I know a guy who is a semi-smoker. He only smokes half a pack a day. He's married to a semi-vegetarian. They have 2.5 kids. One is a semi-SDA, and one is almost pregnant!

I guess it is worth saying again.



Our goal is to draw in others. That means, encourage others to join our ranks. When we look down our noses at others in the spirit of self-righteousness more people will be turned off by our shallow self-image.

When I first became a vegetarian I went vegan. I went all the way. Of course I wanted everyone around me to be vegan too. The words "Live And Let Live" had little meaning to me. I thought it was a terrible thing that our church's potlucks were not all vegan. I was convinced the church had sold its soul for pizza. Well this came to an end when I got married. My wife grew up eating cheese, milk and eggs and soon had me eating them too. This lasted nearly ten years.

As I studied health reform more and more I learned of the benefits of fish in the diet. I also learned of the value of whole grains, fiber and reducing sugar and fat. Our family made a change to virtually eliminate all animal fat. We only use fat-free cheese and other dairy products. We use mostly soy milk, giving preference to Silk's high fiber. We bake our own sweets using sugar substitute and whole grains such as oatmeal, whole wheat flour, soy flour and flax seed. Our largest source of fat comes from nuts, nut butters, avocados and similar foods. Our staple foods are beans and brown rice. My wife and I both lost 35lbs and following this diet, have been able to keep it off.

Now I know there is a large class of vegetarians in the Adventist church that look down their noses at the likes of my wife and I. (Some are larger than others) They sit back eating their high-fat, sugar-saturated vegetarian diet and talk about how sinful the church has become. They point their fat digits at folks like me and call us "semi-SDA" and proclaim we are "almost pregnant." But lucky for us, God is our judge and not the self-righteous Adventists with a superficial appearance of sainthood.

God has given me a zeal for health reform. I often go out to business lunches and when those I am going with ask where I would like to go I never hesitate to tell them I am a semi-vegetarian that eats fish. (Living in a largely Catholic area, most people here do not consider fish to be meat anyway.) This almost always opens up a dialog about diet and health in which I am able to share things about the importance of fiber, dangers of fat as well as our need for water, exercise and enough sleep.

The fact is that the high-fat cheese than many Adventist vegetarians eat without any pings of conscience is more harmful to their health than a serving of baked fish. So I will let my hypocritical Adventist friends pile on the cheese while I stay with my baked fish. Thank you very much.

One of the gems gleaned from my 19-day stay at the Lifestyle Center of American in Sulphur, Oklahoma was the need for vegetarians to include Vitamin B-12 in their diets. The doctor impressed upon us that the most the body is able to use is 3-5 mcg. His suggestion was to buy a bottle of Twin Labs 50 Mcg. tablets, crush them, stick your finger in the bottle, place whatever sticks to your finger under your tongue. B-12 must be mixed with saliva in order to be absorbed, according to him. I just bite off a little bit of the tablet at a time. Cost me $2500 for that info........you get it for free..

Thank you for your comments, Suzanne and Shane.

Here is another dimension: Because of a medication I'm taking at the moment, I've learned what it is to gain weight (I've always been underweight and able to eat ANYTHING).

I now know what a struggle it is for some folks. I am doing what I think best, to increase my output while being more careful with my intake, soemthing I've never had to do before, but wouldn't you know it my weight is still creeping upward at a rate of about 1 lb per week.

You just never know what the other person has to deal with! This experience is an eye-opener to me!

My mother and a couple of my sisters have had problems with medications that cause weight gain. Even if a person watches their diet, some medication will still cause weight gain. It is something a person really has to stay in touch with their doctor about and perhaps even get a second opinion.

Been there and done that Shane. Sometimes one has to take the bad with the good. Not all medications work the same for everyone. I have gone through several different meds for a medical problem and finally landed with one that worked to a tee. Sadly one of the side effects is weight gain. Should I toss it for a med that doesn't work as well but doesn't pack on the pounds just so I can salve my vanity? Frankly I want a perfect world where I don't need the meds and I'm a slim hot bombshell. I shall keep dreaming.