Thursday, October 8, 2009
Growing up, I was never a big-time meat eater. I would have it as part of other dishes, but I’ve never been one to go to a restaurant and order a steak. So, when I began gradually cutting meat out of my diet last year, it was a pretty smooth transition.
I received a couple of vegetarian cookbooks for Christmas, and was able to find a lot of recipes that were tasty and easy to make. But there was one staple of most vegetarian diets that I could never get used to: tofu. I couldn’t understand how anybody enjoyed eating the mushy, flavorless substance, so I went a few months without any major source of protein in my diet.
But after a while, I began to experience occasional cravings for meat like I had never really had before. Particularly when I was tired or sick, I would begin to feel like the only thing that would make me better was a big cheeseburger. I later concluded that this was my body’s way of telling me that I was lacking in the protein and other nutrients found in meat.
With this newfound concern for my health, I began making an effort to include soy products into my diet. And after learning better ways to prepare it, I eventually began to enjoy eating tofu. My cravings went away, and I started feeling good about the way I was eating.
Then in the spring I read a magazine article about a man who began growing strange lumps in his chest, which a doctor attributed to the large amount of soy milk he consumed every day. This really freaked me out. I had just begun eating more soy in an effort to be healthier, but was I actually hurting my body?
Since then, I’ve cut back on my soy intake and begun to mix up my protein sources by eating more beans and peanut butter, but I’m still a little nervous about what effect my diet will have on my body.
Read Amy’s story on page 13 about whether soy actually is the healthy food that many people see it as. You’ll see how important it is to be conscious of your health, your diet and how the two relate to each other.
Soy: superfood or super health risk?
Could the vitamin-packed, once-touted bean actually be hurting your health?
Doing Without: Eating Meat
Absence makes the heart grow...?
Blog: Vegging Out
Doing Without Eating Meat
Staying healthy with healthy eating
Vegetarians and vegans take special steps to get their nutrients
Pred: Debunking the great protein myth
You don't need as much protein as you think.
Students turn to vegetarianism
Young people are increasingly deciding to not eat meat, many of them ...
Gross: Vegetarian diets don't limit athletic excellence
Some world-class athletes succeed with vegetarian diets.
Greening it
Your guide to greener living
Veggie tales
Meat free— the way to be?
McCoy: The reason fad diets fade
Popular weight loss plans don't always stand for effectiveness.
Tasting Tofu
Discover the magic of this vegetarian staple.
Sandal: Animal slaughter for human consumption is ...
Meat eating violates the basic human principle of causing pain for another's ...
Viva Vegetarian!
Campus offers a variety of options for vegetarians and vegans
Breaking up with bread and cheese
My struggle with gluten and lactose intolerance.
What's in a label?
Finding the accuracy in “healthy” food labels.
A new meat market
Animals could become obsolete in meat production.
Student group focuses on animal rights
Compassion for All Animals, or CAA, works to raise awareness of the ...
Gross: Living gluten-free poses big problems for ...
Misconceptions about gluten-intolerance add to the challenges of those with celiac disease.
Orthorexia: When good diets go bad
Healthy eating can become an unhealthy obsession
Excessive meat consumption could pose health risk
Dieticians say students should balance diets and avoid high-fat red meats.
My Big Fat Kosher Life
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Eating healthy during school doesn’t require as much time or money as ...
Myers: Taking a lesson from Italian dining
The Italian way of eating is much healthier than the American way.
Brain Food
Out and about
One random question, several random answers.
Gentry: Vegetarians deserve people’s respect
Overall, Lawrence is friendly, but some could be more understanding
Bregman: Thanksgiving tricky for vegetarians
The Conscientious Consumer tackles the challenges of Turkey Day for friends and ...
Pump up the protein
How you can bulk up or slim down
Weighed Down
One Jayplay writer spends years trying to cope with body image issues
Greening it
Your guide to greener living
Survival Skills: Eating Healthy on a Budget
Tips for healthy eating alternatives while still saving money.
Matney: Media distorts perception of body image
Next time you feel self-conscious, think twice about where your standards of ...
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Student Health Services offered free milk and milk mustaches to students Tuesday ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
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Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
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Editor's note
Soy products alone aren't healthy, in fact they are carcinogenic and disrupt hormonal balance. Americans always get this wrong. Fermented soy products, on the other hand, are the reason that soy is associated with health. Tofu, natto, tempeh, etc are good for you, provide protein, and don't cause the problems that regular soy products (soy milk, soybean oil, soy-everything) do. Spread the word, I'm so over hearing people talk about this legume like its some kind of mystical conspiracy.
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