Vegetarianism?

"Are you getting enough protein?" "That's not healthy." "You need to eat meat for energy."

These are a few of the many comments I received when I ate vegetarian for a few months last year. I actually enjoyed being a vegetarian, despite the fact that my friends and family didn't support it. I felt better about myself and I had more energy. 

Well, what are some benefits of eating a vegetarian diet? Here's a list from vegnutrition.com (highlighted in green) with a few things I added (in purple). 

• Plant foods provide phytochemicals. These are compounds found only in plants; some of these have significant impacts on risk for heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.
• Plant foods contain fiber, which is associated with a lower risk for cancer, heart disease , and obesity. Animal foods contain no fiber and people who eat typical American diets based on meat and dairy generally do not get as much fiber as experts recommend.
• Plant foods contain no cholesterol. Even lean meats like shrimp and white chicken meat are high in cholesterol . Cholesterol is important but consuming too much is bad for cardiovascular health. 
• Plant foods are low in saturated fat . Most of the saturated fat in American diets comes from meat and dairy foods. Saturated fat is linked to a risk for heart disease and possibly for cancer as well.
• Some plant foods, like olives and nuts, are high in total fat, but they typically contain healthful types of fat. Unlike saturated fat, these plant fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) are linked to reduced disease risk when they are consumed in moderation.
• The type of iron in plant foods is regulated by the body in a way that guards against iron overload, which may be linked to chronic disease .
• Plant foods are excellent sources of nutrients, such as folate, potassium, and chromium, which help fight chronic disease.

Even with these benefits, vegetarians and vegans are at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency as well as Vitamin D and Iron. However, supplements can help with this part. 

Eating vegetarian doesn't mean you're not getting enough nutrients you need for the body. As long as your diet is balanced, you will be healthy. Nuts are a great source of protein for vegetarians, as well as legumes and quinoa. It's so easy to consume protein now a days, compared to our prehistoric times. 

Anyway, the reason why I bring this up is that I'm thinking about going vegetarian again, but I'm still unsure if I should or not. I really enjoyed it when I was vegetarian. The only problem is that the people around me don't necessarily support it, especially due to my culture (that loves meat and think it's important). Don't get me wrong. Eating meat, especially lean meat, can be part of a healthy diet. It's just not really for me. 

Do you guys have any thoughts on this?

Have you tried going vegetarian? If so, how was your experience with it?

DIY (Do It Yourself) Shirts

Before I get to talking about how to make your own T-shirts, there is some things I have to say. For one thing, remember that you are in control of your own life. Make the best of it and make wise decisions. You don't want to do something you'll regret later on. Made a mistake? Admit it, get help, reflect and learn from it. That's how life is. Nobody's perfect. Not even celebrities and not even Asians.

Anyway, what I really wanted to say is how even though I appreciate the concern people have about me not eating meat (I'm forced to eat seafood though, after a month of not eating any meat), I do NOT want to eat meat. It's my body and I decided what I want to put in it. People (*coughs* family and friends) say that "oh, you won't get the nutrients you need from not eating meat. You'll have problems later on in life."

Here's one major fallacy with that: you CAN get all the nutrients you need while still eating a vegetarian diet. All you need to do is eat the right combinations of vegetables, grains, beans and that stuff and you're good to go. Eating dairy will help tremendously. All you have to do is talk to a dietitian and they can help you plan meals so that your body is getting what you need. That way, you won't have problems later on in life that is directly related to not eating meat.

I really, truly do appreciate the concern you guys have for me. But, it's my body and I get to choose what I want to eat. Maybe it's because it's not the traditional Chinese food diet, but, times are changing and we aren't living in China.

One tactic someone tried to used against me is this: my fear of my body image (of getting fat). Back when I was in middle school, I was overweight. I ate at fast food places a lot (the spicy chicken sandwich from Carl's Jr as an after school snack), I ate a lot and I did not exercise (my mom even tried to get me up early every morning to exercise), but I did not care. Then, finally, it hit me that I needed to become healthy and lose weight.

Finally, in 9th grade, I started to portion the foods I ate, chose healthier options (I even learned to read food labels...and whole wheat bread..but still white jasmine rice..get what I mean?) and I started working out. I still ate meat then, but I ate less of it and I ate healthier meats. I lost 30 lbs in just 4 months. I weighed less than when I was in 6th grade (I've basically stayed the same height since 6th grade too...). My weight has fluctuated about 10 lbs, but I still weigh less than when I was in middle school.

Anyway, about the scare tactic. They said that my body looked better when I was in 9th and 10th grade, when I still ate more normal, not caring as much as I do now about the health freak foods. That included eating white rice and some other things too (instead of what I eat now, brown rice). I admit that I agree but I can't change that fact that I'm still growing. My body has gained curves, more feminine, but my skin isn't as good as it was when I was in 9th and 10th grade. I do miss how I looked back then. I exercised less, freeing up some time and my body was basically perfect. Now, I have dry skin, acne, I weigh a bit more than when I was in 9th and 10th grade and I spend more time working out. But, I admit I do have more muscle now then back then. Anyway, I am now eating more like a "normal" person. The only thing is that I won't eat pork.

Anyway, back to the T-shirts. I made the T-shirt about a week ago. I was just trying it out. I got the idea from blogilates, Cassey Ho.  Here is the link.

Here is how my t-shirt turned out. Please do not laugh.

It didn't turn out too badly, right?

The shirt is actually very comfortable, but I don't know if I'll be wearing it out. I may wear it to work out though.

So, anyway, I went on a body fat scale after not going on one for such a long time. My body fat reading is of an athlete's. You can search online for that.

I also baked a Victorian Sponge Cake yesterday. I'll post the recipe in the next post. I baked it because I took the permit test yesterday and I passed on my first try! I finished the test under 10 minutes. I studied a lot before the test...I know. Stereotypical Asian since I studied a lot before it, but I didn't want to have to keep retesting. It's actually just common sense with some laws and rules you have to learn from the handbook.

So, sorry for this long post with very few pictures. My next post will have more pictures. :)

So, do you guys like making your own clothes?
What's your favorite kind of cake?