Vegetarian/Veganism

[The Decline]

I haven't found a thread on this yet, and I think it's overdue.

Let's discuss vegetarianism in all its flavors. If you please, discuss your reasoning/beliefs behind your own diet choice. Discuss the lifestyle, maybe input your personal meal planning advice or recipes too. I'd also be interested to see if there are any correlations between types and diet choice and its reasoning.

Here's a guideline if you'd like to answer to it:

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

- Other thoughts on the issue?

It'd be cool if ad hominem attacks were kept to a minimum, because while I think that this forum as a whole is well-mannered, I've seen many a thread on this subject devolve into people feeling defensive and thus attacking others.

_______________
Personally, I was raised in a traditional meat-eating home, and I came to choosing vegetarianism when I was 16. On the subject of dead animal product, I reject it for various reasons. First, the manner in which it is produced in my country on the industrial scale is deplorable. I may be more inclined to eat meat if I knew it came from a happy animal who lived a natural life of grazing, raising a family, and generally not being born to live out a short existence in small cage in terrible conditions (for a warm-blooded mammal). To this end, I support some form of animal rights.

Further, 6% of man-made carbon emissions is a direct result of livestock production. As an environmentalist of sorts, I recognize that the energy transfer from vegetation to animal is a significant loss, as is the resulting pollution (cow farts, manure runoff, etc), and many other side effects of having a middle-man organism in the food chain. These practices are not sustainable, and while modern agriculture at large is flawed, industrialized animal farming is the worst.

Healthwise, I'm genetically predisposed to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and colon cancer, so the worst thing I could do is elevate this risk by eating meat, as correlation studies inform me. I also do not generally trust animal products, as I've heard that 95%+ of food-borne pathogens transmit through them. The industrialized factor is also suspicious, with the animals being unnaturally injected with growth hormones, and the resulting meat being preserved with fairly toxic nitrites that metabolize into carcinogens.

Overall, I found I could easily live without meat in my diet. It was quite simple to replace, and though I had to choose carefully where I could eat out at, my home meal planning adjusted well. I rarely eat eggs or dairy, but I won't consider myself vegan since I'll eat baked goods/cooked foods that I haven't made myself that contain dairy or eggs. I've found that my nutritional balance is well kept when I simply live off of a good amount of legumes/nuts, cereals, vegetables and fruits. It has also made me a much better cook, and led me into the worlds of cultural recipes to discover foods I really enjoy. Not to mention I learned how to cook healthily on the cheap

</lifestory>

 

[Feops]

I'm not a vegetarian but I enjoy discussions on the topic.

Even your typical omnivore could stand to reduce their intake of meat and consume a substantially heftier sum of fruits and veggies. There's lessons to be had even if you don't agree with the vegetarian reasons.

I'll fully admit my own weakness in this regard. I find the taste of many vegetables to be bland or bitter, there are few I enjoy, so I naturally gravitate to meats and sugars. I've somewhat compromised by shifting over to fish and chicken.

 

[Aerithria]

What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
Ovo-lacto vegetarian, I guess.

Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I chose it myself, around three-four years ago I think.

What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
I stopped liking the taste of meat.

What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
Works for some, doesn't for others. I tend not to care either way so long as no one gets PETA-ish about it.

How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice?
Unless my type also influences my taste buds, I'm thinking none.

Other thoughts on the issue?
Uh, nope. Though I might stop by later for a real discussion, I'm just a little distracted at the moment, heh.

 

[phthalocyanine]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

usually lacto-vegetarian, occasional ovo-lacto vegetarian.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

i chose to adopt this diet about 7 years ago. i'm 22.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

ethical, health, and spiritual reasons..pretty equally.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

diet is a personal choice (in the west where we have enough luxury, anyway.).

there is a lot of misinformation about both meat eating and vegetarian diets floating around out there.. i wish people were more open to dialoguing about these issues without over-personalizing things sometimes. i remain hopeful and confident, however. rarely do i encounter a brick wall.

generally i find most people are at least interested in learning a little bit about vegetarian cooking and baking. i like to show more than tell in this area - "try this cake".

vegetarianism's effects on the environment are generally very positive.

i think we could feed a lot of hungry people with all the grain product saved from being used as fodder for animals raised for food.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

INFPs are often described as ethical..

- Other thoughts on the issue?

what's best for human life, in my opinion, is to live in harmony with the other beings on this planet, as a means to promote and preserve life.

 

[Kingfisher]

i am a very heavy meat eater. i eat lots of variety and quantity of vegetables, but i eat what would be considered a very large amount of meat.

i went vegan for a while, but found that it did not work well for me. i burn calories and energy very quickly, and i need a diet that is very high in calories and carbohydrates.
i really respect the reasons for being vegan, but physically i find that i feel much better on a high-meat diet.

by the way, i was raised by a vegan mother and a pretty omnivorous father.
over time i began eating more and more meat, and eat more now than ever.

 

[LadyJaye]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

I'm a vegetarian, though currently, I'm a sort of accidental vegan.


- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

I was a born and bred Southern eater, which means lots of BBQ pork. ( I still crave it sometimes. ) Pink and I chose to become vegetarian about 7 years ago because of health reasons. It greatly diminished her body pain to stop eating meat.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

Like I said, it has been a health driven choice. It was a strange revelation to me that one could lose the taste for meat, but after only two or three weeks of being meatless, when I tried to eat a piece of pork, I had to spit it out because it tasted so horrible to me, and the texture was revolting.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

I think it's a good choice for some, not for others. I think generally, though, that people eat too much meat.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice?

I think it made me more open to the idea of going against years and years of culture. In the South, that's a big deal. Saying no to BBQ pork is a crime in some places. lol

 

[Thalassa]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

I eat meat, but I don't eat meat every day. I eat a lot of vegetarian meals and try to eat fish or poultry more than any sort of red meat. I've gone through periods of vegetarianism. I went totally vegan for about three months.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

I began eating less meat as a teenager, though I remember being told to "eat your meat" a lot as a child, indicating that I probably didn't like eating meat every single day even as a child.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

Mainly health, but somewhat ethics. Like I drink organic milk whenever possible and free range eggs for ethical reasons.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

I think it's very healthy if it's done correctly. I wish I could stop eating meat completely, but it just doesn't feel right physically. Pescetarianism is probably the most realistic option for me.

I will say that just cutting meat out while eating cheese pizza, french fries, and candy bars every day isn't better than eating meat, unless you're doing it for strictly ethical reasons.

Also, I think that veganism is an eating disorder. I know that people are probably going to want to argue about that, but I'll refrain from responding because my years of research and months of experience with being vegan tell me that it's not natural for human beings at all, and it's complicated and expensive to "do it right" with all of the extra supplements so you don't go blind or have nerve damage or simply have to go number two every couple of hours.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

I would say that having ethical reasons for eating or not eating certain kinds of food would be a pretty NF trait.

 

[Alwar]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

Omnivore. I am trying to balance my diet with about 30% meat and dairy, the rest grains, veggies and fruits.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?

I grew up a heavy meat eater.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

Mostly tradition, but also because of two wonderful books I read. See the last part...

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

Legitimate if you do not have access to grass-fed, pastured, free-range, or otherwise symbionic raised meat.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

I don't feel it is a factor at all.

- Other thoughts on the issue?

I never thought much about food until I read two books my Michael Pollan: "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food." It was a huge world-view shifter for me primarily because of just how little we know and understand about nutrition. Along with a few other issues he brought up in these books.

In the books he mentions the dogma of "Nutritionism" prevalent in both agricultural policy and consumer culture, the idea that you can determine a good diet by currently recognized nutrients. He cites examples about how this ideology has proven lethal as in the push for margarine over butter. It turned out that margarine was lethal because of the trans fats and countless have died from heart disease as a result, there are several other examples.

He also reveals that nutrition science itself is very infantile, that is, we simply don't know much about nutrition beyond the nutrients we have isolated, we know food and health are related. That's about it. Every nutritional study has the same fallacious foundation based on the dogma of "Nutritionism" that assumes that all carrots have the same nutritional value, that all beeves do etc. when we know damn well that two carrots from the same batch aren't the same. Two carrots from different plots are even more varying. Imagine how different the nutritional value is between a pastured beef and an grain fed factory farmed beef (it's huge).

He uses the carrot as an example of how supplements cannot replace food as there was a test where they thought beta carotene was the good nutrient in carrots and so they gave people the vitamin instead. It ended up being disastrous, we have no idea what the hell makes a carrot good for us, it could be a combination of nutrients, it could be those nutrients interact in a positive way that we don't understand. Emphasis on we don't understand. Breastfeeding is another example of the fallacious nature of Nutritionism as we cannot simply replace breast milk with recognized nutrients blended into a formula, turns out breast milk has anti-bodies and all sorts of other things that cannot be replicated into formula. The results of which, also, have been negative and in some cases, lethal.

And last, he brings up the horrifying agricultural and factory farming industry that exists in the United States, how it effects the cleanliness and quality of our food and environment, and the alternatives available to replace it. I haven't been able to look at food the same since reading the books. He does not bad mouth nutrition science by the way, nor do I. Inquiry into nutrition is as legitimate as any other. It seems that industry and commercial interests however, are perverting the science and overstating what we do in fact, actually know.

 

[MonkeyGrass]

Ovo-lacto who eats meat occasionally (with company, especially).

I was NOT raised this way, lol.

I do it for health, budget and because the meat industry is lousy these days.

I think it ideal, actually, if you practice in an informed way.

My idealism and empathetic tenancies totally play into factor!

 

[Falcarius]

I haven't found a thread on this yet, and I think it's overdue.

There are a few

veggie people.

Vegetarian? why?



- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)

Ovo-lacto vegetarian.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)

Falcarius depending on how one defines vegetarianism has always been a vegetarian. He was a pesco-vegetarian until he was about five years old, but he watched too much David the Gnome and Animals Of Farthing Wood, and also did not like the taste of red meat. So when Mr and Mrs Utahensis tried to make him eat red meat he rebelled and became an Ovo-lacto vegetarian; he has been more or less been an Ovo-lacto vegetarian since.

I have more or less been a vegetarian for most of my life. Originally I did not eat meat as I did not like the taste of meat, but eventually it became more for animal rights reasons. I probably watched too much 'David the Gnome'. Seriously, I learnt most of my ethics and morals from watching 'David The Gnome', when I was about 5. The reason I started to believe in treating animals and the environment with respect, anti-materialism, and pacifism was because I learnt it from David The Gnome. To this day I remember the part of the first episode of David the Gnome, when David says; "What is the idea of of coming in to our peaceful forest and blasting away with your noisy guns at every animal you see? And of course you make the water so dirty the fish can't live in it, and the air so full of smoke nobody can breath''. Watching 'The Animals Of Farthing Wood', and my mother making me walk by the carcasses of various animals hung in and outside the butcher's shops in The Covered Market also played a role in me stopping eating meat.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

Not really, just rather drifted that way for reasons explained above.

 

[metaphours]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian, homes.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I chose the diet, and I chose it about 3 months ago

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
Honestly, mostly health, but I do care about the plight of teh animals, and that was part of the reason I chose to go veg as well.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
It's pretty noice.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice
LOL, idk. I guess when it comes to the plight of teh animals, my caring nature kicks in, lol.

- Other thoughts on the issue?
Nozzir.

 

[Soar337]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, thinking about becoming a vegan

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I chose it myself. I decided just after my fourteenth birthday, I am now sixteen.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
Ethics, compassion and health. I also found out after I made the choice that someone I look up to very much (Davey Havok) is a vegan, and he kind of fuelled the fire, and kept me at it. Although now I could never see myself going back to eating meat.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
I think it's the intelligent choice of a diet. It's healthy, kind, and in today's society humans can live perfectly well without meat. We kill animals for no other reason than greed.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice

Hmmm. INFP's tend to be caring. And Idealist?

- Other thoughts on the issue?
I don't have anything against meat eaters, especially the free range/organic eating ones.

 

[slant]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
Vegan.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I chose it for myself, it's probably been four or five months now. Maybe more. I think I started in March so...

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc) I have no idea. When it happened, it just happened.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
Good for them...? I have no thoughts.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice I dunno, you tell me, I'm not really that self reflective on the matter.

- Other thoughts on the issue? Yeah I also quit drinking soda three years ago an on top of a vegan diet I don't eat high fructose corn syrup or partially hydronated oils.

 

[prplchknz]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)meat eater

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
raised
- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
I'll pretty much eat just about anything
- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
It's nice, I could if i wanted, but I don't want to, but I really don't eat huge amount of meat these days, not to say I still don't enjoy some chicken or a steak or a hamburger occasional
- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice
I'm INFP I'm suppose to give a shit about animal rights, but I don't so, so nope,
- Other thoughts on the issue?
none at the time, I really don't give a shit about others people dietary choices and I'm always respectful of that, as long as they're respectful of mine. and I could eat more fruits and veggies but the fruit and veggies are shitty here so i don't buy them very often, and I'm not paying 6 dollars for an organic apple especially since studies have shown that their is no real benefit from eating organic. So yeah I think the whole organic thing is mostly a scam. I don't care if the apple was blessed by blind tibetan monks an apple is never worth that much.and the fact is that theirs only so many organic farms that the fruits and vegetables have to be shipped further which means more gas used, so if it's for enviromental reasons then why bother? I would love to grow all my own food but that's not feasible.

 

[kyuuei]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
Omnivore. The one that eats both. I don't discriminate

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I was raised with it. If I had been raised to catch my own meat to eat it, I'd probably stick with that. As it stands, I live in the city, where that's quite impossible. We were also raised to grow gardens though, so we try to do that whenever possible.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
Mostly convenience (It'd be a pain to drive hours out just to catch food everyday) and my current residence mixed with what I've been doing my whole life already.

I am getting more into healthier, raw foods. I don't buy organic shit yet though

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?

I think it's fine if you wanna do it. We eat a vegetarian meal once a week here just to make sure we're putting emphasis on what's good for our bodies, and cutting meat portions in meals.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice?

They probably don't. I could see an ENFP feeling bad about Peter Cottontail being breakfast, but I certainly see nothing wrong with it.

- Other thoughts on the issue?

Food rocks.

 

[~~ENFJ~~]

- What type are you? (Meat-eater, pescatarian, ovo-lacto veg, vegan, etc)
Ovo-lacto vegetarian.

- Were you raised with this diet or did you choose it yourself? At what point in your life did this occur?
I remember refusing to eat fish as a young child. I connected it to fish in the river, which I did not think were food. It wasn't so much an empathetic thing at the time, from what I can recall. It was more of a view of their purpose. I didn't identify water animals as a food source. As an older child, I frequently refused to eat red meat or poultry as I identified them as animals, not food. By then, it was an empathic desire to not inflict pain and destruction on creatures when there were alternatives available, making it needless in my mind. By my teen years, I would not eat anything with visible blood. The sight of blood would bring about a strong smell of death that would revolt me and make my stomach do flip-flops. My family was not at all supportive of my views and had no idea where they came from. I'm still seen as a little odd, but I've been a vegetarian so long that they just accept it is who I am.

When I became an adult, I made a conscious choice to not eat any meat, fish, sea food, or poultry because of the ethical issues concerning the animals' treatment. I am not morally opposed to eating meat, but I have what I see as the luxury of choosing where my food comes from and of being able to afford alternatives, and so I feel an obligation to live by my principles since the opportunity is available to me. I've since learned of the many health benefits of reducing or eliminating animal flesh from the diet (with the exception of fish, but there's still no way I'm eating that and I'm not too happy about the toxic levels of chemicals in our waterways, the methods of fishing, and the contamination in that anyway).

I'm not too happy about eating milk and eggs. When I think about it, I find both disgusting and I'm not assuaged by the further health issues with milk. I am appalled with the way animals are treated in both industries. However, I do not believe that I have access to the resources, internally or externally, to make a strict vegan diet healthy, so I'm just picky about my sources for milk and eggs, both of which I get from a local organic farm and consume little of. I use vegan margarine and milk most of the time, but not all.

My blood work always comes back perfect without any supplements so I'm not going to try to fix what ain't broke.

- What is your main focus/reasoning for this dietary choice? (Tradition, ethics, health, not sure, etc)
I think I answered that sufficiently above.

- What are your thoughts on vegetarianism?
1. It is the norm for most of the world and not in itself unhealthy. People don't need meat.
2. Vegetarianism provides more opportunities to feed people and to feed them healthier food (even though many of those opportunities are not being utilized).
3. For Americans who choose it, it is a discipline which requires self-control over a long period of time, which is a useful skill to cultivate especially in the area of food consumption.
4. I don't like being lumped in with people who want to kill off humans to protect the animals because I choose to take advantage of the opportunities available to me to live by my principles.
5. I don't judge people for eating meat and understand how culture, opportunity, knowledge, finances, personal desire, etc would lead a person to choose to do so, or even to never make a conscious choice as they accept what was handed on to them without considering alternatives.
6. There's a lot of really yummy naturally vegetarian food out there! It doesn't have to be soydogs and tofu burgers.
7. I hate soy. It's irrational, but I don't eat it. I think I emotionally connect it to extremism and don't want to be seen that way, and I don't feel comfortable with the health risks of highly processed soy, either.

- How do you think your type or parts of your MBTI type plays a role in your dietary choice?
I don't know. Maybe it helped me to do what I thought was right despite strong social pressure to the contrary? Maybe my drive to keep learning has helped sustain me through the years as more layers of why I am a vegetarian develop through continued study? Maybe it is why I am able to walk the line of having a strong personal conviction and acceptance of people who are not vegetarians? Maybe it is what has helped to moderate me so that I didn't go full-fledged into a vegan diet only to crash and burn 6 months later as I definitely would have had I tried it?

- Other thoughts on the issue?
Some of my favorite recipes, which I usually use a vegan milk and/or butter in if it is called for:
Vegetable Biryani
Easy Masoor Daal
Sweet Corn Tomalito
Moroccan Lentil Soup
Vegetable Shepherd's Pie
Crispy Vegetable Pakoras
Sean's Falafel and Cucumber Sauce
Winter Fruit Compote
Sirecz (Easter Cheese)
German Apple Pancake
Sweet Potato Oranges
Chinese Steamed Buns
Chili Potato Burritos

I want to try this: High-Protein Torte

 

[Clonester]

I'm not a vegetarian but I enjoy discussions on the topic.

Even your typical omnivore could stand to reduce their intake of meat and consume a substantially heftier sum of fruits and veggies. There's lessons to be had even if you don't agree with the vegetarian reasons.

This.

I'll fully admit my own weakness in this regard. I find the taste of many vegetables to be bland or bitter, there are few I enjoy, so I naturally gravitate to meats and sugars. I've somewhat compromised by shifting over to fish and chicken.

True. I just bought some apples picked from a local orchard at a farmer's market and they taste so sweet and fresh and juicy. I've had the same experience with berries. I just can't stop eating them.

But any fruit I buy from the grocery store rarely has this amazing taste. Too bad.

 

[rhinosaur]

I'm an omnivore but have been attempting to reduce my meat intake for a few years now. I must say it's very hard to be a vegetarian and do any significant amount of exercise. If I cut back on meat, and don't cut back on exercise too, I feel like shit.

 

[~~ENFJ~~]

I'm an omnivore but have been attempting to reduce my meat intake for a few years now. I must say it's very hard to be a vegetarian and do any significant amount of exercise. If I cut back on meat, and don't cut back on exercise too, I feel like shit.

Have you tried high-energy foods? What has your experience been if you eat like the below?

Water to drink.

A peanut butter/chocolate/banana morning smoothie with flax, yogurt, and whatever else you want for flavoring or nutrition. Add a little cabbage, carrot, avocado or beets without hurting the flavor. Serve with a bowl of oatmeal with some walnuts or pecans in it. Water to drink.

Some cottage cheese with preserves for flavoring and some almonds on the side for a snack. Water to drink.

A bean soup or stew of some sort for lunch like chili with some cheese sprinkled on top. A salad made with any green veggies or leaves. Spinach, dark lettuce, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, herbs, yellow tomatoes, sunflower seeds...whatever. Topped with a diced boiled egg. A roll with whole grain whole wheat. Water to drink.

A stick of cheese and an energy bar for a snack. Water to drink.

Exercise. Lots of water to drink.

A raw apple for a snack. Water to drink.

Pasta with broccoli, pine nuts, peppers, onions, spices, etc for dinner. A side of veggies like apricot glazed carrots. Water to drink.

Some berry sorbet for dessert.

 

[rhinosaur]

Thanks for the recommendations. I am currently in another phase of trying to cut back on meat, and could use the suggestions. Although the specifics of what you mentioned are a little out of range for my eating style (for example I don't like smoothies because it's a PITA to clean the blender), I think I can run with the general principle (eat more high-calorie and high-protein foods).