Double D

I just drove by a cat (poor kitty!) that became road pizza, and this query popped into my head.

Are any of you vegans or vegetarians and if so, how have you benefited from this way of eating?

Personally, I can and often do not consume meat and I _can't_ bring myself to prepare a meal that requires touching raw meat or chicken. Just going past the meat/poultry section of the grocery store grosses me out.

Besides the aesthetics, if I do consume meat, I live to regret it later. Let's just say it takes a long while to digest. Chicken is less of a problem.

If we could, can this discussion stay as much as possible within the parameters of talking only about how a vegetarian or vegan diet is beneficial to one's body? Please, no focusing on the political/social issues that I know are very relevant and could make a good discussion for another thread.

Cynthetiq

I am not a vegan, but all my veggie friends from about 10 years ago all had to start eating meat to get more iron and other things from meat.

go figure.

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BBtB

How exactly did seeing roadkill make you think of this? Okay staying just on the topic of vegan for health. Vegans are no healthier then anyone else. They just (as a rule) watch what they eat alot closer then the rest of us. As well just because there is nothing wrong (from a health stand point atleast) with eating meat does not mean that eating at mcdonalds and what not is okay. Very few vegans eat at fast food if just for the reason that most fast food serves meat. For the same reason they don't at any reastraunt as much as the rest of us for the some reason. Of course this is all generalization but over all its typically true.

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Lebell

If I can ever get my friend to join, he would be able to go on for hours on this topic. (Vegetarian and even owned his own health food store.)

Hell, rather than try to parrot him, maybe I'll use your post as a wedge to get him here.

Thanks

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krwlz

The thing about vegitarian lifestyle, is that one must eat a lot of specific foods to make up for the lack of meat related nutrients. I personaly love meat, red preferably, and after you gut a deer...well raw meat definatly doesn't bother you.

For any who are vegitarians, let me add this to the question: Are you a vegitarian by taste? Or by principle?

There is definatly a differance

extrme2000

Double D, I know what you mean -- Meat also tends to gross me out, but I can eat chicken okay...

I rarely eat meat, and I seem to be doing fine. One thing you need to watch out for is you need to get your protein from other sources (especially if your a guy)

Also the reason I avoid meat isnt because I care about "animal rights" or all that other bullshit, it is because I just think its kind of nasty to eat the insides of a bloody butchered animal who's guts were ground up (aka hamburger).

Double D

BBtB: extrme2000's above description is what got me thinking about *meat.* When it's all squished and bloody, cat meat or cow meat - it all seems the same to me.

Midnight_Son

I eat animals and wear their skin....you gotta understand, I'm from Wisconsin...the whole idea of not eating meat confuses me. we're omnivours (spelling?) anyway look at your teeth somtime...those sharp ones....well, they aren't for lettuce. but alas, what the fuck do I know? I'm just a big dumbass trying to make a point on a topic I know nothing about

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clockworkgreen

I went to a Trader Joe's yesterday...I guess I stood next to a veggie or vegan at some point...

And I knew a kid once who was a vegan and we made him a vegan chocolate cake for his birthday....it was the nastiest thing I've ever eaten.

College is good for spreading the idea that you're making a difference...

DEI37

Me, I'm a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I'm a steak-a-holic. I love home grilled cheeseburgers. On the flip side, I'm keen on cooked/boiled/steamed vegetables. I don't like 'em raw, but I can still get the nutrients from green beans cooked with ham bits, carrots in a pot roast, broccolli or cauliflower with cheese, and pickles. I don't like lettuce or tomatoes, although I dig catsup, pizza, and salsa. Just the raw tomatoe, I don't like.
cnor, it's carnivores. And yes, I'm carnivorous, and wouldn't have it any other way. I'm from WI as well...what part you from?

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Midnight_Son

DE137, I'm from Rhinelander...about an hour north of Wausau.

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Ganguro

I live with a reformed Vegan (she's now just a veggie) and found the vegan eating habits to be a little strict, but if you know what you are doing they can be helpful for your health. Vegetarians aren't any better off than meat eaters health wise, because a lot of vegetarian food isnt per se good for you. It's all about regulating your diet and getting excercise. I on the other hand will bite a cow if im hungry enough. Though i dont eat pork, and cant stand the sight, touch, smell, even thought of raw chicken. My stomach is churning right now just typing this up.

alterEGO

Ive been one for year, but, i became skinny as fuck so i decided to go to mc donalds and eat a lot of hamburgers..


ignorance is bliss you know.

fuelmyfire

i am a vegan.

ohhhhhh, no politics or ethics, eh?

(edit)
(/edit)

ok,

how i benefit?
well lets see, with moral and ethical reasons aside (due to your request), i am 800% healthier, in all aspects (phyisical, mental, emotional). i've always been 50 pounds underweight, my whole life. when i look back, in regards to quantity (and quality), i have eaten much better as a vegan than when i was a non-vegan.

Double D

fuelmyfire: It's not that I'm not interested in the moral & ethical choices that a vegan makes. It's just that in this thread I wanted to know about the benefits for the body, in the strictly physical sense. It sounds like you have a relevant topic in the ethical & moral choices one makes in in choosing to eschew animal products. Might make a good thread or journal entry. I'd be interested.

Simple_Min

I'm a veggie person. Milk/cheese is all right. I have never had eggs or any meat mainly because I grew up with Buddhist principles.

But my father is a meat eater and my mother was for a while, so I had many chances to try it, but I find it so repulsive and disgusting that I cannot even comprehend the grossness behind it. Sometimes i feel like vomiting watching someone preparing/handling uncooked meat.

I am sure I am missing a lot of nutrients by not eating meat, but I am perfectly healthy, and occasionally a vitamin or two help make up the deficiency in your system of some vitamins.

But, I am sure as heck much safer not eating meat. Though the chances of catching something bad is low with the USDA enforced rules, but the chance is still there and not negligible.

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rsl12

i've been vegetarian for 9 years now. i don't take supplements or whatever and i think i'm pretty healthy! And I never think about what I eat--whatever I have a craving for (that doesn't have eyes or muscle) i eat.

However, it's true that being vegetarian does not automatically mean you're on a good diet. I know vegetarians who eat instant noodles for 2 out of three meals a day--it kind of makes me sick to look at that. I've been blessed with a natural predilection for healthy foods...

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Mango

I'm an ex vegetarian. I did not eat meat, chicken or fish for 8 years. Now I have a farm and raise my own organic beef, chicken, duck, turkey & pork. I also fish and hunt. I have gone from one extreme toth e pther anf it really did not make any noticable difference to my health one way or the other. I slaughter my own animals and have no problem with getting covered in the blood of the animals that will feed me and my family.

rsl12

bones: hope you never run into an olympian member of mensa that tastes like shit.

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SiN

respect

---------------------

vegetarian here, for lil over 10 years..is likely a life-long thing for me, unless survival issues require a change...

i'm veggie for health and ethics and just not a taste for meat really.

i do eat fish on occasion, because i like it, and my body tends to have high protein requirements, esp. the fitter i get, need to feed my muscles...

which i kno i can do just fine with soy and legume products...
i eat dairy, but i avoid the high-fat stuff. no butter, or ice cream, or cream or whatever..just some lowfat cheese and yogurt and lowfat milk.. i dont really eat eggs because of the taste and cholestorol/fat, but i don't explicitly avoid things containing egg either.

and i do believe there are health benefits in it for me..my body generally feels 'clean' and more importantly, in my family history there's heart disease and high blood pressure. so i'm just trying to prevent such problems in the future.

regarding the ethical stuff tho, and just in general, is something i view as a very personal choice, i don't impose my views on others and expect that they treat me with the same respect.
so far, so good.

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brokenlies

I love meat, but i've been overweight for a while(not too much...about 30-40 pounds, which isn't that bad for a guy), so i recently decided to go Palescapatarian(sp?) which means i'm a veggie but i still will have fish every now and then...i've only been doing it for about 3-4 weeks now...but i'm feel alot better lately...and whenever i DO eat meat(i took a vacation to chicago...and when you're on vacation in chicago...there's no way you CAN'T eat a deep dish sausage pizza) i notice that it sits alot heavier in my stomach.

World's King

I eat meat.


Woman and cow alike.

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Easytiger

Vegetarian. I couldn't go fully vegan if I tried- it's too much hassle. I admit that I'm pretty skinny and it's not easy to get enough iron, but I have no intention of eating meat again.

FuddMan

If God wanted us to be vegetarians, he wouldn't have made cows taste so good

Satsuma

I am a vegetarian. I was starting to eat less and less meat because I started to hate the taste and smell of it. And then I found a huge chunk of hamburger fat in my spaghetti one day and was grossed out enough to stop eating meat altogether. I take vitamins and eat different kind of other foods so it's no big deal, but my family thinks I'm a wierdo.

darksparkles

i was vegetarian for a while, now i just don't eat a whole lot of meat. i feel a lot healthier when i'm not eating a lot of meat, though ... i'm a lot more alert and i feel better about myself, too. red meat especially kills me, heh. so i haven't been eating a lot of meat, maybe once a week. and i've been tested for anemia recently and i'm within normal range, so i don't have a huge problem with iron.

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i8one2

I am now 2/3 vegetarian. I consume much less meat than before I met Galaxygirl(who is), but I will never turn down a good piece of meat, now in moderation. And when dining with Galaxygirl, I have no problem foregoing that sweet hunk of flesh, because she knows her veggies.

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majik_6

I'm an ovo-lacto Vegetarian (have been for about 2.5 years) and it has had SOME effect on my health although a vegetarian diet is not a guaranteed change in health.

I've been progressively gaining weight my whole life, and topped out at about 300 last summer. I decided at that time to become slightly stricter about my no-meat guidelines (cutting out broth and the like) which forced me to turn to more vegan-like eating habits which in turn lowered my fat intake, and helped me to lose a considerable amount of weight.

I drink protien shakes and take vegetarian vitamins on the small chance that I may be missing something.

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krwlz

I just do NOT get the ethic part of being a vegetarian...makes no sense...as long as you ar enot wasteing the meat there is no problem. Its stupid to deprive yourself of a good meal just becasue your afraid some poor cow will die....

Im sorry if I offend, but if I do...Just explain it to me!

majik_6

krwlz, I just started a thread for all the vegetarians/vegans to explain their reasons for going veg!

Be sure to check it out!

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Halx

I'm sitting here, eating meat for dinner, grinning as I read this thread. My vegetarian friend doesn't eat meat because he cannot digest it fast, but other than that, I dont think he has a problem with it. We as humans are omnivores, and it's just natural to eat both plants and animals.

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Lebell

Moving to Tilted Health...

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splck

guts? in your hamburger? you should change butchers

I really slowed down eating meat a number of years ago but continued to eat fish. It took a bit to get used to not having a steak, but it wasn't a big deal.
I took up hunting two years ago, now I rarely buy beef or pork. I eat grouse instead of chicken, buy organic eggs and never buy farmed fish.
If I didn't enjoy the outdoor experience so much, I probably wouldn’t eat meat.

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Double D

Thanks for moving it, Lebell. I should have paid more attention when starting it. This time only, my excuse was learning my way around here.

QuasiMojo

Holy Moly Guacamole
What the
Sheetit.

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mizouse

I have been a vegetarian for about 8 years, with some stretches of veganism in there. I have to say that being a vegetarian/vegan is definately healthier for many of the reasons that have already been stated in this thread. Mainly, it forces you to watch what you eat. You just can't pop some hungry man TV dinner into the oven or go to a fast food restaurant and get something to eat. By not eating meat you are missing many essential minerals (mainly Iron) and many protiens. But it's not really the protiens that are important, it's the amino acids. You can get the same amino acids that are used to build the protiens you get from meat by eating rice and beans.

Does meat taste good? Hell yes. But when you eat meat today you are also consuming all kinds of other things, like growth hormones and other drugs that they give the livestock (unless you've raised it yourself or hunted it). There was a health food store near me that sold Bison and Emu meat that was raised locally without all the drugs they typically feed livestock and people were raving about it.

I am a vegetarian for a mix of health and ethical reasons. But three years ago, I was diagnosed with Diverticulosis (due to stress) and that has forced me to stay a vegetarian. I have also become lactose intolerant recently so now I can't eat dairy products.

KoKenZen

I am a veagan always have been born and raised that way never had to make up for a damn thing in my diet because i know how to eat well. The reson you have troble eating meat if you where a vegetarian is because you lack the ensimes to digest it because your body stops producing them.