Today's Poll: Are you a vegetarian (even some of the time)?
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Posted by: Jordan Hardy | Oct 2, 2008 4:25:52 PM
I eat a serving of fish every day, but I otherwise restrict myself to a no meat diet.
Posted by: Shalea | Oct 2, 2008 8:42:14 PM
The last time I ate meat was Sept 15th and I don't even miss it, I feel great actually, so I've been loosly calling myself a vegetarian however I had fish for dinner tonight and still eat cheese so I guess whatever you call someone who doesn't eat the flesh of animals with legs-that's me!
Posted by: William | Oct 2, 2008 11:40:41 PM
I very seldom eat meat. When I do it will usually be baked chicken.
Posted by: Mira | Oct 3, 2008 2:36:32 PM
My partner and I are pescatarians. Lots of fish, absolutely no mammals or avians.
Posted by: C.S. | Oct 3, 2008 9:35:06 PM
I upped my fatty meat intake (I'm on a low-carb diet) and I found that I feel a lot better than prior. My blood levels prove it, too. I switch from meat to meat (fish to beef to chicken, etc) so that I don't get bored. I guess each persons body's different.
Posted by: Dan Wetmore | Oct 17, 2008 4:04:14 AM
Even if animal products were completely devoid of chemicals, it still wouldn't change the fact that meat literally rots in our digestive system and robs us of vital minerals due to its acidity and high protein content. Optimum health is achieved with very little, or better yet, absolutely no animal products.
Posted by: Tammy | Oct 17, 2008 1:25:15 PM
Why does everyone seem sto think that fish is a better option? It's still loaded with chemicals from farming techniques, it's still cruel, and high in heavy metals. And as Dan Wetmore says "Optimun health is achieved with... absolutely no animal products." Check out vegsource.com for more info.
Posted by: Dan Wetmrore | Oct 17, 2008 5:49:39 PM
The lower one eats on the food chain, the fewer chemicals one ingests. Fish are not low on the food chain. And yeah, fish contain no superior nutrition over plant derived options.
Thanks for the mention, Tammy!
Posted by: Marcos | Oct 18, 2008 10:55:15 AM
Huh? Our bodies are biologically equipped (and even optimized) to consume and process both meat and vegetables; there isn't any scientific or anthropological research that supports otherwise.
I eat plenty of meat. I also eat plenty of vegetables, beans, whole grains, etc. Our bodies need a wide variety of compounds to work and grow properly and neither an exclusively carnivorous nor vegetarian diet can provide that full range.
If you pursue vegetarianism for moral or religious reasons, so be it. But please stop spreading the "healthy lifestyle" fallacies, it just isn't true.
Posted by: wavedeva | Oct 20, 2008 12:36:54 AM
I was a "semi-vegetarian" (eating only chicken and fish). I became so anemic I had no iron stores in my body, developed heart palpitations, and my eyesight and concentration worsened. The bottom line is that meat is one of the best forms of heme iron--the type which is best absorbed by the body. After my illness was finally diagnosed, it took me a year to get back to normal (red blood cells regenerate every three months). I wish people would stop trying to make everyone a vegetarian. A lot of people need to eat red meat (though I agree it should be in moderation). What everyone should do is get copies of their blood tests to keep track of their blood levels throughout their lives. This is important because I discovered a lot of doctors don't take anemia seriously.
Posted by: Vicomte13 | Oct 20, 2008 3:38:37 PM
To get adequate protein without meat, fish, dairy or eggs requires eating a variety of grains and legumes such as soy, pea, and rice. These are all field or paddy crops, the cultivation of which destroys about 100 mammals and birds per acre, generally in terrible ways. To be a strict vegan is not really diminishing animal suffering at all. It is shifting it to different species.
The hard reality of life is that whether we eat them or not, we kill animals in order to eat, to house ourselves and to clothe ourselves. Not eating them will not reduce animal suffering. If the whole world went vegan, animal suffering might well increase given the large numbers of animals destroyed by field crops.
It is possible to get full, good nutrition from a vegetarian diet without supplementation, but you do have to be very careful.
To get it as a vegan requires taking supplements, as there is no usable plant-kingdom source of vitamin B-12.
Posted by: cory | Oct 20, 2008 3:59:29 PM
sometimes I devourer small fetus', but that's only when my mother doesn't bring home the hard boiled eggs. I often enjoy also, flame broiled bratworst over shrimp, but I only eat that on even number days.
Posted by: Roni-Sydney | Oct 20, 2008 9:20:56 PM
My diet consists of fresh fruit, raw vegetables, seeds and nuts. Also, some meat and eggs. I am 5'7" and 61 kg. Any constructive criticsm of my food choices?
Posted by: Bashir Inuwa | Oct 21, 2008 7:02:12 AM
i enjoyed eating alot of meat,both chicken and beef.
Posted by: sl4vik | Oct 22, 2008 12:48:07 AM
I eat meat everyday. A steak, 2 chicken breasts, can of tuna, 3 raw eggs is a daily part of my meals.
Posted by: sl4vik | Oct 22, 2008 12:50:49 AM
"Even if animal products were completely devoid of chemicals, it still wouldn't change the fact that meat literally rots in our digestive system and robs us of vital minerals due to its acidity and high protein content. Optimum health is achieved with very little, or better yet, absolutely no animal products."
What a load of crap! I bet you also think Lions, Tigers, Dogs, Wolves benefit from a no meat diet.
Posted by: Myia | Oct 22, 2008 9:36:29 AM
There is truth to everything that has been said. If you are happy, healthy whether you eat meat or not. Keep doing what you are doing and let everyone else keep doing what they are doing.Vegetarians can be healthy and so can meat eaters it's not like eating either way is making you superhuman or anything.
Posted by: carrie | Oct 22, 2008 12:37:28 PM
To Vicomte13, I would like to highlight the fact that vegetarian foods such as tempeh(fermented soybean cakes) as well as miso and other fermented soybean products do contain some levels Vitamin B12. Furthermore, our bodies do not need too much of B12 vitamins as it is stored and reused many times over without being destroyed. Taking in too many Vitamin B12 supplements may even interfere with proper absorbtion of natural sources of the Vitamin B12.
Posted by: Dan Wetmore | Oct 22, 2008 4:58:51 PM
For all of the upset meat eaters who believe that vegetarianism for health is a "fallacy," think what you like, it is entirely up to you. It is certainly true that eating some meat won't kill you.
Carnivores are meant to eat meat. We are not carnivores. Just because we can eat meat, digest it and not feel negative effects in the short term, does not mean meat is healthy.
As I read these comments, I'm saddened by how many people still believe myths and are simply uneducated on the subject. Meat tastes good, ignorance is truly bliss!
Posted by: Stephanie McKee | Oct 23, 2008 6:30:01 PM
I am a vegan and I love it, I would not eat any other way..Since being vegan (5 yrs) I feel healthier, more energetic, more spiritual and my conscience is clear. I love animals and do not believe in eating them or submitting them to harm for human feed. Saying that, everyone is entitled to their opinion and will do what is right for them. For me, Veganism is the best way of life in every way possible.. Peace
Posted by: Jim | Oct 24, 2008 6:39:03 AM
Nearly any wild animal living in anything resembling a natural environment will have a fat content of less than 10% in it's muscle tissue, as well as a rich array of nutrients from it's natural diet.
The factory produced "meat" people commonly consume, has levels of artery-clogging fat that range as high as 50% and even higher in some cases, as well as being completely devoid of any valuable nutrition (compared to a healthy wild counterpart). Instead of beneficial nutrients, you get steroids, growth hormones, antibiotics, dioxins, bovine leukemia viruses (present in nearly all herds), and a slew of additional garbage that should not be there but is.
If today's "meat" were a vegetable, it would be poison ivy. You can look, but don't touch. And, absolutely do not eat!
Even getting "free-range" or "organic" meat from an animal off a farm really is not a solution since it will still live a sedentary inactive life, keeping it's muscle mass far below-average and fat content far above-average.
If any meat is healthy, it is NOT the kind we have easy access to today.
Posted by: Claire | Oct 24, 2008 3:41:28 PM
I'm a personal trainer and I've been vegan for years and i feel great. I recently started analyzing my daily protein intake on this site, and it turns out I'm getting 20g MORE than the recommended amount for an athlete of my size. So there (for those who don't think vegans can get enough protein)
Posted by: Jack | Oct 24, 2008 11:49:31 PM
I lol @ everyone who's fear-mongering against meat eaters. "Optimun health is achieved with... absolutely no animal products."
Yeah right. If that statement were true, then please explain to me why it is there has never been a succesful human vegan civilization, or a vegetarian civilization with an average line span over 65.
I eat meat every day, including mammals, poultry, and fish.
Posted by: Dan Wetmore | Oct 25, 2008 2:47:31 AM
Jack, I'm very sorry you feel that way. Clearly, your convictions don't leave you with a very open mind. There have been many cultures that have practiced near vegan or vegetarianism for centuries with incredibly high life spans; lives far more impressive and longer than those on westernized diets. Do a simple google search and you will find that there are Indian, Asian and even African cultures that use little to no animal products living for well over the sixty-five years you stated.
But really, I'm very proud of you for being a big boy and eating meat including mammals, no less!
And I'm not promoting fear, as you say. I'm simply trying to clear up the terrible and unfounded "facts" that are ingrained in ignorant and mislead minds.
