Giving up Meat

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Replies

  • anewdeb2012
    anewdeb2012 Posts: 7
    our teeth have little to do with meat eating in these times. Meat in our ancestors days was pure, natural and not laden with growth hormones or fed only corn. A lot has changed in our food industry since our teeth were created.
  • anewdeb2012
    anewdeb2012 Posts: 7
    I can't give up meet; that's insulting to God.
    If God did not want us eating animals, why did He make them out of meat?

    Uh, humans are made of meat. So are dogs. God must want you to be a dog-eating zombie cannibal.

    Humans are omnivores, as proven by our teeth. We can survive without meat, but we evolved eating both.

    So? How does that matter? Humans used to be cave-dwellers once. Should that inform our dwelling choices now?

    Being an omnivore means you can eat a whole spectrum of foods. Why not choose the best foods among them? Humans have the power of reason and discernment, so why not use it?

    If you read breaking nutrition news, the overwhelming evidence is that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is optimal for more reasons than I can list. At best, these studies indicate if there is any meat in the diet at all, that it should be treated like a condiment.

    Um, I think he was just trying to be funny? lol

    God did not want us "messing" with our meat like we do today. He made it pure and wholesome as it was. Our industry is the one who messed it up with growth hormones and unnaturally feeding it.
  • tidmutt
    tidmutt Posts: 317
    I can't give up meet; that's insulting to God.
    If God did not want us eating animals, why did He make them out of meat?

    Uh, humans are made of meat. So are dogs. God must want you to be a dog-eating zombie cannibal.

    Humans are omnivores, as proven by our teeth. We can survive without meat, but we evolved eating both.

    So? How does that matter? Humans used to be cave-dwellers once. Should that inform our dwelling choices now?

    Being an omnivore means you can eat a whole spectrum of foods. Why not choose the best foods among them? Humans have the power of reason and discernment, so why not use it?

    If you read breaking nutrition news, the overwhelming evidence is that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is optimal for more reasons than I can list. At best, these studies indicate if there is any meat in the diet at all, that it should be treated like a condiment.

    Take it easy, I was just telling the above guy I originally quoted that we evolved eating both. And yes, as far as your comment on dwelling goes, we still live in safest homes available to us....

    Okay....I just thought we were on the cusp of the predictable 'But, what about our canine teeth?' thing. Glad we aren't.

    This is such a murky area, I just read in New Scientist about the latest analysis of the preserved remains of a male hunter gatherer. When looking at the contents of his stomach they found it filled with meat and his gallbladder also indicated that he ate large amounts of fat. I should mention that he lived in a cold climate. If anyone is interested I can dig up the details and maybe find a link. It's in last week's New Scientist.

    I believe the remains you are referring to are those of Otze man, who, while a very interesting example of an amazingly well preserved human doesn't tell us anything at all about what humans EVOLVED to eat because firstly, he was only from around 2000BC, which is negligible in evolutionary terms. He had tools on him, and was wearing clothing, he was already an advanced modern human, at a time 2000 years after the construction of the pyramids and 3000 or more years after the first towns, cities and complex social and farming hierarchies were in place. Secondly, he was making a long journey in a completely snow bound landscape. What plants do you think would have been available? None. He would have eaten what he could hunt and scavenge.
    If you would like to compare his diet to other men from a similar time, have a look at studies of bog bodies. They are exclusively found to have stomachs and guts containing grains.

    Extreme preservation environments are fascinating, and what I wrote my undergraduate thesis on. But are totally irrelevant to any argument about human dietary evolution.

    I did mention that he was in a cold climate, I apologize if it wasn't obvious that I was implying that it meant limited access to plants, but that was my intention when I mentioned it. Yes, there have been other findings suggesting our ancestors consumed grain even prior to agriculture but that hardly refutes the hypothesis on which most Paleo diets are based given the amount consumed would have been tiny compared to what is available now. There are also the arguments that grain has changed in modern times due to human intervention and we also eat highly processed grain. The article I read indicated it supported the hypothesis for high saturated fat consumption on the part of our earlier ancestors but I admit to being lazy and not drilling down on it yet. Thanks for the clarification.

    I believe in this case the gallbladder remains indicated long term fat consumption but again, if he lived in a cold climate year round then this isn't surprising. Given, as you say the time period of the remains is after the invention of agriculture then it's not surprising that other remains from the same period show grain consumption. Regardless, one data point based on a single preserved remain is insufficient anyway, I mentioned it only because I thought it was interesting, as you said, it's a fascinating area. Personally, I think it's fairly obvious that we could not have eaten grain in the quantities we now do (and are encouraged to do) for most of our evolution.
  • tidmutt
    tidmutt Posts: 317
    I encourage you to watch a few documentaries. One is called Fat, Sick and nearly dead and the other is called Forks over knives. These will give you great insight into the big myth surrounding protein and that if you don't eat meat, you are lacking protein. There is another one out there but I forget the name of it. these two guys tested their strands of hair and found themselves to be over 90% corn. our cows are fed corn, not grains, our food is laden with HFCS, and oh the list goes on and on and on. Oh, one last documentary called Food, Inc...it explains a lot. Good luck to you. I have been vegetarian for 24 years.

    I've watched both, the first one was moving and interesting but provides little evidence to support eliminating meat. The second one is based on the China Study which is a classic example of how a good scientist should understand that correlation does not equal causation. The study has been pulled apart by numerous people and shown to be inconsistent and misleading. I don't care that much about correlations, find and prove the physical mechanism that leads to disease then I'm interested. The correlations are only a starting point.

    Food Inc. was depressing but you can find sources of meat that are raised humanely and are more nutritious. The options are growing as more people realize how corrupted the food supply is.
  • dnoel22
    dnoel22 Posts: 10
    Yay Vegetarians!! :)
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
    I know you said you're not big into bean recipes, but the other night we had taco night at my parents house and I replaced the meat in my taco with black beans. IT WAS DELICIOUS.

    Of course it wasn't the healthiest choice (beans, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream in a tortilla), but if you can ever afford to splurge a bit I seriously suggest black bean tacos.

    I made some excellent veggie soft tacos with corn tortillas:
    roasted winter squash or sweet potatoes , sauteed spinach or chard, beans, salsa and avocado (optional) with queso fresco or a very sharp cheese. You don't need much cheese if it is really sharp. Anyway this was an excellent combo, very filling and covered 3-4 servings of veggies!
  • FORKDOWN
    FORKDOWN Posts: 1,754
    Whew............... was afraid my Wife posted this.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Food Inc. was depressing but you can find sources of meat that are raised humanely and are more nutritious. The options are growing as more people realize how corrupted the food supply is.

    OP - I sincerely apologize for being a part of this hijack of your thread. I hope you have found helpful information for recipes from the suggestions that have been provided.

    In terms of this post - it's important to note that there is no one definition of humane, so that is debatable. And, most labels that say "humane" allow for the continuation of modern practices. So, really, unless you can visit the farm yourself, you can be fairly certain you are contributing to intense farming animal practices. Last I checked, the only label that allowed only independent farmers to apply (and I think, though I may be wrong, also does not allow common husbandry practices) is Animal Welfare Approved:
    http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/consumers/food-labels/
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
    Meatless suggestions:
    Indian, Latin, Middle Eastern and African cuisins have tons of meatless options check out some cookbooks from the library to get recipe ideas.

    If you can find fresh tofu, it is worth it. It is infinitely better tasting than the regular stuff. There is also a tofu byproduct called "yuba." This has great meaty texture and can bu used in all kinds of dishes. Tofu is a sponge, it soaks up the flavor of its neighbors. So keep that in mind if you are cooking with it.

    Good luck!
  • CallmeSbo
    CallmeSbo Posts: 611 Member
    bump
  • pariskelly
    pariskelly Posts: 20 Member
    Hi! I've been a vegetarian for 20 years. I started a cooking blog a couple of years ago, and I try and make 4 new recipes a week! Take a look!

    http://peppertree.wordpress.com/
  • tidmutt
    tidmutt Posts: 317
    Food Inc. was depressing but you can find sources of meat that are raised humanely and are more nutritious. The options are growing as more people realize how corrupted the food supply is.

    OP - I sincerely apologize for being a part of this hijack of your thread. I hope you have found helpful information for recipes from the suggestions that have been provided.

    In terms of this post - it's important to note that there is no one definition of humane, so that is debatable. And, most labels that say "humane" allow for the continuation of modern practices. So, really, unless you can visit the farm yourself, you can be fairly certain you are contributing to intense farming animal practices. Last I checked, the only label that allowed only independent farmers to apply (and I think, though I may be wrong, also does not allow common husbandry practices) is Animal Welfare Approved:
    http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/consumers/food-labels/

    Note: By humane I should have said not typical factory farmed, I can't speak to how they are killed etc. I should have been clearer. I do know people who visit local farms and see their practices first hand, probably about as good as you can get other than raising and slaughtering the animal yourself.

    Yes, I have contributed to the hijacking of this thread too although I do think there have been lots of replies addressing the ultimately question the OP was asking. Beyond that, the thread has taken on a life of it's own.
  • WeipAN82
    WeipAN82 Posts: 1 Member
    Hi Everyone! I am very new to "myfitnesspal" and am just learning the ropes! I have thought about cutting out meat many times. Mostly because I was never a big fan of meat. I would never crave a steak etc. Also because I have done some research on health benefits to cutting out meat from my diet. Thanks for all the posts. I appreciate the info. Look forward to meeting some of you in my weight loss journey!

    ANW
  • beenaron88
    beenaron88 Posts: 4
    Wow props to you!!! I could never give up meat,I love thick juicy meat


    I'm sorry but I have to do it.... that's what she said :laugh:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    once more..... just to clarify some of the posts. The OP made claims that eating meat is linked to cancer and was asked to state her sources. She wasn't really being attacked for choosing to not eat meat.

    Why should the OP have to provide a meta-analysis on the relationship between cancer and meat-eating with powerpoint and funny photos to keep her audience entertained?

    It just seemed she was looking for some practical suggestions for meatless eating. I hope she got enough to get her started, and doesn't feel she needs to get a Ph.D. in nutrition biochemistry to feel prepared enough to back up her dietary choices.

    And please understand that your 'friendly debate' may be something we have heard dozens, if not hundreds, of times in our lifetimes. It may help you pass the time, but it may make some of us yawn with the predictability of it all.

    If she said I am choosing to not eat meat then yes no links are required, however, she mentioned the cancer links at that point I think it's perfectly acceptable for others to debate that point and request where she is getting her information.

    Links are never required on MFP. No one is under any obligation to justify their reasons to anyone else. The OP stated her information came from a doctor and if that's good enough for her then why do you care? She's not asking anyone else to give up meat, just for non-meat meal suggestions.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    Well, I gave up red meat because it really just seems to not be that great for my health. It's been tied to cancer etc. Then, I just decided I wanted to give up the rest of it and really focus on getting a lot more veggies into my diet. I don't know if I will keep it up forever, but I just needed to shake up my diet a bit so I can lose some more. : )

    Totally understand where you are coming from, I've considered a juice fast, drastic calorie reduction etc. in order to lose weight, but don't cut out meat for your "health". Those "links" to cancer are simply not proven, they are nothing but correlations which mean essentially nothing. By all means increase your vegetable intake, eats loads of vegetables but eat some meat too, your body will thank you.

    HEAR, HEAR!!
  • sunnyday789
    sunnyday789 Posts: 309 Member
    I agree that there is no obligation to provide links ever on MFP but don't you think if someone is going to make a statement (for example) linking certain foods with disease that it's reasonable to ask them where they got their information from? No, they don't have to answer but I'm surprised that they get upset when people asked them to support what they're saying.
  • luv2run
    luv2run Posts: 54 Member
    I have been working on becoming a vegeterian myself and for Christmas I got an awesome cookbook its called "How to cook everything Vegeterian" by Mark Bittman, I love it so far, its has a ton of recipes in it everything you ever need to cook is in there from pancakes to how to make your own veggie burgers and tofu.
  • JoAnn73
    JoAnn73 Posts: 161 Member
    I gave up red meat 19 months ago and feel wonderful.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,311 Member
    I agree that there is no obligation to provide links ever on MFP but don't you think if someone is going to make a statement (for example) linking certain foods with disease that it's reasonable to ask them where they got their information from? No, they don't have to answer but I'm surprised that they get upset when people asked them to support what they're saying.

    Several people have posted links to support what they are saying, but they seem to have been ignored.

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