 September 17th, 2010
05:00 PM ET
5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. Tim Love hails from the land of yellow roses, cowboys and barbecue - better known as Texas. Love is the chef and owner of The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Fort Worth, where his urban western cuisine has garnered him national critical acclaim. He also operates two locations of the burger-centric Love Shack. We talk a lot in this neck of the woods about the great vegetarian debate. When you're immersed in the food world, it's an ongoing conversation that never ceases to fascinate and/or stir up reactions. On the other hand, when you come from a state with cuts of meat named after it (i.e. the Texas ribeye) like Love, being an omnivore is pretty much a way of life. Now, he's here to tell you why you shouldn't have beef with eating meat. You don't eat no meat? That's ok, he'll make you lamb. Five Reasons Not To Be A Vegetarian: Tim Love 2. "Because when you walk into a steakhouse, you never hear anyone say 'wow, doesn’t that creamed spinach smell great?' Unless, of course, the spinach is made with bacon." 3. "Imagine a restaurant full of preachy vegetarians. Enough said. I’m kidding, of course. Some of my best friends are vegetarians, but even they have a tendency to be a little on the holier-than-thou side. If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us?" 4. "Eating vegetarian may seem like the healthier option (and, probably, often is), but when it comes down to it, meat, in moderation, provides much needed protein, iron and amino acids. As long as you don’t go overboard and eat one of those 15-pound burgers you see on TV, you should be fine." 5. "Because you’d get a lot of funny looks if you tried roasting a pumpkin at a tailgate instead of a pig." What's your take on vegetarianism? Agree? Agree to disagree? Could you give up eating meat? The comment section is open for business. Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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Great article! I enjoyed this content and agree on many sound thoughts you have shared. Thank you for writing material that makes so much sense.
I used to be very happy to find this net-site.I wanted to thanks on your time for this excellent learn!! I undoubtedly having fun with each little little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you weblog post.
Unless you are too pig headed about eating meat watch this – speaks for itself : http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/default.aspx
After reading all these comments: I will keep my comments silent.
@choppedanddropped50
Steers and queers? Really? So it's okay to make homophobic remarks as long as you are a vegetarian? What other license does that give you?
If you read what the Chef said, you'd see that he mentioned something about 'in moderation'... that's something to be considered here. I actually know the background of this chef, and he doesn't use the pumped-full-of-'roids-and-chemicals meats.
Of course it's healthier to eat just vegetables. He even said so, had you read what he was saying without your vegetarian blinders on. But the right meats from the right places, in moderation, can also be healthy.
Using linear thought, with your logic, I'm sure you never go outside without a full-body suit on. The sun can give you cancer too, ya know. I'm sure you don't use a cell phone, ride a bike with your body-suit on, never have a sip of alcohol, only eat vegetables that you grow (in your body-suit), have a wind-powered home and work in a wind-powered office, and never use anything which has batteries which have to be disposed of.
My point is... pretty much everything will kill you if you over-do it. Not everyone is an idiot who over-does it. Maybe you should think about that before making homophobic rants in which you think you are making some pious stand. Some of us were born with self-control. You obviously were not, and therefore feel the need to monitor how everyone else lives due to your own shortcomings.
I'm from Texas, and I can assure you that while we have our share of idiots, there are more things here than "steers and queers". There are actually intelligent folks here who know the psychological approach to recognizing that folks who have a penchant for making homophobic remarks on a regular basis are typically trying to either mask their insecurity about their own sexuality, or compensate for what's lacking in their pants. Which category do you fall into? I seriously doubt someone who has to repetitively refer to 'being manly' is anything close to it.
I have no problem with vegetarians. I respect those who are able to make their case without being childish and moronic, as several here have. There are valid points on both sides. If you choose to continue to speak out for your cause, I'd suggest trying an intelligent approach... if you have the capacity for that.
Just my humble opinion, anyhow.
Peace.
Slick Willie talking straight for a change . . .
AmericanPatriot, I love you.
Here, in summary form, is the case for vegetarianism:
(1) It's better for you. About half of Americans die of heart disease, which is primarily due to their arteries being clogged by animal fat. Meat has also been linked to cancer, including colon cancer. It also contains high residual amounts of the pesticides sprayed on the crops the animal ate before it died-much higher rates, in fact, than the crops themselves contain. Meat also contains high levels of the potent antibiotics fed to animals so that they can be crowded into unsanitary conditions. Avoiding meat is just plain better for you.
(2) It's better for the planet. 80% of the U.S. corn crop is used to feed pigs and cows before they're slaughtered. All of the water, energy and pesticides used to grow those crops must be factored into the environmental cost of eating meat. It's been said that as much water goes into raising a steer until he's is ready for slaughter as it takes to float a navy destroyer. The negative environmental impacts of meat production also include the pollution of ground water, etc. as a result of concentrated animal feeding operations(aka factory farms).
(3) It's better for the animals. Humans have always applied morality to animals, we've just been selective about it. But true justice and morality are not selective. Animals are living, feeling beings. They absolutely suffer when slaughtered; don't kid yourselves. On what basis do you condone doing to a pig-a highly intelligent animal-that which you would never do to your dog? As has often been said, the real question is not can they think or can they reason, but can they suffer?
People invoke the "food chain" to excuse the killing of animals for food. Two points: First, do we really want to invoke "nature" as our moral guide? In such a world, couldn't a murderer or rapist be set free by presenting evidence that what he did occurs in nature? I don't think we want to go there. Second, there is nothing "natural" about modern food animal production, which relies on technology in the form of barbed wire, cages, trucks, conveyer belts, knives, boiling cauldrons and refrigeration. You cannot excuse as natural a process that is fundamentally technological. If you could, how would you distinguish morally between the use of atomic weapons and the devastation of a city in a hurricane or earthquake? Killing animals is the responsibility of those who do it, those who profit from it, and those who buy and consume the results.
Finally, a couple of words in direct response to Chef Love. He falsely portrays the choice as that between a steak and "vegetables," including "squash." As the chef should know, vegetarians actually eat everything EXCEPT meat, poultry and fish. The number of tasty and satisfying vegetarian meals is endless, as evidenced by the vast array of vegetarian cookbooks and the exploits of chefs like Tal Ronnen, Annie Somerville, David Anderson and others. For day-to-day grub, Bean burritos, mushroom pizza, pasta with pesto sauce and even the good old PB&J are all vegetarian.
NIcely written.
The baby cows in these videos were just born. Welcome to the world baby cow. We humans think we are so much better than you. Most of us are so offended if anyone thinks we should care about the incredible suffering of your short unnatural lives.
http://www.youtube.com/user/mercyforanimals?blend=2&has_verified=1#p/search/0/Y82jTI3BqRM
I'm doing a year long food habit experiment and this month I'm a vegan. This month is the hardest thing I've ever done in terms of eating. i can say personally, it's not the way to go. http://www.ironwillyear.com
Interesting personal challenges, but for most vegans it doesn't take an iron will. It just takes awareness. Here, this will make it easier.
Take a good look at what your meat and dairy dollars are paying for:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mercyforanimals?blend=2&has_verified=1#p/u/7/gYTkM1OHFQg
It may be difficuot for you simply because of facts of physiology. It can take longer than the time that you're giving it for all low-level physiological mechanisms to 'adjust' ... but once they do they will work -better-. Physiological chemistry will make it clear to you if you have the time to study it thoroughly.
I eat a lot of meat that I kill myself. It's fresh, and there are no hormones in it.
AmericanIdiot (or was it patriot or something),
Tonight I am having a big, juicy steak in your honor. Cooked in pork fat. With nothing else on it.
In fact, I think I will throw a party for literate people (meaning: not you) who can think critically (meaning: not you) and I will serve lots of tasty meat.
And when you get cancer from one of the other million things that cause cancer that often have nothing to do with food at all, like the chemicals in your laundry detergent or the tainted water from your tap or newsflash: the sun, I'm going to have a hard time feeling sorry for you.
Almost everything in excess causes cancer or heart disease or tumors or whatthefrickever. Moderation is key. A little bacon never hurt anyone, but it sure did make many a person much happier.
so are there any cool Food Trucks in the Ft.Worth-Dallas area?
Wtf, dumbest article ever...even if it is sarcastic (which it's not). CNN, stop bowing to the cattle industry like everyone else. Have some morals.
So if a vegan is preechy, the meat-eater who wrote this article is simply...providing "news". I see. How typical.
"Because you’d get a lot of funny looks if you tried roasting a pumpkin at a tailgate instead of a pig."
Who cares about the looks you'll get from overweight, low-energy, myopic-minded, rednecks eating off the back end of a vehicle? Are you so insecure you'll be peer pressured to put something in your body that you can't safely eat (without cooking)?
This 'article' is riddled with defensive jargon like "preachy" is an obvious sign of low self esteem. (We're not all preachy, in fact, we often don't even want meat eaters to know our diets because we'll get lectures on protein which "is only available in meat").
Please, don't say WE'RE preachy when writing an 'article' (seen by millions) displaying why your beliefs are the only right ones. Isn't that the definition of 'preachy'?
WHAT??????????? Texas BEEF AGAIN? Didn't we do a show on this the already? BEEF CAUSES DISEASE AND AUTISM!!!!STOP BEEF NOW!!!!PULL BEEF FROM THE MARKET!!!!!
Omni: "Here, have a hamburger"
Veggie: "No thanks, I'm vegetarian"
Omni: "Stop preaching at me!!!"
He he he, that's good (because it's true).
So succinct!
After years of the treatment you described, I've learned to defend my intellect and my humanitarian dietary choices.
Thank you Mr. PotatoHead!
Omni: "Here, have a hambuger"
Veggie: "No thanks, I'm vegetarian"
Omni: "Oh. Sweet, more for me!"
I respect his opinion. I am vegetarian because I am allergic to fish, seafood, and can't seem to digest meat proteins I barely eat eggs. I jumped off the vegetable truck in college and was just sick all the time. I tried for two years. As soon as I went back to my original way of eating, I got back in balance.
All I know is that I pay attention to what I eat and the nurse called me after my last physical to say that she hadn't seen test results as good as mine ever.
I think people should eat the way they want to. i won't try to convince them to vegetarians or make fun of the way they eat.
This guy just sounds like a huge prick, and owning a couple burger joints does not make you an effing chef. Oh, my, this burger is just SO good. It's, like, as good as the nine million other burger joints within driving distance! Whatever. Here:
1. Squash does make my mouth water. Your point is absolutely stupid and could be applied to anything, anywhere, anytime. Imagine you've been slogging around running errands on a 100-degree August afternoon and finally stop for a drink and some late lunch or early dinner. What makes your mouth water? A Texas ribeye or a cold bowl of watermelon gazpacho? That's what I thought.
2. I walked back into my apartment yesterday and smelled the maple from a dish of maple-roasted root vegetables (beets, sweet potatoes and carrots) that made my head spin in the best way. Don't tell me the overwhelming smell of bacon is the only scent worth its salt.
3. So the reason to eat meat is so people don't force you to become a vegetarian? Beyond the fact that this "point" offers no "point," you should also avoid all gay people unless you want to turn gay because of it. Oh, and you can get AIDS from drinking fountains and doorknobs.
4. I get tons of protein, iron and amino acids from a broad range of plant-based foods. I snack on things like pumpkin seeds and fresh fruits, and my diet has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to local, organic, protein-rich greens, veggies and beans.
5. But not if you grilled up some seitan-pinto sausages and chickpea burgers. Especially if I made my own buns (which I usually do) and homemade BBQ sauce. So put that up against the general HFCS buns and store-bought, E. coli-and-antibacterial-ridden food generally served at American tailgaters, and I'll take my veg options any day of the week.
This is the most ignorant thing I have ever read. Wow. Someone actually spent their time writing this. And then I wasted 3 minutes of my life reading it. I'm outta here.
I completely agree with Jim.
Mr. Love: stick to what you know – which is cooking and leave the nutritional and health advise to the professional.
Proud to be vegetarian!
I was hoping this would be at least half serious. I guess it's easier to make jokes about eating meat since the cases in favor of consuming meat are so weak.
Posts like this make me really upset because they are couched in this sort of idea that there is an actual debate going on about a vegetarian diet is a worthwhile one to follow. Pretty much everything the guys says is either his own opinion and not based in fact, or it's just an insult. What a waste of space!
1. "Because meat tastes better than vegetables. Period. There are fantastic chefs like Jeremy Fox and José Andrés who have done amazing things with vegetables and even made me consider going vegetarian for a split second. But then I took a shot of tequila and came to my senses. I mean, really, which would you rather have – a grilled Texas ribeye, or a piece of squash? Which just made your mouth water?"
This is highly subjective. Does he think that meat can be eaten raw (which vegetables can), without salt, spices or condiments (which vegetables can), or that if most people could describe their favorite dish it would be impossible to do it without vegetables (but that meat substitutes like Seitan are widely available whereas vegetable substitutes are impossible).
2. "Because when you walk into a steakhouse, you never hear anyone say 'wow, doesn’t that creamed spinach smell great?' Unless, of course, the spinach is made with bacon."
Why would someone say the creamed spinach smells good in a steakhouse. All you can smell in a steakhouse is the smoke and burnt, cancer causing meat. Also, there's a reason why meat, dairy and eggs give off more odor – it's because it's tissue and mucous.
3. "Imagine a restaurant full of preachy vegetarians. Enough said. I’m kidding, of course. Some of my best friends are vegetarians, but even they have a tendency to be a little on the holier-than-thou side. If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us?"
Saying some of your best friends are vegetarians is like saying you're not a racist because you have close friends who are a different skin color than you. Does he think that a minority group should be quiet simply because they're the minority? What about the constant drone of ads like those put out by the beef, pork, egg, and dairy industries trying to convince you that you should eat their products. Is that not preachy?
4. "Eating vegetarian may seem like the healthier option (and, probably, often is), but when it comes down to it, meat, in moderation, provides much needed protein, iron and amino acids. As long as you don’t go overboard and eat one of those 15-pound burgers you see on TV, you should be fine."
So, as long as you don't eat a 15-pound burger you should be fine? Is this guy a doctor? This is horrible advice. The daily nutritional recommendation from the USDA for foods such as meat, beans, eggs, nuts, and fish is about 6 oz. per day total for an adult male. Children should only eat 2-4 oz. of these foods per day. (Source: http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/meat.html) Actually red meat is quite bad for you and should be avoided completely if possible due to its correlation to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.
5. "Because you’d get a lot of funny looks if you tried roasting a pumpkin at a tailgate instead of a pig."
Ok, now this is ridiculous. Why would I roast a pumpkin? I've heard of baking pumpkins, or usuing them in soups. But roasting a pumpkin at a tailgate party is pretty stupid and unlikely to happen. However, there are many meat substitutes as well as veggies that are delicious and nutritious on a grill.
My overall conclusion? This 'chef' is not really knowlegeable about nutrition or health. He's more concerns with his personal tastes and the tastes of his customers.
I see a hierarchy being placed on life. The absence of a nervous system, or cerebral cortex, leaves the life-form open to otherwise objectionable treatment (abuse, mutilation, being cooked alive, etc.). Causes of disease, or ill effects of pollution and production can be cited from animal or plant based sources, as any reader of the above comments can see.
I propose respect for all life, which is everything – the universe, including our mental concepts and perceptions. Every action must be thoroughly meditated on in order to realize this – it's an eternal cycle. Where to begin pointing out even my own hippocracy? Using a computer powered by destructive energy production... We are all in this equally.
google: plant perception
"Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." – Elie Wiesel
Fairness, Thanks for posting this quote, but I agree with it, in most case, certainly in this one.
I am saddened to see how violent and insulting some of the comments are. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we should all respectfully agree or disagree. Thank you – Maria
As for the vegetarian thing..I have been one for 6 years. I used to love animals, they tasted good! Biu all of the sudden, it tasted gross and I could not come to terms with the fact that I was eating a dead carcass. That does not stop me from feeding it to my family. I don't impose my will, or plaque peeps with my neurosis about it. I'm no food Nazi.
Tim Love is an arrogant fake who has let supposed 'celebrity chefdom' go to his head. I know the guy, and believe me, he is a TOOL. All the chef's in the Dallas Ft. Worth area know that he is a joke, and they all laugh at him behind his back, because we all know that the real talent in his kitchen are the Hispanic's who toil away and make amazing food while he collects the credit and the money.
That has got to be one of the stupidest "articles" I've ever read. Why does CNN like to promote dumb?
Oh, Tim. This is bad... so very bad...
The reasons you give for not being a vegetarian are immature and without any kind of depth, your ideas are antiquated and so selfish, and there is absolutely nothing I can find redeeming about this article. I could say so much more, but my own ideas and feelings would probably be wasted on you, I think. I ate animals, their milk, and their eggs for 24 years before deciding to go vegan two years ago, and I didn't decide to do it for me – I did it on behalf of animals everywhere. Animals who have no way of protecting themselves or stopping the abuse occurring to them every single day. Animals who have no way of protecting themselves from people who think the way your article communicates – people who just don't seem to care at all that these sentient, caring beings ever had a family, a will to live – a LIFE – to begin with. By continuing to live vegan, I get to live my life in a way that respects animals, makes me a healthier human being, and is helping to save the world step by step. This article just proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will continue living this way until I die, so I guess in a way, thank you for this.
Well said! My situation is almost the same as yours. Consumed meat and lost of milk for 25 years before becoming vegetarian (borderline vegan, really) 9 months ago. And it feels great.
I just finished reading The Coming Famine – The Global Food Crisis and What We Can Do To Avoid It by Julian Cribb. I must admit I feel frightened for the future of America, from reading this book. I felt like I woke up and could suddenly see the future, and it wasn't good. But,I have to say, Julian ends his book on a high note, that we as a global community will learn to overcome this together. On page 202 he says "Like the global climate to which we are all subject, the global food supply will decree our fate, no matter who we are, or where we live. If through our neglect or abuse of resources it fails, each of us will bear the consequences." The situation demands "a greater effort in societal and international cooperation, education, personal commitment, public-private alliances, and the burying of age-old differences, hatreds, and fears." I'm just sayin'...we don' have time to argue . love ya all
Wow. Really? REALLY??!! That's IT??? man... that is WEAK! Let's see... so, either I can avoid supporting an industry raising animals in hideously cruel & unnatural conditions; avoid kiling in the absence of need; avoid supporting the unregulated pollution of land, air, and water for miles and miles around the CAFOs/ slaughterhouses/ packing plants/ battery egg farms/ etc; avoid supporting the tremendously wasteful use of land, water, and fuel resources by industrial animal-ag producers, relative to plant food production; avoid supporting an industry notorious for human rights abuses, immigration fraud, and worker exploitation; avoid skyrocketed risk of stroke, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer... OR... I can not get funny looks at tailgate parties?
THAT's your argument?!! No wonder the ranks of planteaters are steadily growing... This guy is secretly a vegan, trying to recruit new folks to the veg path; that's the only thing that makes sense! or... you know... not awfully smart. Gotta be one of those two things...
Anyway: pass me the pumpkin slices, please, with some skewers and a nice grilling sauce!
Uhhh errr let's go down the list!
1. Subjective point
2. Last time I checked, people who go to steakhouses go there for the steak and are not concentrating on the sides, though sides can make or break a meal for those with a wider palate.
3. Look. Who's. Talking.
4. Actually, red meat tears up your insides and does a crazy amount of hurt to people with IBS and Acid Reflux. It's like digesting razor blades and crushed glass.
5. Cultural difference. Way to alienate potential diners.
It's all about moderation, mon freunde.
Wow, those are incredibly lame "reasons." If you can't come up with any better rationale for the unnecessary exploitation and slaughter of billions of animals, I suppose Shakespeare got it right in having the idiotic Sir Andrew Aguecheek say, "Methinks sometimes I have no more wit than a Christian or an ordinary man has: but I am a great eater of beef and I believe that does harm to my wit."
All this bickering back and forth about how meat and veggies taste is really nonsense. Respect one another's eating choices. However, the real problem here is the ignorance of the consequences of those choices based on how most food items are produced these days. In most cases, choosing to eat meat supports ranching and farming practices that cause major damage to the environment. Much of the produce you buy in supermarkets is imported because American farmers have resorted to producing only one or two crops, which are meant to feed the animals people eat. Those crops are usually genetically engineered and grown with synthetic fertilizers and then sprayed with literally tons of chemicals that seep into the soil and contaminate our precious water supply. In most cases, choosing to eat that steak resulted in more chemicals being pumped onto our land, more forests being cleared to make way for ranching, and undernourished and starving children in some distant country. Instead of wasting time bickering with each other and accomplishing exactly jack squat, let's try to convince farmers and ranchers that there is an alternative to their practices that not only will satisfy both carnivores and vegetarians, but also will help save our health and environments. Eliminating these harmful practices is the only way to ensure a long and healthy future for our planet, which in turn guarantees a long and healthy future for human beings.
If everyone cut their meat intake by 10%, it would change the world.
I am a vegeterian by choice, although I don't mind eating meat if veggie options are little or nil.
I am aghast to see this article on CNN's front page. These are not even reasons to eat meat.
People are so skittish about defending animal foods (not just muscle meat) even when they're dedicated omnivores, and even when they're from Texas.
You cannot get from a vegan diet: vitamin A, the optimal forms of vitamins K, B12, and D, the proper omega 3:6 ratio (your body converts plant-sourced omega-3s very poorly), or complete protein that is NOT paired up with sugar, starch, or plant estrogens.
(To that one guy who said the estrogens in soy don't count 'cause they're phyto? Look it up or shut up. I have, in the distant past before I knew better, used soy milk to reduce PMS symptoms. I know of others who have done the same, or used soy to help with menopause.)
On an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet you have to eat large amounts of eggs and cheese to get vitamins A, D, and K. You can probably get enough B12 to not go into pernicious anemia. And if you're lucky it might even be the right kind. You also might have some luck with fatty acid ratios. So I don't dismiss ovo-lacto wholesale.
"Pescetarians" are not vegetarians no matter how you slice it. Fish is only not meat if you're Catholic.
If you have hypothyroidism or diabetes, and you're trying to get vitamin A from plant foods, the unsettling fact is there is no vitamin A in plants. NONE. The USDA allows plant foods to be labeled as containing vitamin A because people are assumed to be able to convert beta carotene. Trouble is, not all of us can. I found this out the hard way via a three-year-long battle with heavy visits from Aunt Flo, and we're talking literally breaking out the rag bag and staying home the first couple of days; I had no health insurance at the time. My daughter was born with vesicoureteral reflux into both kidneys (basically, her urine sometimes flowed backwards), and although the urologist said it's inherited, I have since found out about vitamin A's role in the development of the kidneys. Vitamin A–retinol from fish liver oil, not beta carotene from carrots, even though I enjoyed carrots and ate them frequently–cured my reproductive health issues. But it is too late for my daughter. Her problem's been surgically corrected but she will always be at greater risk for end-stage renal disease. They are now telling pregnant women to avoid liver because of the risk of birth defects. I didn't eat liver, and my daughter got a birth defect BECAUSE of that. I'm about ready to never take mainstream advice about pregnancy ever again, with the possible exception of avoiding alcohol, should I bear a child again someday.
Ovo-lacto vegetarianism may be less than ideal but vegan ideology is killing people. The trouble is that veganism's destruction of human health takes such a long time that no one who doesn't have the training is going to catch the signs in time. I know a woman who was vegan for over a decade and suffered bone loss and disability as a result. Even when you're not vegan, the ideology that plants are healthier than animals to eat is leading women to suffer from infertility and osteoporosis, and everyone to suffer from greater rates of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
It is not that people shouldn't eat plant foods. We've gotten out of the habit of eating organ meats and plants make up for some of the resulting nutritional lack. Besides, plant foods can taste good, especially fruits. But a plants-only diet must be based on either soy or grain if you are going to get enough calories to function. And both soy and grain are seed foods. Seeds don't "like" to be eaten, and they will chemically defend themselves. The thing is that the Standard American Diet IS a plant-based diet–it's also soy and grain based, and seeds are plant parts. People need to stop arguing about plant vs. animal and start taking a hard look at why we insist on eating seeds even though we are neither birds nor rodents. Get that part of our diet changed and I bet you see health improvement across the board with both ovo-lactos and omnivores. But veganism still sucks.
Vegan sources of Vitamin A:
Amaranth Leaves
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Butternut Squash
Carrots
Chinese Broccoli
Chinese Cabbage
Kale
Leeks
Peas
Pumpkin
Rapini
Spinach
Squash – summer
Squash – winter
Sweet Potato
Swiss Chard
I could go on and on about how yes you CAN get all of the nutrients from plants you say are lacking in a vegan diet and that there are in fact vegan forms of B-12 found in sea vegetables, nutritional yeast, and kombucha (as well as vegetarian B-12 supplements), but you seem to have already inundated yourself with so much misinformation that you probably wouldn't believe me anyway. That's okay – I've been a happy vegan for several years now and am the healthiest I've ever been, so I can reap the benefits of the correct information I've learned! Cheers!
The irony:
You may be healthier because of your choices. That doesn't equate to what you're eating itself.
(Slightly off that: Some mentioned books, I think, about how vegan or vegetarian diets are so much better. I bet they would eat meat, however, if that's all they had. Unless they wanted to die, that is. Which is their choice – much like it's your choice to eat plants only. And hey – here's something: much like it's my choice to eat BOTH.)
It's as foolish to say stop eating all desserts to lose weight. Not required in the slightest.
Besides obvious things of metabolism – there's other issues: portion control.
Human civilization exists due to the cultivation of grains. All things considered, if we could have nothing else, the grains will perpetuate human life better than anything else. I've practiced a strict "vegan" nutritional plan for almost 40 years and am stronger, have more endurance than comparable peers who eat animal flesh.
Interesting comments, but not factual ... e.g., seeds defending themselves? I've consumed many pounds of rice and other seeds on a daily basis (except when fasting) during the past several decades and never had to fight a grain of rice, or millet, or oats, etc. ;-)
Organ meats lead to toxicity. Toxins concentrated in flesh-foods get further concentrated by the flesh consumer.
Plant-based diets lead to health, where can we reference that vegetarianism yields increased heart disease, etc.? That's backwards.
Even as a vegetarian I admit a reasonable case can be made for eating meat. This article clearly isn't one. There are many meat eaters who could do without meat and vegetarians who don't do too well without it. In my unscientific research it seems that different people need different things which is why no clear cut evidence either way ever seems to cut it. As for "this is better than that," at dinner last week my friend could smell the truffle oil from my mushroom and ricotta pizza over the hunk of meat in front of her. I admit her steak looked amazing, but my pizza blew my mind and I had no desire to eat the beef.
so? I drizzle truffle oil on my steak often – and that makes it even MORE amazing! who doesn't like a bit of mushroom saute with their steak?
There isn't a cogent argument here. Basically you can boil all his arguments down to "I enjoy eating meat and I don't give a shit what you think". There's no rational argument on why eating meat in our current society is ethical or morally responsible. This is truly pathetic.
I disagree...I think the argument from evolution that I made earlier is a cogent argument. Those animals that are carnivorous have teeth that are designed for the purpose of eating meat. We, as humans, have such teeth. Therefore, it is part of our nature to be carnivorous just as it is part of a lion's, tiger's, or bear's nature.
Furthermore, there has been no rational argument on why eating meat is UNethical or morally IRresponsible. If killing an animal for food is the equivalent of murder, then every carnivorous animal commits murder...but here's the catch 22...if you excuse the non-human animals from eating each other because of some distinction between humans and animals, then you have undercut your earlier argument that non-human animals deserve to be considered equal to humans in worth and therefore deserving of being given the same rights that humans enjoy.
You can't have it both ways...either give up the "eating meat is murder" idea or start prosecuting every carnivorous animal in the world.
"...or start prosecuting every carnivorous animal in the world."? This is really laughable. One little advice: don't expose your naivety too much!
In fact, it isn't laughable.
Funny how people think both ways doesn't work unless it's in their favour.
Wonder why. Ah – because their logic is flawed.
The point is more than one thing:
1) Eat what you want if you have it – not everyone does.
2) Don't tell others what to eat. Period.
3) You can say humans are inhumane for eating meat. But then how is it not rational to expect other animals to be the same ? If you say "they're not humans and therefore not humane" – well THAT would be laughable. Why ? animals are far more humane than humans in many respects. The very fact people don't see this is pretty sad but also hysterical.
Let's face it. Most people responding to this article are not even close to changing their minds, whether they are vegetarian or not. I'm reading a lot of disrespectful posts that tend to cause the "other side" to dig their heels in deeper. Incidentally, I do want to comment that not everyone from Texas wears a cowboy hat and eats steak & tators every night as some authors of these posts insinuate.
So many people here are arguing about eating meat as if it is an issue concerning only nutrition and taste, in reality those aspects are quite minimal compared to the undeniable damage we as a beef eating culture are imposing upon the land. In order to raise cows fast enough to meet humans demand for beef cows are being fed a slurry which is comprised mostly of corn, a strange staple food for an animal who has a stomach specifically for digesting grass. Antibiotics are mixed in as a remedy to keep the animals alive on their corn diets which destroy the cows rumen(their grass stomach), the antibiotics are also needed since the animals are living in such close and unsanitary quarters which are a breeding ground for bacteria. Beef fat is added to ensure a quick growth rate and marbling of the meat. So at this point you can maybe start to see how this all seems a little unnatural, but the problem stretches even beyond just the concentrated feeding operations(they can't call themselves farms).
All the corn these cows are being fed has to come from somewhere, and most of it comes from farms which are growing corn only for quantity, paying no mind to the land they should be caregivers to. Instead of farmers we now have agribuisnessmen who in order to try to turn a profit dump chemical fertilizers on their land which end up in our rivers and then out to the ocean where they cause algae blooms which are extremely detrimental to biodiversity and so far has caused a dead zone the size of texas(yee haw). In the long run these chemicals leech the soil of its natural fertility, as does the practice of growing only one type of crop season after season.
I could write a post the size of AMERICANPATRIOT's but I dont want people to just scroll through my post. If you want more FACTUAL reason's to not eat meat because by doing so you are supporting a long chain which in the end screws you in the backdoor I recommend the book "The Omnivore's Dilemna" by Michael Pollan. Also, visit http://www.polyfacefarms.com or get on youtube and search for Joel Salatin, the man has some wisdom about what needs to happen on this planet in order to save our butts.
1. "Meat tastes better. Period." This is also the first excuse given for smoking, fast food and donuts, but no one of decent reputation is arguing the health benefits of these activities. And this statement is only true if your world is so small that you, or the people around, never learned how to properly prepare vegetarian options.
2. "Because when you walk into a steakhouse, you never hear anyone say 'wow, doesn’t that creamed spinach smell great?" If you walk into a steak house, then you can bet that the cook staff doesn't care enough about vegetables to treat them with any respect. Vegetarians don't usually visit steak houses, anyway, so who cares?
3. "Imagine a restaurant full of preachy vegetarians. If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us?" This is how vegetarians often feel about meat-eaters. They ask us to defend our dietary choices, get offended when they hear our reasons and then say something idiotic about protein and vitamin B-12. I'm not trying to get you to change your dietary habits, so why do you dismiss and ridicule mine?
4. "Eating vegetarian may seem like the healthier option (and, probably, often is), but when it comes down to it, meat, in moderation, provides much needed protein, iron and amino acids." Even he says that meat should be eaten in moderation, but he proves my point about saying something idiotic about protein, iron and amino acids. The average America gets 11 times more protein than is necessary. Probably because of all that meat. I've been a vegetarian for 12 years and my doctor can't believe how great my cholesterol levels are. He said he thought his machine was broken – he'd never seen levels like mine. Considering that high cholesterol runs in the family, that's pretty remarkable and convincing evidence in favor of a vegetarian diet. Oh, and for you Atkins followers, I have type 0- blood.
5. "Because you’d get a lot of funny looks if you tried roasting a pumpkin at a tailgate instead of a pig." If it means that I'll live longer, feel better about myself and exponentially reduce my carbon footprint, then I don't care about the funny looks from those judgmental meat-eaters.
1. Vegetables are for those who can't find meat.
2. Cooked vegetables NEVER smell as good as cooked meat.
3. Those of us with a normal diet only respond to vegetarians when THEY challenge OUR diet.
4. Freak anecdotes don't change the fact that a diet of meat AND veggies is healthier than veggies alone.
5. A properly balanced diet of meat, fruit and veggies will see me living far longer than you. And if you are worried about your "carbon footprint" you obviously will believe ANY silly story from the fanatic Left.
"normal diet" is a B.S. matter of opinion, not fact.
My nutritional practices are vegetarian and I couldn't care less what others do ... what is there to challenge? People fall into ignorant US vs THEM nonsense and forget how to think.
"Freak anecdotes"
Only inadequate minds resort to emotionally-laden epithets to bolster their arguments. No freak here, perhaps someone needs to teach you some manners. Also, I refer to science, no anecdotes. There are physiological facts which can direct our decisions re: how to pursue "optimal nutrition" both for the individual and for humanity's survival.
"A properly balanced diet of meat, fruit and veggies will see me living far longer than you."
You'll have to wait until you die to prove that one.
And I don't give a rip about anybody's carbon footprint, about as far from the left as one can get.
Ignorance is loud. Stereotypes don't work, except for the ignorant.
"No freak here, perhaps someone needs to teach you some manners. "
Huh ? They weren't calling you a freak. How is that about manners ?
It was a figure of speech if anything.
The arguements most of the meat eaters make, sound like the defensive remarks made by cigarette smokers forty years ago: it tastes good,don't get preachy, it isn't really bad for you,don't breathe the air i foul!" But ,most of those people died already of lung cancer. wAKE UP MEAT EATERS!!!
I have only posted a comment at one other time in the past 10 years, this will be my second.
I have no dog in this hunt other than to see some truth and fact's mixed in amongst the emotion and innuendo. The author of this article has typified the arrogant personality of all those who want to force their views on others. The same can easily be said for the psychotic rants of the "Patrioticamerican" and the innocent ignorance of "Dolly G".
Perception of ones surroundings ultimately have to determine what you believe to be right or wrong. I have an undergraduate degree in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont and I can assure all veggies that plants are "live" organisms and do indeed have feelings:
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2008/12/09/recent_studies_have_proven_pla.aspx
Having done hundreds of experiments on plants and reading the research data there is only one conclusion, corn is just as alive as a cow.
This argument ultimately boils down to ones perception of the world. Meat-eaters and veggies alike make up facts and exaggerate in order to push their point above anothers but the simple answer is that one way of life isn't better than the other, its all about what makes one happy. I have been a vegetarian and a meat-eater, both have their benefits and drawbacks but ultimately I choose to eat meat occasionally because that's what makes me happy. It is my job as a responsible human being to eat a healthy selection of foods and exercise in order to maximize my health potential. Eating meat or not eating meat doesn't affect my health its the overall way that I live my life that will determine how long I live.
Plants are of course living organisms, but most plant-based food does not require killing the plant. Corn and other grain plants are already dead when they are harvested. The grain is the seed. Fruits (which include many "vegetables" like squashes, tomatoes, peppers, etc.) and nuts are also part of the reproductive system of the plant, and can be harvested without killing the plant. Greens are leaves...and do not require killing the plant. Certainly, some plant foods do require pulling up the whole plant, so if one's ethics require avoiding any killing, foods like carrots, potatoes, onions, and garlic can be avoided along with meats and the dairy and egg products that, although harvesting them does not require any killing, the business of producing them does entail a lot of killing.
Wow... how ridiculously ignorant. Number 3 especially. Did he seriously just use the "I'm not against ___. Some of my friends are ____." argument? Really? Yeah, that totally doesn't make you an ignorant asshole if you know some people who you are discriminatory against. Also, "preachy?" WTF, dude. None of his comments hold logically sound. Plus, way to be a cocky asshole and really make omnivores look bad.
hey forty years. did some kid at a local restaurant bite into his steak too hard and get the succulent juices all over your argyle sweater? is that like a parents terrible choice to expose their child to the hazards of second hand smoke? not so much....
... no it got on his Kevlar vest, the one with the ceramic panel in the middle ...
I only eat vegetarians. So does that make me a vegetarian?
All cannibals must be destroyed ... they are a threat to the human race, including non-cannibalistic flesh-eaters ... who are likely to go cannibal when a non-human flesh supply becomes scarce or nil ... vicious cycle, eh? So, it is worthwhile to discourage the consumption of animal flesh.
Re: eating vegetarians ... be careful, some own caches of weapons of all types and are skilled at fighting, trapping, etc. They may capture you and slaughter you as an offering to appease your flesh-eating gods and keep others like you at bay! If that doesn't work, they'll just trap & kill, what a waste but it will be their duty for the benefit of humanity ;-)
the arrogance,incompassionion,and defensiveness of most meat eaters on this post remind me of precisely how cigerette smokers use to defend their vile habit 40 years ago. they mostly talked about how they loved the taste. felt people around them were"preachy" if they dared mention the smoke bothered them,didnt take any of the effects to health seriously. many of those people have already died of cancer.
The comments on here from vegetarians are not doing much to avoid the negative stereotypes about being uppity preachers, intent on saving the earth with soy beans and random dietary advice. Haven't there been studies to find good and bad in diets with no meat? I believe that vegetarians in general are doing a better job worrying about their health, so they are on average healthier and more sure of themselves as far as their diet is concerned. If meat eaters take the care that vegans take in their diet, they can be healthy too. and on a side note.....I've known a couple of vegans, and all of them carried a terrible smell with them. It actually smells like a rotting compost. And that alone is not worth ten extra years on my life or a healthier environment.
Stop eating flesh for awhile, then go around a group of flesh-eaters and sample the aroma of death. Similar smell at lunchtimes when "lunch" hits the microwave. The stench ... animal death & putrefaction.
Re: vegan odors ... depending on what they regularly consume, how much, and in what proportions ... every body is a chem-lab and will emit (especially via perspiration) a summation of the gasses liberated when perspiration evaporates. Some aboriginals would sniff newcomers to determine who they were ... where they come from, to ID whether or not they were "part of self." If they didn't smell right, the story could get more "interesting." It's not new, and in that way we see that we are no different from the rest of the animal kingdom. Scent effects us more than most realize. It's all chemistry which can promote both attraction and repulsion. A group that consumes the same foodstuffs smells alike, or alike enough to ID each other as "part of self" ... not alien :-) Even among flesh-eaters you will find people whose natural "effluvium" is repulsive ... maybe they're habitually constipated or something ... even the slowdown of the GI process can/will change what the body throws off via pores and exhalation. The exhalation can be the worse ... oh yeah, there's also the flatulence of putrefaction (flesh residues in the colon).
Just because someone says they're vegetarian does not mean that they know what they're doing ... and many herbs will render the body's gasses tres noxious, vegetarian or flesh-eater.
Anybody can reek on any given day, eh? Organic Chem & Biology are just that way!!!
"I've known a couple of vegans, and all of them carried a terrible smell with them. It actually smells like a rotting compost. And that alone is not worth ten extra years on my life or a healthier environment."
I've never heard of that in my life. Very poor excuse to not go vegetarian. I know a lot of fat smelly meat-eaters, so by your logic you should give up meat.
Didn't you tell me I can't flip the logic ? And here you are, doing the same thing.
Logic is logic. And logic is very often math related. 0 versus 1. On/off. True/false. Et al.
Put another way : it goes both ways.
i'm vegan, i hate bringing that up because sociopathic omnivores assume i think i'm better than them. two of my three roommates are omnis and their amazing reason for eating meat is because it tastes good. even though they always comment on how good the food i cook for them is.
but i understand why omnis might think meat is better. they haven't tried as many veggies as a veg*n. i know that when i went vegan i tried so many different things.. it was like a whole new world was opened up for me.
I don't understand why meat-eaters are so afraid of vegetarians. No one will take away your meat, calm down. I have never heard a vegetarian preach but have been witness to several meat-eaters pick fights or try to goad someone into eating meat.
P.S. This was a pointless, inane article.
I eat mostly vegetarian (not strict, occasional meat/poultry) and do not try to impose my preference to eat mostly vegetarian on anyone. I do think that meat eaters need to educate themselves about the source of their meat. Was the animal raised and slaughtered humanely? Poultry does not fall under Humane Slaughter Act even though there are some welfare standards that are supposed to be followed.
My suggestion is that those that care about the welfare of the animals that are the source of their meat & poultry (and admitedly, some people just don't care) educate themselves and only purchase meat & poultry that has the Certified Humane logo. Eggs from the mass-market are not obtained humanely. If you care, please educate yourself and know that even though you eat meat, you are only eating it from humane sources.
i clicked on the article and thought I would be offended but was not. He seemed to have a bit of humor and positive to say for both sides. I have been a vegetarian for 30 years but I don't make it my business what others choose. Some of you guy's really proved him right in the 'preachy ' department. (i know some of the people that eat meat are be preachy too) to each his own:)
As soon as the article stated he was from Texas, I knew how this article was going to go.
Sigh......
Tim is an idiot. He could just as easily argue that pedophiles should be left to do whatever they want. Same logic. It's all about personal choice, etc. B.S. Tim should be gutted and roasted. I'm sure there are plenty who would eat him. Let them.
I don't want to be a vegetarian or vegan because I don't want to become dried-up and vicious.
Oy vey, is that what's happening to me??? :-)
Meat is delicious. I'm an avid outdoorsman, hunter and fisherman. I make no apologies for eating meat. I don't know why the veggie crowd has to hassle us about anything. I don't care that they eat vegetables, tofu...etc. I hope they are happy with their dietary choice, just don't preach to me about mine.
I eat very small portions of meat (this steak sandwich size) a few times a week, I need to keep an appetite before I'm finished or I end up apologizing to the critter before I'm done eating them. That ruins my meal. Don't hard core vegetarians have bad breath?
I'm sick of people who are judgemental about food choices. As a vegetarian, I've been hassled mostly by meat eaters, but occasionally by vegans. Before I quit eating meat 14 years ago, I was hassled then too. I don't see a difference between killing animals or vegetables, and I have my own reasons for not eating meat. Leave me alone and I'll try not to judge your life choices.
Preaching is only preaching if you realize that their is real 'truth' in the other person's words. Otherwise, it would just be considered talking, discussing, informing, sharing....all these things that make us human. Is killing animals (when your survival needs can be met in other ways) is wrong? I thank God for "preachy" vegetarians. It was one such vegetarian that took the time to share with me a lot of wonderful and insightful information. Thanks to him I haven't eaten any meat in 2 and a half months and I feel much healthier then ever before. Physically and spiritually. I have much more energy and no longer suffer from digestive problems. I lost ten pounds without changing my workout routine whatsoever. Giving up meat has forced me to expand my palette – I love how colorful and flavorful my food has become. The best part is that I know that my actions aren't causing needless suffering in the world. Sure, cavemen used to eat meat. But their average life expectancy was 40 years. The modern developments that allow us to have access to a wider variety of foods also take away our need for meat. It's a part of evolution. We have the ability to live better and longer lives. Just as other vegetarian species: gorillas, elephants, horses- we can grow into powerfully strong creatures on a veggie diet alone. By the way, you tofu haters- you obviously know very little about cooking it. Tofu is like white flour. It's just a raw ingredient that can be transformed into almost anything. Delicious!
I hope you realize that you could have lost that weight with eating meat still.
You could also feel better mentally/etc by eating different kinds of meat – fish as an example.
I also hope you realize that weight gain is very much related to portion control.
So – feel free to not eat meat. But.. it still is preaching when someone tells ME what to eat. Just like it would be if I were tell THEM what to eat (which I don't). The fact you feel better is great. But that's a personal thing. There's a lot of variables – not just diet.
What's interesting:
Unless you have colitis.. and other similar things.. then maybe you shouldn't say it is necessarily meat related. In fact you should never. There are variables – it works for you, great. Doesn't mean it will be for everyone. I in fact have scar tissue in my esophagus – and it's not from meat, that's for sure.
Regarding energy and other things. Again, variables.
Another interesting thing.
If you want to complain about meat – go read Jungle.
Until then – you shouldn't say meat is that bad. It was far worse.
And you know.. some plants are not all that great too. Realize that. I know you'll say "then don't eat it". Which is the entire point. We don't. So then why can't meat-haters see it the other way around ? as the grease fire said.. it's about moderation. Not for meat. Not for plants. In fact – for everything you eat.
But you are making the fallacy of equating meat food sources with plant food sources, and that both are the same, just dietary choices that need to be taken in moderation. The differences are vast, starting with the fact that animals suffer to be on your plate, and including various other factors such as massive pollution and food consumption by livestock that could otherwise go a long way in addressing the world food crisis. Meat eaters can not simply turn the argument around, because meat consumption vs vegetarianism are simply not 2 sides of the same coin. By any means. There is nothing to be gained from eating meat that a vegetarian diet can't provide (save perhaps for some rare health issues), but there is a LOT to gain from going vegetarian (either for you, the animals, or, indirectly, others around the world).
Wrong.
I guess you think fish isn't meat, right ?
It has benefits whether you want to believe it or not.
And let's just say for a few seconds you were 100% right.
It's still WRONG to impose your beliefs on others. Same goes for religion. Which I won't even get into.
In fact, if my grandmother took your view – you know, I'd never be alive because her kids [thus my mother] wouldn't have had food. Funny too – my mom is quite healthy. And she loves meat. So so much for people's "Unhealthy" logic. Balanced diet includes meat AND veggies AND other things. A diet of vegetables only isn't balanced any more than a meat only diet would be. And just because meat has potential to have more weight gain – does not mean it has to. You know, portion control. That's key.
I most certainly can turn the logic around – and it works, too. You just don't see it because of your views. Sad world, when someone cay say I like this or I believe that – but if someone says the opposite, the first person get defensive. That itself is a fallacy. It's not only a fallacy, it's hypocritical.
You can go ahead and say animals suffer and other nonsense. Again, would you prefer them being wild animals ? And why not say bears are cruel or inhumane – since they kill to eat too ? The list goes on. It is inhumane to kill to sell (say ivory) – that's not this however. You're the one being intolerant by saying this belief or that belief is wrong – all the while others are not imposing any view on the other and merely saying that both are fine [because they're personal].
Keep the one thing in mind: if my grandmother believed your gibberish – she and her kids would have never made it after her husband was diagnosed with a then untreatable cancer. The irony is you seem to think we're wrong to the point of saying I'm illogical – yet, we don't try to make you think you're wrong or illogical to not eat meat. If you don't like or don't want to eat meat – here's an idea: don't. You don't ? Good. I will.
One other ironic thing: those who talk about humanity or ethics or this and that.. why is it that they are the ones who are usually intolerant ? Rhetorical question but I guess if you reply you may answer this but not the other more serious ones.
Tim Love sounds alittle more than a tad on the bias side. None of his reasons are actualy good reasons. Most are based on apearance and the one that is based on nutrition isnt even valid. Sure you get protien and Iron and such from meat but you can get those same things from vegitables. The fact is a balanced vegitarian diet is alot healthier than a Meat diet. Now after saying all that I am not a vegitarian however I only eat meat sparingly and only certain types of meat. By sparingly I mean 1 serving (about the size of a small hamburger patty) of meat per. meal.
you gotta have the best of both worlds, meat, veggies, papas, I would never give up eating meat unless my doctor told me I would die, otherwise there is nothing better than a big bloody ribeye (theres nothing left on that plate but fat and grissle...........ha ha ha ha lmao)
I'm Italian and I enjoy and respect all types of food. Wonderful things can be done with every edible thing on this planet and by using these ingredients properly and not wasting them (including organs and bones) I respect the life these animals/plants/fungi gave up to give me life. Though I rather purchase meat, vegetables, fruits etc... that have been raised/grown by locals and not mass-produced, I will still purchase (once or twice a month) a steak, maybe some lamb, or a chicken at the supermarket because I know how to cook it properly. I always eat my proteins with a carb and a vegetable and knowing how to cook is the key to a healthy diet. Unfortunately everything that's mass produced including vegetables, fruit, and meat, will contain pesticides, hormones, and other substances they probably won't disclose that's why I recommend to those who can to raise their own animals and grown their own fruits, veggies and herbs. Not only will they not be tasteless like the supermarket variety, but you will have the ultimate control over what goes into your body. I was raised in Italy and really miss the freshly fished, freshly butchered, and freshly picked food available at the local stores and open markets. We used to have sheep happily grazing freely behind our house, and wherever else they wanted to go. I miss their smell. Lamb is the dish we eat for Holidays, the equivalent of the America's turkey, and you could taste the grass-fed natural difference. In Italy we love our food but we also love to reproduce nature in our dishes. Fish has amazing healthy properties (again, in moderation) and every food has its place in the human diet. We are lucky enough to be able to enjoy pretty much everything edible on this planet, which is an amazing thing about being omnivores, and thus we have the chance to not only prepare amazing dishes, but to be connected to what you eat. Of course we need to stop the overfishing and overproduction of meat. There's no reason anyone should be eating that much of anything. Japan (and other countries) is acting a bit irresponsibly by killing so many whales, dolphins, and overfishing tuna. We don't need to eat as much as we do - feeling hungry isn't a bad thing. Of course we also need to be weary of overproduction of non-animal products because it can be just as bad. We don't need to subsidize corn especially since there is no reason for Americans to consume so much HFCS, or sugar for that matter. If we all focused on preparing simple, possibly home-grown dishes, then we would all be able to maintain sustainability on this planet. It isn't about eating one thing and not eating another, but how much and whether or not we produce our own food. In an ideal situation each of us would raise our own animals, hunt a few animals that have overpopulated, and catch a few fish every now and then with a simple fishing pole. We would have our own gardens and eat whatever is in season instead of wanting tomatoes all year long. Self-reliance in this sense would be helpful to the planet but many people don't want to give up the luxury of not having to put any work into the food they eat. Also, I think if people would add a little variety to the meat portion of their diet, such as eating meat other than beef, chicken, and pork, we would have less of a problem. There are so many delicious and healthier meats out there that can be hunted. Wild game doesn't contain the hormones and antibiotics that farmed meat has. Venison, rabbit, quail, and many other meats most people turn their nose up to are actually good. I just wonder what would happen to those who restrict their diets to chicken, beef and pork would do in a survival situation. Meat is one of the most important and nutritious sources of energy and in order to procure that you would have to hunt and prepare it safely. In fact, there are a lot of other protein sources that are very good including insects, reptiles etc... and many people have eaten these without knowing their origin and have enjoyed them. I do believe in using the entire animal, plant, insect, etc... which is the most respectful and least wasteful means of nutrition. More consumable parts are thrown away each day that could feed someone for another day or even a week. We have too much waste, not only in this country, but in the rest of the world. Save those chicken bones, that fish head, those broccoli stalks, save that vegetable or meat stock, save your left overs and you will be amazed how long you can stretch out one month of groceries. I really don't expect any of this to happen. At least in the US, there will always be the cheap, unhealthy, and convenient options (which in the end aren't so cheap after all) out there that will appeal to the masses but maybe if people can start more communes and try to be self-reliant it could ease up some of the pressure and buy humanity a little more time. It is hard to give up air conditioning, internet, television, and all of the commodities of modern life. But who knows, maybe we can create a balance that allows us to continue to advance technologically and scientifically without hurting our chances of survival on this planet. At least everyone in the world has one thing in common, and that is the love of food. Also, I hope we can support men like Jamie Oliver in his quest to help bring healthy lunches to school cafeterias. Enjoy your food, with moderation, and try to cook! :)
Moderation and balance!
Also, it would be great if we stopped cutting down forests to plant soy. In Japan, soy is only eaten in it's fermented form, rarely as tofu or raw, very moderately, but studies have shown that Japanese people live long because they avoid eating too many non-fermented soy products. Natto is the best soy product you can eat. Again, moderation goes for everything, meat, fish, plant. We're all responsible for the condition of the planet, vegetarians, vegans, and regular people.
Only in a country that has an overabundance of food are people able to decide not to eat a type of food because of various reasons. I'm sure that any of the millions and millions of hungry and starving people would gladly eat a steak or anything else deemed "so inhumane" or "unhealthy." Get with it people, be thankful for the food you have and realize your lifestyle as vegetarians seems very pretentious, ungrateful and spoiled.
An old rule of thumb is that it requires 50 bushels of corn to finish an animal for our U.S. desired endpoint (USDA choice grade; USDA yield grade 2 or 3; approximately 28% body fat). There are 56 pounds of corn in a bushel, so you will need around 2,800 pounds of corn to produce an animal that weighs 1,250 to 1,350 pounds. This equates to 2.07 to 2.24 pounds of corn per pound of finished animal.
So, if 10% of the world population was to give up eating meat, we could stop world hunger. Being vegetarian is actually a HUGE sacrifice (I'm Polish after all and loved the taste of meat) but there are humanitarian reasons why so many of us choose to go without. Furthermore, my supermarket bill has been much lower ever since I stopped buying meat (which, compared to beans, rice, soy, potatoes, and spinach, is much more expensive) so I really don't consider myself spoiled. Quite the contrary- I feel it takes quite a bit of discipline and strong will to stay clear of meat.
Funny though how none of the veggies posting on here have talked about their concern and preoccupation with the lives of others as their reason for becoming a veggie. Mostly it's because of their own personal health and the inhumanity towards the animal. It's a sin is what it is.
If your numbers are correct, you have failed to prove your point. 1 oz of beef has 3 times the calories and 7 times the protein as 1 oz of corn, so you would need more corn to feed the same number of people.
I can also say, this article was written to be silly and vegetarians have no sense of humor
If you are citing the China study, all of that data was misrepresented, so don't bother with any of it
Eating meat and saturated fat found in animals is healthier for you than any vegetable will ever. Please do some real research(pub med) before you try and scare people into thinking they will get cancer or heart disease from meat. Its the sugar, corn syrup, fructose and gluten that will damage your health.
If you don't want to eat meat because of ethical problems YOU have, fine, just don't push your morals on the rest of us. Meat eating is currently legal, so until it is not, I will partake of it.
There is NO place in the bible that it says that we can't eat meat, so give that whole deal a rest. It makes you vegans sound crazy
To Kelley, I'm happy and privileged not to eat meat ever. That doesn't make me ungrateful or spoiled. Go ahead and eat all the meat you want, just leave me alone. I've learned to bring my own lunch when I know there won't be a vegetarian option. That doesn't make me a snob. I have a right to choose for myself just as you do. In my world, it's mostly the meat eaters who are preachy.
And I have the right to disagree with you and believe that people who follow a veggie lifestyle are smug. I never said you have to eat meat.
A lot of people however, ARE ungrateful.
That was the point.
Further, to expand on that point. You can go and tell people not to eat meat. But if you were starving – you'd eat it if that's all you had. Unless you want to die. That's the rest of it. Appreciation has two sides to it. And agreed – no one should tell you what to eat. I don't think Kelley was though.
Thanks, I wasn't saying everyone needs to eat meat. But when people start saying they aren't going to eat a specific food group based on their own particular choice, then it shows that they just have too much food to start with in order to make that choice. I just watched a film called Darwin's Nightmare, which highlighted the corrupt fishing industry in Tanzania. The locals there couldn't afford the fish, there was a severe famine in the area and they were given literally the bones and leftovers of the fish, which were rotting. They didn't complain. They didn't say no. It was their only choice. I just think how they would feel if they met someone who said, Oh I don't eat meat because it's ___________ (inhumane, unhealthy, etc.). Thinking of how that would make them feel makes me feel bad.
I know the facts about meat. I eat meat, but I eat a lot more veggies and fruit. But I will NEVER say that I don't eat a food group because I don't think it's right to turn your nose up at something. Does that mean that everyone has to eat meat? Of course not. Meat can always be an option, but you can still choose to never eat it.
I know my point of view isn't for everyone, but I just feel bad for people with nothing to eat.
Not a problem.
I have a real issue with people who are not appreciative.
And while they may appreciate the fact they have food, that does not necessarily mean they respect others who might not have food. The same applies to pretty much anything actually. This is why I say thank you for pretty much everything I do appreciate – it not only makes it known, it makes both parties feel good.
It's ironic though – people in the US, one of the few countries that has Thanksgiving [Canada does too last I knew, for example], tend to forget how they do have food and not everyone else does. Even if originally religion based, the real issue is being thankful for what you have and understanding not everyone is as fortunate. It's also sad.
Your view is not wrong – it's actually quite correct. It's also far more open and realistic. The very fact you didn't even say to anyone they shouldn't eat this or that – shows it. You were only saying some would eat whatever they can get.
You know, reminds me of a book. I think it was 'The Hatchet'. I'm sure there are others too. To survive you have to do certain things at times, whether you like it or not.
I was a little worried when I saw this headline. Would I doubt my vegetarianism. Thank you Tim Love for re-affirming my position to keep abstaining from meat. Your reasons are all about you and your selfish needs instead of what is good for all of us as a collective whole, and our planet. Was this article paid for by the National Food and Agriculture Organization? That organization, with their made- up food recommendation triangles, has only one bottom line: how to make a lot of money at the expense of humankind.
Watch food inc. and visit a meat processing industry and then say meat is the better choice.
Eating meat is cruel, inhumane, bad for the environment, and generally bad for health. It's a selfish and ignorant act.
Fish is meat you know.
Your argument is not valid. Not even close. In fact – 0% valid.
You don't like it ? Then don't eat it. I will. DEAL WITH IT.
In fact, also.
You know what is truly selfish ?
You saying nonsense to get someone to not eat something – for your own agenda.
And the person who you tell this doing it – they would, if they followed through – would be selfish to themselves.
Ignorance is also someone who excludes fish from meat.
I won't even mention the other things – they're just as ridiculous claims.
I'm not a vegetarian. In fact I love meat, but this article makes the meat eaters look like pompous morons. Only one of these points even comes close to offering a serious argument (and it wasn't very close) and the rest of them are basically this guy being a dismissing ass and acting like your a pansy for eating a vegetable. If the intention of this article was to make meat eaters look like jerks, then mission accomplished Captain Jackass.
Gee, it sounds like Tim Love is the one who is being "preachy" here. I don't usually do this myself, but I would hasten to point out that - in addition to the ethical question of the unnecessary killing of animals - a vegetarian diet is by far the more ecologically conscious choice. In a world with far too many people to support at a comfortable level, the fact that the same amount of land required to support one meat eater would support about 10 vegetarians becomes pretty compelling.
And yes, vegetarian/vegan foods can be quite tasty and aromatic.
Seem like the only reason for a person not to be vegetarian is to me with the crowd. As the author says, if you eat meat – eat in moderation – well why not – not eat at all. Proteins can be obtained from lentils and they taste lot better than dead animals and of course they are healthier for you and your planet. Sorry Mr. you should write for a vegetarian magazine!!
I'm not sure if you're pro or against, but either way:
Taste is relative. It's called "taste buds".
Ok you say you can get proteins from lentils.
Fine – you can get them from meat. Moot point.
You know what you don't get from lentils ? Fish oil. Fish is meat too.
I can hear it now : go buy fish oil. In fact there's a variety of reasons why someone may prefer fish oil .. fish.. or both.
People need to get over with themselves and deal with others having different views, tastes, opinions and so on.
This is what's wrong with this world – intolerance of other views. Even worse is intolerance of taste.
To refute the "crowd" issue. No, I eat meat because I like it. I ALSO like vegetables. Imagine that. It's about a balanced diet anyway. Fact is I do not think meat tastes bad and I certainly am not going to tell you or anyone else they have to eat it. How can you even say to someone what they eat tastes bad ? You think the world revolves around you ? Hardly. Besides it does have benefits. It also has negatives. THAT is why you should have vegetables too. Not to mention other kinds of food. TASTE is .. yeah, relative.
Oh, while I'm at it.
For all you know : allergies. Taste. Et al. Goes each and every way.
Point – telling a person to only eat meat is stupid. Telling a person to only eat non-meat is also stupid. It's also intolerant. It's many other things, too.
What's wrong with everyone? If you don't want to eat meat, don't fucking eat meat. If you don't want to eat vegetables, don't eat them. Why do we need articles like this full of pseudo arguments and nonsense debating over personal preference. Just to stir up a bunch of crazy jerks?
What a stupid article. Even worse – people arguing about it. By that, I mean refuting his points.
People enjoy meat like he does. You know what – no one is forcing you to enjoy it. Better tasting is a relative statement. Goes both ways.
As some one mentioned, fish is actually good for you – not only for your heart but brain as well.
But here's something. So are vegetables. In fact it's about a balanced diet. Who would have thought that ? Certainly not americanpatriot.
And this is coming from a person who has a cousin who is a vegan. She doesn't impose her beliefs on others, I don't mine on her or others like her.
The most amusing thing is the references to studies.
If I had a dime for every stupid study I've ever read about – I'd be filthy rich.
The very fact they even had to study some things is ridiculous.
Example:
Let's spend lots of money over the course of some years to find out the dampness outside isn't good for breathing – particularly those who are asthmatic. Duh ? Who has to study to find out that ?
Another ridiculous one is how there are recently "new" warnings about tylenol. Yeah and then you open the tab and what does it say ? Ah yes – very toxic to the liver. Please tell me how that is "new". I think the new part is some idiot didn't know it and is trying some stupid law suit for not reading the warnings. Yet they're able enough to open the bottle but not read. Own fault. It's old news.
So cite them all you want but fact is a lot of them are pointless, already known or are incomplete. In fact, so many STILL say we need to do more research which basically says "we think this may be true but we would have to have more info to find out for sure – in other words, only ignore us" or "we see it in some cases but not all meaning it's not a definite link" ...
It's as stupid as when they claimed apples were unhealthy. The cause ? The chemicals sprayed on them, as I recall. How much ? Oh let's see... I don't remember the numbers but at least 1000 a day (even 100 would be ridiculous). Really, who would do that ?
SCARE TACTICS.
This guy seems like a real man's man. If I were gay I'd totally do him.
Blahblah epic battle between vegetarians and omnivores. At the end of the day, I don't fight my nature. <3 So, stop being preachy vegetarians, you loooooove veggies? Great. I loooooove meat, and not even PETA can stop me.
"don't fight my nature"
You should probably be living in a cave somewhere wearing animal skins and clubbing anything that moves. If you can't move beyond primal instincts, civilized society and evolution is not for you.
"So, stop being preachy vegetarians, you loooooove veggies? Great. I loooooove meat, and not even PETA can stop me."
Glad to hear your argument for eating meat is so intelligent and well thought out. Really, pat yourself on the back while the factory lines of stressed, sick and frightened animals get slashed and hacked apart to appease your taste buds.
I'm a meat eater. I also eat vegetables. Seems to me there are too many fanatics on here trying to tell me I should pick one or the other. Why doesn't everyone just eat what ever the H*** they want because what you eat is nobody else's business. PERIOD!
"Why doesn't everyone just eat what ever the H*** they want because what you eat is nobody else's business. PERIOD!"
You would have a point IF eating meat didn't cause immense suffering and death in sentient beings, and be a major factor in world hunger and pollution. If you have anything REMOTELY as incriminating against a vegetarian diet, I'm all ears.
We can't help but kill for food. It's in our DNA to kill steal and destroy this earth and living things. Like Father like Son. We just seem to want to excuse ourselves for who we really are. So we make up religious attire to look different to those who might figure it out. Animals do not want to die. Plants do not run from the knife of mankind. We need religion to hide the fact of what we are. Hey it works. So why knock it.
A plant based diet can provide all the nutrition you need, check with the FDA – its a fact. As a South Philly native you know I love cheese steaks, but I have been vegetarian since 01/01/2010. The treatment of sentient beings in the food chain is disgusting. If you can not empathize with them, well it's your Karma, reap what you sow. Remember if it does not include all life you're not pro-life.
I have always been of the philosphy that if you want to promote something that you believe in you don't need to make fun of or insult someone or something to try and elevate your stance. It accomplishes nothing and it closes lines of communication between people who are not exactly alike.
Being a complete carnivore and vegetarian are the extremes of the situation. WHY NOT BE A WEEKDAY VEGETARIAN? Try your best to stay away from meats 4-5 days out of the weekend and then eat "normally" on weekends. Veggies are more healthy and fruit has an unbeatable taste. However, I refuse to give up bacon! So do the right thing during the week then treat yourself a little on weekends. This issue is not black and white, compromise, because the right answer usually lied between extremes.
I don't think vegetarian are "preachy" in the sense of annoying "preachy". Yes, eating meat is a choice as is not eating meat. But what I think strict vegetarians feel about eating meat is that it is an ethical issue to them. Now please don't jump all over me – I'm not going to compare slavery to eating meat. I'm going to use slavery as an analogy here: Some people said back when it was legal to own slaves, that "it was a choice. If you don't believe in owning slaves then don't. It's your choice. So don't try to make me stop owning slaves." But, I think the people who didn't believe slavery was right HAD to fight against it. I think strict vegetarians feel that way. I don't think they are telling meat eaters not to eat meat and eat as a vegetarian does just for the sake that they eat vegetarian. It must be a very important issue for them. Something that they feel is very wrong and cruel and they feel compelled to try to help the suffering of the farm animals. I bet if you could grow meat in a petrie dish with no actual animal involved, no suffering, that the so called "preachy" talk would stop. I think the strict vegetarian is just trying to stop pain – I don't hold that against them.
Whether they feel strongly or not – they should not impose their beliefs on others.
Same goes for religion. I am very opposed to it. But I never tell someone they should not be religions and I try very hard to not offend or even bring it up. And yet, the very fact I'm an atheist too – the other day, the pope compres atheists to Nazis. Hilarity is of course what side he was on in WW2.
Sure – killing wild animals is wrong. And even then some slaughter houses aren't so nice. Whatever – would you prefer them not raise them to eat and just go kill the wild animals ? You know, they already do that only for other things. And it's illegal often – poaching etc. What more do they want ? The answer is sadly not realistic unless you're pro-whiners.
Essentially, while I understand what they may feel – it's their problem. Just like if someone doesn't like me for liking meat.. or not liking religion – it's their problem. The fact I don't have a problem with either way – is not my problem. They need to lighten up or not discuss it. They bring it up and then get offended. Why bring it up then ?
"Essentially, while I understand what they may feel – it's their problem" – if you kill a human being, other human beings and government will feel bad and might put you away or kill you. Go tell them it's their problem.
dumpcore: You wrote – "Essentially, while I understand what they (strict vegetarians) may feel – it's their problem. . . . They need to lighten up or not discuss it. . . . Why bring it up then ?"
It is just that kind of attitude that kept many social injustices going long and strong. -
"Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." – Elie Wiesel
Is this a joke?
American news media never ceases to amaze me. Keep it up!
And FYI protein = amino acids.
This is very opinionated and unfactual. There are vegetarian foods that are much more savory than squash and can compete with meat. And also, a shot of tequila does not bring you to your senses. That said I don't really care who eat's meat and who doesn't. You can debate all day about it, they both have benefits. In my OPINION vegetarianism has greater benefits if you do it right.
If it's so wrong to eat animals, then why the heck are they made of meat?
USERNAME "Otterinbham" WROTE: "If it's so wrong to eat animals, then why the heck are they made of meat?"
September 18, 2010 at 5:43 pm | Reply
HUMAN BABIES ARE MADE OUT OF MEAT. DO YOU KILL & COOK AND EAT THEM AS WELL?
Notice: This person "Otterinbham" has just attempted to use the old naive debunked "made out of meat" line. This has been discredited long ago. Another version invoked by meat-eaters (and even those like Sarah Palin too) goes something like "If GOD didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat". Meat-eaters will laugh and laugh and guffaw at this for hours, slapping their knees and applauding eachother and themselves for saying it for hours...until you point out the consequences of what they just wrote to them. Then all of a sudden they aren't laughing anymore, and it backfires on them and suddenly they look like they have meat all over their face. Here's why...
What they are trying to do, is insinuate that the fact that things are composed of tissue, that somehow means that they were either *meant* for, or GOD designed these things to be killed, cooked, and eaten. And attempt a "funny" by writing the hillbillylike statement above. Following this reasoning, "if it wasn't meant to be killed and eaten it wouldn't be made out of meat" and its meat-head logic, let's see what else this implies:
Rats are made out of "meat" too. So apparently the person who wrote the "designed to be eaten" statement above, also enjoys eating cooked pieces of Rat. (remember, this person believes they were designed for it).
Disabled people are made out of "meat". So according to this meat-head's statement, God designed disabled people to be cut open and swallowed.
Fetuses are composed out of "meat". So according to the logic of the meat eater posting his little joke of a statement here, Human Fetus meat is also on the stove in his house.
Mind you, this is all THEIR reasoning. This is what the meat-eater who posted that believes. This is not what any Vegetarian is asserting, in fact quite the opposite. It's the meat eater who is saying that since something is made out of meat, then it was "designed" to be cooked and eaten, according to them, and the consequences arising from that are that all kinds of things, including human babies are also composed of meat too, so what THEY are doing is implying that means they are designed to be cooked and consumed.
IF you ever see any person try to post the "If God didn't want it to be eaten, he wouldn't have designed it out of meat" line, or any variation thereof, all you need to do is simply post back that Babies are made out of "meat" too, and what they've just posted implies that they eat pieces of rat, and human babymeat, by their own reasoning. Suddenly their giggly line isn't so funny anymore once they think about what they wrote. This line posted by otterinbham or anyone else is both childish and Debunked.
This is one of the dumbest things on the internet. Even a vegetarian could have given you a better list than this.
vegetarian is healthy, better for the environment, doesn't support animal cruelty
I have my own Top 5 list on why I'm not a vegetarian...
1) Bacon.
2) Steak.
3) Chicken.
4) I never have to eat tofu.
5) Did I mention Bacon? People actually sprinkle it on salads and baked potatoes!
Tim says "If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. " Why can vegetarians never be allowed to just be vegetarians in peace without having our dietary habits constantly analysed and criticised? Not all of us are preachy and the constant analysis of our diets gets very old, very quickly.
What a pointless article ! Shame on you CNN for wasting our time !
AmericanPatriot...do you see how my posting is only one short paragraph? Do you see how I clearly did not cut and paste my entry from an online medical journal or Wikipedia? Do you notice how I have only posted to this blog once? Furthermore, do you notice how I am not sanctimoniously preaching to the rest of the world how to live their lives? I can do this because not only am I intelligent enough to formulate my own opinions, but I am also courteous enough not to flood a web page with ridiculous amounts of personal commentary that reads more like a dissertation than a blog entry. Perhaps instead of lecturing the rest of us, you should be evaluating your own behavior.
If your vegetarian friends are trying to bully you in to eat meat, then they have their own issues! Not all vegans and vegetarians are preachy.
“I do not want to make my stomach a graveyard of dead animals. ... "
Once in a while, a steak is great. But once in a while. Moderation. I sense some kind of "American" pride associated with meat in this chef's angle. Weird.
okay, meat has steroids. Plants have herbicides. Cows stand around ankle deep in poop. That poop is spread on vegetables. cars have to transport cattle to slaughterhouses. Cars have to transport vegetables to processing centers. Hamburgers taste really good with bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles taste really good with hamburgers. I am not seeing a difference here.
I recommend that everyone watch the documentary Food, Inc. before deciding what to eat. And yes, everyone should decide for themselves; however, eating mammals decimates the environment for all of us!
Spiritually speaking, it saddens me to see vegans/vegetarians condemn meateaters in the name of Christianity. I am a Christian, & as long as I can remember, the Bible has always told us "Do not judge unless you want to be judged". Also to be a Christian means to be Christ like (aka do & walk the way Jesus Christ did), many on this post (meateaters, vegan, & vegetarians alike) seem to have forgotten that. Flip through the Bible, no where did Jesus condemn anyone for eating meat or fish or bread (let us not forget insects).
Economically speaking, the available land left cannot feed the world population on vegetables. I would like to see someone's backyard feed some 3rd world country & still have enough to feed their family. And let us not forget that cows & other animal we so dearly do not want to kill live on vegetables, so that means accommodating 6 billion + people, & goodness knows how much animals we will have if we let them breed naturally. However, if it is the goal to make all meateaters turn vegan, be prepared that to accommodate the human & animal population, long years of research, money, & chemicals will be involved to grow that many crops in a short time in the small lands available w/ the wonderful ever so changing weather each country has.
Hi juggernaut. I'd like to address your points:
"Spiritually speaking, it saddens me to see vegans/vegetarians condemn meateaters in the name of Christianity. I am a Christian, & as long as I can remember, the Bible has always told us "Do not judge unless you want to be judged". Also to be a Christian means to be Christ like (aka do & walk the way Jesus Christ did), many on this post (meateaters, vegan, & vegetarians alike) seem to have forgotten that. Flip through the Bible, no where did Jesus condemn anyone for eating meat or fish or bread (let us not forget insects)."
I am a Christian vegetarian, and I don't "condemn" meat-eaters from a Christian standpoint, but I do take my beliefs as one reason why Christians should give up meat or at least be far more conscientious about what they eat. I have seen so much horror from my research into the meat industry. Much that I could only describe as evil. Immense abuse, suffering and death of God's creation. I had no choice but to give up meat. There is no way God ever intended anything like this, as evident in the fact that carnivory was not a part of the Garden of Eden, and came only after the Fall. Even then, there are only ever indications that God *tolerates* meat consumption. I have yet to see a passage explicitly condoning it as some sort of ideal. Also, times change. I can understand more how it may have mad sense for people thousands of years ago to rely on animals for food. But technology and civilization has come a long way, and there is no longer any significant need for meat consumption. So, given the green plants of the Earth that God originally intended for our food, or one of God's creatures that would need to be put to death, why would you choose the latter? Because it's "what we do" and it tasted good?...
"Economically speaking, the available land left cannot feed the world population on vegetables. I would like to see someone's backyard feed some 3rd world country & still have enough to feed their family. And let us not forget that cows & other animal we so dearly do not want to kill live on vegetables, so that means accommodating 6 billion + people, & goodness knows how much animals we will have if we let them breed naturally. However, if it is the goal to make all meateaters turn vegan, be prepared that to accommodate the human & animal population, long years of research, money, & chemicals will be involved to grow that many crops in a short time in the small lands available w/ the wonderful ever so changing weather each country has."
You are making some faulty assumptions here. First of all, that natural populations of poultry/livestock would be anywhere NEAR their current artificially huge populations that result from breeding for the food industry. I studied ecology at university...there's simply no way. Second, you do seem to keep in mind that current livestock live off of vast amounts of vegetable material that we grow for them. If we no longer kept livestock, that food could instead go to humans. And that is an IMMENSE food supply. There are millions of livestock grown and killed every year in America, and they consume a lot more vegetable material than a human would, much of it going to waste through metabolic processes, and not reaching the end consumer anyway. I read that the food currently used to support America's livestock could feed up to 800 MILLION additional human beings, if we gave up the meat industry. So, all things considered, I believe your fears about the results of giving up meat are unfounded. There is just so much to gain, in helping the environment, feeding the hungry around the world, and ending massive animal suffering and death.
Sum Up:
1. Tainted meat cruel treatment aren't reasons to be a veggie...make them stop tainting the meat and get better conditions.
2. If killing an animal is murder, then you really shouldn't think it's ok to kill a baby.
3. If humans are just another animal, then evolutionary speaking, our canine teeth are proof that we have as much right to eat meat as lions, tigers, and bears....oh my...
4. If you want to preach tolerance, you have to be tolerant.
Vegetarians are people who only eat plants. If anything, that sentence just sounds funny. That's because it is. If eating meat was so unhealthy, I'm sure the last 10 million years of human evolution would gotten rid of those things called incisors in your mouth. Vegetarians only have so many possible tastes they can make by only using plants. To cope with this boredom, they invented a clay-like substance called tofu, whose sole purpose is to be cooked with other foods (meat, among other things) to suck up the taste. That sounds an awful lot to me like cheating. Vegetarianism is probably one of the most pointless hobbies humans have come up with.
Actually vegetarians don't just eat plants. They can still eat dairy, eggs, mushrooms, and a few other things not in the plant category. Evolution has not removed the canine teeth from horses nor the little dinosaur tails that we have while we're in the womb. Vestigial structures are fascinating, aren't they? Now I'm not saying we're designed to eat just plants, because I acknowledge that humans are omnivorous, meaning that we have the option of being vegetarian or of including meat in our diet. And tofu is not exclusive to vegetarians. I know people who eat meat and also eat tofu, and I'm a vegetarian who doesn't eat soy.
The concept of animal suffering doesn't even click with evolutionary throwbacks like you, does it. And eating meat isn't "so unhealthy" in theory, but in today's culture it tends to be. Meat consumption made sense for survival in millenia past. But this is 2010, buddy. Get with the times.
on-the-side...one of my best friends is a vegetarian. I don't give him crap for being a veggie, and he doesn't give me crap for not being one. It is a personal choice and there is nothing wrong with a person choosing to be on either side. What is wrong is for a person on one side being intolerant of somebody being on the other side. I guess that's irony #4, most loud-mouthed veggies speak about being tolerant, and yet they are the most intolerant of people who don't agree with them.
Okay i am Not a vegan.nor a vegetarian. However,my son.his girlfriend,and most their friends are. Me,Honestly I don't have the discipline it takes. These kids are healthy,above average intelligence,and have made these choices not by default,but by research and facts. I have tried Vegan food,and I must say It's very good. Especially love the pastries(okay not so good maybe for the waistline). I did not realize what varieties of food(not just fruit/veggies) are available. So I think this article is just a little slanted
It's funny how vegetarians are always accused of being "preachy" (if that's not a worn-out stereotype I don't know what is) by the same people who write these articles telling us why we're wrong and why we should eat meat.
Mmm...BBQ flavored feces with an antiobiotic demiglaze. The cows stand ankle deep in their own excrement...not to mention that they're fed the poop from other cattle. You are what you eat, right?
This article is just dumb, it has no substance. Five "reasons" not to vs. a million in favor of. Particularly the nutrient claims...as a registered dietitian I can safely say that is bunk. Meat may be popular and tasty, but it isn't healthy, eco-friendly, sanitary, or smart. If you haven't had good veggies, then come over to my house for dinner.
you poor dumb vegetarian! what do you think fertlized those vegetables?
Irony #3. So, are all the carnivorous animals in the world evil because THEY eat meat? After all, most veggies believe in evolution, and therefore, that we humans are just another animal in this world, right? Well, we have canine teeth which, when you look at the animal kingdom, are present by evolution ONLY in carnivorous animals. So, just like the lions and tigers and bears, oh my, we too have evolved to be meat eaters.....
As a vegetarian, I would say that I feel that the choice to eat or not eat meat is a personal one. Contrary to what this author has to say (about holier than thou vegetarians), I have more meat eaters making comments about my personal business than is necessary. I've rarely had a meal where I am allowed to eat in peace.
This article more or less proves my point, being that it comes from a point of privilege (the majority of people eat meat) and derides my choice to not eat meat as one borne out of stupidity. Thanks CNN, for representing my point of view. NOT.
A co-worker was a staunch vegetarian because she loved animals so much.
One day I noticed she had gravy on her potatoes. When I questioned her about it I doscovered she had no idea where gravy came from.
After I told her she hated me because I RUINED gravy for her.
I didn't have the heart to tell her where jello comes form. :)
Osama bin Laden is actually running an underground slaughterhouse deep in the caves of Afghanistan. What is not known by the US Authorities is that He is exporting the meat to the US. Stop buying MEat!!! Stop supporting AL-QAEDA!!! God Bless America.
The only reason you need to not be a vegetarian is bacon. Bacon is the way, the truth, and the light.
MODERN TRANSPORT HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR HUMANS TO ATTAIN COMPLETE PROTEIN (all necessary amino acids) AND OTHER NUTRIENTS FROM VEGETABLES AND FRUITS.
IF YOU'VE OWNED A DOG, CAT, GERBIL, PARROT OR EVEN A FISH, YOU CAN RELATE TO THE OCCASIONAL, NAGGING FEELING THAT THE MEAT ON YOUR TABLE USED TO HAVE A SOUL AND PERSONALITY – CAPABLE OF FEELING AFFECTION AND PAIN.
MEAT TASTES GREAT IF YOU CAN IGNORE THAT NAGGING FEELING. FOR VEGETARIANS, IT APPARENTLY IS MORE DIFFICULT TO GET OVER THAT NAGGING FEELING – OR, APPARENTLY, THAT NAGGING AFTERTASTE.
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT "EMPATHY" IS AN ABILITY THAT VARIES FROM INDIVIDUAL TO INDIVIDUAL. LET THE MEAT EATERS ENJOY THEIR MEAT. IF THEY CAN'T TASTE THAT LOST LIFE IN THE MEAT THEY ARE CHEWING ON, THEN THAT TRULY IS A BLESSING. AS A MEAT-LOVER GONE VEGETARIAN, I TRULY WISH I COULD STILL EAT MEAT WITHOUT TASTING THE SOUL THAT USED TO INHABIT THAT MEAT.
1 Eating Meat
2 Killing innocent creatures
3 Selfish
4 Not Compassionate
5 Violent
6 Fanatical
7 Burn in Hell for eternity with Satan
8 Are Insane
9 Stupidity
10 Commit violence due to a skewed belief system
I really don't know where to start with you but I am going out on a limb here and saying that Jesus is not burning in hell and he was a meat eater. I am glad to see that people can do there own thing in life be it eat only plants that is great. But to slander others for what they do is wrong.
He also walked on water, raised the dead, got betrayed and cruxified.
We should all do those things, eh?
and Irony number 2...most of the veggies that think that killing an animal to eat it is tantamount to murder are pro-choice...i.e. they think its wrong to kill an animal for food, but ok to kill a baby because it's an inconvenience...bunch of hypocrites.
No one kills babies, you fucking idiot. People may elect to terminate a miniscule clump of cells inside their uterus.
And I'm a happy omnivore.
classy reply ...
So, you vegetables think we shouldn't eat meat at all because our meat supply is being tainted with female hormones? ummm, doesn't it make more sense to try and get them to STOP tainting the meat supply? Besides, I know a lot of people who get their beef and pork from local ranchers who don't use any of that crap. It is possible to get meat that isn't tainted. Ya'll just want to use it as an excuse to try and get everyone to think like you. Most vegetables tend to be anti-religion because they think religions have forced their views on people, but those same veggies are the most opinionated, preachy, no-it-all's around, and they'll make anybody who doesn't agree with them out to be horrible people just because they eat meat...jeez, give it up.
You could flip your comments to say the same thing about flesh eaters.
Blanket statements do not hold, just like it's stupid to say White men Can't Jump or all Blacks Play Basketball or All Chinese Are Good At Math etc. My nutrition has been vegan (I am a human, not a vegan) for almost 40 years and I have never been antireligious, quite the opposite in fact. Very much an interfaith kinda human here, vegan simply describes nutritional practices, nothing more, nothing less. No tangential or ancillary ideologies, politics, etc. Simple nutrition science at work.
be well.
these are the dumbest, most shallow reasons not to be a vegetarian. quite possibly the most useless opinion piece i've read to date. I refuse to contribute to the suffering of ANY life form. Veg for LIFE!!
This isn't a serious argument at all. 1 and 2, it tastes and smells good – suppose you say the same thing in arguing for cannibalism? -You- may taste good when I cook you but there are certainly other factors at play, such as whether you have the right to kill me and eat me in the first place. 3 goes for anyone who sees vegetarianism not as just an individual's preference, but a choice that adversely or positively effects others. This goes for any moral position nearly – if I oppose murder, I don't just say "It's not my choice but it's ok for you." Pointing out that people are "annoying" doing so has absolutely nothing to do with the veracity of the claims – it rather probably points more to your own being disturbed by having to consider a question you probably haven't put thought into, because omnivorism is the default. Just like in a lot of times, racism, sexism, agism, etc. 5 is on its face, not serious. Is this the best arguments that can be given?
I definitely believe that Osama Bin Laden is related to the Slaughter-House iNdustry. The attacks of 9/11 and the building of a Giant slaughterhouse in ALABAMA definitely have a precise connection. If you think Meat Eating was bad get a taste of Meat Eating Terrorists having Barbeques while flying planes into your homes just to make a couple of dollars. This is the future if the Meat Terrorist Industry is not stopped.
I became a vegetarian at a very young age because meat taste so bad! It was so gross I would slip it under the table to my dog. Boy that dog sure did love me.
I don't know any preachy vegetarians only aggressive meat eaters who attack me for the way I eat.
I do occasionally tell people their meat looks like roadkill but only after they tell me my hummus looks like babyshit.
I'm not standing on any soapbox. I haven't eaten meat for over 20 years....and I don't miss it. I occasionally will drool at the smell of Buffalo Chicken wings...but I am never tempted to eat any meat. After I read some information and watched some video and started to really understood where my food was coming from and the suffering that is involved....I stopped eating meat immediately....and have never looked back. There are plenty of things for me to eat (that taste great) that don't require an animal to lose it's life. Meat is cruel...end of story.
Absolute rubbish! Meat today is chock full of anti-biotics and hormones. It's een proved that animals "sense" they are going to be slaughterd and release masses of fear homes into their system. You get those hormones when you eat meat.
I've been a vegetarian for over 70 years. I'm 84 years old and I have blood pressure 115/75 because my arteries are clean. My mother who was a BIG meat eater, died at 69 because of, "Hardening of the arteries," brought on by meat eating. The majority of the people I grew up with are DEAD from clogged arteries and many of those who are still alive are on heavy duty (and very expensive) blood pressure medication because their arteries are narrowed. Clogged with animal fat.
Want to try a couple of experiments? Stop eating meat for 3 weeks, then go and eat a hamburger. It tastes of decaying flesh.
Next, put some animal fat on your hands then try and wash it off. Without dish washing liquid it sticks to your flesh. Then put some vegetable oil on your hands and try to wash it off. It soon clears. That fat from animals which clings to the outside of your hands also clings to your arteries. There are a score of ways to get all the protein you need WITHOUT eating meat. This Chef is young and naive and full of the stuff bovines (cows) have in their intestines. YOU DO NOT NEED MEAT and don't let these trendy Chefs or the meat industry convince you otherwise. Want to live healthy and longer? STAY AWAY FROM MEAT. Want or (sometimes) need protein of a "once living creature", eat fish.
I'm a Meat-eater and I despise terrorism. Who ever came up with the idea that Terrorists and Meat Eaters are the same is a terrorist HImself. I mean I do like to Slaughter millions of Living Creatures but I would never fly a plane into my SLaughter-house cause it would cost me so much money to rebuild. I have read that Osama Bin Laden has been known to have friends in the American Slaughter-house industry but I think it doesn't have anything to do with the recent change of way of slaughter in Mississippi by flying planes into the slaughter-houses. Steak anybody?
I laughed out loud at his first reason. I'm a vegetarian not because of moral reasons but specifically because meat tastes so BAD. Especially fish – I can't even stand to be in the same room as fish since it smells so horrid.
If we are not supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?
wouldnt it be kinda hilarious if our planet was invaded by aliens that lived off of deep fried human sandwiches?
You are made of meat too, idiot. Are you offering up yourself? Your family? Nope, didn't think so.
Just so you understand something–even if makes the world a better place, I am not going vegetarian. I don't mind destroying the earth. In fact, I am actively trying to destroy it, and have been working at since I was a small boy. I litter, I eat animals (especially the endangered kind. It doesn't bother me to do these things, because like 3-5% of the general population, I am considered psychotic (oh, there are different labels out there, like anti-social personality, etc...but psychotic fits). At a best guess scenario, this plantet will be a big burnt out ball in 3-5 billion years from now. SO, why work to preserve it for the future? No matter what we do (unless we install engines into the earth and turn the earth into a giant spaceship, all you are doing is condemning future generations to die on this rock. best destroy it now...
So, eating meat comes from innocent animals? Not all animals are innocent.
And I would eat a human....if i needed to.. I mean, I don't have any recipes at all, But I am willing to learn. If I had been with gilligans, I would have eaten the survivors. If I am ever on "survivor" i am willing to try it...should make for great ratings.
im vegan.....but ive always been curious as to what a person-burger would taste like. may i slaughter you john winslow?
:D
You would eat a human ... so you're OK with the humans eating you, eh?
Can't argue if someone turns the tables on ya can ya?
Might be vegetarians who realize it's the only way that they're going to survive!
"Just this once ..."
Every single animal I've ever eaten once ate vegetables. That's good enough for me.
Poop is cheaper than vegetables. Have you ever stood at the feedlot during feeding time to check your statement for accuracy?
I was wondering what the correlation between Meat-eating and Terrorism is? I have heard that b 4 Osama Bin Laden Became the head of the terrorist Organization Al-Qaeda He used to run Slaughter-Houses? Is this true or is it just fiction? I mean maybe that is why I have heard that instead of Cutting the throats of the animals in the Slaughter-houses in Mississippi they have begun to fly planes into them. Seems like it could be related.
I was a vegetarian for 7 years until I got pregnant with my first and only child. Those years were the years I was in greatest shape and healthiest in general. Now I eat white and organic meat and I rarely eat red meat. Even though, my body could be in better shape, for a 45 years old woman, I have the look and energy of a 30 year old. In addition to the animal treatment issue and all the chemicals we are subjected to eat through meat, by limiting our consumption of meat especially red meat, we definitely gain more than lose.
AMERICANPATRIOT
Tofu hasmore estrogen in it than beef you long winded dummy.
ill give you a bajillion dollars if you can find tofu with ARSENIC LACED ANTIBIOTICS IN IT...and steroids....and ulcers....and cow adrenaline......hmmm.....makes me hungry. time for some chicken fingers...with amoxicillin dipping sauce.
There is good evidence that around 70% of the butchering that is done on animals in our meat production here in the US is initiated before the animal is actually dead (we don't know for sure because we have done away with most government inspection). Chickens are now produced that, even if allowed to live, are genetically so deformed by big breasts and thighs that they loose the ability to walk before they are a year old. And the quality of life of the vast majority of these animals while they are still alive, as short as that may be, is miserable.
Some people just don't care about this suffering; others willfully remain ignorant (or outright deny) these facts. But imagine someone you love (or your pet cat or dog, for that matter) in the situation of an animal raised only for its flesh. Where does your ability to empathize start, and where does it stop? What does that say about personal character? Of course, if imagining that is too difficult for you, go grab a snack or something.
The single biggest way that anyone can reduce their carbon footprint is to become a vegetarian. However, if you just deny the strong scientific consensus that supports the existence of anthropogenic global warming, then you definitely need not care about that, either.
The evidence has already been presented that a vegetarian diet is healthier for the vast majority of humans. This evidence has only grown stronger as science learns more about the human body. But then, maybe that is just all lies.
Actually, if it feels good, do it. If it tastes good, eat it. Broadcast your own opinion loud and clear (like this author and CNN have done) for whatever reason. If anyone tries to argue with the debate that you have initiated or chosen to take part in, just tell them they are being preachy. Maybe you can get them to shut up.
No wonder the world is in the shape it's in!
let the fatties have their meat......then when their hearts are like basketballs filled with cheese, all veggie people can do a little dance and say TOLD YA SO. then smear a moldy tomato in their face.
WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
EAT PLANTS!!! NOM NOM
this is a joke article and should have a title indicating as much. I came to this article via CNN.com expecting some sort of quality, rather than Jeff Foxworthy-esque shtick.
@AmericanPatriot: THANK YOU! What people in the United States don't realize is that the meat industry has (very successfully) built their industry on keeping the American public in the dark about what really happens to the animals and how meat really is produced. The fact of the matter is that 99% of ALL meat is factory farmed meat. This means that there are no farms anymore and that 99% of the meat you eat is manufactured by genetically altering the animals and by keeping them artificially "healthy" and growing faster and larger than before.
Do yourselves a favor and just educate yourselves about what you use for your own and your children's nourishment as it WILL affect your health. In this day and age we have the luxury of using the internet for educational purposes. Use it.
Why I eat meat
1. Vegetable can't defend themselves like an animal, so only girly men eat vegetables. Girly men that are scared of confronting a real animal. Every year in my state, Hyperaggressive Deer charge at innocent motorists (many of them vegetarians) and fling themselves towards the windshields. Many accidents in my state are attributed to some poor innocent slob who swerved to avoid a deer. Plants? very few if any cases documenting attacks on humans by plants.
2. Meat tastes great! Best steakhouse in America uses butter and salt. Not a whole lot of dressing it up. Meat tastes great no matter how raw it is. I once ate a steak and it was so rare that my mashed potatoes were turning pink soaking up the blood. It was so disgusting, I had to eat my steak in a darker part of the diner. MMMM...
3. Man was designed to kill and eat animals. Oh, we are omnivores, not carnivores, so I am sure someone will point out several "fallacies" with that statement. But, our bodies CAN digest meat means that we were, in fact, born to eat meat. I only eat herbivores. I don't anything that eats meat for it's diet (such as bears (omnivores) or fish (carnivore, lots of them...). Partly it's taste (corn fed or grain fed makes wonderful meats), and partly out of profesional courtesy in the hopes that given the chance they won't eat me.
4. Too many plants are poisonous. Oh, there a re a couple of meats I wouldn't trust (puffer fish, for example) Lots of poisonous vegetables. Hemlock. Cyanide comes from the same plant that gives us Tapioca Pudding. Lot's more.
5. In case me and a vegetarian are stranded on an island or in the desert, I am going to eat him. I like grain fed foods, remember. As he/she is a vegetarian, they go on the menu. Since they are vegetarians, I don't have to worry about them.
Why you are going to Hell?
1 Your an idiot
2 You eat innocent Animals.
3 You eat Human Beings on Stranded Islands
pst.....hell isnt real.
GO VEG. WOO!
Another fool who thinks that vegetarianism implies less-than-manly. Men who harp on this angle are over over-compensating repressed and insecure "fellas." No girly-man here ... and since my life startegies include impact, edged, and ballistic weapons it is very likely that if we were stranded on an island I'd have to use them just because you'd chance to even think about "it." Cooperation would be better, but the attitude and intent ... the other animals could have their way, I would not use my tools on your behalf. Take your menu and ...
If you can't take it don't dish it.
You get what you give.
Hyuk hyuk hyuk. Thems shore is good reezins fer not being a sissy vegiterion! Go back to the ranch, Chef. Tim Love seems to be uninformed. He's also not very funny.
Who you callin' sissy, punk?
Is name calling your best argument, punk?
"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel Prize 1921
sure...he said it...but he only practiced in the last year of his life or so...when he was old...and his faculties were less then when he was a young omnivore...
I don't think Einstein realized we would be >6 billion & technology would cause society to expand to accommodate. The available land left cannot feed the world population on vegetables. I would like to see someone's backyard feed some 3rd world country & still have enough to feed their family. and let us not forget that cows & other animal we so dearly do not want to kill live on vegetables, so that means accommodating 6 billion + people, & goodness knows how much animals we will have if we let them breed naturally.
Boy this got preachy fast! My husband is a vegetarian and I really dig alot of his food. However he never preaches to me about his eating habbits and neither do I. He's even learning to cook me great meat items when he cooks. No one should preach who's food tastes are better than the others. Everyone get off the high horse and enjoy whatever you enjoy eating! We are all adults are no what risks go with what food but we do not need a lecture!
"Preachy vegetarians"??? Give me a break - I've been happily meatless for 15 years and never said a word to my carnivorous friends about their food choices. Rather, there has been an endless stream of questions from them along the lines of "what *is* that that you're eating?" (i.e., "what is wrong with you?"). Like the author of this sadly defensive article, I suspect that those questions originate from a place of fear - fear of cholesterol clogging his arteries, fear that his choices have doomed him to a future of poor health. Back off and let us vegetarians chose what is best for our own futures; were you similarly secure in your future, this article would never have been written.
I can't stand Vegetarians. They are always so damn preachy especially out here in California. It seems like everytime I try to have myself a juicy ribeye steak and the blood starts to drip off my chin I have to hear some Preachy vegetarians talking about how meat eaters are just a bunch of terrorists and are worse than Osama Bin Laden. If i have to hear one more time about burning in hell or flying a plane into a slaughterhouse I may just end up becoming a Rastafarian. At least then I could eat fish and praise Jah the father of creation who can save me from my sin of killing all these innocent creatures. God have mercy on my soul. I know my heart is made from stone and I have no compassion and that I'm a sad excuse for a human being but I just love me the taste of that Juicy steak even if i have to beg for the money on the streets cause I'm an alcoholic. God Bless America.
I'm a vegetarian for personal reasons. The last thing I would ever want is for someone dining with me to feel uncomfortable about their food choices. Human beings are omnivores...we have the luxury (at least those of us in developed nations do) of choosing what we will and will not eat. I made one choice...the person next to me may have made another. It's all good.
I would like to see American meat eaters move away from feed-lotted, antibiotic-ridden meat and back toward more naturally produced meat...both for their own health and for the sake of the planet (Not to mention taste! I haven't always been a vegetarian, and I remember very well how much better naturally raised meat tasted than the average crap in the supermarket!). But I can say the same thing about my fellow vegetarians who chose to live primarily on processed foods. The closer to nature it is when you start cooking it, whether it's a steak or a squash, the better it tastes and the better it is for you.
Now, I do have to say that any meat eater owes it to himself, just once in his life, to eat vegetarian haute cuisine (yes, it exists!) Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco springs immediately to mind. Just so you can taste (and see and smell) just how wonderful good vegetarian food can be. Just because we give up meat, after all, doesn't mean we give up taste! I know that Chef Love's comments were largely tongue-in-cheek (and I chuckled at them myself), but seriously folks...as a foodie who has positively swooned over a delectable preperation of tempeh in a cabernet reduction with sauteed morels, I'm here to tell you that good food is good food, whether it contains meat or not.
Wow, this chef pretty much played all of you veggieheads. He writes a clearly sarcastic and tongue in cheek article and you guys go through the roof. All of you need to put on a collar with the nametage "Tim Love" on in cuz you just got owned!
Most vegetarian diets are low in or devoid of animal products. They’re also usually lower than non-vegetarian diets in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer.
Source: American Heart and Stroke Foundation.
All of you that keep talking about meat only taste good because of spices forget that there are many ways people have prepared meat for centuries that didn't involve anything more than salt at the most and even today there are plenty of people that love the taste of meat that doesn't have any spices on it. And just for you really slow people, salt is not a vegetable!!
In reply to AMERICANPATRIOT- I am pretty sure I love you..
Wow, such a firestorm over some hic chef trying to be a little sarcastic.
Look, I eat meat, I enjoy it. I don't care if you do or don't, you are vegetarian or vegan, or if you just want to live off air.
Meat gives you cancer? Probably does, but so can the air, the water, the veggies that you are eating. At this point, nearly everything on the planet has been shown to contribute to cancer.
Animals die in horrible conditions in slaughterhouses? Yes, they do. And it pisses me off to see it. Am I gonna stop eating meat? No. Am I going to demand those companies clean up their acts and follow safety/cleanliness guidelines by protesting and boycotting their companies? Damn right.
Am I near the top of the food chain and going to enjoy my spot? Yep. Because their have been cases where pigs have eaten people, so I know the bacon would eat me if it got the chance.
If they have health/religious needs and meat is not good/acceptable for them, should someone stop eating it? Absolutely. And if you came to my cookout, I grill up a veggie burger or whatever you liked for ya.
Look everyone, enjoy your life, enjoy your food. Eat what you want, what you think tastes good, or what you need to, and be happy about it.
Read 'Heads and Tails' by Maneka Gandhi. Period.
All of you that keep talking about how raising animals is "bad for the environment" forget that raising vegetables and other crops has introduced countless tons of pesticides and herbicides into our environment. Anyone for some DDT? But just like they improved crop farming practices (to some degree....it still isn't as golden as you veggieheads pretend it is) people also haved worked and are working on decreasing the impact of raising livestock.
Just a couple things to note: 1) although this post is full of nut jobs, there are a lot of vegetarians that are level headed (eg: me) and are not "veggieheads." 2) I will admit that both practices have good and bad points to them. DDT is not used any more though and organic farming is the best practice. You can however organically raise livestock as well though, so this point is for both sides. What does make a difference when it comes to the environment is the energy consumption. You may not be eating the "veggies" but your cow or pig is. Therefore eating meat actually uses the worst of both worlds.
So, although I do feel it is better for the environment to eat veggies alone, this issues is way more complicated than just that. Its also only one small sliver of the problem with the environment. I'm not trying to bash what you said, nor am I trying to say this is the end all cure to global warming, but yes...there really is a small impact for the positive to go vegetarian. I'm just trying to keep the facts about it realistic.
The Hunger Argument
Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million
Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million
Percentage of corn grown in the US eaten by people: 20
Percentage of corn grown in the US eaten by livestock: 80
Percentage of oats grown in the US eaten by livestock: 95
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90
How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2 point 3 seconds
Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000
Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250
Percentage of US farmland devoted to beef production: 56
Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16
The Environmental Argument
Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect
Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels
Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet vs a meat-free diet: 3 times more
Percentage of US topsoil lost to date: 75
Percentage of US topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85
Number of acres of US forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million
Amount of meat imported to US annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds
Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75
Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet
Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year
The Cancer Argument
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3 For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2: 8 times
For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3: 25 times
Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times
Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs sparingly or not at all: 3 point 6 times
The Cholesterol Argument
Number of US medical schools: 125
Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30
Nutrition training received by average US physician during four years in medical school: 2 point 5 hours
Most common cause of death in the US : heart attack
How frequently a heart attack kills in the US: every 45 seconds
Average US man's risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent
Risk of average US man who eats no meat: 15 percent
Risk of average US man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent
Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent
Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent
Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl
Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent
The Natural Resources Argument
User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the US: livestock production
Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25
Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000
Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13
Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260
Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78
To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2
Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by US that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33
Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the US needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2
The Antibiotic Argument
Percentage of US antibiotics fed to livestock: 55
Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13
Percentage resistant in 1988: 91
Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban
Response of US meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support
The Pesticide Argument
Common belief: US Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection
Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues
Percentage of US mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99
Percentage of US vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8
Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher
Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level
The Ethical Argument
Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the US: 660,000
Occupation with highest turnover rate in US: slaughterhouse worker
Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job-injury in US: slaughterhouse worker
The Survival Argument
Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner)
Food choice of Dave Scott: Vegetarian
Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Where is he today?)
Source?
Vegetarians are idiots. The person that posted the novel about how bad meat tastes is a bigger idiot. The best steaks you can eat have nothin on em but some grill marks, baby. The reason animals reproduce at multiple times the rate of humans is so we can cook them, enjoy them, and nourish our bodies with their sustenance. I eat vegetables with every plate of deliciously bloody meat, and equally enjoy them; however, im not the kind to just eat a salad and call it a day. Im a man. Cows live an awesome life, they dont want to do anything but sleep and eat all day, and because we protect them, they have that luxury. Man, this whole thing has got me ravenously hungry. Im gunna go wrap some steaks in bacon and hit the grill. Enjoy your rabbit food veggie heads.
Enjoy burning in Hell you meat eating bastard.
Im going to attack this from a couple of different angles, as to cover every side of your ignorance. If you are a christian: Fish are meat. Jesus supposedly fed a crowd of hundreds with fish. Thus, Jesus was multiplying and handing out eternal damnation to his followers in the form of fish sandwiches? I think not. If you are not christian: Why the hell are you talking about hell? But due to the fact you brought religion into a conversation stemming from the consumption of meat, i guarantee you are. Go spew your ridiculous, unfounded, ignorant opinions at somewhere else. Blindly follow the christian faith like the sheep you are. On a side note, i love lamb. Lamb gyros rock my world. Once again enjoy ur tofu to-freak.
Why don't you go fly a plane into a slaughter-house you Meat Eating Terrrorist? I am a Christian but not one of those freaky ones that doesn't even follow Jesus Christ. I don't consider myself a religious person but i do know that animals have a soul and if you kill them you will not escape from your future suffering. If you repent you can be forgiven otherwise go on and live an uncontrolled animal life like a hog. Hogs they also don't discriminate what they eat and that is why they like to eat fresh stool. I don't wish it upon you but if you continue with your Terroristic ways you may very well become a stool eating Hog.
Why don't you go fly a plane into a slaughter-house you Meat Eating Terrrorist? I am a Christian but not one of those freaky ones that doesn't even follow Jesus Christ. I don't consider myself a religious person but i do know that animals have a soul and if you kill them you will not escape from your future suffering. If you repent you can be forgiven otherwise go on and live an uncontrolled animal life like a hog. Hogs they also don't discriminate what they eat and that is why they like to eat fresh stool. I don't wish it upon you but if you continue with your Terroristic ways you may very well become a stool eating Hog. Enjoy.
Your previous post was so incoherent and poorly worded, I'm not ever sure what to say. You say yo are a christian, then you say you are not really a religious person. And what about the souls of the fish that Jesus SLAUGHTERED to feed his people. Or how about the thousands of animal sacrifices called for BY GOD in his bible? Raising livestock for FOOD purposes was also the occupation of David, one of God's most holy men. So, can you explain any of this or are you just going to comment back with something about blowing myself up in a beef jerky factory?
RELAXXXXX DUUUDEE. no ones making you eat dead animals. its a choice not to. a super good one. props for you.
but try not to be so preachy. it makes me embarrassed to be vegan.
GO VEG! WOOT WOOT.
Thank you for your reply. Yes the souls of the fish that were eaten by Jesus Christ can go back to Heaven because if Jesus Christ has people eat meat it is okay but you are not Jesus Christ and I don't see you or anybody else performing miracles. An empowered being sent by God may due things according to time, place, and circumstance but it does not mean that Meat Eating is accepted and that is why he gave the commandment thOu Shall Not Kill. THe meat eating demons may try to find some loophole in this Commandment but to sincere seekers of truth it is plain and simple. Everybody knows that killing is good and I know for a fact that most meat eating freaks of America would think it bad if I killed their pet dogs and cats. Animal Sacrifice was something that was performed in the past but the animal would recieve a human body. Nowadays it is forbidden and people don't know that ancient art. Thou Shall Not Kill is a simple straightforward Commandment and if you cannot follow it now you will be punished in the near future. Good luck. Send my regards to Satan.
be bop bop....you are fascinating. smart enough to not eat animals...yet dumb enough to believe in jesus. amazing.
note to veg-heads: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8295.0
^^^^^SO FUCKING DELICIOUS.
Tomato face why you dissing our lord Jesus Christ!!! Might as well join the meat-eaters on the royal road to the Place called hell. You won't find it on Google Maps but it does exist. We all hope you don;t find out the hard way. God Bless.
Thanks! Enjoy your meat wrapped in bacon. Eat it every day if you like. Living to 40 then dropping dead of a heart attack is totally your choice. I wouldn't stop you. I do question who the idiot is. I guess if it would make you feel better about dying fat, young, manly and stupid...I could attend your funeral. I plan on living till 90 and having fun as long as I can. Good luck on your quest to prove you have the right to be stupid.
Beware of Meat-Eating Terrorists headed by Osama Bin Laden. If Bin Laden would have just eaten spinach and potatoes he would have been alot more peaceful and lives both animal and human could be saved. Animals have more of a soul than meat eating creatures from hell.
I have seen recall for vegetables and frruits it does not only happen to meat.
Oh yeah Jeff, Mad Cow disease and the more recent pig scare never happened! And the eggs destroyed in millions in last two month? hmm, that must have also not happened! Btw, if you actually want info, read 'Heads and Tails' by Maneka Gandhi.
Seriously – if you need any evidence that vegetarians are bonkers, just look at some of these posts. If meat is so bad for you, why aren't all the lions and wolves dying of cancer or whatever else they're trying to accuse meat of causing?
if you do some research, you'll see that lions and tigers are animals called carnivorous. their bodies are designed to run from meat only. look at a tiger. it can run up to 30mph. its had huge claws and teeth. they have a shorter digestive track to move meat through quickly and different enzymes in their blood to digest meat.
imagine a human being trying to hunt down a deer using our speed, teeth, and fingernails. we dont even have the right digestive fluids to process meat properly. our intestines are longer and meat literally rots inside of us because it stays in our bodies so long. humans and predators like lions and completely different mammals and are designed to eat different things.
Lions, wolves, and other true carnivores have relatively unconvoluted (i.e., straighter/shorter) GI tracts so that flesh foods do not have a chance to putrefy and otherwise cause problems before they take a dump.
Terrorists and Meat Eaters are not at all the same. One of them kills innocent creatures and the other blows up buildings and kills innocent creatures. Well I guess they are a little similar that they kill innocent creatures for their own selfish purpose but still one is blowing up buildings with planes and one is cutting the throat with a knife. If i was in the trade centers as they burned down i probably would prefer a banana milk-shake over a steak.
So where does the milk for your milk-shake come from if you aren't using an innocent animal for your own selfish purposes? Come to think of it – isn't the banana in that banana milk-shake innocent too? I don't see you feeling sorry for it.
Used to be a big meat/bbq guy. Loved it. Vegetarian going on 10 years now and don't miss it at all. The absolute horrible suffering these animals go through was enough to make me quit. I can't be part of that. In addition, I don't have to worry about the recalls or the expense of buying it either.
Meat? Chicken? Fish? No thanks.
The vegetarians above provided a great education...well said! Eat live food, not dead food....A dead and decaying animal must be frozen, to slow the decay, and covered with many spices to disguise the taste of death..IT is an acquired taste, as cigarettes and coffee. It does not digest, but rots, causing maggots, parasites, and worms, and eventually cancer...and the meat industry is lacing these once live creatures with hormones, anti-biotics and other harmful chemical..which is why cancer, heart disease and diabetes are the main cause of death in the USA. Also this is why we have giant, obese children, and adults. Our teeth are primarily flat, because we are not carniverous beings.
Fruits and vegetables continue to ripen after picked, and digest, not decay in the system...but giant bio-tech farming corporations are destroying these foods as well with genetic engineering, and pesticides. Also modification to sterilize the reproduction of a seed to require farmers to buy seed from them every year...maybe this is why the honey has become nearly extinct. Is this same alteration sterilizing the humans that eat these products as well......Man has destroyed this planet, and our food supply.....I think women should have a shot at running the Planet.
"The largest study ever of diet vs longevity and a host of western diseases was the China Project, a "survey of death rates for twelve different kinds of cancer for more than 2,400 counties and 880 million (96%) of their citizens" combined to study the relationship between various mortality rates and several dietary, lifestyle, and environmental characteristics in 65 mostly rural counties in China conducted jointly by Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine over the course of twenty years. A strong dose-response relationship was found between the amount of animal foods in the diet, and the top causes of mortality in the West: heart disease, diabetes, and cancer." Source: wikipedia.org
Whoomp, there it is!
Direct correlation btwn flesh consumption, cancer, diabetes, and CV disease.
More flesh consumption = more cancer, more diabetes, more CV disease.
This article was written with Tim Love's tongue firmly lodged in his cheek. Read it carefully and you gotta pat him on the back while sneaking one of his ribs from the bowl. But the reaction of the readers in this sound off is a good indicator of the polarized and often fuzzy logic of both sides of the argument. It's not about eating just meat, or eating just vegetables, it's about eating good food, and controlling how much we eat.
Author Michael Pollen, in his best selling book, "In Defense of Food", put it all into proportion with this sentence: EAT GOOD FOOD, NOT TOO MUCH, AND MOSTLY VEGETABLES. Good food, be it animal or vegetable is not processed. You can recognize good food, whether animal or vegetable, by one common trait: it rots easy. It goes bad fast, so you have to eat it fresh, and quickly, or get used to throwing way too much of it into the garbage.
Pollen points out what we should already know by heart: Western Society is the first in the history of our species to be getting sick from having too much food. While half the world goes to bed hungry, the other half goes to bed with indigestion from eating too much. He also points out the ongoing war between healthy eating and the "nutrition propaganda war" being waged by the food industry. The sad reality about the centuries long war against food rotting has resulted in good looking food that has so little nutrition left after processing that eating the packaging is about as good for you as eating what's in the package.
We rule this planet as a species because the truth of the matter is this: if necessity requires it, we can eat things that would make a vulture puke. Go have lunch in Hong Kong before you die and you'll wonder if you will ever know the difference between meat, vegetable and what-the-hell-is-that-thing. Have you ever eaten a century egg? Worf the Klingon would love it: an egg aged in dirt so long it changes into something from another planet: with a transparent indigo-blue outer part, instead of egg white, and a teal blue yoke. The egg smells like a cat's litter box and tastes like ass, but hundreds of millions of Asians slaver over this delicacy. I put up with it because my friends always order it at Dim Sum on Sundays.
Life for us in this 21st Century is both a bounty of wonderful pleasures, and some really nasty consequences for enjoying things too much. The challenge of the next generation after mine (baby boomers), is to learn to put it in balance and spread it out so nobody goes to bed hungry, and nobody eats so much they get sick.
Osama Bin Laden and Meat eating are not necessarily the same. I mean Osama Bin Laden is a terrorist and Meat- eaters are also terrorists but Bin Laden lives in Caves like the Meat eating ancestors and the American Meat Eaters live in houses at on the open land. It is true that they both kill innocent living beings but the Afghanistan terrorists have beards and the American ones don't. Bin Laden could be a very intelligent goat with his beard and all and maybe his revenge was to make a human barbeque in THE WORLD TRADE CENTERS.
Remember the part of Vegetarians have a holier than thou attitude, AmericanPatroit thank you for proving that point.
We are Omnivores not just meat eaters and not just vegie eaters. We should be eating a well balanced diet not one extreme or the other. We do as Americans overendulge in our eating practices mostly towards meat, we take too much to an extreme and same with vegetarians they take it too much to the extreme as well. That is why they have to find suppliments for what they are lacking in meat like soy and peanuts and other things.
Just eat a well balanced meal not that hard. Hell they have ways online to check up on that.
Oh as Veggies taste better than meat, because you do not have to doctor them. Not in any of my cook books when I am making a Vegetarian meal do I not doctor the veggies. Yes, I make some veggie dishes because some are good to eat.
"We are Omnivores not just meat eaters and not just vegie eaters. We should be eating a well balanced diet not one extreme or the other. "
We are omnivores, but your traditional diet varies depending on which part of the world you are from. India, and many nations in hotter climates eat very little meat. By comparison cold-weather regions tend to eat more meat because it's easier to harvest and store in the winter. You can consume an all-veggie diet and remain perfectly healthy. You can't consume an all-meat diet and remain healthy.
"That is why they have to find supplements for what they are lacking in meat like soy and peanuts and other things."
Peanuts and soy beans are vegetables. So is tofu (soy based) and many other items. Kale, broccoli, wheat gluten, nutritional yeast. These aren't "supplements" they are foods that supply nutrition and replace meat. If you eat an all meat diet you end up with scurvy pretty quick. There's also a protein poisoning that takes place, it's sometimes called "rabbit fever".
"Oh as Veggies taste better than meat, because you do not have to doctor them. Not in any of my cook books when I am making a Vegetarian meal do I not doctor the veggies. Yes, I make some veggie dishes because some are good to eat."
Seasoning is an accepted practice on all dishes. I think the point American Patriot was making was that you can eat a raw carrot, lettuce, apple, orange, pear, etc. and it will taste good and have a pleasant flavor. If you eat raw meat, it is going to have little intrinsic flavor. You need to cook it to make the molecules interesting (even without seasoning) and you have to season it to make it really tasty. Personally I think meat tastes and smells good, I just choose not to eat it. I think it's intellectually dishonest of the author to demean the taste of veggies simply because his business depends on the sale of meats. I think within all his ranting that was American Patriot's point (lame as he is).
Ah, yet another condescending meat-eater article insiniuating: A)All vegetarians are holier-than-thou B)It's impossible to get excited about food unless there's meat in it C)There's something timid or effeminate about not eating meat and there is no macho BBQ option for wimpy vegetarians.
The MOST condescending and ignorant types I meet are those that eat meat and dismiss vegetarianism as some hippie, liberal lifestyle. Most vegetarians I know would rather NOT tell you they are a vegetraian because these loutish types want to make a joke about it and then tell you you are stupid in some way for not eating meat. They feel intimidated or threatened or something that they have to try and convince you meat is fine. I never said it wasn't. I choose a different lifestyle...not stopping you from yours.
For BBQ, I usually do veggie kabobs with tofu or make a seitan loaf and grill it just like meat. If I am really lazy I just buy garden-burgers and veggie dogs. I never feel out of place, and I do serve my guests real meat, I just don't partake. As for nutrition, there is nothing in meat you can't get from a good piece of broccoli and some peanuts. If you have ever walked into an Indian food restaurant and loved the delicious smells, you are smelling mostly vegetables. Best smells from the kitchen usually are onions and garlic. Mix them with anything and you get delicious smells that aren't meat-related. I'm not saying meat smells bad, it smells delicious, but to say you can't find good or appetizing smells from vegetables is simply promotion for his steak house.
Basically, I guess I am saying stop bagging on vegetarians and complaining they are pushing you. I know few vegetarians that will try to convert you unless you ask them why first. I have NEVER seen a vegetarian in my whole life walk up to a tool like this guy eating a steak in a restaurant and try to stop them from eating their steak,. It;'s his way of demonizing people that could care less what he is eating. Leave US alone...not the other way around douchbag.
It's one thing to eat meat and be ok with it, but to actively say that people should NOT be vegetarian??! Wow. There is nothing to be gained from eating meat (save from some uncommon health conditions), but there is a LOT to gain from going vegetarian (for yourself, the animals, world famine, and the environment). What an irresponsible article.
agreed.
AMERICANPATRIOT is right.
All of you who disagree: You're fucking idiots.
CLUELESS IDIOTS****
Happy National Cheeseburger Day you fucking morons.
The fact you said "Americanpatriot is right" pretty much proves you are an idiot. Even if you are a vegetarian about half of what he said is complete nonsense and to support it only shows you are an mindless follower who will grab at any statement that you wish were true without checking it.
This statement by this chef is so stupid that makes him look retarded, how in the world are you going to compared being healthier by eating meat rather than vegetables this is disgusting the way people act in such a stupid way by saying ridiculous things such as that comment.
That's the stupidest article I've ever read.
agreed.
foghamar, not everyone is vegetarian for the sake of the cuddly animals. Some people do it for religious or health reasons. You sound more like you are trying to justify your own eating habits than anything else. If anyone is whining, it's you. Why the hell do you care if someone doesn't want to eat meat? How does this cause physical or emotional distress to you in any way, shape, or form?
Why do i Care? I care because my family members died in the world trade center. I mean what would you eat if the World Trade Centers were burning down. I would eat a steak not a plate of vegetables.
Notice the redneck in the picture is hunched over. That is from the enormous chip on his shoulder.
I don't agree that Terrorists and Meat Eating are the same thing. I Mean terrorists are people who fly planes into buildings and kill thousands of living beings and meat eaters are just supporting the slaughter of millions of living beings daily. And where does the World Trade Center come into this? I mean probably the people that were in the World Trade Center when it was burning down were not thinking whether to eat steak or vegetables or their last meal. If it was me i probably would have had a squash and cheese casserole but I'm old fashion. Oh and one more thing. Stop being so Damn Preachy all you Broccoli heads.
Top 5 Reasons (As I See Them) To Eat Meat:
5) Grilled sea bass with a citrus and lemon butter reduction.
4) Country fried steak (with eggs and pancakes)
3) Grilled (dry aged) New York strip brushed with clarified butter.
2) Barbecued St. Louis style ribs
1) Bacon
Personally, I don't care if you are vegetarian or vegan. To each their own. As long as you don't get preachy on me, I won't get preachy on you.
As for the folks saying nobody can find the smell of cooking meat pleasant – I do. Very much so. And I have no problem putting the cooked corpse of an animal in my mouth – or the raw corpse of a fish. I even had buffalo carpaccio (sp?) once and enjoyed it, though I found the texture a little weird.
I've even killed and butchered my own food before, so I can hardly be accused of putting my head in the sand when it comes to what happens to the animal(s) before I eat them. And I still enjoy meat.
So, please, some of us know exactly what is involved in eating meat – and we still do so. If you don't approve, have the good manners to keep your disapproval to yourself. In return, I will refrain from making cracks about vegetarians.
Sorry but the cultural/moral relativism argument just doesn't fly.
Example:
1939 – "I don't care if you are a Nazi or not. To each their own. As long as you don't get preachy on me, I won't get preachy on you."
... "So, please, some of us know exactly what is involved in carrying out the Nazis' Final Solution, and we still do so. If you don't approve, have the good manners to keep your dissaproval to yourself. In return, I will refrain from making cracks about those who don't believe in Aryan supremacy and exterminating Jews."
You see, your argument only works in cases of benign activity that harm no one. Meat consumption is anything but, if you do your research into it (and I'm not just talking about animal welfare here, but environmentalism and humanitarianism as well; for exmple, if America alone gave up meat, the resulting food surplus could feed every starving person in Africa easily).
Grew up on a family farm. Raised critters, slaughtered critters. Watched many more critters die under combines getting grains for the vegetarians. Is this "friendly fire"? You don't like meat? Don't eat it. Those gentle passive turkeys almost killed me as a kid when I fell in the pen. Personally, I would like to know how you sleep nights after murdering all those helpless plants – living beings no less alive than animals. Meat, in my world, is very small part of a highly regulated eating plan, but I have no problems hunting my own down and fixing it myself. Pass the boning knife and filet knife, please. And stop whining.
these are the stupidest reasons i've ever read to not be vegetarian, and in fact i have heard some good reasons.
We may slaughter millions of innocent animals everyday but we don't fly planes into the World Trade Center making people make a choice between vegetables and a steak as their last meal. Personally I would have vegetables but that's just because there wasn't much time before the buildings collapsed. I guess that was the closest thing to a human barbeque.
Simobrown, it's nice that you have the courtesy to talk about vegetarians and/or vegans like we're second class citizens and your crap don't stink ("I'll let all vegetarians live on my side dishes"). Get over yourself. I also don't think you understand the concept of veggie burgers and other foods. They look like that so that people like YOU won't make a big deal out of someone eating one at a cookout or something. I also don't know why you think someone would make a veggie burger shaped like a shooting star or.. I don't know what you want us to make them look like or shaped like. It doesn't seem like thinking may be your strong point. And you don't seem to have a problem attacking the foods other people enjoy even though you demand that others don't extend the same discourtesy to you.
Comparing a grilled texas rib eye to squash, eh???? Two can play that game.
I'll gladly take the beautifully prepared vegetable tasting at Gramercy Tavern here in NYC over a Dominos Pepperoni Pizza any day of the week.
And so would you.
what an idiot. I have been a veg for 13 years and was interested to see some good reasons to eat meat...but there are none. I think this article may have actually helped the veg agenda bc there literally are no good reasons to be a meat eater besides 'it tastes good'.
riiiiiight.
Osama Bin-Laden and Meat-eating are one in the same.
Wow, really? you have no idea what you are talking about. Go over to Afghanistan for a couple months or even Somolia and then come back here and say something ignorant like that.
I am a vegan and at the age of 50, after 4 years as a vegan I have no intention of going back because I feel healthier. I am also not going to be a preachy vegan because, well I'm also an ex-smoker, and I don't preach about that either because everyone just thinks you're an a$$. Anyway, your story is a little biased. There are people who actually don't like and never have liked meat. I also have heard many stories on vegan podcasts and in books about young children having to acquire their parents' tastes for, among other things, meat. I have met people who are vegetarian and are just completely grossed out by the thought of greasy meat splatters all over their kitchen. So, I will not preach to you. I request that you please keep an open mind and realize that not everyone is suffering as a vegetarian.
"They don't realize that many of the plants that prehistoric man ate were full of toxins, and cooking them was actually a step forward in our evolution (by helping break down the toxins and allowing us to consume its nutrients)."
Yes, I'm quite sure that before we even knew what toxins or microbes were, we decided to cook food to get rid of them. News flash: raw fruits and vegetables are enzymatically intact and have much better bioavailability, as our digestive tract is far more capable of rapidly breaking down and using plant-based nutrients. Cooking them often removes much of the nutritive benefits of eating them in the first place.
"Don't give me this meat has to be cooked bull shit. We can eat meat raw, sure, but the development of cooking was an important evolutionary advancement, just as was pasteurization, which opened up milk to the masses (and milk is a wonderfully nutritious drink)."
First, try eating all of your meat raw for a month. If you don't die, I will personally tattoo 'Dan is God' on my forehead. Second, milk is NOT a wonderfully nutritious drink for humans. The principal protein in milk is Casein, which has been very directly linked to the promotion and growth of cancerous tumors. All of the other nutrients found in Milk can be derived from other sources. Milk is COW food, not human food.
"Good lean meats contain lots of protein, iron, and good ol' B vitamins. There is simply no reason to exclude them from the diet. You're fighting against the wrong food vegetarians, grains are the real culprit, not meat. Also, if being vegetarian is healthier then why did a study show that creatine supplements (a compound found in meat) actually increased cognitive function in vegetarians."
First, protein is overrated. The healthiest (longest-living) cultures in the world typically get about 5% of their overall caloric intake from protein, whether plant or animal based. You're absolutely right that beef is an excellent source of B-vitamins, but it's certainly possible to get those vitamins from other sources. Third, why don't you send me that study? Creatine is used in the synthesis of Adenosine Tri Phosphate, a compound your body uses for short-term, high-intensity activities (sprinting, jumping, etc). trigger23@gmail.com, send me the study. You do make your first intelligent statement here, though. Grains ARE the enemy.
"And it is easy, compare me a vegetarian and paleo eater, I can tell you the paleo eater will be healthier, almost 100% of the time."
I know very healthy people from both of those lifestyle groups, and this is a pretty unscientific statement. What I will say is that in my experience, eating vegetarian/vegan/raw requires you apply a certain amount of intellect to your nutritional habits to ensure a balanced diet. Once you get the hang of it though, it really isn't that hard.
I am happy to Live and let live. Let me eat my high protein meats, and I'll let all vegetarians live on my side dishes. The best part about it is it keeps meat prices down if they stay away from all the succulent food. The sad thing about the sanctified effort to convert every carnivore into a vegan is they spend too much time creating foods that try to imitate meat entrees. If you want to make it legitimate and claim it is better, don't dress it up like something you don't want to see on your plate. Vegans should be ashamed of Veggie burgers.
I have a friend who is a chef. One day he made me a great vegetable sandwich. I was very impressed and could see how a person could choose to have one for lunch every now and then. If your food is good great, enjoy! Don't attack the foods I consume and try to disrupt my happiness. Let's eat!!!
I agree Russell. I have read many articles about how Meat- Eating and Terrorism go hand and hand. Personally if i was in the World Trade Center when it was burning down I probably wouldn't eat anything but I definitely wouldn't eat a steak.
This guys is obviously talking from his rear end. By eating a diet full meat has produced cholesterol epidemic and cancer to unforseen levels. Moderate meat intake is fine but excessive is going to catch up with you.
Without a doubt meat eating and terrorism go hand and hand. ALl the terrorists that bombed the World Trade Centers were all meat eaters. I think everybody knows that if the World Trade Centers were burning down they would rather have a nourishing meal of vegetables then a steak which may remind them of their impending death.
The most worthless ideas I've ever heard in defense of eating meat!
You mean to tell me that I started my period when I was 8 years old because I ate meat? You need to re-check your references. You are correct in that the average age a girl starts her period throughout history has dropped. However, it is not due to the "chemicals" found in meat. It is due to a better diet. Girls living in conditions with poorer nutrition tend to start their periods later in life. While girls who have a healthy weight and proper nutrition start earlier. This is not a result of meat...it is the natural result of the body being able to develop and mature to prepare for childbearing.
Like I said, I started my period at an early age because of my genetics and health.
May primarily be due to estrogenic effects of ubiquitous plastics and pesticides (incl. lawns).
I thought this was an article about meat eating? What does it have to do with the World Trade Centers? I guess it's true that meat eaters are similar to terrorists in many ways but I don't think it's a good idea to choose steak over vegetables when the World Trade Center is burning down and only has minutes to stand. I would definitely prepare a vegetable dish that is quick and easy as opposed to a steak that may take up to half an hour.
It was only after quitting meat eating that I realized how fabulous the taste and variety of vegetables, but after many years I began adding small amounts of wild or free range meat back into my diet. This actually gave me something my body was missing with a strict vegetarian diet.
The main problem with most Americans is eating way too much meat and most of the supermarket meat is not raised in a healthy way. Each person needs to determine what is right for their own health, but most people don't really pay close attention as America is a gluttonous society.
Just because we eat meat doesn't mean that we are terrorists. I mean it is true that when i saw the World Trade Centers burning I started to think of a barbeque but that don't make me no terrorist. I just like to eat steak so let me choke on it and die and stop being so Preachy you Preachy Vegetarian Freaks.
Whenever a vegetarian makes a point about not eating meat, it's "preachy", or "shoving their opinions on others". Defensive much? I guess anti-slavery advocates were also being "preachy" back in the day...
the grains used to feed cattle can feed the world several times over-I believe one should only eat meat on a few occasions a year.
As long as there will be animal slaughterhouses there will continue to be wars. Karma cannot be avoided. IF i was in the world trade center building I would eat Vegetables instead of a steak and then i would jump out the window.
Those are five very weak reasons.. they focus mainly around what other people think.... And amino acids and proteins are the same thing.
Personally if i was in the World Trade Center and it was burning down I would rather have some cooked potatoes then a steak. I mean it takes a long time to eat a steak and there wasn't alot of time before that building fell down. Potatoes and spinach can be cooked in a short time and the fire was blazing so hot that they probably would have cooked pretty fast. Maybe not as fast as the meat eating demons will be cooked in hell by Satan but still pretty fast.
All these silly Preachy vegetarians need to just get a big steak and eat it. I bet if they were in the World Trade Center and it was burning down they would rather have a steak than a handful of grass. I know I would. Hell i might even eat a the dead body next to me as long as it wasn't anything more than medium rare.
I eat meat and vegetables, I don't really feel strongly about either side. These 5 reasons are not very well thought out.
Reasons 1 and 2 are the same thing (meat tastes/smells better)
Reason 3 – you really don't know why they don't want you eating meat?
Reason 4 – only good reason listed
Reason 5 – whatever
I am a vegetarian. I was waiting to see some great arguments on why I should eat meat. Vegetarians are not snobs, meat eaters are. For years, I just wanted to be left alone to eat what I wanted and I have been treated terrible by meat eaters even after telling them I could care less what they eat. I don't take B-12 supplements or any supplements and guess what? My blood work is textbook at age 52 and I don't need any B-12 either. I don't have type 2 diabetes, digestion problems, clogged arteries, my cholesterol is perfect. I love my diet and enjoy my food. I don't understand why anyone would want to eat flesh and blood, it's nasty! Some people I think just were raised that way and they aren't adventerous enough to try new things and change for the better and for their health. So, eat you meat it doesn't effect me one way or another but please shut up and let me eat what I choose and stop trying to make me join the crowd...peace...
I can't stand all these damn Preachy vegetarians. I do agree that if the World Trade Center was burning down I would probably like to have a steak before it burned down but I don't think it's right that just because I am a meat eater I have to be labeled as a terrorist.
1. Meat tastes better than vegetables? That's what you call an opinion.
2. Stop repeating yourself
3. Meat eaters are never be preachy and try to convince you to eat meat. It's not like they would write an article solely to convince you to eat meat. Oh wait..
4. It's a scientific fact that vegetarians live longer. And it is true, meat is the only source of protein in the entire world. Eggs, nuts, legumes, soy, mycoprotein, milk, and whole grains are all conspiracy fueled fake sources of protein, and are all actually made of meat.
5. Cause pretending to contemplatively gazing into a sunset, wearing a cowboy hat and a chefs coat while proudly displaying your classy Fossil watch doesn't make you look like an idiot
Yeah, That's the karma of the meat eaters. They liked to eat meat so they got to burned mostly to crispy in the World Trade Center Barbeque though some of them humans escaped out the window.
Hi my name is Dunkin and I'm a steak eating freak. I love watching the blood drip down my chest and most of all I love knowing that Both me, my wife and children are going to burn in hell for eternity and have to eat eachothers flesh. Don't sound so bad to me. I mean I agree that If i was in the World Trade Center and it was burning down I'd rather have a steak. I mean you could just cook it right in the fire from the plane. Those terrorists probably just were looking to have a good barbeque but instead of animals they used humans.
Oh, I see what CNN is doing here. They post something like this on the front page to get a lot of comments and therefore email addresses. They sell the email addresses or simply use them to study their audience more. Good one CNN, ya got me.
My wife and kids are vegetarians, and I eat a little meat here and there. We are not preachy by any means, heck, we could care less what others do. Drop the damn stereotypes, because they exist on both sides of the coin.
I think a better topic would be 5 reasons why CNN is just as bad as the other "news" outlets
My name is Billy Bob Bush and I like to eat animals. I mean I really love it. My favorite is a ribeye steak. It's so damn juicy even if I burn in hell for the rest of eternity I want that juicy taste cause I'm such an uncultured demon. I think that vegetarians must be gay. Let me get together with my meat eating friends. I mean if i was in the world trade center building and it was burning down I would want a big juicy steak rather than just some carrots and peas.
How intelligent....
All points taken...from the author. Man was designed to eat both meat and plants, that's why our teeth are designed like they are. And the author has made some great points, almost all of which can be demonstrated anywhere in America. I can't remember EVER stating "mmmm...that [insert vegetable name here] smells delicious" and I can name you many specific times when the simple smell of a meat dish has made me salivate. And any hormones loaded into my food has not reduced my "manliness" one bit (and if it has, I'd hate to see the testosterone-filled man I would be without them!).
Vegetables are good...in moderation. Man has not evolved to this point to eat a strictly vegetarian diet.
And when it comes to those preachy vegetarians you know...start telling them all of the things, in graphic detail, that are in your hot dog or sausage as you chow down on a juicy, savory link and watch their stomachs turn. You can't de-vegetarianize them...but you can have fun with their food aversion.
A long time ago, while driving around in the Democractic Republic of the Congo, I had a conversation with a man who had eaten the 'best' tasting meat: human. Going by the logic in this article: 'if it tastes good, eat it', we should all be eating human meat.
Meat is just healthier for people. Have you ever seen a healthy vegetarian? I sure haven't.
you're a moron...how do you know if people who look healthy are or aren't vegetarians? do you go up to every you see and ask them??
crawl back under your rock
I'm a 52 year old vegetarian want to compare bloodwork? Mine is textbook...even my B-12 without supplements... Bring it on we will see who is healthier...
Don't get out much, eh?:-)
Read a few medical journals then, it'll clarify the health picture forya . . .
I love animals. I think they're delicious!
I primarily eat vegetarian 80% of the time and the 20% is when I am not home. I do eat meat at home every now and then ..may be once or twice a month. I particularly enjoy grilled seafood with light seasoning.
Vegetarian or not but to claim that meat tastes better just prove your limitation as a chef ..nothing else.
I'm damn tired of all these Preachy Vegetarian. Just let me choke and die on my steak. Is that too much too ask? I mean just because I'm an ignorant fool and will burn in hell doesn't mean I'm going to change none. I know that eating meat is uncultured and barbaric but I guess I ain't no better than an animal and that's why i call myself a two legged animal. Me and my brother Billy like to shoot deer but that's only cause we get bored sometimes. Maybe if somebody sent me a book about how to be cultured and not be such a demon I might give it a read. I'm just a fool like all my meat eating friends so forgive me if i have a heart of stone and a wicked mind. If I do burn in hell I hope it's not for all eternity. And if it is I hope I can eat my own flesh and the flesh of my family members.
This was the most pointless article this site could have posted. It's not even witty, it's just saying "meat tastes good therefore people should eat it". Well, tofu and vegetables can taste just as delicious, if not more.
Amazing how many people attack other people for their thoughts/belief/opinions. Seems to me this country was kinda founded on the premise that each is unique/individual. We seem to have this concept that what's good for me is good for you and you WILL abide by it. Wonder if Darwin would have come to the conclusion that the pinnacle of evolution leads to devolution...
So I read some of these comments but not all because there are just too many. I eat meat. I am happy for others to not eat meat. I don't understand why anyone really cares what anyone else eats. I sort of see why some vegetarians choose to evangelize, as some believe that the cruelty of killing an animal to eat it is worthy of attempting to stop. To them I would say that the eating of the meat is not really your problem, but the humane treatment of the animals both in their life on the farm and in the way that their lives are ended and I would suggest that you focus more on that in your criticisms rather than on the person who eats the meat, as most of those people have never slaughtered an animal and certainly don't do so on a regular basis. Those who suggest that we should stop eating meat strictly on the basis of health benefits... well... people do a whole lot of obviously unhealthy things (smoking, drinking heavily, drug use, jumping out of perfectly good planes) and I think the argument that meat by its very nature being 'bad' for you is a gray area at best. So perhaps your focus should be more on lessening the meat content in people's diet and increasing vegetable intake. You might make more headway that way than suggesting that full on vegetarian diet is the ONLY way to go. Clearly since we have not died out as a species, this is not the case.
And to you meat eaters (like me) out there.... why the heck do any of you care if some people choose to eat only vegetables? Perhaps if you showed some INTEREST in their diet and their choices instead of defending the eating of meat as if someone were trying to take away your birthright or something, you may find that there are some lovely vegetarian dishes that you would enjoy very much now and then.
It takes all kinds to make a world. Let's all appreciate each other instead of tearing each other down.
I hate eating... thats why i'm 20 pounds underweight for my hight and I am sure most people think I am a vegetarian BUT are they wrong... I love meat and a stinking salad never comes close to the taste of a stake. At most I eat twice a day but damn the world to hell if my dinner does not have meat on it.
Sorry to say, but such a meaningless, irrational and stupid article! It's really hard to believe that it's posted on CNN.
Stupid article CNN. Basically he gives one reason – "because I like meat". Why not a scientific article about the health benefits of vegetarianism or an article about the ethical, moral and health benefits of vegetarianism. Didn't think so.
Vegetarianism is kinder to animals and the environment. Both meat eating and vegetarianism can be healthy diets. But there's no question that vegetarianism is better for animals and the planet.
to AMERICANPATRIOT
Man you just changed my mind about Female menstruals, I used to think it was nasty but if the taste of meat come from that, then it isnt so bad after all, in matter of fact it taste great. come one man even kids know meat taste great, that's why they need some type of perks in oder to eattheir vegetables......
By the way, I think my girlfriend should have more meat, she acts a lot like a guy and she like like guys stuff, video games and and even changing her own oil sometime, How much meat do you think she needs man?
This man is quite the hypocrite, isn't he? First he whines about how preachy his vegetarian friends are, then comes on here and preaches to the vegetarians or people who might be considering veggie-ism as to why they are in the wrong. I'm a vegetarian and have never preached to anyone a day in my life as to what they should or shouldn't eat. Right back atcha, Tim. If I want to eat nothing but vegetarian dishes, then don't preach to me as to why I shouldn't. It doesn't break your leg for me to do so.
Like the author of this article, I also am from Texas. And people like him are a dime a dozen down here... if they find out that you are a vegetarian, they will immediately start harassing you over something that is none of their business, with their comments about how "If God had meant for people to be vegetarian, he wouldn't have made meat taste so good. Dur hur hur." I even avoided certain family members over it for a long while because I just wanted them to leave me be instead of nagging at me over my eating habits at family get togethers. And if we are going to base this solely on taste, which is one of his main arguments, there are meat substitutes out there that taste exactly like the real thing, and many of them are healthier than real meat to boot. I believe that people should be allowed to eat whatever they want. I've never preached to anyone, especially the author, and yet here he is preaching to me, blaming me and every other vegetarian on earth for the handful of vegetarian friends that SUPPOSEDLY bug him. I mean, I just can't imagine that someone whose main profits come from the beef industry would have other motives to write an article such as this...
This guy gives stupid cowboys a bad name.
So, when was the last time a news agency used front page space to allow a vegetarian to mock meat eaters as idiots who revel in cruelty and refuse to learn new information? NEVER! Thanks CNN for continually lowering the bar! There are piles of data floating around on the internets that prove what an asshat this guy is and you let him talk anyway. Thanks for that.
Please refer to the following link – http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/61/6/1416S.
Peer reviewed scientific study is always important.
This guy may be a decent chef, but he sure isn't going to win any debates. He might want to think his arguments over before he articulates them.
1. Because it tastes better is a reason to eat meat? First of all, that is an opinion and not a fact. Secondly, what if he comes to the conclusion that human meat tastes better than meat from cows or pigs. Does that mean that he now has a reason to be a cannibal?
2. That's because you're in a steakhouse moron. Try walking into a vegan restaurant. I bet you won't hear anybody saying, "Doesn't that rib-eye steak smell great?"
3. Being preachy is a personality type and has nothing to do being vegetarian. While I agree that the tactic often undermines the goal, not doing something because of how it's presented to you is idiotic. If someone was preachy to this guy when explaining why heroin is bad for him is he going to run out to get a needle and fine the nearest drug dealer?
4. You can get those same things from a healthy, balanced vegetarian diet. Meat is not necessary.
5. Probably, but my veggie burgers and facon-wrapped veggie dogs seem to go over just fine.
I agree with javajoe. He is NOT a real chef.
CNN you're showing more laziness than usual. Wow, an article that doesn't bother to consider anything but stereotypes. Wonderful work. Nevermind that raising animals takes enough grains away from the food system that could feed dozens or hundreds. So feeding one cow, that feeds dozens, takes away food from dozens who can't afford beef. Not all vegetarians are preachy, but either way that hardly seems like a reason to eat meat. Protein comes from other sources than meat. I am an omnivore, not a vegetarian and I was actually curious what this article said but all you did was churn out a lazy piece that took no more than 20 minutes to do. And we wonder why journalism is dying.
I guess if one thought that their opinion really mattered then you could spend all kinds of time espousing contrived facts and information to make yourself feel good inside. Wow, that guy must know what he's talking about because there's paragraphs of information! Here's the truth: no one cares. Here's another truth: Humans are omnivores. It's personal choice to be a herbivore and a choice that requires supplements missing from vegetarian diet. I think I'm going to eat a tiger tonight. Yum.
Okay, this guy is obviously NOT a real chef. Any good chef knows that meat should not be featured predominately in any meal and that IF you do eat meat (which I don't) you don't need more than 2-3 ounces 2 or 3 times per week. This guy is entitled to his opinion, but should not be advocating that eating meat is the be all and end all. A real chef has an exquisite palette for all forms of food regardless of where it comes from, and his saying that vegetables are are shameful to cook instead of something killed and put on the spit is just showing his own lack of skill and feels the need to demonstrate his manhood through false information about protein only being able to come from a dead animal. There are more health complications coming from eating meat than not.
To each their own with what they decide to eat, but this guy is giving a false front of what being a chef is about and is poorly educating the people he thinks he can cook well for.
1. Conservation of Fossil fuel. It takes 78 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of beef protein; 35 calories for 1 calorie of pork; 22 calories for 1 of poultry; but just 1 calorie of fossil fuel for 1 calorie of soybeans. By eating plant foods instead of animal foods, I help conserve our non-renewable sources of energy.
2. Water Conservation. It takes 3 to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does plant protein. As a vegetarian I contribute to water conservation.
3. Efficient use of grains. It takes up to 16 pounds of soybeans and grains to produce 1 lb. of beef and 3 to 6 lbs. to produce 1 lb of turkey & egg. By eating grain foods directly, I make the food supply more efficient & that contributes to the environment.
4. Soil conservation. When grains & legumes are used more efficiently, our precious topsoil is automatically made more efficient in its use. We use less agricultural resources to provide for the same number of people.
5. Saving our forests. Tropical forests in Brazil and other tropic regions are destroyed daily, in part, to create more acreage to raise livestock. By not supporting the meat industry, I directly reduce the demand to pillage these irreplaceable treasures of nature. Since the forest land "filters" our air supply and contains botanical sources for new medicines, this destruction is irreversable.
6. Asthetics. Decaying animal parts, whether in a freezer case or served in restaurants, can never be as asthetically pleasing to the senses as the same foods made from wholesome vegetable sources. Only habit can allow one not to perceive this: a change in diet makes this self evident.
Personal Health
7. No deficiencies. There is no nutrient necessary for optimal human functioning which cannot be obtained from plant food.
8. High fat plus cholesterol. Animal foods are higher in fat than most plant foods, particularly saturated fats. Plants do not contain cholesterol.
9. "Carb" deficient. Meat is deficient in carbohydrates, particularly the starches which are so essential to proper health.
10. Vitamin deficient. Except for the b-complex, meat is largely deficient in vitamins.
11. Agricultural Chemicals. Being higher on the food chain, animal foods contain far higher concentrations of agricultural chemicals than plant foods, including pesticides, herbicides, etc.
12. Exposure to livestock drugs. There are over 20,000 different drugs, including sterols, antibiotics, growth hormones and other veterinary drugs that are given to livestock animals. These drugs are consumed when animal foods are consumed. The dangers herein, in secondary consumption of antibiotics, are well documented.
13. Pathogenic Microorganisms. There are a host of bacteria and viruses, some quite dangerous, that are common to animals. When I eat meat, I eat the organisms in the meat. Micro-organisms are present in plant foods too, but their number and danger to human health is by no means comparable to that of those in meat.
14. Worms and other Parasites. Ditto on # 13!
15. Shelf life differential. Plant foods last longer than animal foods. Try this experiment: Leave out a head of lettuce and a pound of hamburger for 1 day, which will make you sick?
16. Organoleptic Indications of Pathenogens. Plant foods give tell-tale signs of "going bad". Ever hear of someone getting sick from "bad broccoli"?
17. Heart Disease. Meat eating increases the risk of heart disease, this country's #1 killer. The correlation is an epidemiological fact.
18. Cancer prevention. Of all the natural cancer prevention substances found: vitamin C, B-17, hydroquionenes, beta carotene, NDGA, – none has been found to be animal derived. Yet most meats, when cooked, produce an array of benzenes and other carcinogenic compounds. Cancer is infinitely easier to prevent than cure. Soybeans contain protease inhibitor, a powerful anticancer compound. You won't find it in useful quantities in animal based food.
19. Disease Inducing. The correlation between meat consumption and a wide range of degenerative diseases is well founded and includes.....
20. Osteoporosis
21. Kidney Stones and Gallstones
22. Diabetes
23. Multiple Sclerosis
24. Arthritis
25. Gum disease
26. Acne. Aggravated by animal food.
27. Obesity. Studies confirm that vegetarians tend to be thinner than meat eaters. Obesity is considered by doctors to be a disease within itself.
28. Intestinal Toxemia. The condition of the intestinal flora is critical to overall health. Animal products putrefy the colon.
29. Transit time. Wholesome food travels quickly through the "G.I" tract, leaving little time to spoil and incite disease within the body.
30. Fiber deficient. Fiber absorbs unwanted, excess fats; cleans the intestines; provides bulk and aids in peristalsis. Plant food is high in fiber content; meat, poultry and dairy products have none.
31. Body wastes. Food from animals contain their waste, including adrenaline, uric and lactic acid, etc., Before adding ketchup, the biggest contributors to the "flavor profile" of a hamburger are the leftover blood and urine.
32. Excess protein. The average American eats 400% of the RDA for protein. This causes excess nitrogen in the blood that creates a host of long-term health problems.
33. Longevity. To increase ones risk of getting degenerative disease means decreasing ones chance to live a naturally long healthy life. Huzas and other peoples with large centenarian populations maintain lifestyles that are relatively meat free.
34. Well Being. I just feel better since "giving up" meat and becoming vegetarian.
Personal Finances
35. Health care costs. Being healthier on a vegetarian diet means spending less on health care.
36. Food costs. Vegetarian foods tend to cost less than meat based items.
Ethics
37. Love of animals. I love animals as I love myself. I have no desire to kill them or cause them harm.
38. Stance against Factory Farming.. I cannot make a statement against factory farming if I myself eat animals.
39. Respect for Sentient Life. I show gratitude to my Creator(s?) by eating as low on the food chain as possible.
40. "Economic Vote". I show support of the meat industry and the way they operate when I purchase and use their products.
41. Small sacrifice The sacrifice I make is nothing compared to the animals, its life.
42. Natural diet. Our hands, teeth, feet, intestinal tract...even our body chemistry is that of an herbivore.
43. Reciprocity. If I partake in the slaughter of animals, I will have to repay my contribution to that act.
44. "Protecting the Temple". "Whatever affects the body has a corresponding effect on the mind and soul" (E.G. White)
45. I believe in nonviolence. Slaughter isn't.
46. World Peace. There can never be peace among men while men are declaring war on other highly developed life forms.
47. Clear conscience. I know what I'm doing is right. I feel good inside about my decision to remain "meatless"
48. Example. To live this way is to protect the underlying values of those around me.
49. Easy substitutes. There are vegetable based substitutes for every meat product imaginable.
You are absolutely brilliant.
"tell the truth
One cow feeds dozens of humans
Dozens of vegetables feed one human
So who kills more?"
Say what???? ROFLOL, that's a new one. I loved the Far Side cartoon years ago showing hunters carrying a giant carrot back to their village and the caption was "Vegetarians return from the hunt". The ethics of killing vegetables... now that's another subject entirely :-))
One cow feeds dozens of humans
Dozens of vegetables feed one human
So who kills more?
AMERICAN PATRIOT -
You're right, raw meat doesn't taste good, that's why people cook it. But thanks for wasting your entire morning stating the obvious. I had a nice laugh.
American Patriot, whatever else you are, you're a number 1 ignoramus.
And you Human Barbeque, you have the brains of a peanut and the feelings of slime mold. You give (white) trash nobility.
I am a vegetarian, and personally, I don't care if people eat meat. I think it's perfectly natural, though the amounts that most people eat is very unnatural and unhealthy. I do, however, encourage people to eat meat produced from small farms. It supports your local economy, and the animals are most likely treated much more humanely than those that are raised in huge factories. The way most animals are treated in the meat industry is truly horrific. Not to mention, sanitation is better and you are less likely to get sick from E.Coli or Salmonella. Watch Food Inc. or read The Omnivore's Dilemma. Everyone should know where their meat comes from.
And Jay, you are completely incorrect. Where do you think all the animals get their food from? There is a ton of energy wasted and thousands of acres lost to producing food for the animals that we eat. Vegetarianism is actually far more sustainable.
The reasons to not be vegetarian above are completely ridiculous and childish. First of all meat is not the only source of protein in the world. As an indian lacto-vegetarian, I eat plenty of lentils and soups (common staples in Indian diet) for protein. It is not necessary to kill a fellow animal in order to satisfy your own taste buds. That is the most selfish principle ever. As for taste? The best food in the world is vegetarian, and I can say that with confidence. Whether the cuisine is indian, mediterranean, thai, chinese, italian – whatever, vegetarian is amazing. Not only is it morally wrong to eat meat and egg, it is simply disgusting. All meat is is preserved flesh. Absolutely disgusting. How can anyone bring themself to eat such filth? Why don't you cook your own limb for dinner? We are most evolved creature, yet most still eat and live like barbarians. Grow up, open your eyes, and stop eating meat. Killing animals and eating them is the mot sick thing ever. I understand that the world was created that way, but we can stop such gross practices and realize that we only really need plants to survive. Rice, wheat, and vegetables. That is it. Meat is murder, stop eating it!
I imagine rapists could benefit from that same syllogism, Kendall.
Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. ~Albert Einstein
There are different reasons people chose not to eat meat. One is for their health. The other is aversion to killing.
People often cheat on themselves when it comes to their own health. It's harder to cheat on the morality/ethics of killing. Very few people who eat meat have ever been to a slaughterhouse, or a chicken farm. Is that preachy? I don't think so. Some of my best friends are carnivores, and I don't care what they eat. I'm not their mother, lol.
When I close my eyes at night, and nothing has died so I can eat, it is a good day.
This article is pathetic. All of his reasons to not be vegetarian are the same. Meat tastes good, mmm. Did we really need this effing stupid argument between vegetarians and texans? Don't tell us we should eat meat and we won't tell you that you're a douchebag. So get off it, already.
I’m done with that false dichotomy. There are healthy meats when cooked properly –like fish- and there are extremely unhealthy veggies when cooked badly –like fried potatoes-.
So it’s not about being or not being vegetarian. Is about eating healthy and exercising. Life will show you that reality whether you agree or not.
It's not always about eating healthy. It's also about killing.
One more thing: I argue that many more pain-feeling creatures are killed during the production of vegetables than during the production of meat. I garden (and hunt), and I have millions of pesky creatures that I must deal with every season–pesky spider mites destroying my prized tomatoes. Do you know what i do to those pesky creatures? I murder thousands of them just to save one single tomato. Therefore, according to your own vegetarian logic, you should not eat vegetables anymore because of all the pain and suffering it causes to pain-feeling insects just for your vegetable eating pleasure.
This is a deeply flawed argument.
First of all, we NEED to eat plants to survive, we don't need to kill and eat animals. Mice and insects getting killed by threshers is a pretty necessary trade off if we want to not die. The point is to minimize suffering and only take what you need, not to tip toe around and avoid breathing too hard so you don't kill bacteria. Not wanting to cause unnecessary harm to other sentient beings is pretty logical.
And most importantly, how many animals do you suppose are killed by the threshers that harvest the crops that go to feed the livestock who are later killed for the sake of peoples taste buds? By eating both meat and plants you're causing the deaths of a LOT more creatures.
Your argument is basically that since you can't avoid killing SOME animals to live you should just go crazy and kill kill kill as much as you want, that's a very scary way to think.
Regarding "preachy" vegetarians... I am not vegetarian, but I have cut down to meat about once a week due to high cholesterol. The only preaching I hear is meat eaters ragging on me whenever I order a vegetarian meal. They'll ask what's wrong with me, extoll the tastiness of meat, denigrate "stupid" or "hippy" vegetarians, etc. I don't really understand why meat eaters are so intent on pushing meat on everyone. For goodness sakes, shut up and focus on your own plate.
Oh meat eaters, GROW UP! You guys call us weak. You call us p*uss#’s while starting a fight. You attempt to bully and intimidate us into silence. When we prove you wrong buy standing up to you and getting into the argument you call us preachy?! This article and the comments are a prime example of this interaction. There are almost no facts here and the few that are present are used to assert a false claim. The article itself was an inflammatory jab. Do you really expect us to stay quiet while you insult us and distort the truth? If you want to go around belligerently insulting people go right ahead but how arrogant of you to expect that no one would oppose you.
I could spend 5000 or more words explaining in factual terms why you are all wrong but you really should go read a book for yourself. “Diet For A New America” is a good place to start but there are plenty out there. There is no shortage of science in or corner and a decreasing amount in yours. (If there ever was any)
Until you all realize that everything you were taught in school about nutrition was either wrong or an outright lie you’ll stay in the dark.
It is correct that Americans eat too much meat–we should eat smaller portions of it along with larger portions of vegetables. However, if all human beings switched over to a completely vegan/vegetarian diet, there would not be enough farm land to produce all of the vegetables needed. Being a vegetarian/vegan is simply an unsustainable lifestyle, and it is also self=defeating.
Any argument that tries to extend human rights to other lesser creatures based on pain receptors is inherently flawed and immediately brings to mind a potential slippery slope–ants, spiders, and even mosquitos feel pain. Is it immoral/unethical to kill a pesky mosquito just for my not wanting to itch a bugbite pleasure. Where do we draw the line? Any argument that tries to extend human rights to other animals is one based on emotion not logic. When we encounter an animal species that can create language, then maybe we can talk. Pain alone is not a good enough reason to extend some living creatures rights over others.
The 'lesser creatures" ideology is part of our human arrogance, as though humans are "greater creatures." Call anthro-chauvinism ... we are just another species on this planet ... and the systems of this planet may erase us, even if only by the dynamics that we have inherited through our animal nature, i.e. "Why can't we be friends?" One way or another humanity may destroy itself.
NEway, thinking of other animals as lesser creatures is how we enable ourselves to treat them so inhumanely, i.e., as not human :-) Ignoring physiological arguments for not murdering other animals for their flesh, consider the continuity btwn animal species that we occasionally glimpse when we take the time to pay attention or purposely introduce intelligent interaction. Sorry if this borders on preachy, but the same aspect of consciousness active in the human animal is active in all animals. This reminds me of a friend whose father told him (re: slaughtering animals) "Don't look into their eyes." We are just another species on this planet, and it's possible that only OUR extinction could get that fact across to us. When we step out into the bush we become the lessers and the others 9even tiny ones) become the greaters.
OK, I'll stick to physiology from now on.
"Pure vegans tend be passive pansies no matter what they insist to the contrary."
Wow ... what a foolish/ignorant thing to say. I've been "pure vegan" for almost 40 years. I have multiple black belts (Chinese, Korean, S.E. Asian martial arts ... also ~40 years :-) I carry a number of blades and a 9mm every day ... keep one nearby at home and in process of acquiring suppressed full-auto 9mm subgun (home defense). Hate to bust your bubble buddy but you couldn't be more wrong (again, think Shaolin, pansies? Don'think so :-) I hope that you are more careful in mixed company friend ... you may find yourself eating your words along with your burger.
Note re: Shaolin – Vegetarianism is part conscientious, and part realization that they were/are able to do more (physical performance/endurance) by excluding flesh from their nutrition. In my own experience, an "old man" I'm able to slam'n'jam my 6 foot heavy bag (120 lbs) for 4-8 hours straight supported by herbs and orange juice!!!:-) I can repeatedly swing that bag towards the ceiling and side kick it back towards the ceiling when it swings down towards me. My MVP All Sports son (21 year age diff) was shocked when the old man knocked him across the ring with the spinning variety of that kick (also kicked his head gear off with roundhouse kick to head). I used to train him every weekend ... at day's end he would be worn and drooping to sleep as my springy steps carried me into the restaurant for dinner. A flesh eater, he once stated: "I thought that I was in the best shape of my life until now..."
Pansy ... man that's rich (heh-heh). Have you said that to anyone's face? I hope that you experience a little more "enlightenment" before you put yourself in such a position.
Re: 9mm – for controllability.
An apology to all if I have gone off topic.
What's ridiculous is all this talk about vegetarians are preachy. Some of them are. No doubt. But isn't this article, and the comments as preachy as anyone?
GENERALIZATIONS
Meat-eaters are preachy, don't know it, but are funny.
Vegetarians are preachy, know it, but are serious.
Both sides need to calm down and let the other ones live.
Oh, and the fact that Tim Love complains that vegetarians are preachy is his biggest load of bull. His whole argument is preachy!
I am from Nebraska and a person that doesn't eat meat. If most of the population saw how their beef and pork was raised...........they too would not it meat. But the bottom line is that I am very healthy, free of prescription drugs, not overweight, and very active at 70 years old.
tell a vegetarian eat these chicken nuggets or I kill another chicken. That'll make them quit
I would just say: "That's your problem."
wow.
i thought this would be some intelligent, scientific article. instead it's just some arrogant chef being holier-than-thou about his dietary preference by telling people not to act holier-than-thou about their dietary preference.
good job CNN.
this is indeed front-page journalism.
Meat or Veggie. Why does it have to be either or? Seriously. I like to think that I'm a Meat lover and a vegetarian. I like meat just as much as I like vegetables. I think food tastes great when they're a happy blend of both and can be healthy too (i mean if you deep fry everything or use excessive fats, plants or vegetables isn't going to be good for you). Arguing about bad health due to poorly produced products is stupid. You can find culprits on both sides. I mean you can find meat pumped full of hormones or plants all pesticide up and genetically modified. Maybe It's all just about making good consumer choices, sustainable and organic when you can, in order to buy the best products you can afford.
if a certain moth had not produced silk then I doubt it would have been so protected. face it these vegans want to force their agenda on everyone else, cuz nobody in their right mind could be conned into buying into it. their diet is boring and bland. they tend to want everyone else to not enjoy life. most vegans act like their constipated butts are prophets of God. between bean sprouts and a raw tuna [that's meat too].... gee meat wins. between stewed tomatoes & green beans sorry but KFC's Grilled beats it out.
You can't lump all vegans together as forming one block of practice, purpose, or attitudes. The same is true re: flesh eaters. I could care less what you eat, but to anyone who asks I will share with them what I know re: physiological chemistry, physiology/cell physiology, anatomy, and clinical nutrition vis-a-vis food practices. So, no con, just information. You eat whatever you please. If the estrogens in the meat increase the likelihood that you'll get prostate cancer ... that's your problem. I have empathy and compassion for you as a human being but you can't help everybody, right? The first mark of intelligence is acknowledging that we don't know. The second mark of intelligence is investigation to learn what we need to know ... and that should never end. We can't accurately investigate from a belief, attitude, or platform. Investigation has to be impartial and logical. Nothing but the facts, even if they contradict our belief or platform.
That's where it's at. The third mark of intelligence is accepting the truth that might confront us and putting it into practice.
When we have conviction there is no need to convince others. Then we fall back to informing if/when asked or it is imperative that we do so. Eh?
So here's a tidbit ... uric acid is a by-product of our exertions ... why load the body with extra uric acid by consuming flesh? Oh, and for those who like the "yard bird" ... they don't have kidneys, so they excrete their urea (yah, that's it) through their skin. That's what gives their skin that flavor that you like ... sorry, that's what it IS. boil it and it dissolves ... and then you don't like the taste anymore ... unless there are a lot of vegetable substances on it to give it flavor!!! Ain't nothing boring about vegan fare ... don't believe me, checkout Vegan Fire & Spice ... and that's the little book (there are many more)!
What a waste of my time - the article was supposed to be five good reasons not to be a vegetarian but this is nothing more than your opinion. Yes - YOU - prefer meat. I get it and I can care less.
Amen to that, Tim! Spoken like a true Texan!
If God didn't want us to eat cows he wouldn't have made them slower than us............and so tasty! Try catching a cheetah.......now thats something you're not supposed to eat.
Be careful with that logic. Somebody is faster than you.
I can't believe the posts attached to this article. It's like someone lit a stick of dynamite and threw it into a beehive.
For what it's worth, here is my OPINION:
1. What you eat is a matter of your personal choice. It's a decision you make. I very much dislike forcing opinions on others. I happen to really like steak AND pumpkin.
2. I do not believe consuming meat an act of evil. From a Christian standpoint, the Jews of the Bible were fishermen and shepherds: they ate such animals. In the respects of other religions (I have a friend who is a Buddhist and have talked with her about this) if your religion mandates a vegetarian diet, I tend to believe it's your faith that is very important to you and the lack of meat is a small issue in your priorities.
3. If you have not tasted the chef's cooking, give the man's establishment a chance. OK, if you don't eat meat, you can't. I understand that. This is for the omnivores out there.
4. I believe the article was written with a bit too much sarcastic wit not to spark such a debate. Consider that the readers may be manipulated.
5. Meat (and dairy) do have nutritional value, just not in the proportion that a lot of the western hemisphere's population use. (A hamburger in each hand is not a balanced diet) There are those of us who are trying to eat responsibly, from local free range and organic farms. Heck I grew my own vegetables this summer.
I'm sure I'll think of more points once I sign off.
"We" are only at the top of the food chain as long as we can manage our artificial food chain and hang out in our colonies made of ticky-tacky. Step into the woods/jungles (without handguns, rifles, short swords, etc.) and accept the truth. Virusses, fungi, and bacteria are closer to the "top" than we are ... we can't beat'em ... we can't even see them :-)
ALERT: The World Health Organization has acknowledged vegetarianism as a requirement for humanity's survival.
No B.S.
Re: vegetarian "bunny huggers" ... h'mmm, I guess the W.H.O. and all of the Hindus, Buddhists, 7th Day Adventists, and others who for motivations religious, conscientious, or scientific are bunny hugging faddists reading alternative literature full of scientific inaccuracies? Vegetarianism is humankind's original way ... our anatomical facts prove it ... no claws, herbivore-pattern teeth, no tearing teeth (true canines), herbivore gastrointestinal tract (lengthy, convoluted intestines).
Flesh-eating became "reasonable" after we learned how to use fire ... to enable flesh digestion by beginning the digestion process before eating said flesh (hey, call it what it is, flesh is flesh, and flesh meat is generically muscle flesh). Just because we can get away with it does not mean that we should do it. How many millions of pounds of muscle has been removed from the market in the past 10 years for making people sick ... or to prevent the same? What a fantastic "commodity" ... the muscles of innocent animal victims .... makes me think of the series "V" re: the Visitors who farmed human beings for their flesh ... whatever is OK for you to do to someone else is OK for anyone to do to you. No one can escape that Universal thing.
No bunny hugger here. My vegetarianism is more like that of Shaolin, Archie Moore, Johnny Weismuller, etc ;-)
Pure vegans tend be passive pansies no matter what they insist to the contrary. meat gives us iron and better sources of protein. all the disease in meat stuff is out when the meat is cooked as are veggies. btw last time I checked last few virii outbreaks it was in veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, etc. meat does taste better and no matter how they disguise it soy will never taste as good. it seems the only card left the vegans have to play is 'lets not be cruel to animals' one. well if cows were here for beef or even milk, then nobody would feed them and they would die off. chickens would be obliterated by other predators if we didn't protect them for their food value if not for meat then eggs. in the bland [and it is extremely bland] diet of veganism, not many would care to work harder to save former food species if we were not gonna eat them or something they provided. if a certain moth had not produced silk t
threads, it may have died out too. most of us won't beat our heads against a wall in a boring dull life of veganism to save animals that have proven to be better tasting food.
OK, I'm tired of seeing this 'passive pansy' bull$hit. Someone like me might see someone like you as a pansy. There is nothing 'passive' or 'pansy' about me ... as I've mentioned before I'm the NRA, I'm the LEAA, and I'm CCW everyday. I practice and teach multiple martial ways (Chinese, Korean [3rd Dan], S.E. Asian) and everyday carry includes 9mm Sig or Kahr (I own quite a few 9mms), at least two blades, impact weapon, and pepper spray. I have no desire to deploy any of them but would not hesitate when the situation warrants it for my own or another's safety. I have stepped in to protect others from harm on multiple occasions, just a law-abiding citizen here. It would be a mistake for someone to address/approach/affront this vegan as though he were a "pansy" ... big mistake. I doubt that I'm the only one either, so you may want to adjust your "view" a bit. It could get you into trouble out there in the real world. It's a very good thing that we're not having this "discussion in the same room ;-)
Be well.
I'd rather eat spinach and roasted pumpkin than steak. You don't realize how much animal flesh is an acquired taste until you stop eating it for a year or two.
roasted pumpkin will never taste better. You must be ignorant to believe such crud.
It's your liberty to be vegetarian
Seriously, how does CNN rationalize placing this article under its banner?
I thought Tim was offering an intelligent discussion, rather than his emotions.
This article is weak! Points 1 and 2 are exactly the same, with 3 being an overreaching slur, 4 remaining completely self-defeating (vegetarianism being "probably, often" the healthier option), and 5 simply arbitrary. I'm not convinced.
The most compelling reason not to be a vegetarian is that it costs animals their lives. If all were vegetarian, there would be no more cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, etc. These animals may continue to exist in zoo's but millions will never come to be. Vegetarians deprive animals of life.
That is almost as dumb an excuse as the ones put forth by Tim Love. Seriously, tommy? I know you're trying to be cute, but come on. You really think cows/chickens/etc will just pop out of existence if we stopped consuming them? Also, you are lamenting the loss of *potential* life. Your argument is like me saying "everyone should have as many children as possible, because every child you don't have is one life you are depriving". Pretty stupid argument, eh. The vast numbers of livestock in the world is a completely artificial situation anyway, existing only because of our vast greed and food industry. There is nothing natural about it.
For another analogy, imagine Nazis breeding jews for experimentation (perhaps some experimentation that produced great medical benefits). Would you go around supporting it, saying that shutting down the Nazi operations would be "depriving many Jews of lives"? Some people will make up any excuse to torture and kill others if it satisfies their own pleasures (taste, in this case, arguably more abhorrent than looking for medicinal breakthroughs).
wow.... I'm not a vegetarian, but those are some really stupid reasons to try convince people with
so, here's the deal. IT"S FOOD! you can preach about health until you're blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is, we're adults, we'll eat what we like and want to eat! everyone has their opinion on how it "should" be, and we get so hung up on needing to be right, we forget that everyone else has just as many opinions as us. I am a vegetarian, have been for the majority of my life, simply because i never developed a taste for meat. Sure, I don't agree with many methods of animal "care" or the treating of some sources of meat in general (i.e. hormones, etc), and i personally choose not to have that in my body. but if you want a steak or a ginormous turkey leg, who am i to stop you?! what right do i have to tell you you're wrong?! i appreciate being educated on certain things, but when i get preached at to "change my ways or die", scene over. it's your life, so live it!
Whether you eat meat or not, I think it's a good idea to get more healthy vegetables in your diet. Most of your diet should be vegetables. Cut down on the starch and sweets, eat smaller portions of meat, and find more ways to cook vegetables that taste great!
I think most meat eaters think vegetarians are "preachy" because they actually feel guilty about eating meat and see people who make an attempt not to as trying to be better then them. I am a vegetarian, I also like the look and smell of a well cooked steak. I don't eat meat because personally I can't go out in to the field and shoot a Betsy the cow between those huge brown eyes just to have that steak. That's it. If I was lost in the woods and starving and I hadn't eaten in days and there was Bambi standing there, I'd probably take him out with the closest rock I could find. But we now live in a world of too much access to meat and too far removed from the reality of where it comes from. I find it ironic all these animal lovers who cry when they see on their local news how a horse or dog has been abused while sitting there eating a hamburger while watching the news. That drives me INSANE! I would argue a majority of vegetarians are in this camp. But yes it's easy to point the finger at the nazi-veggie same as the mindless masses do for any thought that goes against their norm that they feel threatened by. Am I preachy then as well? I never cuss at anyone eating meat next to me, I might even compliment the dish, but when I say why I don't eat meat, after I am asked, is because I can't personally kill and animal, they think I'm being critical of them for being able to. So maybe all these "preachy" vegetarians really are just a mirror to one's own guilt.
PS – I never eat creamed spinach and I've been in four star restaurants where their 4 course vegetarian dinner is well over $100 so I'm sick of this notion that vegetarians only eat side dishes.
WTF is it to you if someone doesn't want to eat meat. So dumb.
It totally agree with you, Um.
Meat is just animal corpses on your plate. Dead animals are not known for being healthy to interact with. Slaughter houses are filthy and that's indisputable from any side of the argument. Dead bodies are disgusting no matter what- even if you heat it up to try and kill bacteria, it's still a dead animal.
I don't like the taste or feel of meat and I never have. I was raised by meat-eating parents and choose not to eat meat not only because it's disgusting, but because I don't enjoy it. Tissues and fibers of a once-living animal doesn't sound like something we're meant to eat. We're giant apes who started eating animals when plants died during the ice age.
Seriously though, any dead animal- raccoon, cat, dog, cow or human- is just rather disgusting.
I have to admit it, after reading all the pro-vegetarian comments, I have to say that these people are truly stupid. The guy that actually started the vegetarian movement is now back eating meat, hmmm..... ??? his reason is somewhat dumb, but if he is doing it, then, whatever these other idiots say, is totally nonsense.
Need I say more? http://www.newsweek.com/2009/12/30/no-more-sacred-cows.html
It's almost as stupid as believing some chef from the 70s started vegetarianism. Did McDs start the heavy meat eating craze? They have healthier food choices now, wow, maybe eating meat for 3 meals a day is not all that good.
There is no "guy" that started the movement. There have been vegetarians since there have been humans both individually and as cultures. Please grow up!
There is no vegetarian movement anymore than there is a nose-breather movement ... and no living individual started vegetarianism. That word is just a name. I've been vegetarian for almost 40 years and never consider consuming flesh. If the social order should fail I may find myself in a situation where I will have to choose btwn hunting and consuming another animal for survival ... but barring and until that it will never be a concern. If some silly guy made a big deal about vegetarian nutrition, then changed his mind ... hey, that's his silly problem. Health, strength, vitality ... pushing 59 years I've got that sans flesh, eggs, or dairy foods.
Hey, I think I'll go rent that movie V, you know, the guy in the mask? ... fun romp!
H'mm, now that I've contemplated the hunting/consuming thing I'm dejected. You see, I see the same being in everyone, in every thing ... so the hunting of another creature just to take its life and consume it is detestable. I have no problem with pulling the trigger when someone is breaking through the door or window ... in that scenario I have no choice, it is Dharma (duty). Having contemplated this and noting my internal reaction, perhaps it is important to say whatever I can to help move some in the right direction. Can't prevent social meltdown if it's coming, but we as a people (uh-oh-h-h-hh :-) need to consider worst possible scenarios and high-probability-of-success strategies/responses, beginning with water upply #1, and food supply #2. Sure there's more, but how we orient towards the second will make a big difference in our summary survival. those who are in cities will be worst off if/when society takes a step backwards ... food will be exhausted quickly and cannibalism will begin more quickly. A change in mindset on this issue is very important to decrease the degree to which people will look at other people and think, well you know what I'm getting at. If you don't think it's possible or likely (inevitable) think again.
In case you didn't know the Fed is preparing for wide scale civil unrest and camps are being setup for the detention of citizens . . . it's the economic situation and the Fed is thinking first of perpetuating itself. Don't believe me, check it out, e.g., bill H.R. 645 which includes expansion of the pres emergency powers.
Off topic, sorry but just somehow segued into it. You're citizens, you're supposed to be in charge of this nation. Check it out 'cause you don't know what's going on. This bill has resurfaced in 2010 as a different H.R. but with the same intent/import.
Wait, who's preaching about eating habits here? Vegetarians? Or a meat-eater?
As a vegetarian, I never comment on what anyone is eating without them engaging me in a discussion of vegetarianism. That's rude, and if I did that, I would have very few friends. I have encountered many meat-eaters who feel the need to make derisive comments about vegetarianism as soon as they find out that I am one, even if all I have said is, "No thank you, I don't eat meat."
Here here! I'm treated by most meat eaters like I have a condition. Or like, "oh no what are you going to eat then?", like they have to make special arrangements for me and that inconveniences them due to my "lifestyle". All this and I never ask for any special treatment nor do I expect them to eat only the way I do.
I would have to say that 100% of us are like this. I've never met a vegetarian that wasn't. Meat eaters are projecting. They bait us into arguments and then get upset when we have the facts on our side and deliver them when provoked. It's really a sad and unfortunate interaction.
All amino acids, and a lot of "he-man-making" phytochemicals (e.g., tribulus, "goat-weed :-) are available from plant sources. The only benefit that muscle/flesh-eating provides is a dirty package of pre-assembled amino acids.
... and think on these things ...
The meat-eating -habit- will exhaust the world food supply faster than vegetarianism ... it takes exponentially more vegetable food source to feed "meat products" than to feed people. The same food fed to humans could save many lives ... this will become critical as the world population explodes and food supply cannot keep pace. the global habit of flesh consumption will lead to starvation and cannibalism.
A vegetarian society is less likely to cannibalize itself when disasters strike.
So, if you think the society or world is subject to dramatic "upheavals" of any kind, think of the flesh-eater habit and how it may affect grandma or bay junior, etc. When the going gets rough, the flesh-eater's eye may find the readily-available, easy-to-take muscle-of-neighbor's-kids more attractive and available for dining (the evolution of the fast food phenomenon) than the unavailable side of beef, pig, or Fido.
Think far. Think big. Think extreme. Think EMP-attack, think WWIII. What makes sense? What do you wish for your grandchildren's children, etc.?
Reason # 6
It took hundreds of millions of years for us to reach the top of the food chain; and now you want to be a vegetarian?
I don't think so.
It took hundreds of millions of years for us to evolve brains to think and feel, and *that's* your excuse for surrendering to primal instincts without any regard for the suffering/well-being of others? Somewhere there's a cave, a bearskin and a club with your name on them.
Beef – It's what's rotting in your colon:
Meat and dairy products have absolutely no fiber. They are high in fat, calories, concentrated protein, and cholesterol; even "low fat" dairy products are packed with fat and cholesterol, relative to fruits, vegetables, and grains. The National Cancer Institute in the United States has reported that colorectal cancer seems to be associated with diets that are high in fat and calories and low in fiber. The ACS recommends that people choose foods from plant sources and limit their intake of high-fat foods, particularly from animal sources.
Read the new book, " Stop your Demoniac Nature and live Healthy " by B.B. Green and if you liked that one you can check out "Stop eating Meat and avoid Roasting IN Satan's Eternal Barbeque" By Churchgoingmeatingeatingfreak jr.
someone actually published a book like that? I thought you were trying to be funny and not actually serious. But you are serious?!?!?!? That's funny!
Bacon is way to truth and light. And really, really delicious too.
I don't eat meat because I won't participate in cruelty to animals. It makes me want to throw up just thinking about it. Thinking about the living creature that it used to be and the pile of heads and limbs lying somewhere disgusts me. Animals are better than a whole lot of people.
NOTHING good has ever come out of Texas.
Including this b.s.
Do me a favor, Tim. Don't tell me what to eat, and I won't tell you what to eat. KTHXBAI.
totally...I can't imagine the nerve of someone trying to get you to eat the corpse of what used to be a beautiful animal.
To add to my last post. I am considered poor in our economy and I can not afford to buy the meat specialy raised "clean" . I have no choice but to buy it from the grocer. So the choice is crap meat or veggies. I chose the veggies.
To c0nclude my arguments I would just like to say I don't care if you want to eat meat because you are going to do it anyway. Why should i care if you want to burn in hell? I do care about the animals though. TO kill is not to love. If we stopped killing animals and lived together peacefully the world would change but it won't happen because there will always be meat eating demons who are less than animals. The proper term is two-legged animals. We alive amongst them in our daily life and smell the meat smells. What can you expect from an animal? To live our lives as a perfect example is the best thing we can do for the meat eating freaks. God bless us all and pray for those souls who are buring in hell for all of eternity being forced to eat the flesh of themselves and their family members and being thrown off the Himalayian mountains repeatedly and eaten by Lions and tigers and Bears and Jackals and Fish and frogs, and ducks, and turkeys, and eagles and roosters, and Snakes.
The only reason I am almost a complete vegetarian is because the meat on the market is full of crap that the big food producers insist on pumping our meat product animals full of and because of the manner in which the animal is dealt with. If I knew it was "clean meat" and that they were humanely cared for I would eat meat everyday.
try humans.. they might taste even better and that might give you a reason to go ahead
Not all vegetarians are preachers of their ways, though this next paragraph may sound like i am. You have to stop with the stereotyping. Just because we choose this lifestyle does not change who you are and what you eat. We can become defensive about our choice when people make us feel uncomfortable for that choice. We take the same actions that they would had we said something about a choice they made. Looking at me you would not know that i am a vegetarian, but why would you need too? That should not change your opinion of me. The debate over good for you vs bad for you will never be solved. Its ok people, just breath and let it be.
This is one of poorest arguments I have ever heard and it makes the writer seem like an idiot
you do realize the intent of the author is to convey humor, don't you? it is by no means an attempt to make arguments in favor of meat eating...
murderers.. eat your dogs and cats and your grandma too.. you never know they might taste better and the loss may be worth it
Being a Vegetarian is a preference just as religion. Lets stop arguing "facts" and just enjoy life. Eat meat if you want or don't. Who cares. LETS ALL JUST STOP ARGUING ABOUT NONSENSE.
This is the least interesting article
I am very sick of this myth of "preachy vegetarians". The vegetarians I've met are not preachy. I think that everything thinks they're preachy or fears they're going to be preachy because of a deep-seated guilt about eating meat that they fear they'll have to confront.
thank you. xoox
I totally agree.
This is actually a really poor argument.
Perfect dinner – Salad with french dressing, 20 oz Ribeye with baked potato or hash browns and a couple of Bud lights.
make that a london broil and I will be coming over for dinner.. please, add some BACON to the potato, will you?
No Problem, either one sounds pretty good.
Anybody who eats meat will burn in hell and be forced to eat his own flesh while he has to watch CNN and their bullshit stories for all of time.
Just took a look at the dinner menu at Lonesome Dove Western. It's entirely composed of meat. Rocky Mountain Elk tenderloin? Kangaroo Tenderloin nachos? Wild Boar ribs? Rabbit Rattlesnake sausage? I suppose he felt threatened by the vegetarian movement because it would put him out of business.
movement? a bunch of bunny huggers reading alternative literature full of scientific inaccuracies? hardly a movement, more like a fad.
I don't consider nutritional guidelines and the benefits touted by the American Dietetic Association, American Cancer Society and the UN to be "alternative literature" unless I was sitting in a cave in the middle of Texas with my bible.
Exactly he's a business person trying to drum up more customers. Dose vegetiniasms need to be put in der place!
An inbred redneck retard spouting ignorant, closed-minded opinions and no facts. Go sleep with your cousin or mother and leave the cooking to the real Americans on the coasts.
yep... vegetarian indeed... unfounded statements and name calling in a failed attempt to make your point prevail... so sorry for you...
Vegetarians taste like chicken.
Vegetarianism should be classified as a cult
Wow, way to make chefs, meat eaters, and men look like total morons. Good job.
Perhaps you should focus on why vegetarians have chosen that path instead of spouting of the first sentence you can moistly piece together.
Also, I have heard "That (insert purely vegan or veggie dish here) smells great"
well, since I don't have the habit of going around sniffing people, I really don't care...
from article: "but when it comes down to it, meat, in moderation, provides much needed protein, iron and amino acids."
Chef Tim Love should stick to cooking and refrain from commenting on anything else. Has he looked up the definition of a 'protein'?
Hey Chef Tim Love, you should drink plenty of water, it contains lots of H20! Haha.
On the meat debate: I'm a meat eater, but if the amount of antibiotics and hormones pumped into our meat doesn't scare you, go take a few years of university-level chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology and physiology classes. You will then be worried.
The true problem is that we have no idea what the effects of these chemicals are when consumed over a lifetime. Nobody argues otherwise – not a single expert who is not paid by these industries.
But hey, as long as meat is 10 -20 cents cheaper, right? That's the American way.
You people would literally drink anything companies told you to drink. Soon you'll probably be told eating antibiotic laden meat is good b/c it keeps Mexicans away from the border.
Hahahaha
im a vegetarian and this is just an ignorant man saying ignorant things. I love animals and don't eat meat because i do not want to support the inhumane livestock industry. If you want to eat meat, fine, that's your decision, i don't force my opinions on anyone. I just don't agree with the cruelty that chickens, pigs, and cows are subjected to, all in the name of a good steak or chicken wing, therefore i do not support it by not purchasing meat. Less demand, less supply, less cruelty. Simple.
Do you buy eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt? Those are all products of the same industry of cruelty.
Morningstar farms stuff are just egg and cheese, check the ingredients.
If you must consume these products as part of your 'vegetarian' diet, just try to only buy organic. With organic diary and eggs they cannot do all of the really weird things to the animals, in general the animals are treated better that make organic products ... Look for USDA and also make sure it is a product of the USA, imported organics have a lot of issues now.
I completely disagree with this article and all of the ignorant Meat-Eater comments on here. I was an avid meat eater until age 25... I would have punched someone if they told me I'd one day stop eating Bacon, Cheeseburgers, Pepperoni Pizza or even cheese for that matter... After almost 4 years of being vegetarian and a year of being vegan, I can tell you that this is a much more healthy life style and that we are not biologically meant to live off of a meat based diet. We were CONDITIONED, not evolved, to eat the amounts of meat that we do and all the literature out there tell you different is extremely biased and probably not from a reputable source.
Eat Plants, Grains, Legumes and live longer.
I suggest reading a bit about human evolution and how meat consumption is intimately related to human ascension to the top of the evolutionary chain, including by allowing massive brain development. All our immediate cousins (chimps, orangutans, gorillas) are omnivores.
The brain thing is so stupid, I'm not going to respond to it but Gorillas are vegetarians, orangutans are primarily vegetarian but eat bugs and chimps are primarily vegetarian but will eat meat occasionally. If humans ate more like our close primate relatives their would be far less obesity and sickness.
There's a food chain for a reason, people. Give me one good reason why cows exist on this earth other than to be eaten or worn by humans. Think cows exist to roam around, eat grass and look pretty? No, they exist to be eaten, and they're delicious.
Same goes for lamb, goat, duck, elk, deer, buffalo, etc.
Vegetarians are just pissed cause they eat flavorless, boring food all day. I love vegetables, too, especially as an accompaniment to a delicious steak.
Every species exists for its own purpose. Only humanity thinks that it is the center of it all. The anthrocentric view is a fallacy which will only be disproven when Nature does away with us one way or another, e.g., Extinction Level Event ... like a lowly virus or prion. The prions can wipe out the meat eaters amongst us by the vector formed by feeding chicken litter to cattle ... 2 million tons a year – they're bound to slip through since chicken litter includes tissue from cattle, lambs, etc.
With our heady anthrocentric view, greed, and technology we can briskly engineer our own demise ... the BSE prion, a variation on AIDS, a military virus even, into the transportation system and we become like any other 'event' in the cosmos: here, not here.
So, consider the Public Health, nationa health, and Global Health consequences of flesh consumption vis-a-vis the "meat industry" ... have your prions and eat'em, too, courtesy of the FDA and its allowance of chicken feces in your cattle's food. Don't call back millions of tons of dead disease-causing cow every year, pass it on to the consumers of flesh who think that they've got it together. Tehy'll never learn ... it's just Nature putting the human species in check, eh?
Every species exists for its own purpose. Only humanity thinks that it is the center of it all. The anthrocentric view is a fallacy which will only be disproven when Nature does away with us one way or another, e.g., Extinction Level Event ... like a lowly virus or prion. The prions can wipe out the meat eaters amongst us by the vector formed by feeding chicken litter to cattle ... at 2 million tons a year they're bound to slip through since chicken litter includes tissue from cattle, lambs, etc.
With our heady anthrocentric view, greed, and technology we can briskly engineer our own demise ... the BSE prion, a variation on AIDS, a military virus even, into the transportation system and we become like any other 'event' in the cosmos: here, not here.
So, consider the Public Health, nationa health, and Global Health consequences of flesh consumption vis-a-vis the "meat industry" ... have your prions and eat'em, too, courtesy of the FDA and its allowance of chicken feces in your cattle's food. Don't call back millions of tons of dead disease-causing cow every year, pass it on to the consumers of flesh who think that they've got it together. They'll never learn ... it's just Nature putting the human species in check, eh?
I am a vegetarian and I do not agree with a word this guy says. Meat only tastes good with seasoning . vegetables taste good on their own. Also, now that I am a vegetarian the smell of meat absolutely revolts me. I can't imagine ever eating a speck of meat again
why is everyone so serious – I would let Chef Tim Love cook me a steak anytime and I would hope he would join me so we could talk about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I like your chef hat Tim!
Haven't had meat for 38 years and NO FLU, COLDS, or weight problems. GOD told us to take care of animals NOT eat them.
Yet, in the old testament there are many stories of sacrificing animals...
In -GENESIS-, GOD says that all the green is given to us "for meat" (nourishment).
Genesis 1:29
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
There was only one good reason in those five and that is the one about proteins. The others were just his biased opinion. I've heard its good to be vegetarian but I would vote for eating anything in moderation. That's all there is to it. Chapter closed.
The chapter is not closed until you burn in Hell or at least get boiled in Oil while Satan stirs you and flavors you. Now that's some meat all you meat eaters should try.
I'll never complain about the high co$t of 'pastured-organic' beef again. I've been beating that drum for nearly 20 years. All good things moderately.
I'd like to hear the beating of the drum for when you are going to be thrown into hell where the animals will rip off your flesh as you run on a burning road with no water except the blood of your family members.
Absurd logic propels absurd conclusions. Saying meat eating is better because it tastes better is equivalent to:
1. Sexual misconduct is OK because sex rocks.(read women as hapless animals cut in to meat)
2. Stealing is good because wealth is good (read wealth as life of another creature)
3. I like to enjoy thongs so hurting others in the process is inconsequential.
This is sick logic. These same people tell their children of horror stories about monsters eating humans!
This article is crap. 5 reasons not to be a vegetarian, written by a chef, who basically says meat tastes good. Really, is that all your culinary learnings poured out into 5 bullet points – you look funny roasting a pumpkin at a tailgate, really. So much for an informative article. As for this american patriot fool, get over it, sure vegetables are delicious, I love them, but I love meat too, and raw meat is delicious, ever heard of sushi, how about steak tartare? How can you be an american patriot and not have a hot dog at a ball game, or a burger on the fourth of july. Me thinks you are confused, PS even brocolli screams when you pull it from the ground
Meat DOESN'T taste better than veggies, grains, nuts, dairy.... I've never understood the ooohing and aaahing over meat. Can't believe that someone would choose meat over bread and cheese, pasta, even a peanut butter sandwich. Oh well, to each his own I guess. Although I would put in a plug for choosing animals that are raised humanely at least. Meat is gross enough, worse when you consider that most cow meat comes from feedlots where the cows are packed in nose-to-butt and have to hang out in their own dung all day.
What a stupid, childish, ignorant and silly "article" this is! I hope the author didn't get any compensation for this - he obviously didn't spend any time on it and just makes himself sound like a dumb Texas frat boy. Waste of time...
Don't eat meat from dead animals. Even Tiger and Lion do not eat them. So, kill them just before eating.
Wow. I learned SO many reasons why after ALL these years, that I should start eating meat again. What a waste of an article.
Amen, brother!
I am mostly vegan and will eat vegetarian when needed, I will also eat fish from time to time, I go with the flow of the people around me and resorting to fish allows me to blend in at any restaurant. I have been doing this for 14 years and have enjoyed my pure vegan periods the most, I feel and look the best when I am only eating vegan.
I have noticed that some 'vegetarian' people actually maintain the same bad diet habits, they replace meat with eggs, chesse and other animal products. If you eat cheese from a cow, aren'r you going to get all the same bad stuff in steak? If you get most of your fat and protien from animal products are you really a vegetarian?
Plus for animal lovers, to make cheese they have to keep impregnating the cow and take away the calf and make veal. The cow doesn't just keep giving milk, the diary cow lives a horrible life and much go insane from having the calves taken away over and over again.
I would actually argue that some of these borderline vegetarians should actually give up cheese and eggs and eat chicken breast, it might actually improve their health. If a vegetarian cannot be vegan for a couple of days I question their love of vegetables?
Dont be retarded. Why would you want to blend in with a bunch of meat eating demons?
I still like to go out and socialize, and 98% of the restaurants I this country still cater to meat eaters and will throw a mozzarella panni on the menu to give the vegetarian 'a' option.
Also, I like to have a meal and not have the conversation revolve around my eating disorder :).
I always order vegan when available, then to vegetarian and then on to fish if nothing else is available.
When you have been doing It for 14 years you just want to eat your veggies and not discuss the details.
Moron....the only people that ever comment on what vegetarians eat are meat eaters.
Ironic, isn't it!? And yet WE are the "preachy" ones and we should let him "eat his meat in peace." What a dummy.
I'm not a vegetarian, but I agree with you. it seems it's the meat eaters who go on sites and flame vegetarians and get all preachy. They are obnoxious.
this is one of the most assanine articles they have ever posted
This post is poorly constructed, of weak argument, and down-right insulting to meat and non-meat eaters. If you are going to argue for meat consumption, your arguments need to be based off of scientific evidence.
Don't try and argue two points of the same matter, the "amino acids" and then the "protein" argument- proteins are amino acids, so no amino acids, no protein, they come hand in hand and can be found in plenty of plant based sources. (Hint: that's why amino acids are termed the building blocks of life! His ineptitude makes me wonder if he thinks that if he eats a big chunk of meat he'll grow big muscles, because hey, protein equals muscles, right?)
Iron can also be found in plant based sources (beans and green leafy vegetable). Just because you google searched "why is meat good?" doesn't make you eligible to write about it's physiological role in the body, don't try and use big words like amino acid without knowing its true function.
This writer seems to ignore the amount of environmental pressure daily meat consumption puts on our planet. He also ignores the statistics for metabolic syndrome rates- favoring those whose consumption is limited to plants and hopefully discouraging those who continue to consume excessive amounts of meat (the average american consumes 3x the daily suggested amount on a regular basis) .
The most insulting thing is that I am a chef, a farmer, and a dietitian. I give equal energy to each role and push myself to be educated on the culture of consumption.
This chef has, however, completely ignored being educated past his knife skills and it is insulting to the individual, the consumer, and, most of all, the industry. Kudos to you for being just another meat head chef who can't seem to pull his honing steel out of his ass.
"This post is poorly constructed, of weak argument, and down-right insulting to meat and non-meat eaters. If you are going to argue for meat consumption, your arguments need to be based off of scientific evidence."
I agree with you. You just wrote the post commenting on the article written by CNN. So basically your first sentence stated that everything that you are going to write is poorly constructed and a weak argument. I agree whole-heartedly! Now lighten up and for once in your life take something at face value and stop trying to critique it! The article was an attempt at humor – which apparently – you need!
I'm just curious, vegetarians. What do all of you think canine teeth are for? They're not for chewing vegetables and grains...
Yes your canine teeth are for ripping through hide and flesh. Please videotape yourself chasing down, catching prey, ripping it apart and eating it raw. We are all curious to watch your perfectly designed anatomy accomplish this like other carnivores. lol.
Actually both alpacas and llamas both have extremely sharp canine teeth (far sharper than yours) and they're both natural herbivores. Their canine teeth are used for fighting.
Our canines are near-rudimentary, canine only in name, not true (piercing/tearing) canines.
I read this expecting something educational as I am a vegetarian. I was wrong.
Meat eaters need to shut up about how "preachy" vegetarians are, most of my friends don't know I'm vegetarian. Why? Because its never come up, even if they've ordered a huge bacon cheeseburger. Its none of my business what they want to put in their body, just like its not anyone else's business what I put in mine. These 5 points boil down to: "Eat meat because it tastes good and your not-eating-it makes me uncomfortable." same as every other argument I've heard against vegetarianism. JUST SHUP UP ABOUT IT AND LEAVE US ALONE!!!
If you want to be left alone, why did you post on CNN?
Why can't you create a coherent thought that makes sense to normal people.
I ate meat for the first 25 years of my life and then I thought one day: this meat on this plate is an animal that was tortured and lived in fear. I stopped right then and there. And have never regretted it. I don't preach about it and I do realize that the meat industry does everything it can to make you forget about that. However, I do think that most reasonable people , if they thought about it, would stop eating it. And I do hope that happens one day. It does affect me that right now while I sit here comfortably, millions of animals are in pain, fear and discomfort. And it could be stopped..
Come on, why the hate? Everything in moderation is fine.. ok – not everything – stuff like Cyanide, rat poison etc excluded..
Everything in moderation if fine. A slaughter-house is not moderation.
Of course a slaughter-house is moderation, have you seen those new slaughter-cities? those are just overkill. So the house thing is just perfectly fine and moderate...
@ reason #1) Agreed, meat tastes better. Im going to assume for now that since taste is listed as reason 1, it is the most important reason to not be a vegetarian according to this chef. And therefore it is vastly more important than any ethical considerations related to the choice of eating meat or not. That said, I strongly encourage the chef and anyone to try my absolute favorite type of meat....human! The best human meat is harvested from children that are confined to small cages for their short life before slaughter, an obvious parallel to preparation of veal.
Kidding aside, nothing wrong with eating meat itself, but I have serious issues with some of the practices of the meat industry. Factory farms and the practices of the major meat produces should be banned, and meat should not be cheap!
Agreed. Nothing wrong with eating meat except that you will burn in hell for the rest of eternity and be forced to eat the meat of the flesh of your burning family members while Satan performs his eternal Barbeque.
But wouldn't the meat-eaters enjoy the smell of a barbeque even though it would hurt? I think Satan would cook them all in a pot of grits, not must smell and would still hurt – oh and make their family members taste bland – grilling them might actually taste good! You idea of hell is interesting...
Well what i forgot to tell to all you meat eating demon selfish bastards is that when you burn in hell having to eat the flesh of your family members the smell of vegetables would come out like broccoli and spinach so there would be no room whatsoever to enjoy the smell of your family members burning flesh.
To all the kumbayah singing vegetarian flakes. STFU. You wanna eat like a pansie? Have at 'er.
Leave the rest of us normal people alone.
I will never leave the meat-eating demon freaks alone until they leave the innocent animals alone. Burn in hell.
I murder PETA FOLLERS AND EAT THERE DOGS!!!!!!!!!
I don't doubt that that is true. But what you should know is that for such a sinful life you will be burned in hell and forced to watch CNN for the rest of eternity.
@ dan – really? So in your mind, "normal" is ignorant and offensive? Great.
H'mm, vegan here, but no kumbaya and no flake ... curious, do you think the strictly vegetarian monks of Shao Lin are pansies? Maybe you should define "pansy" and while you're at it, define "normal".
This strict vegan teaches Chinese, Korean (3rd Dan), and S.E. Asian martial arts, carries at least two blades, an impact weapon, and a 9mm everyday (umph, shouldn't forget the pepper spray). Does that define "pansy" or where can I find it in the funk & Wagnall's?
I'm not a vegetarian, but I thought thought this article was going to have something intelligent in it; like health or nutrition reasons you should eat meat. Instead we get idiotic reasons like "Meat tastes better". Thank you, very thought out and profound. And I want to slap those who say "PERIOD" after a declarative statement. As if by saying that you ARE in fact having the final word on it and no one else to the end of time is allowed to say anything more on the subject. I feel like they want to jump in when someone does and say "no no no no...I said PERIOD! Why are you saying more things?!"
Churchgoingmeateatingfreak – deer are not meat eaters. Killing off meat-eaters does not increase their food supply. You have to kill off plant eaters to do that.
Well they would stop cutting the grass because they would be dead and so the deer could eat that. I'm sure it would be sufficient.
The only predator is this fake chef preying on stupid people to get rich.
How is this person a fake chef? He cooks food for people and gets paid, therefore a chef. Oh, I see, you were trying to say that someone who cooks meat does not have any skills as a 'chef'. 'HA!' that is a good one, and clever too!
His first passion seems to be about $$$ and getting his name out there not food. Last time I checked vegetables were food. A real chef would be challenged to cook them well not whine about eating them.
I like a sense of humor, and the last rule made me laugh, but I have been a vegetarian for 21 years (stared very young- my personal choice) and I have never once tried to push my ideas on anyone. I get sick of telling people actually because they either 1) Ask annoying questions and make comments like "well, vegetables are alive like animals yet you eat them. Why??"
2) "I'm a vegetarian too!" Then they proceed to say they cut down on steak, eat lots of fish and can't resist fried chicken.
My husband is not vegetarian and I don't care if he eats steak. Seeing meat in our frigde, watching him cook it is not fun for me but I respect his ways and don't say anything.
The worst is when people ask if he is one too, I say no, then they ask "how does that work?" Well, it works just fine! Just because I'm a wife doesn't mean I need to cook all his dinners. He's a grown man and we both have careers that keep us busy. We cook together, just different items! Plus, now he eats his veggies :)
All the arguments for eating meat apply just as well to eating second graders. Consider:
Five Reasons to Eat Second-Graders
1. Second graders taste better than vegetables.
2. Because you never hear anyone say, "Wow! Doesn't that creamed spinach smell great?"
3. Imagine a restaurant full of preachy vegetarians. Enough Said. If I want to eat second graders, let me eat them in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us second-grader eaters?
4. Eating vegetables may sound healthy, but second graders provide much needed protein, iron, and amino acids.
5. Because you'd get a lot of funny looks if you tried roasting a pumpkin at a second-grader roast.
But the fat content of second graders is not high enough... I would go for the 5th graders, they have spent lots of time in front of the Xbox and would grill p nice and good.
You are a very sick man Omnivore.
Churchgoingmeateatingfreak, if you are in fact Christian, I'd really suggest doing some research into the meat/leather/fur industries to see how we are treating God's creation. Much of what I have seen I can only describe as pure evil. Maybe it was ok for some historical people to consume meat, but God never intended anything like the atrocities we commit on a daily basis today. And none of this was ever in His original plan. Read Genesis again. It specifically states that the green plants of the earth (not the animals) were given to us and the animals for food.
Satan is going to have a nice barbeque with all you meat eating demons.
With all that's been said about this article, I feel obligated to do two things: Look in the paper for all of the great sales on meat, and grill myself a big juicy ribeye.
With the stupidity of your comment I feel obliged to pray to God that he creates a new hell that is 1000 times more hellish for the meat eating demons.
With the absurdity of your username, I feel compelled to ignore your comment.
I do appreciate the value of a good board troll though.
I have no idea what a good board troll is but since you do i have understood you must be some kind of freak.
Your remarks are making sound completely radical and obsessed. Lighten up. People are going to do what they want. Accept that. Don't wish them ill will because you have a problem with the way They live THeir lives.
See you in hell you meat eating freaks!!!
I figured out the solution to the over-population of deer. We could send all the meat-eaters to the slaughter-house and in that way the deer would have more food to eat.
But then wouldn't the meat-eaters feel pain? and that is something the vegetarians could not do to another animal. I do not follow your logic.
Yes, we couldn't do that to another animal but since meat eating demons are less than animals we have no problems to send them to the slaughter house.
But if we are demons, then a slaughterhouse would do nothing. I think you would need a lot of silver or some wooden stakes or something...
OMIGOD, RUN! The cannibal deer of the zombie apocalypse have come and are going to feast on human flesh!
Yeah, that would be a good movie for the meat eating demons. The deer start eating human flesh. Damn that's a good idea. Kind of a horror-comedy.
So RETARDED! LOLOLOLOLOL
I love when doctors start in on nutrition. Um doc–quick question–how many years of nutritional education do you have in your medical degree? Was it one credit? A work shop? Doctors are in the business of managing disease and managing symptoms–and usually with medication. There is no money in making you change your diet. Most studies saying meat is good or no cancer connection are usually funded by the very powerful meat and dairy lobbyist. How many carrot lobbyists do you know? Yea, its a vegan conspiracy! LOL!
1 carrot lobbyist, his name is 'George Sampson'. He is employed by Green Giant and works in D.C. I guess he is not actually a carrot lobbyist, but he does deal with the frozen vegetables that Green Giant carry, mostly frozen peas, spinach, and mixed vegetables – which include carrots.
Or was that just a rhetorical question and you were not expecting an answer?
Omni: "Here, have a hambuger"
Veggie: "No thanks, I'm vegetarian"
Omni: "Stop preaching at me!!!"
This article is pathetic. There are ethical, economic and ecological reasons- substantial reasons- to avoid or eliminate meat consumption, but the reasons TO eat meat that are given here are so superficial and reflect a really cavalier attitude that troubles me- "I do what I want because I want to and nuts to the rest of you." This isn't a responsible way to think and it's so silly to even call these "reasons" to do or not do anything because there is no reason to them. The test to see how confident a person feels in his or her choices is how much he or she feels the need to be loud and defensive about it. If you feel the need to launch this pathetic "defense" of meat-eating, I'd say you're facing some self-doubt.
Umm, not meant to be taken seriously... lighten up, if you want some real reporting and journalism why are you at CNN? Go do the research yourself instead of critiquing everyone else who are trying to bring a bit of levity to your apparently extremely stressful day and life.
This is a pretty stupid article. 5 Reasons to not be vegetarian and not one of them is a legitimate reason to not eat meat. 1. Meat tastes better, which isn't always true. I happen to think that vegetables, if they're prepared right, can taste a lot better than the decaying flesh of an animal that did nothing to you. 2. If you're going into a steakhouse, chances are you're not a vegetarian. Those are places for carnivores, or should I say scavengers. Carnivores actually hunt and kill there food and then eat it raw. You guys are more like the vultures of society. 3. Vice Versa, just as you wouldn't see too many vegetarians in a steakhouse, you won't see too many vultures in a vegetarian restaurant. 4. Everything except for fruits, fat, and sugar has protein in it. As long as you have a balanced diet then you should no problem getting all that you need. 5. Need I say more. This is not a very good article. One thing that I have noticed about these kind of debates about vegetarianism, is it is always one-sided because the vultures don't have too much more than "it tastes better." You can't argue with a vegetarian about vegetarianism. You won't win. Peace out vultures.
I really do not think any of these reasons was supposed to be a 'legitimate' reason. It actually took me until the fifth word of the first reason to figure out it was an attempt at humor. Wow, you really should up the Zanax man... Or whatever pill they are taking now for anxiety or depression – Viagra?
I think that if I was on anti-depressants I would sound like you. Maybe you should lay off the Viagra and let some of that blood return to your brain so you can use it. Nothing to say to what I said, typical meat head. "It's just a joke, don't take it so seriously." No it just shows how most people think. Don't take anything seriously, let's just avoid the subject all together with humor. I enjoy a good laugh, but I guess I am just of a different mindset. It's not funny, it's a useless article that provides you with nothing. Period.
Do you really have to write 'Period.' as it's own sentence at the end? Makes you sound like a bitchy 8 year old girl. might as well write in 'Air-Quotes'.
haha...you can tell "preachy veggies" from the posts
What about simply I don't eat meat because I believe life is sacred and worth protecting.
Incisors. Evolution at its greatest. I wasn't given these sharp, pointy teeth to eat carrots. They are here for one purpose, eating the flesh of other animals. Simple truth.
Herbivorous animals have well-developed incisors, used to cut grass and other vegetation; canines that are either smaller than those of carnivores or absent altogether; and broad, flat premolars and molars for grinding food. In some herbivores, the upper canines are absent, so they cut vegetation by the combined action of the tongue and lower incisors.
Your simply an idiot.
It's "you're" simply an idiot.
Thank you for the correction. Your still an idiot.
Sharp pointy teeth? Do they go with your padded four paws with claws?
I just joined PETA (People for Eating of Tasty Animals)
Five Reasons to BE a Vegetarian"
1. Because vegetables (and fruits and ALL the other non-meat foods) taste better than meat. Period. There are fantastic chefs (Tim Love? :)) who I'm sure do amazing things but not even 3 shots of patron and 2 sake bombs made me want to try meat. I mean, really, which would you rather have – a piece of squash or or a chunky slice of cow stomach oozing with grease and blood? Which just made you gag?
2. Because when you walk into a butcher shop, no one says "oooh yummy, look at that fat and blood dripping off the side of that pig's intestine, can't wait to put that in my mouth" unless, of course, you're a caveman(?).
3. Imagine a restaurant full of preachy carnivores. Don't get me wrong – my best friends are meat eaters but they tend to have a 'i'm the king of the jungle, at the top of the food chain' attitude. Come on people – yes, The Lion King was a great movie, but let's not let the Circle of Life get too outta hand. Besides, if I don't want to or care to eat meat, let me eat my vegetarian meal in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a meat-eater, so why are you trying to force me?
4. Eating meat may provide protein, iron and amino acids, but let's face it – humans can't survive on meat alone. Vegetarians are not rabbits – they're still people and eat a variety of other foods in addition to just vegetables.
5. Because you’d get a lot of odd looks (and maybe even in a bit of trouble?) if you tried growing farm animals in your backyard (unless you're a farmer).
Okay, this one was just plain funny!
Okay, I find all of these arguments humorous. Everyone just needs to relax and live their own lives. Vegetarians who are preachy are annoying. Carnivores that try to tell vegetarians they are idiots are annoying. I eat meat, I like it, I have no problem with the process of killing an animal to harvest their meat – they are animals. I do have some problems with certain practices of raising animals and the conditions they are kept in and will not give those companies any money – easy. I do not try to force my opinions onto other people though.
My biggest questions to the holier-than-though vegetarians that keep commenting on how they would never like to have a dead corpse in their mouth and how they would never cause pain to a defenseless animal is how can you be Pro-choice? The majority of vegetarians I have known (not all of them) have been very liberal and pro-choice. They are veggies because they think hurting or killing an animal for the meat is immoral, but they have no problem killing a fetus (which is a baby human being) because it is inconvenient for them. It is proven that abortions hurt both the mom and the baby, and from what I have researched it hurts the baby MUCH worse than some of the ways that we kill animals to harvest their meat. How can you justify that you holier than though preachy vegetarians? For the normal vegetarians out there, good on you, I respect your decision to not eat meat, I could not do it – and thank you for not forcing your decision onto me.
What does my right to choose what I eat have to do with a woman's right to choose to carry a fetus to term?
Moron.
Actually it was not something against your right to eat meat, it was a comment specifically against the preachy comments saying that 'eating meat hurts that animals'. Mostly a comment for vegetarian PETA members, I am just really curious – I want to know how they justify it to themselves.
I think you are annoying.
Thanks, but I think you would like me if you got to know me. I know my comment seemed a little preachy too, but I am really just curious.
I am not a homosexual and I don't date meat-eaters. Especially ones that could possibly burn in hell for the rest of eternity and be cooked in a giant pot the size of Mount Rushmore and be deep fried like a french fry and eaten by Giants of Satan.
Lettuce is for rabbits(Trix are for kids)
I mean "sweet bread", not the sweetbreads that are made from another animals liver. I like the cinnamon bread with ... doesn't matter.
You know, that articale was lame, even for CNN. I think that guy just paid somebody to get the name of his restaurant in the news.
"Imagine a restaurant full of preachy vegetarians"
After almost 6 years of vegetariansm, I can say for certain that a majority of the "preachy" people are the stupid meat eaters. I've always said that the hardest part of going vegetarian is dealing with the stupid omnis who want to pick an prod you. How many times have you been 10 against 1 at a restaurant? It's happened more times than I can count. So far, I haven't come across a single "preachy" vegetarian in person. Everyone thinks they're a nutritionist when they find out about my lifestyle. What shuts them up immediately is "Oh, I didn't realize you were a Dietitian." I've actually studied Nutrition at a University level, people need to shut their mouths. The worst is when they're sitting there eating a burger, fries, and a soda, lecturing me about my meal. People are idiots in general.
I'm a vegetarian by choice, have been a long time, I'm quite healthy at 74 and I don't give a flying prostate exam what anybody else eats. Eat all the meat you want to, but how about you omnivores don't get preachy with us...
I'm a pescetarian. Prefer it, but it is a personal decision for many reasons. Therefore, I seldom even discuss it unless someone asks me (happens after one or two meals with a friend and they see I'm not ordering meat). I'm not at all ashamed of not eating meat, but sometimes when talking I can sound preachy even though I don't feel preachy. Therefore, I just talk about it if someone asks. I try to eat very little fish, but I still do occasionally. Working on that.
So you are a meat eater? If I have a covered dish dinner and you bring beef – you are very welcomed to come on in. And bring the beef. I will not eat any, but others may. I will not get preachy (though the discussion of feed lots vs. all grass-fed cattle might arise. And added hormones and antibiotics. Which is a discussion on food policies and freedom of information – not meat vs. veggies). I simply really prefer my green beans and potatoes!
Tim Love: Those are lousy reasons!!!! If I attached a vise to your head and turned the screw every day of your life until your head looked like a piece of toast and then I removed it you would scream that you felt and looked better with the vise ON. Humans adapt. We’ve adapted to an omnivorous diet… from birth! Of course meat ‘tastes and smells’ good– it’s what we are accustomed to. Step back for a minute, look at what you are indicting for the planet: Slaughter of untold animals, breed and raised for your “creativity” in the kitchen! If you opened your mind and senses to the industry that services your culinary appetite you would see the massive destruction that is impacting not only the slaughter of gentle passive animals but the land and environment abused to feed, corral, and sanitize the mess of this death parade. “Yes, Mr. LOVE, a barbequed squash feeds my mouth and my soul more than any roasted corpse–because it nourishes not ONLY my taste buds but my spirit! Wake up!”
Winkler, Robert P. “The Evolution of the Joint ATO Cycle.” Joint Forces Staff College/Joint Advanced Warfighting School, Norfolk, VA, 15 May 2006.
Sorry, cut and pasted the wrong thing... Working on a masters right now wait for the real comment!
Veggie here. Munching down on eggs and delicious veggie bacon, sweetbread and coffee this morning. Even eating as well as I like, as often as I chose, I am fifty pounds lighter than I was as flesheater and I'm feeling wonderful about it.
Stick that in your maxiburger and do what you like with it.
I think the main reason some of us vegetarians are holier-than-thou is because we have a sincere belief that if everyone (or most everyone) excluded meat from their diets, it would literally save the world.
The meat industry is one of the most polluting industries, on par with oil production. Think of all the urine and feces that cattle ranches alone produce, not to mention all the blood and unused body parts and tissue. What to do with this waste still hasn't been figured out. Going veg is good for the environment.
Think of all the land that is used to grow grains. Now consider that all those grains are going not to hungry and starving humans but to stinking cattle. The cattle industry is in the reverse protein business. You get only a fraction of the protein back from a typical bovine that you gave to it. Going veg could conceivably solve world hunger.
It's been more than shown that eating meat is linked to cancer, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Not much else needs to be said here. Going veg makes you live longer, healthier, and happier.
If you are interested, I used a book call Eat to Live by Dr Joel Furnman.
That's "Landes, France" ...
Patrick – "demoniac" is also a word
In my opinion, the health of humans is what I care about in the discussion of food consumption. Humane treatment of animals is important, but what it comes down to is the best life for man. And when dividing up the world into good and bad on the basis of whether you do or do not eat meat – well, I don't need to get into whether Hitler was a vegetarian, because that is irrelevant. He was bad to humans.
Musings – "Demoniac" means to be possessed by a demon. "Demonic" means to be inspired by a demon. Last time I checked, demons hadn't taken over my body just because I ate steak last night. I didn't feel inspired by a demon either, so even though the use of "demonic" to describe my dietary choices may be grammatically correct, it isn't factual. All this talk of food is making me want to eat some animal. Since it's breakfast, guess it's time for some pigs and chicken (bacon and eggs).
Yes you are possessed of a demoniac nature. Meat eaters are nothing but two-legged animals. I have a good friend Satan who might like to meet you. He lives in Hell. The climate is a little hot so no need to bring winter clothing. Send me a postcard.
I have been an ALMOST vegetarian for a number of years. By that I mean I eat meat about once a week. I also avoid white flours, sugars and oils. I have always struggled with my weight and while not being skinny, I am much more trim than I used to be. At 50 years old, I am able to run 20 miles per week. Note that I don't need any little pills, blue or otherwise.
I did go STRICT vegan for about 8 weeks once. I felt physically healthy but my brain slowed down. I need my brain so I added back a little meat. I'll probably die a little earlier but I'd rather be smarter. Plus I REALLY enjoy that piece of meat!
I feel very good about the way I'm eating now and feel much healthier than I did in my 30s. If you are interested, I used a book call "Eat to Live" by Dr Joel Furnman.
You don't need any meat in your diet for your brain. You only need to eat more lentils and milk products. Don't be misled by the demons.
Yes, do not listen to your own body or trust how you actually feel, listen to the random person on a message board who has been taking this whole thing WAY too seriously anyways and change your lifestyle to follow their example...
Wow. Thanks Omnivore. Maybe there is hope for you. That is if you can escape from Satan while he tries to throw your demoniac flesh and bones into a pot of burning sesame oil at the Hell INC. company picnic.
Seriously, you have not thought through the whole hell thing. If you are going to talk crazy, then at least make some sense of it. Why would Satan use sesame oil to burn a meat-eater? Come on man, at least use pork fat, a little irony will make eternity that much worse... but by stating sesame oil, it makes you sound like someone who is only half-assed trying to sound crazy and not someone who has actually spent some time thinking about this!
Satan likes that his meat eating demoniac servants of all eternity to be boiled in Sesame Seed Oil. Who am i go judge Satan? You like meat , I like vegetables and Satan likes his flesh cooked in Sesame Oil. Of course after he eats off your flesh you eventually with time grow back new flesh so that you can continue to be tortured in hell for all of eternity.
One thing worse is Preachy flesh eaters, who would never have the nerve to kill ,bleed out and gut , then butcher cook and eat their menu..this guy really asks stupid questions like what would I rather eat a ribeye or a squash? LMAO!!.go to a slaughter house.. take your kid out and butcher that cow, hog, baby lamb,or chicken together and have fun Tim! No Love there pal! look at that road kill and scarf it up .. how delicious....This guy is no Chef! Chefs make good food, and make it taste good too . What kind of unconcsious baboon , no offense to the baboons could even wonder these things? and when i walk into a place that smells like cooked Flesh , I leave.He can't imagine that people don't think like him .. too funny...He has made a total fool of himself. When I think of the violence, blood ,and guts associated with that lifestyle ,that people would actually ingest Flesh, I really wonder if they realize how awful it is. Tim No -Love doesn't .. sounds like he would cook and eat you too if he wanted that great smell in his kitchen.. so folks, you love it go kill it .. bleed it out and gut it make it as palatable as you can ,then eat it....then there is the issue of how much food it takes to raise a slaughter animal ,that would feed more people by the acre ,we would have less hunger and more full bellies in the world.. This guy that calls himself a chef is some moron who actually thinks killing and eating things that think, and care about their offspring,and it seems he is less conscious than any of the things he advocates murdering. I say feed him to the killer whales ,let them tell each other how great it tastes .. Come on Tim .. what is better, bleeding out and gutting defenseless animals , or picking corn and tomatoes? "He who would be a man, must be a nonconformist" "They had no way of judging a man,except as he handled the axe." a chef in a cowboy hat? what a joke .. so remember Tim , better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool , than open it and let everyone know for sure .
"better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool , than open it and let everyone know for sure "
You really should have taken your own advice, you seem like a very sad person – I'm sorry for you and I hope you find happiness.
I hope you find a way to save your burning flesh from the raging fires of Satan and his pitchfork poking at your burning flesh as he takes pieces off and chews them adding a little salt to each piece.
I have found a way, and it is not by talking crazy to a bunch of people on CNN. Originally I thought you were trying to be funny on this board, now I am actually scared that someone out there actually thinks this way. Please stop the madness and do not procreate. Your type of crazy is just scary.
Wow, who knew that eating meat me part of a group that is "ignorant, demoniac, selfish, freaks of nature that don't deserve to live and will burn in hell". I'm pretty sure he meant "demonic" though. Talk about your angry vegetarians/vegans out there. Life is about moderation. Meat, veggies, fruits and grains should all be taken in moderation. Sure, you can splurge every now and then, but overall, if you eat everything in moderation and have a moderate level of exercise, you'll probably live a nice long life.
I disagree completely with the "you'll burn in hell for eating meat" morons out there. But then again, that's because I hunt and fish constantly and that is what makes up most of my freezer. Nothing better than eating something that you went out and got for yourself. The meat from birds and animals that you have hunted is extremely lean (i.e. healthy). It has to be prepared right because of the low fat content, but if you know how to cook well, there's nothing better. To all of the vegetarians out there, I'm not trying to ban you from eating veggies, so stop trying to keep me from eating meat. You may say that meat is murder, fine, but it is tasty, tasty murder and that's what matters to me.
That's right, everything in moderation. Just like child molestation and homicide. To say that you don't try to stop vegetarians from eating veggies is not the same, our diets aren't destroying the earth, killing and making animals suffer, and aren't costing YOU money (Insurance rates go up because of unhealthy people, those who take care of ourselves get stuck paying more too).
Hey Scully, what about the deer that live in the woods which have managed to over-populate and consequently now exceed the carrying capacity of their environment? By your logic, I guess we should let them die of starvation in a slow & tortured manner vs. killing them quickly and eating the meat.
There are plenty of healthy people who eat meat. Take your soap-box antics elsewhere
Yes everything in moderation. IS a SLAGHterHOUSE MODERATION? I won't forget to make a personal call to Satan about you. Hopefully we can come up with some sort of tank where we can throw meat eating demoniac pompous low-life robotic clones like yourself and fish them out with pieces of meat.
That's ridiculous (not re-diculous) but I agree with you. I don't care one way or the other – just don't get in my face about it either way.
I'm glad we agree about that.(That anybody who brings up Cro-Magnon man deserves to burn in hell for eternity while he eats the burning flesh of his family members.)
It isn't just a red meat vs. vegetarian debate – there are even vegans who want to assure you that all animal products are nasty. They'll tell you the Japanese diet leads to longevity (Dr. Neal Bernard), leaving out the part about how the Japanese eat so much fish, and emphasizing their consumption of soy products as meat substitutes instead.
To the person who said raw meat is disgusting and all the good taste comes from the plant products added – I wonder then why some people love steak tartare. Also – some of the good taste of barbecue is the caramelization of sugars on the surface of the meat, natural to the animal. A little salt (not a plant product) enhances it too, although there is naturally occurring salt in the blood of the animal as well.
I do think that moderate meat consumption should be practiced, and it will slim you down to eat vegetables in a form of stew, where they cook down without oils. Salads are also good – but what's wrong with a few pieces of smoked duck in the salad the way French make it in the province of Lande? What's wrong with spreading out your meat consumption and making a treat of it? Once you get used to less of it and aren't such a purist, things fall into place. I might go for the Texas barbecue, but because I am used to eating less I would probably share one portion with another person or two. Because it tastes good and it is not evil to have it once in awhile, like my Cro-Magnon ancestors (apparently the Neanderthals ate nothing BUT meat and when their herds diminished at the end of the Ice Age, they too died out).
Anybody who brings up Cro-Magnon ancestors deserves to burn in hell for eternity.
What is the percentage of obese people in America and why ?
They are still trying ti figure out that exact reason, but my guess is the increase in synthetic food – ie processed and packaged – as well as the fact aht manual labor jobs have decreased in this country oh and people are not making their kids go outside and play – they let them sit inside and play video games and call it 'parenting'.
Stop asking stupid questions that you do not know the answer to – because the experts cannot agree on one specific reason and go do something about the obesity epidemic like help some kids get out and run instead of taking my steak off of my dinner table.
Wow CNN, what are you fox news? This is one of the most ridiculous articles I've read in a while. How the hell is this on your homepage?! What a douche.
Actually Fox news has much better reporting than CNN as long as you stay away from the editorials. I feel that most of CNN is editorials..., but I read both to balance out my biased news, good to know that with your last comment you never actually read Fox news to see how other people think.
Just saying you're a vegetarian is inflammatory. Just shut up and eat the salad... nobody will notice. Then there are the "preachy types" who want to debate with the vile meat eaters – like some sacred prayer – before every meal. A friend's marriage actually broke up because the wife turned vegan and wouldn't allow the husband to even cook meat in the house. Rediculous.
Good for her!!!
This is the most unconvincing argument for carnivorism I have ever heard. Why even bother publishing this on CNN?
I think the creamed spinach line is funny.
And so is "some of my best friends are vegetarians". Seems like this chef has a sense of humor, guys.
I find it funny that this guy accuses vegetarians of being preachy. As a vegetarian, I can say confidently that it's always my meat eating acquaintances who are super quick to get DEFENSIVE when I even *mention* that I am vegetarian, or who do not respect my choices.
Example: "Oh, I'm a vegetarian." "WHY? Meat is so delicious, and we were meant to eat it." etc. etc. etc.
So please, carnivores, stop lying to yourselves. Most of the time it's the carnivorous types who get defensive about their meat-eating ways and try to justify it, not the other way around.
red meat isn't bad for you... fuzzy, blue-green meat is bad for you
"Speed Beef" (Venison) it's what's for dinner. Killing Bambi reduces crop damage for all those vegetarian friendly dairy & grain farmers. Somebody has to do it.
Ok...but that's hardly a reason for the entire population to consume large quantities of meat. To the hunter who is simply protecting his crops, fine. To the other 99.9999% of the population sitting around on their couches in cities...not so much.
Why would you walk into a steakhouse expecting to smell creamed spinach, anyway? STEAKhouse. S-T-E-A-K house.
You are what you eat. Vegetarians eat vegetables. :P
Where I come from, it's illegal to love animals the way some of you do. To all you "hog huggers" out there – "Anything you say can and will be used against you... "
This is clearly watering the issue down with loose analogies. Rib eye to squash? Please...how about rib eye barbeque to Tuscan-region inspired bruscetta with chopped tomatoes, parmegiano reggiano, fresh garlic, olive oil and basil. My mouth is watering over the fact that creative, inventive chefs make unique, or even traditional, vegetarian dishes that warm my palate more than the deep fried skin of KFC. The "intrinsically more delicious" argument is hogwash.
The global population is to large and the amount of farmable land is to small for veganism. Bottom line, if the entire world was vegen there would be worldwide starvation. The human population as it stands now needs meat becasue meat, while not as healty, delivers more vitamins and nutrients than plant sources. Yes you can get just about everything you need from plants (I think there's only one vitamin that exists purely in meat, which is pretty much a mute point) and what you get from plants is healtier than what you get from meat, but meat brings the noise in quantity and efficiency. It gets you what you need quicker and more easily than plants do. Its usefulness outways its negatives, and statisticly we need to eat it or we would start dieing. Selectively, veganism is a healthy way to live and certaintly admirable in its own way, but there are so many philisophical/natural reasons why we should continue to eat meat. Its really not even worth debating. Animal treatment and ethics are important, but we'll always need to eat them.
What do animals eat, air? The animals have to eat grain grown from land resources as vast as those you claim are impossible for veganism. Meat production is well-documented as the LEAST efficient use of arable land. 'Cuz all them animals gotta eat something, and that something could be something we grow and use to feed people!
Well , I would beg to differ. What is not worth debating is that meat-eaters instead of animals should be sent to the slaughter-houses.
Hey American Patriot, its called KNOW WHERE YOUR MEAT COMES FROM. You can get meet that isn't injected with hormones and antibiotics. Unlike plant protein, meat is an efficient protein. Efficient, meaning that your body can utilize it right away. Inefficient proteins take many chemical processes in the body to utilize peanut butter as a protein. Your body still cannot utilize plant proteins even when combined to make a complete protein as efficiently as animal protein. That's why people who eat meat often feel better, they build muscle faster, and have a quicker recovery time after exercise. People are trying to change their "Western Diet" eating habits because of the bad health of this nation. Our health is not in danger because of meat. Our health is on the rocks because of excess sugar, processed foods and chemicals in those foods and in the environment that wreck havoc on our hormones. If we eliminate processed foods, eat tons of veggies, consume a high fiber diet, and also have or efficient proteins our body's will be in good health.
Guess what Tim,
you barely know how to cook. Cutting a meat loaf and cooking it on a BBQ does not constitute cooking. Go take 1 month visit to India. Drive from north to south tasting the vegetarian dishes and then open your mouth about taste, nutrition etc. Your lack of experience with vegetarian cooking is not a scale for the Vegetarian cooking itself.
lame
This is the dumbest thing I've read in a long time. Wow. What a moron.
I don't care if you eat meat. I could care less. But i do care about the animals that are actually better than the meat eaters because they don't cause any harm to others and supply them with milk. What a bunch of ungrateful bastards. I wish you didn't have to burn in hell but unfortunately that is the nature's law.
Go back to school... Nature's Law is meat eaters eat herbivores to be in perfect balance.
Wow you really are retarded. Do you believe they also went to the moon too?
Apparently eating veggies doesn't make people any smarter considering all the stupid (not to mention judgmental) comments by a lot of the vegetarians on here. Reading all the silly, baseless, and fabricated accusations about meat is entertaining. You guys would be great at writing fairy tales.
I'm sure your friends would also think you would be great grilled and with some spices.
Keep tiptoeing through the cow paddies.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I still have a freedom of choice when it comes to what I eat. I choose to eat meat, veggies and grains. They all taste good when preppared properly, but I really enjoy beef from the bar-b-que, bar-b-que whole pig (or piglet), bar-b-que lamb, bar-b-que fish, bar-b-que asparagus. Get the idea? Humans are omnivores, not by choice, but by evolution. It's how we meet all our nutritional needs. We cook with fire because it carmelizes sugars and tastes good. I have family members that are vegan by necessity (medical), but I repect their needs and take them into account when we go out or if we have family meals, as they will cook meals for the rest of us that involve meats. As far as the health issue goes, I am pushing 50, low LDL, normal HDL, normal blood sugar, no gall bladder (doesn't seem to bother me when I eat anything), still have my appendix (hasn't bothered me) and I plan to live a long time on my diet. At the very least I eill enjoy the life that I have.
Regarding the "but it hurts the animal" argument, tough. These animals are around for one reason only, to feed us. Native Americans ate meat and some even thanked the amimal spirits for their sustenance.
As I said, it is a choice – mine. Quit proselytizing your beliefs if you don't want to eat meat, that's you rchoice.
Your last comment to stop talking your beliefs when your whole statement talks about yours is just utterly stupid and hypocritical. I guess it could most likely sum up yourself as well.
Enjoy burning in hell.
There are groups of Native people in South America that practice slash and burn agriculture, They also raise pigs, who live in their huts, sleep on their mats and eat the same food they do. When the soil in their area becomes depleted – they slaughter their pigs and some after raid and kill their neighbors before settling in a new area to begin the cycle again. Humans can CHOOSE to raise their consciousness and live in a more enlightened manner.
Well, tried to take the peacemaker route, but that was of little result due to the typical holier-than-thou approach veggie mongers like Piobair out there. So here it goes...
I will eat meat when I want. God gave humans dominion over all the animals, and yes, we are allowed to consume them. (Musta been rather funny though up above when we started eating them, but hey, that's the way it goes) There are plenty of sources from which you can purchase meat from suppliers that have fed cows, chickens, pigs, etc. organic feed while also slaughtering them in an ethical manner. Slaughtering isn't ethical?? Well, morals and ethics are something that we can debate until the end of time because every persons morals and ethics are different. I suppose we could lament that grain of grass you stepped on the other day and killed? The lettuce you ate for dinner and murdered? The tomato you slaughtered and had for lunch? Yeah...using your logic you're killing a good deal too. Since I am consuming a great deal of meat on a yearly basis, I guess I won't live to the ripe old age of 107 and will die in my late 70s or early 80s...but WAIT!!! leaving the world prematurely vs. sticking around an extra 30 years and eating weeds?? We could start in on quality of life as well. Why live to 107? Those 30 extra years you will waste a heck of a lot more in terms of medical bills & carbon footprint vs the meat eaters who pass away at the age of 77.
I suppose the real hardliner approach would be to simply starve or send as much of your money/food to the hungry people of this world.
Sadly, world hunger is not my problem. I give to local charities, I volunteer, and I do my best to limit my ecological footprint on the world around me. However, if I want to eat a steak, I'm going to. Don't tread on me.
as the license plate says...
"Eat right, Stay fit, Die anyways."
You sir are a very intelligent person. Yes, God gave dominion over animals that does not mean he said you should kill them and eat them. If your father had two sons. One was intelligent and the other not so much and you went ahead and killed your not so intelligent brother would your father be happy? Animals do have a soul and only ignorant demons such as yourself would say that they don't. We are not at all allowed to consume them and if you do you will definitely burn in hell and then have to come back to be slaughtered yourself. Killing plants is also sinful but nothing in comparison to the sins of killing animals and especially cows. The cow is considered one of the seven mothers. The cow gives you milk and then with great gratitude you turn around and kill your own mother. That is very sick and base. People are very misinformed about the actual facts and that is why our society is going to hell along with you good sir. You can get away from the state law but there is no hiding place from the Father of Creation.
well Maytastegooduntilyouareburninginhell, just fyi... Jesus ate meat. Fish also. Good luck with your crusade for the deliverance of the cows though.
Jesus Christ said Thou Shall Not Kill. Plain and simple. Please don't make the retarded argument that it means humans. Everyone knows that killing is not good that is why when the squirrel jumps across the street you try to move your car. God is in everyone's heart and if you are sincere you can know the truth.
So, by your philosophy, if for the sake of argument, deer are over-populating an area and have exceeded the land's carrying capacity...the "right" thing to do would be to let them suffer and die a slow-tormented death of malnutrition and torture...vs. simply putting a bullet into a vital organ and consuming the meat? Your logic is fales man. I will pray for you at church this weekend.
Rather than going to church you should just go out to the forest and shoot deer. When you are done shooting them you should take a bath in their blood and worship Satan. When a situation arises that too many deer are populating we can deal with it then but until then stop being retarded and shooting innocent animals. I don't know why you call the Satanic temple a church. A church is a place where people go who follow the orders of God like though shall not kill. Not a place to eat meat and drink blood. Nothing makes me more sick then a church going hypocrite bastard with meat in his teeth.
bebopbop
Rather than going to church you should just go out to the forest and shoot deer. When you are done shooting them you should take a bath in their blood and worship Satan. When a situation arises that too many deer are populating we can deal with it then but until then stop being retarded and shooting innocent animals. I don't know why you call the Satanic temple a church. A church is a place where people go who follow the orders of God like though shall not kill. Not a place to eat meat and drink blood. Nothing makes me more sick then a church going hypocrite bastard with meat in his teeth.
SOME PEOPLE Love DEATH – They enjoy stalking and killing God's creatures and Drinking their Blood. These same people enjoy murdering their Human planet-mates because they are used to killing. They then join armies and rape and murder whomever they can. There are OTHER people who Love and Value LIFE,
Texas de Brazil is a great place to eat different kinds of meat, haha. For vegetarians, they have a salad bar...
I'm a committed vegetarian (seven years) for only one reason: because I don't think it's fair for animals to suffer and die just so I can have a tasty snack. But the health aspects are great: I'm 53 years old and I'm getting ready to go on another hike in a few minutes, to the top of the mountain behind my house. 1800 feet elevation gain, and I can do it in two hours. There are a lot of meat eaters my age around here who can barely walk across the street.
How can you trust someone that won't eat an "All- American" beef frank hot dog? YOU CAN'T!!
After things fall apart, how can you trust someone who eats an "all-American" meat product of any type with your cat, dog, or babies?
You can't?
Vegetarians are gassy. If there were no meat eaters on the planet, all the methane producing herbivores would have destroyed the earth’s protective ozone layer long ago. Without that, life as we know it would not exist.
You may be right about that but what you may not know is that hell is being over-populated by meat eaters and so now we are having to build another hell that is twice as hot and burning so when they throw you in the pot to cook you your flesh immediately comes off. If they would just stop eating meat for 1000 years it would greatly reduce the population of hell so we wouldn't have to build this new hell.
WillyWalnuts is right – You're full of gas and have some warped version of hell. Those mushrooms you're eating are causing halucinations.
I think you guys need to put your willy and sausage back in your pants and prepare the ice bags that might help you for a couple of seconds before you burn in hell for all of eternity.
Whomever is allowing these backwards articles to be posted on a major news source needs to be shown the door.
Hey guys, will you visit SaveStan.ORG a friend of mine with 4 young babies is fighting for his life…… thanks
Aside from the moral issue of inflicting suffering on other beings, it's worth noting that:
On average America uses nearly half of all water, 70% of all grain produced, and a third of all fossil fuel products found naturally in its borders to produce meat.
Producing 1 pound of beef produces 6 ounces of methane, a greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere for approximately 15 years. Methane is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming and climate change.
According to the EPA the major form of pollution in American waterways is animal waste, and in 1996 1.4 billion tons were released into the groundwater, rivers, and streams; 87,000 pounds of livestock waste per second. The toxins and hypoxia from this runoff has created dead zones devoid of life in some of the most productive fishing grounds in the world, including Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, which is over 8500 square miles across, and that's before BP.
On average, a pound of wheat takes 60 pounds of water to grow and produce; on the other hand, it takes 2,500-6,000 pounds of water to produce a pound of beef. 884 million people have limited or no access to clean drinking water.
It takes roughly 5 pounds of grain to produce a pound of beef. 1.02 billion people are hungry. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes. That's one child every five seconds, 15 million children a year. Since you've been reading this, at least 200 people have died of starvation.
Obesity. Coronary Artery Disease. Colon Cancer. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.
How does that steak taste now?
Bon apitit!
If there were no meat eaters, the methane producing herbivores would be overpopulating and destroying the ozone unabated. They would also be competing with you for the same food supply (Plants & grains)... Good luck with that.
there wouldnt be a need for so many animals...therefore not as much of a carbon footprint. if we ate only local produce, we would also produce less carbon, let alone have an entire industry based around transporting meat and animals.
Of these 8884 million people without access to fresh water, do any of them live in North America, Europe, Australia, Japan or any other developed region? No. Unless you intend to export my water to them, what the heck are you talking about? Deal with it.
Actually it tastes pretty good! See I used a special marinade and let it sit all night to absorb the flavor. Thanks for asking!
Slaughter is murder.
Had a bone-in Ribeye last night for dinner (rare) with some sauteed onions...it was divine. As for vegetarians, to each his own. Let people do as they want. Cheers.
I don't care what a meat-eater does just don't expect me to throw you a rope when your burning in hell.
As my friend Barry used to say about vegetables: "That ain't food: that's what food eats."
Oh yeah Barry. I remember him. Isn't he burning in hell right now?
Seriously? Your entire argument for not being a vegetarian boils down to: "meat tastes good." Forget about what a meat-heavy diet does to your health, don't worry about the detrimental environmental impacts of agribusiness, and certainly don't consider the disgusting and incredibly inhumane treatment of animals in the American agribusiness industry. Why should any of us consider the ramifications of our actions if said actions make us feel good? Yeah, that's a really great philosophy. Way to make the world a better place.
Texas is the state with the most Pollution from Coal and Oil and a place where you can order a mixed drink or a hand gun at a Drive-Up window; so don't expect conscience or reason.
Ignorant.. I'm A Vegetarian and kind of vegan also :) except I love my cheese ^^ <3
Well, what we have here folks is another case of the two-legged animal. Human beings that don't understand the law of karma and live life only to eat, sleep, mate and defend are considered no better than animals. Therefore in the scriptures they are referred to as two-legged animals. The most retarded statement of all is that "animals don't have a soul". We may be able to escape the state law but you will not escape the law of nature. If you participate in any way in the slaughter of animals you will be punished either in this life or the next. Enjoy eating meat while you can because in your next life someone will enjoy eating you. This knowledge is not meant to condemn but to try to give knowledge to the ignorant to save them from future suffering. I have no problem if you want to eat meat and burn in hell but it is not in your best interest my brother. With that said do as you like and reap as you sow.
Good Luck!!!
just another texass tard... stop mistaking your lame OPINIONS for facts.
Yeah. Them Texas yokels are one pedantic bunch of clowns. And everyone knows the best BBQ sauce in the known universe is Johnny Harris in Savannah, Georgia.
Oh no, he didn't....
A new low for CNN.
I agree with American Patroit..he's right on..course I have ALWAYS been feminine and when i dress up guys go nuts for me...and all the things he talks about I enjoy...was a vegetarian for about 10 years but wasnt any more masculine nor has eating meat made me any more feminine..I always feel a profound sense of sadness though for the suffering the animal kingdom has to endure for our "appetite". Man's inhumanity to man is exceeded ONLY by his cruelty to animals...nufff said!!
Vegetarians are idiots, but this article still sucks ass. Whoever wrote it should change careers.
The best diet is 65% veggies, 35% fatty natural (grass/bug fed) meats.
Kill yourselves.
Why don't you leave your violent comments to yourself you meat eating freak. You will burn in hell soon enough!!! ;)
Why don't you spare the world your god babble, you self righteous maggot?
You 1st.
After reading "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer and seeing the flic "Food Inc", I didn't turn vegetarian, I went vegan. I don't preach about it. It's my choice alone and you can eat what you want. I personally can't fathom how chemically soaked mutant frankenmeat or frakenfish for that matter and their bi-products can be called food. Other than B12, that I take as a supplement, I get everything I need on a vegan diet. I have to admit that every now and then I slip off the program and eat beaver but that's my choice as well.
LOL LOL LOL LOL
Carnivores are the reason I can't find my size jeans in the store. It seems like they only stock 42 in waists and above. But go ahead and eat lots and lots of dead flesh anyway. We need less people reaching retirement age to save social security.
OK, that was a stupid excuse for an article.
If we want to talk about preaching, isn't that what the 'author' of this piece has just done?
If we want to talk about forcing things, isn't that what eating meat is about – do you think those creatures give up the life they love (as much as we do) happily and just want to jump on your dinner plate?
Meat tastes boring as it usually tastes the same every time. Vegetarians cook in a lot more imaginative ways!
Typical meat eaters argument, I do it because I want to i.e. selfish greed.
Anyone can eat all the dead flesh they want to eat. NOT me. hahhahaha
ONE DAY I took a sniff of the meat I was about to cook – it was a few days past its expiration and smelled like DEATH. I decided I don't WANT death inside me – I want LIFE so I haven't eaten meat since. Also – because it takes 10 pounds of vegetable protein to produce one pound of animal protein – the Planet can support 10 Times as many Vegetarians. In a Hungry World it just doesn't seem fair to consume 10 Times the resources I need.
This shouldn't be on CNN. Let's look at some of these glib comments.
1. The alternative to a rib eye steak is not a piece of squash. What about a baked potato smothered in cheese, sour cream, chives, broccoli.... still vegetarian. Some people might consider this a side dish, but it is a complete meal in terms of food groups, portion size, and calorie count (want to know why Americans are overweight??) I do NOT think meat tastes better. I would order a steak–one everyone else thought was great–and sit there and wonder why I was eating it because it didn't even taste good to me.
2. No, creamed spinach doesn't quite have a smell... But what about sauteed or carmelized onion, anything with garlic in it, baked goods (especially with cinnamon), french fries (still vegetarian...unless you go to McDonalds which rumor has it coats fries in beef grease), roasted nuts...
3. Most people do not even know I am vegetarian. When someone offers me a meat dish the first time I say, "No thanks, I'm good for now." If they reoffer more than a few times, "I'll say, you know, actually, I don't eat meat." After this friends of mine who I see pretty frequently will ask, "Wait? How long have you been vegetarian?" I only give them reasons if they ask (my number 1: I just don't like it!–see item 1 on my list)
4. I can't really disagree with this one. While vegetarianism is heart healthy in terms of being low fat and low cholesterol (if you eat a variety of foods and don't stick to carbs and fried things only), a vegetarian diet is low in some nutrients that would be met by even a small serving of meat a couple times a weak. While my iron has been fine so far I've tested low on vitamin B12 and now take a supplement. Folic acid is another vitamin to watch for.
5. Let's go back to how ridiculous this is. You would never go from a pig to a pumpkin but how about roasted corn on the cob? I also have a recipe for a pretty awesome grilled pizza (sans pepperoni), which wouldn't be any more complicated than roasting a pig...
My father was a vegetarian, I am 55 and a life long vegetarian, and my 2 teen children are vegetarians. All my life I have had to deal with the ignorance of people around us regarding this subject. But here are the salient truths: 1. we eat a wider and more delicious variety of gourmet meals than 95 percent of American beef/pig/chicken eaters 2. we never feel like we are missing out any more than feeling we are missing out on smoking when we see a smoker 3. we have better health than most Americans and can expect up to ten extra years of quality life and 4. the impact on the environment, by being vegetarians, is greater than if we drove an electric car and ran our house on solar power. These are the facts that make our continued choice to be vegetarians more than compelling.
I can't believe this is considered news. I shouldn't see this on the CNN front page. Not only is it terribly written, its offensive and the reasons are bull. I trust CNN to bring me relevant, well-written, and objective views. This is none of those three. CNN, please drop this or consider my reading days over.
Whatever the mainstream media says, do/believe the opposite. I personally hate veggies but I guess I should learn to like them.
My brother in law from good ol' Georgia used to say the exact same thing.
He died of colon cancer two years ago.
What about other (nonhuman) animals that are carnivores or omnivores? Are they in danger of losing their souls (if they have souls)? What about plants that are carnivores? What about fungi – is it OK for vegetarians to eat fungi, which are not plants? Is it OK for fungi to "eat" plants or animals? What about bacteria and viruses? Is this getting silly?
Yeah, but that's ok. You tried.
Only 5 reasons to eat meat, and at least 1005 reasons to be a vegetarian, starting with the fact that most of the meat in this country isn't from any sort of recognizable animal anymore. Our system is a direct result of our mindless consumption.
Vegetarians may be preachy, but no group is more thoughtlessly convinced of their own correctness than unconscious meat eaters. I mean we are what we eat, and maybe you're a caged, inbred 'chicken' dripping anti-biotics out your dying bum?
... and the FDA allows those drippings to be fed to cattle as livestock feed ... they call it "chicken litter." Chicken litter includes feces, spilled chicken feed, feathers and "poultry farm detritus." Don't believe me, check it out. Cattle are regularly fed chicken feces.
Say it loud: Farmers feed 1 MILLION to 2 MILLION TONS of poultry litter to their CATTLE annually, according to FDA estimates.
Spilled chicken feed and the feces contain tissue from ruminants - cows and sheep, among other mammals.
==> Increases likelihood of BSE, Mad Cow Disease
A bomb waiting to explode in human brains.
I want to address this Comment to Chef Tim:
It appears from your article that you know that a vegetarian diet is healthier and more ethical. I believe that you don't feel right about what you're doing, and to keep repressing that expression of your conscience may cause you to err in other ways, like drinking too much to quiet your conscience. You know, one little lie just leads to another. Yes, it's easier to cook meat, sometimes, because the work has already been done by the animal, and the butcher. But to cook vegetarian, to feed people healthy vegetarian food, and to do it well, is more gratifying than you have any idea. Why not give it a try? It'll help you burn off some of that bad karma, that's just oozing out of you. God Bless You, and everyone who reads this. Let your conscience be your guide.
As a Type 1 diabetic (that means I have an auto immune disease, not gave it to myself through a lousy diet), I must say that for some of us our diet is somewhat imposed upon us. I enjoy a good salad or plate of steamed vegetables as much as the most devout vegetarian, but due to my need to strictly control my carbohydrate intake, a diet high in meat is pretty much a necessity. Yes I know that there are many low carb vegetables out there, but pretty much meat and dairy products are the only things that are zero carb.
I try to be to be picky about the source of all of my food, if for no other reason to keep my money in the local economy as much as possible. I don't disparage anyone for their food choices. For some people it is moral, for some it is cultural or religious, and for some it is just a matter of personal preference; whether that be vegetarian, carnivore, or omnivore.
All I am saying to all of you who are beating up on one another over what are essentially inane ad hominims, and utopian moralizing, remember some of us have to live in the real world and have to make due with the survival imperatives given to us by various medical conditions.
This is intriguing, physiologically, because flesh causes insulin spiking not unlike sugar-related insulin spiking. Is the high meat diet self-imposed or by physician's recommendation/order? High meat diets cause Type II diabetes!
I eat fish and chicken...and a few veggies....most of them just give me diarrhea...so I guess I de-evolved lol...sorry veggie lovers...some people can't eat lots of salads =(
"provides much needed protein, iron and amino acids"
Another one, out of the 98% of the population who has no idea of what protein means, yet, claim they eat meat because of it.
Its all about MEAT babbyyy! Vegetarians stay away!
That's what she said.
I am a vegetarian and thought that this was a funny interview. He is being comedic people! I really do love the taste of meat but I also know how bad it is for the human body. The only thing I disagree with is the protein comment – there are plenty of veggies and alt. foods that provide the same amount or more protein than meat.
How is this even an article? I'm not a vegetarian but this is the stupidest thing I've ever read.
Recently, in the last 7-8 years, I have seen more fat, unhealthy and overweight vegetarians. If some of you want to promote your cause, loose some weight!!! I would really like to know how a vegetarian could be fat? They really must not be following a strict vegetarian diet or they must be eating a lot of sweets and junk food, but of course "not meat". Everything in moderation is the key, one extreme to the other , is not healthy!
Of course you can get fat and/or unhealthy vegetarians. DO you think a vegetarian who sits around on a couch all day playing video games is going to be fit and healthy just because he/she's vegetarian? Of course not. But what you should be looking at is *averages*. Anyone can tell you that the *average* vegetarian/vegan is slimmer.
Yes, and the *average* fat person is fatter than the *average* skinny person. Think about it.
Take it from someone that's worked in food and beverage a long time...yes....vegetarians are slimmer....but they are far douchier. And what is the attraction of vegetarians to name their kids after inanimate objects? Seriously? This poor kid will have to go to school one day!
I just drove through Texas, Oklahoma, and Souther Missouri: There must be like a gallizion vegetarians in those states according to your logic, because I have never seen such a mass of obese lardos in my life. Next town worst than the one before.
Mississippi and Alabama have the highest rates of obesity in the nation ... and a low percentage of vegetarians. Vegetarianism is usually associated with -slimmer- people. Anyone can overeat, but overeating and obesity do not correlate with vegetarianism. they correlate with consumption out of balance with activity/exertion. Related fact: Mississippi and Alabama also have the lowest activity levels in the nation.
Rednecks aren't in touch with where society is at is what I got reading that. That's not exactly news.
Every single "point" was stupid.
Ride 'em cowboy.
Yes, they are so busy lying to themselves and each other, that they don't seem to realize how foolish they sound.
Carnivores only accuse vegetarians of being preachy because character attacks are all they have left in the argument. Simply put, there is absolutely no justifiable excuse that a thinking, feeling person can give for eating meat. So instead of reason with vegetarians, they bully them. And that's just what Tim Love is doing. He is a bad, stupid man who is contributing to the suffering and culture of unquestioning in the world.
You could make all the same arguments for why you should rape the unwilling. "It gets you off! Who cares what the victim thinks! It's a healthy release!"
Alex: exactly! It's the who-cares-about-ethics argument.
so...the only reason I need to eat meat is it tastes good. And if you continue to equate eating meat to raping an individual...you have some major issues.
Alex: you prove the point, dude. The whole thing you just wrote is preachy preachy preachy. The only one preachier than thou is Friend of Jesus. But he has the Lord on his side.
If you actually read what I said, you'd see that his point about preachiness is BS. Calling me preachy is akin to putting your fingers in your ears and saying "la la la la." It's not actually a defense of your position. It's not even an attack of mine. It's as I said: the last resort of someone who can't actually justify their actions.
You've got the intellectual skills of a fourth grader.
I agree Alex, and my comment which is lost above directly paraphrases Tim's words with 'rapist' in place of meat-eater. Have a look, have a laugh, and know that in essence, eating meat is like rape. Like eating meat, It is a horrible act that involves torture, oppression, dominance, and selfishness.
Really people, think about this for a minute:
According to meat producers, the US population of animals are as follows:
1,970,000,000 Chickens
96,669,000 Cows
59,138,000 Pigs
vs
307,006,550 Humans
That is some selfish math. That is a lot of death. How many animals should have to die so that one human can 'enjoy eating meat'?
Let's totally forget about the impact the meat industry has on the environment. No wild fish by 2050, not to mention the toll factory farms take on the earth. It's totally cool. Eat meat, f"ck the planet. Awesome.
ok...here's a thought....
we discontinue rendering plants...discontinue eating meat...go to "all natural" food...and watch have the population of man die off. Nihilist much? and I know what you'll say...."well we are over populated anyways...we need less people on mother earth" to which I reply.....You first. And try reading something other than .org sites or a few little pages out of an Upton Sinclair novel.
Assuming, by "have" you mean "half," I'm going to guess you can't read very well, since it already has been mentioned several times that raising livestock in itself ends up costing more food and energy than if you cultivated the grains directly for human consumption. So, no, half the human population wouldn't die off... on the contrary, you would end up with a surplus of grains.
Incidentally it would also save a gigantic amount of water since we wouldn't have to irrigate crops destined for livestock consumption. Anyway, congratulations on making the opposite of the point you intended to make!
Those are, by far, the absolute dumbest reasons to not go vegetarian. I love the good ol' southern folk and all...but people like Tim don't exactly help the negative stereotypes. The thought of animal suffering and death couldn't possibly factor into any of this in his brain, could it. I guess if it feels good do it, if it tastes good, kill it and eat it. Anyway I sincerely hope he is saying this in jest, because he would be absolutely destroyed in a real debate with a vegetarian. The only thing he could keep coming back to is something along the lines of "hey now listen, y'all eat yer veggies and imma eat mah meat, 'n that's just how we do it 'round hear, ye got that?" le facepalm.
Next article will be why we should eat cats and dogs. I'm sure they are tasty too. But seriously, why don't we? Dogs are no better than a pig or a cow, and to criticize any country that eats dogs is simply hypocritical.
You gotta draw the line somewhere. Me, I draw the line at eating vegetarians. They don't taste good anyway. Meat is too chewy. But a nice fat omnivore–mmm that makes my mouth water.
Actually, some euthanized cats and dogs are fed back to cats and dogs in form of pet food. Besides using horse and other animals.
i agree, animal agriculture can not reasonably be sustained indefinitely. as long as people live in the "now" and not think about the future or consequences, we will continue in a downward spiral.
Hehehe, I used to have a vegetarian friend in college who I used to tempt with meat all the time. He was only vegetarian cause his girl was. It was pleasing to see him turn to the dark side in my presence and tear into that BK double with cheese. muhahahahahahaha.
You cannot consider BK Double a burger. More like a Solient Green sandwich.
Thanks for illustrating that we vegetarians suffer torment from meat-eaters such as yourself. Do you think that your 'friend' really likes it when you tease him with meat?
And this article talks about 'holier-than-thou' vegetarians. Sheesh, try being a vegetarian and *not* have your co-workers and people around you taunting you for it.
DISCUSSION IS GOOD.
I've had cancer twice and am learning (over 8 1/2 years) to use food / diet / behavior as medicine– and have made successful adjustments in my overall health, based on blood tests and longevity.
I grew up in a large family with a lot of emotional and verbal commotion–I learned young to sort and discard unimportant detail. This long thread is actually teaching me a few things if I pay attention.
Keep it up CNN, you big slog.
>
Our relationship with animals is truly a strange one. We are animals and are no different than other types of animals in that we all have feelings and experience various emotions. We don't even need meat to survive as long as there are plants and trees around us. Yet we order the execution of beings that did nothing to harm us all to gain pleasure at the expense of their suffering. And yes I agree the predator/prey relationship is a natural thing. Though that's not what is taking place here. A lion taking down a zebra and eating its raw meat is a COMPLETELY different thing than having someone else raise an animal then kill it at your behest and then cover it in sauce and cook it to make it palatable. What the lion is doing is noble and IS nature, while what the majority of us are doing is trying to circumventing nature and to create our own ideal version of it. Too bad it doesn't work that way (for very long). Animal agriculture and factory farms are the catalyst of our decline.
Roasting a pig??? EEEW! I would happily eat pumpkin rather than kill a piggy, disgusting.
Yeah, the idea of roasting a pig on a spit is simply neanderthalic. Maybe it was ok for cavemen, but the last time I checked it's 2010...
Pigs are one of the smartest terrestrial animals – aside from primates – and can make awesome pets, even better and cuter than dogs at times.
In all seriousness, pigs are smarter than most of the people who are posting on this forum. And if we don't control their population by eating them, they will take over the world. Have you ever read Animal Farm? It can happen.
On a completely unrelated note, this article does have a well-done photograph.
Why all this over that article? Even as a non-vegetarian, I think this guy is a fool. It is an article the needed to be posted on April 1st, or on one of the joke news sites. The arguments are weak and really have no (pardon the expression) meat to them. They are just the same old tired arguments that have been said for years, adding nothing to the debate on why to eat one way or the other.
I eat a moderate amount of meat (mainly due to budget) but I am just as happy eating a salad or mixing a rice dish with some veggies for flavor. But I see nothing wrong with the people who choose (or are forced to by whatever means) to eat only a non-meat diet. As long as you are happy and healthy with how you live just do so. I do understand most vegetarians are so due to moral reasons, good for you. But I have some news for you, not everyone will follow your moral beliefs. And the same goes for "meat eaters" as we are being called.
And please understand not every person who eats meat is sitting there with a side if beef sitting on their plate with only a roll or two to wash it down. The “slaughter” of these animals is a sad thing, and some meat eaters respect that the animal has lost its life to feed us. Again, personally I eat a small amount of meat. Only one or two meals a week, and maybe four or five more counting cheese. And have no problem with it.
And remember both sides, there are people in this world who would do anything just to get a chance to eat something you turn down. I know that is an old saying, but true. Even in major countries people are going hungry, and fools like us sit around and debate over what type of food is "right" to eat or not. And yea, I include myself in that. We need to realize how lucky we are to have a choice over what and where our next meal is coming from, and be happy with what we eat.
Sorry for rambling and preaching there at the end, NAW
Hate to tell you, but just because we learned how to manipulate objects and turn them into weapons does not put us at the top of the food chain. We don't have any natural mechanisms to take down any animals as prey. On top of that our digestive system can't handle meat efficiently such as a true carnivore can (example: lion). We have adapted to handle small amounts of meat such as when fruit and vegetation is scarce. Eating meat on a daily basis will without question shorten your lifespan. If you just live for the moment I suppose then you shouldn't care. But then again if you eat meat, there's already a lot of things you don't care about aside from your health.
Asian temple ground in Asia, not here in US.
I rarely meet holier-than-thou vegetarians. You know who I see more often? Haughty, judgmental omnivores who make dumb jokes like "Vegetarian: Indian for 'bad hunter' or "PETA: People Eating Tasty Animals." Or "Don't eat meat? He'll cook you lamb." Wow, that's so witty, and I totally have never heard that before.
Just shut up and let me eat my tofu in peace. You can have you burgers and bacon. I'm sure they taste wonderful. I really don't care what you eat, so stop assuming that I do just because I'm vegetarian.
I just love it when right wingers complain about the 'socialist' agenda going on in their country. Try pointing out that it is tax payer money to subsidize the meat industry and factory farming so sirloin steak does not cost $150 a pound, plus the fact that 80% of all grain is fed to cattle. Yes, socialism is evil. But not when it supports their bread and butter – in this case, meat.
Go to an asian temple ground(preferably a good ones, not some crappy run down place), stay there for a few days, enjoy their vegetable dishes. then come back and tell me vegetables are bad. thanks. and the nuns and budhist in there makes great foods and all foods are made from veggies. also, guess what? they live a lot longer than most of us because of that too, of course that can be due to some other reasons aside from food.
except for that Budhist monk guy that set himself on fire. His vegetarianism didn't help him live longer did it?
Jing, and any other half-way conscious person who reads this, please accept my apology on behalf of ugly Americans like this last one. There are none so blind as they who will not see.
Five Reasons To Rape Women: by Exit
1. "Because raping women is hotter than sexing a girlfriend. Period. There are fantastic girls who have I dated and have done amazing things with and who even made me consider not raping for a split second. But then I took a shot of burbon and came to my senses. I mean, really, which would you rather have – a woman you can have your way with, or a woman you have to deal with? Which just made you cringe?"
2. "Because when you walk into a brothel, you never hear anyone say 'wow, do you think I should ask her out?' Unless, of course, the woman doesn't show signs of STDs."
3. "Imagine a church full of preachy preachers. Enough said. I’m kidding, of course. Some of my best friends are preachers, but even they have a tendency to be a little on the holier-than-thou side. If I want to take advantage of women, let me do it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a rapist, so why are you trying to force us?"
4. "Not raping may seem like the healthier option (and, probably, often is), but when it comes down to it, raping, in moderation, provides much needed sex, vitality, and release of amino acids. As long as you don’t go overboard and rape one of those 500-pound hookers you see on the filthiest streets, you should be fine."
5. "Because you’d get a lot of funny looks if you tried bringing a date to a back alley instead of a victim."
I have no prob with vegan/veggies, as long as they have a mouthful and can't speak.
I don't have a problem with meat eaters as long as they know they are ignorant, demoniac, selfish, freaks of nature that don't deserve to live and will burn in hell and have to be reincarnated so that someone can cut their throats and make a juicy steak out of them in the next life. I mean besides the fact that they are like animals I don't have a problem with them.
Chef Tim, I am a vegetarian but I wasn't for the first 35 years of my life. I am not preachy, although I must admit when I first became one I was. I am a veggie because mainly my body works better without all that animal fat in it. To each his own, but being a vegetarian is healthier and better for you. It is better for the environment, better for the human race, cheaper and honestly tastes better. I won't put you down for eating flesh, but give me a break if I like, no love, squash, beans and tofu. thanks
It should be required that in order to eat an animal that you must witness its death and slaughter. It's not like suffering didn't happen if you didn't see it.
Ron I agree with you and it makes me very sad. But then once the animal is dead, what do you do with its body. Its soul has passed on. I mean you can bury it and have maggots and bacteria eat it. You can burn it and thus pollute the air. Or you can put some rub and marinade on it and have a meal. I don't know–it's kind of a no-brainer. (Still sad though)
Yes, meat is murder...tasty, tasty murder. Bottom line...I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to graze at the bottom of it.
havent heard that one before...
To be at top of the food chain you would need eating a human eater human...
"need eating a human eater human" What language is that?
To be at top of the food chain you would to eat a human that eats human and ....
Sounds better now ? If not, then don't bother...
Virusses, bacteria, fungi, and pryons are at the top of the food chain because they use us for food and reproduction, sometimes killing us. Humankind has a warped interpretation of its place/status in the universe. That can be to our disadvantage. We can be humbled, even eliminated, by a single weak virus ... and pryons, sheesh, they aren't even "alive" (by our assessments of "aliveness"). Some claim that viruses aren't living things and that they "don't do anything." Duh-h-h-, they invade us, commandeer out nervous systems (hideout & highway) and immune systems (hideout & transport) then commandeer our DNA to reproduce themselves before laying waste to our cells. That's doing some incredible feats, eh? Biologically speaking, viruses are the architects of evolution (can't go into it here, Google'em) . . .
I'm tired of meat eaters and *their* holier-than-thou attitude. If you are outnumbered in a group they will go out of their way to make you feel like an outcast and ask what is wrong with you and why can't you be just like them all while pretending that they're not trying to belittle you.
You all disgust me killing living organisms!. This is why I've gone on the mineral diet. However, I will not eat anything substance that forms into a crystal as these grow; therefore, it would be murder.
OMG. You eat minerals! You rockavores are so preachy. Don't you know all the health benefits of a non-mineral diet.
Meat eaters consume up to 20 times more vegetable matter. Meat production is a resource hog. So if you ever think of hungry people in the world, just know you have contributed greatly to their suffering.
vegggiedude: you contribute to my human suffering by all your preachy veggie factoids.
ummmmmm, bbq resource hogs basted in vegetable matter :::drool::: this is what I'm going to have for dinner tonight
Screwed up repressive governments and warlords contribute to starving people, not me eating a cheeseburger.
obvious troll is obvious
Most vegetarians I know are overweight because in they end up eating unhealthy foods like donuts, candy bars, etc. when vegetables don't provide satisfaction. Also, most vegetarians are really pescetarianisms because they eat fish. I think meat in moderation is fine and part of a well balanced diet. It seems like many vegetarians, especially the teens and early 20-somethings are vegetarians just for the "coolness" factor. If done right a vegetarian diet can be healthy, but it takes a lot of work to get a well rounded diet. We are lucky that we have a choice of being vegetarian or not. Some people like refugees and others in not so great circumstances are happy to eat any nutritious food, meat or not.
May be you need to go out and meet more vegetarians..
If a person eats fish they are not vegetarian. Non sequitur. Those fat people would probably be fat whether vegetarian or not. The word "most" doesn't fly. I have never been overweight and my weight has not changed during my entire adult life (currently 58). I can still wear the fatigues I wore more than 20 years ago. Some people think that vegism is somehow "cool" ,,, and are not vegetarians at all. No need to even include that in discussion.
It's actually very simple and easy to get and keep it right: base is whole grains & legumes. Keep that in effect and from there it's a piece of cake.
OK here are five reasons I don't eat vegetarians:
1. They haven't legalized it in Texas (yet).
2. You can't find enough of them in Texas to get a nutritious meal.
3. I don't want to be the cause of martyrdom and their ascending to vegetable heaven.
4. They don't have enough meat on their bones.
5. My vegetarian 78 year old mother might freak out thinking that she was on the grocery list.
What's that??–Oh it is now legal in Texas. :-)
Another reason: Approach the wrong one and you will be shot. Survival is the great motivator, anything which attacks can be destroyed, right?;-)
If someone's not going to eat meat, thenm why eat milk/dairy? That I don't get. It seems though that some vegans seem to thrive. Each person has to find what works for them. If I could go all out vegan, I would, but it doesn't seem to work for me, so I eat meat in moderation, about once per week, twice max.
It sounds like you have become good at making excuses for yourself
Milk is meant for feeding (remember mother?) and you could avoid killing if you are using milk/dairy instead of meat.
In all species, milk is baby food ... some of our populations learned to extend the period in which we could continue using milk as a food source, but others did not. for example, American Aboriginals fed milk by some Vikings thought that they had been poisoned (their gene pool was shaped by weaning, milk was only for babies) and killed the Vikings.
- If I could go all out vegan, I would, but it doesn't seem to work for me
You have to know what you're doing, basically, consume grains + legumes for protein. Carbohydrates enter along the way, some fats/oils. You'll need to ensure that you get enough fats and oils, e.g., seeds, nuts, avocados, etc.
Vegetarian/vegan for over 24 years now.......and never looked back!
I hope you have picked up all the hair and fingernails that have fallen off.
Are you high?
Well, all I know is that if I'm ever deserted on an island I won't have to worry about the vegetarians getting all canibal on me, they might start looking tasty though. organic grain fed and all. lol
That you would have less worry re: veg going cannibal is one of the underlying rationales for vegetarian society ... when disaster strikes you will have less concern re: your neighbors pinching your baby's cheeks to determine if s/he would make a good meal (or hugging you up to cop a feel to determine if you would make a few good meals) for their family.
Re: vegs looking tasty ... be careful, if you open that door and you're outnumbered they might take you out and revert to cannibalism!. hey, if it's OK for you to do that to them, it's OK for any of them to do that to you ... now you get it, eh? Same is true re: other species.
VENI, VIDI Y COMI POLLO.
what a freakin retard, this guy
A programmer who does not know the C language can never be considered a good programmer, no matter the wonders he/she could do with javascript, ruby on what-nots, etc.
A singer who cannot sing a song in any language to the tune of Londonderry Air can never be considered a good singer, no matter what wonders he/she does to her voice.
A chef who does not have a complete understanding of cooking vegetables is NEVER a chef, regardless of the wonders he/she could do with meat. Anybody can cook meat but not anybody knows how to treat vegetables. A chef who cannot do wonders to vegetables is a FAKE chef.
your logic amuses me. What about all the programmers who existed before C was invented. Like the group at IBM, led by John Backus, who invented FORTRAN–the first high level programming language. I guess because you know C, you are smarter than they are. It does not compute. :-) Check and check mate, mein freund.
I learned Fortran before C and Fortran is a horrible language. Pascal is a Fascist's dreamland much like this meat-pie specialist who purports to be a chef. You may be good a Fortran but not knowing how to manipulate C is demonstrative of your lack of skill. Not knowing how to manipulate vegetable dishes is demonstrative of his lack of skills, too.
Is this true?
Yes, some veggies may come across as holier-than-thou... And some meat-eaters come across as unenlightened barbarians... But, I believe that there is no such thing as consuming flesh without causing some degree of suffering. If you accept that, and can live with yourself being an instrument of suffering, that's on you. Personally, I came to the decision to minimize the impact I have on other living things as much as I can. I also believe that as long as our species has this selfish and emotionally disconnected ability to indiscriminately take the lives of other living, feeling creatures – we will continue to take the lives of one another. We will continue to not evolve. To witness how inhumane the animal "farming" business is simply check out Conklin Dairy Farms of Ohio. It's a pitiful example of humanity at its worse.
I totally agree. People are so busy ignoring the world around them and beating their chests screaming "Top of the Food Chain!" that it doesn't even occur to them that they do, in fact, cause suffering when they purchase the vast majority of factory farmed meat in this country. It is possible to ingest suffering, it is for sure that if you buy meat, then something was killed to get it to you, and they did not go easily.
billyb – So do you walk everywhere you go to be sure not to harm innocent moths and rodents scurrying across the road? Do you refrain from antibiotics and antivirals so as not to kill these creatures? If not then you are just drawing a line and saying everything from MY standard down is okay to kill. People who eat meat are doing the same thing, they are simply drawing the line at a different point.
Also, I don't think you understand the concept of evolution. It has always happened, is happening today, and will continue happening as long as their are living creatures. This is a fact regardless of what we choose to eat.
CStevens – you apparently misunderstood what I said: I choose to minimize the suffering my existance may cause..... I didn't say that my existance causes no suffering. Granted, I'm sure that from time to time some creature dies because of me. An ant I perchance step on; or an earthworm involuntarily severed while working in my garden. But, I am comforted in knowing that I don't contribute to the stress, suffering or death of those animals raised for food. Nor do I contribute to the adverse environmental impact animal "farming" causes.
And on the contrary, I do understand the concept of evolution (natural selection). What I inferred is that the arrogance of our species is likely to result in the divergence of humanity into those more "enlightened" and those others, not so much.
That is, if we even survive our own arrogance.
Gave up eating meat over 10 years ago, haven't missed it.
Vegitarians are all brain washed by the big vegetable Corporations. They all start out the same eating more and more vegetables some stop eating meat all together at once. Then they have all sorts of energy to preach there new found fad to all there friends and family. like "oh you should eat more healthy" $#!T like that just makes me wanna kill a cow and make some chap's and listen to toby keith sing about how bad mexicans are.
Sorry buddy, but this vegan is vegan per knowledge of physiological chemistry.
For example: why consume "food" that causes gout (due to uric acid content) and diabetes (due to insulin response)?
That flesh consumption causes gout is evidence that it disrupts the normal physiology of bone (what else?).
That flesh consumption causes diabetes is evidence that it disrupts the normal physiology of amino acids and their entry into the cells (what else?).
It's science baby, incontrovertible, unarguable, undeniable science.
I have no interest in "converting" anyone, but I teach stuff like this to inform people so that they can make more well-informed CHOICES.
I think that the Chef should get a real education, not one from the crumbling Texas educational system (those people who have just forced fake history text books into their classrooms – if they will change history to fit their mentality, they will change what they teach about food and health – and, oh yea, animal welfare). I wonder if he ever thinks what it would feel like to be skinned and chopped alive?
Hey hows about you stop talkin that garbage bout ar school system we pay alot of tax to keep our kids out of are hair all day,
Lighten up folks. This is meant to be a light-hearted piece not a religious war. I too am a chef and can make amazing food without killing animals. But meat does have a certain quality (especially in the hands of Texas meat grillers and BBQers) that is quite unique. Also on the health benefits–I don't believe the problem with most people in America is what they eat–it's that they eat too much of everything. Less is better (with respect to health).
I'm not a vegetarian, I eat fish, but sorry warm bread, pies, cakes, brownies, acorn squash, zucchini, cooked apples and much much more overrides the smell of any meat. Meat just sits in your gut and rots away. How can anyone enjoy and crave that weighed down feeling vs the energy from eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables? I don't get it. Some meat is normal but not for 3 meals a day. Texas is one of the fattest sickest states, you really would be doing other Texans a favor by promoting a healthier lifestyle.
Seriously, this is the thinnest, dumbest list ever. I haven't eaten meat since 1990, the rest of my family eats it, and I take more crap from meat-eaters about not being one of the gang than I have EVER given. I have never had any problem, by the way, getting needed protein. And yeah, meat did taste good, but, on the other hand, it's what you're used to and there's an amazing sauteed veggie dish at a local restaurant that makes me not miss it at all. There are more good reasons to be a vegetarian, as I've found out over the last 20 years, but you know what? I leave it up to people around me to find out, if they're even interested.
He may be a chef, but he sounds like he has the same logic of all the squirrel-eating rednecks on my husband's side who give me sh&t every time I won't dig into a plate of bbq-ed jackrabbit with them.
Lame.
Having not consumed meat for over 27 years. I am glad I did. I'm in my mid 50's and have the cardiovascular system of a 35 year old.
One common thread I have noticed in 27 years is that many people become very defensive and/or apologetic about their meat eating. I have never poorly judged people for being carnivorous. But I can assure you I have been severely judged for being vegetarian, or vegan. The core issue here is this; it indicates what is wrong with our entire society. “Divisive Judgementalism”.... Let me be as I am, because if I don’t care what you do with your eating habits, why should you care about mine. – Except, or course, when you want a valve replacement or have a heart attack, I just conclude that’s your doing. We have to stop worrying about the other person’s ideals and just pay attention to our own lives – vegetarian or otherwise. I don’t care that someone is carnivorous, or whatever... I don’t care – I just don’t care!! – and no one else shouldn’t either. We as a society have a misguide illusion of judging others.
Just say no to being "Divisively Judgmental"; carnivorous, vegan, or whatever.
Meat eaters, for some strange reason, feel threatened when I don't dig into the carcass du jour with them. I cannot tell you how much grief I've taken over the years. But I'm 43, and though I do struggle with my weight, I had my GP call me after my last cholesterol test just to tell me I had the most perfect numbers, in spite of being 30 pounds overweight, that he's ever seen. I'm working on the weight (Effexor put it on–garbage drug BTW), but good to know that while I take it off, the blood is just coursing through my veins and arteries, almost unhindered by plaque.
I could not be vegetarian if I tried. It's much too difficult. Also I like meat way too much. There are so many vegetarians/vegans in my area, it's a little crazy but I've seen the difficulty they make when they go out. I also really hate the super aggressive vegetarians that feel the need to give you all the reasons they don't eat meat, why you shouldn't eat meat, and why you're awful for eating meat. Just because I don't eat meat, won't make them stop making meat.
http://akindafoodblog.wordpress.com/
" I've seen the difficulty they make when they go out." -> Have you seen Edison new Jersey? No vegetarian will have problems there, for that matter any "big" city. So the problems vegetarians face is not because they are vegetarian – it's because there are not good restaurants serving them.. And many times I have seen the waitress fawning when we ask to make sure "No meat".. And they will make mistakes and add meat... On Veggie lovers Pizza they will add meat by "mistake".
For over 20 years, I have NEVER caused difficulty when I've gone out. Never. Not once. I can always find something to tide me over, even if it's only a side dish. I do not throw a fit when at a steakhouse, I have a baked potato. I do not preach to the staff at the dang sushi bar, I find something I can have. Seriously, carcass-eaters are the whiny ones. Like why should they care what I eat? I don't pay attention to their diet. It's just nosy. My husband hunts, my kids fish, we all coexist just fine. If you've seen them "cause problems" it's because they're probably just generally high-maintenance PIAs to begin with. Their diet ain't gonna change that.
A lot of ignorance from chef Love and much more from CNN for posting this. I am not a vegetarian, but I don't eat meat all the time, either. Even if I were to eat meat with every single meal, I wouldn't go around putting down vegetarians. Mr. Love's "holier than thou" comment about vegetarians is ridiculous, as these types can be found amongst both vegetarians/vegans AND meat eaters. Thank you to all the vegetarians/vegans who show a firm commitment to animal life and our earth. . A huge thumbs down, CNN, for posting this irresponsible piece.
The only worthwhile comment was #4. The rest was Texas ignorance. Dallas/Fort Worth Texans are the WORST breed of Texans, period.
Wow! All 4 million people living in the DFW metro area are the worst Texas breed. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I guess since you live in Austin you are a better breed than all those 4 million people. That's also good to know. Boy, I would be glad to meet a person so well-bred that he can make broad generalizations about an entire city (actually two cities) of people, most of whom he has not met. Yo mama must be proud!
Did I strike a nerve? I'm not the only person in Austin who hates DFW.
This article is seriously irresponsible, as well as naive and insensitive – how on earth did this make the front page of a major news website? They must be out of stories, or tossed this in to purposely stoke debate (re: angry comments from both sides)
Do your own research about meat's impact on the arth and the human body before you embrace vacuous soundbytes and dismiss such an important topic out of hand...
Seriously. Which intern penned this gem? If the rest of the world continues to adopt the love of meat, we won't need a nuke to finish us off. The chemicals, waste, pollution, labor abuse, animal abuse and health decline caused by attitudes like this guy's is irresponsible. You can retrain your palate.
I can't wait until they get the same Pulitzer Prize winner to write an article about "Five Great Reasons to Suck Down a Six-Pack a Night" because someone from the alcohol industry wants a puff piece as well.
Oprah was right.
Thank God I live in Texas! I love slow smoked brisket (over oak), savory cabrito, a rack of ribs with the meat so tender it falls off the bone and juicy Elgin sausage. Makes my mouth water to think of it! Steaks grilled over mesquite or high quality lump charcoal are mighty fine eatin' as well.
Of course, it all tastes much better if you have raised the animals on sustainable pasture and humanely butchered them yourself. Highest quality control that way.
Thank God I live in Texas! Man, I love slow smoked brisket, a rack of ribs so tender the meat falls off the bone, savory cabrito and juicy Elgin sausage. Makes my mouth water just to think about it.
Of course, it all tastes so much better if you are fortunate enough to have raised the animals on sustainable pasture and butchered them yourself. Much higher quality control!
Marie, you said it! He is actually preaching about eating meat kinda contradicting his 3rd point himself! We all know why he was doing that.......its all about the damn money!!!
If someone could please gut and roast Tim Love, I'd be more than happy to eat him. In fact, I'll do the slaughtering if you'd let me.
So for you who believe that raising cattle contributes to the mythical AGW, answer me this: Do you consider the buffalo hunter of the 19th century, who killed millions of buffalo and nearly wiped out that species of methane and CO2 producing mega-fauna, to be early heroes of the "green" movement?
Who's more religious–vegetarians or raw-fooders?
So your way mocking the handful of "holier-than-thou vegetarians" is by acting like a holier-than-thou omnivore? I'm sorry, but you are using the same mentality as those who you're trying to denounce. Respect the vegetarian lifestyle as you would have someone respect your lifestyle, and no one is unhappy. Why is that so hard to understand?
The difference is: The Vegans are deadly serious. Those of us pickin' chicken or beef from between our teeth, not so much so.
Some wouldn't care.. some are serious because USA doesn't have good veg restaurants except in big cities .. Some are serious, because in their opinion, they are trying to tell someone to stop killing animals.
And they believe everyone would agree that killings should be avoided if it can be.
That's not a difference backed up by facts, only opinion. Just because there are those who go off the deep end with whichever side they belong on, it doesn't mean they are better than anyone for having adopted a certain lifestyle. Also, one vegan spouting hypocritical nonsense (or one carnivore, as in this instance) shouldn't equal every vegan/carnivore being stereotyped. People are much more complex than that, and stereotypes simplify humans and neglect their personalities.
What a poor article. Not a single sophisticated reason (apart from the protein and health aspect).
The Chef said it best himself: "Eating vegetarian may seem like the healthier option (and, probably, often is)".
I say, let's eat the vegetarians. If they're so healthy then their meat probably taste pretty good. Who's with me?
If you are talking about vegetarian people unfortunately you will not get them pre-processed and packaged (As far as I know, but then what do I know)... You might have to start from scratch.. and then there are laws against....
This is a tired joke.
... be careful, they might be packin' (think suppressed Calico minisub :-)
Moderation IS the key. We NEED meat for optimum health. But we Americans eat WAY too much. That is the only problem. It's the main reason we are obese and prematurally AGE. Look at Japan. Before they adopted our western habit of eating red meat daily they lived longer than us. Now there life expectancy is nearly the same as ours. Having red meat is a status-symbol for us. Because when you are poor you can't have it. I have been slim all my life. So I didn't need to lose weight. But after a big birthday a couple years ago I cut red meat and pork down to once or twice a month just to be healthier. I feel super! I got even leaner and have much more energy. If I must have a cheese burger I do without guilt. I make meat a treat now not a daily meal. I'm sure it's why I look at least 10 to 15 years younger than all my peers. Try it. You'll like it:)
Yes, moderation and common sense: more fish, less fowl, and more fowl, less red meat. Lebanese food is a great example: you first eat a bunch of delicious starters that happen to be vegetarian, then you barely have room for the meat main dish, and no room for dessert, except maybe a tiny baklava. And you wash it all down with red wine. Think Mediterranean.
BTW, one visit to a modern hog or chicken mega-farm will probably convince even a dedicated carnivore that we ought to cut back a little.
False ... we do not NEED meat for optimum health. I am healthier than my MVP All Sports meat-eating son. I leave him in the dust in the gym where I can slam-n-jam all day ... 120 lb heavy bag, weights, stick fighting, etc. Knocked out one of his buddies (unintentionally) one day without really trying ... that's when I was 55 (~30 year age diff) ... and I have zero health concerns after 40 years as what is now called a vegan. So what does optimum health mean? If it requires meat I guess I'll never have it ... but I seem to be doing extraordinarily well.
I'll take the restaurant with the preachy vegetarians any day. Been to way too many meat restaurants with steak eaters preaching the "freedom" of eatin meat, all the while their belt buckles are safely tucked away under 40 pounds of jiggly belly cellulite. You ever see what a saw does to your breast bone as it cuts it lengthwise so the docs can get to your heart? Ah, the sound of rib spreaders crankin' open your chest... please pass the grilled squash.
Now a lot of vegetarians mention that it seems to cause a lot of suffering to the animals. In that case what about in ecosystems where there are already way too many of a specific animal. Where I'm from we have a very big issue with over population of Deer. While I am not able to track them down and kill them with my bare hands, if humans didn't have thumbs and never learned to use tools this would probably be much different, I know how the animal died, and I prepare the meat myself. Just as I have raised animals before to slaughter for meat.
I don't care what people want to eat, but I have had to intervene on friends who are Vegans that did not take B12 pills. As long as it makes you happy, then eat what you want. There aren't huge health benefits to either style of diet. Moderation is the key to just about anything.
I am with you. Moderation is a good thing and variety.
Regarding the suffering of animals, I think most people probably have in mind the cruel and horrific conditions on modern factory farms. We're talking about a different kind of imbalance.
While this is true, there were a few people talking about killing any animal in general. Especially one guy that kept saying that if you couldn't kill it with your bare hands then you shouldn't eat it. They want to talk evolution, but fail to see that evolution is also the reason that we don't have the same style teeth as carnivores. We learned to use fire to cook meat, so it was softer. We also learned to use tools, so actual physical traits like sharp nails did not matter. I do know quite a few people that could come close to killing an animal with their hands. Given the opportunity to grab a Deer I am sure I could somehow kill it, but it would likely be through strangulation... which I'm thinking is probably a lot worse than other ways.
That is why I eat free range chickens and beef grown without hormones and treated well. I do not touch those commercial chickens. Ahhh their is a choice.
Matt, do/would you take issue with human cannibals?... After all, people can eat whatever makes them happy, right? Live and let live? Hm, wait a minute.
Being a meat eater, I am sad to see so many of those who eat meat reflect a consciousness of meanness and abusiveness towards their fellow man, if you look at the posting here and note the truly angry, "red neck" attitudes towards civil discussion it points to a degraded and maligned consciousness prevails amongst the meat eaters as opposed to the vegetarians who attempt an intelligent and non-name calling discourse. Maybe I'm missing something by being a meat eater.
3 words for everyone to live by... freedom of choice! do as you wish no matter which side of the argument you are on, but respect others with different opions as they too have the same freedom of choice. Vegans wont convert meat eaters and meat eaters wont concert vegans so whats the point in this moronic never ending tennis match?
Best comment so far!
the point is, getaLife, that people love religious arguments.
All I want to know is if all you outraged vegetarians wear leather shoes, belt, coats, car seats ect?
Many don't. There's an actual classification for non-animal products, and oddly enough they're called "vegan." Vegan shoes, vegan belts, vegan purses, etc. I always thought it odd to use what is now considered a culinary term in a larger sense, but I guess it makes sense if you consider what "vegan" actually means.
Some are vegans and some are just vegetarians the still like their eggs. So you are saying vegans do not wear leather except the ones I know. The true meaning of vegan goes beyond food. I thought it was just for food, but most vegan choose not to wear animal products although the 3 women who I know who are vegan had/have eating disorders and were leather and carry leather purses. They see vegan as a food only term.
And who said leather could come only by killing animals ? You know animals die naturally also and their skin can still be used to make leather. I am not sure about fur though.
Being a meat eater, I am sad to see so many of those who eat meat reflect a consciousness of meanness and abusiveness towards their fellow man, if you look at the posting here and note the truly angry, "red neck" attitudes towards civil discussion it points to a degraded and maligned consciousness prevails amongst the meat eaters as opposed to the vegetarians who attempt an intelligent and non-name calling discourse. Maybe I'm missing something by being as meat eater.
Many of the veggies have made bad remarks. I challenge you to reread comments.
agreed
I had no idea CNN now had an affirmative action program for complete douchebags. However, couldn't they have just gotten any of the millions of toothless hick teabagger retards to write this, and saved a few bucks? It's not like Texas has a SHORTAGE of them...
well i guess one advantage of being a vegitarian....your yard wont ever have dandylions!...salad anyone??? lol
Wow what a waste of time reading this garbage. If you are going to write an article disputing vegetarianism at least add some solid facts. This is a one sided opinion piece. Leave news to professionals.
The whole argument seems to be, "Don't be a vegetarian cuz eating meat tastes gooood and people'll look at ya funny if ya don't eat it." The exceptions are points 3 (no one is preachier than a meat eater talking to a vegetarian, in my experience) and point 4 (there's nothing in meat you can't get from a multivitamin or a fortified veggie food). That said, I don't regularly wear cowboy hats so maybe I'm missing something.
I'm Vegetarian, I only eat soylent green.
Dude, that sh!t's gonna kill ya.
I challenge all intelligent omnivores to read Eating Animals. It will at least make you better informed, more articulate about the issue. I also can't imagine a thinking person not being affected by Safran Foer's argument.
http://www.eatinganimals.com/
this is so lame, i now remember why i rarely go to cnn
My biggest reason is plants are living, too. They just don't scream as loudly when you kill them.
Only barbaric humans eat meat
How about having an abortion, would it be right for me to tell you not to have an abortion? Because it's barbaric, pulling the head off a almost fully formed fetus, watching it scream in the womb.
I am not against eating meat. I am against the factory farm meat industry. If I could eat meat that wasn't abused, pumped full of antibiotics to mask poor health and genetics tampering I certainly would. If I could eat a turkey that had access to air and clean water, was free of drugs, hormones and wasn't debeaked to prevent it from maiming the other miserable souls crammed into a small dark pen with it, I probably would. This is not the case. Free range is a meaningless term made by marketing folks to get us to feel better about a broken system. Until we return to traditional family farms, I'll stick with the albeit less than satisfying plant alternatives. It's healthier for me, I'm not contribution to NEEDLESS animal misery and it's better for the planet.
the weakest argument against vegetarians i have read so far. VIVA VEGANS!
Tim Love 5 Reasons to Not Eat Vegetarian:
1. Opinion, not fact
2. Opinion, not fact
3. Opinion, not fact
4. Opinion, not fact
5. Opinion, not fact
Now this is totally fine. He's certainly welcome to his opinions and generalizations. But as they say, opinions are like a**holes – everyone has one, and everyone thinks theirs doesn't smell of sh*t.
No matter what meal I eat, there will always be vegetables I love vegetables. But on the weekends, I have to have a nice grilled steak, Nice rack of pork ribs, Nice Poached Salmon or shrimp. But always complimented with vegetables.
I worked on a small farm, where the family took very good care and treated their animals with so much care and love, but as the animals became old...stopped producing milk, eggs, etc. The family would slaughter the animal for food.
Ethically, I have a problem with processing plants that use steroids, antibiotics and other means to fatten their animals for a profit. You will find that most farmers that are taking the Organic route, are more compassionate and caring of their animals. Not like Sarah Palin that kills for pleasure.
Plants and vegetables produce oxygen, good. Animals produce CO2, bad. Vegetarians reduce the good by eating them., carnivores decrease the bad by eating them. Personally, I would rather reduce CO2 emission than reduce my oxygen supply.
Your logic is flawed. By eating animals, you increase the demand for them. A pound of meat needs the energy from all the plants it takes to make that animal grow. A vegetarian diet is lighter on the earth, as it means less energy loss.
Some one above has said something like "eating meat makes you smarter".
More propaganda, have you been to Haiti recently, I have, they eat mostly a Vegetarian diet, it's an ecological disaster, been to Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leon, I have, mostly vegetarian diets, and ecological disasters. US, Canada, England, Germany, Spain, higher meat intake, There is no correlation with a country's intake of meat and it's ecological condition.
Hilarious.... You probably already know that a pound of beef would be made by killing many times more plants/leaves/grains than a pound of beans or fruits(with fruits and fruity vegetables you don't have to actually kill a plant).
seriously people..get over it! if you want to eat meat then eat meat..if you want to eat veggies then eat veggies. If eating meat cuts 10 years off my life then so be it. I could easily get hit by a bus crossing the street tomorrow. As for the "oh the poor animals" argument...news flash we are humans!..aka homo sapiens! aka hunters and gatherers...aka predators. Since the day we evolved from primates we have beenhunting animals, killing them and eating them. It is the natural course of life. Its the natural course of life for virtually every mammal on the planet. Dont preach to me its not ethical to eat animals while your dog or cat is in the backyard chomping on a mouse or snake. You want your veggies, fine good for you, go for it..but dont preach your holier than thou crap thinking somehow you evolved while us meat eaters are stuck in the stone age.Once armagedon comes and obliderates all plant life on earth all that will be left will be animals to survive off of...lets see then how evolution transpires and what food choices you make! Enjoy eating lava rocks while Im sinking my teeth into a juicy goat!
you know you say that vegetarians preach but your speech there was pretty hateful towards those who choose to abstain from eating meat. Perhaps it's an emotional thing for them? A lot of people don't eat meat because it hurts them emotionally to think they killed to eat when they didn't need to.
understandable comment. i accept your argument. Basically im trying to say..everyone has a choice and nobody (on either side of the fence) should press their preferences onto others. I dont hate on those who choose to be vegetarians..but I do hate on those who hate on anyone that doesnt follow their life choices. if I came accross in that same manner, that wasnt my intention. i respect peoples right to choice and likewise ask that others respect our choice to eat meat
"Since the day we evolved from primates we have beenhunting animals, killing them and eating them. It is the natural course of life."
Hunting animals is not the same as crowding them into factory farms, feeding them foods against their own natures and making them live in a constant state of restriction and deprivation. If you really buy into the idea that the meat we eat today is equivalent to what ancient hunter-gatherers harvested, you're an idiot.
yup, fine, Im an idiot. err yea last time i checked i dont recall seeing my neighbors running down the street with a loin cloth and spears chasing squirrels. so yes I am very much aware of the conditions animals are "harvested". obviously most of us dont "hunt" for food anymore. I am not condoning the often deplorabe conditions they put the animals through..some are better than others..but you are not going to feed the billions of people on the earth unless you create a more efficient food collection process (ie animal processing plants and farms). And if you striiped away all the meat in the world and converted the entire world to veggitarians than you would increase the demand for farmland and the vast majority of the plannet is not able to produce sustainable soil fit for propper crop rotation in order to sustain continued plant growth to adaquatly feed everyone. There is a major crop shortage now as it is..without meat the deman for crops with increase 10 fold and starvation would be even more rampant than it is now....perhaps thats natural evolution.... to each his own..oh yes but i am an idiot...PS. yea my spelling sux..its midnite and i dont give a rats arse if my spelling is accurate..lol
mmm!!! lava rocks
Wow, why is CNN putting this vegetable hating garbage on their front page? Meat is far more harmful for the environment, produces far more carbon emissions, and vegetables are ALWAYS healthy incorporated into your diet... as far as meat being tastier than vegetables... that is clearly because this guy doesn't know how to cook them. Try potato kale enchiladas with a spicy chipotle sauce and get back to me.
Carbon emissions ? carbon emissions from cows, are you serious, methane yes, carbon NO, there not cars there cattle
And it's pure propaganda that cows contribute to global warming, there were three to five times the number of buffalo roaming the plains before white man, as there are cattle right now, a buffalo produces more methane than a cow ( he's bigger) so how are numerically less (smaller) animals producing MORE methane
I mean carbon emissions in the sense that it takes far more to grow the grain to feed the cow, then transport the grain, transport the cattle to slaughter, and finally send that packaged meat to the supermarkets. There is a lot of carbon emitted when this is done. Buffalo are not farmed the same way so they are actually lighter on the environment. Size has nothing to do with it and is an incredibly simplistic way of looking at it. After all, an elephant is bigger than you but I guarantee you're worse for the planet.
Listen, I'm a veggie... but I'm also into "do what you like... eat what you like." My fiance still eats meat & I'm ok with it. I cook it for him - it's not a problem. Being a vegetarian is a PERSONAL choice. & Its not a choice I'm not about to put upon anyone else... I don't like it what people put their ideas on me. Eat what you like!
Five Reasons Not To Be A Vegetarian: Redneck in a Cowboy Hat
1. You're from Texus.
2. You wear a cowboy hat.
3. You're a redneck.
4. You think 1-3 make you a real cowboy.
5. Cowboys eat beef.
Humans are near the top of the food chain.
Deal with it.
Humans are advanced enough – They don't have to be near or at top ( ever heard about Lion burgers ? or cannibals ?) of food chain.
"near the top"
ROFLMAO!
H'mm, interesting given that all humankind can be wiped out by a weak virus. To say that humans are at the top of the food chain ... totally abstract and artificial top. Just move to the Savannah or the Amazon to test this status. Said status only exists in the supermarket.
First, I can't imagine why CNN would put this article on its main page. I am now going to boycott CNN and get my news from a real source (e.g., BBC)
Second, Has Mr. Love ever been to a slaughterhouse and heard the screams or poor defenseless animals.
Third, Meat production is one of the leading contributors to emissions causing global warming
4th – NUMBER THREE IS A LIE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE and I can prove it, you just hear some bull crap and instead of checking it out, you just regurgitate it out, over and over. COWS DON'T CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING ANYMORE THAN ZEBRA's cause sunspots
To each his (or her) own. Eat what you like. I like meat...and vegetables. Together if possible. It's called a meal. Some of you "one-or-the-others" should try it sometime.
I don't agree with vegetarians that don't eat meat because they consider it "murder"
I am vegetarian but the reason why I choose to be one is because of the system that produces the meat, not the meat itself.
Most of the central/North India has been vegetarian for centuries.. and people have lived good, healthy life. Animals were for milk. I had,'t seen even an omelet or boiled egg till I was 10 years old.
Too bad, foreign meat eating is being slowly adapted there..
Your kidding RIGHT, I've seen Northern India. Northern India, and healthy people don't go together, Ultra high infant mortality, unclean water conditions, open sewage , starvation on an almost unimaginable scale, while animals roam in the streets, but you are right about one thing, thats where the modern US Vegetarian and vegan movements came from. Worshiping animals as gods, while disregarding human life.
You have seen and I have lived there most of my life – Right in the heart of it and have seen it changing... The problems you mention are mostly due to the rapid rate of population increase and other effects in recent years.. has nothing to do with vegetarian diet... I assure you it could be much worse if majority were eating meat ( as meat supply would be even lesser give the same amount of land) ...
Worshiping Animals and gods – yes.. worshiping plans as gods and get your facts right – worshiping people as gods – what's the harm in praising/worshiping something some one if it helps you feed yourself, helps you get over your troubles etc...why do you think do Christians say grace at the table ?
And I believe worshiping something is anytime better than killing...
Vegetarianism/veganism does not come from N. India. In my own example, vegism is a scientific choice and practice. Secondarily or simultaneously it is accompanied by an attitude towards all species. Insofar as morality is concerned, modifying a statement supposedly made by Kong Fuzi (Confucius to those who must Romanize :-)
To kill when we have other choices is immoral.
To kill when we have no other choice is survival.
The mindset has broad ramifications. You can apply it at all levels inter- and intra-species.
[Originally "To fight", i.e., warfare, which would include killing]
Well, I guess Tim Love supports animal abuse. I wonder if he thinks it would be okay to treat dogs the same way we treat pigs? If not, why? I really do not think he would have a rational reason.
I dont understand why were arguing over what is right TO EAT, people in Africa do not even have meat or veggies to eat. I myself sometimes get tired of eating meat and veggies, which remains me I have already eaten veggies 2 days in a row for dinner. I cannot have it 7 days a week, sorry vegans. I rarely have meat 5 days week, I try to mix up, turkey, fish, whole grain pasta,shrimp. I dont eat burgers from restaurants I make my own with turkey-delicious!!. I was thinking ABOUT going vegan, but every week or month, some veggies are recall, with some type of pesticides and etc... THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON GOING VEGAN.
Why don't you all interview Gene Bauer from Farm Sanctuary as a follow up to this article?
This is a bullshit article. Fuck the prejudice in this. Let people eat the way they like.
I have met vegetarians that told me it was unhealthy to eat meat, that smoked, I have met one that drank like a fish, I have met a few that were always stoned. I have known plenty that died early in life.
My Grandmother at meat here whole life, baked potato, broccoli and a meat dish, unless she was having pasta, she lived until she was 101. My grandfather ate plenty of meat, loved cold cuts died at 94. My dad practically lives on sausage, he's 84 and healthy, my mother eats meat once a week, she's 85 and has never been to a hospital other than for childbirth, and takes NO medications. My uncle eats plenty of meat, he's 89 and healthy. I have steak twice a month, eat fish and chicken more often, exercise, and at 53 I have no health issues, I'll bet ANYTHING I outlive most of you so called HEALTHY vegetarians.
I agree with the sentiment – Let people eat what they like.
But if you are taking about reasons to eat meat (and not eat veg even when it's available), I would ask, have your children/grandchildren ever prepared their meat from start to finish (from killing to cooking) ?
I still remember first time seeing some one "prepare" a chicken – that was more than 20 years ago..
I will be terrified to see another person killing an animal – It would not be very difficult to move up from four footed to two footed...
you are such a refine soul.
Sadly, this means that thomas klein will be around to demand the deaths of scores of animals with his dollar for decades. Just like his forebears. Which just goes to show how hard wired genetic memory can be, regardless of the consequences.
ahhhh cadaver eating.. i find you all very intelligent and savvy.. you all belong in the prehistorical age. Why don't you all walk around in public wearing nothing but a skirt made out of animal fur? c'mon.. you who all are so proud of eating other being's tortured cadavers.
blood and guts for dinner? wow, that sure sounds like a great thing.
As an Anthropologist and knowing the dietary restrictions, requirements, and trends throughout history, I can tell you that in fact for 99.9% of human history, we have consumed a 80% vegetable/fruit–20% meat diet. The canines that we have are extraordinary small in comparison with other primates, so the premise that we have our canines to tear and chew meat is baseless. Modern, "industrialized" countries, such as the USA and Western Europe, have flipped the ratio; people in these nations consume, on average, 80% meat–20%vegetable/fruit diets. Why, you may ask? Status. Meat is one of the most expensive, time and energy wasting products; therefore, to be able to consume so much shows how even our dietary tastes are a product of our culture and is unconsciously a manner of showing status. Most of the world still eats very little meat, and in fact if the rest of the world tried to eat like these nations do, it wouldn't be sustainable, as there isn't enough land on the planet. As well as methane and other byproducts of raising meat contributes more to global climate change than any other single cause (including automobiles). Oh, and you may ask about obtaining protein...the average American consumes four times, FOUR TIMES, the amount of animal protein they need to in a given day. Also, there are multiple other sources of protein: grains, beans, yogurt, tempeh, tofu, quinoa, nuts, etc.
Just a few thoughts to consider...
Sincerely,
A Vegetarian Anthropologist
RunicPeace – A Vegetarian Anthropologist
Read the post above, I TOLD you it becomes a religion, he's trying to desperately tie raising cattle to imaginary Man made global warming, WHAT A PILE OF CRAP, Methane has a half life of 6.8 years, that means in 3.4 years half of all of the methane currently on the planet will break down into water vapor if no more was produced today. How many domestic cattle do we have in the United States right now today, answer, less than HALF the number of BUFFALO that used to roam the plains as wild animals, spewing methane out their rears in huge quantiles. So how is LESS animals the cause of global warming? People who are anti coal tell you it's coal fired power plants that are causing global warming, anti oil people say it's the auto, tree huggers say it's deforestation, ocean lovers say it's water pollution, Vegetarians tell you it's the cattle. How about it's the fact that were still coming out of an ice age and the fact that the earth magnetic field has weakened by 38% over the last 100 years, weaker magnetic field means, more solar radiation hitting the upper atmosphere.
Thomas Klein–to put things plainly, science is against you. ALL credible scientists in the world have agreed that global climate change is due to human influence; why? Because NEVER, never, have tempteratures risen so dramatically and quickly, as determined from core samples from the oceans and glacial ice.
Hey Professor Vegetable, Your analysis is not completely correct (although you do sound like the only person on this forum with higher than a third grade education). Throughout history availability has been the key determinant of human eating habits. Therefore you had nomadic hunters in places like Norway who ate mostly reindeer meat and native Americans who ate mostly buffalo. Japanese eat a lot of fish and so on. In the US beef and chicken are very available and so people eat those sources of food. They don't eat a burger as a status symbol–that's ludicrous.
Main reason to be a vegetarian as I understand is – You don't have to kill a moving thing to feed your self. And of course there are health benefits.
Not sure how may of the meat eaters here would be able to prepare their meat from start to finish ( from killing to cooking).
And This article doesn't deserve to be on front page of CNN.
Anahata, this is Eatocracy. It is NOT the "news" area. Did you fail to even notice something so simple?
This section of the site is a type of blog where people can post OPINIONS about food.
How about paying a little attention before you make yourself look stupid?
Yep, and I expressed my opinion that this article is drivel. Try not to have a heart attack.
i Love the ignorance of this article!
Vegies get laid more often tho
When you said grilled Texas Rib eye I have to admit my mouth started watering. I am one of the founding members of PETA (People for the Eating of Tasty Animals) and I need to get to your place to try some of those steaks
I eat lean meat because the protein is good for you in certain quantities, as is the fat. But I'm supportive of vegetarians and think we can all include a healthy portion of vegetables in our diets, ideally a larger portion than meats. That's simply healthier.
I was expecting some sort of legitimate, health-related reasoning here. As soon as I saw the cowboy hat though I knew this was NOT coming from a nutritionist. And he's a chef so it's great he can cook well and all, but his first "reason" is that "meat tastes better." I like meat; I also like squash. His second reason is when you walk into a STEAKHOUSE etc etc. Vegetarians don't often go to steakhouses...
Seriously CNN, try to be a reputable NEWS source again. Drivel like this is for airplane magazines.
Salad is what food eats.
yawn. you bore me.
Blech to grilled Texas ribeye. Yes, the thought of a lovely grilled squash (or whoever else it might be prepared) if FAR, FAR better than the thought of chewing cattle flesh. Or cattle muscle. Or any other part of a member of Bovinae. Read Diet for a Small Planet and Laurel's Kitchen.
Yeah, and they don't even think about how often the bowels rupture during the slaughter process, and how feces from the slaughtered animals are an inexorable part of the process, or how the workers are abused (Tyson, anyone?), or, or, or. They just want what they want and they don't care what suffers. Their guts rule them.
... and what volume percentage of fecal content does the FDA allow in burgers?
Lacey, they are perfectly good reasons. Just because YOU don't find them reasons doesn't mean someone else shouldn't.
I agree with Tim. Vegetarians are often very preachy, and I don't find their reasons valid, either.
This article seems designed to incite commentary by being unnecessarily inflammatory. 4 comments about how meat rocks my world, and one comment about how preachy I (apparently am)? If you can't practice what you preach get off the soapbox.
A healthy diet can exclude meat, just as a healthy diet can include meat. I'm an omnivore that cooks vegan. I visited a friend and they made a burger for me from a cow they raised. I thanked them and the cow. It was delicious and "felt right."
Of course my gut isn't used to processing meat so much, I suffered a little regret later.
What is inflating this tired subject, is conspicuous consumption. If people ate appropriately to their biological need, I feel like this debate wouldn't be approached so urgently and with so much accusation.
What is more painful to an animal:
being attacked and eaten alive by a pack of wolves, lions or other predators as occurs in nature thousands of times a day, or being instantly killed by a butcher? Nature is much more cruel than we are on a regular basis.
Different worlds, but something to think about. Sure, its extremely cruel and unusual punishment to keep an animal locked in a cage or pen, injected with hormones, and sent away for a mass execution. That's why I always try to eat grass-fed more natural beef not only because it tastes better, but the animals are treated in a more humane way and then killed as expeditiously as possible. Sure, its inflicting pain to the animal, but none more so than would occur at the hands of any other predators in the wild. Its a quick death.
the difference is that you are causing the pain and suffering by eating them and you don't have to..... you have a highly evolved brain and a culture that can show you that you don't have to be an animal with no sense of morality. You'll never catch a vegetarian saying that nature isn't cruel.... look at humans for crying out loud.
I agree but where to you draw the line on what feels pain? Does a plant feel pain? A worm, grasshopper, or other insects that some people eat, or a shrimp caught in the ocean, a fish, or a huge cow? What about the insects that we kill trying to keep the plants alive and growing so we can eat them? Don't they feel pain? What about a chicken egg? Does it feel pain? It's not alive yet, but comes from an advanced organism. To me it's just a very slippery slope. You can't say you don't eat meat, and then have some fish for dinner, or drink milk from a cow, or eat eggs for breakfast. If you truly don't consume any of the above, then I salute you. If not, you're just like the rest of us.
No Mike, a plant does not feel pain. I can pretty much say that with all confidence.
...as for the "insects we kill trying to keep the plant alive"... ever heard of organic agriculture? There is no slippery slope here, Mike... well, except for the one your argument tries to gain traction on.
A plant doesn't feel pain the way you and I perceive it, but guarantee you it "realizes" it just got a part of it cut off.
For all those who ask that meat-eaters go out and kill an animal with out bare hands, well that's what tools are for. We learned to make tools to make our lives easier, wheter it be to either kill food, or tools used to cultuvate our agriculture. Killing somehting with my bare hands is like asking you to rip open a vegetable, say a squash, with your bare hands, plant the seeds and take care of it with no tools as well. You cant' have it both ways. Oh, and by the way you're not allowed to use any fertilizer, even if its organic, because that comes from animals too. If you want you can use compost, but that's just the rotting putrid flesh of the vegetables you didn't eat.
And for those clamoring for the data on how meat can be good for you (specifically grass fed beef) and the environment here you go:
http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
OMG, John, you just made me so hungry. Send some of that slaughter my way, please.
Don't worry you will die soon enough and then you will reincarnate to be slaughtered very soon. Your slaughter is coming your way in a few short years.
These aren't reasons. This is stupid.
Goofy jokes aside, he's completely right about vegetarians & vegans being "preachy".
he said he was kidding. in addition, I have been a vegetarian for many years...and i hear way, waaaaay more preachy meat eaters than I do vegetarians. hands down. Meat eaters have some pointless issue with people who don't eat meat.
suspiciously, i clicked on the link thinking it might actually lead to information one needs to know...suspicion confirmed: more "light-hearted" macho idiocy at the expense of billions of screaming animals per year, worldwide...in sum: animal abuse ain't funny, cowboy...USDA 2008 slaughter stats: cattle: 35,507,500...pigs: 116,558,900...chickens: 9,075,261,000...layer hens: 69,683,000...broiler chickens: 9,005,578,000...turkeys: 271,245,000 (usda numbers measured in millions)
I was a vegetarian cook for 20 years and was chronically ill until I resumed a red-meat centered diet 20 years ago. I have friends who've been veggies for 40 years and healthy. Some people can be veggie & healthy and others can't. But vegetarians tend to claim everyone should be one. I still prefer veggie food, and to vegetarians I say "good for you", but not for everyone.
Vegetables aren't food. Vegetables are what food eats.
Really? This is supposed to be a legit argument against vegetarianism? I'm all for a debate on the topic, but this is a joke. CNN, you can do better.
It's impressive that some carnivores feel threatened by vegetarianism. By far, most carnivores don't care that I don't eat meat. The select few who do care always seem to presume that my choice is about them rather than about me.
Threatened? Nah. Just look at it this way: How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a piece of grass compared to how much it takes to sneak up on what EATS the grass?
It's cool that you sneak up on things that eat grass, but I'm not sure what that has to do with me being a vegetarian (other than demonstrating my point that certain carnivores find vegetarianism threatening).
Yes, Thorr, your argument really takes the case against vegetarianism to a much more intelligent level. I'm starting to think that all the saturated fat in red meat affects more than just the carnivore's waistline.
How did this make it on CNN, let alone the front page?????
His article is as ignorant and boring as an article written by a left-wing or right-wing extremist who has no facts.
It should be entitled "5 reasons why I eat meat" and should have just stayed inside his silly head.
Justifying the death and torture of animals because a person finds them delicious, is no more civilized or morally justified than eating the dead flesh of people, if one happened to find them also tasty. Meat eaters should pray if their happens to be reincarnation, that in their next life, they are not born as an animal, since they soon will be at the other end of the knife.
The main taste factor in flesh "food" is Uric Acid ... essentially Urea, you get the drift? Boil any flesh food and pour off the (Uric Acid-laden) "pot liquor" and most flesh-eaters won't like what's left anymore. It has to retain the "pot-liquor" (essentially urea, same drift :-) in order for it to be tasty.
It is what it is friends. This is why the rich man's disease occurs: gout. When flesh consumption increases (rich) gout increases. Gout is due to higher-than-normal levels of uric acid present in the body. It destroys bones and makes one smell of (same drift).
I recall lunchtime in a building with lots of people who brwon-bagged or tupperwared their lunch for microwave heating. At lunchtime I had to make timely exit before the cloud of funk appeared. What may have smelled good to a lot of people smelled like death & s__t to me. The appreciation of that smell, like the taste, is a learned thing.
I am not taking a stand for either side when saying this, but the problem with this article is not that it is anti-vegetarian, it's that the 5 reasons he gives not to be so are just so totally idiotic. (Including reason #3 by the way... writes an article preaching about why not to be a vegetarian, and then calls vegetarians preachy. Just plain stupid.)
Vegetables don't cut it meal after meal after meal. That's why most vegetarians try to fool themselves with meat-flavored veggie patties of one type or another. Better to eat real food. Veggies have their place...in a small mound next to the rolls, in the shadow of the MAIN course....MEAT.
Most vegetarians, ey? I'd love to see your veggie patty statistics, Chief.
I detest fake meat. And you should probably brush up on your food pyramid recommendations. The "main" course of your meal should be grains.
The "Food Pyramid"? You mean that poster they change every few years as different interest groups get in the driver's seat? While after fifty years, my body does not demand as much meat as it once did, it still need meat. I trust my own instincts far more than a politically motivated propaganda chart called the "Food Pyramid". Given my family health history, I suspect I will outlive–and be quite healthy the whole time–the great majority of you eating tofu and wheat germ.
Dear God,
Please don't let this man ever need to use the toilet at my house. Amen.
Thorrsman: Pro tip, it's 2010 bro. So unless you just hopped off a time machine from the stone ages, use your evolved (?) brain. Yeah, meat tastes good and is an accepted norm. Some people learn to think and act beyond such basic things...
Re:
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2 reasons:
1. It's murder and it's wrong.
2.converting production from meat-animal-raising to plant food crops would enable feeding the entire world. No-one need starve. Meat crops require up to 6 -10 times the resources to produce for no added benefit, so people starve.
"Murder" is a legal term applied to what some antisocial humans do to other humans. It does not apply to meat in the pre-steak form.
Ok... Can we call it Killing – instead of murder ?
Actually it feeds an animal before that animal feeds a person.
10 Superstar Athletes Who Dont Eat Meat: http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/05/10-superstar-athletes-who-do-not-eat-meat.php
yawn.
"That's not food, that's what food eats" – Red Foreman, when served a plate of vegetables.
funny but very narrow minded.
Ha! A 'That 70s Show' reference! I've been a vegetarian for 15 years, but man I love you for this quote! One of the funniest lines of that brilliant show. Hilarious!
How can you feel good about yourself as you eat meat? An animal's entire life full of human implemented suffering ends up in your mouth for 3 seconds of flavor satisfaction. 2012, redemption is coming our way people, just wait and see what happens to you as you continually sin. Have you ever heard of compassion? Peace start with each individual doing its own share.
so all carnivorous animals are sinners? anteaters? single cell organisms that consume other single cell organisms? you must be very busy making all these distinctions and sitting in judgment over the rest of humanity.
homo sapiens have highly evolved brains. We can choose not to cause suffering to the things that we must eat to survive.
"Not to eat meat, that is the law. Or go to the house of pain!"...and they ate meat. Moral of the story you can't change your nature. A wolf that chooses not to eat meat dies. Any vegetarian that claims they are healthier without meat would be healthier still with a small amount of lean animal protein in their diet. Just as most omnivores would be healthier if they increased the variety and amount of fruits, vegetables, legumes and leafy greens in their diet and reduced the amount of fatty red meat. any absolutist lifestyle, like vegetarianism and veganism is not a decision that improves your health unless you had a poor diet to begin with.
There is only one thing you should never do: listen to people who espouse viewpoints based on "never"
I'm not a vegetarian for my health. I'm a vegetarian because I choose not to cause suffering to animals.
Great evidence, a FICTION BOOK!
Just admit that it's subjective, because you're not doing a good job. You used a TON of superlatives and then criticize people who use them, as well. Proof-read more.
And people can't change? Are you effing serious? Do you read the news?
It is not in human nature to be monogamous, and yet they do.
It is not in human nature to not crap where they stand, yet they do.
It is not in human nature to give up resources to others, and yet they do.
For centuries, people have done things against human nature for the betterment of the world. It went against the basic drive for self-preservation, for instance, when people in the heart of Nazi Germany hid Jews in their own homes. We can evolve past harmful behaviors...or, we can just give in, rape, pillage, burn and eat us some meat!
Meat is murder. Delicious, tasty murder...
And for all those who think you don't have to kill something as a vegetarian, think again. All those plants you eat, they're living breathing organisms, just not the ones that you are used to which are cute and furry and cuddly. They don't have a cute or sad face, or a formalized central nervous system like us, but they are just as living as we are. I don't see anyone getting upset over how many rats and pigeons or other "less attractive" animals are killed each day. Stop being prejudiced over which organisms gets your attention and love, and just enjoy your food.
"I didn't climb to the top of the evolutionary ladder to become a vegetarian" – Anonymous
You are absolutely right Mike. In order to live, every living thing must kill. It is all a line that we draw. I draw my line at things that have nervous systems.... you draw your line much higher...... I can understand and respect your opinion. I don't have to respect the real, physical pain that you're causing living beings that have the capability to feel pain.
Dude, you have people buried in your basement, don't you?
Most of us have grown up eating meat. So it is hard to not eat it when we are so used it..
You're right..... that's how I was able to stop smoking and how I got off coffee and refined sugar and white rice..... because I didn't smoke for 35 years or drink coffee since I was 14 or eat refined sugar since I was an infant or eat white rice since I could eat solids... yup.... you're right and I can't deny it. If you grew up doing something you can't stop.
You also started out pooping your pants. Give that up? Hitting your siblings. Done with that yet? Throwing tantrums. Past that phase? Not sharing, being selfish, holding your breath until you're blue when you don't get your way. Haven't changed at all, eh? Still driving only Fords because that's the first car you were in? Wearing onesies and short pants? Riding a trike? If only people could evolve...
Geesh... meat-eaters vs. vegans is about as dumb as Democrats vs. Republicans, Christians vs. Muslims, etc. Do what you want, but DON'T go pushing your values on anyone else. You may be right... or you may be wrong... there is evidence for both sides... so shut the f- up already, people. Stop arguing over stupid thing and just respect and accept others for who they are.
Crap like this is why American is going to hell in a handbasket... we have to argue over stupid things like this! If you want to eat vegan or eat meat, go ahead... just shut up about it already! 80% of the people could care less WHAT you do.
I'm glad you feel this way. Excuse us if we respond to an article (horrible as it may be) asking us to "discuss vegetarianism" by actually discussing vegetarianism.
Looks like we're not the ones that need to shut up.
we argue because we are the voice of the animals that you pay somebody to kill for you. The simple fact of the matter is that you don't have to cause pain in order to live and you shouldn't
MEAT=GOOD!!
I tried to be a vegetarian, then vegan, then raw foodist. I never felt well on those diets. Then I did a genetics weight management test (even though my weight was normal) and found out that I should be a Carb Reducer, i.e., 45% good carbs (low glycemic), 35% fats, 20% proteins. I need animal protein. I've always felt better when I ate it. Genes don't lie.
You're right Pam, you get a pass. You're genetically different than most people in the world... your body literally needs meat. Now.... when are you going out hunting without tools? I want to be there to see you bring down that cow with your teeth.
Mike you are so incredibly lame. I've seen that same stupid argument so many times Are you trying to imply that humans have no business using knowledge or technology i.e. making tools like you said? Then I suggest getting off of that comfy couch in the cool air conditioning and turn off that fancy computer because they all take advantage of knowledge and technology. What about vultures? They don't kill their own food. But they still eat meat. Eating meat is not unnatural for people. You are stupid.
Mike a) one would not need to chase down a cow to kill it you can simply wait for it to fall asleep then tip it.
b) it's called persistence hunting look it up
My wife and are 67 and vegans for 25 years. Virtually all our friends and relatives are meat eaters. Unlike most of the people we know our age, we are both thin and exceptionally healthy, with no medical conditions. However, we do take a B-12 supplement. I have met a some righteous vegetarians, but more often it's the meat eaters that make jokes regarding our diet – I think it eases the awkwardness for them when we’re at a restaurant and they order meat. We don’t care what they eat. Having said that, I believe human evolution, ecology and food costs will determine the primary global diet. In the meantime, lighten up, enjoy life and try to do something good before you die.
My families favorite vegetarian meal is "Boliche", (Cuban post roast) cause the potatoes suck up all the flavor of the beef and turn a golden brown. The potatoes are better than the beef but only just! The beef is cooked with oregano, garlis and red wine for 2 hrs in the presure cooker. Delicious!
I can't believe this is an article on the CNN front page....
Although I do not agree with him, the reasons he brought up to explain why you shouldn't be vegetarians are 2nd grade level...
I guess this means that 2nd graders should be writing articles for CNN front page
Wow. People are really passionate about what I'm putting in my belly. I eat meat. I'm not a freak about it. There are some days that I don't eat meat. There are some days where I crave a juicy steak that's practically stilll mooing. Not trying to gross any vegetarians/vegans out, just speaking my truth. My truth also includes the opinion that okra is quite possibly the nastiest vegetable on the earth.
Relax and enjoy your steak or your boiled okra, it's all good. At least you have the option to eat meat or not. There are some people on this earth who are literally eating dirt in order to survive and we're arguing on cnn.com about the choice between eating meat or not...
we shouldn't eat meat because it causes un-necessary suffering to animals that have just as much interest in being alive as you do
No, Mike, that's why you shouldn't eat meat. I respect your decision.
How did this article even make it on the front page of CNN?
What a waste of time.
Eat anything you like and enjoy the taste. I am not horrified by my omnivore buddies. I do think your arguments are silly. My vegetarian diet has improved my health, disposition and meditation. There has also been some unexpected improvement in my love life. Apparently vegetarians "taste" better than people who eat meat and/or smoke and/or drink... reported to me a close friend.
This is really stupid. I thought there would be actual scientific data here. The only one worth anything is number 4 but you really can get protein, iron and amino acids in non-meat food. I'm not a vegetarian, but "it taste better" is not a standing argument against the health and environmental benefits of not eating meat. Period.
"I challenge anyone who says that being a vegetarian (ie a herbivore) is superior to being an omnivore to eat nothing but pure plant matter for a full 10 years."
I've been vegan for 13 years and have had zero nutritional issues. Seriously, you're making ridiculous arguments.
When my canine teeth transform into grinders and my eyes shift to the sides of my head like all the other prey animals then and only then will I become exclusively vegetarian. By the way I have NEVER met a healthy happy vegan. Protein starvation is not only blatantly visible it doesn't smell good.
Oh, dear, the tooth thing again. I'm copy/pasting from my response to the other guy above.
"If you really feel compelled to adhere to a diet based solely on the arrangement of your teeth, the animal with the closest set of chompers is the orangutan (I believe). So have fun eating leaves, wood pith, fruit, insects and the occasional small monkey."
Also, length of the canines in great apes (of which humans are a species) are often unrelated to diet. Gorillas for example, have very long canines and the only animals they eat are the bugs on the plants they chomp down.
Mmm bugs.
Oh please.... such a tired argument. A non meat eater gets more than enough protein from grains and nuts. You need to "bone up" on your science. Oh, and I am a perfectly happy and healthy vegan.
They smell bad because the believe soap is murder too.
Meat eaters are always proving that the best defense is a (good or even not-so-good) offense. But me thinks that you protest too much. Tonight on NBC, there's an article on the Smithsonion's secret zoo, trying to save animals from extinction. They report that the scientists say that 50% of mammalian species are in danger of extinction. Now that's news. This article isn't news, you are just passing off complete idiocy as human interest to play to the popular (guilty) opinion. Why are meat-eaters guilty? Because meat eating causes most of those extinctions as people clear cut nature to make room for pasture land. It is time to admit that ethical people don't eat meat. Your grandchildren will know that those extinctions were caused in large part by the demand for meat. Then what will you say? Will you say that you demonized vegetarians and indulged in this kind of foolishness to marginalize them? The truth always comes out.
Well said! I am very pleased to see you say this. One of the most popular omnivore arguments for eating meat (I have heard them all! Many times!) is that "we have dominion over them because the bible says so".
Thank you, Mike. The Bible supports, that God wishes humans to be "wise stewards" of the earth and it's creatures. We are to take care of animals and plants, not torture them or drive them to extinction. Any thinking caring Christian, willing to search their soul, would realize that neither God nor Jesus would approve of the factory farms or clear cutting of land for grazing of cattle (causing daily extinctions). Jesus who we love, was the Good Shepherd. He said, a sparrow never falls without God knowing and caring ("his eye is on the sparrow"). I'm sure that God's loving care extends to chickens and cows, and that God cares how they are treated and why they die, whether of necessity or gluttony. If they are treated well or badly, and how many other misdeeds are done in the process, such as lies for greedy gain, and sickness caused.
The righteous regard the lives of their animals, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.The wicked covet the catch of evil men, but the root of the righteous yields fruit. Proverbs 12:10-13
The Bible also says: Put a knife to your throat if you are a man ruled by your appetites, be not desirous of the delicacies on the tables of the rich, for they are deceitful meat. also Proverbs.
A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. Proverbs
BIBLICAL FALLACY
"Preachy" meat-eaters will often attempt to INVOKE the Bible, attempting to use the Bible to justify killing and eating animals. One example of this might be a meat-eater going around citing the "Jesus fed 5-thousand people with a fish" deal. And then the aforementioned "dominion over animals" stuff. Here's why any meat-eater attempting to pervert the Bible or using God to attempt to justify killing and eating animals is debunked:
- EVERY INSTANCE OF CONDONING EATING MEAT IN THE BIBLE CAME *AFTER* THE INTRODUCTION OF SIN! -
And you can Look that up. It is correct.
In other words, if you actually read the Bible, it says that the GARDEN OF EDEN was vegetarian!
The bible dictates that God created the universe, then he created animals FIRST! That's right, god created animals first, before mankind! Then the first individuals in creation of all mankind were Adam and Eve. The very first 2 people.
There is NO instance of Adam & Eve murdering and cooking and ingesting any animal. Adam and Eve were Vegetarian! Remember the Apple?? And by the way notice the word Garden. It is called the GARDEN of Eden, not the Slaughterhouse of Eden. God's perfect vision of the world was Adam and Eve, his creations, located in a Garden! Chock full of plants, and flowers, and vegetation, and fruits, and so forth. Whether you like it or not, that is directly in the bible that it is a Garden of Eden, and there is not 1 instance of Adam & Eve butchering and cooking animal flesh and eating it, and this is the way God created it. Look it up.
Furthermore, every single instance of any text in the bible describing anyone eating meat comes *AFTER* the destruction of "sin" was introduced into the world.
In other words, eating meat is now shown to be not part of the ideal creation of God, but rather, men killing and butchering animals is a creation that only came about in a world after it was tainted with Sin.
Therefore, every passage, whether it is in the bible or not, no matter if some biblical figure is doing it or not, describing or advocating the ingestion of meat, by anyone including Jesus doing it, regarding eating animals is a construction which arose as a consequence of acts of Sin being unleashed into the world. Thus, any Preachy meat-eater who attempts to pervert the Bible and use it to proclaim citations from it to justify their killing and taking the lives of animals in order to ingest their flesh and claiming that this is the ideal arrangement created by and envisioned by god is now DEBUNKED.
Adam & Eve, the first ever human beings on earth created in God's vision, were Vegetarian! And the ideal utopia was the "Garden" of Eden. And that stands as god's original and ideal plan.
No instance of meat eating written in the Bible after the invocation of sin can be used. Meat eating only resulted after human sin infected the world. If anyone attempts to skew the Bible to attempt to use it justify eating meat, that individual is debunked.
Interesting logic FOJ. And when I say interesting I mean seriously flawed. You how much Louisiana forest has been cut down for the cultivation of your beloved soy beans, Tofu breath? Humans are destructive because we must change the environment to survive. You should keep your holier-than-thou attitude in your Bible camp. Praise the Lord!
95% of all soy production is to feed animals, meathead! The other 5% includes soy oil which carnivores consume as well. So vegetarians maybe consume 3%, the other 97% is used by you meateaters fattening your animals.
"Ancient man had no cancers, any other degenerative diseases, or symptom x metabolic diseases....."
I am a meat eater but I don't know who is spilling that kind of nonsense. Ancient men had life expectancy a fraction of what we are. Cancer and degenerative diseases are mostly diseases of old age. If you die at 40, you wouldn't have died from cancer or degenerative diseases.
And they do develop cancers and degenerative diseases. Cancers are caused by genetics as well as environmental conditions such as the sun, and sometimes viruses. All of those factors existed long before men roamed the earth.
Well said, objective, cool.
Ancient man sometimes died from tooth decay (infection).
Simple infections were often killers before the age of antibiotics.
Plants provided natural pharmaceuticals in attempt to combat infections and other ills.
Example: American Aboriginal use of Golden Seal, etc.
Even the chimps know this.
Estimated luck in longevity ~40 years.
Just when I was even thinking of switching to a complete veggie diet...
All the protein in vegetables and grains are INCOMPLETE proteins. You can combine them all you want but you will not get the amino acids that you need. Carbohydrates are unnecessary nutrients!
Eric, you are relying on food science from the 1970... update your sources.
Sorry i am a bodybuilder and also a survivalist. I maintain less than 10% bodyfat year round. Carbohydrates are unnecessary. If you are ever stuck with no food in a survival situation, vegetables and grains will not sustain you and you will die. Meat and fat are what will keep you alive. So take your emaciated skinny fat female looking physique and eat the food nature intended.
Your attempts to sound intelligent are only revealing how ignorant you are. There are many, many sources of combinations of non-animals complete proteins. They are found in different combinations of legumes, whole grains, and nuts.
Carbohydrates are a very necessary nutrient. I could write several pages regarding the necessity of carbohydrates in cellular metabolism, glycogen storage, oh, and by the way, DNA is made partially of carbohydrates. Again, without going into too much detail, carbohydrates are very necessary.
Try using a website called http://www.google.com and do some research before spouting off.
Carbohydrates were not introduced into the human diet until about 10,000 years ago. They are not necessary. I look better without a shirt that you do and that is enough proof.
Eric, the only thing that vegans can't get from an all veggie diet is B12. Guess what, the animals that you eat get their B12 from the food that they eat.... which isn't meat. Well, actually the food that you eat has to have B12 supplements added to their food because they aren't allowed to eat what nature intended.
http://www.meetyourmeat.com my muscular friend
You must not be a runner. If I don't have carbs, I bonk after 7 or 8 miles.
Combining vegetable foods is conducive to health, e.g., phytochemicals that kill/hamper virusses, bacteria, and fungi and that enhance physical performance, etc. We can't get ANY of that from flesh. So combining foods to complete the amino acid profile is a fundamental practice across cultures. Modern civilization is based on the combination of grains and legumes as the basis of nutrition: wheat & garbanzos (Middle East), rice & soy (Far East), and in the Americas the Aztecs and others cultivated grains that had broad amino acid profiles, e.g., Quinoa. In Africa there is Teff.
Don't take a side, get the facts and draw accurate conclusions. Check it out.
Can you get all the nutrition you need without ever eating meat?
Yes, but you need a PhD in nutrition science to do it.
Simply not factual Li Tai Fang, site your source. Hundreds of millions of people have lived long and healthy lives in east asia and many other parts of the world without ever having eaten meat. You are simply wrong.
learn how to spell cite
Maybe you need a PhD, but most people need just a tiny bit of common sense.
Plenty of vegetarians get all the nutrition they need without meat or animal products of any kind. As a matter of FACT, meat eaters are far FAR more likely than vegetarians and vegans to be nutritionally deficient. How ignorant does some one have to be to assume that simply by eating meat, he is on a nutritious diet? That meat is taking the place in your diet of far more nutritious plant-based foods. Wake up, people, eating flesh is disgusting and that includes fish. Yes, that's what lots of vegetarians are thinking while you're sitting there greedily stuffing your faces with the carcasses of tortured murdered creatures, Yes, even your family members, who often go along with you so as not to face your derision. And you gloat and pretend to be so proud of your selfish greedy cruelty, and look down on those who know better and do better than you. Yes, I pity you, for all the darkness that is in you, so that you can believe the lies you tell yourselves and each other. (And you encourage your children to likewise destroy our world, even to their detriment, so you can keep kidding yourselves). But I pity you less than I condemn you for all the harm you are doing, and I pray that you will WAKE UP, and stop your evil harmful words and actions. And you, like this chef, who knows better, but are using fools to promote your bloody business, to satisfy your greed, and you CNN, you are the worst of all. You have education and opportunity, you know better, you could be doing something honorable and worthwhile, but you don't care. It's all a big joke to you.
You sound pretty judgmental to be a friend of Jesus. The Lord be with you.
Your sarcasm doesn't go unnoticed.
The article clearly bates vegetarians, it's judgmental of vegetarians, you're judgmental. How unsporting of you to suggest that vegetarians should not support their arguments, with whatever arguments are appropriate.
It is not spiritual to step out of the way and let bullies dominate with lies and innuendo. All that's necessary for evil to triumph is for the good to do nothing.
How hypocritical of you to accuse me of being judgmental. Why not take on my arguments, logically and ethically.
Good humor!!!
... but actually it just takes a little bit of understanding and follow through. Vegans in particular have to make sure that they get all amino acids and adequate fats.
Amino Acids: Whole Grains & Legumes, e.g., rice and mung beans/sprouts ;-)
"Adequate fats": definitely are not the ones found in meat!! Those are the worst fats you can find in nature.
Read as many of the comments above as you can and then answer truthfully: which side is more aggressive and abusive, the vegetarians (whom Tim Love says are trying to "force" people to give up meat), or the carnivores? Nobody's trying to force anybody to do anything, so why the anger?
I noticed that too. The carnivores here are the way more aggressive, angry (what for?) and yes – preachy, lot. Half of them almost sound like they have guilt complexes. Oh well.
What an a-hole
It's not that vegetarians dislike meat, they just hate plants more.
I'm not a vegetarian, but this is one of the stupidest things I've ever read. I know a lot of chefs have disdain for vegetarians, but it's their choice, dammit, so stop being such a douche about it.
Maybe some people DO find squash more appetizing than steak.
He claims to have lots of friends who are vegetarians; I doubt it. I actually do have friends who are, and NONE of them ever preach about it.
"Eating vegetarian may SEEM LIKE the healthier option"? Uh, duh, it is. You can get plenty of protein and iron from non-meat sources. Also, vegetarianism is about 1000 times more earth-friendly than eating meat.
His last point might as well say, "only gay f–s are vegetarians," because that's exactly what he means. Like I said – what a douche.
You asked to consider the question: "Could I become vegetarian?" Answer: Yes, definitely, if somebody else was doing the cooking.
Ancient man had no cancers, any other degenerative diseases, or symptom x metabolic diseases and all they ate was meat. Chew on that skinny-fat vegans. I'll eat meat and keep my six pack abs and 19 inch arms
Eric, you should have kept your mouth shut and just felt dumb instead of opening it and proving that you're dumb. Ancient humans most certainly did not eat only meat. Site your source.
How far did you go in school again? And of the time you went, how much of it were you baked? Because our forebears, hungry in between kills, would NEVER have eaten plant food sources along the way! Even when their children were crying in front of berry bushes, they would have said NO! We must only eat meat or we'll get chromosomal anomalies!!!
You're SO uninformed!
You must be kidding. You should burn whatever source told you these lies. "Ancient man" had cancers and other illnesses. ... and watch out for neighbors after the EMP attack!!!
Something sorely missed here ... when early humans fed on flesh (other than other early humans) it was as an opportunist (carrion-eater) after a predator kill or some other event which ended the life of another animal. If they had eaten such meat they would have died off from infections and we would not exist. This is why vultures have no hair/feathers on their heads ... to decrease the occurrence of infections.
lol Eric, I know some vegan bodybuilders who could beat you into the ground. I also know a TON of meat-eaters who are weak, fat slobs. And "ancient man" ate a LOT more than solely meat, and had MANY kinds of illnesses and diseases. What kind of hack education did you get? (if any)
I thought I was going to be reading something with actually relevant information, but it might as well have been written by Jeff Foxworthy. With the exception of #4, all of these "reasons" are basically him saying "because it would be weird."
Humans are omnivores, pure and simple.
I challenge anyone who says that being a vegetarian (ie a herbivore) is superior to being an omnivore to eat nothing but pure plant matter for a full 10 years. Nothing from animals – no eggs, no fish, no milk, no vitamin supplements. Then we shall see how long it takes you to show the signs and symptoms of various disorders related to malnourishment. Heaven help your children if you make them do this as well. I can just imagine how they will feel always being shorter, weaker, and having to be at the doctors all the time for this and that disease because their body isn't getting high-density protein it needs to grow without consuming massive amounts of food.
PS. I hope you people screaming about how slaughter houses are "inhumane" realize that those "stunned" bovines are medically brain dead after the air gun is used. I might agree with the other parts (stock yards, force feeding, etc), but please get your facts straight when it comes to the actual process. I know of major cities in the USA that use far less humane methods to euthanize stray animals, but I don't see you demanding their heads on a pike...
I'm disappointed. I thought there was going to be some new point of view here, presenting ways in which some cattle (or chicken, etc.) ranchers were using methods of ranching that actually improve the environment and make life pleasant for the animals before they are turned into dinner, but it's just varying statements on how meat tastes/smells/looks better as food than vegetables do. Well, duh. Could have been SO much more interesting and informative for people (like me) who still want to eat meat, but would prefer to get that meat from a source that raises the animals humanely and respects the environment. I know there absolutely must be some ranchers like that out there, but have had no luck finding any. Would have been so much more productive if he'd maybe looked into that and presented his findings. He'd probably be more in touch with who to talk to about it than us "common folk", and it would have been a much more productive article. I's also bet that the meat raised in such a way would be even tastier than the usual mass-produced animal-in-a-box meat. Unfortunately, all he's done with this is to stimulate destructive arguments.
Whoops, didn't mean this to be a reply to John . Meant this as a reply to the article. My reply wasn't in response to John's post.
I've already answered most of your inane arguments in earlier posts. To the point about air guns and brain dead, go watch some of the hidden videos of slaughterhouses. There is video of cows screaming as hooks are shoved through their tendons and they are strung up to have their throats slit..... this is after the stun gun is used. Even if the stun gun did work 100% of the time..... do you not think that the cows don't know they are being led up those shoots to some end that they don't want to be part of? They are terrified and that's only AFTER they are brought up in sewage infested feed lots with 10s of thousands of other animals..... in conditions you wouldn't allow if you knew about.
Euthanasia of stray animals has nothing to do with industrial farming.... non sequitur
I eat meat. I love meat. I enjoy hunting. Yet I don't enjoy people like Tim Love. Tim, why do people like you think vegetarians are preaching at us, yet all the while you are preaching yourself? Pot, meet kettle.
Tim, no offense, but you are kind of a self righteous dick and you make me feel ashamed that I enjoy eating a nice steak. Your cowboy hat also sucks quite a bit, just saying.
"you make me feel ashamed"....wow, so reading an article by some random guy you've never met makes you feel ashamed? You must have pretty low self esteem. Who cares what this guy thinks whether you agree with him or not. And you suck more than his cowboy hat. just saying
Wow.. your going to listen to this dumb chef.. or listen to scientific studies to Medical Doctors! that deal with people having cancer that eat to much meat and kids having high calories/blood pressure.... .. i can give you 100 reasons why you should become a Veggiieeeetarian
Tim Love is an idiot.
CNN is really scraping the bottom of the internet barrel. Most anonymous posters, when making an argument, at least attempt to back their opinions with facts. I'll take the spinach (bacon-free), the squash (grilled to perfection and maybe stuffed with quinoa) and any other veg food over a steak. As for preaching – as a vegan I never tell others how to eat – but many of my omnivorous friends try to argue wih me abou why I should eat meat – and they think it's uproarously funny and original to ask me, "Sure you don't want some?" when they're sitting across from me, eating a piece of meat.
I find it funny that everyone keeps quoting number 3 when all these vegetarians say how good vegetarian food is and how meat eaters shouldn't kill animals.
However, aren't all the meat eaters doing the exact same thing by thrusting there views about eating meat in everyone's faces? That is what this article is about after all and why all the meat-eaters are getting flustered and angry at least...You all think eating meat is better and have to tell everyone that you are right.
The difference is the people who eat meat are not saying you HAVE to eat meat and if you don't you're some sort of cruel, heartless, twisted person who is killing the earth. They are just mad because the veggieheads are throwing those accusations out as if they are just so much smarter. They vaguely reference some "facts" but can't support most of them other than pointing to some vegan website that will of course say what they want to hear.
You probably think all the medical journals are run by radical vegans, huh? Meatheads are downright dumb!
Wow, this is a waste of a new piece. Ridiculous and ignorant.
Where I am from vegetarian means you missed with your last shot!
The reasons as published, are silly. Of course main-stream chef's detest vegetarians. It's a lot easier to just plop a hunk of meat on a grill, over-charge for it, and have a satisfied customer (but not his/her cardiologist.) REAL vegetarian food is labor intensive to prepare, and usually requires the freshest of ingredients. Most main-stream restaurants only want to serve "wilted" oxydized lettuce to their (rare) vegetarian customers. That's all they know about preparing veggie food. Meanwhile, their drunk, obese meat customers won't know the difference if their baked potato is old and full of lumps.
Let's be blunt here. The REAL reason mainstrem chefs detest vegetarians is that they have to REALLY work to make veggie food.Their argument simply comes from lazyness. sanjosemike
Becoming vegan was the best thing that I've ever done. Not only for my health but also for my taste buds. I've learned to cook amazing ... simply incredible tasty meals that I never would have tried if I was tied to beef, chicken or pork every night. Tonight we had the tastiest curried lentils with potatoes and carrots and peas and tofu over brown rice. So amazingly good that I can't stop thinking about it. I never once day drempt (daydreamed?) about a steak.
Go Veg, save the planet and save your health. My twin brother died of heart disease at 41. I have higher good cholesterol than bad.... and together they are under 130. You know why? Vegetables don't have cholesterol! Brilliant!
You don't need to be vegetarian to have low cholesterol. There are various ways to keep cholesterol down without pills. My cholesterol count is usually at or below the minimum accepted range for cholesterol and I'm not vegetarian or vegan. I eat chocolate, McDonalds as well as steak, bread, etc. But then my cholesterol has always been low – it's my biology – so I don't need to become a vegetarian. Nobody in my family has ever died of heart disease. Living healthily is more than just what you eat and it is possible to be vegetarian and eat/live unhealthily.
Here's the difference Omnivore.... you are getting by on your genes if what you say is true. Here's my truth... all of my family dies early because of heart conditions and cholesterol. The fact that my cholesterol and other blood tests are very very good and I don't eat meat is much more impressive than the fact that you do eat meat and happen to have good genes. The fact is that heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in westernized cultures.... the main difference between western and other cultures is our diet.
Hey! Us cardiologists 'preciate the business our good 'ol meat-eater friends are sending us. Keep up the good work, meatheads!
This is dumb. I was expecting to see some scientific reasoning but all I see is an argument how eating meat is somehow more macho or sensible with no real science or ethical insight; it's highly opinionated. Although, there is some talk about protein and amino acids, it's very possible to get this nutrition from other sources that aren't meat. It's sad to see this article on the front of CNN.
Human beings are omnivores (animals that eat both meat and plants), we are not herbivores (herbivores are animals that eat only plants.) We have evolved into omnivores from being herbivores. Our present day body is designed and made to support us being an omnivore. If we were biologically supposed to only eat plant matter than we would look more like our ancestors of a few million years ago. It is a scientific fact that homo sapiens do not have a large enough intestinal tract to support us living as herbivores.
Please, please, please do not invoke the name of science to say idiotic statements, such as using evolve and design in the same sentence.
Thank you! <3
n million years ago, when human beings were vegetarians, we had a larger intenstinal tract (this was discovered when fossilised remains have been found.) Our digestive tract has shrunk over time because it no longer needs to be as long so that all of the nutrients can be extracted from plant matter.
Omnivore's get to choose to take their calories from either animal products or vegetables. The cruelty that you're causing the animals that you're eating should outweigh your desire to eat them. Humans are perfectly capable of thriving on a vegetable diet. Hundreds of millions of people throughout the world are born, thrive, grow old and die without ever having passed a piece of meat through their lips.
True omnivores hunt and kill their animals without tools. Send me a video of your running down and tearing the throat out of a buffalo with your canine teeth, eviscerating it with your claws and then eating it raw.... then I'll agree with you that you're an omnivore. Until then, you're a naked ape.
Animals are born to die, just as we are. It's one great big circle. We can argue about the "how" they die, but their purpose for living is not to live forever, it is to die and in doing so support others to follow on after.
Hundreds of millions of humans eat predominately a vegetarian diet because they're too poor to live off anything else. They don't choose to live that lifestyle, they literally have no choice and none of them are world class athletes.
You are hijacking procreation to use in your argument for killing animals; I find that very odd. We are all born to die, but we pave the way for others to follow through reproduction, not through killing. We don't have to kill, we don't have to cause fear and terror and I choose not to. Just because you won't or can't see the pain and death that you are causing animals that have every much a right as you to live doesn't mean that the rest of the enlightened world has to. If you want to cause pain.... do it like a real omnivore instead of a poser, like I said...send me a video of you eviscerating your prey with your omnivore teeth and eating the whole animal raw and enjoying it.
Oh and I'm sure the billions of east Asians that you just disparaged are very happy with you. Poor smore... I'm western rich, healthy and haven't eaten meat for years... so there.
Humans have survived because we developed the skills to hunt as well as farm. Many animals in the kingdom kill others without using canine teeth. Does a snake eviscerate a mouse? We all use whatever tools we're capable of using and it so happens that human beings developed the skills to use weapons. There are plenty of examples of animals causing immense suffering to other animals in the name of survival and food. It is only our arbitrary application of artificial morals with respect to animals that we engage in "humane" killing. it's not required. Where did those morals come from, I wonder? Probably loud mouths who could not bear to watch or listen to an animal die for the purpose of giving them sustenance. I'm fine if you can't live with that but I'm not so afflicted by that problem.
I've lived in Asia, I know what it means to be amongst people who can't afford to eat meat. I also know that they would not say no if you offered them any sort of meat for food. Dog meat doesn't appear on restaurant menus in those countries because it is a novelty.
Your name is not reptile; it's omnivore... why are you changing the subject with "snakes eat mice w/out gutting them"?
Lots of animals do cause suffering to the animals that they kill and eat. Some homo sapiens like to believe that we don't have to do that :) We're called vegans http://www.meetyourmeat.com
There is a direct correlation btwn flesh consumption and colon cancer.
The logic is inescapable unless one is incapable of logic.
One can either accept it or ignore it, but cannot argue the fact.
"On the flip side" a vegetarian lifestyle correlates well with all health markers, e.g. cardiovascular health and general fitness.
Obviously the guy doesn't have any brains under the hat. I have been a vegeterian by birth and I love being that way.
Wow.. what well thought out, meaningful reasons. Well, Tim Love.. imagine a restraunt full of meat eaters tell you that stupid People Eating Tasty Animals joke for the millionth time when they hear you are a vegetarian.
Caution to the veggies.. Dairy products and especially SOY cause a 10-20% increase in IGF-1r levels in the body. IGF-1r seems to be an underlying primary signaling pathway for cancer growth, survival and proliferation. Whoever said SOY was good for the body is seriously mistaken.
I knew a girl from Vietnam and her name was "Soy". She was good for my body.
Then explain why breast cancer rates are remarkably low in Japan.
Heh, I've seen all kinds of scare tactics against soy. Every single one I have looked into ends up being unconfirmed, disputed, misleading, or downright false. Oh, and if you think you're safer with meat than with soy...than apparently you're only researching half of the picture. I always smirk when various meat-related illnesses and recalls are announced, yet more links between meat and cancers are discovered, etc. Not my problem anymore.
Once upon a time, the intelligence of readers was not insulted. That was another time, another CNN.
damn. *our. I'm doing great here.
"I mean, really, which would you rather have – a grilled Texas ribeye, or a piece of squash? Which just made your mouth water?"
I'll take a Texas ribeye WITH a side of grilled squash, thank you very much!
Wow, meat has protein AND amino acids? Amazing! Maybe you should learn a thing or two about the science that you're using to promote eating meat. Or then again, maybe not. Stupid lists like this just weaken the case for eating meat.
This seems to just be marketing a food section. That being said, I am not vegetarian, but sorry, steaks hold no interest for me. And I'm just as sick of people bragging about how rare they eat their meat as I am of preachy vegans.
If it's sounds preachy it's only because you know in your head that you've "sinned". i.e. if you didn't feel guilty about eating meat then talking about eating vegetables and the health benefits of such would be good conversation instead of preaching.
Excellent point, Mike.
If there was one thing we could all do that have the greatest affect on the health of planet earth it would be to go vegetarian. For one thing you can feed 10 people on the food that it takes to produce meat to feed just one person. Meat production is largely responsible for the clearing of tropical rain forests. Cows gaseous expulsions are a leading greenhouse gas. Producing meat requires a great deal of water and energy in preparation and transportation.
I like to eat meat too. What I have done is compromise – meat on weekends only, the rest of the week I am vegetarian.
Firstly, what I waste of homepage CNN space this article is. Secondly, I'm a vegetarian, and I don't push it on anyone. I do find, however, that many of my meat-eater friends like to taunt me by coming up and ripping the meat off their ribs right in my face. They also tease me and say stupid things that don't even make sense half the time (like this article). If you choose to eat meat, go ahead...but please don't try to convince me I'm the one that should feel badly for following an environmentally friendly, cholesterol-free and animal-friendly lifestyle.
So true, Terra. I love my brother, but on Sunday he literally shoved a pound of meat in my face (some fell in my lap) and I had the choice of either laughing it off or looking like a "preachy vegan." People should show respect for each other's eithical choices.
I am not going to argue with this man. Although I don't eat many hamburgers I do enjoy a nice filet every once in a while. You can't compare that to a vegetable unless you mean a portobello mushroom which can kind of taste like meat, but is still not the same. I do like my veggie's though, just not much hamburger.
Wow, this is the dumbest thing I've ever seen on CNN. You just lost my readership to the BBC and Google News.
Eating meat consumes the equivalent energy of three 100 watt light bulbs turned on for your entire life. Meat requires enormous amounts of petroleum products to fertilize the corn, transportation of feed and livestock, and refrigeration. Its a complete waste of energy and the methane from cows is terrible for the environment. There's evidence that overcooked meat causes cancer as well.
CNN has gone the way of Fox News and other networks
Profits are more important then principles
I am sure the meat industry has some influence on CNN
Not everyone who reads CNN is a vegetarian.
You're a genius! You must work for CNN!
Ease up vegetarians. This article is funny. That is how it was posted. Every now and then we need humor in our lives. It is better than articles about non celebrity celebrities. I eat mostly vegetarian out of choice, but I love meat and especially fish.
This is not a funny article. It's glorifying and making fun of the institutional slaughter of tens of billions of animals a year. Is that funny to you? It's not funny to me.
I believe the screen name answers all your rants!
You are such an adult. I am so proud of you. You should take a screen shot and show your friends.... really.
If not killing animals makes me what you called me... I will own that with the pride
You might have a point if:
1. The article was actually funny.
2. They hadn't ended it with "What's your take on vegetarianism?" seemingly inviting serious discussion.
3. Tagged it with the word "Think"
Seriously, Percy? Did you buy your sense of humor at the dolllar store?
All of you commenting are obviously vegetarians who take themselves toooooooo seriously. He did say there are some great vegetarian chefs out there. Lighten up.
Everything about this post offends me. That's all I can say.
correction douche's
You speak French? You are an educated man.
even your correction is incorrect. The plural of "douche" is "douches". An apostrophe would be to show possession as in :"that douche's silly opinion".
You need way more corrections than that.
No liberal here (deutsch/douche ... that's crazee mon): NRA, LEAA (Law Enforcement Alliance of America), Bush-voter, 40 year CCW holder, National CCW supporter, need I say more?:-)
liberal hippy deutsch's, vegitarians one in the same
You spelled less words right than wrong.
aren't you a great spokesperson against vegetarians? Oh no wait, sorry, I meant "embarassment".
Deutsch? What the heck does being German have to do with anything?
servce up the steak tar-tar or any other red meat for that matter
Folks I think this was posted as a fun way to end the work week and you ALL are taking it way too seriously. Please have a good weekend.
Sure Richard, have a good weekend. Are you going to eat any animal products this weekend by chance? Do you think that cow or that pig or that lamb or whatever you eat is going to have a good weekend? What if I came by your house and slaughtered your dog or cat in your living room and started cooking it in your kitchen.... would that brighten your day up?
This is why vegetarianism has such bad PR.
Here you are, with a sound argument against meat consumption that's based in science and logic, yet all you can do is make some shrill, schoolyard argument and threaten to kill the guys cat.
This is why the issue is marginalized.
Depends...do you have a good recipe?
Daniel – it may seem like a terrible argument to you; to talk about eating his cat... but the very fact that you think it's a silly argument proves that you are hiding your head in the sand. An animal is an animal and slaughtering one is every bit as serious as slaughtering another..... particularly when the only reason it's being killed is to satisfy somebody taste. In many parts of the world a cat and a dog is considered food.... the fact that you can't comprehend it means you haven't thought enough about it.
Well Mike, Since we have the Castle Law here in Texas Your Fat Ass wouldn't make it through MY front door,with a shotgun blast to what you once called your dick. Now please have a great weekend.
you didn't answer my question Richard. What's the matter? Has your rage against what you known if true so intense that it's short circuited your brain? Am I supposed to be threatened by you?
The answer to both your questions is yes-and I will still shoot your pussy ass.
You're sad Richard; you have to resort to threats and cursing in order to get whatever point it is that you're trying to make, across. You just said that it would brighten your day if somebody came into your house and slaughtered and ate your dog.... I doubt that very much Richard. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Do you go to church Richard?
Dear Mike,Obviously you live in a theoretical world. When you make threats against me or my family,and my mother is dead so I don't have the honor or the pleasure of kissing or even speaking to her anymore,and You try to force your Vegan mentality on me-Well I think you get the picture. Now Please-try and have a good weekend.
It is you that is trying to force your cruelty to animals on me. I am causing less harm in the world than you are; I am a higher moral entity than you are. Don't like it? Change... Gandhi said you have to be the change you want to see in the world. I've made that step; if you'd like to stop fighting and join me I reach out to you now.
Why don't you go blow your "higher morale entity" up Gandhis ass! How's that change working for "Ya?
Once again... am I supposed to be threatened by you? It's not working.
Yawn,Your a joke-so you and Gandhi can now kiss and make up. Have a good weekend.
I think you're just trying to get the last word.
"preachy vegetarians" ? and yet it's THIS jerk who feels compelled to attack OTHER people's eating choices.
Apparently, 'they' should leave him alone with his choices, but it's okay for him to berate theirs.
Quick: A supermarket beef patty filled with antibiotics and hormones and rejected animal parts, or fire roasted tomatillo salsa?
which made your mouth water?
this guy is a moron.
At least Tony Bourdain is actually witty.
I've read a lot of the *sniffing* type of superiority here by the veggie-eaters. Meat, with acceptable levels of fat, is good for you. We in the Americas eat too much of it, and could cut back a lot. But we don't east insects for protein, and I personally have a problem with farmed fish from China (where they had skimmers go out to clean the green off the water prior to the Olympics so the rowers could row) where fish farms all live downstream from another fish farm with all it's antibiotics and feces. I also have a problem with vegetables from China that grow under clouds of sulfur and dioxin produced by Chinese factories. And we get a lot of our vegetables and fruits from China.
We are however, omnivores. Get over yourselves already. Tofu (a bean curd made by coagulating soy milk) is easily as destructive as eating meat. The energy that goes into processing this bean is easily comparable to feeding an animal grass and then slaughtering it. Factories are built to process soy beans into whatever we want. It is not a clean food, energy-wise. And it still tastes like s**t unless given a vanilla or chocolate additive, with sources unknown.
Look up cocoa sometime and see where it comes from, or just be happy your tofu is contaminated with artificial vanilla or chocolate, or that you are responsible for destroying a tree so you can have cocoa-flavoured white mold since you like 'natural'.
Wait, so your argument for meat is that they do fucked up stuff to vegetables in china? You might be as illogical as the author of this article.
Piece of crap argument. Site your sources.
"Meat, with acceptable levels of fat, is good for you" – Not true. Lie. Site your source. Even if it were... the cruelty that is inflicted on animals to get the meat outweighs any good.
"We are however, omnivores". We are, so we can choose where to get our calories. Eat your dog and your cat and then chase down a cow and kill it with your omnivore teeth. When you can do that, then you're an omnivore that can physically be an omnivore.... if you can't then you're a naked ape, go eat a banana.
"The energy that goes into processing this bean is easily comparable to feeding an animal grass and then slaughtering it." – Total BS. It takes thousands and thousands of gallons of water and thousands and thousands of pounds of grain to bring up a cow. Again, even if not the cruelty you're inflicting isn't worth any gain.
Pop a piece of raw steak in your mouth... tasty? I'll bet not... you're used to flavoring it... JUST LIKE YOU FLAVOR TOFU .. dummy
OWNED
215 points for Mike Hipp. -464 pts. for Rob P. Brain
You're right I will immediately go to get my sources.....Uh huh.
And I will immediately become vegetarian (still drink milk or some other animals products, and thus cheat), because I believe that a vegetable picked in a field, where some sweaty labourer who works 14 hours in a field with no clean, running water or sanitation facilities available, must obviously be better.
I wonder if he or she wiped their a*s with the right hand or the left hand before picking your perfect vegetables.
I don't know who you're talking about there Rob but I don't do any of those things that you mention. Thanks for thinking about me though.
Oh, my! You can't even spell: Cite!
You're right, I can't spell one of the thousands of words that I typed tonight! That gives me an error rate of about 0.0001! You have exposed me! What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
Humans are the only animal whose arteries clog when we eat meat. Are bodies are NOT designed to process it. Further, can your flat teeth or "claws" tear the skin of an animal? No. Anyone seen catching and eating an animal with his bear hands and teeth would be deemed insane.
Humans became the intelligent beings that we are because we started eating STARCHES (potatoes, tubers, etc). SEE, for example: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6983330.stm NOT because we ate meat. (SEE link). So, if you're going to try and tell me that humans are supposed to hunt because we're smart, the answer is NO. We're SMART because we DIDN'T eat meat. Humans are intelligent (and no longer primates) because we ATE vegetable, and are supposed to EAT vegetables. Why do you think kids freak out and cry when they're told a burger is the same as the cow they just fed hay to at the petting zoo? Oh wait, your parents probably lied about its source until you were already brainwashed with ignorance.
Open a book before you open your mouth.
And yes, I spelled *bare* wrong... Or maybe it was on purpose. Have you ever noticed that are hands are NOTHING like BEAR hands - a TRUE OMNIVORE, with sharp, huge claws?
*our
Word to my brother from another mother. Tell them like it is Mike T
... and the cultivation of grains was the basis of modern civilization.
Our physiology requires 60% Carbohydrates, 15% Protein, and 15% Fats/Lipids
In almost 40 years of vegetarian living and regular (near-daily) -intense- athletic activity I have only had difficulty supplying the fats. Basis of nutrition has been whole grains (brown rice, wheat, barley, millet, oats!!!, quinoa) and legumes (lentils and other peas, meng, adzuki, etc.). That's what I call the "business" part. Everything else is play :-)
Oh, the other 10%? That's the indigestible stuff!
Quantity of Grains::Legumes for complete protein (all necessary amino acids) = roughly 3::1 in cooked state.
Shame on CNN for publishing this article. Am I reading this correctly that it's actual purpose is to sway people away from a healthier way of living? Really, I wouldn't be surprised if the article was written by a lobbyist for the American Meat Institute.
Albert Einstein once said that "nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." And he was a pretty smart guy.
Yet he died with an awful haircut and a wife and girlfriend.
way to support intolerance of others, CNN, even if it is posed in a jocular manner. it's a personal decision, and this guy can go shove it. it's not funny to mock anyone for any reason.
I respectfully disagree, Emily. I think it's funny to mock this dumbass chef.
Go fuck yourself, Love.
You should meet the fellows in the ALF.
3. "Imagine a restaurant full of preachy vegetarians. Enough said. I’m kidding, of course. Some of my best friends are vegetarians, but even they have a tendency to be a little on the holier-than-thou side. If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us?"
Unfunny thing about that is that I know far more meat-eaters who are always in-your-face about their love of meat-eating, while most vegetarians I know have been completely cowed by this very same stock argument into never, ever mentioning their vegetarianism for fear of being seen as "holier-than-thou." Really sad that this guy can't see the irony (or at least didn't have the brains to acknowledge the irony) of the fact that, here he is cramming his meat-eating down our throats, and decrying vegetarians who do the same. What a simpleton.
No vegetarian I know has ever tried to force anyone to eat the way they do. So why are meat-eaters always so quick to decry vegetarians as preachy? Leads me to believe meat-eaters are actually quite threatened, or at least made to feel guilty, by vegetarians. Why can't meat-eaters just let vegetarians eat in peace?
Meat eaters have the guilt on them
They have to justify the cruel things they do so they get in the face of Vegetarians
Basically there way of trying to provoke the vegetarians and justify the things they do
This guy should stick to the cow tipping and nascar racing.
Spoken like a true rationalizing carnarian. The only point that isn't frivolous is the one about eating meat in moderation. The problem is that although it might be healthy to eat meat three times a week, it's impossible for Americans to eat in moderation. Carnarians feel they must eat meat three times a day. That is not healthy for us for our our environment.
I'm a happy omnivore, but I have to say that this chef's experience of vegetarian food must be very, very limited. Go to India, the home of hundreds of milliions of happy vegetarians, and you will experience fabulously tasty vegetarian cuisine. It's too bad most Americans' experience of vegetarian cuisine is so limited.
Why do you have to go overseas to experience amazing veggie food? Go to any grocery store in the country and foods from across the world are available. Learn how to cook, how about that? Tonight we had curried lentils with potatoes and tofu, last night it was country fried seitan and garlic mashed potatoes and the night before that it was roasted vegetable lasagna with stringy vegan cheese. Go veg and lower live longer, you'll be happier for it. You eat meat because you grew up doing it. Think of the cruelty that you're causing to the animals you're having killed in your name.
This is really disappointing. CNN, why do you suck so much now? What happened?
Meat makes me sick, the smell of meat or the sight of meat
I have been a vegan/vegetarian for about 12 years and once you get that crap out of your system it makes you vomit when you look at it or smell it
and as for #3
People are forcing you to be a Vegetarian because it is CRUEL what they do to those animals
Just as no one cared when the Jews were being killed and slaughtered in concentration camps, people need to speak up for those animals because no one speaks up for them
That is why Vegans and Vegetarians should never stop speaking up for animals
mooo,now please kiss my ass!
ElsieTheCow you are just a typical piece of crap
the goods news is your arterys are getting clogged and eventually you will get the payback you deserve
but sadly many innocent animals are being torture and killed as a result of the pieces of crap like you
I get the impression that your name was taken from your appearance.
Texas has the 13th highest rate of obesity in the US and according to its governor wants to succeed from the Union. Go ahead. Like to see how the State deals with its healthcare costs on its own.
Also, maybe I would eat meat if it wasn't pumped full of steroids and growth hormones. Spinach has never been linked to breast and prostate cancers whereas red meat has.
this guy is an idiot. he actually does not offer one actual piece of info that would validate his weak argument. yet another person i cannot wait to see get heart disease.
I love vegetarians. my girlfriend is one
> "If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us?"
Because the laws and moral standards we have in place are full of paradoxes when it comes to the murder of animals. Most people would not accept stir frying or sautéeing kittens and puppies, yet we turn a blind eye to doing this with pigs. In any system where the belief framework is rife with paradoxes, atrocities abound. Five hundred years from now, people will look on our attitudes and massacre of billions of "food" animals with the same horror that we look upon the savagery of our past history. And if anyone reading this is sympathetic to this cause, know that you have a chance to be part of a movement where you can shout out to your unborn great-great-great-great granchildren and say that you were one of the enlightened ones who refused to be hypnotized by the unthinking masses.
Amen, Mo. 9 months ago I turned my back on 25 years of meat consumption and haven't looked back since. 2 years ago I would have been one of the simpletons here making fun of vegetarians and joking about eating animals. Thankfully I've come to my senses and done a lot of thinking and research since then.
Congratulations. One of my good friends had a similar "conversion". When I was a kid, I used to make fun of my uncle for eating meat. John Stuart MIll: “Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption” We're somewhere between the ridicule and discussion stage, so the ridicule part is a necessary, healthy part of this process,
Oops. I meant "for not eating meat".
Wow, well said.
@Steve
I don't think anyone's claiming that humans are herbivores. Being omnivorous, however, means that we can choose where we derive our nourishment from. We can use the formidable intellect evolution has granted us to reasonably pick a diet that doesn't destroy the planet and cause animals with whom we empathize to live horrible lives (and we can do all this without really missing out on nutrients!).
But if you really feel compelled to adhere to a diet based solely on the arrangement of your teeth, the animal with the closest set of chompers is the orangutan (I believe). So have fun eating leaves, wood pith, fruit, insects and the occasional small monkey.
Talk about preachy. This "author" is the most insecure, whiny preacher I've met. ". . .[B]ut even they have a tendency to be a little on the holier-than-thou side. If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us?"
Right back at the hypocrite - did CNN vegetarian readers force you to be vegetarian? NO. Talk about being on the "holier-than-thou side." We are minding are our business, so shut it, and stop preaching to the choir. Just because you feel insecure around your vegetarian friends, and feel like they're preaching to you (even though they're probably not), it doesn't mean you should turn around and stereotyping all vegetarians.
If I want to be a vegetarian, let me do so in peace. No one is forcing you to eat meat, so why are you trying to force us?
If I want to avoid taking the life of animals for a few minutes of taste bud satisfaction, let me do so. Now THAT was preachy. Might as well preach since I've already been accused of it.
Finally, what kind of moronic "chef" thinks that squash is the vegetarian's equivalent of steak?! No one likes squash. That's like me saying, "Because when you walk into a resaurant, you never hear anyone say 'wow, those creamed cow eyes and tongue smell great?' Unless, of course, the cow eyes and tongue are made with penne pasta with marinara." Are you lost yet, "chef"? Let me help. Like squash, no one likes cow eyes and tongue. So, all of your points are weak and have no merit. There are plenty of protein and amino acid filled options out there that are very similar in texture and taste to meat. And no, I'm not talking about tofu. If you haven't been clued into these options by now, I'll assume it's because you became a "chef" through a 3-hr course one Saturday put on by Grandma Love.
I've been vegan for 30years and have never preached or pushed the issue. I will answer questions and guide people's curiosity about nutrition, especially those deluded that meat is the only protein. I'm healthy and look it and I have good genes and diet to thank for that. Meat eaters tend to not think about where their food comes from and will eat almost any type of flesh...you are what you eat...and I don't eat dead flesh. Being vegetarian/vegan opens a whole new world to explore outside of your meat and potatoes diet. Go educate yourself Texan because this article just goes to show how lazy and staid in tradition you are. Bet you vote Republican too.
I have been vegan for 8 years now and vote republican. Is that OK with you? or are you going to jump to another conclusion that all people who eat a certain way think a certain way too? I hate preachy vegans/vegetarians.......let people eat what they want......and eat what you want too!
sry for generalizing, but the article is a massive generalization...congrats of being vegan for so long.
fyi I'm vegetarian and would vote Republican if I was American. So I wouldn't stereotype too much. Animal rights and veg*nism is the only main "liberal" thing about my views.
The simple fact of meat consumption is that it's incredibly wasteful on a biological level. The basic rule of thumb is that you get a 10% yield from the food consumed by animals raised for slaughter, with every degree of separation from the original food source.
Every time you're sitting down to a 16oz. steak, glorying in your natural supremacy on the food chain, you're essentially throwing 9 pounds of usable food in the garbage. Kudos.
I'd eat a vegetarian.
Really? This is what you have to contribute to this article? You'd be a cannibal? I'm sure your mother is proud.
Q: How do you tell which guests at a dinner party are vegetarians?
A: Don't worry. They'll tell you.
Just like a meat-eater will launch into a lengthy tirade about how much they love meat the instant they find out you're vegetarian. Are you really so insecure about your life choices that you need to make fun of people who think differently from you?
A vegetarian has to announce that's he's a vegan or vegetarian precisely because the America is dripping in animal products you dip. Turn the equation around.....if 95% of the country were vegan and you ate meat... you'd announce that you'd like to eat meat at a restaurant. Take my advice; it's better to not speak and feel stupid than it is to speak up and prove that you are.
You should really feel stupid now for speaking too much!
and yet strangely I don't Richard. Maybe I feel like I'm speaking for the animals that you're eaten, not to mention the ones that I ate before I realized that I didn't have to.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Hey, Einstein. I have to ask because there is chicken base in the chip dip or there's beef base lurking in the vegetable soup. There are crab flecks in the spinach dip or there's anchovies in the Caesar dressing. So yeah, I ask. But it's just for information. Really, I promise I'm not there to rub your obvious issues in your face.
Unfortunately, the article and "Tim" are so ignorant!! I am sure that CNN could have posted a GREAT article w/research findings of GOOD reasons to become a Vegetarian!!! but of course...it might not be in their best interest!!! I have never eaten meat in my life (thank God)...and YES, I do talk to others about my reasons why I am a Veg...but so what, is like when Christians talk about their religion....you just want to let others know WHY I think the way you do....!!
It is unfortunate that most people forget about ethics when it comes to eating that animals...it's all about them forgetting that non-human animals are sentient beings..... just VERY SAD
so, his reasons boil down to:
1- meat
2- meat
3- vegetarians are annoying and make me feel guilty for eating my meat
4- meat
5- meat
what a thoughtful and well constructed argument. stick to cooking.
just SO ignorant and stupid...have pitty for you :(
lol ju, Mark is dead right. If you have pity for him, perhaps you could post some semblance of a more intelligent argument than Mr Love...
What a piece of drivel passing as an article. Modern industrial farming practices are killing the planet and the cruelty inflicted on the animals is beyond comprehension. That's why we shouldn't eat animal products you bunch of seriously challenged people. You eat meat because you grew up eating it; if you grew up eating a veggie diet then a veggie diet would be tough and cool.
Amazing…. what started as a light spirited article turns into a smear fest. The man is a Chef in Texas promoting himself and the food he makes. If you didn’t want fluff don’t click the link. As for the vegetarian being a healthier lifestyle, there are fat vegetarians. If you don’t believe so try attending a PETA function. Some of you need to relax….
I'll relax when Americans stop paying to have 20 BILLION animals a year slaughtered to satisfy their taste buds. I will relax when, instead of paying to have your animals slaughtered behind closed doors so you don't have to watch it, you chase down and kill your prey like a true omnivore does. "i eat meat because i have pointy teeth"... what a piece of crap argument. Let me see you use those teeth to tear through the throat of a gazelle and then I'll say you were built to eat meat.
I'm a 28yr old female, medium build.. and I could honestly say, I might not be able to catch those SOBs, but I don't think I would have any problem biting into one when hungry enough. A lot of people on here are saying that raw meat is gross.. to me, its not. I salivate at the look of a raw slab of beef. So.. don't claim that because your not man enough to dig into a live animal with your teeth that some of us aren't.
This is more fit for a local paper or web site in Texas....seriously, CNN.
Is this for real? Really?
I've been a vegetarian for about a year and a half now, and personally, I kind of feel offended by this.
I have NEVER preached, I don't care if you wan't to have a hamburger, it's you're life. This guy makes vegetarians all sound like they're doing the wrong thing by not eating meat.
People like him make me feel self-conscious about the way I am. This article is filled with cheap shots.
Why whould anyone ever roast a pumpkin at a tailgate anyway?
I am an aspiring vegetarian. If alll countries consumed meat to the extent that the US does, the eco-system that sustains human life would calapse within a relative short period of time. But I recognize that because you are as you eat, the vast majority of Americans (sheeple) are cattle being led to the slaughter, too unobserving, bloated, gasoius, and doped up on chemically saturated meat to be critical about anything, particularily thinking.
People in all countries eat what is local for them... Chinese eat fish and rice, because that's what's there.. we've been big on big game meat because that is whats HERE.. Its about location, not Americans just being big greasy disgusting meat-eaters.
Travis, keep on course. I did it 20 years ago and if I learned one thing it's that you can retrain your palate and you can also rethink what you're putting in your body. After you've been off meat for a while and accidentally get slipped some, you won't get the taste you remember, you'll taste all the chemicals in that meat, all the stuff it's pumped full of. Your palate becomes so much more refined when you're not dumping toxins and carcass into your mouth.
Yes.. And I have noticed that taste builds slowly.. when we ate broccoli for the first time, we didn't like it but then slowly the taste developed. I remember the same about a couple of fruits...
How is this news? Everyone knows meat is delicious!
If meat has so many growth hormones, why is my genital member still so short and thin!? HUH!?
Seriously, I thought the article was cute. And yes, I eat meat, but I'm not chronically constipated or in bad shape. I eat healthy meats in addition to tasty greens. Moderation, Ladies and Gentlemen.
As for animal cruelty... it's unfortunate, but you're not going to be able to convince the masses to give up their habits. My hope is that science somehow fixes all this because I DO DESPISE ANIMAL CRUELTY... I really do.
Maybe you should speak to your Jewish Rabbi as this sounds like a personal and very depressing subject.
when it comes down to it, meat, in moderation, provides much needed protein, iron and amino acids. As long as you don’t go overboard and eat one of those 15-pound burgers you see on TV, you should be fine." IS A LIE.
Tim Love should get some cow love and walk bow legged awhile. What a dip shit.
Can't believe CNN would waste space on this. Slow news day?
Keith, how do you know Tim Love is bow legged? The photo stops at his waist.
Vegetarians are yummy!
I agree with Steve. I have pointy teeth. They're clearly not designed for a vegetarian diet. Poor old @Frank with his "damage they're doing to the planet" doesn't get it, either. We can't damage a planet. All of the other planetary bodies in our system are unlivable hellholes. Earth is the odd one. Clearly the intended ecology of the solar system was unlivable hellholes, and I'm doing everything I can to bring Earth in line with the design. And if that means I have to eat meat to accomplish the goal, I'm willing to take one for the platoon.
Who's with me?
i think this article is cool mostly because i hate vegetarians
trust me, vegetarians hate you more
Matt & Pete... play nice.
Melissa, you might want to follow your own advice...uh, I mean scold.
cnn.com: temporarily hijacked by foxnews.com
agreed
Some CNN suit thinks these "stirring the pot" pieces are good. "A page view is a page view."
Not so much.
I believe I'll get my news elsewhere from now on.
This article (if it can be called so) has no place in a news website. Also, the reasons cited are beyond weak. I don't think I could have gotten away with this shoddiness even in a high school paper. I guess maybe the chef meant to be humorous and failed.
I would love to see a serious article on this topic.
The picture shows a red neck–enough said
Julie- where are you from... you keep mentioning redneck. Chill out.
This guy is an idiot, and this article is complete nonsense....I have been a vegetarian myself for 2 years, and of course have had instances where I do miss bacon and fried chicken, yet this guy has an article about him based completely off his opinion, he should maybe factor into his list the mistreatment of animals, and some morality into his list. I am not the type of person to push vegetarianism on anyone else, but if your going to put a list out on why not to be a vegetarian, your list should constitute more than just the fact that meat tastes good.
im a real man thats why i am a meatatarian
Or a meathead. Whichever.
I'm not a vegetarian but also don't eat meat everyday. This guy does not want vegetarianism forced on him but it trying to do the same with meat.
BTW – since I quit eating meat at every meal I no longer that blood pressure or cholesteral meds. And I am thin and started running when I was 56.
How did the douchebag make it to the front page??
Meatlover- ever hear of the freedom of speech?
You mean that thing he was just exercising?
Melissa, have YOU ever heard of the concept of free speech? Your version appears to be that you are the only one allowed to have an opinion. The world according to Melissa. Spare me.
Ah yes, the special version of the First Amendment that says that conservative idiots not only have the right to say whatever comes into their heads but that nobody else has a right to criticize them. See also "Doctor" Laura and her racist crap, etc. etc. etc.
Look at the redneck in the cowboy hat--enough said
Shame on you. I'm glad we're NOT related.
Humans are omnivores. Period. Just the shape of our teeth and the layout of our jaws (from thousands of years of evolution) is enough proof.
idiotic article!
With each fluff piece like this that CNN posts to its front page, it loses a little bit more credibility with me. What a waste of my time.
Jus like your response. Thank you for nothing. You can go back to mouth-breathing now. Maybe get yourself a bag of cheesepuffs while the adults with serious contributing power have a go at it.
protein and amino acids are one in the same in terms of nutrition... nice redundancy.... clearly we shouldn't take advice on nutrition from this guy
CNN expects us to take food advice from a chef who looks like her wishes he could be a cowboy???? ROFLMAO!
My guess is... you look horrible in a cowboy hat.
My guess is that you, sour "Melissa," are a middle-aged, pot-bellied man in a soiled wife beater t-shirt, spending your days and nights alone in a damp, fug-filled room, sending your misery out over the Internet.
OMG I love meat soooo much!
love meat? its ok just start with eating yourself.. be a man
Five reason's why this article sucks: 1. CNN, 2. CNN, 3. CNN, 4.CNN and last but certainly not least, 5. CNN! LOL! Serously though, the CNN bureaucrats want to push their meat agenda onto the public because they all have stock in meat companies and manufacturing plants. Eat your vegtables people..it's just plain good for your over all heath.
"Imagine a restaurant full of preachy vegetarians" – so this is not a "preachy" article?
Wow. That article was a complete waste of space.
And you my friend by commenting just wasted more!
Jeeze, Melissa...get a life!
This silly thing was posted at 5pm EST, and in 2 and a half hours it has several pages worth of posts (most disparaging, and many angry). So CNN Eatocracy wins, I guess. But I won't respect you in the morning.
When I am faced with pugnacious flesh eaters telling me I am a pitiful nutcase for choosing an organic, vegetarian diet, I just remind myself that most people who fill up on meat and skimp on the produce and grain are chronically constipated.
I hope Tim has plenty of reading material in his outhouse down there in Texas.
I love Chef Tim Love.He has soft supple hands as he jerks on my sagging teats to make some of the best desserts in the state. C'Mon people, this is Texas Humor-Tongue in Check so to speak. If you want a steak you go to a steak house which he operates.If you want one of the BEST Burgers in Texas,you go to The Love Shack! Get over your constipated selves and drink more MILK!
Fiona, again you are not a nice person. Stop posting. See a shrink.
What is your problem, Melissa? You are taking issue with someone having a bit of fun. You are the one who is not a nice person, and I suspect you are disturbed.
I've known the opposite to happen. My mom is vegan, she's constantly constipated, then full of gas, then has the runs. Same with my sister who is also vegan. My husband and I.. Never constipated, rarely gassy.. constantly normal. So I think your going to need to find something else to feel better about, cause that just don't happen.
Someoeone can be "vegan" and still make inappropriate food choices, like living on celery and peanut butter :-) Most people don't know that they need a base of grains and legumes for healthy "vegan" nutrition. If you have nothing more you will still be -strong- and capable. You will have all necessary amino acids and a good start on vitamins, minerals, and helpful plant chemicals not available from flesh-eating (flesh does not provide adequate vitamins & minerals). You could live better and longer eating only grains and legumes than if you ate only flesh.
Don't believe it, try it. Eat only flesh and you won't live long. Eat various grains and legumes and you'll be you ;-) ... and you won't have those problems that you described either!!!
Total fluff.
#2 isn't even logical. People walk into a steakhouse because they want steak. So of course they're not to remark on some crappy veggie dish that isn't the focus of the restaurant. Give me an authentic Indian vegetarian curry with fresh spices and herbs, and you bet I'll take it over steak.
On #3, I agree, I'm a vegan and I absolutely HATE preachy vegans. But I hate pushy meat-eaters that write fluff articles more. I mean imagine a restaurant full of them... yuck.
Why stop at animals? Why not eat your grandmother?
Because Grandmother tastes terrible. Doesnt matter how she is prepared either. A bunch of us tried it once, but never again, blech!
What a moron! Tim Love's "reasons" amount to nothing more than (1) he likes the taste of dead flesh better than vegetables, and (2) people will look at you funny if you don't eat dead flesh. If you want to have a serious debate about vegetarianism, bring it on ... I would welcome that. But this is just petty grandstanding by a fool who should keep his mouth shut when he's not eating.
The best reason not to be a vegetarian is that in your next life you get to play at being an animal that gets eaten.
If slaughter houses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.
Not really. It's just that many people today are two or even three generations removed from the source of their food.
I have no problem killing a chicken for the pot. Knowing where your food comes from is a powerful incentive to treat it well, with respect, so when the time comes to harvest your meat, you do so respectfully and graciously.
My problem is that chickens, pigs, and cows have been almost entirely converted into sources of food. There are very few natural (genetic reservoirs) types of these animals left due to breeding for characteristics, which is a form of genetic manipulation, and I can buy a flock of chickens that would be unable to survive without human help easier than I can buy a bacteria-free lime.
True free-range meat tastes more, and better, than the factory farmed meat sold in our supermarkets. You eat less of it (about 40% less) because it is more filling. Elk, moose, buffalo, and deer are good substitutes for factory farmed beef, and coincidentally cost about 40% more. But they are natural wild animals farmed (where I get mine) for meat.
well said......for a meat eater. :)
Ranjit right, and you shouldn't throw stones!
Why are meat-eaters so incredibly preachy and holier-than-thou?
Chloe, you personally know every meat eater? Wow.
Melissa, do you have nothing better to do than snap at every poster you dislike? Do you not understand that this is..what was it you said previously...a place for everyone?
You are a bit of a hypocrite, don't you think?
Without question, one of the lamest articles I've ever read.
So, then why did you stop your busy schedule to make a comment?
Being Married to A Vegatarian for 16 months was enough. Sorry I'm the original Burgur King – Give me a couple of Wendies Tripple bacon cheeseburgurs, Mayo only, Biggie fries ,Biggie frosty, Biggie soda & I'm happy or Since we don't have Wendies where I live – Carls Jr Double Western Bacon cheeseburgurs. If it is green I either Mow it or spray it with round up.
Apparently, the eating of meat-based junk food makes you lose your ability to spell.
Fiona, you're not nice. This article and discussion is open to all... good spellers and bad. Take a chill pill and go back to your dictionary.
Melissa, darlin', that's a liitle thang called a joke. Calm down and stop taking yourself so seriously. This thread is nothing but a big tease.
("Chill pill"? Is it 1997 again?)
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But if you notice, the main reason that CNN's Tim Love article says to eat meat comes down to taste. You should really try some of the amazing veg dishes around, they'll make you feel better too!
Check out all the good reasons why we should try eating veg:
http://www.suprememastertv.com/Be-Veg/
I LOVE MEAT!!!!!! But the sad truth is that when faced with the realities of what it takes to get that juicy steak to my stomach, it is truely terrifying. I have no arguments as far as your top 5 reasons for not going vege. But try killing all your own animals, face to face, and tell me how often you are eating a burger or steak.
We've been doing that for our entire stay on this earth.. Killing your own meat isn't as hard as you might think. A lot of us who have never lived on farms and had to do this for ourselves have just become "soft" to it all.
Not our entire stay . . .
. . . and science (the World Health Organization) years ago concluded that it is meat-eating that is unsustainable. If all human beings switch to vegan diets the activities of humankind will have to shift to provide more agrarian pursuits ... which is the fundamental key to human survival. For example, in case of national emergency, the only flesh that you'll be able to get will be Fido, Marley Cat, or the hapless human of convenience ... see it as it is, that's what humans do. If the supply chain is disrupted the aftermath will be ugly as the artificial structure fails. The truth of the agrarian way will be obvious ... farmers will survive until others arrive to take what they have. they will consume the animals of other species, then turn on each other. Face it. Whatcha gonna do about it, h'mmm?
Consider US Mil.Gov projections of a post-EMP scenario. Again, the agrarians with crops will survive -longer- than anyone else. Seed plants replenish faster than the flesh-providing animal species ... and the food that it takes to feed 1 pound of flesh can feed multiple people. Check it out to get the math correct. PhD not needed to readily "get it" that flesh consumption can lead to a dead end for humanity if/when pushed to extremes by calamity. It can happen anytime, eh?
What happens if/when the economy (another abstract/artificial system) fails?
Let's face it: the robber-baron society cannot last ... it's currently teetering and your meat supply can be gone in a flash.
If it ain't in the freezers of your local markets you will have none ... neither will the strangers who live down the block, regularly drive through your neighborhood, or troll your neighborhood looking for something to take home, capish?
It is immoral to take any life when there is another way to resolve whatever is at issue.
In general, if something -attacks- you, the woodgrain pattern of Natural Law may flow differently ... hence the need for broader/deeper understanding and reasoning. A mosquito can destroy you with its bite ... if you cannot ward it off, then you have no choice but to destroy it because you have a duty in preserving yourself. Whether or not they feel pain does not determine morality or ethic ... the dynamics of relationship, interaction, and motivation may help to clarify morality and ethics. When you consider that some organism can and will damage or consume/destroy you, then you must do what you have to do. In the East, this is called Dharma ... duty. This is logic, not emotion. Emotion is the motivating function that helps you to complete the required plan of action, nothing more.
If pain were the basis of immorality/ethic, then all human wars are immoral and unethical, no matter what relationships, dynamics, or motivations are involved. Many sports would be "immoral" (boxing, hockey, football ;-) so re: flesh-eating we have to reason along other lines.
All animal entities want to live just like "we" do (well, we're one of those animal entities) and we're in a position to choose. the choices that we make determine our health/longevity/survival outcomes. Flesh eating correlates directly with colon cancer ... can't deny it. Incontrovertible. There's a hint and a word is sufficient when we're wise enuf. the resolution of flesh-feeding-caused colon cancer is more plant food (fiber, heh-heh).
Closing: it's not about extending human rights to other animals, it's acknowledging our real position here. We are just "one of" the other animal species, really. If we were to become extinct the world and other animal species would get along really well without us (sobering, eh?) when it comes to being here we have no more right than the other animals, and the other animals have no less right than we. To determine what is natural we could spend some time in the rainforest. The truth is in the Wild, and when something like Katrina hits we get a glimpse of the Wild amongst our selves, our own kind.
In the universe, whatever is OK for you to do to someone else is OK for anyone to do to you. Someone actually includes the "other animals" or any species "we" may encounter.
if the tiger is hungry and it takes grandma, how can grandson complain after 30-40 years of consuming Bessie Cow's children and grandchildren? That's the dynamic, as practical and logical as it is esoteric.
OK, time for me to be shutting up, but consider: What should become of a species that dominates other species and "rears" them only to kill them, cut/slice/grind them up and eat them? Tons of them every day? if you close your eyes and think of all the breeding/siring, birthing, feeding/growing, killing, cutting, grinding, packaging, cooking, and eating, digesting ad defecating of other animals maybe the picture will be clearer. if another species shows up and does the same the animals of Earth, including the humankind ... will they be immoral/unethical or no? Would humanity have the moral motivation to raise more than a bare survival strategy against them? Survival is the most profound justification for a fight. The ecosystem may fight us yet (viruses and bacteria are the "tip of the spear").
Beautifully said, Swami.
This is a terrible article with, dare I say, no meat to it. Come on CNN, this is total fluff.
I travel both sides of the fence ,
I love a rare rare NY cut , uncured bacon , fire roasted chicken and stuffed pork chops with fresh apple sauce .
That being said , I love the eating BUT the body feels way lighter and more energetic if I go the fish and rice route .
Properly cooked , there are many tasty dishes that have no beef , pork or chicken .
But sometimes the brain craves the steak and baked potato with a finish of Haagen Daz .
There is a brain / body conflict and they each seem to get time ,
Especially now that there is a Denver based SmashBurger here with the onions sauteed in a garlic rosemary olive oil .
Then it is back to fish , rice and veggies for awhile .
k
Yeah, I was expecting something a little more insightful. Sadly, this is the type of "journalism" CNN.com seems to be reverting to these days, catchy headline with nothing behind it.
Anyways, my opinion on vegetarianism? Bravo to people who practice it and veganism. I was vegetarian for nearly a year for ethical reasons and went back for health reasons (I went to a low calorie, semi-low carb diet to lose 60lbs, yes this could have been achieved while maintaining a vegetarian diet but it's much easier if meat is in your diet) unfortunately I have not gone back. But I applaud people who do it for ethical reasons. Factory farming is disgusting, unethical, and just plain wrong. Not eating meat for ethical reasons doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing, start with buying only humanely raised and slaughtered meat, then start cutting back from there. It's all about reducing demand for unethical meat, every little bit counts! It's shameful for people to know that their meat comes from unethical farming practices but declare that they "just don't care." Shameful.
Veganism is a bit misguided in my opinion. While I think it is incredibly noble (if done for ethical reasons) I just don't think it's healthy. While I don't have any scientific research at my finger tips to back me up at the moment, I know humans are apes and apes are omnivorous. No matter how small the "animal" portion of our dietary pie chart is, it's not zero. My feeling is that to be vegan is to declare that humans know everything there is to know about human nutrition, and to me thats just not correct.
you know you just said humans ARE apes.......and also you seem to believe that a species cant evolve as far as what it eats goes. There is a 87 year old man who hasnt eating in 65 years and is perfectly healthy. Evolution requires a little WILL and DISCIPLINE :p
I'm sorry, but I respectfully disagree. The reason I am not vegan has nothing to do with discipline but everything to do with health. And a few decades of evolution is not gonna change human metabolism, we're gonna need a few million years for that. Yes, there are plenty of examples of people like the one you mentioned, but what I am trying to say is that it is of my opinion that diseases, of all kinds, will manifest at a slightly faster/higher rate in people on a vegan diet than those with animal products in their diet, on average. It would be impossible to prove this because you would need at least a few hundred people adhering to a strict vegan diet for several decades and several hunderd people eating a "normal" diet for several decades with both groups getting very frequent health checkups. Impossible. So, i'm gonna stick to a diet mostly devoid of animal products but not completely. I just think there are unknown nutritional benefits to animal products, thats it. I will also say that that "nutritional benefit" probably ends at about 5% of the average American's animal product consumption.
here is a question, if you had a child, would you raise them on a vegan diet? Why or why not?
I would just like to reiterate that I think veganism is noble, just misguided.
5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.
am I the only one that read that and immediately understood this was not a scientific article? more miserable people, looking for an argument.
You'll never convince die hard carnivores that killing animals to eat them is wrong. The only thing you can do is show by example and leave it at that. In the over 25 years I've been vegetarian I've learned that by example I can teach more than by preaching. America is exceedingly fat. Just plain fat. Fat is caused by eating too much. There is no secret to losing weight; stop eating so much. Fast food pushes their dead animals on America and the rest of the world as if it's "fun" and "tastes good" but in truth, we're getting fatter, sicker, and more stupid. We don't need to eat animals to be healthy and get protein, iron, or anything else our bodies need. Sure, it's funny to make fun of vegetarians, but the jokes are old. Raising animals to kill for food, hunting animals and killing them for food is barbaric. Make all the funny comments you like, then look around you the next time you're at WalMart or Costco. So many obese people. So sad, America.
Being a vegetarian or a vegan does not mean you are eating healthy foods. Twinkies are considered vegan as can french fries and potato chips. Vegetarians have a much wider range of unhealthy foods with candy bars and dairy products.
Basically what it boils down to is both meat eaters and vegetarians have to make wise eating choices.
Kudos to you Greg.
Just an FYI: Twinkies often aren't vegan, at least not the last time I checked. Hostess often lists animal shortening as a possible ingredient.
First off I don't make fun of vegetarians... and you should stop labeling people at Walmart & Costco as FAT.
Why?
Melissa, I don't mean any disrespect; really I don't. When someone is obese, they are fat. I'm not belittling them, I'm not saying anything that is not true. I don't like it when people call themselves "curvy" or "big boned" or "chubby" when in fact they are obese. I was in Costco just the other day and it was astonishing what I observed. MOST of the people were not only overweight, they were down right obese – fat. I looked at their shopping carts and they had huge boxes of meat, pizzas, pastries, muffins, whole milk, Texas toast, meat burritos; it was insane. I saw an entire family who was obese – Mom, Dad, two kids, and in their cart was the worst food one could imagine. By my "unscientific" observation, over 70% of the shoppers were overweight to obese. And more than a few were SO obese I couldn't imagine how they got out of bed. Am I being mean? No. I'm being honest. This problem has made America the laughing stock of the world and we just keep on eating. Outside of Costco is even worse. They have windows serving huge pizzas and ice cream and every obesity creating concoction imaginable. It's really become sickening what Americans have done to themselves. Really sad.
As a vegetarian I think this is a pretty boring and annoying article. Everyone knows eating meat can be good for you by giving you protein but you can get protein from so many things there is no reason for eating meat. That being said I would love for everyone to be a veggie but I know that won't happen so I don't push it on you so maybe next time CNN shouldn't post stuff like this to push on the world. There are so many wonderful reasons to be a vegetarian, much more this this chef's 5 stupid reasons not to.
And everything you typed is matter of opinion.
Vague article. Someone who eats meat (including myself) turns a blind eye to a lot of things. The amount of energy (in calories/joules) involved in growing animals to eat, violence towards killing the animal, seeing it writhe and groan in agony and then coming up with stupid reasoning like it tastes good (sure it does, seasoned it well didnt you- what was its original taste like, why don't you season human meat too) and it makes you stronger (sure it does, and you are going to be stronger to do what exactly? lift more plates at the gym more regularly and aspire to lift an extra plate?)
I'm not a vegetarian, but Chef Love sounds like a complete moron.
this chef is a moron, like most meat eaters who rationalize eating meat. hicks shouldn't listen to other hicks.
Paul- grow up.
This is the most unintelligent "news" article i have ever read. points 1,2, and 5 are pretty much the same argument re-worded. I would expect this kind of article from an unenthusiastic middle schooler.
"would expect this kind of article from an unenthusiastic middle schooler."
Or from a Texan.
Bob- SURPRIZE, meat eaters live EVERYWHERE! Ever have a buffalo burger in Colorado?
There's a reason we have teeth called "Canines" – they're for ripping meat, not celery. If we were meant to be vegans we'd have cud plates like cows.
To start, I'll say that I've never had a bite of meat in my entire life (I've run multiple marathons and set track records, so yes, I'm healthy and probably faster and stronger than you). And I've never preached. If someone has been curious, I let them approach me.
That said, this ridiculous article only serves to spread the general ignorance that the vast majority of Americans have regarding vegetarianism. To start, it's not only eating vegetables. Anyone who thinks that being a vegetarian is eating only vegetables is sadly ignorant. What happened to milk, cheese, eggs, beans, nuts, etc? And some of the veg proteins out there are amazing. Ever heard of seitan? Look it up, it provides more protein per weight than ANY meat. Look it up.
I'm also a physician, and most of the findings of the Weston A Price foundation and dangerously unfounded, in case anyone clicked on it.
Preachy vegetarians are annoying and give all vegetarians a bad name. But anyone who wants to disparage the choice before knowning anything about it is far more annoying and dangerously ignorant.
Doctor- for all your exercise & good eating I hate to tell you this but no matter what you do Your not getting out of this life alive.
This article is poorly written and it doesn't seem to have ever occurred to the author that a lot of people are vegetarians just because they don't like the taste of meat.
Yes, I would rather have creamed spinach...without bacon, than steak or any other meat item to be honest with you. I don't like meat. I don't like the taste of it and I don't like the texture and I don't like the thought of it. I never crave it and if I did have to eat it, I promise you I'd slather it in ketchup or some other condiment in hopes of drowning out the disgusting taste.
I promise you there are far more self righteous meat eaters than vegetarians. Most vegetarians will eat at a steakhouse (there are other things aside from steak on the menu) without complaint, while most non-vegetarians will whine and complain about eating at a vegetarian establishment. And you never hear vegetarians try to tell each other how we should eat or vegetables, while there are plenty of non-vegetarians who look upon those who put ketchup or steak sauce on their steak with disdain.
>>>Most vegetarians will eat at a steakhouse (there are other things aside from steak on the menu) without complaint, while most non-vegetarians will whine and complain about eating at a vegetarian establishment.<<<
So by your logic, a meat-eater not complaining at an establishment that DOES NOT have meat available should be analogous to a vegetarian not complaining at an establishment that DOES have vegetarian fare available. Hunhhhh?
i think this is actually a pro-vegan author trying to get people to become vegitarian simply becuase these are some weak reasons to not eat veggies. the # one reason to eat meat, because meat eaters are strong. veggie eaters are weak!
yeah honestly, how does such drivel get posted on CNN.
more like 5 reasons not to waste your time reading this article
This article is either idiotic or a send-up; the reasons are all nonsense. It's true that humans are natural omnivores. You can see that by comparing our teeth to the teeth of carnivores, herbivores, and other omnivores. But Melissa's comment is right on. The way that meat animals (especially cattle, chickens, pigs) are raised in the United States constitutes animal abuse of the worst sort – torture on an enormous scale. So I won't eat meat unless I can be certain that it was humanely treated while alive. In practice this pretty much makes me a vegetarian.
This is CNN front page story??? I need to send in my opinions of why all women should wear heels... I think now I have a shot at getting that in.
I was vegan for 10 years in my 20s. But I ate eggs because I lived in Canada and biked year round in -40F weather. Sorry, but you need some sort of animal fat to survive in those conditions. Then I switched back to an omnivorous diet in my 30s. My energy levels are very constant now throughout the day because I am not eating carbs all the time - with the associated carb spikes and dips. I eat only organically raised meat. I eat it during the day which keeps my energy levels constant. I was very healthy when vegan, but I feel healthier now as an omnivore in my 40s.
If you ate eggs you weren't a vegan, mjva. You remind me of a physician who, when I told her I was a vegetarian, asked, "Do you eat chicken and fish?".
You extra fat may have helped you in Canada but you may need something to help cool you down when your burning in Hell and Satan is poking you with his trident.
Hey, genius, you were never a vegan.
Also, you can find fat for your diet from places other than meat.
Useless article, written by a hardcore meat eater. Its surprising how CNN can publish such an article.
Doesn't it take something like 60 pounds of food to grow a pound of meat, generally? In a world with food shortages, this should disturb us at least a little! The greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the production and transportation of meat should concern us greatly. I eat meat approximately one meal per MONTH. A reasonable balance I think.
Indeed. The amount of extra people we could feed is staggering if Americans alone gave up meat. Vegetarianism isn't just an animal rights issue, it's an environmental, health and humanitarian issue as well.
As science shows, the body is made for an omnivore. This chef, surrounded by the land of ranchers is talking from his digestive habbits. If he would let his stomach relax, he would begin to see a different self. Until we allow our old habbits to rest for more than a second, it's hard to see a new perception, no matter how much healthier it would be.
Eat what you want and enjoy them. Sooner or later, we all die. Just monitor your health and excercise.
The only thing i'm going to enjoy is when I see you buring in hell.
my favorite dish is bacon wrapped bacon in bacon sauce. YUM!
BACON!
I like vegetarian food, but no way would I give up meat. We are meant to eat both meat and veg, and that's the way I like it.
This is the most idiotic thing I have ever read. Ever.
you're the most idiotic thing I've ever read
I rarely comment on articles, but i felt compelled to do so because this particular diatribe was worth it. I clicked on it hoping to find an intelligent, thought-provoking counterargument to the ever-strengthening calls for americans to adopt vegetarianism. I was disappointed, however, to find the machismo-fueled ramblings to a half-wit chef who thinks that his ability in the kitchen gives him the license to moonlight as a writer. Until this guy gets his GED, he should be banned from writing on any website other than myspace.
Seconded!
thirded. What a buncha baloney.
But tell us what you really think, Max. Don't hold back.
(I agree with you. This is CNN acting as shyte-stirrer, methinks.)
Bravo, Max. It seems that the purpose of the opinion piece was to trigger emotional responses - not to stimulate a rational discussion.
Oh, stuff a sock in it. What makes you an expert? Are you a science rat? Has someone done a case study on you... veggie verses mammal diet?
But the obvious difference, Melissa, is that no one is asking us non-scientists to write this sort of dribble for CNN. We aren't claiming ourselves as experts or philosophers when we point out that the author of this 'piece' provided absolute dribble. Come on Melissa, you're a sentient being, right? Use those few remaining brain cells and think critically.
Meat is one of the biggest pollutants in the world .
This is proven .
nough said
you cant say "this is proven. nough said" without offering proof. and there is none. guess thats why "nough said"
What a load of inane nonsense this item is. Not up to CNN standards - even flufffy food blog standards. Not even funny as a joke. You are insulting your readers here.
By the way, Tim Love, people choose to forgo meat for many, many reasons. i chose to be vegetarian for humane reasons. Someone else might choose to do so for health reasons. Some may choose to avoid red meat only, and some go vegan. Why should any of that bother you? How about if I turn your own peevish words against you:
"If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us?"
If I want to avoid meat, please eat your flesh in peace. Nobody (sic) is forcing you to be a meat eater, so why are you trying to force us?
Oh, and hey, Tim: ST*U.
Vegetarians are not any healthier, nor do they live any longer on average than anyone else who takes care of themselves.
There is no special place for vegans and vegetarians after death. You return to the earth like everything else, period.
whatever on point one.
on point two, this argument only works if you believe that the pain you cause the animals that you pay to be slaughtered for you is worth the taste of their flesh. If, because we all return to the earth, means that suffering is meaningless then you have a point.... otherwise, you should try to cause less suffering and not eating meat or using animals products is one way that you can greatly reduce the amount of suffering that you bring upon other living things, while you are here, before you return to the earth.
Every one of these statements seems to just be making fun of vegetarians. Why?
I love vegetables, and meat never sounds good to me... all the fat, and blood, and arterial tissue. No thanks.
Well, these are five entirely pointless reasons. I was expecting to find an article about how it may effect my health in some negative way. Whether it be a new found revelation about vitamins and minerals or the like but no. I've been a vegetarian for nearly a decade and hell yeah I miss meat. I don't eat meat because I think it gives me the right to preach, which I never, ever do (if it were the other way around, would I want some vegetarian preaching to me?), I don't eat meat because of the ways in which meat reaches restaraunts and the fridges and freezes of the local grocery store. Factory farming is disgusting, and not eating meat is just one small thing I can do in protest.
*don't not eat meat
jeez! *freezers
This is about the only good reason for being a vegetarian.
Yeah, pretty much. That's why I stick to it. If animals weren't so horrifically slaughtered just so I could eat, I might eat meat. Except red meat, never was a fan. Or seafood, gross.
No, this is an absolutely terrible, ignorant argument. Truckloads of animals die for vegetarian diets, but they aren't "big" animals like cows and chickens - they're small animals like field mice, shrews, moles, etc. You know, things that often live in huge fields of wheat and other crops.
To be vegetarian because you "don't kill animals" is stupid reason to be vegetarian. You kill tons of animals too. You just don't eat them afterwards. At least my diet doesn't kill animals for no reason.
To produce 1 lb of beef an average of 10-16 lbs of vegetation is used. So yes your diet does lead to the death of smaller animals as well, just to a greater extent. So you are killing even more animals for no good reason. This doesn't take into account how much water, land, etc it takes to produce 1 lb of meat.
Guy, I beg to differ. Obviously, you do not know me and what goes into my diet. I am very cautious when it comes the items that I purchase, whether it be the food I eat, the clothes I wear, or the soaps I use. As I mentioned earlier, I've been a vegetarian for nearly a decade, don't you think I've done more than a little research? Thank you for YOUR ignorant comment.
and you obviously missed my point. Animals that are killed for meat are born into horrific environments. They are packed into small spaces with animals their kind; they are shoved into small cages, pumped with hormones, and have their beaks cut off; they are fed what is basically trash and even remnants of their fellow animals. While small animals may be killed in the process of vegetation farming, at least these animals were leading normal lives before they met an untimely death.
Really, sorry you're reasoning seems off.
I eat meat every day but this has got to be the stupidest article on the subject of not being a vegetarian ever.
I was a vegetarian for a few years. I felt better. I didn't lose much weight, but I didn't miss meat. The problem was my vegetarian friends and their proselytizing. A couple of vegan friends went on a visit to my Mother. Mommie didn't completely understand the concept of vegetarianism. (Who does, really?) She purchased things that she thought we would eat. She baked a beautiful cake. One friend said, "Are there any eggs in the cake?" to which my Mother proudly responded, "Yes, six!" to which the vegans said, "I can't eat that!" I thought it was a tad rude. The straw that broke the camel's back was when it came to coffee. They turned down a well-known cream substitute because it had casein – a milk by-product!!! Then they went to a gas station to get a cup of coffee – and they put real milk in it!!!
I will consider being a vegetarian when I get over my love affair with bacon.
That is a bit strange. Your poor mother.
I don't eat meat, but I think your friends were rude to your mom and sanctimonious. Not the best ambassadors for vegetarianism.
Your friends need to take a lesson in tact. What awful behavior.
Seriously? What is rude about asking if something is in a food product that you have no desire to eat? Get real.
This articles lack of intellectual 'meat' and 'profound' reasoning make me want to be a vegetarian. Yeehaw!!..what an idiot!!
Oh, and this: http://www.beyondveg.com/
never mind...Let vegans/vegetarians be...more meat for me!
Absolute ignorance.
really, this article made it to CNN? I'm changing my homepage.
And just so any vegetarians come on stating they live longer then meat eaters read this.
http://www.westonaprice.org/abcs-of-nutrition/267-myths-of-vegetarianism.html#7
Honey, that article is merely from an online newsletter.
Do you have any peer reviewed articles to back up your argument? If not, it's pretty meaningless.
How long I live isn't the issue.
Trying to leave the place better than I found it is.
You can't read? There are numbers next to many of the sentences. At the bottom of the report are also numbers. When you read a sentence and there is a number go to the bottom of the page for the same number and there is a link to the scientific evidence to back it up. However don't worry about it. In fact don't do what I said because if I have to explain it to you then you won't believe any of the mass amount of "scientific evidence" displayed on that report.
That's an article? The only useful piece of information is that meat has some essential nutrients. The rest is drivel. I'm a vegetarian and I don't bother my friends about whether they eat meat, but is the fact that some do a reason NOT to be vegetarian?
The argument is: Meat tastes better. That's brilliant. Looks like someone was on the elementary school debate team.
I'm sorry, how is that not a legitimate reason? DO you go out to a restaurant looking for the worst tasting food you can find? No, you don't, nor does anybody.
What a food taste like to somebody is an absolutely valid argument, period.
Dude, ID was being sarcastic.
Different things taste different to different people; I eat meat, but I absolutelly love the way vegetables taste. Their flavors and different textures are delicious. Seriously, a squash would make me drool just as much as a nice steak.
The reason his 'meat tastes better' argument is invalid is because its all dependent on individual tastes.
Is Meat tastes better than Vegetables..???
U can eat many vegetables w/o cooking... for eg., lettuce, tomato , onion , etc...
Is anyone tasted raw 'meat' ??? NO.... Why, if it tastes delicious ??? The real taste comes from the process of cooking food. (veg. or non-veg.)
@patel-Yes, we do it raw meat, steak tar-tar, sushi, the primary reason for cooking meat is to kill parasites and bacteria that may be living in or on it. I love SUSHI, raw fish is delicious. Most vegetables are pretty bland without seasoning and cooking them, go eat a raw potato, tell me how delicious that is. A balanced diet is the best way to go, you can be a vegetarian, but if you still eat eggs, are you not still killing a living thing? "How come when its a human, we call it an abortion, but if its a chicken we call it an omelet?"– George Carlin I dated a girl once who was vegan, she use to say that "animals are friends, not food" but she would never shake hands with her friends the lion, the tiger, or the bear when we went to the zoo... I thought that was awfully rude, and a terrible way to treat a friend.
Tastes better – that's actually one of the better arguments I've heard. Simple, not drawn on possibly poor science, and certainly correct.
Taste is subjective and depends more on the how things are cooked and what spices and flavors are added ( thats why this chef has a job). And also taste gets built slowly.. You usually like things similar to what you have been eating your whole life... So the statement "meat tastes better" doesn't apply to all.
I'm not a vegetarian. But seriously, is this a joke? This article makes meat eaters look like a bunch of brain dead numskulls. Please stop wasting webspace and bandwidth on droll like this. There are much more intelligent and savory arguments to eat a balanced diet of meat and vegetables. This looks like taking a teabagger's argument for conservatism instead of the several more sensible ones.
Dolt, I agree that a balanced diet is the way to go. I enjoy meat as well. However right now there is a huge imbalance in the amount of meat being consumed in America vs rest of the world. To fuel "my balanced diet", did you know what a horrible impact we as Americans are having on water, land, oil, destruction of ecosystems and fueling terrorism? Its miopic to look only at "my balanced diet", when the harm I am doing to myself (because of the harm I am doing to water, land, humanity in poorer countries...) is way greater.
Check out what I mean at http://tinyurl.com/2voz362
“We are all God’s creatures–that we pray to God for mercy and justice while we continue to eat the flesh of animals that are slaughtered on our account is not consistent.” Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nobel-prize winning author
Those who have forsaken the killing of all; those who are helpmates to all; those who are a sanctuary to all; those men are in the way of heaven. Hitopadesa (Hindu)
“I do feel that spiritual progress does demand at some stage that we should cease to kill our fellow creatures for the satisfaction of our bodily wants.” Mahatma Gandhi
“Nonviolence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all living beings, we are all savages.” Thomas Edison, inventor
Beautifully spoken truths.
Eating animals is wrong. – Hitler
Who somebody is doesn't make what they say true or false. It's our ability to discern the truth. You, apparently, judge the book by the cover.
Absolute rubbish. There is no afterlife. This life is all there is, period.
Spoken like a true meat eater.
I'm actually a vegetarian who believes this, which is why I try even harder to leave this place better than I found it. I don't know if that's possible, but I do as little harm, cause as little misery and suffering as I can, and part of that, for me, is not eating animals. So it can go both ways. You can do as much good as you can possibly do while you're here out of consideration for all the creatures left behind OR you can cut as wide a swath of self-important misery as you can before you slide, chemically embalmed, into your synthetic coffin.
Also – The only thing Edison ever invented was the idea to get tons of brilliant help then steal their ideas from them. It still didn't work for him as Tesla eventually escaped and drove him nuts by finding a more efficient way to distribute electricity.
Thereby advancing the ability to cook delicious animals for modern man. Take that Edison.
"Supper ain't supper unless somethin' dies..." Dave
Then let it be you, Dave. You sound like a real 'somethin.'
Do all the wolves have to die then, since the only thing they can eat is meat? (Pretty sure that's a rule)
Everyone's life arranges according to their choices. So remain a meat eater walking the path of a meat eater. It is your own sacred choice, and everything that comes with that choice is perfection - in the form of karma that you'll carry until you evolve to a place where you see fit to let it go (change/evolution/enlightenment - pick your semantic). The wolves will have that choice as well. How did we get out of the amoeba pond anyway, but by choice?
Here we go.... finally you have found difference in human and animal....Fox is an carn. animal it has to eat & basic need is flash & can survive human being are special mankind is gifted with Servo...[brain ] Utilize Sil vouplez.
Thank you for offering these quotes. They are blessings.
Sounds like something my creepy Conservative redneck uncle would write. Great, CNN. Just great.
You would actually be surprised how many Democrats sound like their redneck RepuGlican counterparts when it comes to the idea of vegetarianism. Just looking at the posts here gives you a pretty good idea given that most of CNN's readers are centrist or left but they pounce on the red meat thrown to them by this article.
The fact that CNN chose to publish this article only exemplies the kind of muddle they are in these days trying to stay in the middle while secretly wishing they could be like MSNBC. They are just pathetic when it comes to intellectual honesty. They try to "make" news which is the problem.
The best counterpunch to this article is at http://tinyurl.com/2voz362 shared by another user.
Wow, what POS article. Nice work.
I'm a vegetarian and it's the best decision i've ever made.
I have been a vegetarian for a year now and I concur... best decision I have ever made. I feel so much more energetic and responsible. However that doesn't mean in any way that I am better or worse than someone who eats meat. It's a matter of CHOICE. I am as healthy as ever, don't have any iron or vitamin deficiency by any means and my protein intake is normal if not a little above specially since I just started building up.
Some vegetarians, just as any other group will claim to be holier-than-thou at times, but that doesn't mean that it's a fact. I however do not think that humans evolved thanks to a meat based diet, since even the FDA recommends meats shouldn't be at the base of anyone's diet. Evolution happened because of thousands of things.
I have a lot of vegetarian friends and it seems that the meat-eaters are more the ones to act condescending and argue that people need meat (usually their big point is "it tastes good"). Of course this guy wants people to eat meat- his restaurant makes lots of $ from people eating meat. People should simply do the research on the best diet for them. Regardless of what you decide, at least make an educated choice and keep an open mind.
I agree with your observation about carnivores. I'm a vegetarian but the harassment I sometimes get from carnivores is beyond the ridiculous – some even get downright aggressive and defensive when I refuse to order a meat dish at a restaurant. It seems they have to defend the fact that they're consuming a piece of meat, though nobody confronted them about it. Maybe all that meat makes them aggressive, another sign that meat is bad for you as far as I'm concerned.
I have never once even thought of making a negative comment to a vegetarian regarding what they eat, order to eat, or think about eating. But I can't tell you how many self-righteous, holier-than-thou, "OMG, you are NOT going to eat that!" kind of people me and my meat-eater friends have run into. We are considered disgusting, vampirish, and murderers. I don't judge vegetarians at all; I would appreciate it if they would not judge me. Unless I'm eating them or their relatives (which I would never do), what I eat is not their business.
Ashley- Good for you.
He left out the most important fact. Humans must have Vitamin B-12 which only comes in a useable form from meat. Some supplements claim to make it from vegetables but that is not in as useable form. Lack of Vitamin B-12 in pregnant vegan women produces babies with brain damage and lack of Vitamin B-12 in adults results in loss of brain function.
Being Vegan is hazardous to your health.
Do your research. B-12 is available in supplement form, sometimes in a much more healthy dose than found in meat.
Unimpressed, your 'research' does not impress me. Non-meat sources of B-12 are unstable and very little of it survives your upper digestive tract. There is a reason why so many people need B-12 *shots* and that is it.
There's nothing wrong with eating meat – its just a question of WHERE your food comes from. This is true of both vegetarians and omnivores. If the option is eating meat from cows fed growth horomones and then having the meat treated with ammonia and other chemicals to try to kill of bacteria versus just vegetables, then pass the greens please.
The US would be better off if we all said NO to unhealthily raised food.
Arjun, there is a bigger reason to stay away from meat as much as possible. And that is ecological. Currently the amount of resources that are being used to feed a nonveg diet is simply not sustainable. Great explanation of all the facets involved – water, land, air, animals, humans – is at http://tinyurl.com/2voz362
On Aug 21, 2010, we (as a species) overshot the total available resources from earth for this year. Check out details by googling for Earth Overshoot Day 2010.
You are right about the only excellent source of B12 are animals. But humans are animals, so we produce it, just like cows do. But cows for the most part are vegetarian (grass, hay). We start running out of ingredients to make B12 when we don't eat a balance diet with lots of greens. You are on point about B12 deficiency and fetus issues. It happens. But it is a poor case to eat meat.
Actually, your right and wrong. Our bodies do produce b12, but its produced in our lower intestines and is past the point where our bodies can absorb it into our systems. Animals on the other hand, produce it, and are able to absorb it through their bodies (Meat). Vegetarians are probably the healthiest of the bunch as long as they eat eggs, and drink milk which are extremely high in b12. Vegans on the other hand, are 90% of the time testing is done are seriously lacking b12 so much so where it actually has started to already effect brain function.
There is NO vegetable which contains b12, except in trace amounts, but the moment the vegetable is washed (Its on the dirt that's ON it) then the b12 is gone, or of no useable value.
Here's another reason not to be a vegetarian, humans didn't evolve their massive brain capacity from a diet of nuts and berries. It came from a diet high in animal protein. Simply put, we're hard wired to eat filet-o-critter. Besides, if man wasn't meant to eat other animals then why were they made so delicious?
And there are plenty of alternatives so you don't need to eat meat to get those.
I not vegan, but there is no scientifically verifiable evidence that this is correct. There is no correlation between meat eating and bigger brains. Gathering and small game comprised the majority of the human diet (prior to the advent of animal husbandry). Big game hunting was precarious and infrequent. Its only with the advent of animal husbandry and agrarianism that increases in animal protein in our diets occurred. This is well after the increase in size of the human brain. The scientist who was peddling this hypothesis was discredited by a majority of his peers.
small game isn't meat? how big does an animal have to be before it's considered meat? i guess i'll ask my girlfriend. seriously though, organized mammoth hunts are documented in both cro-magnon and neanderthalarchaelogical evidence. how much further back should we go in human development to document "big game?"
Cooked food especially easily digestable cooked animal protein facilitated mankind to evolve from screeching monkeys to what we are now, it gave us more time on our hands to make tools and yes time to start thinking rather than keep munching on grass and leaves on trees which are difficult to digest even for true herbivores and end up with lot of gas- methane.
Man became am omnivore because it was a easier and better way.
yeah- we evolved to have big brains as a byproduct of eatting meat, but we're not designed to meat. We're the only carnivores not designed by evolution to eat meat (i.e. fangs, claws, etc). Do more research please.
Wanna bet? I could bite a chunk out of ya easily lol
There's a reason some of our teeth are called "canines"...
"Several deaths and thousands of poisonings linked to pre-packed salads and baby spinach have sparked outrage in the United States."
- http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/37953/consumer/hidden-chemicals-fruit-vegetables
And that was only the first link that came up. The picking, packing, and shipping of vegetables is not done by people who have access to running water and a toilet every 50 yards. Much is made of e-coli from animal sources contaminating food, but little is ever told about how human sourced contamination (such as from seasonal workers not washing their hands after they defecate) is as much a vector as any other animal.
You enjoy your spinach, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, peppers, apples, peaches, etc. They are not cleaner than meat.
By the way, one of the largest sources of imported and cheap food is China, which " doesn't have any legal restrictions on levels of pesticides and bacteria." – from the link above. I'll eat my USDA or Canada Grade A beef, pork, and chicken over snap peas from China any day.
@dp(dieplease): the 12 front teeth in your empty head are for tearing and rending flesh (canines, incisors). we don't have claws because we had clubs, spears, arrows etc. other carnivores without claws include snakes and most fish.
Our teeth did not evolve like other carnivores because we discovered the use of fire to cook meat and make them easier to eat and tools to kill them and cut them up to bite size delicacies
This article is so stupid. Some dumbass hick telling people that they should eat meat because it tastes "delicious". To me it tastes nasty, and secondly, where is the scientific backup to say human's brains evolved from eating meat? What we know for sure is that neanderthals ate ONLY meat and disappeared from the face of earth. And horses have the strongest musculature of any animal-they can run for hours- and they are totally herbivore. They are way smarter than lions too, so using that analogy we should not eat meat, I guess
Horses smarter then lions? I don't think so.
You ask for proof where is yours.
I am so tired of one adult telling another adult what to eat. I am a meat-eater. You will not change my mind with all the chatter in the world and I will not try to change yours because I don't care what you eat. If you are not my underage child, it's none of my business, and vice-versa. If you tell me you ate something and it tasted great, and maybe I might enjoy it, that's one thing, but otherwise-don't need to have you trying to boss me around. And I won't even be trying to boss you around.
Can't tell how much i liked your honest opinion.
@"TheTruth" - oh where to begin...Firstly, your argument that horses are large and strong even though they're herbivores is ridiculous, especially the part about them having the "strongest musculature". Cattle, which are also herbivores, are stronger than horses ( a 2000lb bull can easily out power a 1000lb horse). Moreover, Gray Wolves have are known to hunt large herbivores (such as elk, deer, bison and horses) by persistence hunting, which means that they run their prey to the point of utter exhaustion. In other words, canines can run farther and for much longer than a horse. Even humans are known to practice persistence hunting (both now and in the distant past). As for horses growing big and strong on a herbivorous diet, they have evolved a highly specialized digestive system that enable them to eat nothing but grasses. I dare you to try eating even just one meal of hay, let alone subsisting off it regularly.
Secondly, horses are generally considering to be among the lesser intelligent mammals on earth. By way of comparison, donkeys are much more intelligent, which is why they've been crossbred with horses to produce mules - an animal with roughly the size, stamina and strength of a horse, but the general level of intelligence of a donkey.
Even more importantly, in comparison to lions (or any other predator), horses (and all herbivores) are less intelligent simply because they don't have to be as smart. After all, they have a captive food source that literally grows out of the ground and can't evade being eaten at will, whereas carnivores (predators) must hunt their food, which involves strategy, tactics, planning, even teamwork. In fact, one could argue that the higher level of intelligence in predators correlates to the higher levels of protein and nutrients in a carnivorous diet.
sweet, i didn't realize anyone was there when we evolved our brains.
you must be really old.
is meat your fountain of youth?
Actually the evolutionary brain jump came when humanoids started eating fish .
yea thats a load of garbage and that's why there are so many more people dying of cancer these days. besides, when you do get cancer, they tell you to eat more green leafy vegetables, not more meat!
SharkMan2: Myth, myth, myth. Man didn't evolve brain size because of meat. It was because of incremental information processing. "Use it or loose it."
This is your biased and non-scientific opinion. Sure you get a little bit more protein and amino-acids (from what you said) but what about the growth hormones you consume when you eat meat? Can anyone say that their meat is free of chemicals like BGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) or do you even care? I am surprised that CNN would even post this ridiculous article on their site. Double thumbs down.
I can say that my meat is free of chemicals and growth hormones because I personally prefer to go out of my way to find a good local butcher or the local farmer's market to get my steaks. Nothing beats the taste of a thick, juicy, grass-fed slab of cow.
Watch Food Inc. Assuming they are not lying, most (if not all) feedlot operators give their cattle corn-only diet. Cows are not meant to be on a corn-diet. The concept of grass-fed cow is an illusion.
@DumberC: go to a farmers' market. you can meet your cattle farmer and often see the cows grazing in pastures not in cornfields. Several of my friends work in greenmarkets and one on a farm that raises cattle both dairy and meat; all pasture fed grazers, no corn.
Hey, Billy bOB you may think nothing beats the taste of that Juicy Steak but I tell you when you watch the meat eating demons burn in hell there just ain't nothing like it.
Can anyone say that their meat is free of chemicals. Can anyone say that their vegetables are free of chemicals? Unless you grow them and test the soil yourself. You don't know.
mbuissink- I've grown my own organic garden and have tested the soil for 14 years. Ask me how much I pay for a tomato these days... but, guess what, I like a little red meat now and again! MODERATION FOLKS. MODERATION.
I can say my beef is free of hormones, I got it from my brother who farms and ranches.
If most of the population can say that, then being a vegetarian does suck. lol .. but that's not the case.
Well, heck yes, I sure can say my meat is hormone free and antibiotic free. I am very careful where I buy my meat, and what kind I buy. I am not a cow, don't want to live on grass, and I love meat! I also love vegetables and fruit and have a wide variety of all in my diet. I'm watchful about where all of it comes from......
THe good thing about life is that we can try to find some common ground. I am not a meat eater but I there are things in life that I also love. You love to eat meat and I love to watch people who eat meat burn in hell.
You aren't allowed to use growth hormones for chicken. It's illegal, so I'm as sure as I can be that my chicken is fine.
Now as for some of that produce I've seen in the grocery store... I didn't realize that seasonal fruits could be good year-round! I'm sure that has nothing to do with chemicals.
I actually prefer the taste of grass fed beef, but to make sure I am getting the carcinogens I crave, I go to my local butcher who makes sure the cows he processes smoke at least two packs a day.
hahahaaaa
Niman Ranch raises organic life stock without the additives and Foster Farms is based on an all vegan diet without hormones etc .
( remember the ads with the chicken that was rejected by FF because his Xray showed pizza ? )
And how do you tell a vegetarian? By the response to this article.
Seriously, there is no vegetable source of B12. Without supplements of some sort, vegetarians cannot live. Vegetarians seem to ignore this part of human development history. The info is readily available out there, look it up.
All of the Vitamin B12 in the world ultimately comes from bacteria. Neither plants nor animals can synthesize it. But plants can be contaminated with B12 when they come in contact with soil bacteria that produce it. Animal foods are rich in B12 only because animals eat foods that are contaminated with it or because bacteria living in an animal's intestines make it.
Actually vegetarians can get the B12 from eggs and dairy. Vegans on the other hand do need to supplement. This is why there are no traditional (nonmodern) societies that are vegan. Hindus, Jains and buddhists all eat eggs and if not lactose intolerant dairy. Just more proof that as omnivores we need some sort of meat.
just goes to show how much research you've done on the subject and have just repeated misconceptions like a mindless parrot (no offense to the parrot). your body doesnt need much B12 and my sources are always vegan – try seaweed thats in your sushi or an avocado...you don't need any more B12 than that. DO YOU RESARCH AND STOP REPEATING WHAT THE MEAT INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT TELLS YOU. LOOK AT FOOD PYRAMIDS FROM THE LAST 50 YEARS AND YOU'LL SEE HOW IT'S CHANGED TO FAVOR VEGETABLES.
B12: You can supplement or easier even to buy your soymilk fortified with B12 and calcium. There are breakfast cereals like All Bran, too that have 100% of the B12 required. it's a no-brainer. Just eat a varied diet, animal free. No supplements required.
"Several deaths and thousands of poisonings linked to pre-packed salads and baby spinach have sparked outrage in the United States."
- http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/37953/consumer/hidden-chemicals-fruit-vegetables
And that was only the first link that came up. The picking, packing, and shipping of vegetables is not done by people who have access to running water and a toilet every 50 yards. Much is made of e-coli from animal sources contaminating food, but little is ever told about how human sourced contamination (such as from seasonal workers not washing their hands after they defecate) is as much a vector as any other animal.
You enjoy your spinach, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, peppers, apples, peaches, etc. They are not cleaner than meat.
By the way, one of the largest sources of imported and cheap food is China, which " doesn't have any legal restrictions on levels of pesticides and bacteria." - from the link above. I'll eat my USDA or Canada Grade A beef, pork, and chicken over snap peas from China any day.
Wow this is such a serious and worth while article. Thanks for the fluff cnn.
What a ridiculous article from CNN and getting front page coverage. Meat eaters have no idea how much damage they are causing to the earth with their selfish ways.
Check out http://livegreenseegreen.blogspot.com/2010/08/vegetarians-are-right.html for way moe reasons to go vegetarian.
Also I am sorry to say that all you meat eaters have been totally deprived of greater vegetarian food. Try Indian vegetarian food in the home of an Indian friend. The friend would love to show you how wonderful indian vegetarian dishes smell and taste- cooked ladyfinger (okra), cauliflower, a dozen different types of beans, bitter gourd, snake gourd, sweet gourd, ridged gourd, stuffed capsicum, mashed eggplant, turnip, cabbage, pumpkin, jackfruit, methi...
Reason#3...
Oh man, somebody's butthurt. Poor vegetarians.
I avoid meat as much as possible, and my wife is a strict vegetarian. Neither one of us pushes our culinary decisions on anyone else. Yet, I find just as many meat-eaters (family and friends included) go out of their way to pick fights with us. Calling vegetarians preachy is just as much of a sweeping generalization based on confirmation bias as calling meat eaters obese, lazy, greedy mouth-breathers. Both generalizations are terribly inaccurate, but you sure as sh1t can point out some notable examples on both sides.
The only thing I've ever eaten that passes the meateaters (mine) smell test when it comes to eating a meat free meal is okra, so there I agree with you. However, for easily accessible protein (without worrying about special combinations of foods to make sure that a whole protein is ingested) meat is the only way to go.
Humans have been omnivores for millenia, and generally eat everything that is edible. It is only cultural preferences that places certain creatures off limits. Some cultures eat insects, while others eat dog, horse, and certain types of fish that are hatefully ugly. While I may agree that factory farming methods are horrible and horribly torturous for the animals, and some meat processors would agree, but are actually required by law to kill an animal in a certain way (stun) that is more harmful to the animal than a simple beheading, I will continue to eat meat, along with everything else you mentioned.
I like my different squash, cabbage, zuccini, okra, potatoes, beans...etc. beside the most efficiently digestible form of protein available. And I don't care how many more people we could feed if we were all vegetarian. We need less people. Blame that on the Catholic Church, and on cultural imperatives in many countries to have as many kids as you can have even though a few of them starved to death last year.
Vegetarians and their holier-than-thou way is just stubborn and ignorant. You say you are doing your part against farm animal populations by choosing not to eat them thereby denying the farmers your particular market. What am I doing to help with the animal overcrowding? IM EATING THE FUCKERS! NOM NOM NOM NOM!
Frank, go f*** yourself... I'm going to eat a big fat steak tonight and love it. Humanoids have been eating meat since before they could walk upright. I guess according to you even animals shouldn’t eat each other. You are the epitome of reason #3 and why people hate vegetarians. BTW I have had vegetarian Indian and yes it is delicious but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to eat an animal. I hope you choke on a squash.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/images/bigpot6.jpg
And would you serve all that with veal or mutton?
Frank, Frank, Frank! I think you are anemic and not getting enough oxygen to your cellulose-clogged brain. You need some nice, red meat to boost your hemoglobin. As previously stated, you are completely justifying the author's comments about vegetarians and their holier-than-thou attitudes and why us meat eaters can't stand the lot of you. All your little tidbit nuggets of information about if you combine this vegetable with this one and a little tofu-de-beast gives you all your essential amino acids gives you one thing - a bad case of gas. Has anyone ever smelled a vegetarian - they smell like a septic plant. Frank, if you want to live a life eating only vegetables and somehow think that it will save the world, then power to you. But please leave your anti-meat diatribes on the side of your plate...kind of like I tend to do with most of the plantlife on my plate.
I agree. Shame on CNN for publishing this article. Am I reading this correctly that it's actual purpose is to sway people away from a healthier way of living? Really, I wouldn't be surprised if the article was written by a lobbyist for the American Meat Institute.
Albert Einstein once said that "nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." And he was a pretty smart guy.
How sad, Frank. I can indulge in all you can (yup, I do like vaggies) but you, poor soul, cannot indulge in what I can. That makes you the big loser here. I mean really, steak is delicious, and in moderation perfectly healthy. You're missing out on the good life, chap.
understand that this was an opinion based article....and you hardcore veggies leaving comments and telling us that this guy is is trying to impose meat upon us is no different from this guy telling us reason #3. its NOT to say that all I eat is meat...far from the truth. I DON'T impose what to eat on anyone else other than..."oh, this salad is good! Try it!" or "this is a very good kalbi rib. Would you like to try? DON'T tell me what to F***ing eat. I'll eat what I want. This goes to both meatheads and veggie folk alike. ...oh yeah, case close...no need to post anymore comments.
Yea, yea, yea, humans have eaten meat for millennia. We have done a lot of things as the animals that we are. Animals eat other animals, that's all part of life. But, we have evolved to this point. We have a choice to either kill other animals for food, or not. And because it tastes better is no excuse. I wouldn't eat my pets, my aunts and uncles, or any other of my fellow mammals. The same mechanisms in our body that tell us what pain is, the network of nerves that communicate with your brain and tell you what to feel is the same system present in every other fellow mammal that some of us consider "food." Calling us "holier than thou" is a cop out, and an ad homonym. We all try to do what is right. Some of us try with our food choices, because, yes it is a choice.
Ewwwwwww!!
@3lwood
So your uncle's and aunt's are equal to a cow? Great argument! Point number #3 once again. We as humans have the choice, but just because we can live without meat doesn't mean that we should. It is the 'right choice' ONLY in your OPINION, PERIOD. Stop trying to conform everyone to your take on what is ethical and what is not, accept that not everyone will agree with your opinions.
I agree with Erick, although I do love eating meat. Meat-eaters like to antagonize vegetarians just as much as vegetarians like to antagonize meat-eaters. A number of posts on this very thread have confirmed that. So, I'll enjoy a burger every once in a while, and if vegetarians would rather eat meat-free, then the more power to them.
What is with all the hostility? You have your tastes and I have mine. I am 28, in excellent physical condition for my age, most people think I am 22 or 23 due to my youthful looks, I have 2 degrees, and lead a very happy life. Why? Balance my friends, it's all about balance. I eat a healthy diet of both. Vegetables are great and are very useful in livening up a meat dish. Why the absolutism? Can't a person be an omnivore? People say mankind has evolved and no longer need to eat meat. Look at your teeth? Do they look like the teeth of an herbivore? Do they look like the teeth of a carnivore? No they look like the teeth of an omnivore. If we were supposed to eat only greens we would have lost our canines and sharper teeth in favor of flatter teeth desinged for grinding up plants.
Suffering? I am an avid hunter and have seen first hand what happens when too many deer or elk live in an area. Mass starvation. I've been in the woods after a lean winter with too many herbivores out there and let me tell you it's not pretty. Finding dozens of dead animals in a 10 acre area is a sad sight. That doesn't even include the impact of a disease on an overpopulated area. The herds need to be thinned somewhat, or would you rather they die of starvation and disease. Death over a period of seconds, or over a period of weeks? Who's the more compassionate?
If you want to be a vegetarian that's fine with me. There really is no argument not to be. Saying one is healthier than the other is a fruitless argument because if you eat the wrong kinds of meat in the wrong proportions it's unhealthy. If you ate the wrong kinds of vegetables in the wrong proportions it would be just as unhealthy, but in a different way. In either case you would be denying your body something it needs.
So don't be hostile be understanding. Remember balance. If every vegetarian goes on a crusade of insults against everybody who enjoys a steak will only cause more people to turn away from your valid and enjoyable lifestyle.
Oh and I've seen plenty of miserable people working on farms and in orchards, so that argument is moot. Any company in any industry can be a misearble work environment.
yeah honestly, how does such drivel get posted on CNN.
more like 5 reasons not to waste your time reading this article
Yeah you are right. The news should only be about kidnappings, rapes, people on the run from the law, buildings exploding, or some such other important stuff. There is absolutely no room on the internet for topics that cover culture, society, or beliefs.
Get over yourself already. FAUX NEWS loves covering rapes and murder and potential partners in war almost exclusively because they like to ramp up the fear level. You should go there instead. Or stop reading articles with headlines that are sure to raise your petty ire. CNN covers absolutely everything. It's in the name. Nobody forces you to read or watch it here.
You know, at first, I was taken aback that the writer decided to speak about vegetarians as "preachy" people. Then I read your comment. Congratulations.
Although you redeemed yourself when speaking of Indian Vegetarian cuisine. I love all Indian cuisine, and especially there vegetarian options. So I suppose I'll call it a wash.
I avoid meat as much as possible, and my wife is a strict vegetarian. Neither one of us pushes our culinary decisions on anyone else. Yet, I find just as many meat-eaters (family and friends included) go out of their way to pick fights with us. Calling vegetarians preachy is just as much of a sweeping generalization based on confirmation bias as calling meat eaters obese, lazy, greedy mouth-breathers. Both generalizations are terribly inaccurate, but you sure as sh1t can point to some notable examples on both sides.
What? This is news for CNN?
Have you ever read an actual newspaper? Not all pieces are required to be hard-hitting, cutting-edge news. It's OK to do a fluff piece here and there. It's a nice change of pace every now and then.
CNN is looking for controversy that does not involve riots , floods or shooting people .
Usually the vegans do not go postal when reporters ridicule them .
More crappy editorials.
Secondly, I dont think vegetables suck... I think Texas sucks
Don't disrespect all of Texas. Austin is awesome, and other cities like Dallas and Houston aren't bad. It's just a shame that there's so many closed-minded, insular people who live in Texas. I guess that's what happens when you've got a big open state and not enough educated people to fill it.
FOX- really? You should be ashamed of yourself. Lately, everywhere I look... more and more yankees are entering the state. We must be doing something right.
This article is fucking retarded.
Been to both of Tim's places and this man can cook.So if you ever get to the stockyards in Ft.Worth,stop in "cause it is a treat.
You could cut Alaska in half and Texas would be the third largest state.
Take that!
Big Bitch slap from Pairazz Hilton sent by Pony Express and galloping your way.The only reason I would go to Alaska would be to meet up with Lisa from Ice Road Truckers and teach her how to shift them gears. Hey Buddy,We made some people laugh today-which is a good thing. Been trying to find all my Favre jerseys so I'm gonna be a hot sumbitch this Sunday.Let's see-Dallas plays at noon-Tony Romo,Moose Johnston,Emmit Smith-check. Then Favre GreenBay,NyJets,and Minnesota jerseys. All of this while wearing my Texas Rangers T-shirt. May have to bring out the Shockey Super Bowl Jersey on Monday Nite. You and the GF and kids have a great weekend and I'll yell at ya on Monday.
Word.
I'm just going to wear a jock strap and a batting helmet.
See ya Tuesday. I have Monday off. In yo FACE.
REASONS TO EAT MEAT:
1.EAT LOTS OF MEAT IF YOU WANT TO BE EFFEMINATE.
Meat, especially in the United States of America, contains feminine hormones, so if you are a Man who isn't very manly, and enjoys the feel of a Wiener in his mouth, and likes "Sausage", then you're definitely a "Meat-Eater". Nearly ALL meat, steak, beef, pork, and more contains ESTRADIOL. In other words, meat is dripping with Estrogen. Livestock meat farmers implant cattle with Synovex-S, Melangestrol, Estradiol, Bovine Growth Hormones, ESTROPLAN, and the meat you've been eating is soaked with Female menstrual hormones. The next time you sit down to eat some meat, you will be thinking of this, and you will now know that if you are a man, with each piece of meat you are putting in your mouth, you are making yourself More effeminate. When you use the phrase "Big Juicy Steak" you're eating the equivalent of girl's menstrual juice. Meat contains feminine pregnancy hormones. CNN doesn't allow multiple links in comments, so to find out the chemical information on this, put the following words in GOOGLE, and look it up for yourself: "SYNOVEX-S" this is in your meat you just ate, it contains female estradiol, you're eating girl's estrogen juice. Look up the word: "RALGRO" you will find things like "CattleStore" selling Ralgro to cattle ranchers and livestock farmers, this is an effeminizing growth roid that meat farmers implant and inject into cows which then soaks up into the meat and then they sell it to you, Ralgo contains estrogen, and a female chemical called "Zeranol". Guess what, "cowboys" have been soaking your barbeque with women's menstrual juice and girl's pregnancy roids. You of course have been eating it. Studies now show that females eating meat have now been affected so much that eating meat is now causing girls as young as 7, 8, 9, 10 years old to start getting their periods, and growing secondary female sex growths, and that's just mentioning the girls, now when the menstrual hormones in meat are enough to jerk them into having a menstrual period now imagine what it is doing to a boy's *ahem* 'package'. Testes shrivel. Men's genitalia can grow smaller and deformed. Spermatazoa is stunted and to any man who eats meat, his sperm is weak and frail and unable to flagellate. A boy with girl's menstrual hormones coursing through his body while he is developing now has abnormal growth. Boys and men who eat lots of meat (nearly all of which contains feminine hormones) grow soft rounded shoulders. Men who eat meat begin to grow breasts, this is called "gynecomastia" (again, look the word up, for info) This is why men who eat barbeque and meat all the time often are fat and have a saggy chest. In slang, this is called "man-boobs" or "moobs" from eating meat. Men who eat meat over time begin to get WIDE hips, like a woman. Meat-Eaters here may TYPE a lot bragging about how much they like eating "big juicy" steaks, but their typing won't show that they're actually talking with a "high" effeminate voice, and you know when they start mentioning how much they enjoy the taste of weiners, and they giggle about how much they like beef "Jerky", and want to mouth a good "Sir" "Loin" that eating pieces of fat juicy "sausage" sold to you by the ol' "brokeback" cowboys on the Cattle Farms has turned what used to be a normal american man into a little pinky man growing a feminine paunch stomach with meat-eater's teat-flaps, and rounded feminine shoulders and girls' wide hips.
Meat contains levels of Estradiol, Melangestrol, Zeranol, SYNOVEX-S, HEIFERMAX 5000, RALGRO, ESTRO-PLAN, and each piece of meat you are putting in your mouth is dripping with girl's menstrual juices. Eating meat is like you eating your girlfriend's birthcontrol package crumbled up over top of your meal. 99% of ALL meat has this in it, and you've been eating it. This is why, LADIES, that your man has a good chance of being poor in the bedroom as time goes on and the more meat they eat. This is why so many meat-eaters need to get little bluepills nowadays for men to get it up. (People who dont eat meat don't often have this problem, put "Meat Puberty" into google and go read how meat contains so much feminizing hormones that it is affecting girls and boys genital growth and menstrual development. You want the source, just told you how you can Look it ALL up yourself, anytime. Type "SYNOVEX-S" and "Cattle Implants" into google, you'll see it's true. Meat contains hormone implants.)
Oh, and by the way, any person trying to erroneously claim anything about soy, sorry, but you can save it, that's already been debunked. Soy contains "PHYTO" estrogen, not mamalian estrogen. Phyto means it's from a Plant. In other words, the phytosterols in soy are completely different than the Mammalian Animal estrogen which is in meat and steak. And in fact, soy phytoestrogen actually inhibits and stops animal estrogenic effect. It's the same idea how you go and get a Flu vaccine. Flu vaccine contains actual flu virus! But! It's not only Not the same as the live virus that MAKES you sick, the vaccine actually STOPS you from getting the actual flu. That's how phytoestrogens in SOY work. The phytoestrogens in soy locate themselves in the receptors and they STOP actual estrogen from having as pronounced an effect as real estrogen. Plant estrogens like the phytoestrogen in soy is a weak nearly inactive estrogenic effect and nowhere like the effeminate effect of real human or veterinary estrogen. What this means, is, unlike your erroneous claim of estrogen in soy, the person who eats soy will actually be MORE manly, as the kind in soy is PHYTO estrogen which gets into the estrogen receptors first, and actually BLOCKS the estrogenic effects that one would get if one were getting the animal estrogen eating meat. In other words a meat-eater is getting more estrogenic effect and becoming more effeminate than the more manly male vegetarian. Ooops, sorry meat-eaters, what you thought was manly is actually making you more effeminate with every piece of steak on that fork you just put in your mouth. And for women, not only has the estrogen propelled you into premature menstruation, but eating meat also results in your breasts filled with hard lumps of tumor growths, and potential chest cancer from eating meat.
However, for any person who enjoys being effeminate (not that there's anything wrong with that) you'll definitely want to be a Meat-Eater. Don't be a vegetarian if you are a man who enjoys becoming feminine and girly, vegetarians remain more masculine and virile due to not being dosed with girl's menstrual hormones in steak. But if you are a guy who enjoys pink, and things that are dainty, and your mouth waters at the thought of putting pieces of sausage or weiners in your mouth, and you dream of things that are "big and thick", and you yearn for a "Sir Loin" or a "Flank" steak, and you can't wait to go out to a restaurant and order some hot beef from your waiter, and you enjoy your women's pauch figure and wide woman's hips, then you're definitely a "MEAT LOVER". If you're a regular man who just wants to remain masculine, then don't become a more masculine vegetarian, if you are a man who has your eye on a yellow dress, then keep eatin' that meat and barbeque, and enjoy that next bite of steak dripping with female menstrual juice.
2. MEAT NATURALLY TASTES HORRIBLE. – ALL THE BEST TASTES IN THE WORLD COME FROM PLANTS.
Meat tastes Bad. (PERIOD). Nearly ALL of the greatest flavors and delicious tastes in the world come from plants.
This is why meat-eaters always need to doctor meat first, and use plants, in order to make meat even fit to eat first. Here's why: The original state of meat is Raw. That is the normal taste of meat. In other words, if someone is thinking right now about some Barbequed ribs, or some Hamburger, or Filet Mignon, or KFC etc, what you're actually thinking of, that tastes so good, is plants. The flavors that you are thinking of right now, thinking its meat, isn't meat, all of those enjoyable flavors are actually from plants. The things that are making your mouth water and making you think of how great and spicy and delicious those things are, are mainly all Vegetarian. The true taste of meat, would be the taste of a piece of that yellowish chicken-skin, raw in that yellow-foam package covered with plastic wrap. That is the actual taste of meat. The true taste of meat would be if you gouged a strip of stringy tissue out of the side of an animal raw, and chewed it up cold. It'd have pieces of that toe-nail stuff in it, gristle, sinews, tendons, and glops of that whitish blubberlike fat gushing out of it cold as you bit into it. The actual taste of a steak would be its taste uncooked. That is the true taste of Meat. Uncooked, and with that metallic taste like a rusty nail from the hemaglobin and blood plasma fluid dripping from it. Along with animal lymp fluid and so forth. A flabby and flappy cold piece of tissue. If it's pork, it could have larvae eggs in it of trichinella worms. And beef has tapeworms in it. chicken would be that pink stuff with that yellowish prickly skin like scrote skin hanging off of it. Of course, beef and pork can be crawling with squirming bacterial like ecoli, and chicken with salmonella germs. This is the actual true taste of meat in its original form. For a true test, get a whole group of people, including food reviewers and critics to go to a restaurant. Serve them plates of raw flaps of chicken, and gutted pieces of steakmeat that are raw and seeping that animal-lymph fluid out of it that you see all welled up in the corner of that white foam package at the grocery store, and see what people think of their meal of plain meat. Chances are 99% will say what the hell is this! This is disgusting! (there's always 1 sociopathic Jeffrey Dahmer abnormal wacko in every crowd). And even so-called "meat-eaters" probably will find the limp, wet, cold, taste of meat to be horrible. In its real true form, Meat tastes bad, putrid, wet, and horrible.
What YOU are thinking of, instead, are all tastes wherein meat has to be doctored-up first before it is even considered fit for human consumption. In other words, before most people can even THINK of ingesting meat, you often have to cook it first. Although many vegetables and fruits, like oranges, juicy blueberries, etc are delicious whether they are cooked or not, People mainly can't even stand to eat raw meat, this is how the majority of the world feels, the true original taste of meat is disgusting. In order to even be fit for human consumption, and kill the larvae eggs in it, and that's not even mentioning the nematodes, flukes, pinworms, tape-worm proglottids, listeria, ecoli, salmonella, brucellosis, and scabies that are infecting the piece of meat you are putting in your mouth. Its covered with everything from teeming bacteria to chicken feces, drips of chicken urine squeezed out of its urethra in the meat factory, to whatever that smell is that you encounter when you drive past a cattle farm. They stink. Does the smell of a pig farm or your "wet dog" make you salivate and say "Oooh, so delicious!". no. But ok, let's grant the capability of doctoring up a piece of meat by allowing the meat-head to cook it, and then let's find the true taste of meat... Ok, take a lump of roast and boil it. Take a piece of meat, and plop it in its regular natural form into a pot of plain water and boil it and eat that sopping wet grayish bland lump of meat. That's the true actual taste of meat. Even granting that the meat-head can cook it. Without having to use plants to make it taste delicious enough to be edible.
THE TRUE ACTUAL TASTE OF A PIECE OF MEAT WOULD BE A BOILED GLOB OF MEAT IN PLAIN WATER.
That is the actual original taste of meat itself, without adulterating it and doctoring it up with other things to make it fit to eat. Boiled wet dripping glop of it. By the way, meat's natural color is GREY. Not red. It's not "red meat". What happens is that meat-farmers expose the meat in those packages you look at in the store to CARBON MONOXIDE. (Yes, the thing in your car exhaust that can kill you.) Meat farmers expose your meat to carbon monoxide so that it looks red in those packages. Otherwise meat's actual color would be like the color of a dark gray dirty sock. Meat after being killed turns gray. So "red meat" is actually a mis-nomer. If meat weren't exposed to chemicals it'd be in the packages the color of a corpse (gray face). Afterall, it's dead tissue. That's nature, that's what happens. But you wouldn't buy it like that, if you saw meat in its true state. But anyway, taking a big lump of meat, tossing it in a big pot of boiling water and eating it in its original form would be the actual TRUE taste of meat. Sopping wet, bland, tasteless, and Gross. The actual taste of Meat.
Ok, so why does everybody go around bragging about all these "big juicy barbecued ribs!" and "big juicy hamburgers" and all this? (Notice that meat-eaters always use those 2 words, big juicy. That's a sure giveaway that the effeminizing estrogens have been doing their job feminizing the meat-eater. Meat contains estrogen, girl's menstrual juices. Hence the "big juicy" sausage and meat comments. Watch for it. You'll see them say it.) So why do meat-eaters rave about Barbecues, and KFC, and hot Wings and all this?? ANSWER=Because of the delicious taste of PLANTS!
MEAT HAS TO BE DOCTORED UP AND MADE FIT FOR HUIMAN CONSUMPTION BY USING THE TASTE OF PLANTS.
Why are they raving and praising Barbecues? Well, think of it, what is Barbecue sauce made of? spices! spices are plants! Why does the meat-head jump in and rave about KFC? Well, what's the slogan of KFC? Hmm? "The colonels secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices". In other words, meat itself tastes bad. Meat has to be doctored up, and cooked, and breaded with vegetarian items and then meat-eaters put all kinds of seasonings on it, sauces, and spices that are ALL delicious vegetarian plants! The entire slogan of KFC exposes the truth that the claim to fame for its entire existence is the Colonels secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices, all the great delicious taste of KFC comes from plants.
Oh, but what about Hot Wings! Well, the only reason someone will even put a wing with its flaps of skin in their mouth, is because it's covered and slathered with sauce! That sauce is made out of vegetarian tastes! Tomatoes, cayenne pepper, seasonings, spices, hot peppers, tangy vinegar, and all kinds of flavors from plants. Nearly ALL the delicious flavors are coming from vegetarian components. Oh, but what about a steak (remember, if they've eaten lots of estrogen they'll often write "big juicy" or "big thick" in front of their enjoyment statement on "meat") Well, aside from Salt, which is a mineral that also has to be used to doctor up the taste of meat to make it palatable, steaks are grilled! Grilled over what? Charcoal. What's charcoal? Wood. What's wood? A plant! In other words, the best flavors and tastes of all of these things are all coming plants! Charcoal is wood! It comes from a tree. You're tasting a tree! You never thought of it, and you will even probably at first try to deny it, too, but hat is the truth. What is Hickory Smoke flavor? Hmm? Hickory smoked sausage? That Hickory flavor that you are raving about in your barbecue comes from the hickory tree! If you so much as 1 more time rave about Smoked meat, or smoked sausage, or you even mention Barbecues, you have just admitted that a vegetarian item is what is making what you ate delicious! You've just admitted to it. And to make it even better, you will now be admitting that what you ate was a piece of a Tree, and you ate it and enjoy it and bragged about it. If you hear ANY meat-eater brag about eating Barbecue, that comes from Mesquite. Mesquite is a tree that is used to make the charcoal that imparts the vegetarian flavor into that piece of meat before they ate it. Then they put "Barbecue Sauce" all over it, well, the entire delicious taste of Barbecue sauce is from tomatoes, spices, and plants! Hamburgers are not simply pieces of meat. You realize that, right? Hamburger meat is ground up poor quality meat. That is the meat that is unfit to sell as regular pieces of meat, so they grind it up so you can't see it. This can contain pieces of ear, gullet, scrote, pubic tissue, etc, and pieces of fat that were trimmed off other pieces of meat as unfit. Hamburger is made from Ground Chuck, which is that worm-like looking stuff, and it is made to contain around 20% greasy fat. That is part of the 'recipe'. But after that, a hamburger patty can contain up to 40% of wheat! That's right, that meat you thought you were eating and raving about, actually has grain in it (vegetarian). Then hamburger patties are seasoned with spices, and onions or onion powder put inside it, then it gets put on a bun (made of plants) then meat-eaters put ketchup on it, mustard, onions, pickles, tomatoes, and "special sauce" lettuce cheese, etc! Any person raving about the taste of a hamburger is actually talking about the taste of delicious vegetarian items.
MEAT ITSELF TASTES BAD. ALL THE BEST TASTES IN THE WORLD, ARE COMING MAINLY FROM PLANTS.
Right about now, some bozo will pipe up and attempt to post "That's why I'm an Omnivore! duhh!" =Wrong. Look up at the top. Look at this article again. THAT wasn't the question. This article clearly states up at the top, in definitive terms: ""Because meat tastes better than vegetables. Period." (This is now Found incorrect.) The statement is NOT "Oh, well, if I doctor up meat first, using better tasting vegetables, then I can eat it, and force it to be ingestible." No. The statement here, and what is erroneously espoused by many meat-eaters, is the erroneous assertion about the true taste of Meat itself. This guy just wrote "PERIOD". When someone writes that, that is making a definitive statement that he is asserting the taste is better of meat, and meat ALONE. This rules out ANYONE attempting to pull the "omnivore" ruse here and trying to say well, that's why I eat both meat and vegetables=THAT is ruled out! That is NOT what this article just said. This article said "Because meat tastes better than vegetables. Period."=Which is now shown FALSE. The actual taste of meat, in its normal state, is uncooked and raw and considered disgusting by the majority of people. (Try it, serve some wobbly cold meat flab on a plate to your mother, and children, and see how "delicious" they believe it is. Go ahead, try it. Have some vomit-bags ready. Tell them it's Rat meat. For extra effect.) This guy just said, in no uncertain terms, that this tastes great. He even wrote the word PERIOD after it. Leaving NO room for exceptions, or allowing for vegetables being *used* in order to make the meat fit before eating it. This article, and many meat eaters try this too, attempted to state that meat itself, and meat alone, in its natural original taste (without any plants) was delicious, and that a piece of raw meat or soggy flabby boiled bacon with no salt, would be more delicious than juicy strawberries or fresh peaches, or ANY taste that comes from Vegetarian items, sauces, seasonings, and spices, which is completely false. Chef Tim and any other person attempting to state this is now debunked and completely discredited. And the omnivore "i eat both" statement is ruled inapplicable. (Not only is it irrelevant, but also, now that it is shown that the majority of the greatest tastes in the world come from plants, and meat itself tastes horrible, the statement "Thats why i eat both" also becomes obtuse. Because there's now no sane reason taste-wise to eat the thing that has a disgusting taste simply because you've doctored it up enough with other things to make it taste acceptable. In other words, saying you eat gross or bland tasting meat despite its horrible taste simply because you can make it fit by using plants is akin to cheering eating a piece of cardboard cheering its taste after you've cooked the cardboard and tried to make it taste good using enough plants, vegetables, and seasonings and spices so that you can't taste it anymore. The meat at this point, as far as taste goes, is irrelevant, and functions simply as so much Cardboard. Tasteless.
Nearly every instance of some meat-lover raving uncontrollably about the taste of meat, is actually that meat-head not realizing that all the most delicious flavors they have been tasting the entire time has come from spices, seasonings, hot peppers, sauces, spreads, marinades, crispy breadings, onions, garlic, oregano, flavorings, relish, ketchup, A-1 steak sauces, and are mainly all vegetarian items!
MEAT ITSELF TASTES BAD. MOST OF THE BEST SEASONINGS AND FLAVORS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD COME FROM VEGETARIAN ITEMS SUCH AS PLANTS!
In reply to AmericanPatriot i believe you 100 percent. Growing up i've seen young girls develop rapidly. Girls barely hitting puberty are already developed, while young boys seem to be shrinking. Ive also googled the stuff you had said and came across the same thing you mentioned, " your eating a womens menstrual cycle". you've completely changed my opinion, im going vegan. Thanks for your time and for informing the public of this trajedy. GOD SPEED.
Don't listen to vegetarian idiots. They don't realize that many of the plants that prehistoric man ate were full of toxins, and cooking them was actually a step forward in our evolution (by helping break down the toxins and allowing us to consume its nutrients).
Don't give me this meat has to be cooked bull shit. We can eat meat raw, sure, but the development of cooking was an important evolutionary advancement, just as was pasteurization, which opened up milk to the masses (and milk is a wonderfully nutritious drink).
Good lean meats contain lots of protein, iron, and good ol' B vitamins. There is simply no reason to exclude them from the diet. You're fighting against the wrong food vegetarians, grains are the real culprit, not meat. Also, if being vegetarian is healthier then why did a study show that creatine supplements (a compound found in meat) actually increased cognitive function in vegetarians.
And it is easy, compare me a vegetarian and paleo eater, I can tell you the paleo eater will be healthier, almost 100% of the time.
@AMERICANPATRIOT – I disagree. You have a point ONLY IF people are eating meat that's treated this way. The meats I eat aren't; they come from sources I trust that don't use hormones, antibiotics, etc., to make artificially larger animals at earlier ages. It's more expensive, but it's worth it.
I don't have to spice my meat, either. Plain, roasted meat (no salt or pepper either) is best when I'm cooking for myself, though my husband doesn't care for my simpler tastes. The meat of a good, healthy animal is the best source of iron for my body; I was vegan (macrobiotic) for several years and my body just doesn't extract everything it needs from plant materials.
As far as the scare tactics are concerned, disavowing meat isn't the answer. Forcing ranchers and farmers to treat animals ethically and stop the over-crowding, poor feeding, and generally cruel and unsanitary conditions that cause the problems in the first place is how we can begin to ensure that the meat in the supermarket will be safe to eat, but it will take awhile to get there; in the meantime, take the effort to find ethical farms you can trust and do your research like I did.
Dude,,,,,do you not have anything else to do but comment about every article on CNN??? Get a life, man!!!
To AMERICANPATRIOT
Your arguement is very fact filled. However you obviously fail to point out the physiological aspects of digestion in humans, indeed animals are being pumped with growth hormones that make "them" grow however these hormones that are ingested and digested by humans, e.i. molecules are broken down and reconstructed via catabolism and anabolism (metaoblism), do not have the same effects as initial injection or consumption. Your highest arguement would be something along the lines of progressive ingestion such as in salt water fish and mercury levels through food chain consumption. Where higher level predators such as large tuna have increased levels of mercury comparitive to smaller lesser fish. However mercury is an indigestable toxin where are steroids vitamins and nutrients are naturally produced in all animals. Most animals are able to construct the essential building blocks their bodies require, protiens, steroids, fats, etc. In humans for instance we can construct half of the amino acids and a high volume of other vitamins and nutrients by simply consuming caloric substances. Excessive nutrients or steroids that are consumed the body can be directly absorbed by the digestive system and used by the body. The true problem comes when synthetic steroids or nutrients are fooled by the body as naturally occuring ones. At this point in scientific study researchers are unsure of long term adverse effects on humans by these artificial steroids. I agree with you in the fact that it is unsafe to eat much of the commercially produced meat products in our local grocery stores for the fact of it's high fat content and high content of non-naturally produced steroids. However, I strongly disagree with you in two areas. One is your arguement about estrogen. Males and females both produce estrogen during develepmental growth and long term life. Testosterone along with estrogen are two naturally occuring steroids produced by the body, required aswell. To say that the consumption of one or the other would lead to developmental issues is indirectly the truth. The direct issue here is nutrition or the lack there of, higher populations of children in the united states are over weight or even obese. these causes are more likley to contribute to developmental issues than increased steroid levels in the foods they consume. Lack of activity and natural stressors on the body delay the need for puberty in young males and reversly the lack of stressors on the female body increase the rate of menstration cycles. For example high stress level female athletes who demand proper nutritional diets have delayed or missed menstration cycles and even younger female atheletes start these growth periods at a stunted rate. In males it is again reverse high level athletic males who consume commercial meat products and have excellent diets have increased levels of testorone. Please refer to the article about labedo in olympic athletes in the 2008 world olympics. My second disagreement is the fact that meat should be avoided as a food substance not only for caloric intake but also for amino acids and the essential vitamin B12 in which all vegans and vegiterians must take supplimenting B12 (sythetic pills) to get the required amount the body needs. I think that game hunting or personal fishing/farming or other alternatives to comercialized meat production should be focused on here as the solution to the ever growing population problem and the need to feed humans, not the approach of "meat makes you a woman, meat gives you cancer, menstration juice is meat sauce, all because of the hormone's etc." Indeed our population especially in the united states needs to focus on the alternative of moderate veganism and vegetarianism with smaller meat portions as to aid in our economic and cultural crisis and overweight epidemic. Proper portion size complimented with a variety of fruits and vegetables (which are also full of so called growth hormones which I will not delight on) along with increased activity levels excersize and general wellness are the solution here. Even if the meat is full of steroids natural or synthetic it is not unsafe to consume but like all food products should be placed into a portionable size balnced diet.
Sorry, AmericanPatriot but New Flash! You're painfully, painfully wrong. I'm sure you get that a lot. Beef in the United States can be grown with hormone implants, and it does in fact create hormone in the meat – such minute, tiny amounts that your own body, even MANLY MEN, makes more ESTROGEN a day NATURALLY, than you can consume in a whole day's worth of steak. On the other hand, phytoestrogens, which are in fact made by plants (that's what Phyto means), are present in appreciably larger quantities in products like soy. While phytoestrogens aren't mammalian estrogen, they have the pesky habit of acting exactly like it. Yes, that means that while a mammal didn't pop it out, your silly mammal body will still react to it like it did- and since it is getting such a nice steady supply of it from soy, especially things like soy formula, well hey. Might as well go ahead and give up that sperm count. Also, your idea of how a flu vaccine works makes my head hurt and I can't even focus on the screen now.
Finally, "nematodes, flukes, pinworms, tape-worm proglottids, listeria, ecoli, salmonella, brucellosis, and scabies that are infecting the piece of meat you are putting in your mouth". Oh. Em. Gee. The amount of wrong you are is amazing, mostly because this piece of parasitologic pap is so completely off the mark it blows my mind. How are you going to get scabies from a skinned animal? How are you going to get pinworms unless you are eating sheep or mice? Hint: The only animal species in the United States who can get pinworms (or commonly do) are horses and mice. Your kid got pinworms from another kid. Sick.
I'm not saying that growth hormones or implants are right or that eating soy is wrong. I'm not saying there aren't disease problems in commercially raised animals that need to be (and are tirelessly being) addressed by veterinarians and producers. I'm just saying you should actually learn science instead of just picking words out of a random pile of rubble and pretending it's a cogent argument.
Boom.
Soy (the main source of protein for many vegetarians) contains "plant Estrogen". which basically immitates normal human estrogen in the body. Sorry to bust your bubble but it has nothing to do with eating meat.
How many vegetarians pointed a gun to your head and asked you to eat plants only for the rest of your life?
Yeah? Thought so.
I don't recall ever "preaching". Actually, I always keep to myself. I only bring up and DEFEND my position only when the meateater inititated the conversation.
alaska = canada
Most chef's have the equivalent education of a GED. And most chef's are not chef's but mere line cooks paid to be in charge. So do me a favor Tim Love et al., Stop giving nutritional advice, shut up, and cook.
Obviously Americanpatriot didn't try meats from other countries. Depending on how the cattle is raises, mean naturally tastes good. The brazilian BBQ, arguably one of the best, they only use salt. The cattle graze and takes almost no chemical. What you have here in US is a meat that the flavor has been changed a lot by chemical. So you are wrong. Beef naturally tastes good, its after many chemicals here in US, the flavor isn't as good
@American Patriot: I appreciate that you are trying to build an argument against enjoying meat, but honestly, isn't that as unfair as someone trying to make an argument to you that you shouldn't like what you like? Comparing raw or poorly cooked meat to well cooked meat just doesn't hold any water. Many people find meat delicious, and skilled meat cooking has a long culinary history. As a food professional – I am a registered dietitian with an MS in nutrition science – I don't find your arguments completely sound. True, poor production practices spread disease in meat products. They do with plant based foods, too. A better argument, in my opinion, is simply to share your personal choices and how you arrived at them, rather than making a (long) diatribe against the choices made by others. If you read my other posts, btw, you will see that I'm a vegetarian.
If this guy where wearing a witches hat and painted green, wouldn't he look exactly like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz? Remarkable resemblance. Wow.
Any 1st grader knows Alaska is much bigger than Texas, but this has nothing to do with the article's topic. Try to stay on point, genius!
the dude doesn't know what is talking about! I eat meat, occasionally, but to claim that vegetarian food taste worse then meat or it doesn't contain enough protein is a pure nonsense. Get a facts straight buddy!
I LOVE the taste of meat... I actually hate it when restaurants add BBQ and mustard... anything other than au jus I find overpowering, and then you MISS the taste of the meat itself! A great medium rare steak with au jus and NO salt or pepper (don't really like them) is the yummiest thing I can eat.
A lot of other countries also specialize in meat that's just meat. No other flavors and those people love meat too.
PLUS, you can find meat without hormones and antibiotics. My favorite meat is the kind my good friend goes and hunts himself – elk, venison, etc. Yummy, free ranged, and healthy!
3. MEAT IS EXCELLENT SOURCE OF CANCER! – MEAT IS A RICH SOURCE OF BLADDER TUMORS.
One of the top reasons to avoid being a vegetarian is if you are a Cancer-lover. Meat is an excellent source of delicious malignant growths. For the person who enjoys obtaining bladder cancer, or perhaps malignant lumps up the rectum, or even a lumpy breast, then tumor-rich bacon, pork, and pieces of beef are definitely for you. If you enjoy long rolls in the park in a wheelchair, spending time in bed, with bed-sores and a bedpan or a colostomy bag filled with your own body temperature feces, and pain when you urinate, then a diet rich in red meat which has been linked to cancer of the stomach, human bladder, rectum, intestine, and breast is the perfect choice.
Husbands, if you like your wife's bosom full of hard lumps and growths, give her lots of bacon for breakfast and lots of meat, especially grilled. Ladies, if you love a man with testicular lumps and penile problems due to a male prostate squirming with cancer, cheer him on to eat that Barbeque and "big juicy" steak! You'll have the recipe for infecting your man with cancer in no time. Not to mention a big ol' obese porker on top of you with putrid meat-body odor. And the best news is you will get to remain alive WITH the feces bags and oxygen tanks in your wheelchair with the cancer for decades! Thanks to modern medicine, you won't just eat and enjoy the oil and then go out suddenly, you get to remain alive for 10 to 20 years, have chemotherapy, and lie bed-ridden while your body slowly decays!
A great reason to avoid becoming vegetarian, is if you are a meat-lover who loves the taste of stomach cancer backing up in your throat. Delicious!
EVIDENCE NOW SHOWS THAT INGESTION OF MEAT IS LINKED TO MULTIPLE FORMS OF CANCER:
-Bladder Cancer
-Stomach Cancer
-Rectal Cancer
-Colon Cancer
-Breast Cancer
-Pancreatic Cancer
-Ovarian Cancer
-Prostate Cancer
and more, linked to eating meat.
NEWS: WASHINGTON POST: Eating Red And Processed Meat Associated With Increased Risk Of Death
GOOGLE this–: "Science finds Red Meat Associated With Increased Risk Of Death"
NEWS: "Diet rich in Red Meat Doubles Breast Cancer risk" – The Guardian
GOOGLE this–: "Cancer Guardian /nov/14/health.healthandwellbeing"
BBC NEWS – Health – "Red meat Cancer risk clue found"
GOOGLE this–: "BBC Red meat cancer risk 4662934.stm"
MEDICAL NEWS: "People Who Eat Lots Of Red And Processed Meat Die Earlier" – JAMA
Cancer / Oncology – Article Date: 24 Mar 2009 – "New US research that followed over half a million people for ten years found that those who ate the most red and processed meat had a higher overall risk of dying, especially from heart disease and cancer" 47,976 men and 23,276 women died over the 10 year follow up period. The one fifth of men and women who ate the most red meat had a higher risk of overall death and death from cancer and heart disease than the one fifth who ate the least red meat."
GOOGLE this–: "People eating Meat dying earlier cancer Journal American Medical Association"
NEWS: Eating Lots of Red Meat Linked to Colon Cancer – American Cancer Society
GOOGLE this–: "Cancer red meat NWS"
SCIENCE: Charred Meat May Increase Risk Of Pancreatic Cancer
GOOGLE this–: "Science finds charred Red Meat linked to pancreatic cancer"
NEWS: Vegetarians less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters, says study | Science | The Guardian
"Vegetarians are 12 per cent less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters, according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer. In a study of more than 61,000 people, Cancer Research UK scientists from Oxford followed meat eaters and vegetarians for over 12 years, during which 3,350 of the participants were diagnosed with cancer. They found that the risk of being diagnosed with cancers of the stomach, bladder and blood* was lower in vegetarians than in meat eaters. The most striking difference was in cancers of the blood including leukaemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The risk of these diseases was 45 per cent lower in vegetarians than in meat eaters. "
GOOGLE this–: "Vegetarians-less-Blood-Cancer-diet-risk
SCIENCE: "Diet May Reduce Risk Of Prostate Cancer"
GOOGLE this–: "Science Diet without meat May Reduce Risk Prostate Cancer"
NEWS: Dietary Fat Linked To Pancreatic Cancer – NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
"ScienceDaily (June 27, 2009) — High intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy products was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer"
GOOGLE this–: "Red Meat National Cancer Institute"
NEWS: What's new in stomach cancer research and treatment? – CANCER ORG
"Studies found that a diet high in red meat is another possible risk factor. Eating regular red meat an average of about twice a day seems to raise the risk of stomach cancer. This risk is increased even More if the meat is barbecued and well done."
GOOGLE this–: "Red Meat raises possible Stomach Cancer"
CANCER NEWS: Diet and Physical Activity: What's the Cancer Connection? – Meat
"Processed and red meats: Cutting back on processed meats like hot dogs, bologna, and luncheon meat, and stopping eating red meats like beef, pork and lamb may help reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer"
GOOGLE this–: "Red Meat Diet Cancer Physical Connection"
NEWS: "Backyard Chef's Guide to Healthy Grilling" – Heterocyclic Amines in Barbecued Meat promotes Cancer
Article date: July 1, 2010 – "Backyard chefs should beware: research suggests cooking meats at high temperatures creates chemicals (heterocyclic amines, or HAs) that may potentially increase cancer risk. In fact, a study from the University of Minnesota found that eating charred, well-done meat (including those "grill lines" on your meat) may increase your risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 60%. Heterocyclic amines (HAs) are created by the burning of amino acids and other substances in meats cooked at high temperatures and are particularly well-done. Cancer causing Heterocyclic Amines turn up in grilled meat and barbecued meat as well as broiled and pan-fried meat."
GOOGLE this–: "Barbecued Meat causes Cancer"
NEWS: "Vegetarians Have Lower Cancer Risk Than Meat Eaters"
"It is the first study specifically showing a link between a vegetarian diet and a lower risk of bone marrow cancer" "A 12-year study that followed over 60000 Britons, half of whom were vegetarian, suggests that vegetarians had a lower risk of developing cancer"
GOOGLE this–: "vegetarians lower cancer risk"
ACS: "Eating Charred, Well-done Meat May Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk" – American Cancer Society
Article date: April 22, 2009 – "The link between eating well-done meat and pancreatic cancer risk has been noted before. This study investigates the association on a larger scale. Over the 9 year period, the researchers found that people who preferred well-done meat - whether bacon, sausage, hamburger, or steak – tended to have an increased risk of getting pancreatic cancer." Even if you eat meat medium-rare you're still not safe. "Fat dripping onto hot coals causes smoke that contains potential carcinogens." which then rises up and gets onto your meat resulting in the same situation.
Charring meat ("those diagonal barbeque Grill Marks") or eating parts that are especially burned and black – they have the highest concentrations of cancer causing agents. "Many of the chemicals that are created when meat is grilled are not formed during the grilling of vegetables or fruits, or even mushrooms, so you can enjoy grilled flavor worry-free."
GOOGLE this–: "eating grilled barbequed meat increases cancer risk"
PHYSICS ORG NEWS: "Processed meats linked with stomach cancer" – Science
August 2, 2006 "Studies suggest the more processed meat a person consumes, the greater the likelihood of developing stomach cancer.
Researchers reviewed 15 studies on stomach cancer and processed meats - bacon, sausage, hot dogs, salami, ham, and smoked or cured meat. The reviewers found a higher intake of processed meats was associated with a greater risk of stomach cancer, WebMD.com said. The researchers reported the finding was most consistent for bacon consumption. The review is detailed in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute."
GOOGLE this–: "Bacon found linked to Stomach Cancer"
STUDY: "Meat components may increase Bladder Cancer risk" PHYSICS ORG
August 2, 2010 "A new study suggests that consuming specific compounds in meat related to processing methods may be associated with an increased risk of developing bladder cancer. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Eating red AND processed meats (note: BOTH plain red meat in addition to processed) has been linked to an increased risk of developing several different types of cancer. These include heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and N-nitroso compounds. Nitrate and nitrite are added to processed meats and are known precursors to N-nitroso compounds.
Investigators studied approximately 300,000 men and women. People whose diets had the highest amount of total dietary nitrite (from all sources and not just from meat) "Our findings highlight the importance of studying meat-related compounds to better understand the association between meat and cancer risk," said Dr. Cross. NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study." Leah M. Ferrucci, Rashmi Sinha, Mary H. Ward, Barry I. Graubard, Albert R. Hollenbeck, Briseis A. Kilfoy, Arthur Schatzkin, Dominique S. Michaud, and Amanda J. Cross. CANCER; Published Online: August 2, 2010 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.25463).
GOOGLE this–: "Meat Bladder Cancer risk National institute of Health NIH-AARP"
UNIVERSITY – "Study: Red meat raises women's Breast cancer risk"
April 4, 2007 A British study suggested that consuming even small portions of red meat can increase the risk of breast cancer by 56 percent. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Leeds, found that women who consumed as little as 2 ounces of red beef, lamb or pork a day experienced a higher level of risk, and those who ate at least 3.6 ounces of processed meats daily had an increased risk of 64 percent, The Telegraph reported Wednesday. The research involved 35,000 women. The researchers said their findings were adjusted to take into account smoking, weight, fruit and vegetable intake, class, education and hormone replacement therapy. (In other words, all factors such as those deciding to just 'live' healthier etc were rejected, leaving only the factor of meat.) "The findings are robust. Whatever we adjusted the data for we could still find an association," said lead researcher Janet Cade. "Women consuming the most total meat, red meat and processed meat were at the highest risk compared with non-meat eaters"
GOOGLE this–: "Leeds Study: Red meat raises women's Breast cancer risk"
OVARIAN CANCER NEWS: "Meat, fish and ovarian cancer risk"
April 21, 2010 (PhysOrg.com) - "What do meat, fish and ovarian cancer have in common? More than you would think, says Dr Penny Webb from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR). “Research suggests that women who eat processed meat several times a week have about a 20% higher risk of developing ovarian cancer” Dr Webb, who heads the Gynaecological Cancer Group at QIMR." "Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women worldwide. There are 1,200 cases of ovarian cancer in Australia each year, resulting in almost 900 deaths."
GOOGLE this–: 'Meat causes women ovarian cancer QIMR"
AICR Calls On Americans To Slash Red Meat Consumption – Cancer
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/102859.php
AICR Calls On Americans To Slash Red Meat Consumption
Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology; Colorectal Cancer
Article Date: 04 Apr 2008 – 3:00 PDT
"Cancer Experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) say Americans can't afford to wait any longer to make a cancer-protective shift in their eating habits. The evidence linking red meat to colon cancer is now so strong it should prompt a nationwide reduction in red meat consumption, they said. Consider a person who often chooses eggs with two sausage links (2oz) for breakfast, or a quarter-pound fast food burger (4oz) at lunch, or a pork chop (6oz) or two for dinner. This person is likely to far exceed the recommended 18 ounces per week. If such a person eats lunch or dinner at restaurants several times a week, it becomes even more difficult to keep consumption in check. "The meat-and-potatoes mindset is slowly killing us," said AICR Nutrition Advisor, Karen Collins, MS, RD. "We need to break ourselves of the notion that we need a hunk of red meat at every meal." Given the huge number of people involved, the effect of red meat consumption on colon cancer incidence is immense, Collins said. "If there were a drug that was found to increase risk of a disease by 30 percent, it would get pulled off the shelves." After being schooled, a poll of US adults public awareness that red meat is a cause of cancer has increased recently by 18 percentage points, to 54 percent. (However that means 46% of americans still don't know that Cancer is linked to the consumption of meat. Government statistics reveal a gradual shift away from red meat has been underway in the U.S. for decades. (As for those attempting to use the word "lean" in order to feel that makes the meat 'ok', the science continued to show that) "when Diets high in red meat – no matter its fat content – increase risk for cancer." American Institute for Cancer Research is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.
GOOGLE this–: "Evidence linking red meat to colon cancer is now so strong AICR"
NEWS SCIENCE: "Eating red and processed meat associated with increased risk of death" – PHYSORG
March 23, 2009 "Individuals who eat more red meat and processed meat appear to have an increased risk of death from all causes and also (specifically) from cancer and heart disease over a 10-year period, according to a report in the March 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Colleagues at the National Cancer Institute assessed the association between meat intake and risk of death among more than 500,000 individuals.
The one-fifth of men and women who ate the most red meat had a higher risk for overall death, death from heart disease and death from cancer than the one-fifth of men and women who ate the least red meat. These results confirm the findings by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund to reduce red and processed meat." – Arch Intern Med. 2009;169[6]:562-571.
GOOGLE this–: "physorg red meat risk death"
(Remember: This is not a case of living it up indulging and having fun and then instantly dropping dead after having lead some good life or anything, what happens is when you eat meat, the health problems slowly begin, you grow fat and obese, short of breath, diabetic so you can no longer eat the same, then you die slowly, after 15 years in a wheelchair, with tubes and oxygen tanks, chemotherapy, having to swallow daily regimens of horsepills to stay alive, as tumours begin to takeover your body. You live suffering for years. Thanks to "modern" medicine, which will provide you a colostomy bag for your urine and feces to collect at your side, and keep you alive on a respirator until you waste and pass away.)
MEAT IS AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF CANCER, RICH IN NUTRITIOUS HARD TUMOROUS MALIGNANT TISSUE LUMPS.
Dammit AMERICANPATRIOT, as an animal activist and a strict vegetarian, will you please consider my plea to shut up! I don't agree with this article, but going off into the crazy sector isn't right either. Can't we all just be moderate about this? I don't eat meat because I think it inhumane, but realize that for as long as man has been around, we have believed that eating meat is the way to go. The whole society isn't going to change over night. If you think there are some things people should be aware of, state it...but stop with the fear mongering. You give people like me a bad name. Your abrasive attitude will do nothing but turn more people off to the idea of trying a meatless diet. So please, for the sake of what you actually believe in, just be quite and let us moderates make the comments!
NOTE:
Blogs often don't allow more than 1, maybe 2, url links to be typed into the comment posts, so one can't often give URL's or Sources for everything that you want to show the overwhelming evidence for. So, instead, what is provided in the post above, is a way to get around this. All you do, to find, look at, and read all of the concluding evidence that corroborates every item in the Meat post above, showing that it conclusively causes cancer is to GOOGLE that phrase provided.
Take your mouse, put your mouse on the words where it says GOOGLE THIS– and then select that text in-between the quote marks and COPY it and simply paste that stuff into google search and the articles will come up. This is a way for you to confirm every article asserted above and confirming the preponderance of information linking not only processed meat, but also regular red meat, to cancer. This way every person can look it up and become properly educated on the subject, even though readers cant often post more than 1 link or so in a post. There are simply so many conclusive studies now confirming the links between eating meat and cancer that it's not even funny. There are hundreds and thousands of links affirming the meat link to cancer, too many to post. However just use the above mentioned procedure and any person can look it up and finally learn the truth about the overwhelming evidence regarding meat and Cancer.
Oh! And special thank you to Username "Tracy"!
Tracy
Tracy WROTE: "You have a point ONLY IF people are eating meat that's treated this way. The meats I eat aren't; they come from sources I trust that don't use hormones, antibiotics, etc., to make artificially larger animals at earlier ages."
THANK YOU! You have just admitted that you consider 99% of all US meat unfit to eat! Thank you very much for proving my point, can't thank you enough. You see, according to current figures, and confirmed by the USDA, 99% of ALL meat in north america (which is the home of CNN, the site we're on here) is NOT hormone-free. So what you have just admitted, is that you won't eat it. You've just confirmed and admitted that YOU consider 99% of US meat unfit for consumption. Thank you! Good work.
The USDA confirms that only 1% of all meat in the US qualifies to use the term "organic", which is a specific regulatory title with a specific definition. In other words, you can't just buy meat from "your neighbor the livestock farmer" and have him "say" it's "organic" and hormone-free. This is a truth in labeling issue. Anyone selling meat, and purporting it falsely is in commission of a FEDERAL OFFENSE. Your "buddy" can't just sell you meat with this label. It has to be tested and approved by the USDA to be sold as such, otherwise it is a federal crime. What this means is that out of all meat, you have just proven that 99% of meat is unfit for consumption.
Note that ANY PERSON caught saying that they eat only "grass-fed" beef, or any individual stating that they continue to eat meat because they eat Only hormone-free, organic meat, etc etc, has just admitted that they consider over 99% of meat unfit for ingestion and that Vegetarians are correct.
Note that this leaves only 1% of meat in the US (the home of CNN here). And then sausage-lovers pounding the organic grass-fed free-range weiner-drum, and those in foreign countries will then attempt to chime in with a great "AHA!" thinking they've got you–hardly. Why? Because out of that small 1% sliver of leftovers, and including every bit of that foreign meat left, ALL OF IT is subject to causing Stomach Cancer, Anal Cancer, Diseased Human Hearts, Pancreatic Cancer, etc...Are you getting this?... We've already ruled out 99% of all meat as already unfit, and that was talking about only ONE criteria! We've not even talked yet about that remaining 1% being ruled as unfit due to causing cancer, being rotten, putrified, spoiled, infected with e.coli, salmonella, listeria, processed with nitrates, inclusive of salt, containing prions, brucellosis, foot and mouth disease, and more! By the time you realize ALL of the malodorous and detrimental criteria that affects meat, that remaining 1% plus the entire foreign meat pile is now reduced to garbage. And no one has even talked about or even mentioned a welfare issue at all, because for all practical purposes it has already been shown that upwards of 99.9999% of meat is either unfit for human consumption, infected, diseased, rotten, putrified, reeling with parasites, egg larvae, at risk of causing cancer and bodily tumours, and whatnot. By the time you see one devastating consequence of ingesting meat one after another, that remaining 1% becomes reduced effectively to 0.
So thanks! Thank you to "Tracy" and any and all other meat-eaters who type that they go for "organic" meat, and those caught typing the words "grass-fed", "free-range", "hormone-free", and every other concocted meat term! You have all just proven that nearly 99% of meat you consider unfit and when you do that, you confirm what vegetarians have been saying. Please keep typing that you merely eat organic grass-fed hormone-free. Excellent! Each time you do that, you prove vegetarians correct, and admit that nearly 99% of all meat is so bad you don't eat it.
Oh, and by the way, all meat-eaters who claim that they eat only organic now also admit that KFC, Burger King, McDonalds, Outback, and nearly all other steak houses, fast food restaurants, and nearly all restaurants where one goes out to eat for that matter, are UNFIT, because they rarely if ever use it. So again, by posting the line about grass-fed, organic, free-range meat, you've now admitted that upwards of 99% of all meat restaurants are Unfit. Nice work!
USERNAME "Dan" burped up: "Don't listen to vegetarian idiots." HERE'S SOME NEWS FOR YOU, DAN:
!-> BMJ MEDICAL JOURNAL: "High IQ linked to vegetarian diet" – Metro.co.uk
"Intelligent children may be more likely to become vegetarian. Those recorded as having a high IQ aged 10 were more likely to be vegetarian aged 30, it said. The research, published online in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), involved a study of 8,179 men and women. Aged 30, 366 (4.5%) of them said they were vegetarian. Of those, nine (2.5%) were vegan while 123 (33.6%) said they were vegetarian but ate fish or chicken.
"On average, vegetarians had a higher childhood IQ score than non-vegetarians."
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/29522-high-iq-linked-to-vegetarian-diet
Studies show people that are more intelligent happen to be vegetarians. Here's some examples for you: Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Pythagoras, PLATO, and Leonardo Da Vinci (Guy who invented the submarine, armored tank, the helicopter, painted the Mona Lisa, you may have heard of him, not just a code.). And also hence the endearing lil' slang term "meat-head" denoting someone who is not too up on the subject.
Kthanks. Try again, Dan.
And Congratulations to all Vegetarians! You are most often "smarter than a meat-eater"!
JIM, Your ignorance is showing....I am a college educated CHEF...that's right...CHEF! Line cooks are just that....line cooks.....they TAKE orders and follow directions. CHEFs develop new menu items, are constantly making improvements to the menu and have a sense of creativity and can USE that creativity where a line cook only does what he's told.
A CHEF knows about the food and the itmes he's preparing.
End of story
@AMERICANPATRIOT – i read your posts and i'm really sorry, it made me hungrier for a steak tonight. i will have one in your honor!
#4. Reasons NOT to be Vegetarian = YOU LOVE MEAT CONTAMINATED WITH ANIMAL DRUGS!
USERNAME "Gui" WROTE: "Obviously Americanpatriot didn't try meats from other countries! Depending on how the cattle is raises, mean naturally tastes good. The brazilian BBQ, arguably one of the best,..."=WRONG!
Ok, keep in mind here, that previously I already had showed how nearly ALL of the meat (99%!) inside the US and Canada was unfit due to contamination with Melangestrol Acetate, Girls Menstrual Hormones, Zeranol, ESTRO-PLAN, Synovex, HEIFERMAX 5000, RALGRO, Bovine Growth Hormone, etc. So at this point, nearly all that in the US has now been established as unfit. So what "GUI" did here, is to now start to try to still win the meat argument by bringing up "alternatives". Now that he has found out that US meat is unfit for human consumption, implanted with roids and dripping with girl's menstrual juices in your steak, soaked with super-bug-causing anti-biotics, and tastes horrible, GUI here has tried to invoke BRAZILIAN style here, championing it as the best. (By the way, when he writes "mean naturally" up there in his post, he meant to write "meaT" not "mean") We already saw how meat's natural taste would be if you ate a piece of yellow chicken skin RAW, or a raw piece of skin or blob of meat boiled in plain water, that's meat's natural state, raw. Nearly all the best tastes in the world come from PLANTS, not Meat. Meat-eaters have to use plants to make meat taste edible. When meat-eaters brag about the taste of meat they are actually bragging about vegetarian tastes, for example your big ol' Barbequer when he brags is going on and on about his Barbeque because of the Barbeque sauce. Barbeque sauce is made out of plants! Next comes the fact that Barbeque to begin with is done over charcoal because that's what tastes the best, because those coals are mostly Hickory or Mesquite! Hickory and Mesquite charcoal that is giving barbeque its best tastes are trees! Once again, the best tastes are coming from plants. If you ever see a meat-eater attempt to brag about how delicious his Barbeque is, he has happily just given Vegetarians a win! All of the best tastes in the world mainly come from vegetarian items, spices, hot peppers, tomatoes, sauces, seasonings, herbs, hickory smoke flavor, A-1 steak sauces, ketchup, mustard, relish, all of these things attempting to make meat taste better and actually edible all come from the best tastes...plants. As we have seen, plain uncooked raw Meat or boiled in its own water ( That is meat in its natural original state. ) tastes horrible.Well, here's a little info on BRAZILIAN MEAT:
This is what username "GUI" has just attempted to get everyone here to put in their mouths, take a look:
PRESS RELEASE: "Brazilian Meat Slips into U.S. Food Supply, Putting Consumers at Risk Yet Again"
Statement regarding the most recent Recall of Brazilian Meat Products:
WASHINGTON – September 15 – "The September 13, 2010 announcement by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service of yet another recall of Brazilian meat products points to the holes in our import inspection system and the inability of USDA to hold our trading partners accountable to our food safety standards. Somehow, 258,000 pounds of imported beef products from a plant that was not eligible to ship to the United States fell between the cracks and were allowed to enter the U.S. food supply.
"Based on USDA's own assessment, excessive animal drug residues in imported meat products from Brazil may be more widespread than just one meat plant. The meat products in question came from the same Brazilian meat plant that was delisted to export to the U.S. on May 14, 2010 because excessive animal drug residues were found in the meat products it shipped to the United States. This is the third recall involving the same plant. As a result of USDA's own investigation of the Brazilian food safety system, the remaining 23 Brazilian meat plants were made ineligible to export to the United States in May because the agency discovered that the animal drug residue problem in Brazil was "systemic."
#
(Note: "Systemic" means that it's all over the place, and has spread all throughout the system. In other words, it means nearly all Brazilian Meat is considered unfit for human consumption.)
In other words, this meat-eater named "GUI" just tried to get You to ingest meat that has been BANNED by the USDA as contaminated with drugs, and is considered Unfit for Human Consumption.
In other words if you had listened to this meat eater, you'd have ended up eating pieces of meat so bad that they have been banned from human consumption even by the United States. ( which "allows" livestock farmers to also inject drugs! So you know this Brazilian meat was dripping in it far worse!). Now, a special thought. For those right now who are bristling up and getting ready to type the word "I" as in "I dont care" because you are thinking of yourself, thinking you are going to go ahead and eat it for yourself...hmm..do you have children? Because when you get done thinking about yourself, notice that when you obtain this and serve it, you are also contaminating the bodies of your wife, family, and children. So if you were just about to reply using the word "I" you can put down your keyboard and save it, if you reply be prepared to write that you are willing and in fact advocating feeding contaminated, banned, recalled, meat, declared unfit for human consumption, containing Drugs, to your family and children.
Sorry, "Gui" the meat from the country you recommended was found to contain Drugs, and it was found to be inedible. Next.
USERNAME chris WROTE: @AMERICANPATRIOT – i read your posts and i'm really sorry, it made me hungrier for a steak tonight. i will have one in your honor! – September 18, 2010 at 6:47 pm
ANSWER: Great Chris!! Excellent! Because when you write that, you *think* you're "hurting me" in some way, but you're not. You write that and you are all giggling to yourself and patting yourself on the back thinking HA HA HA, I'm gonna eat meat! Haha I got THEM! – But you have done nothing of the sort. What you have done is gotten yourself.
You see, Chris is like the person whom you tell not to smoke cigarettes, and then he goes, "HAR HAR HAR, I'm gonna get YOU by smoking more!!! Hahahaha! *cough* *cough* Retch... Clears phlegm from Emphysema-infected throat...."
The data is now pretty much clear. Meat causes cancer, it also contains female menstrual hormones and will cause him eventually to develop man-breasts, wide feminine hips, and abnormal spermatazoa down below, man-hood problems, obesity, and more. So what he has just done is nothing to "hurt me" or get "me" back. What this meat-eater Einstein has just done, is damage himself. hahaa. This is exactly how smart a meat-head is. They are like the cigarette smoker who "thinks" they are "getting you back" by them smoking more. This is due to lack of development in part of the brain having to do with the learning center.
This Chris is kind of like the person whom you tell "Hey, man, really, don't eat LEAD PAINT chips. They will damage you and your child's brain." And then they DEFEND it, typing that they are gonna get YOU back by them eating Lead Paint chips.
This is funny. But representative of the logic that results from eating meat and what it will eventually do to your brain.
By "chris" eating meat, which is now known to contain Zeranol, Estradiol, Ractopamine, SYNOVEX-S (an estrogen implant), what he has just done to himself is damage his own penile capability, effeminize himself with the human-animal form of estrogen and he has put women's menstrual juice in his mouth. This is what is in his steak he's eating tonight to get all of you out there back.
HERE! EVERYBODY TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT CHRIS IS EATING TONIGHT
EVERYONE GO LOOK AT THIS:
http://www.cattlestore.com/pc-102-66-fort-dodge-synovex-s.aspx
"The Cattle Store! Estrogen Implants for Cattle. Contains 200 mg progesterone and 20 mg estradiol." Now you can see the actual package of fluids that livestock meat farmers are buying and using to inject into cattle and that is in your steak. There's an actual punch-gun implant tool that is used to implant what you see into your meat. Notice the word "Estradiol" there. That is girls estrogen. And also cancer-causing. Nearly every piece of meat you eat is juiced with this. Go take a look. This is what livestock meat farmers have been doing behind your back. And laughing all the way to the bank because it bloats the steak more and increases its weaight, so not only are they making you more effeminate and giving you man-boobs, they are making you pay more of your salary for it.
(Well, at least with the name "chris" he's / she's prepared for everything that's in store as he enjoys more and more big menstrual-juicy steak.
Stay tuned! Later on, Chris will "get us back" again by eating even more meat and getting Cancer in his rectum! Just to show us he's right and really get us back!
lol lead paint chips? dude what a response – you really have some serious issues. our human race and ancestors evolved eating meat (especially red meat), and today a significant amount of our population eats meat (i don't have time to look it up because i have a job and other priorities which involve my "penile capabilities", which work just fine – so now you know i'm a "he"). if any of your argument had basis, we would be extinct except for a bunch of hippies running around naked in the woods. with that being said, i'm gonna get some steak and eggs! good luck with your next response, i'll check back friday!!
Is he better than Gallaghers ? ( New York and Vegas )
Is he priced the same ? ( dinner for 3 with 3 glasses of house wine > $200 )
One huge reason not to listen to lord douch with the cowboy hat.He doesnt know what he is talking about.Your arguments are so thin and weak.Scientific evidence points to and has proven red meat does cause various types of cancer.i see it at work each day,hear it from gastroenterologists and dieticians.Unlike the texas fairy with the cowboy hat i dont want to cause suffering to any animal because"it tastes better".yous sir are a number one ass clown go back to texas where they have steers and queers,i know which one you are
Well, you defintely proved his 3rd point right.
Preachyyyy!
Wow. As I see so so many times, all you have to do to these preachy hlier-than-thow type is provide the rope.
Oh behave!
LOL! Hilarious!
Uh... not preachy. Right! I say to all you meat eaters – chow down. The more meat you eat, the faster you'll be gone from the planet! Yeee-haaaww!!
Every vegetarian I have met had a holier than thou attitude, I'm sure they started out just planning to not eat meat, but like any other religion, and that EXACTLY what it becomes, a religion, they just get more and more fanatical about it. At a certain point, it is no longer about them, they must evangelize, and like other religions, if people won't listen, they must be forced to listen. It's almost amusing to listen to someone that believes their are no moral absolutes tell you it's morally wrong to eat meat.
The "scientific evidence" is nonsense purported by radical vegan sites drawing the wrong conclusions from studies. Sauce or GTFO.
Bad news Choppedanddropped50 you are incorrect. There has never been a correlation to meat consumption and cancer. Processed meats that contain high nitrate levels do seem to be linked to cancer in patients predisposed to gastrointestinal disorders, but not unprocessed meats. And for the record if you are going to pretend that you are medically informed you might want to be both professional and well.....informed.
I feel sorry for how ignorant and easily mislead most people are. There are 100's if not 1000's of scientific studies that have been published in the leading medical journals, the evidence all says eating meat regularly magnifies the risk of cancer greatly!!!
If you are diagnosed with cancer the first thing most doctors will ask is: do you eat meat regularly?
If you people are into grotesque, barbaric treatment of animals and eating their diseased bodies, good luck with that.
you are a know nothing douche
Budhi: I am an Oncologist and cancer patients are never asked whether they eat meat.
its vegetarians like you that give vegetarians like me a bad name. i have no problem with carnivores. differences make the world go round. it would be pretty boring if everyone was a vegetarian.
Actually, recent studies have clarified that cured and flavored meats can raise your incidence of cancer, not just any red meat. So easy on that bacon (I know it breaks my heart, too) but enjoy a nice piece of filet with a clear conscience.
Oh man, I agree with your health concerns and thanks for the laugh!
So you're concerned with the suffering of animals but you're cool with being a homophobe?
Yeah, I want to be just like you. /sarcasm
Um, find me the exact quote where he said consuming red meat is healthy. This may be a surprise but "meat" comes from more than just cattle. So everyone is going to die from eating meat? Perhaps you could explain why cultures that predominantly eat fish (newsflash, it is meat) have some of the highest life expectancies and health in the world. I have a feeling the vegetarians are the ones dying young in Japan while the meat eaters are laughing. Stop spitting out nonsense "scientific" evidence that is anything but scientific.
One more thing, I think the artificial flavoured soy nugget is about as artificial and toxic as you can get. Health is based on the combination of items eaten, not simply veggie vs. meat eater. A person who eats a box of soy nuggets for every meal is on the verge of a heart attack just as much as someone who eats nothing but cheeseburgers.
You should check out some of the new harvard studies that have come out. All those studies that said red meat was bad did not differentiate between a piece of steak and a hot dog. Basically a piece of red meat can be very healthy for you, but processed meat packed with sodium is bad for you. Rule of thumb, eat anything we ate 500 years ago and you should be fine, don't need to be a vegetarian to be healthy.
No no meat doesn't give you protein to build and retain muscle, corn does. THIS IS SCIENTIFICALLY A FACT MISTER!! <-This statement and your statement have something in common, made up facts.
lol. A vegetarian making a good argument = being "preachy" and "in your face" and "forcing your opinion on others". Isn't that right, corpse-munchers...
Wow...grow up.
choppedanddropped50
you sir are about the most ignorant homophobic excuse for a human being I have ever encounted posting in comments thus far kind of surprised you sort of mastered a keyboard with those long hairy ape like fingers of yours. Do the world a favor and retreat back to your cave would you?
You should as those GI docs if they're vegetarian. Most likely they're not!
Reaon Number #3 is certainly being reenforced this morning.
@choppedanddropped50: All you're doing right now is making vegetarians look bad (like the preachy holier-than-thou people the author alludes to). I am a vegetarian, a choice I made because I personally dislike the taste and texture of meat as well as the idea of eating animals. I also know many vegetarians, and none of us consider ourselves 'superior' to meat-eaters simply because we make a different diet choice. Everyone is different and has different preferences, and we should all respect that. This also includes the author. He complains about the 'holier-than-thou' vegetarians, yet he is presenting his viewpoint regarding meat as absolute. For example, he writes 'meat tastes better than vegetables. Period.' This is clearly a matter of personal preference, and this author is clearly not qualified to make judgments on the personal preferences of every human being in the world.
As a dietitian and a vegetarian, I consider a person's choices about what to eat central to his or her sense of self and place in the world. Food feeds us, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I would never comment on another person's food choices without being asked. However, it's hard for me to take lightly or joke about my choice of being vegetarian. It was a choice I made based on my relationship to the animals in my life and my belief of what my responsibilites are as a consumer of this planet's resources. In response to this article, I actually would prefer squash to ribeye, since the thought of eating a dead animal makes me feel physically ill.
Awasome, I am vegetarian and I wish we have more people in world of your belief.
Great comment Dolly, I totally agree with you!!!!
I agree. The sight of a slab of meat on a plate or a grill looks barbaric and makes me heave. It's like eating corpses. veggies anytime here.
dear god yall suck
You think too much. Food is good. Get a life.
what are vegetable but dead plant so the whole idea that meat can't be eaten beacuse it's a corpse also applies to veggies, after all it to is being killed to get to your mouth.
All of the negative responses to my post have been about judging my choice not to eat meat, after I explicitly stated that I don't comment on or pass judgement on what others eat. Who is being intolerant? To reply to the posters who responded to me, I have a very rich life, and do't need to "get one". As far as destroying plants to eat them, I'm sure that was meant as a flippant comment, but I'll take it seriously. I'm not aware of plants experiencing pain or other emotions, and therefore am not opposed to killing them. To the age old argument that other animals kill animals for food; well, yes – they are animals. I am a human and can make moral choices and kind find perfectly satisfying and nutritious alternatives to eating animals. To those who argue that a vegetarian diet requires careful balance and planing and puts one at risk for nutritional deficiencies, I can confidently say that it isn't so. From our perspective, it may appear to take special planning because it is a way of eating to which most of us are unaccutomed. To those brought up vegetarian, it is as simple as meatloaf and potatoes are for most Americans. It's quite simple to follow a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet; somewhat more challenging to follow a vegan diet. It's simply a matter of taste and what one is willing to embrace. Justifying a meat based diet by calling it more nutritious is, frankly, pseudoscience.
if you want to be a vegetarian or a vegan, thats cool. Eat what you like. eating fruits and vegetables is healthy, and most people don't eat enough. But I hate to break it to you Vegan/Vegetarians, your diet is not saving the planet. The produce you desire grows in various regions and climates, some of those regions are abundant, so its easy to grow, say, wheat, corn, etc. However more exotic fruits and vegetables, your pineapples, bananas, etc, need very specific climates so in order to get them, they must be shipped around the world, which uses petroleum, which pollutes. You may desire your vegetables be organic, this is not a sustainable way to grow large amounts of crops, especially if the whole world went Vegan. You HAVE to use non-organic fertilizers. pesticides and Genetically Modified plants in order to grow crops on that kind of scale, we are beyond the point on this planet of self sustaining agriculture. A back yard garden might feed you, but you have to turn your whole yard into a garden to feed a family, which makes issues like drought, frost, etc HUGE factors on your life. We live in a society where farming is a specialized job, and that isn't going to change. Eat what you like, me I will never stop eating meat. Bears, wolves, lions, tigers, gators, etc all eat meat, and they do not hesitate to eat people when the opportunity presents itself. Humans are omnivores, we can survive on both plants and animals, and I do not see the difference between a hunter or farmer killing a deer, cow, pig and a lion or pack of wolves doing the same. Do you think an animal that dies being attacked by wild predators suffers more or less than one killed by a hunter or farmer. I'm gonna be generous and say its equal, because I doubt being shot is any less or more painful than being ripped apart or suffocated, etc. So either way these animals will die in a way that well, won't be pleasant. So I'm going to continue to enjoy the delicious taste of Steak, sausage, bacon, fried chicken, venison, etc because we are meant to eat these things, and man makes more of an effort to kill the animal quickly and with as little pain as possible than wild predators would.
You make some good points, Ryan. It's easy to become smug and/or complacent about eating "organic" or plant based diets. I happen to work with clients for whom these are usually not viable economic alternatives. Each of us, I believe, has a responsibility to look at food production to the extent we are able, and to arrive at choices that are morally reasonable to us. My own opinion is that simple unprocessed plant foods and grains have a lower environmental impact than most meat products. There are ways of eating meat that leave a smaller environmental "foot print", but this would still be unacceptable to me, because I don't want to eat animals or the products of factory animal farming when alternatives exist. Enjoying food in simple ways works for me – I get easily irritated by the trend towards "artisan" foods and other ways of making the simple act of eating an act of class privelege. I buy locally when it makes financial sense – I'm not rich – and buy non GMO soybeans from a local farm to make my own soy milk. I try to avoid exotic fruits and vegetables. There aren't any clear cut solutions to using resources wisely. If we all gave it some thought, however, I think we could make a collective difference.
1. It tastes good because it's what you've always known. If you stopped and thought for a second, you'd realize that meat has not always been such a huge part of the American diet; in fact, the meat industry has been ramping up campaigns and pushing the factory farming agenda over the last few decades. 50 years ago we were eating significantly less meat. Turkey wasn't always part of the whole Thanksgiving feast, by the way. The original feast certainly didn't entail eating one. In terms of societal "health," eating meat is a sign of a strong/improving/wealthy economy. The way we eat it in this country is completely symbolic of our credit crisis and gluttonous overspending.
2. This guy is a moron. Sorry, but these aren't "reasons." These are podunk musings of a carnivore who has never thought for a second about how he's part of an interconnected web of cross-species existence.
3. Funny, because the meat-eaters are the most defensive eaters of any other type, period. Y'all freak the hell out when someone comes around touting the benefits of vegetables. It's pretty amazing how attacked you feel when someone expresses a valid opinion about how your eating habits actually have world-wide implications. I know you hate to be forced to think about how that burger costs far more than what you pay for it in animal AND human suffering (because the poor folks that work in factory farms are pretty damn miserable), emissions, environmental damage, and beyond. It's hard. Having to think about the implications of one's decisions and reconsidering, for even just a second, the fact that just because things have "always been this way," that they don't need to always BE this way.
4. The meat-has-more-protein argument is really overplayed. Yeah, "more protein" (except, uh, legumes and grains actually have a ton of protein too), also more cholesterol, fat, and let's not forget the frankenstein hormones that were forcefed to your delicious dish. Veg diets have plenty of protein, when done NOT the lazy way. The meateaters would have an easier time converting if only being healthy played into the disgusting culture of convenience we suffer from.
5. Yes, getting funny looks is DEFINITELY a reason to not be a vegetarian. Must. Conform. To. Meateating. Mouthbreathers.
Pretty dismayed that this appeared on anything affiliated with CNN.
Also, any day of the week, the meat industry wreaks more havoc on the planet than any other type of farming. This is a fact.
And the thought of eating a dead plant doesn't make you feel physically ill? Plants are living things as well. Humans are a consequence of an evolutionary chain for 4.6 billion years that has consisted entirely and exclusively of organic compounds or organisms surviving at the expense of other organic compounds or organisms. If the familiarity of the organism is the issue for you, then someone has undermined your sense of logic and reason with an appeal to emotion, in which case I have to wonder if you fall prey to the pseudoscience of Creationism, astrology and UFO paranoia, as well.
There are many biological reasons why some individuals would fare better on a restricted diet, but we are omnivores. We wouldn't exist even as a species capable of pondering the ethical dilemmas of meat consumption. The only ethical dilemma that exists arises out of industrial agriculture and the overproduction that overpopulation demands from it. This leads to horrific ranching practices. This also leads to horrific overproduction of plant matter. Why are you not concerned about your spiritual purity when it comes to raping the planet's supply of aspargus? No, seriously... what exactly is the difference in your mind? Maybe asparagus can't express any feelings or pain, but then neither can human beings suffering from hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy.
Now let's not go down the path of "but it's about what's natural" because then I'll point out that your stomach is not adapted to solely digesting plant matter, and that those sharp things in your mouth, called incisors, bicuspids and canines, are for grasping and tearing meat. Your molars, for mashing plant matter, are in the back.
Don't get me wrong... I'm not arguing that a person who doesn't LIKE to eat meat, or has a moral objection to ranching methods, or more esoteric reasoning, should and must eat meat. I just find your particular argument specious at least and scientifically ignorant at best.
Also, to clarify a couple things:
1. Chef Love here is being rather facetious to comic effect. No one, save perhaps a layperson activist with zero sense of humor, could actually think this man is serious.
2. I'm a progressive, left-leaning centrist, the son of two Hindu parents from India... so let's not get any ideas about my politics. My parents were both scientists... I'm an advocate for factuality instead of pseudoscientific nonsense. That doesn't mean I object only to religion being taught in the science classroom. I also object to astrology, palm reading, tarot cards, pseudoenvironmentalism and "spirituality" as substitutes for sound scientific research and inquiry.
It isn't your personal choice that bothers me. It's your last sentence that reeks of pretense and cultural elitism. And no, speaking as a highly gifted moderate-liberal who advocates social investment in health, welfare and education, I do not leap to the term "elitism" for people who actually possess a modicum of intellect. Unfortunately, here in your egotistical posturing disguised as an ethics soapbox, intellect is the least of your qualities.
If you lived 100,000 years ago, you'd be consuming whatever you could to survive. the fact that you're snobbishly turning down your nose at an overabundance that any child in africa would give their left arm to have access to is a testament to your willingness to exist in a society of excess and hubris.
"I am a human"... wait, no one ever told you that humans ARE animals?
To call meat more nutritious is pseudoscience? Well, technically meat isn't necessarily "more" nutritious. The difference, dear Dolly, is that while some grains and legumes (things that my father, a prominent plant physiologist of 40 years, knows substantially more about than any dietitian on Earth) may contain significant amounts of protein, our digestive systems aren't as well adapted to metabolize protein from certain types of foods. Meat is a more efficient source of protein for human beings.
Again, if you want to make a personal argument and say you just don't like meat, or it's against your religion, or you dislike the ranching practices, I got your back... but your last sentence of your original post, I'll say it again, reeks of looking down your nose at those of us who are not going to stoop to making some bogus distinction between the biological imperative to survive at the expense of animals versus surviving at the expense of any number of other organisms—which could only totally replace an omnivorous gatherer-hunter diet in an industrial-scale agricultural society capable of producing plant matter in such massive quantities as to meet the nutrition demands that a fraction of animal matter could.
The bottom line is if you eat meat you are not in touch with the pain you are giving to living creatures. This may sound 'gay', 'girly' or whatever but the bottom line is ppl who eat animals are supporting the harm to living creatures. And I guess unless someone feels pain and realizes they are hurting animals, I guess they just don't care. By the way, I don't mean to use the word gay in an offensive manner. This is just what I have heard ppl use to describe things that aren't normal. And I guess not eating meat is not 'normal' to those who only live by the rules society has already made for them. By the way, I am a republican and served in the marines.
Again, Rubin, I am curious about your attack on me for my beliefs, I'm not making a logical argument as to why I can justify eating plants but not animals, I am simply expressing my own emotions and my reactions to them. I certainly understand that creatures have a history of preying upon each other; I'm simply saying that my feelings urge me to opt out of eating animals. I have personal feelings toward animals and their ability to feel emotion, and I choose not to inflict pain on them for my eating pleasure. (Actually, it isn't peasurable to me to eat them). Why do I have to build a logical case to justify this, in your eyes? I can assure that I am neither scientfically ignorant, nor a social elitist, a term which you actually do seem to be using casually. Your anger toward me mystifies me. I'm not advocating that anyone adopt a meat free diet without arriving at their own reason for doing so, and I am not condeming those who choose not to. I understand that there are complex and myriad reasons for eating what we eat. I am only trying to provide some insight into my own choices. Sorry that you find that so offensive.
the bottom line, Ian, is that humans are the top of the food chain. we grow the food, we raise the animals. we have dominion over the less intelligent/less-self aware creatures. we are MEANT to eat meat. I believe we should raise the animals humanely and conscientiously, but you cannot avoid the fact that many animals are here because our diet requires meat, in moderation.
Hope you aren't banging the poor cattle dollyg.
Dollyg I completely agree with everything your saying and can't think of anything to add, tho I wish there was a way to contact you, I live in Missouri (second only to Texas in beef production, and #1 pork last I checked) so you can imagine the trials of living a veggie lifestyle and finding like minded individuals around here.
Maybe they're trying to help Ted Turner sell his bison. This is a ridiculous article.
The vegetarian posters here keep reinforcing my idea that vegetarians in general do not like meat. If I did not like meat, I wouldn't eat it either. I do like meat, though... and I am willing to kill animals to eat it. In fact, I like meat so much... I am willing to ignore all the other arguments about vegetarianism to eat it the same way you are willing to ignore all the arguments about meat to remain a vegetarian. The comments here certainly have proven Chef Tim's third point correct.
Well said dollyG.I would like to add that we are what we eat. Also my stomach is not a graveyard for dead carcasses.
Great comment, dollyG!!!
Your response is the only one that shows an ounce of moderation (that I've read so far). I'm not vegetarian myself, but you folks need to remember either way you go, its a choice of lifestyle. My eating habits are very poor, the only reason I'm not on the operating table getting a quintuple bypass on my heart is because of moderation. Remember, all things in moderation.
It makes me feel ill, too. But since I have cut meat almost completely out of my diet, I have gained about 30 pounds, and my blood sugar is too high. And when I eat vegetables that other people have cooked, I have the experence of a scorched tongue and gut-piercing heartburn. I have given up eating vegetables in resaurants, because they are always half raw, and I suspect that's where the heartburn is coming from. I have also cut my fat intake to less than 10% of my diet, and the heartburn persists. Given that I eat about 1/3 of what most adults eat, I have almost given up on food altogether, especially vegetables. What else is there to eat? I hate soy!
I'd like you to consider this fro ma spiritual point of view: how is the life energy of a cow any different than the life energy of a head of broccoli? Answer: It isn't. From a universal point of view, the life energy in a plant is no different than the life energy in even us, since they are all manifestations of the same energy source. So, there really is no distinction, in the end, even we as human beings are food sources for a multitude of bacteria and smaller life forms. Eat what you want without a guilty conscience, because every living thing on the planet is food for something else.
I agree. I found this article a little insulting. I expected to find health reasons for why not to be a vegetarian, but instead it's this guy who just likes to grill dead animals. I cannot go into steakhouses, because the smell bothers me so much. I would much prefer a tasty spaghetti squash =]
@GwT: You make a fascinating point – one which I'd given some, but not very much thought to. I got a few other responses along the same lines, so it gives me food for thought. My BF also challenged me on this point: at what point and on what distinctions does one assign value to living beings? I honestly don't know. At this point, with the limited information I have, I trust my emotional regarding meat. But thank you for the point to ponder – I will think about it.
THANK YOU! I love how superior-sounding people sounds when they call vegan/vegetarians superior-sounding. Pot? Meet kettle! I'm a vegan and would NEVER dream of being as condescending as this idiot!
Man would not have the evolved brain we do if not for the protein our ancestors ate in early human develop. It was because of that protein our brains could grow larger and with more surface area. Not to mention our incisors and canine teeth for tearing and ripping meat. I got nothing against vegetarians, I just think they're all nuts. It's against human nature to not eat meat, like not having sex or something...
Oh appeals to naturalism! How silly. But really, our ancestors ate meat because it was an easy source of protein and protein was often limited. Such problems do not exist in developed countries. You can obtain all of those proteins from non-meat sources, which are just as "natural" as eating meat.
JD – you're missing the point. This isn't a statement about "eating meat is natural, therefore we should do it." This is a statement about human evolution. There's some pretty good evidence that a significant cause of the increase in the Homo brain capacity (we're talking pre-Homo sapiens) was the increased consumption of meat. Meat is nutritionally dense, lots of useful calories for extra energy, and (unless you have a medical condition) easier to digest than a lot of plant foods....and just as Homo started ramping up the meat consumption (evidenced by things like cut marks in bones from stone tools – in other words, marks from butchering – which look very distinct from carnivore tooth marks), the brain began to get bigger, because people were eating more high quality food and that provided them with extra resources to power a larger brain. And obviously it would be valuable to have a larger brain, so voila! As long as the growth could be sustained without taking resources away from other necessary bodily functions, natural selection eventually gave us an enormous brain. Which is why we're able to debate controversial issues and create an internet that allows us to snipe anonymously at each other. :)
That said, my husband and sister are vegetarians, and I don't care in the slightest. I think it's great – it works for them, they eat healthy, our freezer is stocked with chicken breasts AND fake ground beef. No big deal. I have no problem with vegetarians, and I totally agree with saying that we can't necessarily equate eating meat ourselves with predators in the animal kingdom eating meat. We DO have a choice, we can live without meat...but it's nobody's business but our own whether we decide to do so. For me, I'm comfortable with it because I personally feel that as a member of the animal kingdom, it's not wrong for me to eat meat, and the idea doesn't disgust me. Also it tastes good. :) But I certainly understand other people thinking and choosing differently.
I think you are a moron. The reason you like eating meat is because you like the taste of dead flesh in your mouth. You obviously also think it is ok to kill things just for you. Well aren't you special.
Your a disgrace to the human race. I think somewhere in the process of evolution something may have happened and people started to devolve. Can you send me a strain of your DNA so i can test for devilution AKA deevolution?
You'd have a convincing argument if animal meat was the only source of protein. But it isn't.
According to your theory, lions are supposed to be Einsteins, then. Brains got bigger because of evolution, not meat. The proof is that when man became agricultural, his brain size decreased. Probably due to the tediousness and repetitiveness of farming and herding, and also because the continual concentration and information processing of the nomad life was no longer necessary.
So it's using the brain what makes it grow.
Some of us vegetarians are not preachy. In fact I am a vegetarian due to medical conditions. I can't eat meat cuz it makes my stomach feel like I ate glass. Its from having no gall bladder. In fact I have no problem if someone wants to eat mc donalds big mac sitting next to me. It looks tempting but all I think about is the pain if I do. I am not a PETA freak either. I personally love the taste of vegetables and grains and fruits to those of t-bone steak or pig. (I don't eat pig because I wasn't raised on it) I found some delicious foods that are vegetarian foods. If you give me a lobster or shrimp or crab that is where I get my proteins from. I love sea foods. In fact I encourage others to eat more vegetables and fruits in their diets, but also believe meat is important too. You just can't survive on meat alone though. Its all about balance. :)
Please stop calling yourself a vegetarian. Vegetarians DO NOT EAT dead animals of ANY KIND. You are simply a MEAT EATER that only eats MEAT from the Sea. Please STOP giving vegetarians a bad name and STOP misinforming the public. Thank you.
Ahh, the age old argument between the pescatarian and vegetarian... If you eat seafood, you're not a vegetarian, you're an omnivore. No different than the beef/poultry/pork eaters.
Hahaha......attacked by who you thought were your compatriots. I bet you didn't know didn't measure up. Religions always save their greatest vitriol for their heretics.
Simply put, Vegetarianism has to be a religion because it sucks. You can only take it if you think you're serving some higher moral purpose. It has the same differentiated levels of adherence as any religion, and the higher disciples are always exhorting their charges to higher levels of devotion.
Like all religions I have been in contact with, it's hypocritical and frankly boring.
This article was the stupidest thing I've ever read. I want my four minutes back.
It took you four minutes to read that?
Two Words: Jonathan Swift
Yeah, but really: how hard is it to cook a good steak? The cow did most of the work for you. All you gotta do is grill it right and add a sauce or some seasonings. And half the time even that's unnecessary. I'll consider him good chef if he can make something that takes skill.
red meat isn't bad for you, fuzzy blue-green meat is bad for you
read Eating Animals and then see how you feel about eating meat. It's not the actual eating of flesh that disturbs me, but the condition of the animals in the farms and more importantly , in the slaughterhouses and feedlots.
I grew up a vegetarian and it sucks, now when i do buy meat its organic and I'm very careful on my selections but to just go without is crazy. Your body doesn't get b12 vitamin as good anywhere else besides meat, to this day I will never eat tofu or eggplant ever again in my life! get lean meat!!
AmericanPatriot, chill out. You are proving the holier than thou part idiotic BS that was discussed in the article. Veggies and Meat in the US are treated with various chemicals that make them produce even more meat or larger vegetables. And please shove it with the estrogen crap, both vegetables and meat have estrogen, but in such low amounts it won't effect anyone. The reasons for women producing breasts earlier has been found to come from baby formula NOT meat. If you want to stop this, breast feed. Nuff said.
Stop making all the other vegetarians look bad.
Cigarettes are heavily taxed due to what it costs taxpayers in disease. So then meat should be heavily taxed.
But at the same time... perhaps the government should give out cigarettes and meat for free so we can rid the country of the arrogant and ignorant fools that smoke and devour animals.
Oh, and it's not at all preachy to say that meat kills cause there're millions of clogged arteries and cancer to prove it.
If this guy where wearing a witches hat and painted green, wouldn't he look exactly like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz? Remarkable resemblance. Wow.
I understand all sides of the argument. And I picked a compromise that works for my family and myself. We eat anything!
Great, more homespun BS from TX. I had to put up with that for 8 years. This logic is idiotic at beast. "It tastes better". So does veal wrapped in bacon sauted in butter with a heaping pile os aesbestos for a garnish. Try that for lunch today Tim and do us all a favor.
I am the expert on this. Why? Because I was vegetarian for 35 years. Then after age 50 realized that it was not working for me. I could not get the iron and the minerals needed from veggies. I've eaten at the Love Shack here in FW. Not too impresed with the burgers, but it was an early foray into returning to eat meat. It took me 3 months to get my iron level up to normal from eating meat, not too much red meat though. What I did not like about your place is that the burgers only come one way! I need well done because I don't like the taste of red meat too much.
My advice, vegetarianism works for the young, but when you get older it will be really hard to maintain a good weight. You will be craving what you don't get as a vegan.
Heloise at the Trough
I'm 47 years old and last time I checked, a few weeks ago, my hemoglobin was 13.0. Not sure what will happen after menopause, but for the time being I'm doing fine on a meatless diet. I take a daily MVI (no iron) and 4000iu Vit D, but I would also have done this if I were a meat eater. I hope your dietary changes bring the health benefits you are looking for.
You are what you eat so if you want to be a cow or a pig then go ahead!
By the way carnivores have sharp teeth with fangs to rip apart animals and eat the meat, like you see in dogs , wolves etc. Herbivores and vegetarians have flat teeth for grinding plants as you see in cows, monkeys, horses etc. Guess what type of teeth Humans have ? Flat for eating vegetables! he way carnivores have sharp teeth with fangs to rip apart animals and eat the meat, like you see in dogs , wolves etc. Herbivores and vegetarians have flat teeth for grinding plants as you see in cows, monkeys, horses etc. Guess what type of teeth Humans have ? Flat for eating vegetables!
I have been too. They are both amazing. This guy sounds more like a philosopher then a chef. This guy needs his own TV show... I swear, fire Rachel Ray and give this guy 60 minutes every weekday. I would watch him.
Vegetarians remind me of religious fanatics who preach the word no matter what the occasion. Look at the length of some of the messages in this thread! It's crazy. Over the years meat has slowly started to gross me out. Even organic meat seems wrong. But marinate some korean style ribs and I'm all over it. I knew from the title of this story that there would be a zillion people in outrage. What a drag. My son is 8 years old and a psuedo vegetarian because he doesn't like the way meat tastes. That's fine by me. I prefer him to eat lentils and rice. It's the future of this planet's inhabitants. Get used to it....just not so fast for some of us older folk. Ribs never tasted so good :)
Most of us that are vegan or vegeterian are only so vocal because we are so vastly outnumbered that we have to be in order to be heard! A lot of us believe it warrants such speach because the nature of this topic is about violent treatment of animals that can only be parralleled by the holocaust.
please read The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre keith a former 20 year vegan your heart is in the right place but your missing the larger picture
Wow, did you ever read that wrong. That book is about agri-business and the industrial farming that most vegans I know have written their members of Congress to try and abolish.
This vegan buys my groceries from my local farmers' co-op grocery store and farmers' markets.
This man's argument for eating meat might be the weakest I've eer read. His ENTIRE argument is based on social perceptions and not a single valid logical one. Most of the reason vegeterians are this way is for moral reasons. They believe the violent treatment of animals is vastly outweighed by the taste or social acceptence of such. Furthermore when you think about it, you're eating a dead body...You're eating a carcass...That is in NO way appetizing. If most people had to slaughter their own meat I'm willing to bet the vast majority of us wouldn't be omnivores.
This is complete bullshit.
Go Green. Go Veg!
Hope you choke on a bone.
ok...so vegetarians are "preachy" however you are "preaching" idiot reasons to eat meat. Most vegetarians don't eat meat because they don't like the way meat tastes. Not sure how many vegetarians actually walk into a "steakhouse" expecting cream of spinach. And yes, we would definitely prefer to be surrounded by the aromas of natural foods as opposed to the odor of decaying flesh (and yes, that steak that smells so good is literally rotting on your plate, so eat up!!). I don't judge my friends who eat meat, so guaranteed your friends aren't judging you for it. But you should do the same thing. Don't judge people because they've chosen a healthier lifestyle. As far as the comments about meat not being that bad for you, you can believe it if you want. But listing five ridiculous reasons for someone to not be a vegetarian is honestly pretty stupid considering that most vegetarianism is based on morals. It isn't the taste that they are too concerned with, but the fact that they would be consuming a carcass. And speaking from experience, when someone finds out that I am a vegetarian, it is generally THEM who do the preaching and the questioning, and want to automatically challenge everything that my lifestyle entails. It's not the meat eaters that I even have a problem with....It's the people who seem to think that being a vegetarian is some kind of cult and they honestly act like it effects their life more than it effects mine. Heaven forbid someone actually live a compassionate way and respect all of God's creatures. Stop complaining.....so what if people don't eat meat.....you'll get over it.
Excellent comment! Right on the money...
Really lame article and reasons as to why not to be a vegetarian. His 5 reason thinking just goes to show what all those hormones in the meats do to the brain. I've been a vegetarian for 15 years and you don't need meat to have a very good tasty and healthy meal. Anyone who says otherwise is eating to much meat
All I know is that, I used to feel weak and tired like those hippies who don't like to work. Then I let up on the Veggies and started eating more meat. Now I have energy and want to work out everyday. HOw healthy is that. Try this experiment. If you work late hours like I do specially at night, try this... Don't drink coffee, instead eat a nice portion of beef. Hamburger or Steak. You'd be suprised how awake and aware you stay for many hours without the ups and downs of coffee or other hippie drugs you may be trying.
MODERN TRANSPORT HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR HUMANS TO ATTAIN COMPLETE PROTEIN (all necessary amino acids) AND OTHER NUTRIENTS FROM VEGETABLES AND FRUITS.
IF YOU'VE OWNED A DOG, CAT, GERBIL, PARROT OR EVEN A FISH, YOU CAN RELATE TO THE OCCASIONAL, NAGGING FEELING THAT THE MEAT ON YOUR TABLE USED TO HAVE A SOUL AND PERSONALITY – CAPABLE OF FEELING AFFECTION AND PAIN.
MEAT TASTES GREAT IF YOU CAN IGNORE THAT NAGGING FEELING. FOR VEGETARIANS, IT APPARENTLY IS MORE DIFFICULT TO GET OVER THAT NAGGING FEELING.
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT "EMPATHY" IS AN ABILITY THAT VARIES FROM INDIVIDUAL TO INDIVIDUAL. LET THE MEAT EATERS ENJOY THEIR MEAT. LET THE VEGETARIANS COPE WITH THEIR INABILITY TO IGNORE THE CRYING ANIMALS.
. "Imagine a restaurant full of preachy vegetarians. Enough said. I’m kidding, of course. Some of my best friends are vegetarians, but even they have a tendency to be a little on the holier-than-thou side. If I want to eat meat, let me eat it in peace. Nobody is forcing you to be a vegetarian, so why are you trying to force us?"
So, let me get this straight? You tell us we're being preachy, when your whole article is telling us NOT to be a vegetarian? If that's not calling the kettle black, I don't know what is.
This article and ALL the posts MISS THE POINT of being a Vegan COMPLETELY. It's about BRUTALLY KILLING COWS. If everyone that ate meat had to kill and butcher a cow once, half would stop eating meat right there. If everyone that ate meat had to go to a processing plant most Americans would instantly become Vegans. It's not about taste, it's about killing.
His food is not that great at ALL! Especially Love Shack, over priced and mediocre food. Dirty restaurant. Trust me, I like good burgers, I think over all grilled at home are the best, but you would be better off going to burger king than Love Shack. Also his staff has always been less than helpful. Holy cow, just thinking of it I realize how much I and so many other people wanted to like Love Shack, its just plain disappointing.