Vegetarian diets

eh1eh

Blah Blah Blah
Aug 31, 2006
10,749
103
48
Under a Lone Palm
Sure, a little meat isn't a bad thing.

Well it is in that it's not a lot of meat. Nom Nom steak.

Really though, a balanced diet is the best all round. While a vegetarian diet can be healthful with diligence and monitoring of nutritional intakes it is much better than an actual 'vegan' diet.
 

mabudon

Metal King
Mar 15, 2006
1,339
30
48
Golden Horseshoe, Ontario
lone wolf, your perspicacity is most refreshing :D

JLM, I was indeed going after the tripe that got posted after your initial post, which to me took the basic gist of what you said and turned it into something utterly ridiculous.

I guess I have fairly strong feelings about it for one fairly good reason- in my experience, vegetarian-leaning types will use studies and things to make general points, such as there is a whole lot of research that suggests that overconsumption of red meat can lead to colon/bowel problems, cholesterol issues etc. I fully admit there are PLENTY of vegetarian types that say ridiculous things, but I can't help but notice that the "anti-vegetarian" movement often uses rhetoric like "being vegetarian is going to kill you" and it is never based on anything besides their intensely ill-informed "belief" -and by this I am also including such ominous statements like "I've seen people end up in the hospital from it"- I have no doubt that people can and do cause themselves trouble with dietary choices, but a well-informed person who actually pays attention to what is happening in their body is NOT going to suffer at all if they decide not to consume meat, fish or chicken.

My reasons for not eating animal meat are partly philosophical/religious (I'm basically a super non-practicing Buddhist) partly based on simple math, and totally guided by a whole lot of actual research. The notion that animal flesh is actually required to sustain a perfectly healthy individual appears to me, at least, to be literally 100% false.

This can be proven with fairly simple chemistry, tho it might take me a while to find somewhere online that states it concisely, and it is also likely that such information would be found on a source that would bring accusations of bias (it's actually pretty much guaranteed, since the government agencies controlling certain food-producing industries are not going to admit to such a truth)

Simply put, if you know what your body actually needs, there are many ways to acquire it. The falsehood that vegetable protein is not the same quality as that found is meat is a favourite canard of the "anti-vegetarian" crowd, and that's because at first blush it is sort of true, however it also implies that there's "meat protein" (good) and "veggie protein"(worthless) and that simply is not the case.

There's money to be made in keeping the "meat industry" going- oddly enough it was mostly developed in order to find some way to get rid of surplus grain in the mid 20th century- but honestly the notion that one will suffer in any way simply by not consuming flesh of some kind is patently false.

Again, YES I feel strongly about this subject, and I hope I am making it clear that it's the ignorance of post #3 that set me off, JLM, your post (while I disagree with it) was perfectly reasonable as the beginning of a discussion and I really hope you don't take any of what I am posting here personally
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tonington and AnnaG

AnnaG

Hall of Fame Member
Jul 5, 2009
17,507
117
63
Mab's pretty much on the money. :)
There are basics to nutrition and strictly veggie diets can satisfy all the nutritional values.
Didja know tomatoes were poisonous till about 1810 or thereabouts in some places? roflmao
 

Twila

Nanah Potato
Mar 26, 2003
14,698
73
48
try to eliminate gravy all together

oh, god. Gravy is the only thing that keeps me eating any kind of beef!

If it wasn't for gravy I'd be fully on the veggie wagon. but there is just no subsitute for yorkshire puddings w/ roast beef gravy.

I eat fish, eggs, and cheese. I will have chicken occasionally and roast beef rarely. I wouldn't consider myself a vegetarian for obvious reasons but if I can subsitute tofu or veggy ground round in a recipe I do.

I actually profer veggie ground round in sheppards pie, tacos', and chilli.

I recently read an article that stated if we were eating the same kind of meat as our forefathers were eating, we'd be amazed at the taste difference. I'd agree since the last time I cooked ground beef it reaked! not like it was rancid, but like I had thrown a cows leg in the fry pan. cow ****, mud and all.

chicken rarely tastes good unless you add gravy with lots of spices.
 

eh1eh

Blah Blah Blah
Aug 31, 2006
10,749
103
48
Under a Lone Palm
oh, god. Gravy is the only thing that keeps me eating any kind of beef!

If it wasn't for gravy I'd be fully on the veggie wagon. but there is just no subsitute for yorkshire puddings w/ roast beef gravy.

I eat fish, eggs, and cheese. I will have chicken occasionally and roast beef rarely. I wouldn't consider myself a vegetarian for obvious reasons but if I can subsitute tofu or veggy ground round in a recipe I do.

I actually profer veggie ground round in sheppards pie, tacos', and chilli.

I recently read an article that stated if we were eating the same kind of meat as our forefathers were eating, we'd be amazed at the taste difference. I'd agree since the last time I cooked ground beef it reaked! not like it was rancid, but like I had thrown a cows leg in the fry pan. cow ****, mud and all.

chicken rarely tastes good unless you add gravy with lots of spices.

You need a good butcher. One that ages and prepares the beef properly. I will not by anything like that at big grocery store, most especially hamburger of any sort.
 

AnnaG

Hall of Fame Member
Jul 5, 2009
17,507
117
63
Actually, for the most part, supermarket meat is flavorless. Prime rib beef steak is like a McD's burger pattie in comparison to the taste of an elk steak.
 

talloola

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 14, 2006
19,576
113
63
Vancouver Island
oh, god. Gravy is the only thing that keeps me eating any kind of beef!

If it wasn't for gravy I'd be fully on the veggie wagon. but there is just no subsitute for yorkshire puddings w/ roast beef gravy.

I eat fish, eggs, and cheese. I will have chicken occasionally and roast beef rarely. I wouldn't consider myself a vegetarian for obvious reasons but if I can subsitute tofu or veggy ground round in a recipe I do.

I actually profer veggie ground round in sheppards pie, tacos', and chilli.

I recently read an article that stated if we were eating the same kind of meat as our forefathers were eating, we'd be amazed at the taste difference. I'd agree since the last time I cooked ground beef it reaked! not like it was rancid, but like I had thrown a cows leg in the fry pan. cow ****, mud and all.

chicken rarely tastes good unless you add gravy with lots of spices.

yes, I ate all my meat, chicken with gravy for years and
years, till I got older, then began to study what I was
eating much closer, as I was gaining weight and needed to
make adjustments and gravy was one of the first things to
go. It is very fattening, so I took out many sauces,
gravies, salad dressings, and quite a bit of cheese, so that I
could continue eating all of the other foods that were
healthy and I liked, made a big difference, I also drink
skim milk only, never whole milk, but in my coffee a little
cream, (one cup of coffee a day)

eg. I didn't want to reduce the amount of roast beef, and
didn't have to once I removed the gravy. A little of the
meat juice on the meat keeps it very moist and tasty.

When buying ground beef, I choose extra lean, ground beef,
or ground round, 'never' regular hamburger, that is awful,
and full of fat.

When I buy a hamburger, I have all of the sauces left out, just a
bit of butter on the bun, delicious, with lettuce, tomatoe, raw onion,
and I find the sauce takes away the yummy taste of the actual hamburger,
(and it also doesn't drip all over).

One can find lots of supermarkets with great cuts of meat, and shop with a
fussy attitude, not looking for the cheapest meat one can find.
 
Last edited:

Johnnny

Frontiersman
Jun 8, 2007
9,388
124
63
Third rock from the Sun
I question the benefits of the vegetarian diet and especially the vegan diet, knowing that it's supposedly beneficial to eat as wide a variety of food as possible and also knowing when you eliminate certain foods you are eliminating the benefits obtained from those foods. For instance some fish is an excellent source of selenium, known to guard against heart attack. I think the healthiest diet is one that includes everything albeit some in bigger quantities than others.

if you ever worked with a vegetarian in the bush, you would definately question the benifits of a vegetarian diet
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,677
161
63
Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
All I know is that I tried my first full vegan meal last weekend at my mom's, and while half of it was good and the other half of what I ate tasted horrible.... I was fart'n up a major storm afterwards and crapping myself the rest of the night.

Half the friggin vegan stuff out there for people to eat are more processed then many meat products. One thing we had were Burgers that weren't made from beef but made from Portobello Mushrooms and while they looked like burger paddies, they were so processed, they didn't taste like beef burgers or mushrooms.... just this chemical-plastic flavor with a rubber texture.

Both my wife and I have started to eat a bit more healthier now, and she's been gearing toward more vegetarian meals with little meat except chicken and fish.... but even she was grossed out by that meal and since I'm not one to waste food, I forced myself to finish off what she couldn't eat..... (I have a high tolerance for most things people gag on, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it.)

Anything anybody decides to do is perfectly fine and safe overall.... so long as it's done within moderation. Too much or too little of anything in our lives isn't good.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
29,216
11,038
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
if you ever worked with a vegetarian in the bush, you would definately question the benifits of a vegetarian diet


Johnnny, maybe you've just worked with some lazy people who use their
diet as an excuse to sluff their share of the work off onto others like you?

I have a Friend whom I wouldn't exactly call a vegetarian, but due to some
health issues, she's unable to digest meat from mammals on top of having
Celiac Disease which also limits the choices in her diet.

This Girl still eats all manner of birds & fish, seafood, etc...and can drink
milk and eat cheese. Her diet is predominantly vegetarian though, and she
has an energy level that I can only envy. Her battery just never seems to run
down.
 

AnnaG

Hall of Fame Member
Jul 5, 2009
17,507
117
63
All I know is that I tried my first full vegan meal last weekend at my mom's, and while half of it was good and the other half of what I ate tasted horrible.... I was fart'n up a major storm afterwards and crapping myself the rest of the night.

Half the friggin vegan stuff out there for people to eat are more processed then many meat products. One thing we had were Burgers that weren't made from beef but made from Portobello Mushrooms and while they looked like burger paddies, they were so processed, they didn't taste like beef burgers or mushrooms.... just this chemical-plastic flavor with a rubber texture.

Both my wife and I have started to eat a bit more healthier now, and she's been gearing toward more vegetarian meals with little meat except chicken and fish.... but even she was grossed out by that meal and since I'm not one to waste food, I forced myself to finish off what she couldn't eat..... (I have a high tolerance for most things people gag on, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it.)

Anything anybody decides to do is perfectly fine and safe overall.... so long as it's done within moderation. Too much or too little of anything in our lives isn't good.
mmmmmm Portabello top sauteed in caesar (or ranch) salad dressing and eaten in a sandwich.

Um, if you aren't used to it and ever eat moose or other strong flavored game meat, you'll be belching out the back a lot, too, between runs to the loo. :D
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
if you ever worked with a vegetarian in the bush, you would definately question the benifits of a vegetarian diet

Funny that you mention that, I lived in a Doukabour community for 10 years and found that most of the Doukabour women are vegetarians, but not the men for the reason that many of them have worked in the logging camps and found that on a veg diet they just didn't have the stamina for the work.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
All I know is that I tried my first full vegan meal last weekend at my mom's, and while half of it was good and the other half of what I ate tasted horrible.... I was fart'n up a major storm afterwards and crapping myself the rest of the night.

Half the friggin vegan stuff out there for people to eat are more processed then many meat products. One thing we had were Burgers that weren't made from beef but made from Portobello Mushrooms and while they looked like burger paddies, they were so processed, they didn't taste like beef burgers or mushrooms.... just this chemical-plastic flavor with a rubber texture.

Both my wife and I have started to eat a bit more healthier now, and she's been gearing toward more vegetarian meals with little meat except chicken and fish.... but even she was grossed out by that meal and since I'm not one to waste food, I forced myself to finish off what she couldn't eat..... (I have a high tolerance for most things people gag on, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it.)

Anything anybody decides to do is perfectly fine and safe overall.... so long as it's done within moderation. Too much or too little of anything in our lives isn't good.

Another lovely little treat is that tofu. I've eaten it twice in my life and the last time I had it, it was the worst stuff I've eaten since the first time I tried it. There won't be a third time. Anyone who eats that crap just to avoid meat has to be out of their mind.
 

AnnaG

Hall of Fame Member
Jul 5, 2009
17,507
117
63
Well, this area has a herd of tree planters and a lot of them are veggieheads. I also know it is a pretty grueling job if you want to make money at it.
I guess it's just a matter of opinion. The only demonstrable downside to a veggie diet I've seen so far is that veggie diets lack a bit in the BAT content so body heat regulation is a bit off.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
Well, this area has a herd of tree planters and a lot of them are veggieheads. I also know it is a pretty grueling job if you want to make money at it.
I guess it's just a matter of opinion. The only demonstrable downside to a veggie diet I've seen so far is that veggie diets lack a bit in the BAT content so body heat regulation is a bit off.

Yer talkin' "fat" content right? Or am I stupid?