I have been a meat eater all my life and while I have been aware there are some abusive practices in our "factory farms", I must be honest that I have largely put it out of my mind until a friend sent me a video that has me really re-thinking my choices in food buying/ eating.

I don't think I could ever totally give up meat, but I would really like to look seriously at ways to not support these abusive factory farms. I am just finishing up the insurance hurdles now, and hope to be setting a date for surgery soon- but this has me wondering how I could get the right dense Protein going vegan.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Note: some of the footage is extremely graphic!

Oh my god!! That is HORRIBLE!!!

Another good movie to watch that will make you eat nothing but organic foods is called food, Inc.... A MUST see!! :puke4:

Have you tried buying from a local butcher who gets his/her meats from local farmers? You would avoid the "mass" produced meats. You can look into soy products. I eat meat but sometimes I substitue in veggie ground round which has plenty of protein. Nuts, legumes, beans all sorts of "non-meat" sources have protein.

Have you tried buying from a local butcher who gets his/her meats from local farmers? You would avoid the "mass" produced meats. You can look into soy products. I eat meat but sometimes I substitue in veggie ground round which has plenty of Protein. Nuts, legumes, Beans all sorts of "non-meat" sources have protein.

Not yet, but that is on my list to do. I'm not sure about Soy, may try it- but it never has sounded very appealing to eat/ drink. May have to see what improvements have been made in the taste.

I have a vegan friend that had VSG and her staples are tempeh and seitan for Protein along with tofu, and Beans. She does watch her soy intake. She eats a lot of veggie, organic burgers. In the recipe forum, when I was having issues with meat, I went to her and asked her for seitan and tempeh recipes. I loaded all of them into a topic in the recipe forum.

I'm a meat eater, always will be. But, seitan was a good option when meat just didn't work for me.

I have a vegan friend that had VSG and her staples are tempeh and seitan for Protein along with tofu, and Beans. She does watch her soy intake. She eats a lot of veggie, organic burgers. In the recipe forum, when I was having issues with meat, I went to her and asked her for seitan and tempeh recipes. I loaded all of them into a topic in the recipe forum.

I'm a meat eater, always will be. But, seitan was a good option when meat just didn't work for me.

Thanks TIffkins, I'll look in the recipe section. I don't know honestly how tofu and such tastes but may give it a try. I'll check that out, thanks for responding!

Thanks TIffkins, I'll look in the recipe section. I don't know honestly how tofu and such tastes but may give it a try. I'll check that out, thanks for responding!

Seitan, tempeh and tofu all absorb whatever flavors you put in them. Kind of like mushrooms, for me mushrooms have zero taste, but it's a texture thing. The meat alternatives are the say way. Especially if you add Asian flare to the meat substitutes for me, they tasted just like the chicken versions, just a different texture.

Im a vegetarian, and do eat some eggs and dairy, however I have become lactose intolerant, so the milk product are minimal right now. I like tofu, but its pretty bland out of the box, find good recipes with yummy sauces. I make seitan and this kind of product is high Protein and does fill up the sleeve nicely. It can be done! I don't want to contribute to the meat industry either. There are good ground "beef" products in the refer section in Supermarkets, Soyrizo, dry TVP (texturized vegetable protein) which soaks up great flavor when cooked, You can also get "chicken" powdered broth that can jazz up Soup and such with a chicken flavor.

just found this link with some ideas... I have used most of these and they are really good. They are not meat, but close enough for me.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/460945/top_10_vegetarian_meat_substitutes.html?cat=5

Im a vegetarian, and do eat some eggs and dairy, however I have become lactose intolerant, so the milk product are minimal right now. I like tofu, but its pretty bland out of the box, find good recipes with yummy sauces. I make seitan and this kind of product is high Protein and does fill up the sleeve nicely. It can be done! I don't want to contribute to the meat industry either. There are good ground "beef" products in the refer section in Supermarkets, Soyrizo, dry TVP (texturized vegetable protein) which soaks up great flavor when cooked, You can also get "chicken" powdered broth that can jazz up soup and such with a chicken flavor.

just found this link with some ideas... I have used most of these and they are really good. They are not meat, but close enough for me.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/460945/top_10_vegetarian_meat_substitutes.html?cat=5

I have been a meat eater all my life and while I have been aware there are some abusive practices in our "factory farms", I must be honest that I have largely put it out of my mind until a friend sent me a video that has me really re-thinking my choices in food buying/ eating.

I don't think I could ever totally give up meat, but I would really like to look seriously at ways to not support these abusive factory farms. I am just finishing up the insurance hurdles now, and hope to be setting a date for surgery soon- but this has me wondering how I could get the right dense Protein going vegan.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Note: some of the footage is extremely graphic!

Oh my God that video is very disturing, I can understand people who decide to become vegetarians

Vegan diet is pretty hard to stick with, and I think it'd be extra tough to not become malnourished on it after getting your sleeve. There are some high-protein vegan foods like beans, chickpeas, tofu, etc, but you have to eat a lot of them to get enough protein, and you couldn't eat very much after your sleeve. So you'd have to drink lots of soy protein shakes to make sure you are not low on protein. If you've never been vegetarian or vegan, I think a good place to start would be to buy your animal products at the local farmer's market or Whole Foods and gently phase them out of your diet until you become a vegetarian. Some things are quite easy to replace (e.g. milk with soy or almond milk - the difference in taste and texture is not that great), but the toughest thing, IMO, is with processed food - that includes breads, pastas, frozen meals, protein bars, protein powders, etc. SO many processed/prepared foods have animal products in them, whether it's eggs, whey, or gelatin. I would venture into a health food store (Whole Foods, Planet Organic) and see what animal-free prepackaged foods they have. A 100% vegan diet is very tough to follow, but you can always get as close as possible and make that the few animal products you do consume come from ethical sources.

I am a vegetarian (no surgery yet...3 days away!) and have attempted veganism a few times. I did not watch that clip, but I imagine it is from the film Earthlings which is an excellent movie and one I think anyone who wants to eat animals should watch. I am a firm believer in the concept of knowing what impact you are really having on the planet. If you want to eat meat, know where it came from and what that animal has to go through in order to feel your gut.

If you want to continue to eat meat, but do so in a more ethical (and environmentally) friendly manner, there are a number of options for you. As someone mentioned, contact your local farms. I am lucky in that my local Whole Foods gets a lot of products (milk, cheese, and meat too I assume) from local farms. Here at the University, there is a program which teaches proper butchering and the cuts which are not cut to perfection are sold at a discounted rate. Those cows live a pretty decent life here on campus.

Big thing: Go to your farmers market. This will be your best asset to getting good quality and ethical products. They are locally made and therefore decrease your ecological footprint. But, since these are typically smaller operations, the owners don't have the same pressure to hoard 300 cows into a space big enough for 50.

Also, look at getting involved in a CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture). Weekly deliveries of veggies, fruit and sometimes meats if those farms are involved too, can be a great.

Hope that helps. I would suggest being a vegetarian for a while post-op (meaning, eating eggs and dairy products). Baby steps. Even take it slower..just phase out beef first. Then chicken and/or pig. And eventually fish and seafood. I did it all at once and that worked for me. But most people find it easier to progress in stages.

I am a vegetarian (no surgery yet...3 days away!) and have attempted veganism a few times. I did not watch that clip, but I imagine it is from the film Earthlings which is an excellent movie and one I think anyone who wants to eat animals should watch. I am a firm believer in the concept of knowing what impact you are really having on the planet. If you want to eat meat, know where it came from and what that animal has to go through in order to feel your gut.

If you want to continue to eat meat, but do so in a more ethical (and environmentally) friendly manner, there are a number of options for you. As someone mentioned, contact your local farms. I am lucky in that my local Whole Foods gets a lot of products (milk, cheese, and meat too I assume) from local farms. Here at the University, there is a program which teaches proper butchering and the cuts which are not cut to perfection are sold at a discounted rate. Those cows live a pretty decent life here on campus.

Big thing: Go to your farmers market. This will be your best asset to getting good quality and ethical products. They are locally made and therefore decrease your ecological footprint. But, since these are typically smaller operations, the owners don't have the same pressure to hoard 300 cows into a space big enough for 50.

Also, look at getting involved in a CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture). Weekly deliveries of veggies, fruit and sometimes meats if those farms are involved too, can be a great.

Hope that helps. I would suggest being a vegetarian for a while post-op (meaning, eating eggs and dairy products). Baby steps. Even take it slower..just phase out beef first. Then chicken and/or pig. And eventually fish and seafood. I did it all at once and that worked for me. But most people find it easier to progress in stages.

Thank you, those are some good tips. I will do some research on the CSA. I do live in the country, and will have to figure out if there are any folks who do local butchering. The ones around me I know just sell their cows at the local auctions which then end up wherever...

Thank you!