Well Kid,
I know just how ya feel. Ya reads about CAD, atherosclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, the lack of respect that Germans get on the beach and ya wonder, what can I do? So ya think about a vegetarian existence. You've heard the old jokes, the one that says the word is originally from the Sioux language and means "no good hunter", you've considered the consequences of diabetes, the glaucoma, macular degeneration, the paralysis. Then you say to yourself. Maybe Lent isn't long enough. Maybe I need more recipes. Well, Kid, I found 'em, just for you. There here:
amazon.com
This is a really interesting one, because Ornish has been at this game for a very long time and he realized two things. The first is that a vegetarian diet that feels like a deprivation isn't going to last very long. So he went out and found some of the best chefs in the country and put together a fantastically varied list of menus. Many of which mere mortals can prepare. And he stresses that, and this is the biggie, the crux in the American diet isn't meat, it's fat. I subscribe to this view. As with the Pritikin diet, which was popular a generation ago, the Ornish scheme calls for less than 10% of total calories from fat. The body truly needs about 3-5%. The average American diet has about 40% of calories from fat, TEN TIMES what we really need. No wonder we're obese. I've read this book and it make a ton of sense to me. YMMV. :)
So, the scale of vegetarianism
1)Macrobiotic - Whacko cult diet of the '70's led to massive jaundiced populations on communes on the West Coast.
2)Vegan - Strictly limited to plant foods.
3)Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian - Vegetarian with some dairy and eggs
4)Pseudo-Vegetarian - Fish and Chicken are OK
5)Fruitarians - Dick Gregory was a prime example, this gives the best Biafran look possible. Cf. Mariah Carey: "Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean, I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff"
6)Ruuuhl Ammuricans - If it crawls it falls, if it creeps it sleeps, and if it flies it dies. And we eat it all. Lead loading with buckshot? No problem. It's a trace mineral, after all.
Good Luck, Ray :) |
