Are you vegetarian ?

[LeBrok]

My sister was vegetarian for 15 years and finally got an illness which hospitalized her and she was forced to eat red meat twice a week as other forms ( pills, tablets etc ) did not suffice.

Thanks for telling us this real life story.
My motto is "Eat what your ancestor ate for millennia." According to natural selection we should be genetically predisposed to digest and use these food groups. We will be the healthiest when we do that.

[Coolboygcp]

I am not. I could never do it. I eat chicken, beef, pork, turkey, and once in a while veal and lamb. They are all so delicious, and I really love meat. I eat many different kinds of cheese, drink milk, kefir, chocolate milk, I eat yogurt, ice cream, and many more dairy and animal products. I use honey sometimes (good German honey).

So in short, I am not a vegetarian, nor a vegan. I am probably the antithesis of vegetarian.

[kosmonomad]

I have been vegetarian for nearly 5 years. Yoga and stuff. A conscious decision to improve and maintain health and not going back. Niether do I want to kill creatures that don't deserve death.

[Angela]

Thanks for telling us this real life story.
My motto is "Eat what your ancestor ate for millennia." According to natural selection we should be genetically predisposed to digest and use these food groups. We will be the healthiest when we do that.

I just saw this. I couldn't agree more.

[Aberdeen]

Thanks for telling us this real life story.
My motto is "Eat what your ancestor ate for millennia." According to natural selection we should be genetically predisposed to digest and use these food groups. We will be the healthiest when we do that.

So, I assume you don't eat potatoes, bananas or pineapples.

[LeBrok]

So, I assume you don't eat potatoes, bananas or pineapples.

I do, but the point is that I don't need to. ;)

[Angela]

So, I assume you don't eat potatoes, bananas or pineapples.

I can't speak for LeBrok, Aberdeen, but I was referring to the fact that I believe our evolution, the very configuration of our alimentary tract, shows that we are both a plant and animal eating species. That's borne out by the fact that, from my understanding, which is admittedly limited, staying healthy on a strictly vegetarian dialect requires very careful mixing of foods in order to get some of the nutrients that are easily available in meat and fish.

I've also read quite a bit that seems to indicate that in certain parts of Europe, perhaps those areas where farming arrived later, a larger percentage of people have difficulty consuming wheat products. Aren't problems digesting gluten properly more prevalent in those areas? It's certainly true that the ability to consume large amounts of cow milk products varies by area.

All of that said, while I'm allergic to pineapple, and have problems with bananas, you'd have to pry potatoes away from me...I love them...and corn meal, and tomatoes. What would modern Italian cuisine be like without them?

[Aberdeen]

I can't speak for LeBrok, Aberdeen, but I was referring to the fact that I believe our evolution, the very configuration of our alimentary tract, shows that we are both a plant and animal eating species. That's borne out by the fact that, from my understanding, which is admittedly limited, staying healthy on a strictly vegetarian dialect requires very careful mixing of foods in order to get some of the nutrients that are easily available in meat and fish.

I've also read quite a bit that seems to indicate that in certain parts of Europe, perhaps those areas where farming arrived later, a larger percentage of people have difficulty consuming wheat products. Aren't problems digesting gluten properly more prevalent in those areas? It's certainly true that the ability to consume large amounts of cow milk products varies by area.

All of that said, while I'm allergic to pineapple, and have problems with bananas, you'd have to pry potatoes away from me...I love them...and corn meal, and tomatoes. What would modern Italian cuisine be like without them?

I was just teasing LeBrok for being less clear than he usually is about what he meant. And I agree with you. Meat provides a quick fix of certain essential vitamins and minerals in a form that's easy for the European style body to absorb. In theory, I think I should be just as healthy without red meat, as long as I eat enough seafood, poultry and dairy, but in practice I do feel better if I eat some red meat. However, folks who live in southern India would probably be less well if they ate red meat, and may be able to remain healthy on a vegan diet, because of the eating habits of their ancestors. As for sensitivities to specific foods, I think that's an individual thing - IMO, some people, for whatever reason, just lack the enzymes necessary to digest a particular food and it isn't always because of where their ancestors came from.

As for people who make themselves sick by eating too much meat, or too much starch or too much whatever, I'm glad that nobody has yet mentioned that red herring. Some militant vegan types will maintain that because a modern fast food diet is very unhealthy, that proves that everyone should be vegan, but I think it proves that people should eat beef stew instead of hamburgers and french fries.

[LeBrok]

I was just teasing LeBrok for being less clear than he usually is about what he meant. And I agree with you. Meat provides a quick fix of certain essential vitamins and minerals in a form that's easy for the European style body to absorb. In theory, I think I should be just as healthy without red meat, as long as I eat enough seafood, poultry and dairy, but in practice I do feel better if I eat some red meat. However, folks who live in southern India would probably be less well if they ate red meat, and may be able to remain healthy on a vegan diet, because of the eating habits of their ancestors. As for sensitivities to specific foods, I think that's an individual thing - IMO, some people, for whatever reason, just lack the enzymes necessary to digest a particular food and it isn't always because of where their ancestors came from.

I've read a research some time ago stating that northern Europeans can indulge in a diet heavy with animal fats and be a little heavier in BMI (body mass index) without adverse health consequences.

As for people who make themselves sick by eating too much meat, or too much starch or too much whatever, I'm glad that nobody has yet mentioned that red herring. Some militant vegan types will maintain that because a modern fast food diet is very unhealthy, that proves that everyone should be vegan, but I think it proves that people should eat beef stew instead of hamburgers and french fries.

Actually I can live happily without eating beef or lamb, but can't exist without chicken and pork meat. These were the staples of central Europeans since at least 3k BCE in this region. This could be the reason they taste so good to me.

I hope the Inuits and other natives can go back to their natural diet of seals, wiled game, their organs and fish to get rid of rampant diabetes and other maladies they experience ever since white man changed their menu to more "civilized".

[slowder]

I like meat also vegetable :)

[FutureEarth]

I am a vegan and have been for 8 years. I've never had any health problems and in fact feel extremely healthy and have never been overweight.

[individual1st]

If it doesn't have meat, It's a snack. -Ron Swanson

[Potentia]

I am not a vegetarian. Meat does not bother me in the least.

[Sedlar]

I've been a vegetarian for a while and I felt great. I think that vegetarian food is healthy, but I know by some people that after many years of such a nutrition the body can feel really bad, because for the body is no longer sufficient receiving the vegetarian substitutes for meat. According to that I think that the combined and moderate nutrition that includes all food is a better option, because our body is programmed in such a way that it must receive all kinds of foods.

[LeBrok]

I've been a vegetarian for a while and I felt great. I think that vegetarian food is healthy, but I know by some people that after many years of such a nutrition the body can feel really bad, because for the body is no longer sufficient receiving the vegetarian substitutes for meat. According to that I think that the combined and moderate nutrition that includes all food is a better option, because our body is programmed in such a way that it must receive all kinds of foods.

Great to hear a voice of reason. Welcome to Eupedia Sedlar.

[Joey D]

I don't call myself vegetarian, because 1) I don't like labels; and 2) I don't mind occasionally eating a bit of meat (which I might do once a month or so).

But for the most part, I am, and I love it.

[Coturnix]

I am vegetarian since about 7 years. I always wanted to go on a vegetarian diet because of ethical reasons, but I somehow didn't find the endurance to stick to that diet. However, when I was 18 years old I did a bicycle tour with my friends which ended with a very bad meat poisoning. After this incident, I never ever felt the need to eat meat again and I didn't try it eather. Although the poisoning was a very bad experience and doctors said I was close to death, I am happy how things turned out finally and that it helped me becoming vegetarian. I do not often use this label, only if people directly ask me, though.

[firetown]

I personally know people who have had major health issues and they started disappearing when they became vegetarian. I personally however have come to truly believe that this is not often due to the meats but rather what meat has become in terms of human interference. Maybe it is healthier these days to be a vegetarian and stay away from the growth hormones etc. which some people apparently tend to have a much stronger reaction to than others.
But I cannot imagine a vegetarian diet being better than a "healthy meat diet" as consumed by our ancestors hunting wild game. So I have not yet given up on meat, but I am trying to be more selective and go with lean turkey, fish and whatever else I feel better after I eat it than let's say pork products.

[tivali]

I'm not a vegetarian, however I do not eat that much meat.

[Jovialis]

I was actually on a date at a vegan restaurant; it was very good. But I have to say I could never give up eating meat; especially dairy products. Cheese is just too good.

[davef]

Cheese is always good unless it's that disgusting garbage from Kraft which from what I read, isn't even real cheese.

I can't decide: Swiss, provolone, Muenster, I'd put all three in between bread and toss it in the toaster!

[ihype02]

No I am not a vegan but I am for a better treatment of animals. The method of killing to be as less painful as possible. However I do not understand Vegans who reject milk and cheese I mean that is pointless.

[davef]

Yeah, I think milking benefits the cow so its udders don't explode.
And I'm never going into veganism, but practices such as stuffing chickens into cages is beyond cruel

[Jovialis]

Metabolism
by Insitome

Metabolism reveals the (r)evolutionary story behind your diet—how your genome has been tailored over millennia to the foods your ancestors ate, and what it means for you today. Changes in the human diet have resulted in changes in our own DNA. In the process of adopting new diets, we’ve adapted to them as well. Discover the next chapter in the story of you, Metabolism, to find out the truth behind why you are what you eat.

Early next week, this app is coming out (I know because I kept bugging them about it )

I'm looking forward to trying it, because it will give me some insight into how my body processes food.

[Angela]

Early next week, this app is coming out (I know because I kept bugging them about it )
I'm looking forward to trying it, because it will give me some insight into how my body processes food.

You'll be able to compare it to your results at 23andme, because they do something similar.

They told me I was programmed to be less than average weight, and that total caloric intake was the thing to watch, which I do. Thank God it didn't say I should only eat protein, although I love meat and fish and would never give them up, because the corollary would be cut down on carbs.

Of course, white sugar, lots of deserts, sodas etc. aren't good for anyone, but there's no way I would want to give up bread, potatoes, pasta, rice etc.