Vegetetarianism

[Anonymous]

Should I become a vegetarian and why or why not?

[Anonymous]

yes you should. You should also give all your money to the homeless people on the streets, give everything you own to the goodwill and go around your neighborhood at night looking into other peoples windows while drooling. Let us know how you do.

[Anonymous]

Was that supposed to be funny?

[Anonymous]

Was that supposed to be funny?

No, it was a totally serious response to an equally serious question.

[Anonymous]

No

OK- just making sure.

[Carmel]

Should I become a vegetarian and why or why not?

Only if you intend to rip out and replace all of your incisors with molars and have an extra stomach implanted.

What are your reasons for wanting to become a Vegetarian? Is it animal cruelty? Or strictly nutritional?

If its about hurting the little chickens...then I suggest you join the Church of Euthanasia instead.  See...humans are omnivores, which means we are designed to eat both flesh and vegetable matter as required for sustenance and optimal nutrition.  HOWEVER, given that there are 700 gagillion humans living on this planet...we cant all just go out and hunt and fish and be sportsmanlike about our meat intake.  In order to feed the 700 bagillion people their ration of meat, there must be chicken factories and beef horrors and dolphin murder....SO that being said if we reduce the number of people, we can eradicate the cruel conditions under which animals are processed into foodstuffs.  

You see, even the vegetarians are still thinking on the lines of how much more important people are than animals.....if they really wanted to make a difference they'd opt for the soylent green.

Yeah, Im a bit trashy about it....but I just have never seen a vegetarian who looked or smelled truly healthy.  I think its a sham.  We did not come through millions of years of evolutionary development into the fine specimens we are today so that we could try and change it all in the span of a century.  Its just silly if you think about it. Its like nutritional creationism.

If you have cruelty issues, pay the extra 500 bazillion dollars to buy the free range beef and chicken and eggs, and move closer to a lake. If its a nutritional issue....do some serious objective research into whats a healthy regimen of both meat and vegetable intake and make a truthful choice on what you perceive to be optimal.

Secondly....if you drink soda pop....just forget the whole damn thing, because if you can put that nasty death-causing shit into your body...all the veggies in the world wont save you.[/i]

[Anonymous]

It's not a cruelty thing at all the plight of chickens does not concern me since I feed them to my dogs and will continue to do so whether I eat it or not.

I read an article about Jack LeLane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_LaLanne is what made me think about it he looks good for 93. The thought occurred purely for health reasons.

I don't drink soda, it's always made my stomach hurt. I eat a lot of beef and chicken though.

[Carmel]

I suppose, but he is is/was also a career bodybuilder and fitness adherent.  You must be prepared to have the workout regimen of an olympian if you want similar results.  Lettuce aint gonna cut it.

[Rachael]

I first went vegetarian when I was between 10 and 12 years old. I was vegan by the time I was 15. In AARC I was forced to eat dairy after I became dangerously ill. I went back to being vegan after for a cuople of years till I couldn't maintain it nutritionally. When I became pregnant, I had to eat meat and everything else to be able to not lose weight. I am still almost a freaking carnivore as I'm still breastfeeding.

I have always been of the opinion that if I am stranded on a desert island with only a cow, that cow is likely not going to be around for too long. If I need to eat animal products to stay healthy, I will. But if it's just a matter of taste, personal choice, or sheer laziness about maintaining a sustainable diet, than I ethically cannot. I have no problem with choosing my life over that of an animal (and I wouldn't mind trying some of that soylent green at some point), but I do have a problem with causing unnecessary pain and suffering.

That being said, I feel that it's important to know where your food comes from. If you are not comfortable with the way animals are killed for you to eat, there is something wrong. I like to know the people who take care of and kill the animals I will be eating. I want to know how the animals live and die and I especially want to know what they eat as that is what I will be eating. So I tend to eat local and organic and I only eat what I need to. This is an ethical balance for me of nutrition, compassion and pragmatic self-interest. Not saying this should be how anyone else chooses to live, but it's what I do.

As a side note, another major point in favour of vegetarianism is the environmental concerns associated with intensive livestock production. Small-scale organic farming is not only more sustainable, but in the long run more productive as well. This is true for both raising cattle and farming of other products. As well, the sheer amount of water used for producing cattle for human consumption is a major issue affecting many American states greatly these days. We know that up here in Canada because certain states keep trying to buy our water .


Just my two cents.

[3xsaSeedling]

If you have cruelty issues, pay the extra 500 bazillion dollars to buy the  *free range beef and chicken and eggs.

Would anyone b interested in 'the industrys' definition of *free range?  
the conditions are basically the same for both types of stock
except:  *free range animals are allowed out of confinement for a specified amount of time each day.

This could be the same amount of time you walk your pet for each day, and some days, more time than you spend w/your kids or even sleep!!!
My cats have more 'free range' time, by definition alone, and they have never left my house   ::noway::

I do love my veges... 5 a day (I'm diabetic and have to balance foods).
I don't eat sheep/lamb.  Too close to cannibalism...baabaabaaaaaaaaaaa

It's all about the beef in my world  
::burger::  ::burger::  ::burger::  ::burger::

[Carmel]

I agree with you both on many points, its an imperfect choice for an imperfect system.

"Free range" is as malleable as any other phrase when it comes to what people slap on a label these days....I try to stick with local and organic purchases myself (and pay the extra bazillion dollars to do so) but I end up with a better product and I support positive changes when and where I can.  

I think there are whole boat load of points to argue on the ethical standard of the flesh industry....but I think fundamentally, its healthy and supportive to eat meat as a human being.

[Deborah]

Yeh, I was vegetarian for a while. Worked well for about 5 years then I started loosing too much weight. Most of my meals are still vegetarian, but when I finish a meal and ask "where's the beef" I know it's time to eat some animal food.

The problem I've seen with many unhealthy vegetarians is that they don't understand how to acquire adequate amino acids. They stop eating meat and start eating Ragu on pasta or some such. Won't work.  
Eating veggie sources of protein is more efficient- the body doesn't have to labor to break meat protein down into aminos- but a lack of aminos results in poor health. Ever notice how many have bad teeth?

Peter D'Adamo MD has an interesting take on it, which explained for me why some do well and some don't and it's based on blood type.
Os (Omnivores- majority) apparently do better with more animal food, veggies/fruits, and little or no grain. As (Agrarian) tend to be the most successful with vegetarian fare.  Bs (Barbarians) have the most flexibility, everything in moderation. ABs- the most recent type, a composite of A and B, more prone to cancer therefore should be very selective with the quality of food they consume.

I'm a B+ and found this to be true for me. I think the key is moderation. Humans are omnivores, but that doesn't mean they'll be in the best health if they eat a quarter to half pound of meat per meal. Some consume their daily limit for calories/fat in just one meal. It's why we have such issues with obesity. The most well fed, undernourished country on the planet.
Interesting, or curious is that many Os desire to be vegetarians, and many As would prefer to eat meat.

Our current food production system is not sustainable and is leading us toward an unhealthy food supply- genetically engineered foods packed with chemicals and no nutrition.

We may do better with fewer people on the planet, but with sustainable agriculture practices we would have no problem feeding everyone, and then some. I think Permaculture holds the most hope for sustainability. Forget the guys name, but one model of a well designed PC homestead was able to accomodate and feed 100 people on just 15 acres. Nothing complicated, just emulating nature with a good design.
Here's a few links.
http://permaculture.org.au/
Scroll down and click on Greening the Desert Video
http://www.foodnotlawns.com/
Food Not Lawns
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/ame ... 217550.ece
Cuba's Green Revolution- Organoponicos

[Oz girl]

it is always such a tragedy for the delicious animal to die in vain. So I figure just eat it. I went through a meat is murder phase as a teenager but these days I figure life is too short to deprive myself of a big fat steak

[Anonymous]

I was briefly a vegetarian also when a teenager. It was when I was in a WWASP prorgam they gave you the option of taking a vegetarian meal. Since that was one of the few choices we were allowed to actually make, I took it, for whatever reason, if only to just CHOOSE something for once. I maintained the vegetarian diet for about a month. Then I decided to run one day, so I ate the regular meal for a day to build up my strength, that was my theory at the time. We got a hot dog that day. I also traded for a candy bar and was going to take that along. I only got about 200 yards before being tackled though since I didn't plan my escape very well. I just darted off the basketball court as fast as I could into the forest. They thought I was kind of crazy after that. Back to vegetarianism though (OP) I thank you all for you advice and experience. I've heard on the news a few times that too much red meat can give you heart disease, etc, so I just want to make sure I am not overdoing it since the staple of my diet at the moment is beef. I also eat a lot of potatoes because I like them.

[Deborah]

Interesting. HLA offered "vegetarian options", but when I analyzed the menu it was clear that they didn't know squat about amino acids. Pretty pathetic for 6 clams a month.
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?p=85408#85408

The bottom line
I was a vegetarian for a number of years and consulted with a dietician. I can tell you that this is not adequate to maintain health. Being a vegetarian entails much more than just avoiding meat. It is crucial to consume adequate amino acids (building blocks of protein) and B12, which would consist of whole grains and beans/legumes, supplemented by nuts/seeds and OCCASIONALLY cheese (preferably as a condiment, not the entree), as well as a wide variety of vegetable proteins. This sample does not provide the necessary components of a healthy vegetarian diet. While any one of them might be okay if one was stuck away from home and unable to get anything else, it would not be considered healthy by an educated vegetarian or a dietician, for any extended period. It's way too heavy on cheese, bread/white rice/potatoes (refined carbs), and pb&j.

In 5 of 7 dinners the only veg entre option was pb&j. Served with potatoes/green beans, potatoes/corn, potatoes/veggies, potatoes/peas, or rice/peas&carrots. Yulk!!! I'd be complaining too. Might even decide to give up being a vegetarian.

6 of the 14 meals, the main entre was bread and cheese.

A FEW more carbs?
12 of the 14 meals were hi carb, in my opinion.
All 14 contained potatoes, bread, and/or rice.

In 5 of the 14 meals one, of the few veg options, was fried.

And to touch on breakfast- The most vegetarian options were available at breakfast, provided that eggs were acceptable. Potatoes served every breakfast- all fried by the way.

Based on this survey, I'd say the grad's complaints are valid. She didn't lie, or exaggerate for that matter. You'd be wise to consult with a dietician and/or warn parents that you are not capable of providing a healthy, balanced vegetarian fare to their child.