The Veggie Blog

OK that’s a rhetorical question and we both know that. However, there is a point here that I want to make. I am a born vegetarian (never eaten meat in my life) and owing to that, I have had several conversations (dozens, no hundreds, hey, may be even thousands, yes I AM that crazy of a vegetarian) with several different kinds of people about this topic. My world is divided into 4 kinds of people:

1. Meat eaters debating how they do not believe or understand vegetarians
2. Fellow born-vegetarians/vegans
3. Meat-eaters who converted to be a vegetarian
4. Those that are considering to make the switch

The first 2 categories are pretty boring. They’ve been doing it all their lives. It doesn’t take all that much courage to do what you’ve been raised to do and done forever. I have a lot of respect for the third category of people that actually made the choice to avoid eating meat either for health reasons or because they were conscientious. Hey, if you’ve ever tried sacrificing something that you find pleasurable because it is the right thing to do, you know what I am talking about. THIS IS NOT EASY AT ALL. If you loved eating sweets, let alone quitting all sweets, can you quit eating just donuts? 99% would say no. It takes courage, discipline to make the switch.

I have two colleagues at work who made the switch. The first one was a female who did it in her mid 40’s because she got medical advice that doing so might help get rid of her allergies and improve her health. And she is certainly one of those people that sticks to it once she makes the decision to switch. Before the switch, her allergies were so bad she was told she may not even survive more than a few years. After a few years into quitting meat, she not only got completely cured of her allergies but feels that her overall health had dramatically improved. She is now in her early 50’s but looks more like 40.

The million dollar question. Can this happen to anyone? Well, I believe that avoiding meat can certainly have long-term health benefits but I personally have no data to prove it. However, avoiding meat is obviously not the only thing one needs to do to stay healthy. A vegetarian that eats donuts all day, drinks 14 cups of coffee and 8 bottles of coke every day and eats fried appetizers for breakfast lunch and dinner and I bet this guy or gal will be 300 pounds in no time. So, it really is only a piece of the puzzle. For some, it can be a very crucial one though.

The other guy at work who quit meat actually did so for no real apparent reason. Just stopped the meat one fine day. He did mention that he hopes this will improve his health, but that wasn’t his primary reason. He is THE only person I know who did that. He has been a vegetarian for almost a year now. But he says his weight has not reduced and neither does he know if he feels and healthier than earlier. He weighs around 200 lbs and wasn’t really unhealthy earlier either. His example shows that you don’t necessarily lose weight by quitting meat.

Anyway, I know that a lot of people have asked me these questions. Tons of people will tell you different things. But these are two examples of people that I have had close contact with and seen over the years. Whether you choose to quit meat or not is your call, but this hopefully gave you some perspective.

For the benefit of those that are not from India, or from a cricket-playing nation, Ishant Sharma is a member of the Indian cricket team that recently beat the world-champions Australia at thier home-turf without breaking a sweat. Ishaant had a major contribution in this effort, and took 14 wickets in the series with an average just above 20.

Now this post is not about how good Ishaant did. It’s about his coach’s comments that he wants Ishaant to eat meat to put on some bulk.

http://sify.com/sports/fullstory.php?id=14618614

I find that disturbing. I guess he has no idea that noone really needs to eat meat. Take a look at  vegetarian body builder Mike Mahler’s comments in his site:

One of the biggest problems that people tell me about on a vegan diet is the difficulty in gaining muscle. They usually state that they could not find enough high calorie sources to consume to put on weight rapidly and got discouraged. The bottom line is that they were not consuming enough protein and fat. To gain weight rapidly, eat 1-1.5 grams of protein for each lb of lean bodyweight. Thus, if you weigh 200lbs and have 10% bodyfat, eat 190 to 285 grams of protein per day, every day. Start off on the lower end of the scale and work your way up.

Next, get an ample supply of quality fats in your diet. Almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and pistachios, are all high quality sources and are loaded with both protein and fat. Also, add a tablespoon of flaxseed oil to your salads and protein shakes. Next, unlike the weight loss advice, eat several servings of rice, potatoes, and bread. The key to gaining weight rapidly is an abundance of calories. Thus, do not hold back and have 6-7 high quality meals a day. Also consider having a protein shake before and after workout as well as before bedtime. When you go shopping load up on tofu, tempeh, lentils, avocadoes, nuts and seeds, and high calorie fruits such as bananas, tropical fruits, and try adding some coconut milk to your routine as well.

SO, there you go Mr. Coach, ask Ishaant to be what he believes in and guide him on what he needs to do on the field instead of coaching him about changing his diet. Well, at least that’s my opinion.