vegetarians vs meat eaters ...

[pmv]

I thought MCD got started my farmers feeding the cows meal with cow parts in it. Also the fact that they are naturally herbivores.

Anyway, here's some dog meat. My friend's mom cooked it while I was in Korea. It's pretty good.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._807305261895_27429567_44874318_7330271_n.jpg

Well, exactly, that's my point. MCD got started because people ate cows that had been turned into carnivores (I think they were sheep parts rather than cow parts). Eating normal heribivore cows would have been much safer. The further up the food chain something is the riskier it is to eat it as far as diseases and such like are concerned. Cannibalism is probably most dangerous of all.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

pmv,

Red meat and colon cancer .... The chances of getting colon cancer are 50% greater if you reat red meat. Whcih begs the questions, how many people actualyy get colon cancer? About 55,000 people in the US die each year from colon cancer. The US population is about 307 million. That's about 0.0179% each year. Or 1 out of 5600 or so. Jsut some numbers.

Regarding:
Also the environmental argument is quite strong (producing meat takes a lot more resources than producing non-meat food).

I want to see a non-biased study on this. (UPDATE: Read some on this. Vegetarian on average are less impactful on the environment by a factor of 1.5 to 2 or so)

 

[ichy]

I've been cutting back on my meat consumption, but I have no intention of giving it up entirely. Americans eat an unnaturally large amount of meat and we'd probably be better off if we had less of it, but from time to time I just have to have a nice juicy steak. I'm fine not putting meat in most of my meals though.

 

[BoberFett]

I have an uncle and my wife has a cousin who are vegan. They're the cool kind though. They bring vegan dishes to family get-togethers that are really tasty, and they don't care that the rest of us eat meat.

It's only the militant veggies that piss me off.

 

[BoberFett]

I never seen a fat vegetarian. Must be good.

False. My vegetarian uncle has a pretty huge gut. That could be from the beer though.

 

[DougK62]

Everything that I've read suggests that the healthiest people in the world eat meat, just quite a bit less of it than your typical North American. They usually eat a lot of fruits/nuts/vegetables, and generally live near a large body of water with plentiful fish.

 

[slag]

That always bothers me too, same with the Catholics. Land and air meat are verboten, but water meat is fine. Kind of a strange distinction. When I was "vegetarian", I preferred the term "meat reduced diet", but that doesn't have quite the same flow.

Catholics must not necessarily eat fish on Fridays. We must abstain from eating the flesh of meat on Fridays of Lent (obligatory), or all other Fridays if we don't choose some other form of penance (depends on what the Conference of Bishops in that particular country have come to).

My mother always said it was abstinence from any warm blooded flesh which is why shrimp, crab, lobster, fish, etc were excluded.

 

[jalaram]

False. My vegetarian uncle has a pretty huge gut. That could be from the beer though.

There are plenty of fat vegetarians in the Indian community. Butter, oil, etc. Healthy eating isn't simply a matter of veg/non-veg as others here have stated.

 

[busydude]

There are plenty of fat vegetarians in the Indian community. Butter, oil, etc. Healthy eating isn't simply a matter of veg/non-veg as others here have stated.

Affirmative.

 

[magomago]

Better question is - why would you want to taste a vegetarian man's semen...

I never said I wanted to. But I'm assuming that if you are a vegetarian, it'll be easier to get your wife to swallow 😀

 

[Imported]

I probably eat twice as much meat than I do vegetables. All is normal with my vitals so I won't stop eating meat.

 

[dainthomas]

Yes, vegetarians get enough protein. Easily.
Yes, infants, children, adolescents, teens, and pregnant and nursing women can thrive on well-planned vegetarian diets.
Yes, there are pale, sickly looking vegetarians. But there are also pale, sickly looking omnivores. A well-planned diet is everything, whether you’re a vegetarian or meat-eater.
Yes, men can have muscles and still be vegetarian. (Case in point: Bill Pearl, a four-time Mr. Universe.)

I don't know. One of the weekly hippie papers here in Portland did a story on a vegan bodybuilding group. None of those guys looked an ounce over 160 (tops). It was actually really funny, because the article was being totally serious about how cool it was. 😀

 

[ichy]

Vegetarian and vegan are two entirely different things. Eating healthy without meat is pretty easy, doing it without dairy or eggs is significantly harder. Vegans also tend to be much more sanctimonious.

 

[KMFJD]

 

[InflatableBuddha]

I think the point is when you say you're a vegetarian except I also eat some kinds of meat, you're really just some one that doesn't like to eat a lot of meat. And that's fine, but lets not pretend you're doing it because you think eating animals is morally wrong when you're biting into a fish. Just say you don't like red meat or poultry.

They should call it by the correct term then: pescetarianism, or pesco-vegetarianism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism).

It doesn't matter whether they do it for health, moral, environmental, or religious reasons, but I agree, they should call it what it is.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

I've been cutting back on my meat consumption, but I have no intention of giving it up entirely. Americans eat an unnaturally large amount of meat and we'd probably be better off if we had less of it, but from time to time I just have to have a nice juicy steak. I'm fine not putting meat in most of my meals though.

Everything that I've read suggests that the healthiest people in the world eat meat, just quite a bit less of it than your typical North American. They usually eat a lot of fruits/nuts/vegetables, and generally live near a large body of water with plentiful fish.

These are good approaches IMO. Well-balanced.

 

[Terzo]

Do they differentiate between red and white meats? I rarely have steak or beef. Most common is probably chicken, though I'd say I eat a decent mix of fish, shellfish, pork, chicken, and turkey. The source of the meat probably makes a difference as well; I bet a free range bison is better for you than a typical grain fed cow.

And I know it differs with, but vegetarians can have annoying quirks. My sister is a fake vegetarian (doesn't eat land animals, but is fine with dairy and fish). She has complained about me mixing leftovers of meats and vegetables. What the hell, it's not like the meat "taints" anything it touches. I could understand if it was something like peanut allergies, but it's not.

 

[ShockwaveVT]

I think the point is when you say you're a vegetarian except I also eat some kinds of meat, you're really just some one that doesn't like to eat a lot of meat. And that's fine, but lets not pretend you're doing it because you think eating animals is morally wrong when you're biting into a fish. Just say you don't like red meat or poultry.

*shrug* my GF identifies herself as vegetarian because its the simplest way to describe her diet.

Basically she avoids poultry/pork/beef because she doesn't want to support the industrial farming of meat animals. Eggs/Milk/Cheese products produced sustainably/organically/ethically she's cool with eating. Same with fish/seafood caught in the wild rather than being raised in an industrial fish farm.

Its easier to say she's vegetarian than saying she's a vege-ovo-pesca-tarian.

People who only eat vegetables are called vegans.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I don't know. One of the weekly hippie papers here in Portland did a story on a vegan bodybuilding group. None of those guys looked an ounce over 160 (tops). It was actually really funny, because the article was being totally serious about how cool it was. 😀

Well, for bodybuidling you need nutrition and proper exercise. From what I have read, the body take in protein from meat much better than from things liek Weigh powder, legumes, etc.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

They should call it by the correct term then: pescetarianism, or pesco-vegetarianism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism).

It doesn't matter whether they do it for health, moral, environmental, or religious reasons, but I agree, they should call it what it is.

No, most people don't knwo what that is. People with knowledge of uncommon words are not helping anyone. The key is in being able to say things quickly, correctly and in an understandable manner.

 

[nonameo]

vegetarians will keep chewing cud. Carnivores will eat the vegetarians.

edit: maybe omnitarian?

 

[GhettoPeanut]

http://www.westonaprice.org/
Pretty much a bunch of comparative studies of foods, meats, and fats.

Books:
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon

The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability by Lierre Keith

Both books are pretty good.

I'm biased, I will admit. From my personal experience, i PERSONALLY FEEL vegetarianism is just stupid. However, I'm very against factory farms and cruelty to animals. I've found that soon as you confront a vegetarian, they first say its better, then you argue a point, then they back out cuz they don't know what they are talking about and try to make it about animal cruelty.

 

[lxskllr]

Catholics must not necessarily eat fish on Fridays. We must abstain from eating the flesh of meat on Fridays of Lent (obligatory), or all other Fridays if we don't choose some other form of penance (depends on what the Conference of Bishops in that particular country have come to).

My mother always said it was abstinence from any warm blooded flesh which is why shrimp, crab, lobster, fish, etc were excluded.

I think the distinction was made to get around their own rules. People didn't want to eat bread only, so they came up with the fish is ok rule. I'd be interested in seeing where whale falls on the list :^D

 

[Zenmervolt]

Vegetarians have reduced risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer! As far as diets go, adopting a vegetarian lifestyle is the best thing you can do for yourself.

To the people who present this argument, I point out that it is a significant oversimplification. By and large vegetarianism is a consciously chosen lifestyle in the Western world; it necessitates certain inconveniences and requires dedication and continuous re-commitment to maintain. Just like a healthy exercise regimen does. This makes vegetarianism strongly self-selecting and introduces any number of additional lifestyle variables into equation.

Anyone who is choosy about what he or she eats (i.e. eats only high-quality foods, doesn't eat to excess, etc) and exercises regularly is going to have, "reduced risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer" when compared to the general population. It's statistically untenable to attribute the reductions in risk entirely to vegetarianism.

ZV

 

[lxskllr]

To the people who present this argument, I point out that it is a significant oversimplification. By and large vegetarianism is a consciously chosen lifestyle in the Western world; it necessitates certain inconveniences and requires dedication and continuous re-commitment to maintain. Just like a healthy exercise regimen does. This makes vegetarianism strongly self-selecting and introduces any number of additional lifestyle variables into equation.

Anyone who is choosy about what he or she eats (i.e. eats only high-quality foods, doesn't eat to excess, etc) and exercises regularly is going to have, "reduced risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer" when compared to the general population. It's statistically untenable to attribute the reductions in risk entirely to vegetarianism.

ZV

If people ate a natural diet, it would be very vegetable heavy, and little meat. We're hunter/gatherers, and it takes more effort to get meat than it does vegetables. Also, as hunter/gatherers, we aren't setup for sitting on our asses in front of a computer. We're supposed to me moving around, and getting food. I'd say a small amount of meat, a couple times a week with ample exercise will give the best results health wise.