Comments on: Meat or No Meat?

By: Kristine Fretwell

Kristine Fretwell — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:25:00 +0000

First off….thanks! You’re so sweet!

Great point about the fruit! Yah, super low fat would not work for me! Been there done that and it leaded to no menstrual cycle!

Glad you’re liking the Livefit. It seems like a nice switch, and not super intense. I haven’t heard great stuff about P90X2. I’ve never been super consistent at doing home workouts….I need to go to the gym majority of the time or I’ll put it off.

By: seclement

seclement — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:31:00 +0000

Also, I am doing LiveFit right now, and I am loving it. I’ve been a devoted weight lifter for a decade and a half now, so it’s not anything new, but it was a really great change from the P90X2 I was just doing. (Hated it. Don’t recommend it.)

By: seclement

seclement — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:30:00 +0000

Regarding fruit, I am veggie and I rarely eat it. Maybe a piece of fruit every couple of days, and always one that is low in fructose (usually berries or a small banana). It’s because I have fructose malabsoption, but honestly I feel a lot better without all that sugar. My point is that you can be veggie and not each much fruit, or any at all.

Regarding the low fat thing, I was actually rather annoyed that Forks Over Knives subscribed to that camp. I don’t agree with it, either from a nutritional standpoint or from a compliance standpoint. A lot of people don’t thrive on a plant-based diet without fat. Of course some people do, but I don’t think they are the majority. As you said, fats from wholesome food are good for you and necessary! It’s not like most vegans and vegetarians are out there eating nuts, seeds, coconut and avocado by the fistful. That would probably make them nauseous! Ha.

I think you look amazing in that picture, by the way. You’re always stunning though!

By: Kristine Fretwell

Kristine Fretwell — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:47:00 +0000

Thanks for sharing…very detailed! She makes some really great points! Especially the part about the survival rate of the rats! Interesting!

By: Kristine Fretwell

Kristine Fretwell — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:36:00 +0000

In reply to Suzriley1. Awesome! Any changes can make a difference! Meatless Monday is a great place to start!! :)

By: Kristine Fretwell

Kristine Fretwell — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:33:00 +0000

In reply to Lauren Moore. Great advice! Listening to your body is so important!

By: Suzriley1

Suzriley1 — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:45:00 +0000

I have always toyed with the idea of going vegetarian but have never been able to actually do it. While my family and myself rarely ever ear red meat, I would say that we consume turkey and chicken almost daily. We do eat a good amount of fruits, veggies and beans but I still think we could incorporate even more into our diets. After reading your blog today, I was motivated to start doing “Meatless Monday” for my family and my personal blog. I figure one day per week is not enough to get complaints from the family but it will allow us to get more creative in our meals without using meat on a daily basis. If all goes well, I may try it a couple days per week!

By: Kristine Fretwell

Kristine Fretwell — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:12:00 +0000

In reply to Anna @ The Guiltless Life. Thanks for sharing Anna! Glad to hear it was progress for you too! When I've tracked my calories, I seem to feel the best with at least a 30% fat ratio, so I agree with you there! Much better for hormones and brain health as well. I just need to dig further and find more vegetarian protein sources.

By: Anna @ The Guiltless Life

Anna @ The Guiltless Life — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:43:00 +0000

Obviously I’m a vegetarian so I’m going to be a bit biased here – but I have always chosen vegetarianism for moral reasons rather than health. It was only after I cut out meat and started to feel so much better that I realized there could be health benefits to this! Having said that, I then had to do some major research, because before long I realized that my diet was out of whack in terms of carbs vs protein.

When I started tracking my eats for my naturopath using Fitday.com I saw my average balance was more like 65-70% carbs and 15-20% fat and protein each. So I soon realized I needed to jack that up. I now have about 45% carbs, and 25-30% fat/protein and feel SO much better! It was actually my naturopath who told me yes, to eat more protein (which I already knew) but also to eat more fat, which I did NOT know. I was not intentionally eating low fat but it turned out I was consuming about 25g a day – with my naturopath’s help I’ve upped that to 45-50g a day of heart-healthy fats and I feel great!

So I agree with your sentiment on fat and I think you should do what you feel like regarding vegetarianism/veganism. I would find it tough to be a full vegan though because of eggs and Greek yogurt/cottage cheese and whey protein = all major protein sources for me as I avoid eating too much soy as well. Each to their own, and I’m sure you will find the balance you’re looking for!

By: Lauren Moore

Lauren Moore — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:20:00 +0000

My diet has completely changed over the last 8 months. It started by taking a holistic health course. What I got from it, is it LISTEN to your body. Notice the cravings. Notice the foods that don’t sit well. Notice the foods the do sit well. In the end, don’t follow a “diet,” because every body is different. What works for one body, won’t work for the other. Listen to your body and use that as your own diet method. I also watched Forks over Knives and it really opened my eyes to meat in the diet. It’s not necessary because protein comes from so many different sources. To kill something to eat it does seem wrong in some ways to me, especially around the energetics in the meat and the killing. That might be a whole other topic in itself though. I still eat meat, but have seem to have cut down quite a bit. Maybe that is just happening because I’m more aware and in tune to how I feel.

By: Logos712

Logos712 — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:19:00 +0000

In reply to Kristine Fretwell.

There’s a lot of atheletes/models who I’ve thought to myself “You’re a vegan/vegetarian?” Everytime I’ve asked this question to women ” What type/look for a guy do you find more attractive, a Brad Pitt (Fight Club) physique..lean, but, muscular..or, a Jay Cutler/Arnold type?” The answer I’ve always gotten was the Brad Pitt type (and with a lot of wide-eyed head shaking 🙂 The Mr. O look, just isn’t natural.

By: Kristine Fretwell

Kristine Fretwell — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:43:00 +0000

In reply to Logos712. Making that step from vegetarian to vegan is a tough one! Agreed! I don't think looking that huge is attractive, and it is unnatural for most guys. In the movie, they highlighted an MMA fighter Mac Danzig, who is vegan, and he is very fit and ripped! You'd never even know he was vegan!

By: Logos712

Logos712 — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:17:00 +0000

I’ve wrestled with this myself. I’m concerned about the conditions our food comes from (soil, slaughterhouse, etc.) and as I get older, my health becomes more important (heart disease and high blood pressure have been family issues). I could easily go vegetarian, don’t know about vegan….maybe. Would rather be fit & healthy naturally, than to look huge & “pumped up” and not so healthy, as many of the bodybuilders are (steroids & other drugs, notwithstanding). The more I read about vegetarian eating/health, the more convinced I become.