What exactly do you have in mind? How often do you have pizza, breaded and deep fried foods, ice cream, pastries, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, pie, cake and cookies etc.? Remember, this is the Medical and Health Discussion board.

What exactly do you have in mind? How often do you have pizza, breaded and deep fried foods, ice cream, pastries, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, pie, cake and cookies etc.? (Remember, this is the Medical and Health Discussion board.)

I'm not sure all of these personal questions should be your concern. She stated her opinion and you stated yours. Vive La Difference!

As a (mostly) vegan person, I can empathize with you. It's not easy, especially if you are going to a lot of social events. You should be able to enjoy eating as you choose. But whoever's in charge doesn't want you steering your boat in a different direction (away from illness).

The only thing you might try is finding clubs with people that believe in eating the same healthy foods and make friends with them.

Well, I'm sure because this thread is supposed to be about health and I wonder why people say things that don't quite make sense, healthwise.

but then there is the exception of the vegan of 29years of his 42 years of life, who is 5'7" weights 139.4....has played competive and college hockey since the age of 5, runs 4 miles a day and walks to work 2.8 miles each way. Yet his cholesterol is out of control with meds, and he will soon have a cardiac cath. So sometimes its not about moderation or life choices, you just have the wrong parents and grandparents.....just saying

Well said.

Now, Villages Pl. You do it all of the time....in my opinion.

AND my reaction to Uptown Girl's post was meant to be light hearted and fun. I do believe that a sense of humor is genetic too. Some people are always serious about things and that is the personality that they were born with.

But to many of us a sense of humor is a precious commodity that allows the days that we do have on this earth to be pleasant and fufilling.

Most of us try to do what is good for us, and we all have different opinions about what that is, and we seek different kinds of people to guide us.

I sense you feel that the health choices you have made for your self are the only right ones. I disagree. That is my opinion.

And as for steering your boat and your reaction to that statement. .

I will go WAY down to the bottom line and say that we will all die of something. We may live a little longer if we do this or that, or a lot longer if we don't do this or that....but there is only ONE WAY OUT.

Do the best you can to take care of yourself and others in your life and don't waste any moments to savor life... because none of us knows when will be our last day here.

Well said...

There is significant data that says other wise. (except in a VERY rare case)

Heredity is an easy or over used excuse for some not to eat right and take meds to offset their diet.

"First of all I'm not citing anything, don't shoot the messenger"

BUT your headline may seem to suggest something different?

But I felt she did give very valid reasons why she made the decisions she did for herself. I think at that point, she is "steering her own boat!"

Perhaps you would be happier with me if I rephrase my choice of words in this way, as this is a true belief of mine: We each have the responsibility as adults to 'steer our own boat' .. and have the freedom to choose the direction we go. Others don't have to agree with our personal direction. They may think we are way off course. Oh well.
We are responsible for our decisions.
We are each responsible for the care of our bodies, including what we put in them.
You may hold as your truth that a vegetarian or vegan diet is the optimum for health and integrity of being a human being. I don't mind if you do.
Does that help?
If not, just skip over any future posts I may make or block me out. Then my squeeky noises won't irritate you.:)

From my experience, athletes are often the worst diet offenders. Athletes need lots and lots of calories to burn that fruits and vegetables will never provide because most natural whole vegan foods are low in calories. Even whole grains and nuts may not work for them because they need something that is easy to store and convenient to eat on the run.

Before a run, during a run or after a run, energy bars and energy drinks fit the bill. Before a hockey game, during(?) hocky and after hockey, energy bars provide needed (compact) energy.

Athletes can burn 4, 5, 6 thousand or more calories per day and it's often not possible to get it from natural whole foods. I have such a friend who has a sweet tooth for chocolate bars, energy bars and sweetened energy drinks. This may not be good when trying to control colesterol. Also, the stress of competition (hockey is a good example) can raise colesterol.

Yes, that's a big help because I got the impression you were trying to say that vegetarianism and veganism do not work or will not work in the long run for most people. I thought because of your disappointment with it you were trying to warn others away from it.

Personal responsibility and freedom to choose our own direction is something I agree with. I never doubted that; it's a given and everyone is doing it. Although, with 70% of seniors being overweight or obese, I don't think they're doing a very good job of being responsible. When you look at statistics for health and weight in the U.S., the overwelming majority are making poor choices. And eveyone pays for those poor choices, sometimes through taxes and sometimes through higher health insurance premiums. That's why I feel as though I have a right to speak up and criticize those who make poor choices.