MSG Anyone?

[blackcrystal22]

Oh my.. so much to reply. Well here I go.

Everyone else has covered what all I was going to say. I'm a vegetarian also. I'd be vegan if it weren't for cheese and eggs (though I only buy certified humane eggs). Everything else I eat is vegan, and I don't ever buy or wear animal products. So, I know where you're coming from on the "it's hard to find food for myself" front.

My diet is a LOT of fresh fruits and veggies. Grains in pastas and bread are a big portion of it, too. I take a multivitamin every week or so, and thus far I haven't had any problems with anything. I'm glad you've gotten all your vitamin stuff sorted out properly.

And for those of you who eat meat and say that "vegetarianism can't be good for you if you have to take vitamins" ... yeah. Technically, we should all be taking vitamins. And eating fresh fruits and veggies is FAR healthier than eating the fat of another animal. Meat only has protein in it because the animals first ate plants. It gets REALLY old hearing people talk about protein deficiencies in vegetarians. We get just as much protein as the next guy, provided we're eating properly.

And for those of you who say, "Oh, I could never give up meat. I love it too much!" Personally, I think that sounds very selfish and ignorant. But that's just me.

I wish I had the patience today to explain myself further and not sound so snappy, but I've had a rough day. So those are my thoughts on the matter in a not-so-nice way, and I apologize for it.

Wow, you hit it right on the head. I couldn't have ever explained it better if my life depended on it.
Thank you for understanding, and we forgive you. :]

I respectfully 100% disagree with you. I'm a raw vegan which means I only each raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds although I'm not big on the nuts and seeds. EVERYthing you need is in your food if you eat it when it hasn't been heated above 118 degrees.



I'm here I'm here... there is this forum (mine) as well:

http://www.timelessspirit.com/forum



I'll be there... if ya need me!

Not only have I recovered from diabetes and a very very sick liver, high blood pressure and horrid cholesterol but I've also released 140 pounds in 11 months. Yup you heard me right... that's simply because I'm giving my body all the nutrients it needs, feeding it really healthy live foods and the weight literally just melted off me.

I've been to my doctor who is very supportive of my lifestyle and he's thrilled with my blood results. He's told me that I'm no longer diabetic, my liver is above optimal (and it was the same as a 50-year-drinking liver - and I don't drink!), my cholesterol is perfect and my blood pressure is once again on the low side (always has been).

Consider live foods... even if you don't go 100% raw (which I recommend) - the more live food you put into your body the more nutrition your body has to work with. If nothing else... a green smoothie is essential for a healthy body. One or two (or more) a day... does wonders.

My hubby has never been able to control his diabetes. No matter what he ate, his sugars were high. He went on a 20 day green smoothie feast (nothing but green smoothies for 20 days) and his sugars came down and now are GREAT. Our doctor was so happy to hear he's decided to join me (he encouraged him to as a matter of fact)... as his blood work is so much better now.

So... just do it!

Here's a little article about my journey:

http://www.timelessspirit.com/JAN08/walk.shtml

and my blog:

http://aleeshasrawlife.blogspot.com/

here's me a year ago eating vegan food:

here's me today eating raw:

I completely think that going raw would be a major health decision I would want to make.. however.. I will do my best to eat more raw foods.. but I won't be able to eat ONLY raw foods. In the future I may be able to become vegan and raw but I can't overdo it now.
Right now, my nutrition is very important, but I have a lot of other loads on my shoulders in my life that I need to worry about for my future as well. Taking a big step like that is going to have to come slowly for me. Raw fasts are probably a good idea, but school makes things difficult. :[
It's almost interesting. My mother has severe liver problems (which are healing with acupuncture and other alternative work) but it was due to having toxemia with my younger brother. I feel terrible for my mother and all she's gone through when it comes to birthing children.

Also, I've seen your pictures before, and I do say you look fantastic and have done a wonderful job!

Ok, what do you mean by treating them like they are already dead?
From what I have experienced and read people don't hunt older animals or fish, they either taste bad or are tough it comes with the age of the animal. Some fish will have bugs in the meat too when they are older. Its nasty!

When a hunter goes hunting for turkey or deer, what do they look for?
Turkey hunters look for large big lead turkeys that have the largest body on them. They are usually older. Not necessarily OLD but older.
Deer hunters go for the biggest prize, the largest head of antlers. The more points, the older it is. :]
That is what I meant by it being older. Fish is something completely different.

As for animals being treated like they are already dead, many factory farms do not treat an animal like a living thing. They beat them, step on them, kick them, and do all types of nasty things.
Now theres one thing I want to get straight.
I HATE PETA.
Well.. strongly despise and dislike. Hate is a strong word..
They're intentions have gone way beyond just animal cruelty after what they have done to animals themselves. They want zero contact with humans and animals. No blind eye dogs, no canine unit, no PETS, no educational zoos, nothing.
They also only look at the negative aspects and the problem, when people do this it bothers me. Fighting negative with negative rarely wins.
Why I told you I hate PETA is because I found out from them about chicken farms. I found out about the worst of the farms. They feed chickens with added steroids to make them bigger faster. The chickens grow too fast for their own body an their legs break as a result. Chickens who can't walk through the pens are beaten and left to die.


Now, that is the worst of the scenarios and it may have only happened once. And what PETA doesn't seem to point out, is that there are places that are not like that. They only look at the bad.

But that is what I mean by them being treated as if they were dead.

Do you honestly want to know? Ergh.

Let's start with the fact it was filthy. The cows were living in mud constantly, which is really bad for their hooves. Their calves were immediately taken away and raised for veal. (Which means living in a tiny stall where they cannot even turn around, but that's another issue.)

The machines they were hooked up to were not properly matienenced. Some of the cows had crusty, scabby udders. Many had numerous health problems, including mastitis, an infection of the udder. Which, by the way, all of that gets into the milk.

Just the look in these poor cow's eyes was enough to turn me off from commercial milk. Not to mention, by the time you GET the milk, its little more than chalky water, having been pasteurized and homogenized to death.

Don't ask me where I saw this, because I'm no going to say, to prevent any possible legal repercussions. I wasn't really supposed to be there.

I've known this for a while. I never liked milk anyway though. Blech, I hate the taste. It's just.. not right.
I also know that milk turns yellow on TV partially because of that pus and is why it's no longer used in cereal commercials and is instead replaced with glue.


Thats the thing. Some dairies are nice. Some are horrible. Same with factory farms.
Either way, it's too hard to pick and choose, and even some of the organics farms are bad.. so really we can't always know.

[tigerlily]

This is part of what I found out when I was doing some research before I switched to organic milk. It is DISGUSTING what gets in your milk. Let me tell you, if you switch to organic milk you will not switch back. It tastes SO much better. It stays fresher in your fridge much longer, because it isn't already half rotten from the pus that is in it from the infected udders of the poor cows.

If you don't believe me, just check the dates on the organic milk in your grocery store and compare it to the dates on the regular milk. It is very common for me to find that the 1/2 gallon cartons of organic are dated to indicate they will last at least 2 weeks longer than the non-organic milk. There doesn't seem to be quite as big of a difference on the gallon cartons, don't know why that is.

This is SOOOO not true. Organic cows are not allowed to be treated, even when they are sick. No antibiotics are allowed period, even if prescribed by a vet. So you usually get worse infections in the milk. My brother in law is a big dairy vet, and he won't touch organic milk.

[kc261]

This is SOOOO not true. Organic cows are not allowed to be treated, even when they are sick. No antibiotics are allowed period, even if prescribed by a vet. So you usually get worse infections in the milk. My brother in law is a big dairy vet, and he won't touch organic milk.

According to the research I did, organically managed dairy cows get less infections to start out with, because they aren't being fed all the hormones and stuff. When they do get sick, most organic farms will just sell animals that need to be treated with antibiotics to non-organic farms. It makes sense to me that they wouldn't want sick cows hanging around making the rest of their cows sick. I'm sure there are probably at least some organic farms that are not as good as others. I also know nothing first hand about the subject, so I could be entirely wrong.

One thing I do know first hand is that the milk tastes better and lasts longer without spoiling.

[recycling goddess]

I have one thing to say about cow's milk, goat's milk etc.

They are created to raise THEIR young, not ours.

I rather raise my kids to be nuts... hence why we drink nut mylk!

Easy to make:

Take a cup or two of raw almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, sesame seeds... whatever mylk you want to make. Soak them overnight in water.

Next morning, drain off the water and place the nuts in your blender with a few cups of water (if you want a dash of salt, a little hemp/flax oil and even some agave or honey to sweeten although these are not necessary) - blend.

Strain the mylk and put the pulp back into your blender with more water. Blend.

Strain again. Now set the mylk in the fridge to chill and put the pulp in the freezer to use to make raw cookies later!

You will LOVE this mylk and it's soooooooooooooooooo good for you.

[stangs13]

When a hunter goes hunting for turkey or deer, what do they look for?
Turkey hunters look for large big lead turkeys that have the largest body on them. They are usually older. Not necessarily OLD but older.
Deer hunters go for the biggest prize, the largest head of antlers. The more points, the older it is. :]
That is what I meant by it being older. Fish is something completely different.

As for animals being treated like they are already dead, many factory farms do not treat an animal like a living thing. They beat them, step on them, kick them, and do all types of nasty things.
Now theres one thing I want to get straight.
I HATE PETA.
Well.. strongly despise and dislike. Hate is a strong word..
They're intentions have gone way beyond just animal cruelty after what they have done to animals themselves. They want zero contact with humans and animals. No blind eye dogs, no canine unit, no PETS, no educational zoos, nothing.
They also only look at the negative aspects and the problem, when people do this it bothers me. Fighting negative with negative rarely wins.
Why I told you I hate PETA is because I found out from them about chicken farms. I found out about the worst of the farms. They feed chickens with added steroids to make them bigger faster. The chickens grow too fast for their own body an their legs break as a result. Chickens who can't walk through the pens are beaten and left to die.


Now, that is the worst of the scenarios and it may have only happened once. And what PETA doesn't seem to point out, is that there are places that are not like that. They only look at the bad.

But that is what I mean by them being treated as if they were dead.



Thats the thing. Some dairies are nice. Some are horrible. Same with factory farms.
Either way, it's too hard to pick and choose, and even some of the organics farms are bad.. so really we can't always know.

Thanks for clearing what you meant by older for me!

While there are bad packing plants, feedlots, chicken houses, hog barns there are WAY more good ones. Its just like anything, the bad is more visible than the good. I speak from personal experience that those bad lots/houses/plants DON'T last long.

Very few chicken farmers inject GH into there chickens anymore. The standard broiler cross chicken will grow HUGE and weight around 8+ pounds in 6 weeks. And they will still be able to walk. But I am glad you see that there is more than just the bad that is shown. I really wish I could type forever on this subject as I am an agfreak, and my parents have worked and managed feedlots, hog barns, and at packing plants.


I am to used to seeing people that jump all over places like that because of what they see on TV, when they or the media have NO idea what they are talking about! But I am very glad you are an exception!

[tigerlily]

According to the research I did, organically managed dairy cows get less infections to start out with, because they aren't being fed all the hormones and stuff. When they do get sick, most organic farms will just sell animals that need to be treated with antibiotics to non-organic farms. It makes sense to me that they wouldn't want sick cows hanging around making the rest of their cows sick. I'm sure there are probably at least some organic farms that are not as good as others. I also know nothing first hand about the subject, so I could be entirely wrong.

One thing I do know first hand is that the milk tastes better and lasts longer without spoiling.

Non organic cow are usually given antibiotics along with those hormones, so typically have less instances of infections. Of course, you now are being exposed to those antibiotics and hormones so there is a tradeoff.

You would think that those cows would be sold off, but it is a pain in the butt to get an cow certified organic so most farmers aren't going to let that cow go. It would make sense to do that, but economically it isn't as feasible.

Also another odd fact is that spoiled milk will not make you sick. It's nasty and tastes gross, but my stepsister is also a vet and they made them all drink it to prove the point. Gross.

I'm not saying organic milk is bad, but it has it's downsides as well. If it's what you prefer to drink then go for it!

[Epona142]

I have one thing to say about cow's milk, goat's milk etc.

They are created to raise THEIR young, not ours.

I rather raise my kids to be nuts... Hence why we drink nut mylk!

Easy to make:

Take a cup or two of raw almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, sesame seeds... Whatever mylk you want to make. Soak them overnight in water.

Next morning, drain off the water and place the nuts in your blender with a few cups of water (if you want a dash of salt, a little hemp/flax oil and even some agave or honey to sweeten although these are not necessary) - blend.

Strain the mylk and put the pulp back into your blender with more water. Blend.

Strain again. Now set the mylk in the fridge to chill and put the pulp in the freezer to use to make raw cookies later!

You will LOVE this mylk and it's soooooooooooooooooo good for you.

Wow that sounds really nice! I may have to try it.

Let me add that the cattle I get milk from, and my own personal goats, are completely allowed to raise their young with their milk. I would never interfere with that natural part of life! But with proper milking, they will continue to give milk for a long while after weaning their young, especially since they are not forced to breed again immedietly after. Take my goats for example:

They kid, and the kids are properly raised on mommy's delicious milk until weaning time, usually between 8-10 weeks, depending on the kid(s) itself. Then they are seperated or go to new homes, which is tramatic at first, but part of life, I can't keep them all! Then Momma Goat will continue to give milk for up to ten months, though I usually don't allow that to go on so long. They are rebred perhaps halfway through the lactation cycle, then dried off at the end of it, giving them two to three months rest before here comes the new little babies. This is pretty close to the way the cattle are treated by my neighbor. It works great and the goats and cows are happy and healthy!

Anyways, back to the actual milk, I don't drink it. I'm terribly lactose intolerant. My husband, however, LOVES milk, and of course I use it, along with cheese, butter, cream, etc, in cooking and I do like a tiny splash on my cereal. We love ice cream as well! So milk is a must in the house, and I am happy in the knowledge that my milk is clean, healthy, and comes from happy animals. My eggs too!



(Sorry for all the babbling, I just really enjoy this topic!)

[stangs13]

Cows are happy being milked anyway...it feels good, relives pressure that a calf can't, it also can prevent many problems and viruses.

[Mindibun]

Cows are happy being milked anyway...it feels good, relives pressure that a calf can't, it also can prevent many problems and viruses.

Oh, you know this for a fact, huh? From personal experience maybe?

Anyway, humans are the ONLY species on the planet that not only drinks the milk of another species but also continues to drink it long after the body needs it. Milk is very fattening, and is supposed to be used only for growing babies.

[Epona142]

I can't say for a fact that it makes the cow/goat happy, but I do know that nowadays, cattle and goats have been selectively bred to produce more milk for a longer period of time, more than their calf or kids can drink. I do know that my goats willingly go onto the milk stand, and I know the dairy cattle become terribly uncomfortable and will "call" to their owner during milk time. Do they enjoy it? I have no idea, I'm not a goat/cow! And yes, milking properly and regularily and drying off properly prevents issues with the udder. Before someone says it, yes, a natural weaning of a kid/calf would do this as well, most of the time, but sadly in this world natural weanings are few and far between.

Yes, we humans are a bit weird in this aspect, but it sure seems like you need milk for so many darn things. So I do the best I can by providing the best care for my goats and never buying milk or milk products that come from those poor cows in the commercial dairies.