What should we really be eating...This is not for the faint hearted

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  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    edited January 2018
    Lemurcat12 pretty much said everything I could even think of saying about this production...plus a lot more. :-)

    But I really wanted to say one thing about people being designed to be vegetarian, or vegan, etc...

    That attitude is just plain ignorant of the very plants they suggest people eat. So much so that it kind of boggles the mind.

    It's like people who say this forget that if people don't have supermarkets, plants aren't available year round. They are eaten when available, and seasons for many plants are a LOT shorter than many people are aware of.

    And with naturally growing plants, as opposed to farmed ones, the plants are not cared for. So a late or early freeze can wipe plants out so a type of plant food isn't available that year, a storm can destroy blossoms so some fruit trees have nothing that year, a drought can make food scarcer so you have to compete more with OTHER animals.

    And yes, there are going to be some plant based foods that can be preserved for later usage. But first, there is the difficulty with storage that has to be protected from predation by other animals - again, this is when we were developing as a species, so there's no canning or jars, you know? And second, if a tribe moved they had to carry their food with them, and in many areas of the world, winter lasts for months - that's a LOT of preserved plant food to theoretically try to carry around until plants start blooming and producing again.

    Not to mention, the higher calorie plant based foods may not preserve easily (some berries present problems, for example) or the plant type only existed in small groups or clusters (aka - no large orchards or fields of wheat, say) until cultivation and farming developed. Which was long after people were roaming the world, obviously, so we can't claim that people were 'made' to have a diet that would only work after we developed farming.

    Or better, the vegan diet, where it would only work after we developed farming and vitamin supplements.


    Although I would not argue that our meat industry is pretty horrendous right now. Like, truly horrendous. There is a reason that companies that sell animals for meat really want to (and have in some cases) make it illegal for anyone to get cameras in to see what goes on in their farms(seriously - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ag-gag ).





  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    CMS_3049 wrote: »
    I take more issue with the inhumane treatment of animals used not only for food but for clothing as well than believing it will or will not benefit me from eating meat or not. I do eat meat products but feel very guilty if part of those products go uneaten. Those are my own internal feelings and I don’t judge others for what they eat and wear. I am not anti-slaughter but I do wish for the animals’ sake, their life and death wasn’t as disgusting as I’m assuming it to be.

    And that is certainly a fair and reasonable position.
  • CMS_3049
    CMS_3049 Posts: 20 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    CMS_3049 wrote: »
    I take more issue with the inhumane treatment of animals used not only for food but for clothing as well than believing it will or will not benefit me from eating meat or not. I do eat meat products but feel very guilty if part of those products go uneaten. Those are my own internal feelings and I don’t judge others for what they eat and wear. I am not anti-slaughter but I do wish for the animals’ sake, their life and death wasn’t as disgusting as I’m assuming it to be.

    Ever seen a lion (or even a smaller animal such as a coyote) take down their prey? Human methods, while they’re admittedly not perfect and could stand to be improved, are several orders of magnitude more merciful and humane than any predator in the wild.

    To be clear, I have nothing against veganism, nor am I against the ethical treatment of animals. What I do have trouble with is some of the fanatical propaganda surrounding it - such as most of what’s contained in fakeumentaries such as What the Health.

    I agree with you. Speaking as someone whose cat used to go outside, I stopped that after the first baby bird incident. But the duckling that was eaten alive be by a hawk didn’t live in a barn with 20,000 other chicks for its entire life. It’s life was cut short by the natural food chain not because I Chicken/egg farmer needed to maximize profits. I feel it’s about the conditions they live in as well as the suffering from the slaughter. Such as the difference between the life of a farm-raised fish in a vat versus a fish caught in the open water.

  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Has anyone had any success on a plant based diet and is the transition easy?

    Yes, Ive had transition success. And no, it’s not easy. At all. Especially if you have a life.
  • As an “Accidental vegetarian” (yes there is such a thing), I found the transition relatively easy.
    I didn’t have a choice.
    I was a happy carnivore for almost 5 decades, than suffered a stroke. I could no longer swallow or digest meat.
    So I had to learn how to walk, talk, cook and make vegetarian meals for myself as well as cook meat for my Butcher husband. ( True)
    While I have no problem cooking meat, I am concerned how our planet can sustain this huge hunger for meat. Such a massive use of resources.
    Whereas plant based diets require less resources to produce.
    Just a thought.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2018
    I'd say vegetarian is pretty easy, 100% plant based is harder, but certainly possible if you have an ethical commitment or serious health reasons. How hard the latter is probably varies based on lifestyle (do you mostly cook at home) and where you live (some places tend to have way more vegan options than others when you eat outside of the house).
  • CourtneyUT
    CourtneyUT Posts: 48 Member
    If we were meant to be vegetarians, why do we have sharp canine teeth?
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    edited January 2018
    I just wanted to drop in and say a huge thank you to everyone who has responded. Your input has definitely put a new spin on how this programme first left me feeling and I'm definitely spurred on to try more vegetarian meals/plant based options. This week alone, I've had 2 days completely meat free, having enjoyed dinners of veggie pasta and sweet potato, chick pea and spinach curry. Lunches this week consisted of banana sandwiches, fruit and nuts. Breakfast being overnight oats with berries. This week has actually been rather enjoyable.

    I have still been eating meat. I have recently (before putting up this post) started buying fresh meat as opposed to frozen. I found the quality to be better when getting it from the butchers counter in my local supermarket. I'm not sure how true this is, but I think the meat is better sourced (I really hope this is true).

    I'm not sure yet how it sits with me about the whole production of meat, quality of animal life and hygiene behind meat preparation/butchering. My head and my heart seem to be battling it out, but I somehow seem to be ok with the thought of actually eating it. I think my best option would be to go part time vegetarian???? I'm not sure if I'm confusing some of my feelings with searching for approval to continue eating meat.

    Let's say this experience has been rather eye opening...

    I'm not sure about where you are located, but there is a local butcher here and they have antibiotic and growth hormone free animals from local farmers. It costs more, but I was amazed the first time that I cooked with their meat. It smelled and tasted like the meat we had growing up. Perhaps you can find something similar in your area. I think it's great that you are thinking about these things, exploring options, and keeping open to the viewpoint of others.
  • curiousgp
    curiousgp Posts: 122 Member
    It boils down to this. Know where your food comes from. So many people have no idea where the food they put in their mouths came from. Every time someone cries alarm at these documentaries I wonder if they've ever been to a farm or if all they eat is manufactured crap.

    Any farmer worth his salt would not abuse his paycheck.

    If you want to make a difference - change the people in power. Quit voting for big business. Put your dollar where your mouth is. Pay the extra buck for good quality meat and produce - eat in season.

    Knowledge is power.
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