Perks of becoming a vegetarian?

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Replies

  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    [quote}

    I get that humans are omnivores, but to say we're "meant to eat meat" is wrong. We evolved over time. Not everyone has canines. And, not everyone can eat meat because of their health. I am one of those people who cannot eat meat for my health as it will cause me to become sick. My body does not provide the right enzymes in it to break down meat. So again I'm not making it for something it's not. I'm stating the facts that just cause you're vegetarian or vegan does not necessarily mean you will lack nutrients,omega 3's, or protiens in pregnancy or not.

    I know that vegetarianism isn't for everyone, but I'm so tired of people trying to make up excuses or claiming that it's bad for your health from lack of iron, protein, and other nutrients just cause it didn't come from something that pumps blood through it. Plus B12's aren't that hard to consume they're in rice, dairy, nuts, soy products, nutritional yeast, and science has come a long way since then, so now there's supplements you can take and almost every store sells vitamins including B12 capsules.

    [/quote]

    As far as I know, there are no enzymes that break down only meat and not other forms of protein.
  • renae161
    renae161 Posts: 334 Member
    Sure the number may be small, but it's not impossible for it to happen for someone to not have canines. Some people don't even have their wisdom teeth at all. 4 of my family members have never had their wisdom teeth grow. And, I highly doubt that a pregnancy going wrong was from not consuming any meat and being vegetarian which impacted their children to have a serious illness or complications later in their life. Again, genetics play a role in how children turn out and the body is still a mystery to science as to why things happen to some and why they don't for others.

    There are rare diseases and illnesses that are being discovered more as time passes. Not to mention that "super bugs" are starting to show up more and more which could also affect someone's health. Plus some people are against vaccinations which puts our younger generations at risk of potential health threats. Aside from all that, a person's DNA has a very complex genetic code that could have hidden answers as to why those pregnancies turned out they did and does not necessarily have anything to do with being vegetarian.

    Not every vegetarian or vegan has a hard time to getting a balanced diet unless they're new to it and don't know what to eat,take, or what resources they have to help them fill in the missing gaps they're having issues with.

    And, no one said vegetarianism or veganism was an affective diet to lose weight. I know some vegans and vegetarian's who are overweight, but again that gets back to portion control as most people in the U.S do not know how to do so and indulge in too many fast foods, large portions, skipped meals and lack of exercise.
  • renae161
    renae161 Posts: 334 Member
    edited October 2016
    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    [quote}As far as I know, there are no enzymes that break down only meat and not other forms of protein.

    It's an enzyme deficiency that when meat is consumed for me it causes vomitting, nausea, rash, hives, swelling, intestinal pain that shifts in the body, and these little lumps that show up on the inside of the intestinal tract and stomach. It is not a pleasent feeling and has land me in the hospital many times.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    For me the perk is that is suits my preferences.

    I do not feel superior to anyone, as it's my choice and it's personal to me. My husband and sons are omnivores; my daughter is a fellow vegetarian. We all respect each other's choices.

    It's interesting to me that the post about feeling superior was made with an air of superiority about an omnivore diet.

    Why the need to compare in such a manner? Couldn't the question have been answered without the snark?

    As for nutrition, I was a fat vegetarian with bad cholesterol, and now I'm a thin vegetarian with good cholesterol and pretty damned decent body composition for my age.

    I have no interest in getting jacked, so I really don't care if there'd be some advantage to eating meat in that regard. I don't eat other things I don't like either.

    *standing ovation*
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    edited October 2016
    Studies I've read have shown vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy live longer than vegans and meat eaters. So there's that. Easier for some to lose weight or maintain when there's no meat in their diet.

    "Nowadays, plant-based eating is recognized as not only nutritionally sufficient but also as a way to reduce the risk for many chronic illnesses. According to the American Dietetic Association, "appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/becoming-a-vegetarian
    ^ From Harvard Medical School

    "Maybe. Compared with meat eaters, vegetarians tend to consume less saturated fat and cholesterol and more vitamins C and E, dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals), such as carotenoids and flavonoids. As a result, they're likely to have lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower body mass index (BMI), all of which are associated with longevity and a reduced risk for many chronic diseases."

    Including fish or poultry only and no red meat might have even better benefits, however.

    "If you stop eating red meat (whether or not you become a vegetarian), you'll eliminate a risk factor for colon cancer. It's not clear whether avoiding all animal products reduces the risk further."

    "Research suggests that a predominantly plant-based diet can reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. In studies of Seventh-day Adventists, vegetarians' risk of developing diabetes was half that of nonvegetarians, even after taking BMI into account. The Harvard-based Women's Health Study found a similar correlation between eating red meat (especially processed meats, such as bacon and hot dogs) and diabetes risk, after adjusting for BMI, total calorie intake, and exercise."
  • littlechiaseed
    littlechiaseed Posts: 489 Member
    Less animals die so that's a massive health benefit for them.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    Less animals die so that's a massive health benefit for them.

    But not zero animals... Large scale farming kills a lot of critters too. In pretty gruesome ways, at that....

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Pierre_is_a_cat wrote: »
    May I be honest?

    This direction of this thread makes me feel deflated.

    Sadly this is a common path any conversation involving vegetarianism or veganism takes. I recently posted a thread with a vegan question and the same thing happened (involving some of the very same characters).

    To the OP, I encourage you to give vegetarianism a try, but be judicious in who you tell. There are more open minded, supportive, and helpful people (regardless of lifestyle choice) than not, but in my experience online many non-vegetarians become sanctimonious and didactic. People aren't quite as brash in person, though be prepared for the "where to you get your protein?" question.

    If you watch a lot of YouTube like me, there are some awesome young vegan bodybuilder a who have some awesome vlog channels. :)

    SoTrueQ (this guy is so smooth!!)
    John Venus
    Tish Wonders
    VeganHustleTV

    Don't give up!

    It shouldn't make you feel deflated...there were plenty of good, positive and informational posts. It's a common path for just about any conversation on an online, open forum, not just vegetarianism or veganism...that's the internetz...
  • KWlosingit
    KWlosingit Posts: 122 Member
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    Less animals die so that's a massive health benefit for them.

    Actually those animals would not exist as if they are not being bred for eating they will not be bred at all.
  • renae161
    renae161 Posts: 334 Member
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    Less animals die so that's a massive health benefit for them.

    But not zero animals... Large scale farming kills a lot of critters too. In pretty gruesome ways, at that....

    There's actually a company who's trying to get funded so meat can be grown in labs instead of animal slaughter keeping both meat eaters and non-meat eater activists happy.

    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/supermeat-real-meat-without-harming-animals-food-technology#/
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    Less animals die so that's a massive health benefit for them.

    Actually those animals would not exist as if they are not being bred for eating they will not be bred at all.

    Some of their existence is less than ideal though.
  • KWlosingit
    KWlosingit Posts: 122 Member
    johunt615 wrote: »
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    Less animals die so that's a massive health benefit for them.

    Actually those animals would not exist as if they are not being bred for eating they will not be bred at all.

    Some of their existence is less than ideal though.

    True but some people (not saying you) seem to have the idea that if we don't eat the animals they will just wander around in a blissful existence and that is just not true. If we don't eat them most will just not exist.

    I have a friend that is a cattle farmer and her cattle run around on their thousands of acres for most of their lives, However if she could not sell them for people to eat she sure would not have them all running around her land.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    N=1 For what it's worth, I have a niece who's been vegan since high school. She's hiked the Pacific Crest Trail end to end, runs marathons on a regular basis, cycles centuries with a couple of weeks preparation. She has 2 healthy daughters who are being raised vegetarian. I don't see anything unhealthy about the way she eats and I hope her children follow in her footsteps.

    For the record I never had canines and I eat meat just fine :smile:
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited October 2016
    To me there would be no perks of being vegetarian/vegan. I can't even stand the thought of it and it would be totally unsustainable for me. No diet, no matter how idealistic or well-intentioned it may be, is feasible without adherence.

    There are plenty of ways to create and sustain a perfectly healthy, balanced omnivorous diet.

    [ETA:] Not saying that a vegetarian/vegan diet is inherently unhealthy. Just as with omnivorous diets, they can be healthy, neutral or unhealthy depending upon the overall context of the diet. My only point is that it doesn't work for me.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 669 Member
    I'm a vegetarian but eat fish, eggs and dairy.
    My reasons were partly ethical but partly that I don't like the sensory sensation of biting into flesh.
    I was the only one in my immediate family that didn't eat meat and was the only one who wasn't over weight and didn't have terrible cystic acne.
    Are they connected? Don't know.
    If your concerned about the environment it's also better to not eat meat for the methane emissions that livestock farming produce.
    I definitely don't believe it makes a difference one way or another as far as weight loss.
    As far as food poisoning, I've only had it once, and if you've ever had samonela so bad that your skin turns gray and you have to get a series of shots in your butt, well I feel for you.
    Mine was from unwashed produce.




  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Aderynyreda wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    I'd like to see the number on average of people who don't have canines...(without intervention of course|)

    Surely you're joking?

    First of all, pretty much all mammals have "canine" teeth. Including herbivores.

    Besides, our canines are not at all adapted for eating meat as they are way too small - just go look at the teeth of an omnivore like a dog and you'll see what real omnivore canines and teeth look like and how capable they are of easily tearing through meat. If anything, our teeth are indicative of us being herbivorous or on the herbivorous side of omnivorism (herbivore-carnivore is a spectrum, after all).

    smh that's what you pick up on ...seriously...wow.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    edited October 2016
    My grocery bill went down approx 50-80.00
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    frankiesgirlie wrote: »
    I'm a vegetarian but eat fish, eggs and dairy.
    My reasons were partly ethical but partly that I don't like the sensory sensation of biting into flesh.
    I was the only one in my immediate family that didn't eat meat and was the only one who wasn't over weight and didn't have terrible cystic acne.
    Are they connected? Don't know.
    If your concerned about the environment it's also better to not eat meat for the methane emissions that livestock farming produce.
    I definitely don't believe it makes a difference one way or another as far as weight loss.
    As far as food poisoning, I've only had it once, and if you've ever had samonela so bad that your skin turns gray and you have to get a series of shots in your butt, well I feel for you.
    Mine was from unwashed produce.




    You're a pescatarian, not a vegetarian.

    This^^

    I'm a vegetarian 70% of the time.
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    The benefits are for the animals first and foremost ,secound the benefit is for the planet

    Finally for yourself. In my opinion and experience both on a spiritual level and physical level .All levels of you are positively impacted by the choice to no longer consume death. As Leonardo Da Vinci said "my body will not be a tomb for others"

    I am vegan . My soft heart and I feel much lighter because of it ❤️

  • irtrail
    irtrail Posts: 18 Member
    I'm vegetarian sometimes. My guts flare up and quit digesting meats. Ground beef is almost guaranteed to make life hell for a week or two.

    Mostly stick to poultry or some leaner pork cuts when I do eat meats.

    As for jaw size, we have evolved to argue on internet forums instead of working for our food...just saying!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    frankiesgirlie wrote: »
    I'm a vegetarian but eat fish, eggs and dairy.
    My reasons were partly ethical but partly that I don't like the sensory sensation of biting into flesh.
    I was the only one in my immediate family that didn't eat meat and was the only one who wasn't over weight and didn't have terrible cystic acne.
    Are they connected? Don't know.
    If your concerned about the environment it's also better to not eat meat for the methane emissions that livestock farming produce.
    I definitely don't believe it makes a difference one way or another as far as weight loss.
    As far as food poisoning, I've only had it once, and if you've ever had samonela so bad that your skin turns gray and you have to get a series of shots in your butt, well I feel for you.
    Mine was from unwashed produce.




    You're a pescatarian, not a vegetarian.

    This^^

    I'm a vegetarian 70% of the time.

    Dinner tonight was 66.6% vegetarian (broccoli and rice). The other 33.3% was flank steak. So I'm part vegetarian. :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    I've been vegetarian for 42 years. Yup, since 1974.

    You can eat a healthful vegetarian diet, and get all your essential nutrients (including enough protein, iron, etc.), though you may need to understand what you're eating and why just a bit more in order to do it.

    Alternatively, you can eat a healthful non-vegetarian diet. Most omnivores probably don't eat enough veggies & fruit, but simply eating meat/fish doesn't prevent you from eating enough veggies/fruit.

    Or, you can eat unhealthily as either a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian. You can gain or lose weight, healthily or unhealthily, doing either. I literally can't think of an indisputable health or weight loss reason to pick one vs. the other.

    Being vegetarian is possibly slightly more socially inconvenient, but it's not a big deal. (For example, you have to figure out how to gracefully handle invitations to dinner at non-vegetarians' homes.)

    It comes down to personal choice, which could be a question of animal welfare and your ethical views, or dislike of meat, or pure whim - doesn't matter. If you have reasons to be vegetarian, don't hesitate. If you don't have reasons, don't do it - it's slightly more hassle.

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