Vegans and Vegetarians…why do you claim that Vegan and Vegetarian diets are the only way to eat healthy?
Author: admin Category: Idiot Proof DietingSo maybe there is proof that red meat and milk may be slightly ‘bad’ for you, but there is also proof that both have many benefits, insofar as human health, as well. Why is it that you can only find the proof that meat/milk are bad, but not the proof they they are good, too? Why can you only find the proof that that soy is good for you, but not that it has MAJOR jhealth risks associated with it? Didn’t you know that soy can cause brain damage and that, when fed to small boys, can act similar to hormone therapy due to the similarities between soy and estrogen? If you want to claim health reasons, then PLEASE do all of your research. Otherwise, you look like an idiot to the more well-informed people of the world.
I’m not telling you to change your dietary choices, just to realise that others may have information that makes them want to eat a more balanced diet that includes meat and dairy products. No one food is perfect. That’s why variety is the key.
I never said anyone should eat tons of meat or to eat so much saturated fat that it’s like eating a tub of Crisco. I’m saying that balencing your food choices is a good thing. Remember, eating an ounce of meat per day is still eating meat.
Also remember, I’m not advocating pumping meat full of chemicals and hormones any more than a Vegan would advocate coating their food in pesticides and eating it without washing it, at the very least. I never said, ‘We need to eat more chemicals’.
I know that soy is only one food popular with Vegans and Vegetarians. What I’m saying is that they tend to use only a few reports and ignore the rest. Read them ALL, then decide.
I know, some eat the way they do, not for health reasons, but for animal rights (the cruelty of the slaughterhouses). Some even assume that all I eat is McD’s burgers (blegh-no, just because I eat meat does not mean I eat at McD’s).
Mind you, my favorite meat to eat is venison…from wild deer, not farm animals. I’ll give them the quickest, most painless death I can…which is much better than prolonging their pain and is much better than the ultra-fatty meat sold in stores from farm-raised animals.
I don’t assume to know what each individual Vegan or Vegetarian puts on their plate every night. Don’t assume that I eat all my meals at McD’s. it only leaves you with a flawed arguement.
I asked why many of you think your diet is the ONLY way to eat healthy?
I never use the health argument that you are
describing. For one, I never argue with people
that want to defend their animal based diet.
Unless a person ask me about vegetarianism
they won’t hear anything about it from me.
Whether a vegetarian diet is healthy or not
is a mute point to me.
Healthy, healthier, or not I am still going to die.
The question is why I am going to take all
those innocent lives with me. Eating it is just
like murdering it as far as I’m concerned.
If I can live to be the same age eating vege-
tation why not? Then I can live a full life and
the cow next to me can live her 25 years out
as well.
I’m sure you’ll argue that my being vegan doesn’t
save any lives. That is the whole point of
vegetarian outreach. We can’t do it without
the cooperation of the rest of you.
May 12th, 2007
Its not healthy at all.
you need to eat meat for protein and protein is what your body craves to stay healthy, so vegetarians aren’t all that healthy.
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May 12th, 2007
well, my main reason for thinking it is healthier, is becuase when you become vegetarian (or vegan) you feel a lot better, and a lot more clean (if that makes sense).
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the past two years of my life.
May 12th, 2007
to be honest the veg’s even take chemicals so healthy maybe if it is the type you peel.
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May 12th, 2007
Couldn’t have said it better. If someone wants to be a vegan (I cant understand why anyone would) then that’s their business, but dont tell me I’m not eating healthy when I’m cutting into a juicy steak. Were meant to eat meat, our bodies are designed for it.
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May 12th, 2007
I wouldn’t say that red meat and milk are only "slightly" bad for you, especially the mass produced varieties, and not the organic ones. They are pumped full of hormones and etc … and I think organic is only slightly better for you anyway. But you ought to know this because you’ve done the research, right? The MAJOR risks of eating too much saturated fat, especially. *shrugs* But I’m talking to a professional, evidently.
You are the one who looks like an idiot to the more well-informed people of this forum - I’m not saying that we all think vegetarianism is the only way to eat healthy, BUT, you’re acting like awfully arrogant.
Some of you are so ignorant! "Vegetarians need protein and the ONLY PLACE you can get protein is meat." I can’t believe people are so flat out stupid. I don’t CARE if you eat meat, but please quit saying we’re pasty little twigs. I work out every day and I am quite buff. So quit blabbering when you don’t even KNOW what you’re talking about!
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May 12th, 2007
Because they like to be pains in the ass and push their views on people. God meant for us to eat meat, so I don’t see what is so wrong with it. If you eat too much maybe, but that is why there is such a thing as variety.
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May 12th, 2007
when was the last time you saw an old vegetarian?? you don’t, they all die. paul mccartney’s wife made it to 51. now she’s worm food. people tend to forget we are natural beings and naturally we are meat eaters. look at other natural animals; lions, tigers, wolf, birds of prey, etc.. all meat eaters, pigs, cows, sheep, etc.. all vegetarians, which look healthier to you??
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May 12th, 2007
Totally support your view. everyone has the right to chose and I also get fed up with vegetarians PREACHING to us.
Bon apatite
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May 12th, 2007
well,its a proven fact that a human’s intestine is longer than most animals that r meant to eat meat.a longer intestine is 4 vegetable and digests slower.meat has to b put thru a small intestine or it will go rotten in your stomach and cause health problems.and soy prevents cancer,escpecially breast cancer,in women.and milk has so much hormones that it increases the rate ur hormone lvl is going.and drinking milk from other animals,lyk cows,is lyk a dog drinking milk from a cat.and as said in the bible,God didnt put animals on this earth to b eaten,thats wut fruits and vegetables,and other things lyk dat r 4.
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May 12th, 2007
You shouldnt generalize so much that ALL veggies think that way. I am a vegetarian and I think soy is evil. Not only am I allergic to it, but the research is to iffy on it-too much controversy for me. As for meat, I can find NOTHING healthy about it. Yes, it contains iron, B vitamins and protein, but so do many other plants and grains. Meat also contains blood, pus, urine, feces, growth hormones, steroids, antibiotics (because factory farmed animals are kept in deplorable conditions). It also contains purines, cholesterol, glutamines, saturated fats, bacteria and parasites. It has to be cooked to a certain temperature to kill off those parasites and bacteria. It is very hard for the human body to digest, and is totally unnecessary. Beans, legumes, pulses, lentils, vegetables, and whole grains such as quinoa, milllet, rice, etc. are excellent sources of protein. Most vegetables and fruits contain iron, minerals, vitamins, etc. Cows do not produce B12 naturally-its given to them in their feed. Meat takes a long time to digest, and basically, your body becomes a graveyard for rotting animal flesh. Yes, variety is the key, but all the good things can be obtained from a plant based diet, with none of the risks. A veggie needs nothing more than a quick wash, and can even be eaten raw without risk. I HAVE done my research, and am more convinced than ever that vegetarian is much healthier. Perhaps a little more research on your part will confirm what I am saying. Also, The amount of grain that is fed to livestock would end world hunger, and the pollution and toxic runoff created by the meat industry is shocking! Sorry, but you wont sway those of us who have actually done the research, then made a logical conclusion to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. Little we say will change the mind of most omnivores, as they chose to ignore the truth and remain blissfully ignorant to the facts. Contrary to popular belief, vegetarians do not sit around nibbling carrots and tofu all day. My diet is more interesting now than it ever was.
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May 12th, 2007
The perfect irony to all of this is that a lot of vegetarians are overweight! (as are a lot of meat eaters)
Loading up on carbs, has not proven to be healthy, nor very slimming for a lot of them. And I am pretty positive that if you consult a doctor s/he will tell you that being overweight or obese is NOT healthy, no matter what kind of spin you can try to put on it.
Again, this does not apply to all of them.
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May 12th, 2007
Here is the rub on what I have been told and know. Baby’s and young children can not and do not do well on a vegon diet. This will lead to malnourishment. A friend of mine went vegon and one day collapsed in a restaurant. for months his arms and legs were numb. like pins and needles numb. Turns out that he had a B12 deficiency. He now eats eggs and cheese along with turkey and chicken.
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May 12th, 2007
References :
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/f...
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.ht...
http://goveg.com/healthconcerns.asp...
http://www.chooseveg.com/health_overview...
http://www.cspinet.org/eatinggreen/index...
May 12th, 2007
i don’t believe it is the ONLY way to eat healthy, i think it is a good way to eat healthy. i know you can eat meat and still be in good health though, but evidence has shown that veggies and vegans tend to be healthier. i’m sure that’s not true 100% of the time because exercise plays a part in health as well, as does family history.
for me, it’s never been about the health benefits. i believe that we shouldn’t take away other living beings’ lives when we can live perfectly well without meat. the way they raise animals for food is cruel- animals are not considered living things, they are considered property or a way to make a profit. i believe that is very wrong and i will not support it.
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May 12th, 2007
who said that every veg*n eats the way they do for health reasons? many of us do this for animal rights and are against speciesism and cruelty. maybe you ought to inform yourself more with the entire vegan diet and not just on soy since not every vegan eats soy ( i don’t. i also drink almond milk, not soy milk). i personally view meat and milk like this: if we were meant to eat meat, we could eat it raw like every other meat eater in nature. and as for milk: its for a baby cow to FATTEN it up. it has the needed nutrience that a baby cow needs. isn’t a bit odd that we are the only animals that drinks another species milk?
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May 12th, 2007
I seriously cannot believe how misinformed so many of you are. This is a disgrace. I suggest you go and educate yourself before making such ridiculous claims.
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May 12th, 2007
Most natural food are perfect. Eating natural foods won’t lead to obesity and major health problems most ppl suffer from today. U really think a McDonald’s Hamburger is good for you?
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May 12th, 2007
Ugh we don’t?
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May 12th, 2007
Well I can at least say my family is healthier than the AVERAGE meat eating family, simply because we eat at least the recommended daily intake of 5 fruits and veggies, 25 grams of fiber and aren’t being polluted with hormones. And if you want to claim eating a balanced diet, then you also must note that eating soy in and of itself does not cause the hormone therapy issues or brain damage when eaten in moderation. And I never heard it cause brain damage, but it can mess with some women’s thyroid if they are susceptible by genetics. So I would love to know (of course according to your "research") how meat is good for the body? And what about milk? I do know of breastmilk being an excellent food for the human child, but cow’s milk? How can cow’s milk possibly be suitable for a species that it was not intended to feed? So in your words exactly, "If you want to claim health reasons, then PLEASE do all of your research. Otherwise, you look like an idiot to the more well-informed people of the world."
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May 12th, 2007
I don’t. Why do you assume that because some vegetarians and vegans think a certain way that all of us do?
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May 12th, 2007
I personally believe that being a vegetarian or vegan is the healthiest way to go, but I also believe that one can eat meat and dairy IN MODERATION and CAN still live a healthy lifestyle. However, the average American eats more junk food and processed food than anything else. Just look at the rising trends in obesity.
Thing is… cow’s milk is made for its babies, just as human breast milk is made for our babies. Cow’s milk contains nutrients and is designed to provide nourishment for its growing calves.
If the deer you hunt could speak, do you think it would say, "Please kill me"? Or if given the chance, would it want to breathe, eat… live?
***As for soy, I’M QUOTING AN ANSWER FROM A FELLOW YAHOO! ANSWERS MEMBER. I think I know who posted it, but I will not say for I am not sure. I saved this person’s answer (and keep a printed copy in my purse for reference!) because it shed some light on what I believe to be common misconceptions about soy milk; I also believe it’s bad propoganda put forth by the very industries who oppose it: the dairy industry.
" It’s strictly dairy and meat industry propaganda you’re reading!!!
First off aluminum has been *cleared* as a causative agent in Alzheimer’s disease!! Victims of Alzheimer’s naturally collect aluminum as a *symptom* of their disease. There might be someone in a commercial environment somewhere using aluminum to cook with but that would be surprising since the metal of choice in ANY food plant is stainless steel! Aluminum wouldn’t survive the rigors of production for long and most industrial sanitizing regimens would rapidly *destroy* aluminum! The person making this claim is a total idiot!!!!
Soy does NOT contain estrogen or any other animal hormone! It *does* contain chemicals called phyto-sterols which are similar to hormones like estrogen but don’t react like hormones in the human body. Animal products like milk or meat DO have REAL animal estrogen and hormones! If you do a little research on steroids and hormones you will learn that all these chemicals have a ’steroid base’ of four carbon rings (3 six carbon and one 5 carbon ring). VERY minor changes in what and where other atoms attach to this steroid base have VERY different bio-chemical results! If this was a real issue all men would have big breasts from drinking animal milk and eating animal flesh which do have *real* estrogen! I’m still amazed that none of the mega-farms have boomeranged this claim on the dairy/meat industries!! Whats worse? Plant almost hormones or animal real hormones?<EVIL GRIN>
You didn’t mention lectins but there are NO lectins in soy! This is a false claim that some started spreading last summer so I’ll go ahead and nuke it now just in case<g>.
Phytates are another false claim made against soy! *RAW FRESH* soybeans do contain them but these compounds are *very* sensitive to heat and rapidly disintegrate at temps over 135F. When you start talking about processed soy like ‘milk’ or meat alternatives their phytates were destroyed long before processing was completed. Kidney beans are another common ’source’ of phytates and you don’t hear screaming about them!
A *VERY* tiny percentage of humans have predisposition to thyroid problems and these few people should avoid soy along with lots of other products! There is NO independent peer reviewed science showing that soy can cause problems in folks that are ‘normal’ and there is just as much weak research showing that soy is not a problem for people with thyroid predisposition. If you are a person with a ‘bum’ thyroid avoid soy along with all that other stuff on the list of no-no’s!
Same thing with allergies! Lactose (milk), gluten (wheat), peanuts and strawberries all rank higher than soy as an allergen. IF you are allergic avoid it, otherwise it’s not a problem!!
Look at sales of meat and dairy and you’ll see why this garbage is being spread! Dairy sales have gone from being flat to dropping and soy and other dairy alternatives have skyrocketed. The meat industry is also freaking over the rapid gain analogs (fake meat) is making on their sales. They are the ‘back source’ for all the anti-soy rumors! Look at the sources of the soy is bad research and you find the same researchers and institutions coming up. Almost half of it tracks back to the University of Wisconsin and U. Michigan both of which are heavily dairy funded (cheese heads?).
Farmstar, I *REALLY* wish there was albumin in soy!!! I’ve got a cooking problem that albumin would solve but there isn’t any source of vegetable albumin! Real processed soy is at least as digestible as fermented soy! Go back to your journal and look through the footnotes on your article<Evil grin>.
Source(s):
I’ve been tracking soy ever since I first heard of tofu way back in the ’70s."
Best Wishes.
References :
Read "Diet For A New America" by John Robbins
Read any publication by Dr. Richard Schulze
Read "Don’t Eat This Book" by Morgan Spurlock
Read "Milk: The Deadly Poison" by Robert Cohen
Visit notmilk.com
Visit meat.org
May 12th, 2007
Go to factoryfarming.com you’ll see what your "yummy" burger look like before you ate it…..it doesn’t look healthy.
I say veganism is better because the factory farms you get your meat from are no different than slave trades. The animals are treated so badly that it unimaginable. They are diseases ridden. The health code laws are so low that if the animal is still standing it is consider good for food even though it has infected puss filled wounds or diseases. Not to mention the hormones than are pumped into every animal than are still in it when you eat it.
When meat eaters are having there double meat cheese burger with large fries I’m eating a tofu salad and an apple, which is better? Vitamins are in our food. The only vitamin that most vegans don’t get is B12. That is so easy to replace. We don’t have to worry AS MUCH about high cholesterol or carbs or diabetes.
Take your own advice, do some research.
It’s not so much about the health. Health is just a plus. Most vegans don’t eat meat because we care! We have hearts. If we don’t do it, if we don’t stand up for the animals the NO ONE WILL!
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VEGAN!
May 13th, 2007
I’ve never read anywhere here people saying a vegetarian diet is the ONLY way to eat healthy. I have read people saying it is a healthier way to eat though….and it is. That’s slightly differant than your twisted claim.
You know, people come in here all the time and do what you are doing. Defend your diet elsewhere…we aren’t really interested.
I must ask this…what are you trying to prove by standing on your soapbox in the vegetarian section? As I stated, we arent interested. Regardless of that, most omnivores do not eat a balanced diet…I hardly know any that get the amount of whole grains and veggies that are recommended…I bet that includes you too.
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May 13th, 2007
Hi there, I’m vegan.
No vegan or vegetarian will look you in the eye and deny that things like animal liver can offer you nutrients such as iron, that milk has calcium, that shellfish has zinc etc
However, if I need these things, I also can get it from a plant-based source. In some cases, many nutrients provided by items such as dark green veg totally outweight their meat/dairy opposition. Even in the cases where the dairy/meat may provide more vitamins than the plant-based source, we should probably all consider this:
1) Has the source come from a factory farm, where the dairy/meat has been contaminated with growth hormones?
2) Has the source come froma factory farm, where the animals may have suffered from internal diseases, or skin diseases?
3) Milk contains thousands of blood and pus cells. Soy, rice and nut milk doesn’t. So, milk may contain more calcium, but then, I could get tonnes more calcium from green vegetables. Also, milk aggravates asthma and food allergies, as well as containing a lot of saturated fat.
4) Meat and dairy are responsible for, I think it’s 95% of all food poisoning. Do I want to take that risk by choosing zinc from shellfish over a pumpkin seed? No.
5) Storage. Has the meat/dairy been stored correctly from A-B? How would you know for a fact that was the case?
6) No one ever got CJD from a carrot.
No one is saying just eating carrots is a good idea. Any sane person will agree that a balanced diet is key to optimal health… however, like I said, the risks for meat/dairy outweigh the positives, so they’re not in my diet.
Lots of people go vegan/vegetarian for health purposes and don’t care about animal rights.
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May 13th, 2007
veg diets are not the only healthy dait who ever says that is ling and need not to be listen too.hear me out I’m a vegetarian, and i eat somethings that are not very healthy,but I’m still vegetarian. i didn’t chose to be vegetarian because it was a healthy chose i did it for the animals . so don’t let people tell you that they are healthy just because they are veg’s. they might be ling.
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May 14th, 2007
I never use the health argument that you are
describing. For one, I never argue with people
that want to defend their animal based diet.
Unless a person ask me about vegetarianism
they won’t hear anything about it from me.
Whether a vegetarian diet is healthy or not
is a mute point to me.
Healthy, healthier, or not I am still going to die.
The question is why I am going to take all
those innocent lives with me. Eating it is just
like murdering it as far as I’m concerned.
If I can live to be the same age eating vege-
tation why not? Then I can live a full life and
the cow next to me can live her 25 years out
as well.
I’m sure you’ll argue that my being vegan doesn’t
save any lives. That is the whole point of
vegetarian outreach. We can’t do it without
the cooperation of the rest of you.
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