Half-ass vegetarianism

[classtimesailer]

interesting. any mills still producing 'safe' flour (old strains, etc)?

I haven't done the search yet. But, I think so. Sorta like heirloom tomatoes. The Vitamix lady says you can make flour with it. We haven't tried yet.

[pronghorn]

Haven't read all posts in this thread so I apologize for any redundancies. I've been a vegetarian for 30 years. Perhaps because I've been eating this way for so long, it does not seem difficult, challenging or complicated. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to protein intake. I use soy milk in place of dairy for cereal, baking and the like. A huge salad loaded with a very wide variety of veggies, fruits, whole grains and tofu. Dinner is usually catch as catch can. Snacks are usually fruits and nuts. I run a lot, ride a lot and have only been to the MD twice in the last 20 years for upper respiratory ailments. Unlike the OP, I am motivated by the ethical and environmental aspects of my food choices and really want to reduce the amount of suffering I induce.

[Mabouya]

I am motivated by the ethical and environmental aspects of my food choices and really want to reduce the amount of suffering I induce.

+1 Those are also my reasons for doing it.

[King Of Dirk]

There’s an old thread on the ethical ramifications of eating at a certain chikin-oriented fast food establishment. I expressed a few sentiments there that I still consider to be accurate: if you know enough about almost anything, you’ll find something about it that doesn’t square with your moral code. I guess that’s just a fancy way of saying ignorance is bliss, but I don’t mean for it to sound so trite – or so mindless.

I understand that some of my food choices involve the taking of life, and that some of my friends will have a problem with that. Some of them may even be disturbed by it enough to part ways. I wish them happy trails.

I’m a selfish bastard. You tell me that decreasing the amount of processed food I ingest will correlate with – and perhaps even cause – a reduced risk of personal pain, suffering, or even mild discomfort, and I’m likely to subscribe to your newsletter. If by chance I happen to induce a lesser degree of suffering on the planet or my fellow mammals, so much the better. But make no mistake about it, if a credible dietician told me a diet rich in blubber would lead to a long, healthy life, I’d drink baby seal milkshakes.

Part of why I chose not to bring up the ethical or environmental aspects of the choice is the propensity of some to pretend abstaining from one or more food groups makes one a “better” person than another, or that failing to abstain means one’s ethics aren’t up to snuff. It doesn’t, but to each his own. I’m glad to be a little healthier, and glad if others are glad about why. I appreciate all the advice I’ve received very much.

In closing, Luis Guzman has it right: