# Vegan Week Challenge - no, seriously, try it



## one100grand (Jan 14, 2014)

I know a lot of folks will be rolling their eyes or laughing at this idea. I was when my wife introduced this thought to me too, but when I did it, it put a lot of things in perspective for me that are a little alarming.

A little background about the idea - my wife works for a major healthcare organization and as a result is privy to a lot of unusual initiatives that some health nuts suggest. November is apparently Vegan Month (seems awfully hateful to put it amidst the celebration of greatest celebration of gluttony possible) and the folks in her office suite started throwing around the idea of going vegan for a month. Everyone was on board until they realized that it's a long month, so that got shortened to 2 weeks, then ultimately a week. She participated in it and at the end of the week had lost 3 pounds and was feeling very healthy. In December, we decided to take it upon ourselves to try it again and I have to admit that at the end of the week I was feeling pretty healthy and in good spirits - I even learned a few very disturbing things about OJ from Walmart.

So we've decided that for a week every month this year that we are going to be vegan. I want to make you aware that this is a big sacrifice for me - my birthday was recently and I ate pretty much meat and cake all day. 

What vegan means - no meat, no cheese, no animal product whatsoever. I know it sounds pretty ridiculous, but it puts into perspective how many things we eat that involve animal bi-products that probably shouldn't (such as most brands of pickles and OJ from Walmart).

My reasoning for doing this is a combination of health, knowledge, and discipline. I want to improve my health in 2014, I want to learn about the things that I am eating, and I figure if I've got the discipline to forgo eating things I love to eat, what else do I have the discipline to do?

In 2014, my first vegan week will run from 1/20-1/26. I encourage you to join up and try this, even if it's only a day or two, or you could try vegetarian.


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## BassAddict (Jan 14, 2014)

I love vegans, it means more bacon, steak, pork chops and chicken for me!!!!!!


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## one100grand (Jan 14, 2014)

I don't think there's likely to be a shortage of those things due to vegans...


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## Goldfish (Jan 14, 2014)

I also like to know what I eat. That's why I eat what I catch and kill myself as much as possible. I also weigh in at 130lbs when soaking wet, loaded with hunting gear. I don't do anything special to keep weight off, it's just really not hard to eat decently if you make a conscious attempt at it and do things that keep you off your butt


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## JMichael (Jan 14, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338662#p338662 said:


> Goldfish » Today, 14:17[/url]"]I also like to know what I eat. That's why I eat what I catch and kill myself as much as possible. I also weigh in at 130lbs when soaking wet, loaded with hunting gear. I don't do anything special to keep weight off, it's just really not hard to eat decently if you make a conscious attempt at it and do things that keep you off your butt


I may be wrong, but at 130 and by the statements you made, I'd venture a guess that you are younger than 40 and probably less than 30. My point being that for most people, as you age, your metabolism slows, and that means you have to start making more of an effort to keep the weight off. Then as you age a little more, you start to encounter problems like back aches, sore knee or hip joints, etc. And just like the slower metabolic rate, this adds to the difficulty of keeping weight off because you can no longer be as physically active as you once were. 

As for being a vegetarian, there's no danger of me ever becoming one. I enjoy prime rib, steaks, and a good burger too much to give them up. Although I will tell you that during the summer when my garden is in full swing, I have many meals that are made up entirely of the fresh things from my garden. OK, that's not entirely true, the butter and cornbread don't come from my garden.


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## one100grand (Jan 15, 2014)

I want to make it clear that I'm not championing folks becoming vegan or vegetarian on a permanent basis. I'll be very upfront and tell you that I think it's a silly lifestyle choice. But how much more do you enjoy a great burger when you haven't had one in a while? I found that the first time when I did this, I badly wanted to eat bacon and I abstained. When I finally ate the bacon, it was outstanding. I know I would not have had the level of appreciation for it without the week of no meat. 

As for the Goldfish, I think it's great that you catch & kill most of you food. I try to do the same. I'll also tell you that some folks are blessed with a more active metabolism than others, the same way that some folks are blessed with better looks or better brains. I'd tell ya that I'm envious of the weight, but I'm pretty sure at 6'4" being 130 would make me look more than a little strange :shock: . I watch what I eat very carefully and I work out 5-7 times a week, twice with a trainer and 2 more times in a small group. My metabolism isn't great and it won't ever be, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to pack on muscle pretty quickly should that be my goal.


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## redbug (Jan 15, 2014)

my thoughts are simple 

1) your wife hacked your account 
2) your hen pecked and your wife forced you to do this 

EAT MEAT !!!!!!!!!!!! its tasty


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## Jim (Jan 15, 2014)

I am going to do this!

But I am going to up this by one by also eating raw food for 1-2 days…….meaning uncooked veggies and what not.

If you know me, you know I sleep on my Webers. :LOL2:


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## Goldfish (Jan 15, 2014)

I'm 30, and weighed more in hs than I do now because I had weight training every day back then


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## RStewart (Jan 15, 2014)

I wish you guys the best of luck. Idk that in willing to give up meat for even a week. But I understand about eating stuff that we shouldn't. It's called processed foods. I try to stay away from them. I haven't cut them all out yet, baby steps. Also, I'm picky where I get my meat from. Wal-Mart has the worst meat I the world. I try to get grass feed beef with no hormones. Raised natural. It's more expensive to eat natural beef & veggies, but if you rest proper proportions, the cost will work out to about the same for me. I eat too much usually.


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## Country Dave (Jan 15, 2014)

_If one were going to try and define what it is that makes one healthy or in good health certainly you would have to conceder firstly exercise and probably secondly what you consume,

The “experts” say the best way to lose weight and keep it off is a “low fat diet” in conjunction with “exercise” That’s it, it’s not a secret. All of the fad diets “Atkins diet” “South Beach diet” whatever may yield some positive results but there are a few things you have to consider. One is the weight in most cases is not going to stay off, you yoyo up and down and that’s very hard on the heart and the body in general, it’s actually worse than staying at a given weight even if it’s not your ideal weight. 

The other thing is, you may have significant weight loss with one fad diet or another but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re healthier and being healthy is the goal, not just weighing less. The fad diets and alike often don’t let you consume things that your body needs, so in most cases you lost some weight but aren’t any heather as a result of it.

I just don’t know about the vegan thing. Your body needs some fat, it needs protein, it needs iron, and it needs calcium. I guess you can get most of those things by the vegan thing but there is nothing wrong with lean cuts of meat, in fact it has a ton of good nutritional value. Low fat diet and exercise trumps everything else. Stay away from Mickey D’s and exercise a few times a week and you will lose weight and be heather overall without having to give up everything you like. Just my 2 cents.......... :mrgreen: _


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## Country Dave (Jan 15, 2014)

_This is interesting. _

https://www.medicaldaily.com/3-benefits-eating-meat-234798


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## lovedr79 (Jan 15, 2014)

I am not a rabbit. I eat meat and potatoes. Mostly meat I have killed and potatoes I have treo


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## T Man (Jan 15, 2014)

What would I do with all of the critters I shoot?


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## Jim (Jan 16, 2014)

We here have reduced the process foods by 75%. The Wife bakes cookies with ingredients we can read…sugar, eggs….etc. We try to buy things that don't contain High Fructose Corn Syrup or if we can afford it local produce and Im even going to say it……….Organic :shock: 

The amount of hidden fats,sodium, and synthetic sweeteners in stuff is just too much in my opinion.

I eat meat, chicken, pork, fish every day…..every day! I think If I can skip meat two days a week it will not kill me and it will be the equivalent of a week out of a month.

If I had the option of growing my own food all year I would be all over it. During the summer we do great with the garden but in the winter we have no choice.


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## panFried (Jan 16, 2014)

I too have freezer full of meat, but I'd be willing to give this a whirl, call it a cleansing diet or detox. Are we going to do this together to track progress?


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## one100grand (Jan 16, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338752#p338752 said:


> Country Dave » Yesterday, 18:09[/url]"]_If one were going to try and define what it is that makes one healthy or in good health certainly you would have to conceder firstly exercise and probably secondly what you consume,
> 
> The “experts” say the best way to lose weight and keep it off is a “low fat diet” in conjunction with “exercise” That’s it, it’s not a secret. All of the fad diets “Atkins diet” “South Beach diet” whatever may yield some positive results but there are a few things you have to consider. One is the weight in most cases is not going to stay off, you yoyo up and down and that’s very hard on the heart and the body in general, it’s actually worse than staying at a given weight even if it’s not your ideal weight.
> 
> ...



I'm not suggesting this as a diet and I didn't mean it to come off as that. I also want to make sure that I say that it's not intended to generate weight loss - it just happened to coincide with weight loss in our case. I agree that cutting out processed food is an excellent step and is one that I've also worked on taking. Neither my wife or I have had fast food in the past 6+ months and I think we're both better off as a result.

As for the Protein sources on a vegan diet, here are the recommended things I found at a quick web search: quinoa, nuts, beans, tofu, leafy greens, and sunflower seeds. Speaking from experience, buy a bunch of raw nuts, they provide both fat and protein and are a healthy snack in general.

For sources of Iron on a vegan diet, here are the recommended things: soybeans, quinoa, tomato paste, white beans, cooked spinach, dried peaches, prune juice :shock: , and lentils. I don't know that I'll be doing prune juice, but quinoa is pretty tasty when you prepare it right - I'll make sure I post the quinoa recipe on here so those who are interested can try it and see what they think. It has a poor reputation in a lot of circles thanks largely to Bud Light...

For sources of Calcium: tofu, leafy greans, almonds or almond butter, tofu, navy beans, and broccoli are all excellent sources.


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## one100grand (Jan 16, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338797#p338797 said:


> panFried » Today, 09:49[/url]"]I too have freezer full of meat, but I'd be willing to give this a whirl, call it a cleansing diet or detox. Are we going to do this together to track progress?



Welcome aboard! I think you're looking at it the right way, I did it kind of on a whim before and really enjoyed it. I'd encourage tracking it if folks are willing and interested, I think it would help to discuss cravings and how you're feeling through trying this out. We did it from Monday through Sunday last time, but I think that doing Sunday through Saturday would probably make it easier...much the same as Jim I live to grill & smoke meat, so I don't want to give up a whole weekend of no BBQ if possible. I am starting vegan week from 1/19 through 1/25 with a healthy dose of BBQ the day before and after.


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## Country Dave (Jan 16, 2014)

_I’m not kicking the vegan thing at all, 

It may be good for some people and I’m sure it has some health benefits. I know all of the process foods are not good for you and weather you’re a vegan or not, you should try and stay clear of them as much as possible. 

It’s the whole giving up meet thing that I’m contending about. I think there are generally to kinds of people when it comes to what one consumes. You’re either health conscious or not. My point is, meat can be a big part of your diet and it doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination mean you’re not healthy or less healthy by having it. 

Unless you’re slamming a few “Double Quarter Pounders with Cheese” 2 or 3 times a week lean cuts of meat are a big part of a balanced diet. I could never give up steak; I eat a lot of chicken and fish. That’s just me. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from trying the vegan thing; I’m simply saying you don’t have to give up meat in your diet to be healthy. The vegan thing is not for me……………….. [-X _


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## Paul Marx (Jan 16, 2014)

I have a niece that has gone vegan to try and save the animals from being eatin . I tell her "your not saving them , they will die a slow death cause your eating their food ". I love our cows , one bite at a time. I like being on the thicker side , it keeps me from blowing out of the boat .


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## Country Dave (Jan 16, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338836#p338836 said:


> Paul Marx » 3 minutes ago[/url]"]I have a niece that has gone vegan to try and save the animals from being eatin . I tell her "your not saving them , they will die a slow death cause your eating their food ". I love our cows , one bite at a time. I like being on the thicker side , it keeps me from blowing out of the boat .



_LMAO............................................ :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: _


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## lovedr79 (Jan 17, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338836#p338836 said:


> Paul Marx » Yesterday, 16:06[/url]"]I have a niece that has gone vegan to try and save the animals from being eatin . I tell her "your not saving them , they will die a slow death cause your eating their food ". I love our cows , one bite at a time. I like being on the thicker side , it keeps me from blowing out of the boat .




I love it! I may have to start using this as a response.


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## DocWatson (Jan 17, 2014)

Juicing can add some variety to your diet while helping you get the necessary nutrients from fruits and vegetables. You can make juice at home with a juicer, try a juice bar, or purchase freshly squeezed juices at the supermarket. Get all the facts about juicing and learn if it’s right for you. There are many health benefits of drinking freshly juiced fruits and vegetables, and it’s a great way to add nutrients from the fruits or vegetables that you normally wouldn’t eat. Fruit and vegetable juices retain most of of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) that would be found in the whole versions of those foods. These nutrients can help protect against cardiovascular disease, cancerand various inflammatory diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis. Valuable compounds called flavonoids and anthocyanins are abundant in a variety of fruits and vegetables and guard against oxidative cellular damage, which comes from everyday cellular maintenance and is exacerbated by exposure to chemicals and pollution.
However, beware claims that juicing is the only way to stay healthy, that you should avoid solid foods, or that juicing is a substitution for a medical diagnosis or treatment. There’s not much research out there that proves that juicing is healthier than eating the whole fruits and vegetables; however, juicing does makes them easier to consume on a regular basis.
Some advocates for juicing may claim that your body absorbs more nutrients from juices than the whole fruit because the fruit’s fiber gets in the way. However, there isn’t much research out there that supports that claim. Your digestive system is designed to handle fiber and extract nutrients from a variety of foods. Plus, fiber is important for digestive function and has a multitude of health benefits.

Adding a vegan day and a juicing day to your diet can only help your body to help itself. No reason to get radical.... just tweak thing a bit to give yourself an advantage. You can only feel better for it and what's wrong with that ?? None of us is getting' out of this alive. But some of us will enjoy our time more and longer than others and I'll take any advantage that's reasonable. And, bottom line, things like this are reasonable.

My 2 cents.


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## SumDumGuy (Jan 17, 2014)

I like the "juicing" thing, it is how I usually have breakfast during the week.
I use a blender and throw in some water, powdered milk, flax seeds, bran, a variety of fruits and vegetables and at least a cup+ of mixed grains. Spin it up, slam it down and head to work. Good stuff.


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## BassAddict (Jan 17, 2014)

.


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## one100grand (Jan 20, 2014)

Yesterday was the first day of our vegan week. Sorry I didn't post sooner, but I got a little distracted with football and yardwork. 
For breakfast I had a vegan cereal I bought at Whole Foods with almond milk - I would not have been able to tell the difference if I had not known ahead of time.
For lunch we had a frozen vegan pizza. This was made with cheese substitute :shock: but again it was pretty good.
For dinner we made couscous with roasted carrots, currants, saffron, and toasted pine nuts, then my wife also made falafel. 
Throughout the day we had fruit, nuts, and chips & guacamole (apparently my favorite chips are vegan!)

Day 1 was pretty much a breeze but I was pretty much constantly snacking - I need to try to get fiber to get more of that full feeling.

Today for breakfast I had a piece of toast with almond butter (again the bread is vegan that we bought in the frozen section of the supermarket), juice, fruit, and nuts. I'm going to have leftover couscous for lunch. Nothing super exciting, but I've found that this is more about establishing a plan for the week and executing it than anything.


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## SumDumGuy (Jan 20, 2014)

^^^
Sounds like a nightmare.


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## Country Dave (Jan 20, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=339183#p339183 said:


> SumDumGuy » 9 minutes ago[/url]"]^^^
> Sounds like a nightmare.



_Yeh it does.................. :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: _


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## Jim (Jan 20, 2014)

oh man….

Stay focused! waiting to see if there will be a second full week coming up.


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## one100grand (Jan 21, 2014)

Not a thing wrong with the first day! Or the second!

Last night we had stir-fry with fried tofu. I know it doesn't sound like anything delicious, but I'd work a meal like this into my normal rotation.

My wife also had the day off yesterday and made a lemon poppyseed bread that was pretty good.

Today is leftovers for lunch and tonight we'll be making lentil soup.


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## one100grand (Jan 22, 2014)

We ended up making angel hair pasta with a very green basil thai coconut sauce last night. Today I'm having leftovers for lunch and snacking on nuts, fruit, and kale chips. I won't say I don't miss meat and I wouldn't mind this ending a day earlier, but right around day 4 (today) is when I crossed over last time and got more used to eating vegan.


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## Hanr3 (Jan 22, 2014)

No vegan diet for me. I'm from Wisconsin. We eat deer/beef, cheese, milk, and beer. When I want to cleanse my body, I drink dark heavy (high alcohol content) beer. The next day I have the beer s--ts. Cleaned out. 

Did you know there is no beer value in food, but there is food value in beer. :beer:


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## one100grand (Jan 23, 2014)

Last night we had risotto with peppers, pine nuts, and snow peas for the main course and oven roasted cauliflower as a side. Everything was good, but I think the risotto could have been better with some mushrooms, but we didn't have any. I ate pretty much non-stop yesterday and I feel like my metabolism has probably changed. Despite the constant eating, my weight is down from last week's weigh-in (so far). I haven't had any struggles at the gym, but I'll admit that I'm ready for some products that involve butter and bacon. We may call it quits early and stop on Saturday instead of Sunday so I have a whole weekend to run the new smoker; we'll just have to see how that goes though.


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## one100grand (Jan 24, 2014)

Although I enjoy the learning experience, I'm definitely ready to eat meat, butter, and cheese again.


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## Jim (Jan 25, 2014)

Keep plugging away! This is a good learning experience from a REAL person instead of some article or commercial.

Thanks!
Jim


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## driz (Jan 28, 2014)

I just don't like meat. I hated it when I was a kid ate what they made me but when I grew up I just sort of gave it up again. No big deal and the wife and daughter do the same not that I made anyone. The one thing I hated truly and always was FISH, chicken is close behind. Sorry just hate the smell [-X of it and everything. On the other hand all the fishermen on Lake Champlain owe me one because I throw every single one of em back in. Call it my humanitarian thing or whatever. 
Vegan is too far for me, I love cheese and such things just like that red wine that I try to tell myself is nutritious in some way :---) other than keeping my sanity. Seriously though eating as a regular vegetarian is just plain simple. Eating any colorful vegetable is the best basic method to get the good stuff while beans are pretty high in protein. 
I come to Germany a fair bit and one thing is infinitely clear. The food in the US ranges between poor and poisonous. It's just that bad with all the preservatives and chemical stabilizers. You can just see it so clearly over here and I do mean the local retail stores like ALdi , Tebo, Renni. not just the small specialty shops. Everything is fresh and guess what it spoils way faster than ours does. It's the preservatives. You should see the size of people over here too. They look like right out of the 1950's except not smoking nearly as much. I have been sitting here for 3 weeks now and saw just 2 really fat people and I have wandered around a lot. It's amazing. 
Here is one tip for shopping in the USA shop at ALDI for what you can. They are the biggest food store in Europe IIRC and all their food line all passes German food specifications. Their requirements are far above ours. No gm foods either. The people over here had a fit when they tried to introduce GM corn. They just won't buy it while Monsanto and friends keep up the relentless pressure to gain the market. 
The big thing killing everybody is the nasty sugar substitutes especially corn syrup. Those attack you in a multitude of ways and worst of all keep you from feeling full so you eat more. Check out what Dr. Oz has to say about that.


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## Jim (Jan 28, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=340077#p340077 said:


> driz » 28 Jan 2014 08:09 pm[/url]"]
> The big thing killing everybody is the nasty sugar substitutes especially corn syrup. Those attack you in a multitude of ways and worst of all keep you from feeling full so you eat more.



I believe this myself!

My son hates meat also. He likes chicken only and cold cuts (Pepperoni) which does not count. :lol:


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## panFried (Jan 28, 2014)

Love Aldi's for coffee, veggies, fruits, chips, an other items. Here's a movie to check out some time... Food Inc. it will make you think twice about what you eat.


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (Jan 28, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=339427#p339427 said:


> Hanr3 » January 22nd, 2014, 11:41 pm[/url]"]No vegan diet for me. I'm from Wisconsin. We eat deer/beef, cheese, milk, and beer. When I want to cleanse my body, I drink dark heavy (high alcohol content) beer. The next day I have the beer s--ts. Cleaned out.
> 
> Did you know there is no beer value in food, but there is food value in beer. :beer:



I've always heard there's a pork chop in every beer.


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (Jan 28, 2014)

> Their requirements are far above ours. No gm foods either. The people over here had a fit when they tried to introduce GM corn



All corn is genetically modified.... The corn you eat today did not exist in nature until man genetically modified it by artificial selection. There's also zero evidence that there is anything wrong with GM vegetables. The science is just spooky to people, then you factor in the conspiracy surrounding large corporations. The real problem with GM is not the safety of the product but the ethics of patenting biology/life.


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## Country Dave (Jan 29, 2014)

_I don't like meat ether except for steak, pork, venison, gator, sometimes ground beef, most sausage, lots of chicken and fish................................. :LOL2: _


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## one100grand (Jan 29, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=340103#p340103 said:


> RiverBottomOutdoors » Today, 00:10[/url]"]
> 
> 
> > Their requirements are far above ours. No gm foods either. The people over here had a fit when they tried to introduce GM corn
> ...




Most of the commercially grown vegetables and fruits we eat are at the very least selectively cross-bred. My father spent a good portion of his life's work on improving the heartiness of winter wheat and varieties of corn. The improvements he was able to generate in just a few generations of the product were staggering. I'm not suggesting that GM crops are the bestest thing ever, but I do think that by and large, we as a society do not understand the modifications and as such are afraid of the product. I don't pretend to know much about the process or what modifications scientists are attempting to make or why, but I try to be open minded about these things.

As for the vegan week of January 2014, it was another great experience and things were definitely different than the last time around. I was just fine for food until about Thursday (day 5 since we started on Sunday) when I really started craving meat again. We decided that we'd call it quits a day early and end the challenge on Friday. On Saturday I smoked some sausages, ribs, chicken, and a pork tenderloin. We had lots of leftovers (which we've been eating all week) and an interesting thing happened following dinner - my wife and I both fell asleep rather quickly, then slept the night through. I have to think it's related to the meat, but I don't have any evidence to prove it. It is just as likely that we ate a pretty large meal compared to any of the meals we had eaten the week prior and the increased volume in food put us to sleep. 

I believe we are going to be doing another vegan week again starting on February 16. For those who are interested, I encourage trying it out, even if it isn't the whole week. You'll never know if you don't try.


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## driz (Jan 30, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=340088#p340088 said:


> Jim » 28 Jan 2014, 21:37[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=340077#p340077 said:
> ...





Dr. Oz had a special or segment on this . Those substitutes inadvertently make you eat more. 
I swear sitting over here in Bavaria I am amazed. You just don't see anybody who is really really fat. I have been here 3 weeks and saw only a couple that were really sporting a beer gut and such... They do eat the fresh food over here. I learned years ago about the lack of preservatives here . My wife had some 5 month old german chocolates in a cupbord. I was rummaging and found my prize. I was in my second bite when on the other end of the chocolate a nice mid sized maggot was standing up looking at me. Oh yea. Came from the nuts inside I'm told. Yecch. ALl their stuff spoils fast here but even the German grocery store food is way superior to ours for those reasons stated above. 
Speaking of issues with substitutes one of my friends sent me a Amazon customer report on German GUMMY BEARS.the new sugar free ones. If I can find it later I will post it. It is halarious. Anyways good timing as the day before my Mother in law 88 had come down with a really horrible case of the runs. We got a bit concerned for a while and she was pretty rocky the next day too. Come to find out she had munched on a few of those new gummy bears. The joke article my buddy sent next day by coincidence cleared it all up. Anyways. DON'T EAT SUGAR FREE GUMMY BEARS [-o< if you are going any where. I;ll try to post the link if I can find it. Ah here it is read it and try not to laugh too hard, especially about the guy on the long flight. [-X 

https://slightlyviral.com/beware-sugarless-gummy-bears-on-amazon-com/


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## Ictalurus (Jan 30, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=340103#p340103 said:


> RiverBottomOutdoors » 28 Jan 2014, 23:10[/url]"]There's also zero evidence that there is anything wrong with GM vegetables.



There may be no evidence yet that it has an affect on our bodies. However, the negative effects of GM crops on our native ecosystems is well documented.


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (Jan 30, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=340245#p340245 said:


> Ictalurus » 37 minutes ago[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=340103#p340103 said:
> ...



Actually, it's not..... The potential risks are well documented.


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## Ictalurus (Jan 30, 2014)

RiverBottomOutdoors said:


> Actually, it's not..... The potential risks are well documented.



I hear you man, kinda like the fracking debate :roll: 

Don't forget to consider the conversion of native land to agricultural production though.

This is from the article _Landscape Perspectives on Agricultural Intensification and Biodiversity – Ecosystem Service Management_, published in 2005.

"During the last decades, worldwide losses of biodiversity have occurred at an unprecedented scale and agricultural intensification has been a major driver of this global change (Matson et al. 1997; Tilman et al. 2001). The dramatic land-use changes include the conversion of complex natural ecosystems to simplified managed ecosystems and the intensification of resource use, including application of more agrochemicals and a generally higher input and output, which is typical for agroecosystems as relatively open systems. Recent agricultural intensification also includes genetically modified crops, which offer new opportunities for increased yields in the coming decades, but also risk side-effects (Groot & Dicke 2002; Hails 2002)."

BTW, we had this debate when I took Bio-Medical Ethics back in the day and I was and still am in favor of using GM crops. The potential good outweighs the bad in many cases, however, environmental consequences do remain.


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (Jan 30, 2014)

Like I said, no "well documented impacts"....only documented potential risks, of which, most are inherent to agriculture like herbicide use and evolution of plant pathogens. The ethics of patenting life remains debatable.


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## Country Dave (Jan 30, 2014)

_Eat beef................................... :LOL2: _


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## Jim (Jan 30, 2014)

I don't want this thread to turn into a GMO vs organic and what we think is right and wrong. Lets just stick to the vegan challenge please.

If you want my feelings on this subject you can PM me. :LOL2:


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## one100grand (Feb 16, 2014)

I'm back to doing the Vegan Week Challenge starting again today and plan on staying vegan through 2/21. I know it's not a full week, but last time it's what ended up what my wife and I agreed upon.


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## BassAddict (Feb 16, 2014)

My condolences!


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## one100grand (Feb 17, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=341983#p341983 said:


> BassAddict » Yesterday, 14:19[/url]"]My condolences!



I'd apologize too if any of the meat I cooked looked that ugly! :LOL2: 

I have to admit, I'm less enthusiastic about doing it this time around than I was last time, but I still think it's an interesting experiment and one I'll continue to pursue despite all of the ribbing I take for it.


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## BassAddict (Feb 17, 2014)

one100grand said:


> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=341983#p341983 said:
> 
> 
> > BassAddict » Yesterday, 14:19[/url]"]My condolences!
> ...



And yet it's still more appetizing than this!! 




LMAO, just busting em. I get a lot of ribbing for my diet, but if it works for you and you enjoy it diet on!!


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## one100grand (Feb 19, 2014)

Sorry I haven't updated in a couple of days. While I wasn't super excited about the going animal free this time, I think I'm feeling quite a bit better now than I was at the same point last time. The biggest sacrifice I feel like I'm making this time is milk & whey protein - I've been working out a fair bit and trying to build some muscle, so have become accustomed to taking a protein supplement following an intense workout. The vegan protein supplements are super chalky and unpleasant...and using milk instead of water is also pretty awful.


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## Jim (Feb 19, 2014)

Keep it up man!


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## masterbaiter (Feb 19, 2014)

I give you a lot of credit. its crazy how many things contain animal by products. I think 99 percent of the things I eat come from animals. more power too you keep up the good work.












i


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## one100grand (Feb 20, 2014)

Ended up just eating hummus, chips, and guac for dinner last night. It's interesting how often I'm finding myself eating food that I normally would and not really considering it vegan. I'm definitely not struggling the same way I was before and haven't really had any particular food cravings...some yogurt would be nice, but I don't really think I'm craving it and I don't think many folks would be terribly disappointed if they didn't have yogurt...


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## the hammer (Feb 23, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338787#p338787 said:


> Jim » Thu Jan 16, 2014 5:16 am[/url]"]We here have reduced the process foods by 75%. The Wife bakes cookies with ingredients we can read…sugar, eggs….etc. We try to buy things that don't contain High Fructose Corn Syrup or if we can afford it local produce and Im even going to say it……….Organic :shock:
> 
> The amount of hidden fats,sodium, and synthetic sweeteners in stuff is just too much in my opinion.
> 
> ...



Remove CANOLA® oil from your diet. Your innards will appreciate it.


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## one100grand (Mar 18, 2014)

I'm a day late in getting back on this, we started Vegan Week again yesterday. Last night we had soup with Quinoa, Kale, beans, and some root vegetables.


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## Jim (Mar 18, 2014)

:LOL2: 

More power to you. I still try to do it once a week.


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## one100grand (Mar 19, 2014)

Last night we had an amazing pasta dinner. We made pesto and added a little bit of cilantro & toasted sesame oil; meanwhile sauteed some zucchini & onions in a pan with olive oil. Brought some water to boil, added salt, then threw in rice noodles, turned off the heat, and covered for 3 minutes while I sauteed some mushrooms with olive oil, salt & pepper. I combined the pesto, zucchini, & onions with some sliced tomatoes and put over medium heat, then after draining the noodles, added them to the mixture & topped with the sauteed mushrooms. Definitely one of the best vegan dishes I've ever had and one of the better pasta dishes I've had in the past few years.


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## jigngrub (Mar 29, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=345404#p345404 said:


> one100grand » 19 Mar 2014, 09:22[/url]"]Last night we had an amazing pasta dinner. We made pesto and added a little bit of cilantro & toasted sesame oil; meanwhile sauteed some zucchini & onions in a pan with olive oil. Brought some water to boil, added salt, then threw in rice noodles, turned off the heat, and covered for 3 minutes while I sauteed some mushrooms with olive oil, salt & pepper. I combined the pesto, zucchini, & onions with some sliced tomatoes and put over medium heat, then after draining the noodles, added them to the mixture & topped with the sauteed mushrooms. Definitely one of the best vegan dishes I've ever had and one of the better pasta dishes I've had in the past few years.



I noticed there was a lot of frying/sautéing going on with that meal preparation, for an extra challenge try no frying or sautéing on your vegan week... steam, boil, broil, bake, or grill everything instead and don't use any butter or oils.

Going vegan is actually pretty easy for me, but I wouldn't go completely vegan all the time. Meat is actually part of a healthy diet for human beings. It's the way it is cooked sometimes that is the bad part, pan frying and deep frying. I live in the deep southeast and sometimes I think the one main food group down here is fried, you can go into a lot of restaurants down here and everything on the menu will be fried except for the salads and a baked potato.

If you want a real challenge for a diet, try a low fat diet. Cut your total fat intake down to less than 30 grams a day, and if you really want to get serious try cutting it down to less than 20 grams per day. This will require going into the fridge and throwing away the butter dish, the mayo jar, all the regular salad dressings, the ice cream, and pastries... but you'll lose weight like crazy and feel healthier than you ever have. But giving up the fat takes work and is hard when you first start, but you get used to it and may even enjoy the challenge of seeing just how far you can cut your total fat intake down.

My wife goes on the Mayo Clinic diet kick every once in a while which requires going mainly vegan with lots of raw fruits and veggies, but she can never stay on it for very long because all the raw roughage makes her poop herself blind. I've tried to explain the advantages of a low fat diet to her but she says it's too hard and isn't willing to give up some of the foods it requires to go that route.

Then there's the other end of the spectrum, how about trying to go all carnivore with no vegetables for a week? I'm sure that would be more difficult than the vegan or low fat diet, at least for me.


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