Green vegetables

I guess his age and fitness levels would play a part, but what was the condition of his cardiovascular system?


But I am sure you compensate by eating plenty of fruit, and most likely incorporate tomatoes with your spaghetti meat-balls???? Or even legumes (ie Mexican beans) with your chili mince?

And Mini, I am a vegetarian...perhaps pescatarian (but...almost vegan... I can't quite give up salmon, a wee bit of milk in tea and I just love cheese.... especially on my cheeseboard hehehe), also like you I have a heathy weight, plus the BP of a teenager and an excellent cholesterol ratio despite having type 1 diabetes for most of my life, and with no diabetic complications ( I am near on 50 and people tell me I look in my early 30s so guess I must be doing something right).... BUT my only sin is that I barely exercise ...ok I need spanking for that, right!)

My point is.... most veges are delicious if cooked right!! nothing worse than over boiled vegies, right!!! Yuck!!!!! But as a vegetarian, you kinda learn ways to make them tasty..... steaming..... seasoning with herbs etc! My evening meal is always a huge pile of seasoned steamed veggies and they are just yummy and a multitude of colours on my plate, which is ideal.

ALL VEGTABLE HATERS: I challenge you to try steamed red pepper...OMG it is delicious! (not sure what u call it where u come from but it is also called capsicum and bell pepper in some countries...red pepper or red capsicum here) I just add Himalayan salt and ground black pepper after it is cooked and it is just heavenly!!! SERIOUSLY I challenge ALL veggie haters to try it and any red veg is a superfood, high in cancer fighting antioxidants!!! Also red onion and tomatoes, which you can fry if you have to. Blueberries, kale and broccoli are also superfoods! (broccoli is yum if not overcooked.. it needs to be crispy and I eat my kale raw in a yummy superfood salad that even my fussy teens love, and everyone who visits ... So if anyone wants the recipe for that please send me a pop up and I will give it to you)

I am a veg for both my health (have a humungous amount of breast cancer in my fam.... and the only ones who haven't developed it by retirement age so far... or younger... are the vegetarians of the family; but I also choose to be veg for my love of animals and my vehemence at the the cruelty which takes place in the meat / dairy industries).... So trying hard to give up cheese and milk! That is my challenge!!!!

And Mini, I am sure I could give u some veg recipes that you would actually find delicious!!!! Just send me your email in a pop up xxx And also anyone else who is keen to try my delicious veggie challenge xxx

Jools, I have no doubt you are right about veggies being delicious. I know my dislike of them is predominantly psychological. If I have a casserole or stew with mashed up/mixed up veggies in them, I eat the lot and enjoy it. It is just individual piles of the stuff put on my plate that turn my stomach.

I have a sister in law who has spent 25 years preaching to me about the virtues of vegetarianism though. She always told me I'd end up fat and dead cos of my unhealthy diet. Yet she is the one who is now about 20 stone and suffering with cancer. Obviously, I am not suggesting she has cancer because she doesn't eat meat. The poor woman is just unlucky. But it does go to show that an extreme diet (either one way or the other) doesn't guarantee you good health.

Thank you for the offer of some delicious veggie recipe's, hun...but they wouldn't convert me. However, I do like to cook nice meals for my friends when I have them over for dinner, so please do pop up me with any that are faves (and easy!!!) lol.

XxxxX

I do eat vegetables, but peppers? Red, green, yellow or orange - they are ghastly! I don't even understand how the first person ever to taste a pepper actually thought it was food! To me that flavour screams, 'Poison! Do not eat!' Even a tiny amount as a garnish spoils a meal for me. Give me a mountain of sprouts any time.

Perhaps your peppers are different to ours.... steamed, a red pepper tastes like a juicy tomato and very mild, yet delicious and they are yummy raw in a salad, plus add wonderful colour to your greens heheh

So sorry to hear that Mini, I hope she recovers. I think health is all about balance and genes and yes some of us strike it unlucky on both counts. I guess our best defenses to staying healthy are keeping to a well balanced diet incorporating as many colours as possible, keeping cholesterol, BMI and BP healthy, exercising regularly and including foods we love to keep us psychologically happy and of course eating regularly with friends and loved ones.

I'd be happy to send you some of my recipes if you pop me up with your email addy, they may be a bit long to send via pop up so might be easier to send via email and attached doc file .... I will send u my raw kale salad recipe ( I hear you cringing already LOLOL) I incorporated all the raw foods that are cancer fighting, cholesterol lowering and power foods recommended on Dr OZ show (and surprisingly is well-liked by my fussiest teenage eaters and males in general who generally balk at salads yet they take second helpings) It may be of benefit to your Sister In Law for its high antioxidant properties. A lot of chopping is involved but it has been a winner at dinner parties for me and easy to prepare in advance. You may like my vegan aoili too which is both cholesterol lowering and totally yummy, and my fussy kids/hubby/friends love it on their sandwiches as a butter alternative or as a wonderful yummy and healthy dip for crisps at parties hehehe (Did you hear that Linda.. it negates the bad calories in those crisps with its good fat so makes us feel much less guilty for eating them...tho without guilt we would't need spankings would we??? hehehe). xxxx

Sure we would! I would, anyway.

My ex hates vegetables, too, Mini, and I love them. He will eat french fries and pinto beans though. It was always disheartening to make a nice dinner and have him eat only the meat and rolls.

Why??? Apart from salmon you seem to have no other source of fat in your diet. Veggies are great, but you do need a balance. Besides which, you seem to like milk and cheese. And if no-one ate dairy then the cows would be unemployed and would all get the chop to make way for more veggies. It is your duty to support animals by eating dairy, albeit in moderation.

Ha ha! I have plenty on my thighs and butt tho. Actually I do have plenty of fat in my diet. Besides salmon, I consume plenty of uncooked olive oil and I just love avocados which are a great source of healthy fat too. Half an avo drowned in ground black pepper and salt is just heavenly, and a rather addictive snack. And of course I eat crisps occasionally (yum! And one can kinda say they are a veggie right LOL)


Yes I do love cheese and will probably never totally give that up! Cow's milk I really don't like the taste of by itself. I drink soy as an alternative. I only add cow's milk to my tea because soymilk tends to separate when added to hot beverages.

My main reason for wanting to give up dairy tho, is not because of the fat content, it is purely because I cannot abide the hidden cruelty which takes place within the dairy industry. I won't go into details here because it is quite upsetting, but there is a lot of information on Google if you want to find out about it.

I respect your reasons, Jools, although your reference to 'hidden cruelty' comes as a surprise. Pigs and hens here are battery farmed, and life obviously does not end well for beef cattle, but I was always under the impression that dairy cattle were 'free range' (although the term is not used for cattle). In Ireland they are grass fed in the fields and brought in at night for milking. Maybe I am missing something, or maybe it is different in NZ. I must explore further (although I must admit my ethical standards far well short of yours when it comes to deciding what to eat).