I'm not a vegetarian, but I do eat more veggies in comparison to meat. I like them both. However sometimes, for whatever reason, I all of the sudden have a hard time eating anything that has a face...
I eat depending on the urge... supposed to be the healthiest way, listening to what your body craves. Sometimes I go weeks without meat, then I get on a binge of 5-8 lamb chops per dinner for 6 days in a row, or a binge on steaks.
Anything with the word "binge" in it doesn't sound too healthy to me..lol.
I love meat it's good for you. But so are vegetables. You need both on a regular basis to be really healthy. Quality of food is very important too though. In the long run, a vegetarian diet is not beneficial to your health. Although it depends on your definition of "vegetarian" which seems to vary quite a bit.
It somewhat depends on what you are still willing to eat. Such as eggs, fish, etc. It also depends on whether you are taking supplements or not. I assumed no supplements because they can counter deficencies from a strict vegetarian diet.
Animal protein is important if you want to obtain or maintain lean muscle mass, especially if you're exercising as well. The amino acid profile of plant proteins are not very close to that of our muscle tissue. Animal protein, however, it very close. You would have to eat unreasonable amounts of different vegetables, legumes and nuts to get the same effect.
Also, vitamin B12 is only found in animal products.
There are many more examples like that if you do some research.
A lot of the problems are compounded by the type of vegetarian diet you follow. I think some of the worst examples can be found in the U.S. A lot of "vegetarians" substitute meat for processed foods that usually contain high amounts of soy and high fructose corn syrup. Or they turn to sweets and high starch products. It's different in countries like India or Japan where vegetarians usually eat "real meals" with vegetables and legumes. Yet, a balanced diet including meat is still superior.
I love meat but also like veggies and salad. Keep it all in balance and you will be ok. As far as vegitarians go, they always look pasty and hungry to me. Think they are all protein starved--veggies just don't provide all the kinds of protein needed. But if they want to be vegitarian thats fine--just don't act smug and superior about it.
belle26Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England UK1,661 posts
I'm a meat person.....but i can't eat products that contain carbohyrdates...so if i didnt eat meat it would leave me a diet of vegetables, salad and fruit!...
I eat what I feel like, and suffer no guilt because of it. I tend to stay away from red meat and gravitate more toward fish and fowl, but I'm not adverse to a burger when the mood strikes me.
I'm a big fan of fried chicken-lips. You have to eat a lot of them though.
Humans are omnivores, they need meat also for their make-up. I was vegetarian for a year, still want to be veggie but it didn't suit my constitution, I was quite unwell. It doesn't suit everyone..... I'd rather not but I eat the minimum meat I can get away with to be healthy. My dentist told me that they see clear evidence that veggies suffer more gum disease than meat-eaters.
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