So, I have been reading a lot of diet books to figure out what I should do. They all pretty much agreed on a few things, eat veggies and fruits and reduce processed foods.
I have also been thinking for years about becoming a vegetarian but that seems so like it will take a lot of work. So I have pretty much been stalled out on this, the meats that I do enjoy are hot dogs, bacon and brats which probably sums up a few other issues. Beyond those three, I do eat hamburgers on occasion, chicken, tuna and turkey more often (none more than 1 or 2 a week). As to fish, I only like tuna, shrimp and lobster and I despise any visible fat on meat.
A few weeks back I was listening to the Run Vegan Run podcast (episode 9 - good discussion, take a listen) where Megan was interviewing Adam who writes the blog Lone Wolf Runner. And what did they discuss but vegetarian eating and how to get started so after the show I dropped Adam an email asking a few questions about it and he was kind enough to get back to me. His advice made a lot of sense, start by logging all food. So I did it for awhile and I ate fruit (bananas, strawberries, grapes, apples), veggies (broccoli, carrots, green beans), salads, almonds, cashews, peanuts, energy bars, instant oatmeal, string cheese, peanut butter, bread, veggie and cheese pizza. Over this period of time I didn't eat any red meat but I did eat tuna once and when I had training at work I ate a small piece of chicken. That's one of my concerns about going vegetarian, figuring out how to eat when I don't have control over anything. Since then I have eaten a little more meat but it's no more than every 2 or 3 days or longer.
If I ever do decide to formally drop all meat I think I would make the attempt to follow the Lacto-ovo vegetarianism. Which means I will eat dairy and eggs and honey as giving up cheese would be really, really difficult.
First, though I will follow Adam's advice and start keeping a log and see how I do and I will look to avoid processed foods and increase the fruits and veggies as I have some weight to lose.
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For those like me who don't know everything about different versions of vegetarianism here is the definition table from wikipedia.
Diet name | Meat, poultry, fish | Eggs | Dairy | Honey |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lacto-ovo vegetarianism | | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Lacto vegetarianism | | No | Yes | Yes |
Ovo vegetarianism | | Yes | No | Yes |
Veganism | | No | No | No[11][12][13] |
11. Vegan Action FAQ: Is Honey Vegan?
12. Why Honey is Not Vegan
13. What is Vegan?