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I fully respect your decision to be a carnivore. As I said, my children are carnivores, and I serve meat to them.

I take vitamin and mineral suppliments; if I didn't, I would probably develop a nutritional disorder. On the other hand, red meat (beef, pork, lamb, et al.) predisposes us to arteriosclerosis. Fish does not. Poultry, without the skin, does not significantly.

And as I have said, if someone invites me to dinner and serves meat--and I can't avoid eating it without being unkind to host and hostess, I eat it with gratitude.

My mother, who was a slave to convention and nutty in other ways as well, was a closet vegetarian. She wouldn't discuss it, let alone admit it. But she never managed to eat meat. She was horrified if I deviated in any way from what she considered the norm. She had a pet lamb when she was a child, and I infer that it met a horrible death (I think it fell in a fire or something like that). She was particularly horrified at the thought of eating lamb. She NEVER served it in our house--I noticed.

I stopped eating meat in medical school because of arteriosclerosis. Sometime after that, I started feeling sorry for the animals. And after a while, I lost all taste for meat.

It's an inconvenience, but that's all it is.

My wife and I prepare terrific veg. meals, and good wine makes up for anything that could be lacking.

I'm in a weird mood today too. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have raised this issue.

I have lots of respect for my friends here on FR. These are some of the most intelligent, clever, well educated, and open minded people on the planet.

“I take vitamin and mineral suppliments; if I didn’t, I would probably develop a nutritional disorder. On the other hand, red meat (beef, pork, lamb, et al.) predisposes us to arteriosclerosis. Fish does not. Poultry, without the skin, does not significantly.”

Well...red meat in the form of venison, elk, moose, caribou, bison and so on is substantially less fatty than pork, beef etc. So, another point in favor of wild game. Hormone and antibiotic free to boot.

For me, until human life extension provides vigorous, healthy life beyond 70, I won’t mince the difference between a 70 year life and a 90 year life. Further, I’d suggest that stress and worry are more adverse factors than diet. For most people I’d say that relaxing and enjoying life to the fullest beats stressing about health factors, overall. Quality of life and all that. ;-)

At any rate, thanks for an interesting conversation. I agree that the folks here at FR are generally a cut above the usual Internet fare.