Are vegetarians 'healthier' than meat eaters?

[gnflyby]

Just wondering... I hear some people say things like "Humans were never meant to eat meat.", and "Vegetarians live longer than meat eaters".

I've even heard people say that the human body doesn't properly digest meat, and that it sits in our colons for a long time creating toxins or something funny like that...

Is there anybody who can enlighten me on this scenario, as I'm debating in my mind whether or not going veggie is the right choice for me.

Myths? Opinions? Facts?

Peace,

GNflyby. :)

[ermitonto]

I'm a vegetarian and an attestment to the fact that no, not all vegetarians are healthy, but a lot of health-minded people happen to get involved in vegetarianism. But hey, it's college, and there's so much time for getting stoned and eating pizza but so little time to exercise.

[fatty lumps]

just a little something I came across. Not going to answer your question fully, but it's something.

"There's no question that strictly from a health standpoint we'd all be a lot better off eating less meat (red meat especially) and more fruits and vegetables."

from http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_087.html

[kyle]

It depends. Eating a certain amount of meat is good for you because our bodies need proteins and stuff. But eating too much is bad for you. The trick is to have a balance between everything.

[ermitonto]

Well, meats aren't the only source of proteins (or of any other essential nutrient). So long as the vegetarian chooses his foods wisely, vitamin deficiency is not a problem.

[gothicblood]

I'm Vegan. :D i feel lots healthier than i was when i ated meat.
http://www.goveg.com/feat/a-favs-health.html cheack that out. if you eat all the right stuff vegetarian/vegan diets are wayyyy healthier than meat ones. and meat causes lots of dieses and makes you fat. plus havng to much protien is worse for you than having less. fact not opionion, hope that helped lol :p my fingers hurt from typing now. woooooooo. :o

[gothicblood]

Sorry for my shite spelly

[weirdo79]

Theres no way to argue we werent supposed to eat meat or "arent" supposed to (we are omnivorous no matter what any vegetarian says) however.....

Lumps took the words right out of my mouth...
"There's no question that strictly from a health standpoint we'd all be a lot better off eating less meat (red meat especially) and more fruits and vegetables."

Any nutrionist, biologist , doctor or health professional will tell you , we eat WAY too much meat compared to what we should and way too little fruits and veggies (on average). Vegetarian's arent more healthy then people who are necessarily "meat eaters" (steak lovers etc etc, of course they eat veggies but maybe not the best kind). The problem is genetics (predisposition towards certain diseases) and of course how well you take care of yourself. Diet is important but is less of a factor then the above. As well as exercise , you could be the most strict vegetarian and be deficient in certain vitamins complex's etc , or just lazy...and develop any manner of problems. It all comes down to balance ;) always balance. (although im guilty of being mildly carnivorous and lazy myself "insert embarrassed look here").

[maryjanemama]

I'm a veggie, but not always a healthy one. I can tell when I'm not getting enough protien because I will start to bruise easily and get nosebleeds. It's sexy. ;)

On the other hand, if I do eat meat (rarely, but sometimes it happens) I will feel soooo sick afterwards it is not even worth it. I'm too tired right now to click on all of those links, but I'll check them out tomorrow.

[crystal clear pepsi]

true there are other sources oif proteein , but MEAT is the the BEST source of protein u can intake into your body !!

but personally i think certain animals are meant to have their flesh consumbed and i love it , kill those mother fuckers , bleed them dry , gut those bitches grill em , fry em how ever u want and serve that shit up to me

im all about eatin dead cooked animal flesh

how can anyone not like steak and lobster or bacon or burgers lol ?????

[slipnslide087]

im an omnivore. i couldnt live without some big juicy steaks. and fast food.

[Nullific]

Im an omnivore and don't currently have much control over my own diet.
Here is all I need to know about health and nutrition:
http://www.chii.ca/hemp-seed/hempseed.html
http://www.hemptrade.ca/en/public/about-food.ihtml
http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed1.html

[Mojavpa]

there are some kinds of "meat" that really should be eaten very rarely, if ever. This includes anything processed, like pepperoni, sausage, deli cuts, etc. Most of the these products contain nitrates, which have been shown to cause cancer. If you're unsure, just check the ingredients list. eating lean cuts of beef, pork, or chicken wont kill you, although consuming too much red meat might cause stomach cancer.

But really, the problem is that as americans we eat way too much, and everything we eat is fried, so if you eat small portions and eat tons of vegetables and whole grains, eating meat wont kill you.

[Euphoric]

im a vegetarian and im skinnier than most of you flabs thats for sure

[Stedric]

A few years ago I tried to go vegetarian, but my body couldn't handle the diet and I got sick. Now I make a rarity of eating meat in general, especially red meat. From my experience (which of course could be way off) some people can take the veggie diet and some can't.

Meat is also often very unhealthy nowadays because of preservatives and other chemicals. Factory farms mean the constant injection of hormones and antibiotics in an attempt to supress an epedemic (i.e. mad cow disease). Ironically this will more likely lead to an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

[IntrepidS]

It depends. Eating a certain amount of meat is good for you because our bodies need proteins and stuff. But eating too much is bad for you. The trick is to have a balance between everything.

You said it.

[fatty lumps]

I will start to bruise easily and get nosebleeds. It's sexy. ;)



hubba hubba

[NzPoThEaD]

ve been a vegetarian 4 bout 4 years n i just couldnt stand eating meat. n only eat fish n sumtimes chicken if im real drunk or stoned. im supposed 2 b takin iron pills but keep 4gting 2 so ive had anaemia and have fainted heaps, if i miss out half a day of not eating i get real sick n sumtimes start blacking out. so im tryn 2 gt back onto those pills again. so not all vegies r healthy.

[anycraic]

im an omnivore, i have to be because i exercise quite a lot and i need the protein, there is a lot of people that say were not meant to eat meat, which is bullshit, how long would a vegetarian last in the stone age? (before farming of any kind)?
but i digress, these days we do precisely fuck all, sit in or cars or behind desks, we dont need all the protein any more IMO

[hoodedclum]

protien shakes are a good way to substitute meat if you work out, probably cheaper than buying steak too.

[Kombucha]

I'm vegetarian, I'm not dead at least.

People are meant to eat meat, but only in small amounts, and meat like chicken and fish is much better for you than red meat. If you're vegetarian you can get all the nutrients you need from other foods, but you aren't necessarily healthier (although you are definitely healthier than people who can't imagine eating without a big greasy lump of meat involved, and whose vegetable intake consists of potatoes and bugger all else.)

[maryjanemama]

hubba hubba
Smart ass. ;)

Vegetarians taste better, that's for sure...try it, you'll like it.

[kyle]

I think my family eats meat with every supper. Not lunch or anything. But my dads really old fashioned so its usually like, a steak,potatoes,whole wheat bread and like veggies. It gets gross after a while. Personnally I could go with eating a lot less meat, and when I move out I probably will. But I still have to have a big steak or fat-ass greasy cheeseburger. But thats only once in a while. And as far as weight goes, I'm a 14 year old male so I don't have to worry about that to much. But yeah, I work out to. So I don't know if you can really say which side is healthier. It all depends on how well you take care of yourself in general, like my other post said. Balance it all out man!?!!?!?!!?!

[GHoSToKeR]

All the 'good' that you get from meat can be gotten elsewhere. In my experience, vegetarians are healthier. My mom has just stopped eating meat and she's never felt better.

[jacquelyne]

Im not a vegetarian.I hardly eat meat.I hate eating most meat because i have to dissect everything and its cold before ive finished.Sausages are just disgusting.I love SALMON STEAKS .Thats good i think.I love vegies and salad the best.I am as healthy weather i eat meat or not.If i didnt eat any mean i would look disgusting and whiter than i already am and would look like a skeleton YUCK.

[Hektik]

I want a t-bone steak right now :(

[DharmaBum9982]

I'm a vegetarian, I didn't become one for health reasons but it made me more conscious of health issues. At first it was just trying to incorporate enough protein into my diet but then I started thinking about all the things I was putting into myself and the GMO food and such. Now I try to eat as much organic as possible. I don't know if I feel healthier than before because it's hard to compare but personally I feel better about myself.

[Looker]

Well if the vegetarian is outta veggies and theres nothing else whats he gonna do??

He's gonna go omnivorous...thats what...

But in this modern supermarket society that we live in ..probably the vegetarian has the right idea as I dont believe we get the exercise overall as we may have used to.. so for todays world it may be a viable alternative to coronary thrombosis....

It seems very context dependent.....

[sawleaf]

I'm sure being a vegetarian is very healthy, but you can have healthy diets with meat in them as well. A much more important aspect to living healthy is physical exercise! :)

[Edgar]

"but personally i think certain animals are meant to have their flesh consumbed and i love it"
Thats just stupid.

I was a vegetarian(except for dairy and eggs) for 11 years, i was raised that way, but now I eat more meat than i should... I just can't help it =P Its sooo good. Personally the only big health difference I've noticed is weight gain since I started eating meat.

Also I've heard that too much protein is really bad for your liver and kidneys.