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On being a vegetarian...

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  • Health
Last response: in Sports & Wellness
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February 5, 2010 1:20:24 PM

Hello.

I was wondering what changes you who have switched to being vegetarian have noticed about yourselves!

One thing i have noticed from the beginning, is my skin has become smoother.

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March 1, 2010 11:12:49 PM

Kudos to you for being vegetarian! Unfortunately I do not have the will power to be like you :( 
March 1, 2010 11:24:38 PM

I got older .... went veg 37 years ago. :) 

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May 20, 2010 2:47:58 PM

I thought that we (humans) were omnivorous. Why don't you want to eat meat and fish?
May 24, 2010 12:38:05 AM

I've noticed my cravings for meat has gone up...
May 24, 2010 8:08:25 AM

Allright, I'l play on.
My bowels have achieved a consistent texture that I was sorely missing.
May 24, 2010 8:35:02 AM

Henry Chinaski said:
I thought that we (humans) were omnivorous. Why don't you want to eat meat and fish?


- Because vegetarians have a longer lifespan and less diseases during that life.
- Because meat production is hugely polluting.
- Because our current way of harvesting fish (just scraping the ocean empty) can be sustained for a few more years, but not a decade and certainly not our entire lifetime.
- Because it makes your bowel movement more comfortable and reduces digestive discomfort in general (more fibers in a vegetarian diet).
- Because plants aren't force fed huge quantities of antibiotics causing several strains of multi-resistant bacteria.

But tbh, I still can't entirely resist my craving for meat. I sharply reduced my meat consumption and stopped eating cured meat, but can't resist a nice steak every now and then. Same for fish, a nice piece of salmon finds its way down my throat too every now and then. I must say the rather... unpleasant stool I had because of my ulcerative colitis is now significantly more sturdy. I also feel better about myself :p 

I prefer to call myself 'flexitarian'.
May 24, 2010 9:13:42 AM

Silmarunya said:
- Because vegetarians have a longer lifespan and less diseases during that life.


Not necessarily true.
There are a lot of other factors that would aid in increasing lifespan.

Funny, I know of a vegan gym instructor that died of a heart attack. In my province where my grandfather and grandmother (and their brothers and sisters) lived, it is not uncommon for them to live past 70, 80 and some even 90. Considering that in my province, meat is a regular daily thing.

Eating just right, doing physical work, living stress free, and sleeping for as long as your body wants, all seem to be common things that may grandparents did.

There have been research that indicated that people who aren't able to eat at regular intervals (due to lack of food, not by choice) seem to be able to live longer. Eating meat is not really detrimental to the body, are you going to tell me that for a few hundred years of eating meat we were doing it wrong? :na: 

Silmarunya said:

- Because meat production is hugely polluting.
- Because our current way of harvesting fish (just scraping the ocean empty) can be sustained for a few more years, but not a decade and certainly not our entire lifetime.


I'm not going to argue with these points as I know that these are true.


Silmarunya said:

- Because it makes your bowel movement more comfortable and reduces digestive discomfort in general (more fibers in a vegetarian diet).


True. :) 

Silmarunya said:

- Because plants aren't force fed huge quantities of antibiotics causing several strains of multi-resistant bacteria.


Uhhhhh, they're called pesticides. Or it could even come from the fertilizer.

Silmarunya said:

But tbh, I still can't entirely resist my craving for meat. I sharply reduced my meat consumption and stopped eating cured meat, but can't resist a nice steak every now and then. Same for fish, a nice piece of salmon finds its way down my throat too every now and then. I must say the rather... unpleasant stool I had because of my ulcerative colitis is now significantly more sturdy. I also feel better about myself :p 

I prefer to call myself 'flexitarian'.


I eat meat, I love meat, but everything requires balance and moderation. A mix of veggies and meat (less on the meat) seems to be an ideal balance for most.
May 24, 2010 12:20:36 PM

I went Veggie when I hit 13 and havent had a craving since I was about 15... but I think the trip to the abattoir sorted that out. But I can say that I lost a hell of a lot of weight, even though I was a junk food veggie for a few years until I learned to cook properly. I was never able to taste things properly until then either. I also got a lot less energy crashes, and regular bowel movements for sure! About 1-2 hours after I wake up every day like clockwork(unless I've been boozing the night before). I feel better about I'm eating since it's easier to source your veggies than it is your meat. But the best part is I feel better about what I'm eating, not only for it's moral implications (i.e. there is enough food and technology to keep plant based foods available all year round, rather than keeping livestock as a winter foodstuff so we have a choice in what we eat) but also because the feed for factory based farms uses up the majority of plant based foodstuffs (i.e. we increase the amount of food we have if we decrease the amount of factory farming).
May 24, 2010 1:48:16 PM

Collie147 said:
I was a junk food veggie for a few years until I learned to cook properly.


What would be considered as "junk food" for a vegan? :o 
May 25, 2010 10:06:23 AM

Junk food for a vegan is generally anything that a non-vegetarian would, except it just doesn't have meat. I'm talking about salt & vinegar potato chips, Coca Cola, cakes, muffins, sweets, etc.

With regards to being a vegetarian, I honestly have not felt anything different, I've been a vegetarian for six years, and can't see any specific benefits. However, I suppose knowing that you're not the reason for animals being killed, and contributing a lot less to global warming is probably all I could ask for.
May 25, 2010 1:18:13 PM

The human digestive tract is designed for an omnivorous diet, from the teeth to the bowels.
Concerns about sources of food are as applicable to vegetables as to meat, as are methods of preparation. Looking for organics can help, but is not certain, as "organic" meat may have still come from a feed lot.
If you buy locally-grown food where possible, and/or raise your own (veggies OR meats), you will be doing both yourself, and the environment, a favor.
June 20, 2010 10:17:17 AM

Couldn't agree more jtt283 . if you look at your teeth as this is part of the digestive tract that you can actually see you will see molars, premolars, incisors and canines. This wide variety of teeth is there for the wide diet of the ominivore. if we were meant to be herbivores then we would have very similiar teeth to the likes of cattle and horse, purely molars. For carnivores this would be a mouth of incisors and canines. We have evolved to eat meat as demonstrated by our teeth.
June 20, 2010 11:55:47 AM

Seconded.
The first machine invented by man was the hunting spear, & not without reason. Let's face it, man is just another animal (albeit with a highly developed brain), & animals killing other animals is not uncommon or frowned upon. Anyway in the absence of vegetation, obviously meat is the only thing that you could be gunning for. Recall Bear Grylls.
Also I don't get the whole "Save animals, turn vegetarian" thing. Aren't we killing plants anyway?
It's the cycle of nature - "Some have to die & end up as other's food".
June 26, 2010 1:06:52 PM

We may have been evolved to eat as omnivores, but it doesn't mean that being vegetarian would necessarily impact negatively on the human body. It's probably just me, but after being a vegetarian for a while, meat and fish start to have their own smell which really puts me off.

^ksampanna, I'm just supposing that for example fruits are meant to be eaten and can regrow, some vegetables too (artificial propagation if that counts) - animals can't (well once they're dead anyway), that's why some of my family members don't eat onion and garlic which apparently do not grow back. You are correct with the cycle of nature, I just choose not to follow it. ;) 

Generally I'd think that people would believe that animals are more 'alive' than plants are, in the sense that you don't hear a scream of a tree being cut down, and wouldn't really walk a celery like you would a dog although we never really know if plants can feel pain. They can sense damage to their bodies, but no one really knows if they recognise it as pain.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, the 'save animals, turn vegetarian' concept came from PETA or PETA made it more well-known. It just comes from animal cruelty against livestock, and PETA thinks that you can stop this cruelty (chickens and pregnant pigs living in really tight cages/pens for many months etc, look up a PETA video or two if you want the grisly details) by being vegetarian, i.e., boycotting meat. Honestly though, I reckon vegetarianism will only help a bit - the majority of the population won't change, simply because eating meat is meant to be a part of the human lifestyle. It'd be much more effective if animal rights regulations were far more strict.

In terms of longevity, it's a lot more to do with lifestyle, yes, diet included but regular exercise, taking a break, relieving stress and getting enough sleep is very important. Some of it is genetic though, I heard a study done in Israel where smokers who were obese managed to live over 90 or so. Vegetables and fruit generally only have to deal with pesticides, contact ones can be washed off quite easily, whereas some meats contain growth hormones and chemicals of the sort, like sodium nitrite, linked to cancer and other diseases.



August 2, 2010 4:50:55 PM

It sucks. Chicken is just too good.
September 27, 2010 8:28:47 AM

Well, I guess losing weight is the first :D  I do not want to eat everytime like I do before....
and the comfortable feeling to wear my favourite jeans....
September 27, 2010 4:26:23 PM

Well I love vegetables more than meat, I eat a LOT of vegetables, but I eat meat as well. Like 7 portion vege and 3 portion meat and RICE, we asians LOVE rice, hahaha.
September 28, 2010 1:00:22 AM

I'll become a vegan when more vegatables tastes like chicken
September 28, 2010 1:24:48 AM

I love animals like Pork, Lamb, Chicken and Beef. Drool.
November 14, 2010 4:49:18 AM

I am not a full pledge vegan but I eat meat too - well the more fiber in your stomach the more broom that will sweep away debris that needs to be out.

Yes I heard some people still don't live longer even they are vegans - I believe it's on your genes. Don't every think you are sick always think you are ok all the time.
January 12, 2011 12:11:16 PM

Beeing vegan doesnt give you superpowers. Fish for example is more healthy than potato chips.
January 22, 2011 2:29:32 AM

Go Green, Soylent Green

It's people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They're making our food out of people. Next thing they'll be breeding us like cattle for food. You've gotta tell them. You've gotta tell them!

Why, in my day, you could buy meat anywhere! Eggs they had, real butter! Fresh lettuce in the stores.
January 31, 2011 3:50:12 PM

Hey I love vegetarians, less stress on the meat supply. Now when they go all evangelical I will stare at them like they are from another planet just like I would other religious nuts.
February 26, 2011 8:02:21 PM

make shur u have enought protein in ur diet, such as eating nuts, flax seed, leefy greens, whey protein shakes, eggs, tofu, and so on, and make shur u get ur carbo hydrates as well such as wheat pasta, flax pasta, brown rice, wild rice etc,

and ull be healthy as a horse
March 8, 2011 2:34:42 PM

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