Automatically assume vegetarian is healthier?!
oh and just for the record i eat lean organic meats, plenty of veg and fruit, exercise 4 times a week and im very healthy so how can this be if meat is so unhealthy for you?
Answers: Just curious as to what non one sided information vegetarians have that proves vegetarians are healthier... it was asked yesterday and alot just blindly said yes vegetarians are healthier....when it is not true for either side....let me explain...if you eat either diet but pig out on junk food you will be unhealthy...if you eat well balanced low fat diets for each side you WILL be healthy....so why do so many vegetarians automatically assume that being vegetarian will mean your healthy?? any thoughts??
oh and just for the record i eat lean organic meats, plenty of veg and fruit, exercise 4 times a week and im very healthy so how can this be if meat is so unhealthy for you?
You already answered the question when you said that "... a lot just blindly said yes...".... "when it is not true for either side..".
You will find that the sensible and knowledgeable people will definitely not claim one is better than the other "blindly" because they know that no diet is automatically healthy. The one who posted "blindly" are either too young to know better or are having very good experiences with vegetarianism that they are becoming enthusiastic almost fanatical advocates. And then of course, there are the few mindless idiots that you really just have to ignore.
Of course the same things can be said of some omnis as well.
people shouldn't assume that. vegetarians are not healthy at all. you have to eat meat for iron and protein and all the stuff you need. you cant just eat veggies and take iron tablets thats not healthy. they're always pale becoz they're missing so many vitamins and the things they need.
you're as healthy as can be
as long as you eat a good amount of veg and fruit vegetarians are not healthier
obviously they lack in good quality complete amino acid protein
meat is not unhealthy for you as long as it's not overly salted and you don't have too terribly much of it
i agree that there are a lot of junk food veggies out there. junk food is not healthy. but i fully believe that animal protein is very unhealthy. it sounds as if you do care about your health and so i urge you to pick up "the china study" by t. colin campbell. you might agree with me about animal protein after this enlightening read.
You eat lean organic meats, plenty of veg and fruit, exercise 4 times a week, etc. In other words, you are not the average meat eater. Most meat eaters are far more unhealthy than you, and that's what is on our mind when we say vegetarian diets are better.
Anyone would be wrong you to assume a Vegetarian is healthy. There is plenty of non meat junk food to eat. All it proves is they are compastionate to animals. Or are (incorrectly) assuming no meat=health.
I do not think meat is necessarily unhealthy. I dont eat meat because I am against factory farming. I think the garbage they pump those animals full of IS unhealthy. And I think the way they treat them is very inhumane.
You sound like you have a healthy diet. Would it be better with no meat? Maybe, Ive read that meat proteins can actually leach the calcium out of your bones, and that plant protein is much healthier for you. But im sure thats debatable.
I would recommend switching to organic meat to anyone who hasnt already.
So to answer your question no one should assume just because someone is vegetarian they are healthier, thats just silly.
Do what you feel is right for you. I feel better when I am vegetarian. One thing I won't do is preach to other people about how they should eat.
What you might do is talk to your primary care physician and see what he/she has to say about it.
Its true there are both healthy and unhealthy vegetarians. Both diets can be healthy. As the guy above pointed out, the majority of omnivores are closer to carnivorous. Studies and surveys have been done which show the average us, UK, Aussies consume too much meat. This the over indulgence is what causes many to consider a vegetarian diet to be more healthy. You sound like a healthy omnivore, which is great. But many omnivores are quick to judge veggies n vegans too. They automatically assume we don't get enough protein, lack iron or nutrients, aren't healthy etc. etc. I guess everyone just needs to be a little more open minded.
I do no think vegetarians are healthier by a long shot. They are missing out on valuable sources of iron and protein amongst other things, unless they can source vegetarin subsitudes, but even so the amount will not be as much.
However, over consumption of meat too is not healthy either. There has to be a balance.
We eat fruit, vegetables (Organic sources), meat. Most of our food I cook at home and make from scratch where possible. We rejectthe white flour variety and it's by products, opting instead for wholemeal or wholewheat products. Even the pasta we eat is wholewheat.
We drink, organic unpasteurised full fat milk, which is milk as natural as can be. We do not touch any soy or low fat stuff, simply because we like food to be as natural as possible.
But even so I still would not say that we are healthiest as we also indulge in our sweet tooth from time to time.