My response to people that say humans HAVE to eat meat...
Replies
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I very rarely get sick and I LOVE meat. Bears are omnivores too, better tell them to stop eating meat because it will make them healthier.0
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I don't understand why some people think:
1 I'm a vegetarian
2. I never get sick
3 therefore being a vegetarian prevents me from getting sick
You might as well think:
1 I wear green socks
2 I haver had cancer
3 green socks prevent cancer
Anyways, go choice!
Agreed.0 -
QUOTE:
"I always say that the vegetarians who tell me they don't eat meat because of the guilt about ending the life of an animal are full of *kitten* with all the respect. Living beings are living beings, and under the microscope they all have living cells, INCLUDING vegetables. Just because a tree doesn't have a heart doesn't mean it is not a living organism that will die when you cut it. What happens when you cut a flower and leave it on a table? It will die and dry. Same thing happens when you cut veggies and eat them. So that whole "guilt" is nothing but pure hypocrisy."
Vegetarians are full of *kitten* because they feel bad for killing animals (with a central nervous system) versus a plant? Comments like these are, in my opinion, why threads or conversations like this get started. For some reason people feel personally compelled to jump all over vegetarians...I don't get it. Obviously you're not vegetarian, so really you have no place saying why one is or isn't. If someone feels guilt over eating something that can feel, can cry, can bleed, and can run away from a predator..."hypocrisy" is not the word for that.0 -
Vegetarian/vegan doesn't mean healthy - and I know quite a few vegetarians/vegans (and I happen to be a dairy-free veggie myself). One of my closest friends has been veggie for over 25 years but is a little overweight, regularly getting pretty bad chest infections and has recently been diagnosed with gallstones. All of which is probably to do with the amount he smokes (or did until recently) and the amount of beer he drinks (proper beer/ale, not lager, just to specify
)
There are worse things for your health than eating meat. (although the long term ethical and ecological impacts of meat-eating is something else *whistles innocently*)0 -
We eat meat and tons of cheese but I have to admit some of the information and the way it's presented is scary and persuasive stuff. Especially, when you consider that ok, T. Colin Campbell is the far out radical side of the science world and Harvard is the conservative side (or so it seems to me as an outsider looking in) and yet Harvard's food recommendations seem to boil down to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains--the more the better--yet at the same time they're recommending you limit meat and dairy.
Do any of these studies, theories, conclusions or whatever they are have merit? Or is all of this type of stuff coming from one source that's complete BS & propaganda?
http://www.cancerproject.org/survival/cancer_facts/meat.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfsT-qYeqGM 0 -
Then do not make claims that you cannot substantiate.I am not looking for a heated debate, just opinions, and I love to hear what people from other countries have to say about this American argument. Thank you.
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I very rarely get sick and I LOVE meat. Bears are omnivores too, better tell them to stop eating meat because it will make them healthier.
Pandas are vegan!! They are lazy from all the digesting though.0 -
I agree that people don't HAVE to eat meat and so long as vegetarians and vegans replace the same nutrients which may be lost through not eating meat/fish/any animal produce they are very healthy diets (no saturated animal fats for one thing) BUT it is a choice, the same as eating meat is a choice! I eat meat and fish, but I did go vegan for a month about 10 years ago to detox and I felt really great after the month - don't think I could have kept it up though!0
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I'm a vegetarian for my own reasons, these people eat meat for theirs.
But it's people like you (the creator of this forum) that make me seriously consider eating meat again so I'm not labelled as a condescending ill-informed *****.0 -
Okay here is my prespective on this whole subject. Being a cancer survivor, I have discovered a lot about diet, choices and in general genetics. If you eat meat you are not more prone to cancer, yes possible higher cholesterol if not eaten in moderation, or fried all the time. Also diet does not always cause obesity, sometimes that is also genetic, yes with a lot of hard work one can keep the scale from taking control but sometimes it is medical. I have to agree that making a statement that those of the United States are worse off due our eating habits yes they are but the fact be told people like the convenience of the pre package, pre processed, preservative lined food that is available or the ease of going and getting something without leaving the car but this does not mean we are more prone to cancer just that we are getting heavier and therefore with that disease comes a combination of other diseases, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, and chronic sickness. I use to weigh 502 at my top weight, and have lost a bunch, then got push back in my success with two rounds of pre-cancerous cells, surgery, then cancer full blown and more surgeries, and chemo. I did not do anything different, but found out that genetically I was prone to get cancer due to both sides of my family having the same type, I was also genetically set to be heavy as both sides of my family are that as well. I think that sometimes we spin the well of health and genetics and that is what is what. I know people who are thin, eat healthy and still have diseases considered by many to result from unhealthy eating. Okay am done rambling, just get a bit upset when someone does not have all the facts that need to be address before posting something and then not asking for a heated debate about it.
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vegans weird me out.
vegetarians i can live with, but most of them look ill.
we are omnivores, thats why we have canine teeth and molars.
i enjoy meat, people are always ill due to poor diet, not inclusion of meat.
Soy will be the killer of hundreds of thousands of people, it is too heavily processed now and is carcenogenic fo sho.0 -
Of course humans don't "have" to eat meat. But adding grassfed meat and getting rid of the grains (mostly) has led to a nice weighloss with added health benefits in my life. I still don't eat much meat, partly out of habit, partly because I can't afford too much of the grassfed, non factory farmed stuff. But I do know that increasing meat in my diet hasn't harmed my health. Since starting the "primal" approach to eating my illnesses have been when I cheated too much and had too many grains and canola/veggie oils. I've known as many long term vegetarians to have chronic illness as those who eat meat. And saturated fat is good for you. Give me coconut oil and pastured butter over canola oil or vegetable spreads anyday!0
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Having been a depressed, obese vegetarian for 15 years, 3 of them as a vitamin B12 depleted vegan, I simply cannot agree with the OP. I believed all the "vegetarianism is healthier" stuff too. From reading around the web it seems that a lot of people feel better in the short term- long term's a different story.
Nowadays I feel sad when I see young people embrace vegetarianism, who may be ruining their own health without knowing it, but I realise that there is little point saying much about it. I risk coming over just as preachy and condescending as vegetarians do. However, I do feel like I need to point out that it emphatically did NOT work for me, and I didn't even realise how bad I felt until I ate meat and felt better, if you see what I mean. I would have denied feeling sick at all, I didn't link my depression to my diet in any way. Since giving it up I've read of a number of other veggies finding their mood improves when they go back to eating meat.
Whatever, this is anecdotal and doesn't change anything. Suffice to say I have little faith in the vegetarian arguments I used to believe in!0 -
All I can say is...
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And about B12 deficiency? An easy supplement keeps me on the sunny side.
Peace and health to you all!
If you say being vegetarian gives you everything you need, why not get that from food? If you're that focused on everything you need for nutrition coming from plants, why put something that unnatural into yourself?0 -
I agree. I think we can survive with out it and have many friends that do not eat meat. As for me i choose to eat it. I think it is just one of the choices that we all can make on our own for ourselves. I just love that everyone has a choice and an opnion.0
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I have had so many discussions about this topic since I have decided to stop eating meat that I only have to say three things:
1) You can be perfectly healthy if you eat meat (in moderation and fromt the right sources) but you don't have to because:
2) You can also be perfectly healthy if you don't eat meat. Again you have to use moderation and the right sources.
3) There are many other reasons why someone becomes a vegetarian. Whether it is healthier not to eat meat or not is often mentioned and discussed. Ethical and environmental reaons, however, should also be taken into account.0 -
Our history as omnivores has developed simply because we could not sustain ourselves on one group of foods - in certain areas vegetation was lush and meat was scarce but in others it was vice versa. Man was an opportunist and probably ate anything edible he came across just to survive.
There are still people that live in incredibly cold climates (inuits) and their source of food is fish and seals. They eat the eyes, brains and fats for nutrients as they have no other way to get those. I think its valuable to keep an open mind about these things, if someone wants to live soley from vegetation or meat then thats fine - I think more studies should be done, because I think most of the health complaints if attributed to food are probably due to the methods we use to manufacture, harvest,farm , grow and process our foods and this should be looked into in relation to our health.0 -
I always say that the vegetarians who tell me they don't eat meat because of the guilt about ending the life of an animal are full of *kitten* with all the respect. Living beings are living beings, and under the microscope they all have living cells, INCLUDING vegetables. Just because a tree doesn't have a heart doesn't mean it is not a living organism that will die when you cut it. What happens when you cut a flower and leave it on a table? It will die and dry. Same thing happens when you cut veggies and eat them. So that whole "guilt" is nothing but pure hypocrisy.
LOL so true! I always ask my vegetarian friends this. Where does this mystical line get drawn?
We shoud all be Fruitatarians, as the fruit of a plant is meant to be eaten! :P Wait.. but we are killing the cells in the fruit... that's mean. We should now sustain ourselves on sunlight alone. Let's be plants!!
I once happened to mention on a train that I am vegetarian as I had got chatting to some guys and got bombarded with this one. I had said nothing to spur a debate than merely mention vegetarianism and did not want a debate. I have always felt that plants do not feel the pain and bleed etc. I was more into the ethics when I first started about 13 years ago (now half of my life) but now its more like a lifestyle choice. I've never ever ever told anyone else not to eat meat or preached the benefits or told anyone meat is murder etc etc I've always been each to their own. (I'm the same with religion but that's a whole other debate)
I genuinely don't care what you choose/want to eat, and I guess the fact that some people preach means I find on most occasions when a meat eater finds out that I am veggie I often feel under attack on the defensive and like I forever have to justify my choices. It's my body, I choose what goes into it. my husband eats meat and I don't care, that's his choice. I have just started saying to people the fact that I don't want to eat it does not mean I'm telling you you can't. I will eat and not eat what I want thanks.
And I got overweight while being veggie - too much pasta etc.0 -
I love being a vegan, and my doctor can vouch for how dramatically my health has improved in the last the last few years since becoming vegan! It's a fantastic way of life!0
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QUOTE:
"I always say that the vegetarians who tell me they don't eat meat because of the guilt about ending the life of an animal are full of *kitten* with all the respect. Living beings are living beings, and under the microscope they all have living cells, INCLUDING vegetables. Just because a tree doesn't have a heart doesn't mean it is not a living organism that will die when you cut it. What happens when you cut a flower and leave it on a table? It will die and dry. Same thing happens when you cut veggies and eat them. So that whole "guilt" is nothing but pure hypocrisy."
Vegetarians are full of *kitten* because they feel bad for killing animals (with a central nervous system) versus a plant? Comments like these are, in my opinion, why threads or conversations like this get started. For some reason people feel personally compelled to jump all over vegetarians...I don't get it. Obviously you're not vegetarian, so really you have no place saying why one is or isn't. If someone feels guilt over eating something that can feel, can cry, can bleed, and can run away from a predator..."hypocrisy" is not the word for that.
Thank you. It's beyond stupid when anyone claims "plants have feelings too!!1" & says veg*ns are hypocrites. Um, no, plants don't have central nervous systems. Animals do. No one here is burning you at the stake because you're an omnivore, so please stop using totally incorrect line of thought (since there are real reasons for someone to be an omnivore too, I don't understand why rather than using a logical reason, people bring out the crazy talk), it makes you look ridiculous.0 -
I agree with labrat529...
You can choose what you want, I will choose mine. The one thing that bugs me on mfp is the preachy vegans (and some vegitarians) I will continue to eat my daily meat I love it and was healthy for years and years with it. You can choose not to... I choose to use my CANINE teeth and have that YUMMY GOODNESS :-)0 -
No where does it say that humans have to eat meat. There are plenty of plant based foods that provide adequate protein. Many of the top killer cancers and diseases of Americans are caused by food and poor nutrition, overconsumption of animal based foods, and refined sugars that cause high cholesterol and high blood sugar. 40% of Americans are overweight, and cost the U.S. billions of dollars in health care due to treatments and surgeries for otherwise mostly preventable causes (Diabetes, heart disease, prostate/breast cancer, etc.) Eastern cultures in which diets are mostly plant based, have little to almost bar none death rates of cancer and disease compared to Western civilizations in which meat/dairy consumption is part of an everyday diet. Not saying nobody should ever eat meat or dairy again, but we should be more aware of what we are putting into are bodies and cutting back on what is killing us. It has been tested and proven that we can prevent and even reverse most illnesses with diet oppose to prescription medications. (FYI to everyone) Many vegans and vegetarians have far few health problems than people who "have" to eat meat. Many who make the switch are smart enough to provide their bodies with the necessary vitamins and nutrition to live a healthy life. Many Americans have no idea how to sacrifice, even if it means for their health in the long run. It is sad we live in a world where our temporary satisfaction we get with the foods that "comfort" us, trump that of our lifelong health. We don't know any better anymore. We are raised with greed and overconsumption and most of us will never now what it is like to starve and struggle. Chew on that!
I am not looking for a heated debate, just opinions, and I love to hear what people from other countries have to say about this American argument. Thank you.
As someone with 3/4 of a PhD (so far lol) in studying diet-related obesity and metabolic disease and dysregulation....false.0 -
QUOTE:
"I always say that the vegetarians who tell me they don't eat meat because of the guilt about ending the life of an animal are full of *kitten* with all the respect. Living beings are living beings, and under the microscope they all have living cells, INCLUDING vegetables. Just because a tree doesn't have a heart doesn't mean it is not a living organism that will die when you cut it. What happens when you cut a flower and leave it on a table? It will die and dry. Same thing happens when you cut veggies and eat them. So that whole "guilt" is nothing but pure hypocrisy."
Vegetarians are full of *kitten* because they feel bad for killing animals (with a central nervous system) versus a plant? Comments like these are, in my opinion, why threads or conversations like this get started. For some reason people feel personally compelled to jump all over vegetarians...I don't get it. Obviously you're not vegetarian, so really you have no place saying why one is or isn't. If someone feels guilt over eating something that can feel, can cry, can bleed, and can run away from a predator..."hypocrisy" is not the word for that.
Thank you. It's beyond stupid when anyone claims "plants have feelings too!!1" & says veg*ns are hypocrites. Um, no, plants don't have central nervous systems. Animals do. No one here is burning you at the stake because you're an omnivore, so please stop using totally incorrect line of thought (since there are real reasons for someone to be an omnivore too, I don't understand why rather than using a logical reason, people bring out the crazy talk), it makes you look ridiculous.
Beyond stupid is correct. I have scanned through this tread and the one conclusion I can draw is that most people who post that eating meat does no damage, have either been living in a bubble for the past 64 years (since the Framingham Study) or are illiterate with respect to science. There is good solid evidence that meat is implicated in colon cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, and many, many other chonic diseases. There are powerful epidemiological studies such as the China Study that demonstrate this correlation. There are American studies, German studies and Japanese studies that all show the same thing. The only contraray studies are those paid for by the meat and dairy industry, which usually focus on genetically unique populations such as Lapplanders or Inuit Indians.
If you really want to know the reason why people eat meat? They like it, and they are not willing to give up what they like for some extra years at the end of their lives.0 -
Hmmm. So how is it that I induce obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, etc....in my vegetarian mice? :huh:0
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Wait....back up!
Who ever said humans HAVE to eat meat? I've known many vegetarians, vegans, meat lovers, flexitarians, but I've never heard anyone say that humans have to eat meat to live. Ever.
Before you go on the attack, maybe you should have an argument to respond to...
I eat dairy at nearly every meal, fish/poultry about once a day, and red meat about once a week. It works for me, but to each his/her own!0 -
As a vegetarian, who groans everytime someone says something like this... I will do what I always do.
Politely smile and walk away, everyone is entitled to their opinions and food choices.0 -
Hmmm. So how is it that I induce obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, etc....in my vegetarian mice? :huh:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1743-7075/6/430 -
As a vegetarian, who groans everytime someone says something like this... I will do what I always do.
Politely smile and walk away, everyone is entitled to their opinions and food choices.
And choice of morbidity0 -
No where does it say that humans have to eat meat. There are plenty of plant based foods that provide adequate protein. Many of the top killer cancers and diseases of Americans are caused by food and poor nutrition, overconsumption of animal based foods, and refined sugars that cause high cholesterol and high blood sugar. 40% of Americans are overweight, and cost the U.S. billions of dollars in health care due to treatments and surgeries for otherwise mostly preventable causes (Diabetes, heart disease, prostate/breast cancer, etc.) Eastern cultures in which diets are mostly plant based, have little to almost bar none death rates of cancer and disease compared to Western civilizations in which meat/dairy consumption is part of an everyday diet. Not saying nobody should ever eat meat or dairy again, but we should be more aware of what we are putting into are bodies and cutting back on what is killing us. It has been tested and proven that we can prevent and even reverse most illnesses with diet oppose to prescription medications. (FYI to everyone) Many vegans and vegetarians have far few health problems than people who "have" to eat meat. Many who make the switch are smart enough to provide their bodies with the necessary vitamins and nutrition to live a healthy life. Many Americans have no idea how to sacrifice, even if it means for their health in the long run. It is sad we live in a world where our temporary satisfaction we get with the foods that "comfort" us, trump that of our lifelong health. We don't know any better anymore. We are raised with greed and overconsumption and most of us will never now what it is like to starve and struggle. Chew on that!
I am not looking for a heated debate, just opinions, and I love to hear what people from other countries have to say about this American argument. Thank you.
As someone with 3/4 of a PhD (so far lol) in studying diet-related obesity and metabolic disease and dysregulation....false.
As someone who deals with scientific literature every day, I really appreciate cites to studies.0
This discussion has been closed.
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