Vegetarian living is more than the elimination of food types. I spent some time today looking at vegetarian magazines, books, and websites. One thing that immediately jumps out is the lifestyle that seems to permeate this sort of eating choice. When I read the “Letters” section of many of the magazines, the readers write about how they grow much of what they eat and how much of what they grow make it into their daily meals – if not becoming the sole source of their daily intake.
In addition, there’s also an extensive vocabulary that is imbedded in this meat-free lifestyle. Words and phrases like: environmentally responsible, sustainable, tofu, garden, snip, dehydrator, homegrown, herbs, scent, homemade, grape leaves, tabbouleh, aioli, chutney, farmer’s market, certified organic, unfiltered, gluten free, no preservatives, raw, and many more are repeatedly passing throughout information concerning vegetarianism.
Beyond the fact that the vocabulary and lifestyle seems so foreign to me, it also overwhelms me. It seems like it requires an enormous amount of time, effort, and responsibility. How does one accomplish it? There’s so much that already has to get done and rarely does a day go by when everything on the checklist has gotten crossed off. If you add chores like: till the soil, weed the garden, pick the tomatoes, clean up the dirt that was tracked in after weeding the garden, compost the bad produce, churn the compost pile, get rid of the critters (naturally, of course) that are attracted to the compost pile, snip the herbs, dehydrate your excess, visit that farmer’s market after you found that this one didn’t have what you were looking for…I need a nap before I even start my first day.
Which brings me to my next topic. Other than being hungry and too busy each day to sustain this decision…I have very vague anticipations as to what to expect from the results of this process. In my limited research today I found a number of benefits touted for the vegetarian diet:
- Weight Loss
- Longer Life
- Increased Energy
- Cured Sleep Apnea
- It’s Easy
The weight loss referred to vegetarians who follow a low-fat variation. Not to mention the fact that vegetarians consume no animal fat (does this only include vegetarians who also eliminate dairy from their diet?) and less cholesterol. – Joel Fuhrman , MD
For the longer life claim, among other examples and medical reasons including high fiber intake and a more antioxidant fortified diet, the Okinawans from Japan
Increased energy reportedly comes from the reduction of fat in a vegetarian’s bloodstream. Too much fat causes less blood to flow which results in less oxygen to the muscles.
The assertion concerning sleep apnea – I’m still looking into this one! Jamie will do a double back flip if this one turns out as stated.
The easy-breezy…I’m not buying yet. I’ll have to see it to believe it. The claim is based on the fact that products are readily available and restaurants have become vegetarian friendly. I still imagine difficulty in finding the ingredients, storing perishables and using them before they rot, and preparing meals throughout the day to be problematic.
I found a couple of online communities today that I joined for my continued education and personal encouragement.
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