Vegetarians Live Longer and Healthier

Arianwyn_T

. Oh and if you think one can survive on just vegetables, I beg to differ on that too. Fat is not an optional nutrient.

And if you think that there are no plant-based sources of fat then you are not as smart or well-researched as you like to pretend you are.

jenilla1

The China Study came to the same conclusion.

When I was a vegetarian, I was dangerously low on folic acid and B12. This hasn't been a problem since I've abandoned the vegetarian diet. (I'm very attracted to it from a philosophical point of view - I love all animals - but it's too hard having a totally different from the rest of my family.)

I'm not a vegetarian, but I do know that folic acid and B vitamins can come from a variety of non-animal sources. Sounds to me like you were doing it wrong.

Somebody earlier implied that you couldn't get fat from non-animal sources. That is also incorrect.

There's obviously a lot people don't know about nutrition. There are many different ways to eat healthy. Just do what works for you.

Viva_Karina

Mcmilligen

Bump to read later! Looks like an interesting article

Viva_Karina

Graelwyn75

Want an interesting book on longevity and the lifestyles and diets of those in areas with the largest number of centenarians, get a hold of a book called 'The Blue Zones' by Dan Buettner, published by national geographic. Very interesting and enjoyable book that includes Okinawa.

jenilla1

Okay - if the canine is proof that we are designed to eat meat. Go out in the woods today - catch yourself a deer with your bare hands and gnaw on it raw. Humans are only opportunistic meat eaters. In the beginning we relied on the leftovers.

Or go out in the woods, grab some berries and gnaw on those. Yep - that is actually possible... how were we designed?

Because that is what man has been doing since day one...gnawing on live deer. Come on, that is not even a reaslitic analogy. We hunted with sticks and rocks and cooked the meat over fire. We have been hunters and gatherers since walking the planet. You are really trying to argue evolution? Then what is the canine for, decoration? :noway:

What about adaptation? I don't think the hunter/gatherers spent 8 hours a day sitting behind a computer, drove home and then sat in front of a TV until they went to bed. I don't live like they do, so I sure don't need to eat like they did!

OMG, brilliant! :laugh:

Graelwyn75

I've been a vegetarian for 20 years. I've seen lots, and lots, and lots of people come and go. After about 18 years I developed a B12 deficiency. Though I would love to pat myself on the back for my choices, I don't believe that there is any health advantage to being vegetarian over a balanced diet of less-processed, more whole foods. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who didn't have a strong ethical/moral viewpoint.

Today there are many more available options for vegetarians at supermarkets, restaurants, even people's houses- but there is no denying that it occasionally makes for an awkward or complicated meal, and you have to be smart and proactive about your nutrition- whereas people with unrestricted diets don't have to think about it as much.

Sensible post is sensible post. I used to be vegetarian and was for over ten years. I then started adding fish in and was pescetarian for a further 14 years. Recently added in some free range chicken but find that I felt my best being pescetarian. But that might be because when a vegetarian, I did not cook, and lived from marks and spencer microwave meals, baked potatoes and quorn with vegetables. It is difficult as you have the paleo and primal crowd saying grains and legumes are toxic, yet there are plenty of vegetarians living happy, long lives on vegetable, fruit, grain and bean heavy diets. I feel beans are healthy. I go with my instincts. Meat feels clogging to me. Fish feels cleaner, if that makes any sense. So I now try to get in a good range of vegetables, fruits, beans and some grains, nuts, seeds, some dairy and wild salmon or canned oily fish. That, to me, is a reasonably healthy diet and I don't believe fish will shorten my life. I don't believe lean meat will shorten lives either, if had in moderation.

The killer is the processed foods that so many have come to rely on for 80% of their meals and snacks, in my opinion, not the meat, fish, grains or beans.

cutegymbug

The article the OP posted pretty much concludes that it's the Mediterranean type diet the Adventists follow that helps keep them healthy. Also I am wondering if the "typical" Ameican diet subjects used for comparison were drinkers and/or smokers or did they control for that Also a strong sense of community and strong faith may play a role in determining life span. It seems to me there are a lot of variables besides vegetarian vs. meat eaters here. JMHO
ETA--do Adventists drink soda?--maybe another variable there.

Very good point! The Adventists have a healthy lifestyle, in every area, which can not be compared to "Californians."

Graelwyn75

I have been a vegetarian for most of my life (turned vegan recently). I have regular blood work done and I am not deficient in ANYTHING! My blood pressure is great, blood sugar also. I also look a hell of a lot younger than my friends who are the same age as me (32). I have never been very ill and have never had the flu.
Coincidence?

I've eaten meat for over 60 years and have perfect blood work and blood sugar too. Have no idea if I look younger than my peers. Also I seldom get sick, can't even remember when I last had a cold or flu. My only health problems, other than being overweight, are bad joints and I credit that to overuse when younger. Coincidence?

I'm not overweight...coincidence?

Plenty of overweight vegetarians so what is your point ? Nasty comment is nasty comment. Evidently being vegetarian isn't always so good for positive personality traits.

Kattamer81

My biggest issue with being a vegetarian ( and I was one for roughly 2 years ) is the number of mock-meat substitutes people are consuming. Why do people feel the need not to eat meat but to replace it with overly processed soy products...they even make them look like real meat! Those products are far and away 10x more harmful to your body than eating the meat would be.

http://www.utne.com/2007-07-01/Science-Technology/The-Dark-Side-of-Soy.aspx

http://www.foodrenegade.com/dangers-of-soy/

I'd rather stay away from products being genetically modified and trademarked by Monsanto.

The reason I strayed from being a vegetarian was because I was persuaded to believe in a whole foods diet instead. Locally raised, organic meats, vegetables from my garden, whole grains.

Don't even get me started on TVP!

And on one final note:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1250532/Being-vegetarian-does-harm-environment-eating-meat.html#axzz2KHEGdTrn

CassieReannan

I'm vegetarian and have been since I was very little. I have no problem with meat eaters, nor do I impend my beliefs onto them. If they want to eat meat thats fine, but they don't have the right to judge others. Eating a plant based diet would probably make your life longer, and I have seen proof through many documentaries. Great article, hopefully people will keep their minds open about this instead of going I LOVE MEAT LOL FU.

Ange_

There are other factors that play a role in the health of Seventh Day Adventists (there are some in my family). To just jump to the assumption that a plant-based diet is the cause, rather than a correlation, is incorrect. Someone using the studies to back up their opinion might make that claim but I can bet that the researchers did not.

I invest incredible amounts of time researching, observing my Inuit neighbours (who, until recently, had a diet of almost totally animal sources and yet had no heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc, and lived long if they didn't have an accident or a food shortage) and experimenting on myself and your assertion is not fact. I'm sure it fits your beliefs, but that doesn't make it true.

It's interesting that there is not one single Paleolithic society, or even current hunger/gatherer society, that had/have a completely plant-based diet. So, what do you suppose we are genetically designed to eat? Monocultured grains? Sorry, I don't buy it. And no, it's not "ethical" to eat monocultured grains over wild or grass fed animals. Not when one considers soil organisms and environmental impacts, and even the impacts on people and their livelihoods/culture. Oh and if you think one can survive on just vegetables, I beg to differ on that too. Fat is not an optional nutrient.

Seventh Day Adventists certainly do eat a diet that is, in many ways, superior to the Standard American Diet (remember most people are eating grain fed animals raised on factory farms) and they also have a completely different lifestyle than the average American. Factors abound. Correlation versus causation.

I have read the original study of this. To try and account for differences based on lifestyle or genetics rather than diet they compared Seventh Day Adventists who followed the plant based diet versus other Seventh Day Adventists who did not but had the same lifestyle.
Still not perfect i know, but about as good as you can get with that kind of research looking at real populations.
It is much more difficult to compare the inuits to the 7th day Adventists because they have completely different lifestyles and genes.

By the way none of these diets say fat is not necessary. Even fruit has fat in it (particularly bananas for example). A lot of these diets just say low fat not no fat.

Graelwyn75

Meh, while I could probably live vegetarian, I wouldn't want to. I enjoy the taste of meat too much (not too shocking coming from a Texan). Besides, in my mind, if about half of my teeth are designed to cut, rip, and or tear meat, and my ancestors ate meat as well, then I'm not going to change it up too much.

Besides, I can't stand beans in chili. Fine in a burrito, but there are no beans in chili. And I love me some chili...

The apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, monkeys, and so on) also possess canine teeth. They are all vegetarians. Some chimps have been observed eating insects, but they do not need canine teeth to tear apart insects. Panda bears have more canine teeth than humans, yet are exclusively vegetarian, eating bamboo.

However, even surrendering to the argument that "humans are, by nature omnivorous", the point still remains that we humans do not need to eat meat. Unlike animals, we can rise above our animal natures; after all, society depends on the fact that we must transcend our lower natures! Just read William Golding's The Lord of the Flies to learn how the thin veneer of civilisation collapses when we fail to do so.

But if you enjoy eating meat then more power to you :drinker:

http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~stanford/chimphunt.html

davidrip1

Bump!

Joreanasaurous

My soon to be 110 year old grandmother (or 100 or 65 depending on who you ask) has eaten meat with every meal of her life, with the exception of the depression. She is still going strong. I plan to follow her example. She sure loves her bacon.

jnzema

By the way none of these diets say fat is not necessary. Even fruit has fat in it (particularly bananas for example). A lot of these diets just say low fat not no fat.

Bananas have fat? I feel so betrayed!

ElliInJapan

This is funny. There are studies and stuff going around about people in Okinawa living the longest, etc. And their diet isn't all veggies. There is quite a bit of fish and meat in there too.

A lot of their pork dishes are amazing! *sighs*

Eat only until 80% full, pay attention to a macrobiotic diet. That's the model for that. There's limited meat and practically no diary. Whole grains, seasonal produce, sea vegetables.

Really? That's not how I remember it..lol. Have you been to Okinawa or Japan? They have dairy and they enjoy their meat dishes quite thoroughly. And there is a lot of it..lmao.

Nowadays Okinawan cuisine is full with fatty pork dishes (and they put that nasty spam/corned beef in every single dish they have), but that's not how they used to eat 30 years ago. That is the diet that's known for the Okinawan people's longevity, the one of 30 or so years ago. Its main characteristics are low caloric intake on a long term basis and limited meat, dairy and rice, not as much fish as in mainland Japan, and plenty of soy products and local vegetables (goya, local varieties of sweet potato). In other words people were poor and ate what was available. Today, Okinawans eat very differently and obesity rates raise fast.

PikaKnight

This is funny. There are studies and stuff going around about people in Okinawa living the longest, etc. And their diet isn't all veggies. There is quite a bit of fish and meat in there too.

A lot of their pork dishes are amazing! *sighs*

Eat only until 80% full, pay attention to a macrobiotic diet. That's the model for that. There's limited meat and practically no diary. Whole grains, seasonal produce, sea vegetables.

Really? That's not how I remember it..lol. Have you been to Okinawa or Japan? They have dairy and they enjoy their meat dishes quite thoroughly. And there is a lot of it..lmao.

Nowadays Okinawan cuisine is full with fatty pork dishes (and they put that nasty spam/corned beef in every single dish they have), but that's not how they used to eat 30 years ago. That is the diet that's known for the Okinawan people's longevity, the one of 30 or so years ago. Its main characteristics are low caloric intake on a long term basis and limited meat, dairy and rice, not as much fish as in mainland Japan, and plenty of soy products and local vegetables (goya, local varieties of sweet potato). In other words people were poor and ate what was available. Today, Okinawans eat very differently and obesity rates raise fast.

Nothing wrong with spam..lol. And Spam originated in the US It's also a favorite food in Hawaii.

Also - pork has been a part of Okinawan cuisine a lot longer than 30 years. A lot longer.

The point being is that people can be healthy and live quite a long time including meat in their diet.

Deedsie

I'm not religious but I have to question a Christian vegetarian approach based on the following passage:

Acts 10: Peters vision
9.On the next day, as they went on their journey, and drew near unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

10And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

11And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet held at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

12In which were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

13And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

14But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.

15And the voice spoke unto him again the second time, What God has cleansed, that call not common.

16This was done three times: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

I think we can agree that if God rains meat down on you from heaven and tells you to eat it and you say no i don't want it and god says but I cleaned it for you special, you better eat that ****. Nothing ticks me off more than when I make something special for my kid and present it to her and she doesn't eat it. That said, I have yet to experience divine intervention into my diet so I believe i'll stick to doing the best I can with what I like to eat.


Also, not to thread jack but I recently saw that some scientists are growing sheets of meat. They take a cell from a living animal and can then grow that into sheets of meat. They are talking about this as a humane way to eat meat. I don't know what chemicals, if any, are involved but it is an interesting thought. I personally don't like the taste of meat- it gives me the creeps but I wonder if those that eat plant diets for humane reasons might eat a kill free steak.