Leaning Toward Vegetarianism?

I wouldn't go so far as to call my household Vegetarian, but I have been interested in studying that way since my dad turned me onto a book, The RAVE Diet. This stands for No Refined foods, No Animal products, No Vegetable oils, No Exceptions, basically recommending a fat-free vegan lifestyle. I was so impressed by what I saw that I ordered my own copy of the book (which is currently packed safely away in storage :\ ) and it came with the DVD featuring interviews and testimonials from former omnivores-now-fat-free-vegans telling about their health problems, and how those problems improved or resolved when they changed what they ate.

We've all heard that "meat contains complete protein." This book and its DVD say True, but the body, in processing what you feed it, actually has to break those proteins down and then reconstruct them according to its needs. You can save it the trouble (and improve your health) by taking your protein in the components available from plant sources. A combination of legumes and grains, such as the traditional beans and rice, or beans and corn, offers the protein building blocks the body needs to assemble the complete protein it needs, and as a bonus, includes plenty of fiber as well, something animal proteins cannot offer. Makes sense to me.

It has been and is a challenging path to follow, having been raised as an omnivore and living in a predominantly omnivorous culture.

Unfortunately, two of my beloved relatives have developed cases of gout whose excruciating gouty attacks are  precipitated by meaty meals - a heartbreaking circumstance for any meat lover, to be sure.

So I have taken the opportunity to lean a little more deeply into the fat-free-vegan/RAVE way, recommending meatless options and cooking meatless meals. As I say, I wouldn't go so far as to call our household vegetarian, but we are taking things one meal at a time.

If this has piqued your curiosity, if maybe you're interested in taking an anonymous stroll around the vegetarian block, check out the Fat Free Vegan website. I'm so impressed with it that I have a shortcut link to it right on my desktop. Very helpful in planning meatless dishes and meals. Check it out, and thanks for reading!