I was a vegetarian - but now I'm a happy meat-eater

The Irish Independent ^ | February 18, 2003 | Louis Williams

[jeremiah]

Warning: Vegetarians lives are shorter than meat eaters. Look it up.

[Mamzelle]

Forget politics and religion at the table...people should no longer be allowed to talk about diets at the table!

For those lacking a spiritual life, they gravitate to becoming a Food Nazi. It functions as a kind of religion. You can feel superior to nonbelievers, look forward to eternal (healthy) life, engage in comforting ritual...

[MadIvan]

vegetarian: Primitive word for "lousy hunter"

Well let's not forget, vegetarianism leads to loose bowels, loose bowels lead to cowardice, cowardice leads to socialism. ;)

Regards, Ivan

[tob2]

I have tried to be a vegan but found that my protein needs are higher than offered in a fruit and vegetgable diet. Coupled with the fact that I'm allergic to legumes (soy beans being one with the most protein and peanuts too), a vegan diet is not suitable for me. There are many wonderful and tasty offerings from a vegan menue and I frequently use them. The conflict I had over eating meat is now gone. I do as the Native Americans do, bless the soul of the animal which is contributing to my meal, my shoes, my clothing. While I'm sympathatic with efforts to reduce cruelty to animals, I find the tactics used to force everyone to be a vegetarian nauseating. Life is not "one size fits all". Bullying and terrorism are just that, no matter who does it and no matter what the cause. People should be allowed to choose own their eating plan and given all the information available necessary to make an informed choice. BTW, I have found Burger King's veggie burger lacking. It's soggy, thin and falls apart quickly. Garden burgers from the frozen foods section of the grocery store is much, much better.

[Mamzelle]

Current research is starting to indicate that refined sugar, flour, and other starch-intensives are a real problem in heart disease--and diabetes, an epidemic of type2 diabetes that doesn't seem to worry the public as much as heart disease. I guess heart attacks are sexier than taking insulin. Our bodies were designed to eat and digest complex, fiber-rich carbs and meat. I've lost my weight, am keeping it off, feel great and am never hungry. I cut out the starch and sugars, and added more meat and fat.

[tob2]

You sound too holy, pious and self-righteous about the whole thing.

[lysol@whitehouse]

Makes you stop and think when you learn that many of the most influential and interesting people throughout history have been vegetarian...
Pythagoras, Buddha, Plato, and Plutarch
Dwight Yoakam
Mahatma Gandhi
H.G. Wells
Joe Namath
Leonardo da Vinci
Sir Isaac Newton
Shania Twain
Thomas Edison
Albert Einstein
AND many, many others...this might suggest that a plant based diet may reflect a healthy and virtuous attitude. Doesn't appear to damage the intellect, either ;-)

[William Terrell]

Seems mad to base one's diet on a philosophy rather what one's body needs. To survive, vegans and vegetarians have to use commercial suppliments produced only by a high technology. Vegans are especially vulnerable since they don't eat dairy products and dairy products are necessary, with grains and legumes, to balance the proportions of four essential amino acids needed to make a vegetarian protein. Animal tissue is complete and perfect without hassle or high technology.

Human beings started off hunter/gatherers. Uncovered remains of hunter/gatherers yield strong bones, healthy and complete sets of teeth. Uncovered remains of later agricultural phases yield the opposite.

Every thing known about the human body points to the fact that we are omnivours designed to get our protein from animal muscle tissue. You keep trying to combine those amino acids; I'll use that which is already perfect.

[Tijeras_Slim]

You forgot Hitler.

[P.O.E.]

I LOVE ANIMALS!
THEY'RE DELICIOUS!

Or as a friend once joked: "I'm thinking of becoming a vegetarian. I hate plants!"

[ErnBatavia]

I have to say the best filet mignon I've ever tasted came from Braidwood, NSW in Australia.

On my first trip to Oz, we stopped in Singapore...there they were having a big promotion for Australian beef; then when we got to Perth, all the restaurants were promoting Americanese beef. I remember having a steak at what was then called the Parmelia Hilton, and our waitress was from San Diego. Might as well have gone for Mexican food, I guess.

[driftless]

You may bless the animals all you want. I doubt other carnivorous mammals do. I believe they probably just eat their kills with no extra ceremony. Unless of course you're thanking the critter you're about to eat for being so tasty.

[Petronski]

Adolf Hitler was an avid vegetarian.

[driftless]

and Hitler.

[dennisw]

There have been many societies that had a plant-based diet.
______________________

Probably true but they were not vegetarian. They ate a 90-95% vegetarian diet.

[lysol@whitehouse]

I suggest that the primary nutritional challenge to Americans includes a diet of excessive fats and protein. Seems like I see a lot more deconditioned fat people awaiting heart attacks than ashen faced vegetarians collapsing from meat deprivation. Of course I live in the heart attack center of the U.S., and it is abundantly clear, sad to say.

[capt. norm]

can take Namath off that list unless he just converted in the last couple years.

[GrandMoM]

and it's a pretty pointless article to boot.....who are you to decide what articles are acceptable to post or not? I get really tired of the self appointed directors on FR, it is not up to you to decide. This is an important step in a posters life and if your not interested, go find a thread you are interested in. Why do you feel the need to slam someone?

....I'f you got the grumpies, go back to bed!!!!!

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Vegetarianism never required an "excuse".

Then why do so many vegetarians feel they need to give one?

[lysol@whitehouse]

You challenged "You forgot Hitler". Your example may be erroneous...Dr Richard H Schwartz, author of Judaism and Vegetarianism, pointed out that Hitler would go on the occasional vegetarian binge with the aim of counteracting sweatiness and flatulence. Dione Lucas, a hotel chef in Hamburg before WW2, recalls Hitler several times ordering his favourite dish of stuffed and roasted squab (baby pigeon). My point is not 'all vegetarians are healthy and virtuous'. It is that a vegetarian diet tends to reflect these qualities. There are ALWAYS exceptions; of course you knew that.....