Are you vegetarian ?

Are you vegetarian (and why) ?

  • No

    Votes: 136 79.1%
  • Yes,but not always

    Votes: 15 8.7%
  • Yes, I don't like meat

    Votes: 7 4.1%
  • Yes, I don't want to kill animals

    Votes: 4 2.3%
  • Yes, because of my religion

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • Yes, I am vegan (no animal product at all, including eggs and milk)

    Votes: 9 5.2%

  • Total voters
    172
Are you serious ?
I thought that what i'm saying over and over is just simple common knowledge based on logic. Anayways, all the doctors I have seen have told me the same thing, balanced diet and what not, all the tv shows and articles and health class books have said the same thing over and over... I doubt you will find an objective source that will tell you be a vegetarian...unless they are vegeatarians themselves. You can't seriuosly refute the fact that a diet encompassing meat and vegtable is not more beneficial than a vegetarian diet. You know i could go look around in sites tha will back up my point, but i think it's just a waste of time..... to mee basic logic and simple common knoweldge suffices, but if your are not conviced I won't go out of my way to do so. Anyways please don't feel on the defensive, I am not attacking your lifestyle, I have dated girls who were vegetarians and had no problems, in fact if she's cute enough she can eat bird seeds for all I care but I'm just telling you that it is in my strongest conviction that meat is necessary for our bodies, because think about it, if it wasn't why did nature give us the ability and necessity for it? Why didn't it just make us into 2 leg walkin cows ?
 
Re: being a vegetarian

Well... I can only speak from personal experience so don't expect me to back up any of my claims with documented evidence, heh. When I was at my heaviest, I weighed approximately 229lbs. Now, for someone who is only 5'8" tall... that's a lot of meat to be carrying around. During my super-sized years, I gave absolutely no thought to what my daily intake was (how much, how often, etc.). If I felt even the slightest pang of hunger... I fed myself. At my worst, I was known for being able to eat an entire large pizza+a side of hotwings+a 2L of Coke BY MYSELF IN ONE SITTING.

Looking back, the worst offender for me was without a doubt... meat. I would eat large quantities of bacon, sausages, hamburger, steak, etc. almost every day coupled with little else except for sweets (a LOT) and the occasional salad (to sop up the gravy from my meatloaf, heh). Needless to say, I was the poster boy for obese middle-America up until recently.

Fast forward to today. I currently weigh in at exactly 145.0lbs and have tripled my muscle mass while simultaneously shedding pounds. I went from a size 40 waist to a slim 29. My BMI is approximately 11.2%. I've become a workout fanatic and never skip a day (even while on vacation or in a hotel). My daily regimen consists of between 4-500 situps AND pushups plus 20-30 minutes of weight training coupled with either 2-3 hours of walking or swimming every other day. Nowadays, I can bench 250, crank out 75 situps in a minute-30 flat or rip 250 straight (no-break), and... beat just about anyone in my weight-class at armwrestling, heh. 8-p

The catalyst for all this? I decided to become a vegetarian and this has helped me to get my body back into better shape now at the age of 33 than when I was a rookie on the police force. I eat a large salad every day, sometimes twice. I eats lots of fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges, grapefruits, watermelon, etc.). I eat 500g of low-fat yogurt mixed with oat bran fiber or low-fat granola. I eat no more than 200grams of white rice every day, usually with either natto, steamed vegetables, broiled fish, etc. I also consume on average at least 200grams of tofu every day.

I do NOT consider myself a strict vegetarian per se because I do occasionally eat either lean ham (no more than 80g) or boneless skinless chicken once every 10-12 days. My red meat consumption is about once per every six weeks (i'm not kidding) but my daily protein intake is quite high. I eat at least 2 hard-boiled eggs every day plus the occasional side of lentils, raw veggies, or konyaku (popular Japanese diet-food). When I need a snack-fix, I eat lots of dried fruits for both the fiber and protein (especially figs).

The moral of the story I guess is that if I hadn't gone veggie coupled with regular exercise, I wouldn't have been able to get back into shape. Take it from someone who absolutely LOVES meat... eat a salad every day, you can't go wrong! :cool: As others have said, a well-balanced diet is key to a longer, healthier life. Thanks for taking the time to read this and sorry for the long expose'. *Feels like he's giving one of those "testimonials" for a weight loss infomercial...*
 
Iron Chef said:
I do NOT consider myself a strict vegetarian per se
I wouldn't consider you a vegetarian at all. But, besides that, even if you were vegetarian, I don't think your improved health is due to your diet alone. You are much more aware of your body & its needs now (I should work on that, too).

IMO, this is also why in general vegetarians are in a healthier state than non-veggies. They simply have a more conscious approach to what their body needs (they have to). You can have a just as healthy diet without being vegetarian, simply by being more cautious about what & how much you eat.


geno said:
does anyone eat nothing but meat?
Eskimos did, but I don't know if some tribes still do. They got their necessary vitamins from eating raw meat, IIRC.


Tsuyoiko said:
Many archaeologists believe that some of our ancestors engaged in human sacrfice!
& how is this related to the question of vegetarianism?
 
I'm not a vegetarian, however I do not eat that much meat. It's mostly because I'm somewhat picky on how dry my meat is. I'm not a big turkey fan because of this (oh well for Thanksgiving :p). If I see meat I like (and it's not too fattening :p) I'll eat a good meals worth to make sure I get a solid dose of meat-protein ^_^.
 
I was a vegetarian for 8 years, previous to that I was incredibly fussy... actually nothing much has changed in that department.
I didnt choose not to eat meat because of the killing of animals, I just didnt like the texture, and I dont like eating meat that reminds me of the animal... weak stomach.
So in saying this, I will eat beef sometimes, but not a steak..
I dont like my meat to have bones in it, chicken with bones, cant bring myself to eat it, unless im super hungry, or dont want to be rude.
Pork, I love pork... somehow I feel slightly overloaded from it recently. Must be time for a break.
Never did like Seafood or Shellfish, however if need be I will eat Tuna, small portions of Salmon, Snapper and Terakihi. I will probably only eat these fish 3-4 times a year.
Im yet to try dog, and im not sure about eating cat. Who knows maybe I have already?
Im looking forward to eating cooked snake though, and I have to go back to Cambodia to eat a spider!
 
Goodness, I don't why I never posted in this thread. :p Well I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't eat pork alot, unless it's bacan or ham. I did try to be a vegetarian at one point but I couldn't do it. I put meat in my salad's for crying out loud. :p I don't eat hotdogs because of what they are made from. In all honesty, I don't see how people can be vegan, I can understand if you're raised in a culture that teaches you to be vegan. But not in cultures where meat is the norm. There's nothing wrong with being vegan, but it seems so difficult when almost half of our nutrients come from meat.
 
Vegan is way too severe imho... I'm all about healthy living and a well-balanced diet but sheesh... depriving oneself of some of the things vegans abstain from just doesn't make sense to me. I mean... nowadays, eating food to me is more of a daily function necessary for my survival as opposed to a luxury I look forward too like back when I was a biggun. Still... I do occasionally splurge on the odd item or two. :cool:
 
bossel said:
& how is this related to the question of vegetarianism?

Duo was using the argument that we must need meat today because our prehistoric ancestors needed meat. I was simply giving an example of something else our prehistoric ancestors are believed to have done that we don't do today.

Duo - let's just agree to disagree. I have my belief, which I have come to through weighing up evidence pro and con, you have your opinion based on your gut feeling. Let's just leave it at that.
 
I a definatley a not a vegetarion. The argument against eating meat are so bad. There is nothing wrong with eating meat, it has been in are evolution for ages. Homo Erectus the first "ape-man" to have a distinct human appearance started eating meat a lot, eating meat is nothing new to mankind. Plus humans are classified as omnivores, eater of plant and animal matter. Believe it or not chimpanzees who are our closest ancestors eat meat on a regular basis in the dry season. If chimps can eat meat why can't we? Especially considering we are the biggest meat-eaters of the all the primates.

As long as we don't hunt an animal to extinction for meat there is nothing wrong with it. Then again with the domestic animals being used as meat we really don't need to worry about hunting so meat is perfectly ok.
 
Maciamo said:
Vegetarianism is growing fast in Western countries. It used to be the norm in most of Asia and still is for Hindus and Jainists.
Japan used to be a vegetarian country (except for fish and seafood), but now counts less vegetarians than any other developed countries.
What about you ?

Yes, I am.

---------------------------------------------------
Glad to see this thread already created for the topic. I will be feeding it because I sense it still has some life. A lot to be said on the topic.
 
The American Dietetic Association is the largest association of professional dieteticians in the world. For those of you who have been considering switching to a vegetarian diet and who may be worried if it is healthy or not, or have heard outdated rumors about the negative health consequences of vegetarianism, please take a moment to visit this thread from time to time to see what they have said and other orgs of well repute have said on the issue.

I will post short points on the subject so that reading them will be quick and informative.

Let`s start with a statement by the ADA:

Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.

Cancer is ugly. Especially when it isn`t caught in the early stages and has spread.
 
I am not a vegetarian. Not by a long shot. I am a vigorous consumer of most meat products. I'd have to say that 85% of my dinners have meat as a main course. The other 15% would be some sort of pasta or a baked potatoe.
 
Clawn said:
I am not a vegetarian. Not by a long shot. I am a vigorous consumer of most meat products. I'd have to say that 85% of my dinners have meat as a main course. The other 15% would be some sort of pasta or a baked potatoe.

Would you care about your health (or care about those who care about your well being and depend on you) enough to give any weight to advice/studies and research outlined by large orgs consisting of professionals in the area of health and desieses about dietary changes that could benefit you by reducing risk of disease and sickness?
 
strongvoicesforward said:
Would you care about your health (or care about those who care about your well being and depend on you) enough to give any weight to advice/studies and research outlined by large orgs consisting of professionals in the area of health and desieses about dietary changes that could benefit you by reducing risk of disease and sickness?

Yes, I would. I make sure I'm healthy enough.:wave:

btw - sorry about my misreading of your question strongvoicesforward:gomen:
 
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Clawn said:
Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to pass for now. I make sure I'm healthy enough.

Hi Clawn,

I wasn`t offering you anything. I had asked you a "yes" or "no" question based on professionals' research, orgs, your health, and those who are close to you and care about your health.

Please read the question again and see that I am asking you a simple "yes" or "no" question.

Also, it is not always about making sure we "are" healthy now, but that we will remain to be so optimally for years to come in the future, which may depend on choices now. So, whether you are healthy now because of your choices until now, may not be conducive to giving you the best chances for staying healthy with quality life in the future.
 
Here is a common refrain from flesh eaters when asked if they would consider a vegetarian diet:

I need protein. Also, we need meat to get a lot of our nutrients.

However, such concerns are unfounded. Here is what the American Dietetics Association cites on nutrients and the vegetarian diet:

The United States Dietary Guidelines (23) state, "Vegetarian diets can be consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and meet Recommended Dietary Allowances for nutrients."
 
I am a carnitarian, all I eat is meat, candy and dairy products. The only time I usually eat something green is when its covered in cholocate and has caramel inside. I do however take a variety of vitimans and fish oil (reduces cholestrol) to make up for my carnivorious life style.

Im such a rabbid meat eater, when I order a big mac, or a whopper or any other sandwitch I usually throw the veggies off because I don't like them, and am often weary of eating the bun, and alot of the time will not eat it.

I do like pumpkin pie though... one of the few exceptions.
 
strongvoicesforward said:
Would you care about your health (or care about those who care about your well being and depend on you) enough to give any weight to advice/studies and research outlined by large orgs consisting of professionals in the area of health and desieses about dietary changes that could benefit you by reducing risk of disease and sickness?

C'mon SVF, we all know that you didn't turn into a vegan because you decided it was the healthy way to go and you wanted that, it was because you disagreed with eating animals. The fact of the matter is that modern human beings are evolved omnivores, not herbivores, and we are still designed to eat a variety of foods.
Yes- you can find a fullfilling diet if you are a vegetarian, but you will find one with more difficulty considering you have a much smaller range of foods to meet your RDA nutritional needs. Doctors still advise pregnant mothers to eat meat, dairy products and fish to have a healthy issue-free pregnancy and child. One of my best friends in Australia is a vegetarian, she suffered no ill effects of her diet up until she got pregnant- during her pregnancy she suffered quite a few complications like iron deficiency because although before hand she was getting enough iron, now she was pregnant she was literally feeding for 2 and she could no longer get enough iron in her diet even with the doctor giving her supliments.
In the end she gave birth to an underweight, premature baby girl, but otherwise healthy than that(she's a couple of years old now). My friend decided to raise her little girl as an omnivore instead of a vegetarian after recognising that a growing child really needs a natural/normal diet and she shouldn't push her beliefs onto her child.
 
Thunderthief said:
Im probably closer to a carnivore, all I eat is meat, candy and dairy products. The only time I usually eat something green is when its covered in cholocate and has caramel inside.

lol. I know you will resist the suggestion, but you may want to reconsider your eating habits.

I do however take a variety of vitimans and fish oil (reduces cholestrol) to make up for my carnivorious life style.

I have never seen healthy eating choices recommended by doctors to be exchanged for supplements. Have you?

Im such a rabbid meat eater, when I order a big mac, or a whopper or any other sandwitch I usually throw the veggies off because I don't like them.

Yeah, I used to do that when I was a kid. I`ve grown up since then and that way of looking at food.

Sometimes, particulary as adults, we should put our pleasures to the side and make choices that will benefit our loved ones who cherish our presence with them and hope to have us for as long as possible. All our loved ones own a little piece of us. It is not true that our bodies are just ours to do with what we want. Our loved ones have an emotional investment in us and we should think how to let them get the greatest return from that as possible.

If I could change an eating habit and not give up any degree of deliciouseness in my meals, and that would allow me to live an extra 3 years to see my grandchild play in his first little league baseball game, or an extra 15 years to see my grandchild graduating H.S., or a myriad of other milestones in his or her life, to me that is an easy decision to make, especially not when I only consider my joys of his company, but knowing that staying with him in this world as long as possible is also bringing cheer to his life, be it an easy one he glides through with ease, or one in which he has hardships and that I can offer some advice to and comfort to.
 

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