He does know his favorite vegetarian food so far is Boca Burgers, a burger patty made from soy protein and wheat gluten. But he is obviously still a newbie because he has to "load it up with ketchup" for it to be just beyond tolerable.

He should try some of the stuff from Morningstar Farms.

Your favorite food is something he has to load up with condiments to make it tolerable. Yikes. I'm going to go eat some chicken or something for him.

It wasn't always this way. Fielder used to enjoy a stacked burger or a juicy steak as much as any carnivore, but a few weeks ago he received a book from his wife, Chanel, that changed his outlook on what he puts in his massive frame. The book described how certain animals are treated and slaughtered for food.
....
Besides his food intake choices, Fielder would like to make another change in his life, like not being the National League's error leader at his position. He committed 14 last year and ranked in the cellar for fielding percentage at first base. Fielder did not know he was that bad until Chanel pointed it out.

Marriage, in a nutshell. Chanel also pointed out that Fielder should wear a different belt, which better coordinated with his glove....to which Fielder sighed, "Yes, dear."

I have a friend who became a vegetarian gained about 50 pounds over the next year on a whole lotta pasta and cheese and has never lost it.

i'm a vegetarian and every time i go over my mother-in-law's house, she serves me something "vegetarian." last time it was turkey. at christmas, it was pate. before that, it was beef stew.

at my father-in-law's house, he made a vegetarian paella, with shrimp.

but that's not the worst part: what i really hate is when i have to have the conversation about meat over and over again. i really just want to eat food and not have it be such an issue.

Hey, what has he got against all those plants? Don't they have a right to live?

The Piehole of David Wells Posted: February 21, 2008 at 12:53 PM (#2696625)
i'm a vegetarian

I put it to you that your username is misleading.

Roger Clemens might be a vegan. He isn't really sure.

I have a friend who became a vegetarian gained about 50 pounds over the next year on a whole lotta pasta and cheese and has never lost it.

There's no meat in donuts!

Any guesses on the book that pushed him over the line? My guess: Slaughterhouse-Five.

It's pretty obviously Fast Food Nation, isn't it?

Maybe Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Or The Omnivore's Dilemma. Or What to Eat. Or Food Politics. These are all books suggested to me by my better-half, but I've resisted.

Bottom line: Don't let your wife read.

I'm thinking The PETA Principle.

Does this mean he's going to go all Randall Simon at the next sausage race?

"at christmas, it was pate."

Yikes. I don't think there's a less vegetarian food.

"Or The Omnivore's Dilemma."

My money's on that one. It's been getting a whole lot of press lately.

I put it to you that your username is misleading.

just like a lawyer. it's not "the meathole of david wells." actually, that would be a good piazza handle. and the jokes just keep on coming.

I solved my omnivorian dilemma by going completely carnivorian.

I doubt it was The Jungle. I read that one myself, but I am still able to consume prodigious amounts of Polish sausage because I have convinced myself that the meatpacking culture of turn-of-the-century Chicago has little relevance to today's slaughterhouse environment.

"I read that one myself, but I am still able to consume prodigious amounts of Polish sausage because I have convinced myself that the meatpacking culture of turn-of-the-century Chicago has little relevance to today's slaughterhouse environment."

Sure, keep telling yourself that.

I know somebody that went full veggie after reading Skinny #####. Take it for what it's worth.

I have a friend who became a vegetarian gained about 50 pounds over the next year on a whole lotta pasta and cheese and has never lost it.

These sorts are called "starchitarians".

Sure, keep telling yourself that.

From the article: "The bacteria, which also caused 6 miscarriages and made 80 people seriously ill, was found in hot dogs and deli meat produced in 1998 at the Bil Mar Foods plant of Sara Lee in Borculo, Mich."

Miscarriages? Who cares? I'm a dude!

Morningstar's chicken fingers are pretty awesome. A lot of my friends enjoy the Quorn brand too. Hooray fungi!

Let me third the vote for Morningstar. They make good ####. I went veggie for a few months a few years ago, and I bought a ton of MF stuff.

"Miscarriages? Who cares? I'm a dude!"

You missed the part about the fifteen people dying?

"Or The Omnivore's Dilemma."

My money's on that one. It's been getting a whole lot of press lately.

Definitely worth the read. It probably won't make you a vegetarian, but it might make you want to stop eating processed food.

I'm vegetarian, and I eat a huge amount of Morningstar's stuff, specifically their garden burgers.

I do find Boca's stuff palatable though, unlike Prince.

Don't care for the fungi, though.

Definitely worth the read. It probably won't make you a vegetarian, but it might make you want to stop eating processed food.

I read it before driving across the country and could not shut up about all the corn we saw and consumed at fast food places.

Boca's frozen stuff is, to me anyway, completely nasty. Though I'm not really a fan of any garden burger. MF makes great veggie corn dogs.

The best veggie burgers I've had recently are ones I've made from various recipes in Mark Bittman's excellent How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I can't recommend the book highly enough. The recipes tend towards the simple, lots of them are very quick, all of them I've tried have been really good and well-reasoned, everything is in it, and it's great for someone (like me) of limited cooking talent. One of the promo blurbs says it's a Joy of Cooking for vegetarians, and that's about right.

If my earlier story didn't do it for you, there's always this one. With video!

They ended up trying to recall 143 million pounds of beef, though most of it had already been eaten.

i really just want to eat food and not have it be such an issue.

My favorite kind of vegetarian!

Re: the shrimp- I do know some vegetarians who eat fish. Doesn't make sense to me, but..,I like fish so I can understand...

I read Fast Food Nation and didn't eat McDonald's for a year. Of course, I continued eating Taco Bell, Berger King, Culver's, Kopp's (for you Milwaukee folks)...But I don't eat them nearly as often as I used to. Haven't lost a pound.

Re: the shrimp- I do know some vegetarians who eat fish. Doesn't make sense to me, but..,I like fish so I can understand...

This has always bugged me, mainly because some restaurants buy into it and so occasionally when I am assured that I am getting a vegetarian platter I end up with some sort of fish product in it. There needs to be a new term, "pescatarian" or something, because if "vegetarian" means something other than "doesn't eat animal flesh" then it's not very useful out in the world.

Quorn is freakin' awesome. Far better than any equivalent meat product.

I love Prince!

I like the Boca chicken patties. Meijer just raised the price of the Morningstar Farms way high so I'm not sure what I'll do for burgers. I like the Tofurky sausages a lot, (I think it is Tofurky.) But broccoli is pretty good too! I lost lots of weight as a vegan & then I gained it all back again; now I've devolved into a plump vegetarian.

Prince is such a sweetheart!

Re: the shrimp- I do know some vegetarians who eat fish. Doesn't make sense to me, but..,I like fish so I can understand...

and

There needs to be a new term, "pescatarian" or something, because if "vegetarian" means something other than "doesn't eat animal flesh" then it's not very useful out in the world.

i use "fishitarian" because that seems to make sense to people. i should say that to accommodate my wife and others, i will NOT complain if served meat, but eat it or more likely eat around it. and it's always someone else who brings up the question of vegetarianism. i hate talking about it.

but i want to thank those of you who brought up quorn. i'm going to try it.

also, the worst vegetarian food is: gardenburger. i hate those things. i do like tofurkey sandwich slices. morningstar farms frozen hot dogs are supposed to be the best for you because they don't contain soy protein isolate (which all the others do, as far as i can tell from looking at the packages). they also have a good texture that is not that flimsy "smart dog" type texture. only problem is that they're frozen, and getting them apart takes some work.

and, there's got to be someone out there who loves the tofurkey loaf. mmmmm..... delicious....

There needs to be a new term, "pescatarian" or something, because if "vegetarian" means something other than "doesn't eat animal flesh" then it's not very useful out in the world.

Uh, this term already exists. I know a few of them, including a girl I used to date.

Yeah, this is a good idea...

"You'll turn into a monkey!"

Any guesses on the book that pushed him over the line? My guess: Slaughterhouse-Five.

Clearly it was Moneyball. (Excerpt here)

I have been getting fairly adept at doing veggie dishes on the grill. My second oldest daughter stopped eating meat around 1974(?) when she was 17 and now her two daughters follow her lead. As do a few other relatives and friends. So eggplant, artichoke, squash you name it I can do on the grill. Nothing a little olive oil and some seasonings can't spruce up. Though fresh artichokes are a bit of a hassle.

And good for Prince. Might keep his career on track until he's 32 as opposed to him blowing up to the size of a Macy's parade balloon by age 29.

And good for Prince. Might keep his career on track until he's 32 as opposed to him blowing up to the size of a Macy's parade balloon by age 29.

I don't get this notion. I argue often with my vegetarian friends over this notion that they're eating a healthier diet.
If someone can eat meat in moderation, that's as good as any vegetarian discipline.

If veggies want to be different, fine. But don't make it seem as if they're better.

R:

Um, in case you haven't heard Fielder's issue is the concept of "moderation". So if I have a choice of him wolfing down George Webb hamburgers or a pile of greens I feel a bit better about the greens.

So eggplant, artichoke, squash you name it I can do on the grill.

Grilling vegetables is hard. I've gotten to the point over many a "grill night" in the last year that I can grill pretty much anything else with no problem, but I will be damned if I can figure out how to grill veggies really well. Considering I'm now dating the one who always wants to grill vegetables instead of a proper steak or something, what's your secret? I've tried foil, no foil, shishkebab style, low heat, high heat, center of the grill, edge of the grill. Nothing makes them really pop.

So eggplant, artichoke, squash you name it I can do on the grill.

Cauliflower should work just fine with the right spice mix, or combinations of cauliflower, broccoli, and bok choi, with some red bell peppers for color. Or if you have cherry tomatoes try throwing some of those into the roasted or grilled veggies. As an omnivore sharing a household with a vegan, I'm familiar with lots of ways to do this - including a lot of Indian or Southeast Asian inspired flavors. The vegetables can be oven roasted or stir fried - that works quite well. When it's not the cauliflower/cabbage family, it's the eggplant/tomato/squash family. We usually use the skinny eggplants, the Asian kind, with lots of garlic. I'm the spoilsport on artichokes, but others in the family like them. Starch dishes are interesting, especially since some people don't like potatoes and white rice is considered boring - so brown rice, polenta, quinoa, wild rice and wild rice blends, orzo pasta, lots of different stuff.

Fielder could always try dining at Soytopia: An Ecological and Sociopolitical Clarity Bar, but i hear the owner is a real jerk.

Grilling vegetables is hard. I've gotten to the point over many a "grill night" in the last year that I can grill pretty much anything else with no problem, but I will be damned if I can figure out how to grill veggies really well. Considering I'm now dating the one who always wants to grill vegetables instead of a proper steak or something, what's your secret? I've tried foil, no foil, shishkebab style, low heat, high heat, center of the grill, edge of the grill. Nothing makes them really pop.

Asparagus grills extremely well, IMO. And I've had lots of luck with corn. Gots to remember:

use oil pretty liberally on your veggies.
get them the heck off the heat as soon as they're "done". Undercooked veggies are a lot better than wilty, overcooked ones.
Salt is your friend. If you think you're good on that, use a bit more.
Sesame seeds are a bit expensive, but they really help flavors. I keep them around, along with soy sauce, for an Asian thing.
Butter is also your friend. But too much and it'll burn.
I used to grill corn in the husk, but now I prefer the no-husk method. Cook it right and the sugars carmelize.

Grilling vegetables is hard. I've gotten to the point over many a "grill night" in the last year that I can grill pretty much anything else with no problem, but I will be damned if I can figure out how to grill veggies really well. Considering I'm now dating the one who always wants to grill vegetables instead of a proper steak or something, what's your secret? I've tried foil, no foil, shishkebab style, low heat, high heat, center of the grill, edge of the grill. Nothing makes them really pop.

Asparagus grills extremely well, IMO. And I've had lots of luck with corn. Gots to remember:

use oil pretty liberally on your veggies.
get them the heck off the heat as soon as they're "done". Undercooked veggies are a lot better than wilty, overcooked ones.
Salt is your friend. If you think you're good on that, use a bit more.
Sesame seeds are a bit expensive, but they really help flavors. I keep them around, along with soy sauce, for an Asian thing.
Butter is also your friend. But too much and it'll burn.
I used to grill corn in the husk, but now I prefer the no-husk method. Cook it right and the sugars carmelize.

TVe, this got taken to the Lounge, if you'd like to participate. Though it's mostly dead by now.

Mostly the same advice from HW and BD.

IIRC, Jay Gibbons actually gave up being a vegetarian to further his pro career, adding chicken to his diet (no Mitchell comments, please).

what i really hate is when i have to have the conversation about meat over and over again. i really just want to eat food and not have it be such an issue.

Then stop whining about it, and eat what your hosts put in front of you.

should say that to accommodate my wife and others, i will NOT complain if served meat, but eat it or more likely eat around it. and it's always someone else who brings up the question of vegetarianism. i hate talking about it.

I take back what I wrote. Good man.

I like Prince and doubt this will very helpful for his career. A man of his size - even minus a lot of the fat he currently has - needs to eat a lot, and excessive consumption of soy products has been shown to either supress free testosterone or raise estrogen levels (can't recall exactly which) in men. I don't know if this has been proven conclusively but there have been a handful of studies that are pointing in that direction. Lower testosterone, professional athlete, not good. Prince Fielder, cases of boca burgers, not good.

Someone pointed out that it's easy to become a startchitarian and eat tons of cheese-covered pasta dishes and the like. Take away Fielder's steaks and burgers and replace 'em with that and the results won't be pretty(er). I can understand if he has strong ethical conviction about this, but he needs to be working with a nutritionist and eating lots of small meals all day full of lean proteins (white meat chicken and turkey, fish, egg whites, etc.). Cut all sugar and most carbs, save those needed to fuel/refuel workouts and games played. Then add in tons of green veggies. That diet will work for almost everyone but particularly for someone who needs to be lean, muscular and athletic. If Prince ate that way day in and out he'd have a ridiculous physique by mid-summer.

After reading the article, it appears he's doing this entirely because of his disgust upon learning of slaughterhouse practices. I wouldn't attempt to dissuade someone who felt strongly about this, just sayin', it might not be the best idea for career longevity/excellence/earnings. His wife is quoted as saying she'll make him eat a big steak if the diet starts sapping his power, so obviously I'm not the only one concerned.

excessive consumption of soy products has been shown to either supress free testosterone or raise estrogen levels

Soy wreaks havoc with hormone levels because it produces something (my memory on this isn't that good) which has contraceptive effects in herbivores that eat it. That helps keep down the population of its "predators."

I believe I encountered this in Survival of the Sickest which a tremendously interesting book.

Someone pointed out that it's easy to become a startchitarian and eat tons of cheese-covered pasta dishes and the like. Take away Fielder's steaks and burgers and replace 'em with that and the results won't be pretty(er). I can understand if he has strong ethical conviction about this, but he needs to be working with a nutritionist and eating lots of small meals all day full of lean proteins (white meat chicken and turkey, fish, egg whites, etc.). Cut all sugar and most carbs, save those needed to fuel/refuel workouts and games played. Then add in tons of green veggies. That diet will work for almost everyone but particularly for someone who needs to be lean, muscular and athletic. If Prince ate that way day in and out he'd have a ridiculous physique by mid-summer.

The article pretty clearly states that Prince is VEGETARIAN, not VEGAN. There is nothing preventing Prince from getting his proteins from low fat cheeses, low fat milks, and various milk protein powders. It is generally accepted that whey and casein, the milk protein groups, are the best proteins, better than meats, and even eggs.

His wife is quoted as saying she'll make him eat a big steak if the diet starts sapping his power, so obviously I'm not the only one concerned.

Low fat cheeses, low fat milks and milk protein powders can supply all the protein he needs. To replace the creatine that is present in all meants, Prince can simply use a synthetic creatine powder supplement, if he is not already using one.

Yes, being a vegetarian athlete does require more thought on the part of the athlete.

Given that Prince's "favourite" vegetarian food is a high protein source, the Boca burgers, it would seem that Prince is on the correct path, is keeping nutrition in mind, and not just taking the lazy way out by becoming a starchitarian.

excessive consumption of soy products has been shown to either supress free testosterone or raise estrogen levels (can't recall exactly which) in men. I don't know if this has been proven conclusively but there have been a handful of studies that are pointing in that direction. Lower testosterone, professional athlete, not good. Prince Fielder, cases of boca burgers, not good.

The issue, as Harveys pointed out, is also one of "moderation". It depends on just what the Boca burgers are replacing in Prince's diet.

It is generally accepted that whey and casein, the milk protein groups, are the best proteins, better than meats, and even eggs.

Good point. I go through big tubs of each with alarming frequency, so I'm not sure how that slipped my mind (long day). BTW, can someone tell me how to create those oversized quotation marks?

Did this work?

Did this work?

I see that it did. Sorry 'bout learning on the job. Long time lurker, super infrequent poster. It's almost 3 in the morning, let it slide.