on being a vegitarian....

[greenwitch]

okay you guys/gals, i need your help on supporting me for trying to this okay? i 'm trying to become a full time vegitarian, and i KNOW FOR A FACT that it's gonna be hard for me. but i really wanna become a full time veggie eater. do you think you can help me on that? thank you if you do plan on helping me!

[Myst]

There is another thread on that here in Just Talk, and there is information in The Greem Room and Healthy Pagan in regards to healthy eating and vegetarianism.

[slovene_gds]

MM~
Hey! I'm a vegetarian.....hopefully I hope to be a fulltime vegan. Vegetarianism is a lot easier than you think!

my AIM name is : AlienChicaFreak

you can also e-mail me: bast_fire4@hotmail.com

I'd love to help you! Always nice to chat!

BB~
Bast

[Rain Warrior]

Our ancestors beleived that by eating your prey you acquire the strenght of it. + Mother Nature has made us what we are-meateaters. I don't know if denying that is good or bad, but I trust it[Nature] to be wise enough, enough to creatre us. So why change it. + You get loads of useful vitamins through meat too. I don't consider eating vitamin pills very natural nor so functional as natural products.

[willowfairy]

Rain Warrior - Perhaps you should read more about being a vergetarian before you claim stuff like that.

[Rain Warrior]

Originally posted by willowfairy
Rain Warrior - Perhaps you should read more about being a vergetarian before you claim stuff like that.

And which place am I wrong. I know- by being a vegetarian you honour life. I do it to, but there are rules of nature as well.
BTW not only animals are alive. Vegetation is alive too. And by eating apple you eat also bacteria arond and in it. Bacteria is a symple life form too.
And what is wrong with my claims.
If you think and have prove that I'm wrong in someplace, please comment.

[willowfairy]

You get whatever protien you need by eating a varied diet. If you are a lacto-ovo vegetatian you still drink milk so there is your b12. And you should still be popping vitamin pills if your a whatever just because you get to make sure you're getting all that good stuff no matter what. I have been taking them all my life (or since when I was able to). Did you know that our intestines aren't made to digest meat? Take cougars, for example. They have a straight digestive track so the meat it takes in will get out of its body before it does any harm. Ours are all curvy and long so it can slowly break down fruits and vegetables. And a lot of heart problems are caused by eating meat. Clogged arteries ring a bell?

[Rain Warrior]

I eat meat with no fat and I eat no burgers.
Only natural.

Best is to cook our national food, shaslik

stay meet in marinade for a day with onions and different other spices, and then put it one a broach and roast on a open fire.
It is a part of midsummer feast too.
ammmmmm I want some, can not wait for summer.

[willowfairy]

I know how you feel. My mom makes this really good kind of cookies for Christmas. Just the smell is tantalizing (sp?).

[StormChaser]

Actually humans are made omnivores, the scientific proof is in the teeth and the placement of our eyes. We have teeth for both grinding and cutting, we have eyes set forward, a characteristic of predaters, our periferal vision however gives us side view, showing that we are not above attack or being eaten.

Eating healthy vs. Eating vegetarian. There are immense differences. What is good for one person may simply NOT be good for another. I can eat carbohydrates.. my best friend should not eat them at all. (Doctors Orders)

The perfect diet for you should be talked about with your doctor, so should a fitness regime. Not everyone needs the same of both.

As for not eating meat and becoming a vegetarian for the purposes of ethics etc.. thats also something your doctor or a dietician can help you with. I know many vegetarians who went veggie and became unhealthy, one case obiese, the other became anemic... and many many have problems in between.

~Storm

[willowfairy]

I hate it when people say you should not be a vegetarian. Be what you want. AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT HARM OTHERS OR YOURSELF, right?

And ~duh~ plants are alive. What, ya want me to feel bad for eating them?

[StormChaser]

Human stomachs are capable of digesting meat, just not the amounts humans DO eat. However if humans continue to eat meat they will evolve the stomach and acids for digesting it.

Total a day you're to have 4 to 9 ounces of meat\poultry\eggs\fish\dry beans\.

Obviously, without eating moo, oink, cluck, glub, etc.. you can manage to eat healthy. Humans are kinda like omniverous birds. They don't need to eat animals if they get the nutrition elsewhere BUT, it is easier and in some cases more beneficial to cut to the chase and down a grilled chicken salad than to count beans and scoops of peanut butter, just as for birds a search for a protien grain is harder in the winter than finding a worm or two.
The afore mentioned example can also be quite less fattening.

I have in the past month done quite a bit to limit my intake on meats in general, opting for dead bird of some kind over other things. I personally have found my attachment to meat based on childhood fears of never eating again, and being denied the ability to eat meat or sweets for that matter regularly.

I haven't seen anyone say *yet* that becoming a vegetarian is a bad idea. They have voiced health concerns and things to be aware of in changing your diet.

Ooh, another thing. Try not to make drastic changes to your diet, they can often be more detrimental, and harder to keep up with than a gradual change.

~Storm.

[talamh]

Maybe you might want to do a little research into what happens to meat on the way to your supermarkey shelves. Mostly the animals are raised in cramped and unnatural factory farm conditions and fed food laden with hormones and antibiotics to make them grow faster and get to market sooner, thus costing the "producer' less money.

Then they are killed in fear and pain and processed in conditions that are frequently unhealthy and even unsanitary. Because of the overuse of antibiotics and the lack of inspection that leads to unsanitary conditions, the meat is vulnerable to bacteria in a way it wasn't as much as 30 years ago.

Do you know that 100 per cent of top grade chicken in today's supermarket has salmonella and the only way to make sure it's safe to eat is to cook it very thoroughly? Yes... 100 per cent. eeewwwwwwww!

And all of this doesn't even get into the threat that factory farms pose to water.... thousands of animals all concentrated in one place produce a lot of manure which farmers usually get rid of by spreading on fields which can't absorb that high a concentration so the manure washes into streams or down old wells and contaminates the water tables deep in the earth.

There are many many more concerns about the negative implications of the meat industry.... but you can also find lots of literature out there that says everything is hunky-dory.. usually from research sponsored by the meat industry...

But one issue that is really troubling is that with all the government cut-backs... there are so few meat inspectors any more that the regulations that are supposed to protect the consumer are simply not enforced.

But ultimately... everyone makes his or her own choice based on what information you chose to accept. bb talamh

[Myst]

If you're worried about the treatment of animals buy organic or find a farm in the country and buy from them. Get your meat from a farmer or butcher you know too, and you don't have to worry about what people try to tell you about "animals dying in pain" (which is crap IMHO anyway).

willow has made a funny point about plants too tho. You think animals have it bad, imagine the poor plants that get ripped off and torn apart, poor guys! I can hear my celery screaming. Agh! :D

[talamh]

Myst - there are no organic farms in my neck of the woods. The best that can be found allows chickens free range but still feeds them commercial feed that has antibiotics and hormones... and raising animals myself is not an option although i really would like to do it if i could.

And yes, i do understand from my own experience that plants are living, sentient beings although their form of sentient is different from that of humans. That is why i always ask before i harvest any veggies from the field.. and thank the plant and creation for the gift... and leave tangible evidence of my thanks. And when i do have to buy commercial supermarket veggies, i also thank the veggie and ask blessing as i prepare it. Life and death are so intertwined... we can not have one without the other. Nor can we avoid death. i really believe a great part of the problem with contemporary western society is that we try so hard to deny the existance and presence of death. bb talamh

[nordstjarnan]

I want to comment I my own reasons for being vegetarian. I have no
problem with the idea of eating meat. Hunting and killing for food may not
be pleasant, but it is part of the natural rhythm of life. I do, however, think that raising animals specifically for food, keeping them packed in tiny cages,
and pumping them full of all sorts of anti-biotics is not part of the natural
rhythm of life. I think that by doing this, we are essentially removing ourselves from the ecosystem and from the cycle of life and death. I think we owe a certain respect to the animals (and plants) who give their lives to sustain us. Raising and slaughtering animals in this way turns them into objects for our use, rather than living beings.

I would have no qualms with eating meat hunted in the wild, out
of necessity. I don't even think I'd have issues with eating meat raised on a small, free-range, organic farm (even eating this meat just cuz it tastes good, rather than out of necessity). At this point, I don't eat any meat because "acceptible" would form such a small part of my diet that it is simply not worth the effort. Moreover, I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, and I've simply lost any desire to eat meat.

Nordstjarnan

[StormChaser]

Totally, I am in 100% agreement to everything nordsjtarnan
has said. These are some of the most VALID concerns for being a vegetarian I have ever heard. In fact if most of society converted to vegetarianism a lot more would be being done to save the earth.

[Rain Warrior]

I see your problems Storm Chaser and nordstjarnan and understand you clearly.
However in my country the situation is different. Here it is very easy to go about country and fing a nice looking natural farm and buy meet, milk, eggs and other products "au natural" from them. Because a lot of our farmers are poor, thay can not allow to buy expensive "steroids" for their herd. They give them only that what they grow. Ofcourse there are also many big farms, where they import food for animals, but how I said you have got to look.
My grandfather is a hunter so I frequently got wild boars and deer from him. [he's dead now, but I don't speak of any person in the past tense, if he is alive in my mind]
So I enjoy living here, where paganism is not a dead religion and it has practically not changed over centuries. And food is natural and nature is beautiful. The biggest problems in our country are social ones, but thts another topic.
May Laima give you good luck and a chance to try a roasted wild boar!

[tube527]

I'm a full time veggie eater, and I have been for about a year now. I tried to wean myself off of meat...first I cut out all red meat and then went cold turkey after about a month. I find I feel a lot healthier and happier. My friends make fun of me sometimes, but it's all in good fun. Good luck, and it is a lot easier than you think!!!
BB,
Tube

[StormChaser]

When your dedicated, ANYTHING is easy if you have the will power and the desire.

I know people who have been hardcore drug users and quit cold turkey, 20 years later are still clean.. they found the reason, the desire. If they can do that, you can cut meat..

It's all inside!

[tube527]

I completely agree w/stormchaser....it is a matter of willpower.....just one word of advice when it comes to health. If you do decide to become a vegitarian, make sure you still get all the vitamins and minerals you need. I take (or should I say try to take :-) ) 4 vitamins a day and I also have a protein drink that I drink!

[Myst]

Originally posted by talamh anEiac
Myst - there are no organic farms in my neck of the woods. The best that can be found allows chickens free range but still feeds them commercial feed that has antibiotics and hormones... and raising animals myself is not an option although i really would like to do it if i could.

Look in the supermarket.

[willowfairy]

I don't have any desire to eat meat anymore either. And I don't care if you eat meat or not. There are very few vegetarians around here (where I live). Eating meat is pretty much natural.

Note to some of you people: it's Vegetarian.

[Lunamoth]

.....I have read Greenwitch's post over and over and over and I can't find the part where an opinion of vegetarianism vs. omnivorism was asked for. Maybe I'm missing something.

Greenwitch - you've received advice to talk to your doctor about your diet and that's good advice. I'd also add to that, get a good veg cookbook to work from, such as those found at rodalestore.com or the hundreds at Amazon. Many will give you a rundown of the types of things you'll need to keep on hand to suppliment what you'd otherwise be getting from meats. And someone else already said it but I'll say it again: don't try to do this all in one shot. Believe me when I tell you, your body doesn't much like it when you suddenly deprive it of something it's used to having. Been there, done that, not my fault.

Blessings and much luck to you,
Lunamoth

[Lucidia]

oh man. this is SOOOO FUNNY.

first of all, if we weren't supposed to eat meat, then why on earth is it SOOOOO hard to stop once you've started?

secondly... why do MOST people's digestive systems go completely out of wack when they stop/start eating meat?

thirdly, i agree with the whole teeth/omnivore thing. Herbivores have FLAT teeth.

also, our digestive systems are long BECAUSE it takes SO LONG for meat to digest. and as mentioned, we eat TOO MUCH meat which is why it causes problems. plants are digested quickly.

as far as ethical reasons, i'm a survivalist in this matter. So like... it's YOUR perogitave if you want to DIE instead of eat an animal. In that situation, MORE FOR ME!!! some people may say "oh they mistreat their animals or give them hormones blah blah blah" I suggest you stop eating EVERYTHING because they chemically treat water, and there are pesticides on everything that grows, and if you can find "organic pesticide free" plants, i'm damn sure you can find "hormone free/anitbiotic free" meat.

I agree fully with the fact that plants are alive too. Just cause they don't run around, doesn't mean that they dont' feel pain. in fact there have been studies that prove that plants have very primitive, but still present, NERVES. nerves = pain.

Now i dont' tell anyone what to do. It's YOUR choice. However, dont' start pushing all that health stuff on everyone. If humans weren't able to survive without vitamin suppliements, then we wouldn't have lived this long. The whole point is that in modern society, the majority of peple eat for PLEASURE rather than NECESSITY. sure maybe YOU, or YOU, or YOU dont' do that, but the fast food industry proves my point. There wouldn't a billion MCdonalds if people weren't eating for pleasure or convenience rather than health reasons. The average "extra value meal" at McDonalds is probably MORE caloric intake than an average sized person needs in a day!!! I'm pretty much an average sized female (5'6", about 145lbs), and i only need about 1600 calories a day. A super size french fries at McDonalds is about 500-600 calories. That's just the fries. If i eat the whole meal, I"ll probably end up eating about 1400 calories. This is the kind of food 90% of people i know eat ALL THE TIME. Yeah, you should take vitamins then. NO ONE, veggie or not, that i know, really eats correctly.

I'm ranting, so let me make my point.

I hadn't eaten meat since i was 2 1/2 years old. I started trying to eat meat about two years ago. I really didn't eat much. now i occasionally eat fish, but it has to be majorly processed.

I get sick constantly (not seriously, but little upper respitory infections are annoying), I probably would have been taller if i had eaten meat though my childhood too. My blood pressure is all wierd (not because of any family traits either), and my hair and nails aren't really super strong (although they aren't brittle either). I find it IRONIC, that gelatin (an animal byproduct, yeah.. good old JELLO dessert is made from animal bones and skin), makes your joints, hair, and nails stronger. But gee... i guess those things aren't important.

I'd also like to note that i'm 20, and getting arthritis, because my joints are weakened from lack of the right stuff in my diet.

Unfortunately, i'm really picky about food. The texture of most meat makes me gag, so i can't eat it. Fish is okay, because in certain forms (like fish sticks, or those little fish patties) are sort of like shredded potato stuff (to me at least). However, I think this thread has gone horribly off topic (i am guilty here too).

Everything i said is my PERSONAL OPINION, except where i noted scientific facts. And you dont' have to believe me. i dont' actually care.

as far as the point of the original thread, if you KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE HARD, then you have a self defeatest attitude.

The reason it was hard for me to quit smoking was because i kept SAYING i couldn't do it. i kept SAYING i needed a ciggarette.

if you don't want to eat meat, then don't. Just make sure you talk to a nutritionist or a doctor first, because you need to take a bunch of suppliments, and change your diet to include things you may not already be eating to replace the missing stuff you were getting from meat. don't make the mistakes that i, and many other people made.

sorry if i offended anyone, but from the lifetime of experience as a vegitarian i've had, I'm totally sick of hearing people argue about it.

[Lucidia]

by the way:

many ESSENTIAL vitamins and stuff in pills are ANIMAL DERIVIED.

and gelatin... is in A LOT of stuff.

so stay away from like... a LOT of desserts (including many cookies, cakes, fruit stuff, jellies and jams, candies, etc).

there are just certain things that can ONLY be found in animal proteins and stuff. You CAN live without them, but you will never be AS healthy as someone with a fully balanced omnivorious diet (even if you dont' directly eat meat, you probably will end up needing something FROM an animal to be really healthy, like... a LOT of vitamin E is derived from animal oils.... AND... gelatin is ONLY made from animal products.... you can get similar products from fruit pectin, but fruit pectin doesn't strength your joints or nails or stuff).

disaggree all you want. i really don't care. i'm not telling you that you are right or wrong or anything. i'm just talking from personal experience.

in general, being a vegetarian isn't healthy at all. personally, if wasn't a "lacto-ovo" one, i'd probably be anemic or something. now as a semi-vegitarian (eating fish moves me into that catagory, but i still dont' eat red meat yet), at least i'm occasioanlly getting actual protein. Eggs are full of choloesterol, and i hate beans, so what other choices do i really have?

oh, and if you are not eating animals for ethical reasons.. then dont' drink milk. ever. they put those cows through more discomfort getting milk, and they MUST (for health reasons on OUR side) treat it so that it's not full of bacteria and stuff.

also, please dont' become a psycho-veggie that goes around attempting to change the world. let peole do what they want. don't try and gross people out by saying nasty things at the dinner table. That's just plain rude and obnoxious. if you MUST discuss it, please do it, realizing that people will probably get angry at you, and some won't even speak to you anymore. food is a touchy subject, and trying to push your morals on people is tantamount to religiously preaching, if you ask me. and you probably don't like it when people tell you that YOUR beliefs are wrong.. right?

anyway, that's it. have a nice day

[willowfairy]

I don't care what people eat anymore. It's your choice. If you don't want to eat sugar, don't eat sugar. If you don't want to eat broccoli, don't eat broccoli. If you don't want to eat meat, don't eat meat.

[StormChaser]

But.. Butt..

How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?

[StormChaser]

Veggies: You can say disgusting things about food at my table..
it's not like anything i cook is digestable, or even masticatable anyway

*Roar of laughter*

oooh I do amuse myself.

Scuse me.. i think my only childs syndrom is showing.

[Fairygirl]

I am a vegan. I have been so for several months. I am only 15, and I find that a vegan diet is much helthier than a diet with meat. I simply believe that torturing other beings to satisfy my taste buds is wrong, plain and simple. Animals who are slaughtered for food are in pain before they die, as would anyother animal, being killed is painful. I don't really need to take vitamin supplements, all the vitamins and minerals i need are found in the plants that I eat. I find that most of you people are very ill informed on the subject. First of all, protein is in everything you eat, and most people get way more protein than they need. You only need between 40 and 50g a day. All of the essential vitamins are found in plants and fortified cerals. As for meat, it is extremely unhelathy. Vegans have no chance of having a fatal heartatack, because they dont injest colestorol. They have a 40% less chance of getting most cancers, and also dont eat harmful antibiotics found in meat. I think you people really need to read up on the subject and stop making uninformed excuses for your eating habits.

[Rain Warrior]

All I know is tht I get my strenght from meat.
It is also a part of my beleifs
And you can't get all the vitamins only from plants.
I can assure you that in meat there are vitamins tht are not met in plants.
Hearth attack? you need not overeat or eat hamburgers and all will be allright. I eat meat and I feel perfect.
But different people have different organisms, so what may be good for me might not be for you.

And if you are 15. don't start a vegan diet. Wait for when you are about 20, when your organism has fully formed. You might ruin your health.
Or If you are perfectly sure it is right for you, I can't and don't need to stop you. Here's just my advice.
Consult your doctor about being a vegan and he might tell you how to get the best out of it.

[Lucidia]

i've decided it's not worth arguing with people that aren't going to listen.

[willowfairy]

Well said Lucinda. I agree -- millions of people don't get enough of their vitamins and minerals and all of that good stuff.

I would also like to annonce that today is my 4th month of vegetarianism. :)

[aquinnah]

wow - things can get hot even in a vegetarian thread. I am speaking from my own personal experience and the knowledge gained from being meat free for almost twenty years. It is possible to get all the protein, complex carbs, minerals and vitamins one needs from a vegetarian diet. It it easier to do so as a lacto-ovo vegetarian than vegan. Neither meat eaters or veggies are immune from poor eating habits. One can eat nothing but meat-free junk food, white bread, white rice and canned vegetables and be considered vegetarian, but probably not all that healthy or satisfied. The key for me was to learn to cook for myself from good vegetarian cookbooks, like Laurel's Kitchen, Moosewood Cookbook, and even magazines like Vegetarian Times. There is an enormous amount of material on the web - type "vegetarian recipes" into a search engine and surf away. It was my experience that delving into ethnic cuisines like Mexican, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Indian provided a wealth of dishes to try that were delicious and nourishing. Try new foods - tofu can be made into a delicious chocolate mousse. I have fed it to die-hard meat-eating soyphobic carnivores who thought they were eating heavy cream and egg yolks! (seriously, check for food allergies first);) I have won over more meat eaters with my cooking than with arguing.

[willowfairy]

We have been looking for some really good vegetarian cookbooks. Thanx for the reference. :)

[aquinnah]

P.S. - An unhealthy diet, meat-based or otherwise, will lead to an unhealthy person. I'm not sure where you get your nutrition info, Lucidia, but it's my understanding that protein deficiency is not a common problem in North America.

[willowfairy]

But we're not speaking North America, we're speaking all around the world. (I think)

[Rain Warrior]

I'm not from US and I'm happy about that.

Vegetarian. Can we get finally clear

Is being a vegetarian bad
Is being a vegan bad
Is being a "carnivore" :) bad

And is it good or bad for health or it is just moral princips.

[aquinnah]

Willowfairy -
Laurel's Kitchen is basic, American-style homecooking, sometimes labor intensive. Anything by Mollie Katzen (Moosewood Cookbook, Still Life with Menu, etc....) or the Moosewood Collective (Sundays at Moosewood) are good. One of my faves right now is Didi Emmons' Vegetarian Planet - lots of ethnic stuff. Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian cookbook has recipes from Africa to China, with every country in between represented. Most of the world cooks with meat as a condiment - it's too expensive to be the main focus of every meal. Eat well and be happy -

[aquinnah]

Rain warrior - I don't think any of those choices are "bad" for the human if they eat a varied, healthy diet. Eating meat is bad for the animal. I make my choices based on what works for me. If I lived in a traditional society like yours my choice might be different. Does your diet also include vegetables, breads, and cheeses made locally? I might need some recipes - I've never cooked Latvian!!!:p

[Rain Warrior]

I'm only 17, which means tht I don't cook so good.
But Latvians are famous for their baked salmon, cheese with caraway seeds(ancient Latvian food an obvious part of mid=summer celebration Ligo), beer-best in the world(so say Americans, Polish and even one German I know. If you live in Europe or now a Latvian pub nearly[I know there are such in NY and Washington] ask for Aldaris beer. [ i do not use alchocol, but about tht best say also ALL Latvians ) I know(even my father and taekwo'-do trainer, so it must be true]
About tht locally- I live in a city and we(family usually don't have time to make cheese and bread at home) But we buy products from country in market(open place not supermarket) and make food from them. We also are famous for our soured cucumbers.
Recepies- I duno if we have any particular cook books but I will look for thm.

[StormChaser]

First off: FairyGirl
Yep, your getting flamed at. And in some ways this is a good thing.

Have you talked to a doctor or a dietician about the NEGATIVE side effects to starting a vegan life style this early in your developement process? There is a LOT to be concerned about regarding such a regimented diet for someone of such a young age. I cannot even BEGIN to scratch the surface of the positive negative outcomes of this. But to list a few:

Girls who start dieting\changing thier diet at your age are very likely to develope serious eating disorders, hinder physical developement, and also can suffer problems in older age with osteoperosis. Many vegans and vegetarians do suffer from iron deficiency.. ie: anemia. without vitamins.
Really it is a VERY good idea to talk to a doctor about changing your lifestyle this much. It could be good, he\she could have recommendations for not eating meat and still being healthy.

If you don't eat meat do to ethical reasons, I would like you to consider how many things you wear, and use, daily that are made from animal parts.



Lucidia: there is more calcium in a head of broccoli than in a glass of milk. I understand your argument, and for the most part, I agree.

RainWarrior:I understand your arguement too. Spiritually I see nothing wrong with eating animals. And I do agree, as prior stated, seeing a docter is a good idea.

Links and addressing general health concerns:
Becoming Vegetarian. If i could ask you all to really read any of these, this would be that link. You'll need adobe acrobat reader.
http://www.acsh.org/publications/booklets/vegetarian.pdf
Vegan:http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/vegan/vegan.html

General Diet info
http://www.ems.uq.edu.au/health/diet.htm
...for Teenagers: http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/adolescent/adolescentproblems/weightmanagement.html



Vegan Teenagers : http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm
http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/nutrimed/healthykids/vegan.html
Vegetarian Teenagers: http://npin.org/pnews/1998/pnew498/pnew498d.html
http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1680.51104


Vegetarian and Vegan Diets
http://wiredheart.hispeed.com/vegan2.html

Vegan and Vegetarian Diets For Kids\Babies:
IT IS possible to do this healthily.
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/vegetarian_diets.html
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/treatmentguides/veganchildren.html

Heart Attacks can be caused by several things, cholesteral is just one cause.
http://www.focusondiabetes.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=379&rd=1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/heart/
Some Cancer\Dietary Info: http://www.aicr.org/newshome.htm

Anemia:
& Vegan\veggie :http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

Antibiotics: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-000084101oct22.column?coll=la-headlines-health
http://www.whas.com.au/olive.shtml
http://www.keepnatural.org/risksbenefits.html

I would like you to keep in mind regarding antibiotics: My bf has chronic lyme disease. His choices were heavy dosage of antibiotics and run the risks.. or meeting an early grave.

Take everything with a grain of salt. I did not see the need of finding information for omnivores really as it is generally accepted that they CAN maintain healthy diets.

Remember that a healthy diet is a personalized diet. It caters to the needs of ONE. Your doctor should always be told about diet changes so they have a better idea about what to watch for, and what to recommend.

A drastic and sudden diet change does have negative side effects, so take it easy in your change, don't rush things.

~Storm

[willowfairy]

I checked out some of those links, Storm Chaser. Lots of good info.

[beatleshippie]

i'm a vegetarian personally i'ts the best thing i've ever done and i'm very proud of the way i eat :boing:

[Myst]

Let's try not saying that people are stupid and ignorant because they disagree, k? I'm sure people here have done their research and are capable of making their own decisions without being made to feel inferior. Let's keep in mind in this discussion that everyone has their own opinion and done their own research, and at MW everyone's path and belief is to be respected.

Let me summarize for you, I worked at a vet clinic that catered to farms for about 4 years, my dad is a butcher and has been since before I was born, and most of my family and my in laws are farmers. I actually do have some idea of the medications animals are given and how they are slaughtered. So yes I'm going to have a different opinion then most of you who are just going by your PETA flyer. My dad is also a diabetic with heart problems so I've spoken to doctors about healthy diets. As someone here said, a healthy diet is tailored to individual needs, not prescribed by someone who has no idea about another person's health or medical history. Also let's keep in mind that doctor's often suggest that EVERYONE take a multivitamin because almost no one can always get all their vitamins and minerals, whether they're vegan or not.

[dragonmagic64]

:evilway:
I was a Veggie for 4 1/2 years.
I fell away from the veggie way for about 3 years. I never started eatting a lot of beef , chicken and fish mostly. After I always felt sick though , not psychologically , but physically. I have heard that humans can lose an enzyme that adds in the digestion of meats, I don't know if this is true or not. I have become a veggie again, although not a vegan. Milk , honey , and although it goes against my way of meditation (eggs) bad bad dragonmagic :flamer: hee hee hee . this seems to give me all the protien I need , tofu is a great source and well as spiralena(:confused::),did I spell that right?, got to get use to that taste:bug: though. :boing:
I have met people though that really get sick :sick:if they don't eat meat. It must be some kind of cat Karma???? I don't get it, everything I know of nutrision suggests that we as humans don't really need meat. But then we are far more complicated then a text book. :bubbles:

[maythen]

If you want to eat meat, eat meat. If you don't want to eat meat, then don't. Your body will tell you if it needs something or has too much of something. All you have to do is listen.

I've been a vegetarian for 15 years. I was not a healthy veg in the beginning, but I certainly wasn't a healthy carnivore before that either.

I try to not discuss my diet with carnivores very often. When it does come up, I usually get one of two responses. They'll say that they don't eat that much meat and they know it's not good for them blah blah blah. To this I say,"I'm not the food police. Eat what you want." Or they lecture me about how bad a vegetarian diet is and how I'm depriving my body(these people are usually drastically overweight and always complaining about their health problems). To them I ask,"Who are you the food police? Why are you giving me grief?"

Eat well. Be happy. Let others do the same.