Vegetarian Musing Finale done in Warp Speed
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Weight Loss
Hey folks, sorry for the delay. My website has been having some technical difficulties (I know some of you weren’t able to even read the last post, I am working on it), my wife has been sick with the flu (she is better now) and life has just been crazy.
Anyway, before I get started I wanted to make a quick announcement. As many of you know I did the Warp Speed Fat Loss protocol back in January. I figured if I was recommending it to people, I might as well give it a shot myself! It worked great, I lost about 11lbs and was my fitness level was through the roof! A hardcore CP client did the program with me, and he lost about 12lbs, and saw his abs for the first time since we was 12!
Fortunately for us, Mike Roussell & Alwyn Cosgrove have spent the last year refining and improving this incredible system, and have released a new and improved version, Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0. I got a sneak peek at it and I must say, it looks awesome! Next month that same CP client is going back at it again with this program before he heads off to Caribbean beach after the holidays. I am actually contemplating going through this hell again with him, I thought I never would, but the new program looks that good. Do yourself a favor, pick up a copy, or buy it for a loved one (buying presents early is a life-saver) and now you won’t have any excuse not to complete your New Year’s resolution. Get it HERE.
Vegetarianism Part 2
I wrote a monster blog post last week on my thoughts on vegetarians, please check out part 1 of that series HERE.
In Part 1 I outlined many (though not all) of the reasons that people choose to become vegetarians. How terrifying our food production has become, and the utterly inhumane treatment of the animals we consume. People then choose to no longer support this corrupt industry, and stick to only plant-based food choices. This may not seem like such a bad choice, but unfortunately many people do not educate themselves on how to meet all of their nutritional requirements after eliminating meat from their diet, as it does contain a few nutrients that are nearly impossible find to large enough quantities in the plant kingdom. So, does being a vegetarian ensure better health?
Not Real Food
It all depends on how much they educate themselves. In my opinion people can be vegetarians and be incredibly healthy, but it does take education and effort. How does a vegetarian get enough vitamin B-12, or enough iron in their diet? Many vegetarians would have no idea how to answer this question, and therein lies a problem. (to be fair most meat eaters have no idea where to get those nutrients either, but lucky for them, their meat contains both in abundant quantities)
Through my practice I have met many vegetarians, who range from some of the most nutritionally educated people I have ever had the pleasure of talking to, to young girls who read that becoming vegetarian will make them thin. Becoming a vegetarian requires more effort than most people realize. Subsisting on pasta and veggie burgers may in fact be vegetarian eating, but it is certainly far from the ideal model of health. There are just as many pitfalls, if not maybe more, in eating vegetarian, if only because the food selection is now more limited, so the margin of error is smaller.
To be a healthy vegetarian I urge you to ensure that nearly all of your food comes from more nutrient dense options. Choose grains that are provide tons of nutrition; things like quinoa, buckwheat and sprouted grains, especially since all of these provide complete proteins and plenty of micronutrition along with significantly less anti-nutrients. Eat plenty of seeds and nuts to get in healthy fats, fiber, and more protein. If you are trying to gain an appreciable amount of mass or are trying to maintain lean mass while losing weight and you want to up your protein intake you do have some good options. If you do still consume eggs and dairy obviously whey or egg protein is fine, if not you can go to something like hemp or sprouted rice protein. Your best bets in that regard are a new hemp protein that I am quite impressed with called Hemp Pro 70 by Manitoba Harvest, which is also very reasonably priced, or Sun Warrior Rice Protein, which is a little on the pricey side.
For those of you who do still eat dairy and eggs, obviously these can be great sources of protein, especially things like Greek yogurt and omega-3 eggs. Making good food choices is still the name of the game. To actually get that vitamin B-12 I was talking about earlier vegetarians either have to supplement or consume fermented foods like sauerkraut. For iron, the best sources are chick peas, spinach and beans. Obviously very doable, but how many people actually eat sauerkraut on a regular basis? Like I said, it takes education and effort.
In the end you can do anything as a vegetarian that you could do as an omnivore. It is no more or less healthy, and it has just as many pitfalls. The food industry markets to this demographic heavily, and created a plethora of crappy food that are sold as vegetarian approved fare. The same basic rule still applies, whether omnivore or vegetarian: Eat Real Food.
So just because you eat soy burgers and whole grains and avoid meat does not make you healthier than everyone else. Remember that just because you may choose to no longer eat meat does not make you inherently healthier. If more omnivores cared about where their meat came from, and chose to purchase their meat/dairy/eggs from grass-fed, pastured and humanely treated sources along with eating plenty of high quality plant food, I would make the argument that you can’t get much healthier than that, and it is certainly the equal of a high quality vegetarian diet.
In conclusion: care about where your food comes from, make conscientious choices about your food selections, consume foods that make you feel good physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and strive to be as healthy as you can be. That is a recipe for success whether you choose to eat meat or not.
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Posted on November 6th, 2009 by Brian St. Pierre
2 Comments
November 6th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Brian,
I have 2 questions for you.
1) While I am guessing that things like goitrogens in cabbage are only an issue for those who already have diagnosed hypothyroid conditions (and still likely only in issue if all they do is gorge on foods containing goitrogens anyway), but do you know if fermenting foods (e.g. sauerkraut versus eating raw cabbage) has an impact on the levels of goitrogens in the food?
I know that various types of cooking can have an impact on the anti-nutrient activity of certain foods, so I was wondering if something like fermentation can impact goitrogen levels, even if they are a separate issue from things like phytates and the like.
2) This second question has to do with something I noticed over on Cassandra Forsythe’s blog, since your mention of Hemp Pro 70 reminded me of her website.
I recall in the comments section of her post, one reader asked her about DFH’s Whey Cool product. And here is the reply that she provided….
“For whey cool: I contacted two prolific whey researchers and they both felt the product was a waste of money due to the amount of processing whey has to go through anyways.”
Here is the link to where she gave the reply, just for reference purposes.
http://cassandraforsythe.blogspot.com/2009/10/manitoba-harvest-october-2009.html
Now I am very confused and even more uncertain of whom to trust. DFH markets the product as protecting many of the delicate microfractions in whey, and since they are more of a medically-based supplement company than a bodybuilding-based one, I figured they’d be less prone to marketing hyperbole, chicanery, quality shenanigans, and simply trying to make a buck by duping people. As far as I can tell, DFH is a stand-up, and high-quality company.
I am confused because I have come to regard Cassandra Forsythe as an always forthright and highly knowledgeable nutrition expert, so when she says something, I don’t take it lightly or disregard it as her having an alternative agenda.
Perhaps you might be able to shed some light on this, since I recall you mentioning DFH products in the past.
October 20th, 2011 at 4:02 am
[...] you guys. As you know I certainly have my opinions when it comes to vegetarians/vegans (here and here), and it is nice to hear from one who has “figured it out” and goes about this dietary [...]