From Tony Horton

Hey, everyone! I wanted to post this link from Tony Horton, vegetarian, fitness guru, & founder/developer of P90X. Read it carefully & pay attention to what he says. ONE INGREDIENT! :)

Famous Vegetarians

I've heard it over & over.
"If you don't eat meat, you don't get enough protein. If you don't get protein, you can't be an athlete." Right?

WRONG!
Here's a short list of famous athletes and sports/fitness personalities:
Anthony Peeler (NBA)
Bill Pearl (bodybuilder)
Bill Walton (NBA)
Billie Jean King (tennis)
Billy Simmonds (bodybuilder)
Bryan Danielson (wrestling)
Chris Evert (tennis)
Danny Garcia (skateboarding)
Ed Templeton (skateboarding)
Edwin Moses (track & field)
Fiona Oakes (cycling & marathon)
Hank Aaron (baseball)
Hannah Teter (snowboarding)
Jake Shields (MMA)
John Salley (NBA)
Kathy Johnson (gymnastics)
Ken Bradshaw (surfer)
Killer Kowalski (wrestling)
Luke Cummo (UFC)
Mac Danzig (MMA)
Mark Levy (NFL coach)
Mike Tyson (boxing)
Pat Neshek (baseball)
Prince Fielder (baseball)
Raja Bell (NBA)
Ricky Williams (NFL)
Salim Stoudamire (NBA)
Scott Jurek (ultramarathoner)
Stanley Matthews (soccer)
Steve Bellamy (tennis coach)
Tony Horton (P90X)
Tony LaRussa (baseball)
Tyrone Willingham (Notre Dame football coach)


And just because you're a vegetarian doesn't mean you can't be a phenomenal person either. So here's a short list of people who are well-known who are vegetarians as well:
Abraham Lincoln
Adam Ant
Alan Cumming
Alanis Morissette
Albert Einstein
Albert Schweitzer
Alicia Silverstone
Alyssa Milano
Andre 3000
Anne Hathaway
Anthony Kiedis
B.B. King
Barry White
Billie Jean King
Bernadette Peters
Brad Pitt
Bob Barker
Buddha
Charles Darwin
Carrie Underwood
Charlotte Bronte
Christian Bale
Christie Brinkley
Cillian Murphy
Claudia Schiffer
Coretta Scott King
Dennis Kucinich
Diane Keaton
Diogenes
Dizzie Gillespie
Doris Day
Dustin Hoffman
Ellen Degeneres
Emily Dickinson
Emmylou Harris
Enya
Erykah Badu
Fiona Apple
Forest Whitaker
Franz Kafka
Gandhi
Gavin Rossdale
George Harrison
George Barnard Shaw
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Hayden Panettiere
Hayley Mills
Ian McKellan
India Arie
Ira Glass
Jack Johnson
James Cromwell
Jamie Kennedy
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jared Leto
Jason Mraz
JD Salinger
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jenna Jameson
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesus Christ
John Cleese
John Lennon
Joss Stone
Kate Winslet
Kelly Clarkson
Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Nealon
Kim Basinger
Larry Hagman
Lea Michele
Leo Tolstoy
Leonard Cohen
Leonardo da Vinci
Linda Carter
Lisa Simpson ;)
Louisa May Alcott
Marilu Henner
Marty Feldman
Mary Shelley
Mary Tyler Moore
Matthew Scully
Melanie Griffith
Melissa Etheridge
Michael Bolton
Michael Dorn
Michael Franti
Michael Jackson
Moby
Mr. Rogers
Naomi Watts
Natalie Merchant
Nelly
Oliver Stone
Olivia Wilde
Orlando Jones
Pamela Anderson
Paul McCartney
Pauly Shore
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Peter Gabriel
Peter Sellers
Phylicia Rashad
Pierce Brosnan
Pink
Plato
Plutarch
Portia de Rossi
Prince
Pythagoras of Samoa
Raffi
Rainer Maria Wilke
Ralph Waldo Emerson
River Phoenix
Rob Zombie
Rosa Parks
Russell Brand
Saint Francesco d'Assisi
Samuel L. Jackson
Sandra Oh
Scott Adams
Seal
Shania Twain
Shannon Elizabeth
Sir Isaac Newton
Socrates
Steve Perry
Steve Wynn
Steve-O
Superman/Clark Kent!
Susan B. Anthony
The Roots
Thomas Edison
Thora Birch
Tobey Maguire
Tom Morello
Tommy Lee
Tracy Chapman
Vanilla Ice
Vanna White
Voltaire
Weird Al
Woody Harrelson
Yoko Ono
Zach de la Rocha

Happy meat-free eating!

The WhoWhatWhenWhereWhyHow of Vegetarianism

This is how I answered the questions when I switched my diet.
Who will this affect?
It affects me & only me because I am in control of what I choose to eat. I don't have kids, but I am a nanny. The kids are pretty young & are always intrigued about my food choices & the vegetarian cuisine I share with them. My family didn't understand at first, but I was kind & firm about my choice & they're pretty supportive now. If they grill, Dad puts my veggie dogs in a foil pan, etc. They did think I was being extreme when I gave up meat. Now they're used to it & mostly leave their comments to themselves.
What/which food(s) can I absolutely NOT give up?
It used to be cheese & yogurt. Now I am allergic to dairy so I CAN'T have any kind of dairy derivatives at all. But I've learned that I cannot give up sushi - just so long as the fish is fresh & wild-caught NOT farm-raised.
When will I be a vegetarian? Am I willing to ask questions at parties, events, & restaurants?
I am a vegetarian all the time. If there is a doubt in my mind that the food will be questionable at a party or event, I bring something along just in case. If I check out the spread & I'm unsure, I just ask a couple of questions. If people start acting weird, I insist it's due to allergies. After all, no one would want to endanger my life. I've discovered that if I say I'm a vegetarian, people will assume it's ok for there to be meat IN something & I can just eat around it or pick it off. NO.WAY. At a restaurant, I will get something automatically made without meat. I don't even have to think about bothering the cooks with my request for a clean, separate grill. And best of all, I don't have to depend on fast food anymore. UGH! THE WORST!
Where am I committed to buying food? Certain restaurants & grocery stores are more vegetarian-friendly!
I buy at our local Kroger. We do have a health food store here, I think more than one, but Kroger has a good selection of fresh produce, organic selections, & dairy-free/gluten-free options. I like Trader Joe's but the closest one is in Columbus. It's too hard to get up there on a regular basis. It's also very reasonable as far as prices go. I've never been into a Whole Foods but I understand the prices are sky-high. And again, the closest one is in Columbus.
Why do I want to be a vegetarian? Health? Money? (It is cheaper!) Animal rights? All three?
All three for me, but mostly for animal rights. I thought about the purpose of a domestic/farm animals. The one thing that I kept coming back to? Puppies are food in Korea. So I thought about chickens, cows, & all of that here in the U.S.A. I can't really say much more than that. And depending on how you feel about animal rights will definitely sway how strict you'll be.
How strict will I want to be?
I want no animal by-products in my food, touching my food, or even stirred with the same utensil. For example, if there is a vegetable soup & a chicken soup, I want my soup stirred with a different spoon. I want a clean knife cutting my vegetables on a clean cutting board.

So all of that is pretty easy to answer & will help guide you toward your needs in vegetarian quest. I'd encourage you to look into your nutrient needs. You don't need meat for protein or iron. You don't need dairy for calcium. Eat a wide variety...and you'll find the more plant-based dishes you prepare, the more you can actually eat. The quality of your calories & nutrients you're getting will far outweigh a 3oz (recommended portion) piece of meat. I take a variety of vitamins & dietary supplements to compensate for loopholes in my diet.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Happy meat-free eating!

Blog Intro

Hey, everyone! Welcome to this blog. It's just a little one for my friends who've decided to learn more about a vegetarian lifestyle. I'm not an expert, but I am a vegetarian. So I want to share with you some of the information I've gleaned about this way of eating & ultimately, way of life.

Here's the thing: it's not easy at first. There's only so many times you can eat pasta (no meat sauce!), right? True. But what I've discovered is since turning to this lifestyle, it has opened up a whole new world of foods & flavors that I may not have ever considered before when I was noshing on pizza, burgers, sandwiches, mac-n-cheese, & a myriad of other animal product dishes. I actually really enjoy cooking now! It's a lot of fun to be creative in the kitchen.

I'd also like to put this out there: this is your CHOICE. You can be as strict or unstrict as you'd like. There are many different degrees of vegetarianism - from the flexitarian to the raw vegan. If you'd like to learn more about them, check this out. It breaks down some definitions. I identify myself as a pescetarian, but "'round herr in dese parts" people look at me funny. So normally I'll say I'm a vegetarian who occasionally eats fish (as long as it's wild-caught, NOT farm-raised). And they still look at me funny because in small-town southern Ohio, there aren't a lot of vegetarians to be found! :) There isn't a right or wrong way; nothing is absolute. It's your body & I firmly believe it's your choice what you put into it.

If you're thinking of transitioning into a vegetarian life, ask yourself some questions. I've come up with 6 questions to help you get started. I'm calling them the WhoWhatWhenWhereWhyHow of Vegetarianism. I thought for about a week before deciding to commit to a meatless lifestyle, though I was already eating a mostly meat-free diet.
Who will this affect?
What/which food(s) can I absolutely NOT give up?
When will I be a vegetarian? Am I willing to ask questions at parties, events, & restaurants?
Where am I committed to buying food? Certain restaurants & grocery stores are more vegetarian-friendly!
Why do I want to be a vegetarian? Health? Money? (It is cheaper!) Animal rights? All three?
How strict will I want to be?

I'll address all of these questions from my viewpoint in the next blog. Until then, I welcome your comments & suggestions. Happy meat-free eating!