sirant
New member
the humble soy bean.....
Not only a great source of protein which does not come from a cow, but also shown to fight/prevent cancer. I was a vegetarian for over 10 years and never ate any meat protein at all. During that time period I was a construction worker (a very strong one at that) and a professional wrestler easily able to military press and body slam 250 pound men over my head (and scream and yell impressivley at the crowd while doing it) During that whole period I relied on Whey and Soy protein to give me the muscles and strength I needed. I was a vegetarian at that time for purely moral reasons, plus I was living in a house with other vegetarians and vegans, I decided to give it a go. Now vegetarian doesn't mean "skinny" (obviously or I wouldnt be here) but it is possible to get your protein easily from other places than a big steak.
And as for the cancer concerns, consider this. As I have mentioned in other posts, scientists are quite shocked that asian countries, specifically China and Japan have a SHOCKINGLY lower cancer rate (Lung, Colon and Breast) then other Western countries. They attribute this primarilty to the larger consumption of green tea and soy beans. Bottom line. China has a population of 1.3 Billion, yet less than 1% breast cancer rate. Also much lower lung and colon cancer rates than America, yet so many men here smoke 2 packs a day. I drink freshly made soy milk (not processed stuff) and eat tofu everyday, along with my Chinese family and friends. It is the norm here and I love it.
Here is a very good little article if you are interested talking about soy:
There are many many more. Google away....
Now, before you ask, I did mention "was" a vegetarian. I am not any longer, thats true. When I moved to China 3 years ago I was, but shortly thereafter I went back to the dark (or meaty) side of the force. Why? Well, first off the Chinese people refused to believe I didn't eat meat. They did not believe someone could be as big and strong as me and not. Meat here traditionally is a rich mans food, and the bigger you are, obviously the more meat you eat. So they essentially tried to force feed me meat every waking minute. But that wasnt the reason I succumbed. Bottom line was many of my friends pointed out that eating is a very cultural activity in China and by avoiding that part of the equation, I was really missing out on a lot China had to offer. And really, they were right. I was tired of having to say no, no, no all the time, when really I wasn't hardcore about not eating meat anyways. So long story short, I started eating meat again. However, I do eat far LESS meat here than I did back home. One typical serving of meat back home equates to a full meal for a family of 4 here. That one steak is cut up and mixed with veggies and becomes a dish fit for a king and 3 or 4 of his buddies. Which really is good. I make up the additional protein need through the daily consumption of soy products, so I am not too worried about protein defecit. Back home I am sure I never followed the proper portion sizes when it came to meat. Bigger was always better.
Bottom line is, do what works best for you. If cancer and morals are a concern, I suggest you look more at soy to become a staple of your diet. Soy products even back home have come a long way. Soy milk is no longer grainey and disgusting and once you learn to cook tofu properly, it is no longer the bland and boring food everyone remembers. But meat, if eaten sensibly is not the end of the world either.
Good luck on either route.
sirant
Not only a great source of protein which does not come from a cow, but also shown to fight/prevent cancer. I was a vegetarian for over 10 years and never ate any meat protein at all. During that time period I was a construction worker (a very strong one at that) and a professional wrestler easily able to military press and body slam 250 pound men over my head (and scream and yell impressivley at the crowd while doing it) During that whole period I relied on Whey and Soy protein to give me the muscles and strength I needed. I was a vegetarian at that time for purely moral reasons, plus I was living in a house with other vegetarians and vegans, I decided to give it a go. Now vegetarian doesn't mean "skinny" (obviously or I wouldnt be here) but it is possible to get your protein easily from other places than a big steak.
And as for the cancer concerns, consider this. As I have mentioned in other posts, scientists are quite shocked that asian countries, specifically China and Japan have a SHOCKINGLY lower cancer rate (Lung, Colon and Breast) then other Western countries. They attribute this primarilty to the larger consumption of green tea and soy beans. Bottom line. China has a population of 1.3 Billion, yet less than 1% breast cancer rate. Also much lower lung and colon cancer rates than America, yet so many men here smoke 2 packs a day. I drink freshly made soy milk (not processed stuff) and eat tofu everyday, along with my Chinese family and friends. It is the norm here and I love it.
Here is a very good little article if you are interested talking about soy:
There are many many more. Google away....
Now, before you ask, I did mention "was" a vegetarian. I am not any longer, thats true. When I moved to China 3 years ago I was, but shortly thereafter I went back to the dark (or meaty) side of the force. Why? Well, first off the Chinese people refused to believe I didn't eat meat. They did not believe someone could be as big and strong as me and not. Meat here traditionally is a rich mans food, and the bigger you are, obviously the more meat you eat. So they essentially tried to force feed me meat every waking minute. But that wasnt the reason I succumbed. Bottom line was many of my friends pointed out that eating is a very cultural activity in China and by avoiding that part of the equation, I was really missing out on a lot China had to offer. And really, they were right. I was tired of having to say no, no, no all the time, when really I wasn't hardcore about not eating meat anyways. So long story short, I started eating meat again. However, I do eat far LESS meat here than I did back home. One typical serving of meat back home equates to a full meal for a family of 4 here. That one steak is cut up and mixed with veggies and becomes a dish fit for a king and 3 or 4 of his buddies. Which really is good. I make up the additional protein need through the daily consumption of soy products, so I am not too worried about protein defecit. Back home I am sure I never followed the proper portion sizes when it came to meat. Bigger was always better.
Bottom line is, do what works best for you. If cancer and morals are a concern, I suggest you look more at soy to become a staple of your diet. Soy products even back home have come a long way. Soy milk is no longer grainey and disgusting and once you learn to cook tofu properly, it is no longer the bland and boring food everyone remembers. But meat, if eaten sensibly is not the end of the world either.
Good luck on either route.
sirant