David Orban's Blog - Latest Comments in On becoming vegan: five good reasons

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

Hiker412 — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:57:29 -0000

The only valid reason for being vegan or vegetarian is conservation. You can be perfectly healthy by eating the right foods, including meat, and animal products.

I would not classify number five as a good reason.

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:31:15 -0000

Hi Lew!

I have been non-vegan for more than 40 years, so now I will stick with this for a while... and then we'll see. I am taking vitamin supplements, to make sure that I have sufficient folic acid and B12 especially. In the meantime I feel fine, and as energetic, or more, then before. Of course this is just a subjective measure.

I am practically never ill, and when I have a cold, which is the worst I had for the past 20 years I take some acetylsalicylic acid (generic Aspirin). Probably in an other 20 years I will have to take something (or maybe not?) and then I will carefully check the pros and the cons. By that time personalized medicine should have become more mainstream, and should minimize undesired side effects which today are accepted for a ridiculously large minority of people with chronic illnesses.

Thanks for the book suggestion! They are always welcome...

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

Obewan — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:12:32 -0000

David,
Being vegan may not always be best. Great book to read is "Eat Right for (4) your Blood Type Diet"...by Dr. Dadamo. Being an Orban myself I had a hoot when for some reason I came across your name in a google journey. 98% of all medications consumed in the world are consumed orally...kinda tells the story on how so important the types and kinds of foods you put in your mouth is. It is about the specifics of the foods you choose and the blood type you have...... touch base if you wish...and good luck!
Lew

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:19:10 -0000

Thanks for the book suggestion! I will be eager to check it out. The diet is
going very well: I have been twittering the weekly weighting and have
skipped a week as I was traveling. I have been losing one kilo per week for
7 weeks, and I should be at 9 kilos lost in two days. Have started swimming
about 1 km per day two weeks ago as well, and that should help with the
weight loss too. Apart from being healthy! :)

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:53:09 -0000

From the Amazon website:

The Italian Vegan by Georgina Ferrari (Paperback - 20 Jun 2008)

I don't have the ISBN number just yet, but if you look it up on Amazon you should get all the details.

How's the diet going?

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:55:32 -0000

No carbs, or almost none! I eat a slice of bread for breakfast, to give me energy, but no pasta for lunch, and no pasta for dinner either. Sometimes some bread, but for dinner not more than a slice too...

(And no potatoes either, and very little rice. But beans yes, for proteins...)

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

claudio — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:49:36 -0000

Congratulations :) I'd love to jump the barrier too (I'm currently vegetarian and points 1 and 3 are the reasons).
Look at carbs, now! They are killer if you want to loose weight in a V diet... In my first two vegetarian months, I actually GAINED weight :(

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:18:30 -0000

Yes, I do love cheese, too. And fried eggs. And meat, as well. I just don't eat them! :)

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

breznev — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:03:47 -0000

I've been a vegetarian for 7+ years, since January 2001, and I'm not looking back. Giving up with Castelmagno and Pecorino would be a lot tougher, though.

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:19:20 -0000

You are right of course. There wouldn't be an alternative name though. Aspiring vegan sounded silly. Now a month has passed without meat (or milk, or eggs, or cheese). One day at a time, right?

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

no name — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:22:56 -0000

I encourage you, but giving up meat is a lot like giving up smoking. When someone says, "I've stopped smoking." and someone asks them, "For how long?"

If they said, "For four days." Everyone would laugh.

Similarly, 4 days off meat is not long enough to call yourself a vegan.

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:11:28 -0000

Hi, The book is at the printers at the moment! As soon as it is published I will let you know all the details.

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:10:07 -0000

Yes, I'd like to know about that book! :) Please link it here in the comments...

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:06:15 -0000

Yes, wonderful idea. I was a vegan for a long time and felt very good. A new boyfriend put an end to that but I'm going back on it now after 12 years of just getting fatter and fatter. By the way, I know someone who's just written a book about Italian vegan dishes with recipes if you're interested.

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:29:45 -0000

I know nothing about macrobiotic food. As about a lot of this stuff still :) But have jumped into the deep water! Come on in! It is fun...

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

turboy — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:18:18 -0000

congratulation for this great step!
I have been macrobiotic for some years. Now I'm quite vegetarian, I eat meat once per month. I would like to be vegetarian and I think I could do it. Still waiting for the real call.

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:42:17 -0000

Carla,
this journey has just started, and it will be a lot of fun. I will thrive on the constraints derived from the artificial self-imposed limits that eliminating so many sources of food brings, and will have to necessarily become more creative and stimulating in the preparation, and combination of what remains.

If you have any recommendation, let me know.

David

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

davidorban — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:40:10 -0000

Steven: yes, I want to take on more physical activity, in inverse proportion to my weight. I used to do a lot, so now I only have to revive it, and adapt it to my being 40+ instead of 20+.

I also realize that there can be fat vegetarians, and fat vegans. There are fat cows too, so there you go. This is the reason I am mostly eliminating bread and pasta too, concentrating mostly on unprocessed plants as foodsource. I don't eat sweets, and deserts of any kind. So that should help too...

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

Carla — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:57:10 -0000

Yay for you! I hope you find the weight falls off, you have more energy and enjoy all the yummy food thats out there! There's loads of great cookbooks and web forums etc that can help if you find any difficulties!

Re: On becoming vegan: five good reasons

Steven Ericsson-Zenith — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:58:19 -0000

Good for you! Now all you need to to use a bicycle whenever you can.

I've been Vegetarian for 25 years and, unfortunately, it does not exempt you from being fat. :-)