Dangers of Vegetarian & Vegan Diets Long-Term

I see all efforts to promote a kind and compassionate world as valuable. Caring about animals doesn't mean you are indifferent to the concerns of humankind. You can care about and help both.

Completely agree. But don't you think there are priorities?

There are hundreds of charitable organizations and ways to be involved. Why not let people decide where they feel they can do the most good? We can't be equally aware and educated about all the good works in the world. I say, pitch in whenever and wherever you can.

Wow this thread is flat out ridiculous.
How we have jumped the shark from a diet choice to starving children and slaves i dont know!

I have been a veg for 20 years. But if my, my husbands, or my childrens (if I had any) lives were in jeopardy due to starvation i can guarantee you that i would do what ever neccessary to sustain our lives. But luckily I dont have to make that choice daily. I live in a country and have enough income and knowledge ( of my nutritional needs) that i can feed myself without taking the life of another living being. I feel blessed to have that luxury.

Contrary to many other vegs/vegans I commend those that hunt/slaughter their own meat food sources. I know that I dont have the courage to do it. I grew up in rural western Tennessee and back twenty five years ago if you didn't grow it, you didnt eat it. My granny had chickens year round and a yearly hog killing. That pig that they spent years feeding and housing provided a years worth of substainance to the family. But they were grateful for it and its life had greater meaning because of what it delivered after death. Ithink that if more people had that experience they would view the luxury of eating meat 3 times a day much more seriously.

All in all its a dietary choice on both "sides". Those in both camps get the heck over themselves and stop trying to one up the other.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/health/research/red-meat-linked-to-cancer-and-heart-disease.html?_r=1&src=tp&smid=fb-share

Blah, Blah!!

I worked for three care homes in the past and never met an old person who is a vegetarian or vegan. i have never met a veg who have reached 80 years old. if you are pure vegan, expect your body to become vegetated when you get old.. after all-- you are what you eat.

I worked for three care homes in the past and never met an old person who is a vegetarian or vegan. i have never met a veg who have reached 80 years old. if you are pure vegan, expect your body to become vegetated when you get old.. after all-- you are what you eat.

Vegetarianism gained popularity in the '60's and '70's among young people, so you are talking about a demographic where most vegetarians are under the age of 70. Also, it's my personal hope that the reason you don't have any vegetarians in 'care homes' is because they are in their own homes planning their next marathons.

I'm an omnivore. I tried vegetarian. I tried vegan. My iron levels were already low before I tried these. They dropped even lower when I switched out. My doctor's demanded I add meat back in before I did anymore damage. And I got better right away. I seriously don't get enough iron from alternatives unless I take a supplement. I would rather not take a pill. Omnivore for me.

That being said...

...the vast majority of my friends are vegetarian and vegan. We don't care what the other one eats, all that matters is a) is it delicious and b) is there a way to modify it to suit my/his/her way of life. We all end up dying anyway: why do it by attacking someone else's lifestyle?

(Vegan cupcakes/quiche/cheesecake are awesome btw. XD)

I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 18 years. I'm healthy as a horse. I'm just a bit overweight from my love of cheese and pasta.

I used to be sick all the time when I was younger and ate meat. After I dropped meat altogether, I stopped getting sick. Now I rarely get sick while everyone around me catches every cold and flu that comes down the pike. It's a great side benefit of my lifestyle choice. Down the road, when my omnivore peers are getting colon, prostate and other cancers I'll be enjoying the lower risk of these ailments that comes with my diet.

Edit: I forgot to mention. I'd love to go completely vegan. However, I don't think I could sustain it due to my reliance on dairy and eggs for protein and variety in my diet. Maybe someday I'll give it a go.

...and MMA fighter Jake Shields, who I believe has recently taken up a full vegan diet!

True, but he has also started sucking something fierce. *tongue in cheek*

Look, I can understand that you've obviously lived an incredibly sheltered life, but If you can't see how bringing up slavery is ignorant and offensive, then I have nothing to say.

Do animals have rights? If they can survive by themselves, then they have the right to live until they die or are killed. If they require human intervention to survive, then they have the right to live as long as humans intervene to keep them that way.

I got an idea, why don't you walk right up to a black person, and tell them that animals are just as much slaves as their ancestors were. See how much they appreciate that sentiment.

would you have said that to me if i wasn't white?
i never said anything about black slaves. there were jewish slaves. there were roman slaves. there were greek slaves. there are south asian slaves. there are sex slaves. there are debt slaves. i never said anything about race or even what kind of slaves. i simply said slaves.

Ok, so go find a Greek, or Jew, or Roman, or Armenian, or any other rationalization you want to throw out there and go tell them that an animal is just as much a slave as their ancestors. Or go find a mother whose child was kidnapped and sold to another country as a sex slave, and tell her an animal is a slave just like her child is.

You can justify and rationalize all you like, it just makes what you said even more insensitive, ignorant, and offensive, not less.

You seem very persistent in making your point. I believe at this point, you may be arguing with yourself. I read the thread, and I think you probably yelled 'busted' to yourself when she took the bait. Insensitive? Ignorant? Offensive? Hmmmmmm....

I've never dated a girl who didn't eat meat.............................................................

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