wife that expects him to change his ways after being married for years. I do not, however, fit perfectly into any of the above categories. (The story of my life, lol). Being Vegan does not make you healthy. White flour, preservatives and other unnatural and unhealthy foods that are not derived from animals are still technically part of the vegan diet; But I do not consume these. I do eat some fish, on occasion...and only certain types of fish, mostly sustainably harvested. I make very few exceptions with my diet. Here's the general breakdown:
What I DON'T EATBeef, Pork, Poultry, etc
Dairy
Eggs
White flour
Refined Sugar
Artificial Flavorings/Dyes
Artificial Sweetners
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)
What I DO EATVeggies
Fruits
Grains
Beans/Legumes
What I LIMITFish - Only fish that are found to have low mercury levels and do not contain artificial color. Also, I try to only eat fish that are sustainably harvested.
Sugar - Only organic unrefined sugar. Ok, ok....so I definately don't limit this like I should, but I am trying!
To explain the Why's could fill up a book. (What a great idea!) I am starting this blog to many reasons. First of all, I am asked all the time for advice and recipes from friends and family. Here, I have a platform to preach all my health preach-iness that I am so passionate about. Second of all, its the first step to my bucket list, which will hopefully be to eventually collect enough of my own recipes to write a book. Third, I like to bitch. I need an outlet.
So, for now, that's me. Thats what I eat.
0 comments:
Post a Comment