Any vegans in the NHL?

[ddbowdoin 0]

Georges Laraque is a vegan now.

is that why he sucks?

vegan or vegitarian? obvioulsy a huge difference, I can't see ANY pro athlete being a vegan.

[eric42434224 1]

I remember from my college days that there is a good reason that people did, and still do, eat meat. It is because meat (red meat in particular, I think) is the only single source of all amino acids the body needs or uses. In order to make sure you get all these amino acids without meat, you have to have access to, and make sure to combine, specific foods. Of course those with the means and opportunity to do so, can live perfectly fine without meat. But for many, including early humans and those people today of limited resources, meat is almost a neccessity.

Of course I could be wrong, but that is what I seem to remember.

[ddbowdoin 0]

vegan is just unreal, I can't imagine not being able to eat ANY animal by-products, at ALL! cheese, eggs, milk, yogurt, anything dairy... ice cream

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Why can't you eat animals, animals do?

I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian, but the argument that we are logically and inevitably bound to do things just because other animals do, is downright depressing.

You must be a blast at parties.

If I'm lucky, you'll never find out.

[eric42434224 1]

Why can't you eat animals, animals do?

I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian, but the argument that we are logically and inevitably bound to do things just because other animals do, is downright depressing.

You must be a blast at parties.

If I'm lucky, you'll never find out.

???

I must have missed where someone made the argument that "we are logically and inevitably bound to do things just because other animals do"

[ddbowdoin 0]

I've stopped eating red meat unless it's prime dry aged 30 days. That means I might have red meat once every 1-2 months. It's only been a year and not a biggie. I eat a lot of fish though. Have started making my own sushi. I definitely feel more healthy.

I'd do that as well if I could afford to go Smith & Wollenskys every couple of months!

[chippa13 1844]

Nice. Have you tried the new Ruth Chris in the old State House? Top drawer.

Why can't you eat animals, animals do?

I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian, but the argument that we are logically and inevitably bound to do things just because other animals do, is downright depressing.

You must be a blast at parties.

If I'm lucky, you'll never find out.

Great, another night of lost sleep coming my way.

[lee92 2]

Being vegan isn't all that out-of-this-world. How many other animals do you know that drink another species' milk? Your body doesn't need a whole great deal of protein to meet required levels, and these can be adequately met with nuts, beans, and lentils. I'm sure there are vegan protein powders out there as well, and just about everything has calcium and vitamin D in it these days, so you don't really need milk.

An interesting tidbit as well...during a bio class this past week we were discussing natural selection and lactose-intolerance came up. My prof mentioned that most of the world's population is lactose intolerant, with only those with European descent being able to digest lactose, and that someday the ability to digest lactose will be removed from humans altogether.

[ddbowdoin 0]

Being vegan isn't all that out-of-this-world. How many other animals do you know that drink another species' milk? Your body doesn't need a whole great deal of protein to meet required levels, and these can be adequately met with nuts, beans, and lentils. I'm sure there are vegan protein powders out there as well, and just about everything has calcium and vitamin D in it these days, so you don't really need milk.

An interesting tidbit as well...during a bio class this past week we were discussing natural selection and lactose-intolerance came up. My prof mentioned that most of the world's population is lactose intolerant, with only those with European descent being able to digest lactose, and that someday the ability to digest lactose will be removed from humans altogether.

I may be wrong here, but I have always been under the impression that beans are only a partial protein, in that their amino acids must be combined with another protein source to complete the chain. Hence, why diets in third world which consist of cheap grains do not provide an adequate level of nutrition.... obviously there are issues of quanitiy and availability of resources but in a simplistic situation it makes some sense

[titand19 0]

I've stopped eating red meat unless it's prime dry aged 30 days. That means I might have red meat once every 1-2 months. It's only been a year and not a biggie. I eat a lot of fish though. Have started making my own sushi. I definitely feel more healthy.

I'd do that as well if I could afford to go Smith & Wollenskys every couple of months!

I don't pay for my prime beef. My uncle and parents are frequent restaurateurs to NYC steakhouses. Some good and not so good.

Smith & Wollensky in my opinion has lacked some quality control since they started franchising, but still plenty of good beef here.

[eric42434224 1]

Being vegan isn't all that out-of-this-world. How many other animals do you know that drink another species' milk? Your body doesn't need a whole great deal of protein to meet required levels, and these can be adequately met with nuts, beans, and lentils. I'm sure there are vegan protein powders out there as well, and just about everything has calcium and vitamin D in it these days, so you don't really need milk.

An interesting tidbit as well...during a bio class this past week we were discussing natural selection and lactose-intolerance came up. My prof mentioned that most of the world's population is lactose intolerant, with only those with European descent being able to digest lactose, and that someday the ability to digest lactose will be removed from humans altogether.

I may be wrong here, but I have always been under the impression that beans are only a partial protein, in that their amino acids must be combined with another protein source to complete the chain. Hence, why diets in third world which consist of cheap grains do not provide an adequate level of nutrition.... obviously there are issues of quanitiy and availability of resources but in a simplistic situation it makes some sense

That is exactly what I was saying in my previous post. The only food that has all the amino acids is meat. In order to get that without meat, you have to be careful in your diet to make sure the proper pairings of food are used to get all the amino acids.

[Kevin 5]

All animal sources: meat, milk, and eggs are complete proteins with all the essential amino acids.

Beans and rice combine to provide all the essential amino acids.

[eric42434224 1]

Ahhhh. I didnt know it was all of those animal products.

Beans and rice. They taste great....with meat :)

[psh 25]

Georges Laraque is a vegan now.

is that why he sucks?

vegan or vegitarian? obvioulsy a huge difference, I can't see ANY pro athlete being a vegan.

I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but I admire folks who can pull it off. Scott Jurek, the best ultramarathoner ever, is a full on vegan. He also eats only whole foods, so while other guys are eating electrolyte pills and drinking sports drinks, he's eating olives and drinking wheat grass during races. It can be done, apparently. Check out the races this guy has won and the records he has set:

http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php

http://www.scottjurek.com/bio.php

[n3ss 0]

I have a lot of respect for vegans and even vegetarians who can stay committed to that lifestyle. Unless of course, you're one of the insane PETA zombies thats going to burn my house down because I enjoy turkey, chicken, and beef and try to avoid beans whenever i can. (however, the strippers PETA hires are always welcome)

[Jarick 5]

I also recall learning about increased meat consumption led to development of the brain cue to the amino acids and proteins and what not.

Different people have different metabolisms. Personally, I tried about every diet and exercise program under the sun this summer and put on 25 pounds (half of it fat, the other half muscle), switched to Atkins a few days ago and am down six. I dropped 50 pounds doing Atkins in college. My body thrives on protein and fat, and I even had my best energy levels in forever with fewer than 10 carbs that day.

[chippa13 1844]

The best way to lose weight and sustain is to make a life change and not to diet. Sooner or later every diet ends and you will usually put back on more than was lost in the first place. Moderation and balance are the keys to taking weight off and keeping it off.

[shotty 7]

the reason why there aren't alot of vegans or raw foodies in the nhl is because with the amount of energy output they produce, they'd have to be eating at a higher frequency and volume.

it's much much easier to consume the necessary amount of protein, for example, when eating chicken or fish than it is eating lentils. the average male body burns 1900 calories a day just by normal function, a pro athlete burns up to 1000 in one game, let alone warm ups, practices and other training... and vegan diet can only provide the necessary fuel if you're constantly eating to replace.

i have a friend who's a pro athlete, with a HUGE focus on dietary routine, and he tried raw vegan and found that he was burning out much earlier and not able to complete his workout routines on this type of diet... i have another friend who practised vegan diet for training (he's a dietician) and he found himself at dairy queen almost every big training day ordering a peanut buster parfait just to keep his energy up.

[ddbowdoin 0]

the reason why there aren't alot of vegans or raw foodies in the nhl is because with the amount of energy output they produce, they'd have to be eating at a higher frequency and volume.

i have a friend who's a pro athlete, with a HUGE focus on dietary routine, and he tried raw vegan and found that he was burning out much earlier and not able to complete his workout routines on this type of diet.

it's much much easier to consume the necessary amount of protein, for example, when eating chicken or fish than it is eating lentils.

not to mention the fibre intake, wow.... we'd see carey price blazing off the ice to let out all that ruffage he has in him! haha

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

Plants are living things too.. they breath..

[Trippingblue 1]

1) I tend to disagree with the extremist tactics of PETA. Nearly Hezbollah-like in their fervor, PETA activists can take things to a dangerous level. When chef Laurent Manrique opened Sonoma Saveurs, PETA protested. They also doused his car in acid, defaced the storefront, and sent him video of his family shot from the front lawn of their house with the warning that he was being watched. Their website is alarmist and full of misinformation and propaganda. Every time I've had an encounter with one of these eco-terrorists they are defeated by reason and logic, but refuse to let a thing like not making sense stop them. There is a difference between believing in something and taking that belief and intimidating others to think the same way.

2)Vegetarianism is a health choice. Veganism takes that and makes it a political statement. All well and good, in my opinion and more athletes should follow his tack and publicly stand up for what they believe in.

3)It must be incredibly difficult to be a vegan in Montréal. There is so much excellent non-Vegan food in the city! I miss the smoked meat, poutine, foie gras, and tourtiére.

[Jason Harris 31]

I'm going off my memory, but around the late 70's Bill Walton suffered a stress fracture in his foot at a time that he was a vegetarian. Doctors told him it wasn't healing properly because he wasn't getting enough protein in his diet, so I believe he first added fish (and possibly chicken), then added red meat when it still wasn't healing. This is going back 30 years, so I may have the facts somewhat mixed up, but not the gist.

I can also speak anecdotally that I didn't eat a lot of meats (particularly red meats) in my early twenties, I think because of the cholesterol scare. Around 26, I suddenly found myself craving hamburgers and tuna. The amazing thing is I jumped up 20 pounds in just weeks; it seemed like my body innately knew it needed more protein, because I certainly didn't grasp the concept intellectually at the time.

Between my experience and Walton's, I've been of the opinion that people can be vegan or vegetarian, but our bodies are evolutionarily honed to work better with some meats in our diets.

[Chadd 916]

It is very, very difficult to eat properly as a vegetarian. You will need the assistance of a professional if you are an athlete at almost any level.

[Jarick 5]

The best way to lose weight and sustain is to make a life change and not to diet. Sooner or later every diet ends and you will usually put back on more than was lost in the first place. Moderation and balance are the keys to taking weight off and keeping it off.

For some people, yes. I lost 50 lbs on a low carb diet (went from 5'8 185, roughly 35% body fat down to 135, roughly 12% body fat) and kept it off for over five years by eating healthy. Both times I've gained rapid amounts of weight (about 25-30 pounds over six months) I was on Lexapro, which seems to stimulate the hell out of my appetite and generally kill my metabolism.

For me, it seems when I am putting on weight, even when cutting down calories and working out, I need to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels before anything else can happen. So anything like Atkins or South Beach seems to switch the metabolism "on" and after the first few weeks I reintroduce the carbs until everything gets to where I want it to be. Maybe my long-term healthy diet is a lower carb diet, because my blood sugar has always been erratic.

[Law Goalie 147]

A friend of mine is a cardiac surgeon, and she can tell a vegan from a strict vegetarian from an omnivore before she's even cut him, most of the time, and 100% by the time she's in: the less meat a person eats, the more prone to anemia and the less able to coagulate. Take the halest, healthiest vegetarian who looks like a million bucks and seems fit as a fiddle, put him under a general anaesthetic and draw some blood, and he'll be much worse off than an omnivore of moderate fitness.

And, just FYI, the vast majority of health problems associated with 'eating meat' - high serum cholesterol, visceral fat, etc. - are in fact caused by excessively eating grain-fed animals. Take the same animals, let them graze, and add a little grain to their diet of grass, and most of those health problems disappear at the dinner table. Moderate that intake just a little, and nearly al of them vanish.