I haven't posted much of anything here about my diet thus far. The details of my eating habits are not, I think, crucial to understanding my own health or even the more general topic of this blog, i.e., health and fitness at age 50 and beyond.
Still, in the interest of full disclosure, I feel I should offer a few comments about my diet. Thus, the following.
I have been what might be most concisely termed an ovo-lacto-pesco vegetarian for many years--going on 25 now, actually. So in many respects I've been for the most part observing a pretty healthy diet for quite some time.
In case it's not apparent from the terms I've used to describe the diet concisely, what they mean is that I do not eat red meats and poultry, though I do incorporate other animal products into my diet--namely eggs (the ovo part), milk and dairy (the lacto part) and fish (the pesco part). I must observe that lately, in an attempt to address some digestive issues, I've cut way back on the dairy part of the diet, so I'm presently eating very little in the way of lactose.
My diet does vary during the year to some extent, there having been periods when I've followed more what might be called a vegan diet, i.e., one with virtually no animal products. But I have, with advancing age, been trying to vary the diet less and less and trying to and eat more of the same types of things throughout the year
I did not actually adopt this diet for any kind of health reasons--though I do think it has had much to do with my steady weight over the years. Probably it has played a key role in the pretty low cholesterol readings I've had as well. But that was no my intention when I started eating the way I do.
No, I actually eat this way for religious reasons. I led a fairly intense religious life for some years, and in the setting where I did that, an ovo-lacto-pesco vegetarian diet was what we followed. Though I left that life quite a few years ago, I continued following the eating prescriptions even down to today.
I have to say that I really do not recall missing red meat in my diet. Perhaps toward the beginning I had an occasional craving for red meat--I just don't remember. But I can say with confidence now that I don't feel any sort of craving for meat. I have tried a bit of meat here and there during the last quarter century, just to see what it tastes like again. But I've had no desire in those instances to go back to eating it.
That said, I am a fairly ruthless pragmatist. So, if I decided that red meat would be a good thing to have in my diet, I'd have no qualms about eating it. But so far--low-carb and paleo diet trends notwithstanding--I just haven't seen any compelling reason to go back to it. But I am keeping an open mind, and if I thought a change in diet would address some of my chronic health problems, I'd definitely be amenable to some experimentation.
That said, I wonder as I write this what my health and physique might be like now had I not given up eating red meat all those years ago? Hard to say. But I do feel like I must assign some degree of credit, given what I believe to be my unusually trim and athletic build for a man my age, to the dietary rules I've followed for the last two decades and more.
So, there you have it. If this entry will be of help to someone pondering their dietary habits, I'll be happy. If anyone has disagreements to voice or advice to offer, please feel free.
Still, in the interest of full disclosure, I feel I should offer a few comments about my diet. Thus, the following.
I have been what might be most concisely termed an ovo-lacto-pesco vegetarian for many years--going on 25 now, actually. So in many respects I've been for the most part observing a pretty healthy diet for quite some time.
In case it's not apparent from the terms I've used to describe the diet concisely, what they mean is that I do not eat red meats and poultry, though I do incorporate other animal products into my diet--namely eggs (the ovo part), milk and dairy (the lacto part) and fish (the pesco part). I must observe that lately, in an attempt to address some digestive issues, I've cut way back on the dairy part of the diet, so I'm presently eating very little in the way of lactose.
My diet does vary during the year to some extent, there having been periods when I've followed more what might be called a vegan diet, i.e., one with virtually no animal products. But I have, with advancing age, been trying to vary the diet less and less and trying to and eat more of the same types of things throughout the year
I did not actually adopt this diet for any kind of health reasons--though I do think it has had much to do with my steady weight over the years. Probably it has played a key role in the pretty low cholesterol readings I've had as well. But that was no my intention when I started eating the way I do.
No, I actually eat this way for religious reasons. I led a fairly intense religious life for some years, and in the setting where I did that, an ovo-lacto-pesco vegetarian diet was what we followed. Though I left that life quite a few years ago, I continued following the eating prescriptions even down to today.
I have to say that I really do not recall missing red meat in my diet. Perhaps toward the beginning I had an occasional craving for red meat--I just don't remember. But I can say with confidence now that I don't feel any sort of craving for meat. I have tried a bit of meat here and there during the last quarter century, just to see what it tastes like again. But I've had no desire in those instances to go back to eating it.
That said, I am a fairly ruthless pragmatist. So, if I decided that red meat would be a good thing to have in my diet, I'd have no qualms about eating it. But so far--low-carb and paleo diet trends notwithstanding--I just haven't seen any compelling reason to go back to it. But I am keeping an open mind, and if I thought a change in diet would address some of my chronic health problems, I'd definitely be amenable to some experimentation.
That said, I wonder as I write this what my health and physique might be like now had I not given up eating red meat all those years ago? Hard to say. But I do feel like I must assign some degree of credit, given what I believe to be my unusually trim and athletic build for a man my age, to the dietary rules I've followed for the last two decades and more.
So, there you have it. If this entry will be of help to someone pondering their dietary habits, I'll be happy. If anyone has disagreements to voice or advice to offer, please feel free.
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