Excellent book, a revelation.

“People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored."

We no longer eat any animal protein including fish.

Made up words like pescevegetarian aren't accepted by true vegetarians but I understand what you are doing. I applaud your efforts to adopt a healthier diet. I think as you continue your reading you will decide to remove sea animals from your diet as well.

Conforming to a word isn't a goal. A more healthy diet is, and a vegetarian diet is healthier than a "eat anything" diet, even if it includes fish. Giving it a name isn't a crime. It just helps describe what you eat. Maybe no fish is even better, but that is a personal choice. I include milk and eggs in my vegetarian diet.

Funny cartoon, ties in perfectly with your Friday post.

Really enjoying your posts :)

You can take my cheesesteak from my cold, dead, hands. And if that's earlier than it would be were we talking about a veggie wrap, so be it.

"I'll have a cheeseburger and fries."

I am a lacto-orvo-pesce-carno-vegetarian and loving it!

LOL! Perfect cartoon! Glad to hear you are adjusting to the unusual food stuff. I will be interested to read about your next attempt at the "dreaded" brown rice. You are too funny!

I am wondering why you started doing this. Was it because a doctor told you to cut out meats? Or was it based on wanting to protect animals or something like that? I know PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) advocates Vegetarianism as a way to protect animals. Or was it something else?

It would be really hard for me to give up meat AND eggs AND milk. Aren't you having any problems going without? It sounds like you are doing it cold turkey (Hey I made a pun!)

You make it sound easier than I recall it being when we tried it. Maybe we went about it wrong or something. Reading about your experience makes me think about trying it again. Maybe with the fish for starters. Anyway, if your wife posts some recipes, we might try them and who knows?

It does sound like giving up meats, dairy and eggs would be healthy IF you can get enough calcium, protein and vitamins without them and IF the author gives definitive proof that eating those things is really that bad for you.

But how do you get motivated enough to do all the extra work? And how can you stand no steaks, burgers, eggs, cheese, milk (which seems like the basics of our diet)? We would have to be really motivated to make that kind of commitment.

Consider also "quasi-vegetarian".

Speaking as a CONFIRMED Omnivore, I point out that I have canine teeth for a reason. To tear food. Not much need for those teeth to tear lettuce or chew pasta. I'm pretty sure that natural selection suggested that I'm best suited to a varied diet. We eat meat. We eat vegetables. We eat dairy from the moment we're born.
We are DESIGNED for a omnivorous diet. Our bodies are designed to process those foods and extract nutrients from them.

The secret here is "all things in moderation". I don't want a steak every night anymore than I want a salad every night. But I enjoy good food, whatever it is..

My brudda, you give the "out" that you reserve the right to an occasional steak or burger....and by that statement alone you accept that a varied diet is both acceptable and desirable.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a healthy diet. I eat healthy most of the time. I'll eat veggie burgers, soy and no meat dinners often, but denying your body of it's natural inclinations is not healthy. Further, denying yourself the joys of good food in all of it's variations is criminal.

Nuff said. It's time for lunch.

Uh oh. A grumpy meat eater has come out of his cave to defend his personal dietary choices. ;)

Hmmm . . teeth aren't just for tearing meat. And mother's milk is not the same as cow's milk. And being a vegetarian isn't denying oneself the joys of good food or a varied diet. It's just a healthier diet. Calm down!

Sociology 101: People are not satisfied to just engage in behavior but also need to believe that what they do is good or right. And some people respond with defensiveness, intolerance, or hostility towards the other, interpreting the other's behavior as calling their own into question (See "Michael's" post above).

Personal dietary choices aimed at pursuing a healthy lifestyle are not "criminal" because they differ from those of another. The thread is one person's foray into veg*nism, not an assault on omnivorism. IMHO Michael is defending a wall not under attack, which may say more about him than the topic.

I'm not grumpy!! I'm in full support of a healthy diet in all of it's forms and I applaud anybody's efforts to eat better. However, I feel I'm genetically pre-disposed to utilize the tools that my body has given me. My CANINE teeth (Ted) are not just to fill in the spaces of my smile. They are there because of design. I'm very aware of mother's milk versus cows milk, but I challenge anyone here to tell me they didn't have dairy of some sort, growing up barring lactose intolerance, which I know is the case with Dawn, Doug's wife.

I eat healthy. But, I was also raised in an area where I shot my own venison in my front yard and REALLY enjoy a good cut of meat when I can. As I said, all things in moderation. As a lover of all foods, (ok, maybe not brussel sprouts..), I just feel a "balanced" diet, based on what our bodies are designed for is the best course of action. I had a salad for lunch. I'll have meat for dinner. I will enjoy both and my body, designed to handle both will love me for it. THAT'S my point.

Wow...
Ok, NOW, I'm getting defensive and intolerant...and maybe just a bit hostile, Sherman.

Can't we all just get along and make love? Wouldn't some MacRibs and Fosters taste good about now?

I am happy we are all eating healthy according to our own beliefs, but I am at least interested in how their experiment without meat goes. I am always open to new ideas if they are good for my family. I know fast food is bad for us and have cut if from our diet. No sodas either, we drink water, propel and decaf coffee. So if there is a way to improve on that and my family likes it, I am all ears.

Lawrence: As I said in my earlier posts, we're reading "The China Study" and decided to give some of the author's recommendations a try. We haven't finished reading it, but he doesn't appear to advocate an "official" dietary program but rather that we omit or eat foods according to the findings in the study. So far, that includes eliminating meat and increasing plants, fruit and whole grains (fiber.) He will most likely address other foods in subsequent chapters (I hope he doesn't recommend completely eliminating fish!). Meanwhile, we're enjoying trying new things. Some recipes have been delicious, others not so much, but all have been fun.

Harmond: Getting motivated hasn't been a problem, probably because we've made it kind of a fun "adventure" (and because my wife has been great about finding interesting recipes for us to try.) We don't look at it as a life changing event and, surprisingly, we haven't really missed chicken, eggs and dairy like we thought we might. In my case, I worried I would miss occasional steaks or buffalo burgers, but so far that hasn't been a problem. Dawn worried she'd miss cheese but so far so good.

I should point out that we aren't telling anyone they should or shouldn't try this. I'm just sharing our experiences along the way.

Doug

Thanks!!