Vegetarian for 4 year - my doctor advises me to eat meat. Is there a meat that is killed humanely?!
I need to eat the meat because of allergies to certain other foods that work as a supplement
I've already been taking supplement pills and my doctor still strongly advises I eat meat.
Answers:
Hi, I'm very sorry, This must be really hard for you.
If you buy free-range, organic meat then at least you can feel it didn't suffer as much as a factory farmed animal. You can possibly go to your local butcher who will probably be in a better position than a supermarket to tell you about the source of the meat.
I hope you manage to get healthy and try not to feel bad about this; it's not your decision.
X
Most doctors are not that up to date on the latest research ( and by latest I mean last thirty to forty years) in nutrition and most in school now are still being taught knowledge from forty years ago. The four food groups is a bunch of crap and it's been well proven and researched that a plant strong diet is not only healthiest but able to not only prevent but also reverse many diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes (both types). There is a small chance that you might need meat in your diet because you have other medical needs that make this necessary. One such issue is malabsorption of protein, in which you would benefit from eating meat because your body would need massive amounts of protein just to get your daily needs. Without knowing your specific medical history it would be hard to make any assumptions about this. However, this is RARE and most people would be better off on a healthy, balanced vegan or vegetarian diet. Find a doctor who specializes in integrating a plant based nutrition approach and get a second opinion. The only two vitamins that are difficult to get in a vegetarian diet are vitamin d and B12. Your body can make Vit but most of us don't get enough sunlight in the day to make enough on our own, and recent research suggests we need more than previously recommended. B12 is (VERY!!!) essential and the only naturally occurring source in plants is in sea algae. I doubt you eat sea algae every day :) however, b12 is easily absorbed as either a supplement or in one cup of fortified soy milk. That's all you need to get your daily recommended amount. I think you also need to go to your original docent ask what was lacking in your diet before. Most other vitamins are readily found in other vegetable sources. If you have food allergy issues, you can probably find many other sources of whatever you are lacking in veggies. If you have food allergies, it has been proven as well that allergies can also be improved through a plant based diet. If you want a good read and good ammo for your doc, read The China Study.
Joel Fuhrman, Neal Barnard, Caldwell esselstyn, John Robbins, t. Colin Campbell.
I would get a second opinion or really try to improve your diet by researching, find new recipes and possibly taking some supplements if you are really that unhealthy.
There is NO meat that doesn't have to be killed, and killed horribly.
I think your doctor is anti-veg. Make an appointment with a nutritionist because doctors aren't really there to advise you on how to improve your diet. That's why there are nutritionists.
I suggest you find another doctor. It sounds like your doctor is biased. I'm veg while also being gluten free. My sister is vegetarian and she is highly allergic to nuts, eggs, and milk. Although she has a very restrictive diet, she gets a variety of foods and is extremely healthy and athletic. My point is that, unless you are allergic to all plant sources of protein (which is impossible) then you can definitely be veg! Just find a better doctor :)
Veg
Foods don't work as a supplement. They are food. Supplements are supplements-- to supplement food. If your philosophy is to not eat meat, ask your doctor what specifically he is telling you to eat meat for, and then seek other foods with those things in them. Food has carbohydrates, amino acids (protein), fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. Ask your doctor what specifically of these he wants you to get from meat that you cannot get elsewhere, and why. If he/she cannot answer you adequately, you need to find someone who knows more about nutrition, Unless your doctor specialized in nutrition, you're better off taking your doctor's concerns-- and yours-- to a registered dietitian who has made a life of studying nutrition-- not pharmaceuticals and surgery.
I have been vegetarian or vegan for decades with no health problems. I once went to a doctor for a checkup and they told me I need to eat meat, when I told them I was vegetarian. I asked what specifically is the problem. They said I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me. Well why would I change my diet based on that? I was healthy... and still am healthy. (with a different doctor) I showed the first doctor everything I was eating, and challenged them to show me where I was deficient. They could not do it. What are you allergic to?
First of all, doctor are usually ignorant about good nutrition. A vegetarian diet is the healthiest there is, but often meat eaters (including medical meat eaters) feel threatened by vegetarians so they put pressure on them to eat meat. (I am a meat eater myself).
I think you need advice from a proper nutritionist. If you live in the UK, don't go anywhere near an NHS dietician - they will definitely make sure you eat food that makes you ill.
To have a well balanced vegetarian meal you need to eat a grain with a legume, e.g. rice with peas. I find it hard to believe you are allergic to all vegetarian options.
For what reasons? To be honest, regular physicians aren't very educated in nutrition. That's why we have nutritionists and dietitians. Your doctor probably had no idea what else to say, so he just said "just eat meat".
I'd visit a nutritionist and see if you're lacking any nutrients, and how you can receive them without meat. There are no nutrients that only meat can supply.
Learn more about humane slaughter here: http://spiritofhumane.com/
If you purchase meat that is certified halal or kosher, there are different regulations that must be met in order to have the most humane slaughter process. Also if you purchase meat from small local farms where the animals are raised properly and slaughtered in a humane fashion, it's far different than the meat packing plant process given to most meat sold in chain grocery stores.
Why's he advising that? If you're deficient in something specific, there may be other ways of satisfying that requirement.
Doctors aren't necessarily dieticians; it could be standard advice which that particular doctor trots out to everyone, I've heard similar stories from other people. I think I'd want a second opinion at least.
I agree with others that it might be worthwhile to seek a second opinion, but meanwhile, the most humane meat you're going to get is from "grass-fed" beef, bison, and lamb, and "pastured" pork and poultry. The term "free range" is not regulated, so it's essentially meaningless.
Some grass-fed bison producers shoot their bison in the pasture and have them dressed and inspected on the spot - that's about as humane and low stress as you're going to get. Wild Idea Buffalo is one ranch I know of that does it this way: http://wildideabuffalo.com/
For more sources of grassfed/pastured meat, check out the following sites:
http://www.eatwild.com/
http://www.localharvest.org/
http://www.americangrassfed.org/
http://apppa.org/
Is your doctor well informed on the subject? He can be an expert in any and every field of modern medicine, but in this age where there's a "Pill for every ill", I wouldn't trust what a doctor has to offer. He may be looking out for me, but good health leads to staff and salary cuts.
Food Matters (Film)
i think that your health means more to you than an animal's health so just eat normal meat from your grocery store and don't worry about it so much
if you cared about animals more than yourself you wouldn't give up vegetarianism...
as for humane meat, that depends on your view of humane
No offense, but your doctor is a moron.
Seek a dietitian that specializes in vegetarianism.
What foods are you allergic to? And what vitamins/minerals are you worried about?
I've researched a LOT on vegetarian/vegan nutrition, I might be able to help?
For humane meats you basically have three options:
-look for a local family farm where you can see the conditions in which the animals live (a local butcher would probably be able so help, as someone said)
-find somebody who hunts (if you don't know them already) and offer to buy meat from them
-order online from a grass-feeding, organic, free-range ranch/company
http://www.hearstranch.com/about/process
http://www.grasslandbeef.com/Page.bok?fi…
The first option is much more reliable, as people could basically write anything they want and take random pictures of anyone's cattle.
I don't believe anything just labeled 'free range' in grocery stores is actually humane- there are no standards for labeling that.
As a long standing pork and poultry producer I am appalled at the misinformation that seems to be so abundant as to the raising and slaughter of animals for meat. You are misinformed and misguided. As an added thought, once the animal is dead it is DEAD, eat it.
Best to go out and hunt your own.
deer are pretty easy to take down.
The absolute ignorance of animal husbandry is mind boggling. Animals are NOT in pain so you can eat them (or not). Stressed animals (and I think you'll agree that if an animal is in pain, it's stressed) do not gain weigh efficiently, they do not reproduce efficiently and their meat is lower quality meat than calm, well managed animals. Why in the world would any reasonable person hurt their own financial interests by hurting their animals?
In the US, animals for human consumption are killed in the most humane manner possible. it's the Federal law. The USDA has inspectors in all packing plants to ensure that law is enforced.
On the other hand, there are no inspectors at all in the fields where mice, bunny rabbits, ground nesting birds, etc, are killed (not humanely) in the bowels of heavy farming Equipment that produce the veggies you base your diet on.
I'm sorry you're not well. You are certainly not alone in having health problems on a veg*n diet. There is a growing list of veg*ns who have finally ADMITTED to having health problems following a strict veg*n diet. The dropout rate of veg*nism has always been high, but most people kept their mouth shut. Today more are speaking up.
Here's one girl who wrote eloquently about it: http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-ve…
In fact, it's getting to the point that vegans are even talking about being honest about the fact there is NO scientific evidence that an animal free diet is healthy! What is the world coming to?
Here: http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/11/how-th…
BTW, Kosher meat is some of the worst, as far as being killed humanely. While most animals for human consumption are shot in the head and killed/stunned before their throat is cut, rules for religious certified meat require that the animal be alive and kicking when it's throat is cut.
