There are three main types of vegetarians: Ovo-lacto, or those who include dairy and eggs; lacto, just dairy, no eggs; and vegan, no animal products at all including honey and clothing made from skins/fur (or any other parts) of animals.
People who eat fish and chicken are not vegetarian. Fish and chickens are not vegetation.
Now, vegetarians and vegans can be broken down into groups. First are the ones who don't eat the flesh of animals for the sake of the animals. Then, there are the ones who are doing it for their personal health.
What I have found is the people who are concerned about the animals, for the most part, tend not to have as healthy a food program as those who focus on themselves, first.
I've found that people, who focused on animal welfare, drank alcohol, ate sugar (note: the bones of animals are used to process sugar), caffeine, many smoke and didn't care whether their rice was white or brown. The quality of the food was rarely an issue. It could be highly processed, homogenized, pasteurized, heated and filtered. Many of these people seem to be overfed and undernourished as most Americans are.
Now, I've also found that many people who have chosen a vegetarian diet considering their health first, still might smoke and often drink caffeine and alcohol. So here, we break down the category even more. Those who drink alcoholic beverages, those who don't; those who smoke and those who don't; and those who do no drugs at all including caffeine.
Some people view focusing on yourself first, as selfish. My feeling is, when people focus on their health first, they win; the animals that aren't tortured and slaughtered for the food industry, win; and the environment wins, also. Sounds like a win-win-win situation to me.
Breaking down the category even more are the raw-food vegetarians. Why raw foods?
If, for no other reason, they taste, look and feel better. Second, and most importantly - the enzymes. When food is cooked, most of the naturally occurring enzymes are destroyed which forces the pancreas to work harder to secrete the enzymes needed to digest the food. Is it any wonder that diabetes is so rampant in this country? Do you think with all the work the pancreas has to do, it might be a bit overworked, stressed and tired?
Now, why are enzymes so important? Their function is to detoxify, repair and assist in the proper functioning of the endocrine glands and other vital organs. They are also responsible for every other biological thing our bodies do.
When we eat raw foods, the enzymes are already there in the foods, which means the pancreas can sit back and relax a bit.
You may have noticed that only humans eat cooked foods. All other animals eat their foods raw unless we humans give them cooked and processed foods in which case they often have digestive (and other "human") problems -- which would not occur in the wild.
People who eat a basically raw-food diet have found that many of their physical problems disappear including, digestive dysfunctions, poor skin, mood swings, allergies, inadequate elimination and unsatisfactory weight (too much or too little is out of balance).
Personally, when I went on a mostly raw foods program last year, I eliminated excess fatty tissue, my skin improved along with my energy and I lost cravings for unhealthy foods because I felt so nourished. My theory is, that many people smoke and drink due to some craving or distortion caused by lack of nutrients in their bodies.
If you drink or smoke and want to quit, try the experiment. What can you lose besides a couple of bad habits?
I've included some questions I often hear and my answers to them:
What do you eat?
All fruits, vegetables, sprouted grains, nuts and seeds and sea vegetables.
Where do you get your protein?
All live foods contain protein, even fruit. Let me repeat that -- all live foods, including fruit contain protein. It is virtually impossible for an American today to not get enough protein unless they are on a mono-diet (one food only), drink too much alcohol, are anorexic or bulimic or are subsisting on pastries, chips and other highly processesed "foods." In these cases, these people are not only lacking in protein, they are lacking all nutrients needed to sustain health. How many people do you know who have died from lack of protein? On the other hand, how many people do you know who have or have had, osteoporosis and kidney problems, which stem from an excess of protein?
Someone eating a raw or mostly raw-foods diet, especially if they include sprouted and organic foods and raw fruit and vegetable juices, would be getting more nutrients than any of their counterparts who are eating the Standard American Diet (SAD, isn't it?)
If I don't include dairy, where will I get calcium?
There are many foods in the plant kingdom which are very high in calcium including; raw beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, watercress and turnip greens. Now I've only listed the highest of the high. There are many other vegetables, such as spinach, which contain large quantities of calcium. In the fruits; dates, currents, kumquats, prunes, raisins, rhubarb and tamarinds contain large amounts of calcium. If you add sprouts to this list, you will be getting more than enough calcium. For instance, radish sprouts have 10 times more calcium than a potato and 29 times more vitamin C than milk.
As I said about protein, all living fruits and vegetables have calcium.
And none of the foods listed above are mucous creating or cause arthritis, rheumatism, joint pain or sinus and ear infections. As a matter of fact, people who have gone on a living/raw foods program have found that these maladies and many more, have disappeared.
You mean I have to eat salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner? I already eat salad every day!
No, of course not. Anyone would get tired eating salad all the time. It's very easy to whip up a raw soup containing celery, cucumbers, carrots and any other vegetables you'd like to include, spiced with green and red onions, lemon juice, cumin, turmeric, garlic and ginger and thickened with avocado.
Add to that an almond or sunflower seed pate with celery sticks for dipping; a raw root salad with sesame seed dressing and veggie burgers made with the almond pate and any sprouts you might have handy. Finish off with raw peach/mango pie with a sprouted seed, nut and fruit crust.
Will I have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen?
After you become organized and use to preparing things, you will find that will probably take less time than preparing your usual meals -- unless most of your usual meals come out of a bag.
For instance, it takes about 30 minutes to make a raw pie compared to making the dough, rolling out the dough, preparing the filling and baking.
Or, taking the time to dress to drive to a restaurant, (we're not talking drive-through, here), get seated, peruse the menu, place the order, wait for the food, wait for the dessert, wait for the check, drive home, etc.
If your refrigerator is stocked with pre-made burgers, pate and fresh veggies and sprouts you can whip up a meal and be eating within about a half hour and you can be sure of the quality of the food.
What do I need to get started?
I would suggest a good food processor (at least 11 cups), a juicer and a good blender. You can always add more things and higher quality as you start seeing the benefits this food program is having on yourself and/or your family.
Another benefit of this food program is the savings in time and money from being well. Your children (if you have any) will spend their school time in school and you can use your "sick" days as "well" days.
This is a food program you can live with -- literally. This is not a fad diet to lose weight. It is a lifestyle change. As with any change, go slowly. Find some books specializing in raw-food recipes. Add a few things every few days until you find how easy and simple it is to prepare these foods. You will be amazed at how logical it is to go raw.
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