Dangers of Vegetarian & Vegan Diets Long-Term

The worst thing I ever did concerning my health was become a vegetarian. The soy consumption ruined my thyroid and I am now in the process of healing it through a very slow and on going process. I was very vitamin Deficient in B12 and had to take weekly shots which are no fun at all.


Most vegans and vegetarians using these "meat" products are Monsanto's dream come true. You are supporting a company buying your tofu, morning star, Boca products that are using genetically modified grains and such.

Not all tofu and soy products are Monsanto owned GMO. I eat very little soy products, but when I do, I make sure to buy only organic, non-GMO certified.

I am sad to say that over 90% of soy is Monsanto owned and GMO.

If you are eating morning star or Boca products, then you are eating GMO soy. They both do make an "organic garden burger" that does not contain gmo however. But the rest of their products do. I think every now and then you will find some products that say "no gmo!" or something like that.

When someone on this board is wanting to try a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.........Quorn, Boca and Morning star and tofu, soy milk (Silk) are the typical products that are ALWAYS brought up for people to include in their way of eating.

I find it hilarious that vegans and vegetarians supposedly have this moral obligation to the earth, but don't fret eating GMO products that resonate from a company that is trying to have world dominion on the food supply and is doing nothing but ruining the earth and the environment in the process.

The worst thing I ever did concerning my health was become a vegetarian. The soy consumption ruined my thyroid and I am now in the process of healing it through a very slow and on going process. I was very vitamin Deficient in B12 and had to take weekly shots which are no fun at all.


Most vegans and vegetarians using these "meat" products are Monsanto's dream come true. You are supporting a company buying your tofu, morning star, Boca products that are using genetically modified grains and such.

Not all tofu and soy products are Monsanto owned GMO. I eat very little soy products, but when I do, I make sure to buy only organic, non-GMO certified.

I am sad to say that over 90% of soy is Monsanto owned and GMO.

If you are eating morning star or Boca products, then you are eating GMO soy. They both do make an "organic garden burger" that does not contain gmo however. But the rest of their products do. I think every now and then you will find some products that say "no gmo!" or something like that.

When someone on this board is wanting to try a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.........Quorn, Boca and Morning star and tofu, soy milk (Silk) are the typical products that are ALWAYS brought up for people to include in their way of eating.

I find it hilarious that vegans and vegetarians supposedly have this moral obligation to the earth, but don't fret eating GMO products that resonate from a company that is trying to have world dominion on the food supply and is doing nothing but ruining the earth and the environment in the process.

Key word there is IF you are eating morning star or Boca products. Note that not every single vegetarian out there eats that.

The worst thing I ever did concerning my health was become a vegetarian. The soy consumption ruined my thyroid and I am now in the process of healing it through a very slow and on going process. I was very vitamin Deficient in B12 and had to take weekly shots which are no fun at all.


Most vegans and vegetarians using these "meat" products are Monsanto's dream come true. You are supporting a company buying your tofu, morning star, Boca products that are using genetically modified grains and such.

Not all tofu and soy products are Monsanto owned GMO. I eat very little soy products, but when I do, I make sure to buy only organic, non-GMO certified.

Agreed. Just because somebody is a vegetarian doesn't mean they eat only soy products. People have so many different conclusions about us vegetarians/vegans it's quiet annoying. Like, we only eat vegetables and fruits, we sit down and eat cupcakes and potato chips all day because it's not an 'animal'. It's all so silly, and it doesn't make sense. It just proves whoever it is saying these things just don't have knowledge about this, why? Because they are not simply a vegetarian, or they don't care to really learn how our lifestyle is. I am extremely healthy. Doctors have been amazed for YEARS. I take good care of myself. Oh, and it makes me mad how people are pointing out fat vegetarians. Why does this even matter? There are larger people in the world PERIOD. Overweight comes from eating too much, and not taking care of the body. Anybody is capable of doing this. A diet has nothing to do with this.

I have already lived the vegetarian lifestyle and have a large circle of vegetarian / vegan friends. That is one of the staple items. A stupid Registered Dietician told me when I was vegetarian that I needed to eat soy like no tomorrow and now I have ended up with a bunch of hormonal issues along with thyroid issues in which my endocrinologist has told me it is from the soy consumption.

What part of the "vegetarian lifestyle" requires one to consume massive amounts of soy products? I stopped eating poultry, beef, and pork 15 years ago. I didn't do that only to turn around and start eating highly processed, artificial versions of these foods.

The worst thing I ever did concerning my health was become a vegetarian. The soy consumption ruined my thyroid and I am now in the process of healing it through a very slow and on going process. I was very vitamin Deficient in B12 and had to take weekly shots which are no fun at all.


Most vegans and vegetarians using these "meat" products are Monsanto's dream come true. You are supporting a company buying your tofu, morning star, Boca products that are using genetically modified grains and such.

Not all tofu and soy products are Monsanto owned GMO. I eat very little soy products, but when I do, I make sure to buy only organic, non-GMO certified.

Agreed. Just because somebody is a vegetarian doesn't mean they eat only soy products. People have so many different conclusions about us vegetarians/vegans it's quiet annoying. Like, we only eat vegetables and fruits, we sit down and eat cupcakes and potato chips all day because it's not an 'animal'. It's all so silly, and it doesn't make sense. It just proves whoever it is saying these things just don't have knowledge about this, why? Because they are not simply a vegetarian, or they don't care to really learn how our lifestyle is. I am extremely healthy. Doctors have been amazed for YEARS. I take good care of myself. Oh, and it makes me mad how people are pointing out fat vegetarians. Why does this even matter? There are larger people in the world PERIOD. Overweight comes from eating too much, and not taking care of the body. Anybody is capable of doing this. A diet has nothing to do with this.

I have already lived the vegetarian lifestyle and have a large circle of vegetarian / vegan friends. That is one of the staple items. A stupid Registered Dietician told me when I was vegetarian that I needed to eat soy like no tomorrow and now I have ended up with a bunch of hormonal issues along with thyroid issues in which my endocrinologist has told me it is from the soy consumption.

What part of the "vegetarian lifestyle" requires one to consume massive amounts of soy products? I stopped eating poultry, beef, and pork 15 years ago. I didn't do that only to turn around and start eating highly processed, artificial versions of these foods.

WHAT PART OF I WENT WITH THE RECOMMENDED EATING PLAN A REGISTERED DIETICIAN RECOMMENDED TO ME DON'T ANY OF YOU UNDERSTAND???????????

I don't purchase CAFO meats, so the cows, pigs and chickens I eat are not fed ANY grains at all. I purchase meats from Amish farmers which totally grass feed and free pasture their livestock and I also have access to traditional farmers in my area.

As far as produce I am an avid advocate of eating mostly local and I have a Coop and a CSA membership so I am getting organic produce also.

I research far and wide before making any purchases these days to ENSURE not one penny of mine goes to Monsanto, Cargill or these other food manufacturers.

I would seriously allow myself to starve first. That is how deep my convictions run concerning them.

And here we see the idea of voting with your dollar - I'd let myself starve before financially supporting something that I believe is immoral. I too look to local farms/CSAs for fruits, veggies and grains. In all seriousness, I give you kudos for going to such lengths to stick to your beliefs about right and wrong.

What utter tosh! Pescetarian (with very little fish consumption) here for nearly 20 years.

As with ANY sort of eating plan, you can be lacking in nutrition unless you eat a properly balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals, vegetarianism is no different. But generally, all the studies relating to vegetarian diets being "dangerous" come directly or indirectly from the meat industry watchdogs themselves!

Information with an agenda is not good information, so do your own research, speak to your doctor, speak to a nutritionist, and work out the best eating plan for you. Ignore the meat marketers!

What part of I followed a plan given to me by my DOCTOR and the REGISTERED DIETICIAN that my insurance sent me to.

I am doing best with the Paleo Lifestyle and I have regained my health.

What utter tosh! Pescetarian (with very little fish consumption) here for nearly 20 years.

As with ANY sort of eating plan, you can be lacking in nutrition unless you eat a properly balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals, vegetarianism is no different. But generally, all the studies relating to vegetarian diets being "dangerous" come directly or indirectly from the meat industry watchdogs themselves!

Information with an agenda is not good information, so do your own research, speak to your doctor, speak to a nutritionist, and work out the best eating plan for you. Ignore the meat marketers!

What part of I followed a plan given to me by my DOCTOR and the REGISTERED DIETICIAN that my insurance sent me to.

I am doing best with the Paleo Lifestyle and I have regained my health.

I was responding to the title of the thread

I don't want to draw fire from vegans and vegetarians but I've never met a really healthy looking one! I always assumed that they just weren't balancing their meals right. But maybe it's because strictly vegetarian eating goes against that fact that we are meat-eating animals.
If you are healthy and a vegatarian more power to you. BUT isn't it a good idea to keep an open mind particularly when it comes to your health? Also I'm not against vegetarian meals..I find them delicious and eat them a lot.

Brendan Brazier, triathlete, vegan.


Chad Ochocinco, NFL athlete, vegetarian.






This tofu is delicious.

This exactly!!! And WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan, and MMA fighter Jake Shields, who I believe has recently taken up a full vegan diet!

LOVE IT!!

I'm a vegetarian and ohmygosh - I wish my body was that hot!! Vegan/Vegetarian isn't for everyone, but it has helped me control my autoimmune disease without meds

The worst thing I ever did concerning my health was become a vegetarian. The soy consumption ruined my thyroid and I am now in the process of healing it through a very slow and on going process. I was very vitamin Deficient in B12 and had to take weekly shots which are no fun at all.


Most vegans and vegetarians using these "meat" products are Monsanto's dream come true. You are supporting a company buying your tofu, morning star, Boca products that are using genetically modified grains and such.

Why do people always think they have to eat soy products if they become Vegan or Vegetarian? It's a general misconception that all Vegans live on tofu. I hardly ever eat it.

As with any diet, you need to eat balanced to be healthy. If replacing (not saying you did that but I can see people do that) one unhealthy amount of meat with soy products it most likely isn't healthy either.
:grumble:

plants are also living things,but you know they dont have cute faces so its ok.

cannibalism is the way to go

Plants lack a brain and nervous system, and therefore aren't really comparable to animals. While plants can certainly be regarded as beautiful, complex living things, our moral obligations to vertebrates, who are living and conscious, are quite different.

so if a cow goes into a coma is it ok? So its just the brain that makes the differance not the fact that its living?

And the nervous system, really. The ability to feel pain, the ability to suffer, the obvious striving for survival. I personally don't believe a coma would make a difference - it's still not a human right to take the life of another sentient being.

I've been a vegetarian my whole life since birth. Also my parents, brothers, sisters, grand parents ...i mean the list goes on & we are still standing strong!

All rubbish to me to be fair.

plants are also living things,but you know they dont have cute faces so its ok.
cannibalism is the way to go

Plants lack a brain and nervous system, and therefore aren't really comparable to animals. While plants can certainly be regarded as beautiful, complex living things, our moral obligations to vertebrates, who are living and conscious, are quite different.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10598926

I copied and pasted it for those who wont go to the link lol

Plants, scientists say, transmit information about light intensity and quality from leaf to leaf in a very similar way to our own nervous systems.

These "electro-chemical signals" are carried by cells that act as "nerves" of the plants.

The researchers used fluorescence imaging to watch the plants respond
In their experiment, the scientists showed that light shone on to one leaf caused the whole plant to respond.

And the response, which took the form of light-induced chemical reactions in the leaves, continued in the dark.

This showed, they said, that the plant "remembered" the information encoded in light.

"We shone the light only on the bottom of the plant and we observed changes in the upper part," explained Professor Stanislaw Karpinski from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland, who led this research.

He presented the findings at the Society for Experimental Biology's annual meeting in Prague, Czech Republic.

"And the changes proceeded when the light was off... This was a complete surprise."

In previous work, Professor Karpinski found that chemical signals could be passed throughout whole plants - allowing them to respond to and survive changes and stresses in their environment.

But in this new study, he and his colleagues discovered that when light stimulated a chemical reaction in one leaf cell, this caused a "cascade" of events and that this was immediately signalled to the rest of the plant via a specific type of cell called a "bundle sheath cell".

The scientists measured the electrical signals from these cells, which are present in every leaf. They likened the discovery to finding the plants' "nervous system".

Thinking plants

What was even more peculiar, Professor Karpinski said, was that the plants' responses changed depending on the colour of the light that was being shone on them.

Continue reading the main story “
Start Quote
Plants perform a sort of biological light computation, using information contained in the light to immunise themselves against diseases ”
End Quote
Stanislaw Karpinski

Warsaw University of Life Sciences

"There were characteristic [changes] for red, blue and white light," he explained.

He suspected that the plants might use the information encoded in the light to stimulate protective chemical reactions. He and his colleagues examined this more closely by looking at the effect of different colours of light on the plants' immunity to disease.

"When we shone the light for on the plant for one hour and then infected it [with a virus or with bacteria] 24 hours after that light exposure, it resisted the infection," he explained.

"But when we infected the plant before shining the light, it could not build up resistance.

"[So the plant] has a specific memory for the light which builds its immunity against pathogens, and it can adjust to varying light conditions."

He said that plants used information encrypted in the light to immunise themselves against seasonal pathogens.

"Every day or week of the season has… a characteristic light quality," Professor Karpinski explained.

The images showed chemical reactions in leaves that were not exposed to light
"So the plants perform a sort of biological light computation, using information contained in the light to immunise themselves against diseases that are prevalent during that season."

Professor Christine Foyer, a plant scientist from the University of Leeds, said the study "took our thinking one step forward".

"Plants have to survive stresses, such as drought or cold, and live through it and keep growing," she told BBC News.

"This requires an appraisal of the situation and an appropriate response - that's a form of intelligence.

"What this study has done is link two signalling pathways together... and the electrical signalling pathway is incredibly rapid, so the whole plant could respond immediately to high [levels of] light."

So then why cant the same be said for lions,sharks,obviously they can think and feel,but its their right because they dont talk? We lost our right once we evolved? So some of the more primitave tribes hiding deep in the rainforest do they not have the right? Or do they still have the right because they are not aware that there is another way?
Sorry its early for me so im confused on this one.

Sorry if this comes off as snarky, but I honestly have no idea what you're saying. Do you mean why do humans not have the right to take animal lives?

The worst thing I ever did concerning my health was become a vegetarian. The soy consumption ruined my thyroid and I am now in the process of healing it through a very slow and on going process. I was very vitamin Deficient in B12 and had to take weekly shots which are no fun at all.


Most vegans and vegetarians using these "meat" products are Monsanto's dream come true. You are supporting a company buying your tofu, morning star, Boca products that are using genetically modified grains and such.

Not all tofu and soy products are Monsanto owned GMO. I eat very little soy products, but when I do, I make sure to buy only organic, non-GMO certified.

Agreed. Just because somebody is a vegetarian doesn't mean they eat only soy products. People have so many different conclusions about us vegetarians/vegans it's quiet annoying. Like, we only eat vegetables and fruits, we sit down and eat cupcakes and potato chips all day because it's not an 'animal'. It's all so silly, and it doesn't make sense. It just proves whoever it is saying these things just don't have knowledge about this, why? Because they are not simply a vegetarian, or they don't care to really learn how our lifestyle is. I am extremely healthy. Doctors have been amazed for YEARS. I take good care of myself. Oh, and it makes me mad how people are pointing out fat vegetarians. Why does this even matter? There are larger people in the world PERIOD. Overweight comes from eating too much, and not taking care of the body. Anybody is capable of doing this. A diet has nothing to do with this.

I have already lived the vegetarian lifestyle and have a large circle of vegetarian / vegan friends. That is one of the staple items. A stupid Registered Dietician told me when I was vegetarian that I needed to eat soy like no tomorrow and now I have ended up with a bunch of hormonal issues along with thyroid issues in which my endocrinologist has told me it is from the soy consumption.

Whoever told you that you need to eat tons of soy is an idiot, and you're a bigger idiot for actually believing this nonsense. You really need to be educated more about this because you're making yourself look like a giant fool.

In most cases, we listen to what the "professionals" tell us. Granted, I think some of us end up learning the hard way (myself included). However, there is no reason to call somebody a fool for listening to their doctor or a registered dietitian when we are talking about health. They are supposed to be the professionals. At the time, it was probably the big thing in the medical industry that soy was the best thing to eat. How many times has this changed in the last 20 years? A lot.