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Vegetarian Diet Vegetarian: Someone who does not consume meat of any sort, including fish. There are many different reasons one may be a vegetarian, religion, moral and ethical choices, and sometimes medical restrictions are only a few of the many reasons people decide to abstain from the consumption of animals. There are many misconceptions surrounding vegetarianism, particularly the amount of protein one gets when following this diet. Many sources will say that an adult male needs upwards of 150 grams of protein, and while this amount of protein is helpful if trying to build muscle, for a sedentary person 150 grams is more than enough. According to WebMD, the minimum amount of protein an adult male should get is 56 grams, which is not very much at all. As for vegetarians getting protein, it is not as tough as people think. Aside from meat, protein is found in large quantities all over the food pyramid. Dairy products like cheese, yoghurt, whey and low fat milk all provide plenty of protein. As for grains, wheat germ, wheat bran, oats, rice bran, breads, quinoa, lentils, and beans. Even vegetables can provide a small amount of protein as they have a high protein to calorie ratio, obviously not nearly as much as a cup of yoghurt, but it helps. Iron is another nutrient many people think only comes from red meat, but iron deficiency (anemia) is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency in the world, and most of the world are not vegetarians. Red meat is not as great a source of iron as people believe it to be, 100 grams of beef gives you 15% of daily recommended intake of iron and 55% daily recommendation of protein. Lentils, on the other hand have far more iron per gram, 100 grams of lentils provides 56% of recommended daily iron intake, and 52% of the recommended protein intake (based on a 2000 calorie diet). Lentils and beans If all else fails, supplementation is of course an option, nothing wrong with a scoop of protein powder (whey or plant based are both fine) in your morning smoothie. Iron can be taken the same way, but since iron takes months to build up to normal levels, it is important to be consistent with iron supplements.
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After carefully reading all of the different topics on the Blog Assignment list, I realized writing about normal food would turn out to be quite boring. So, I decided to watch a food documentary on Youtube called, Taboo: Gross Food, by a channel called Taboo. The 45 minute long video explores the bizarre foods that different cultures from all around the world consume. Foods that people in North America might consider utterly disgusting, people in other parts of the world might consider it part of their daily diet. The video showed a variety of interesting foods made from interesting animals. I’ve decided to compile a list of the foods that caught my eye the most and to tell you guys about them. First off on the menu is snake. And by snake, I mean snake heart, snake meat, snake guts, and the list goes on. In Vietnam, they’re hard core about what they drink. So what they do is the locals slice a snake up and tear its beating heart out of the snake’s body. The heart is placed in a shot glass while the snake blood is poured into another glass and mixed with rice wine. The concoction is then poured into the shot glass and, viola, snake heart with rice wine is served. The locals in Hanoi believe that this drink gives men more virility and stamina, but I don’t buy it. At first, I was totally fine with the snake blood, but when they showed the still beating snake heart in the shot glass, I may have grimaced. But, hey, it looks like a bloody good drink. But wait, there’s more. There’s still the snake bile wine. It is said to be a medicine. The bile is squeezed out of the snake’s gallbladder and mixed with rice wine. Apparently, it clears out phlegm and relieves coughs and asthma. I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot. It looks a lot better than snake heart, I’ll tell you that much. FOOD BLOG: Into the UnknownThe locals don’t stop there. They also consume the meat itself. A man in the video said that he had contracted malaria and after eating snake meat, he was cured. Many locals believe that eating snake routinely will improve your sex life and prevent kidney stones. So I guess maybe we should all start eating snakes. I mean, how bad could it possibly be? For the next food item, we travel across waters to the land of the rising sun, Japan. It seems like almost everyone there has a death wish. It’s unbelievably crazy of the risk that the take when eating this: Fugu fish. Before deciding to eat Fugu fish, I highly suggest giving this a read: http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/how-to-eat-a-deadly-animal-without-dying/story-e6frfqfr-1226535413062. The Fugu fish is one of Japan’s most dangerous delicacies. The fish contains a toxin called TTX. It is a thousand times stronger that potassium cyanide and a single Fugu fish is able to kill 30 adults. Therefore, there is always a risk of getting Fugu poisoning whenever consuming Fugu fish, even after all the poisonous organs are removed. To make matters worse, there is no cure for Fugu poisoning. And Fugu poisoning is no fun. It’s quick and it’s violent. If you want to know more about Fugu poisoning: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Fugu+Poisoning. After 15 minutes, the victim’s lips turn blue, then you start to feel a burning sensation on your skin. The poison attacks your brain and nerves next, shutting down the muscles that control breathing. Blood pressure decreases and the heart becomes erratic. There are cases where the victim seems dead but is actually still alive and conscious. I don’t understand why anyone would want to risk that. Every bite you take could be your last and that’s a pretty scary thought. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my meal. The next item on the list is something that’s very controversial. It’s a Hanoi specialty and it’s called dog. Dog carcasses can be found everywhere in the outdoor Hanoi markets. For the Vietnamese, it’s a normal everyday thing to eat dogs. The locals don’t let any part of the dog go to waste and try to get as much out of the dog as possible, just like the snakes. This includes dog organs, dog tongue, and dog tail. The Vietnamese believe that dog heart gives you vitamins and makes you feel happy. They also believe that dog tail helps straighten your spine and relieves back pain. Personally, I don’t believe any of that kind of stuff unless I actually try it and it works. But, I’d never eat dog. Apparently though, dog meat tastes like goose or duck meat and it’s high in protein and low in fat. Still not eating it. It horrifies me that people eat dog and I feel so bad for the dogs. I think it should be banned for sure. Man, dogs in Vietnam sure have it “ruff”.
Anthony Bourdain is a chef travels around the world trying the foods and learning about the culture of where he goes on his show “No Reservations”, because I’m interested in travelling and I’ve always wanted to go to Greece I thought watching the Greek Islands episode would be interesting to learn about. Anthony Bourdain “No Reservations” |
Another Challenge: Manitoba Diet After reading the novel, The 100 Mile Diet, it has brought to my attention that I myself am eating products from all around the world! Most of us don’t think about where are food comes from, and how long it has taken to reach our plates. Here in Port Moody we have tons of resources that can be used to are advantage when it comes to food. We can do such little things, like growing our little vegetable gardens; this will allow us to become familiar with what we are eating as well as helping the planet. This book helped me realize that growing food can take up a lot of space that we probably don’t have, and growing are own food will help reduce the land space that is needed for are food. If people would pay more attention to where are food comes from then there would be less travel distance from where we receive our food. I think this is a great idea, especially if you like to eat fruits and vegetables because you will get to experience them in the peak of their season rather than all the time. This book raises awareness about how we are connected with are food in are everyday life, and how we are dependent on food to survive. Sources http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/a-new-yorker-tries-the-100-mile-diet/?_r=0 http://willtaft.com/the-100-mile-diet-challenge/ -Designed to reprogram your body after the Holiday’s. - Consists of vegetables, fruits and lean protein for 8 weeks This is another challenge that tests your ability to alter your diet. Instead of eating what you would normally eat, you would eat fruits and vegetables. I notice that vegetables and fruits are becoming to become an all rounded thing, unlike when we used to have certain fruits in certain seasons. Then again, you still do have your fruits and vegetables that are harder to get if you are looking for food in a 100-mile distance. Both these diets have to take dedication and can change how we view are food. They both are ways of making people eating local foods and becoming familiar that we receive food from all over the world. | Poached Salmon with white cream sauce 2/3-cup seasonal vegetable stock ½ white wine 1 cup of cream 2 Tbsp. buttermilk 3 tbsp. fresh dill, minced 2 LBS salmon steaks or fillet steaks Blend vegetable stock and white wine in saucepan Reduce heat when ½ cup of liquid remains Whip in cream and buttermilk, stir in dill and set aside Place salmon steaks in deep skillet and cover with cold water, heat on medium heat Steaks will pouch in 8 min and turn opaque when done Ready when it comes easy of the bone DO NOT BOIL FISH Spring Salad · Spring greens · Edible flowers · ½ LB Asparagus · Butter Choice of greens depends on the season. Use everything that is available, chickweed, thyme, oregano, wild onions, radishes, ex.. Brush spears with butter, roast for 3 min at 500 F Lay roasted asparagus over mixed greens. Garnish with edible flowers |
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