This thread is a tangent from "What's your religion and why?" in the Religion and Philosophy forum, where we mentioned meat and the Bible.

Until recently, we were "omnivorous," yes, but meat was not a major part of anyone's diet. Even today it takes 16 pounds of corn to make one pound of beef -- pricey, which is why most third world cultures use meat sparingly. Even in the context of evolution, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (And grains, pasta, potatoes, etc -- don't assume vegetarians only eat salad) makes the most sense for our bodies. Vegetarianism isn't such a bad option.

My dad runs a health program for businesses, who enroll their employees in it to save money on health insurance fees. He can garuntee a return on investment within months. What's the secret? All but eliminating meat from the diet, focusing on fresh "simple" (unprocessed) foods (fruits, grains, and vegetables), plus exercise and water (meaning dropping soda, sweetened tea, and coffee). Sounds terrible, but after a few weeks you actually get used to it -- and the tremendous difference it makes in people's lives cannot be ignored. It's supported by studies from all around the world, which point to the fact that -- though genetics play a small part -- health is a choice, not chance. 80% of type 2 diabetes cases can be essentially cured just by lowering the amount of fat in the diet. Many mental illnesses -- such as schizophrenia -- are virtually impossible to find outside of the western culture, and cancer is scarce as well. Osteoporosis has been linked closely to excess intake of protein, which negates the body's ability to retain calcium (No matter how much milk you drink).

There, I made my rant. Comments? Do I sound like just another health freak?

SigmaX

very nice: as morrissey mentione; "meat is the murder"
i don't know if you know anything on "createn/khriti/girit" style diets. it's mostly depends on fresh vegetables and fruits. i'm not a totally vegetarian but i'm cooking meat in the house. i ate only at restaurants... i'm just not heavy-meat consumer.. i can not go to kfc for example. we can see it as a political attitude as well.

I'm also vegetarian/vegan for a whole host of reasons: moral grounds/health grounds/environmental grounds etc... It just simply makes sense.

I agree totally that we are omnivorous and that we have evolved to eat meat.

However, nowadays people in Western societies have become used to eating meat 2-3 times per day, and for this to be affordable it must be produced cheaply. Keeping the prices down necessitates all sorts of inhumane practises, and causes all manner of environmental problems.

In a practical sense, I guess my main problem with meat is factory farming. I don't have a big problem with subsistence farming and/or subsistence hunting.

i'm inclined to support you.

I'm trying to eat more healthily, but at the same time retain some sanity. One thing I try to remember is that in order for me to live, something must die.
That should inspire some humility.
I hope it does for me.

I'm a 100% vegan (I don't even eat bug products... You know the ones...) And I'm perfectly happy and healthy. And I know that I have zero risk of cholesterol issues.

Nah, you don't sound like a nut.
I'm also a vegetarian (lacto-ovo technically, but heavy vegan leanings).
You can also argue the eco side for vegetarianism, not just health or ethical reasons (my reasons were mainly ethical):
To produce one pound of beef 2,500 gallons of water are used.
One pound of protein-rich wheat will only use 25 gallons. (Not to mention all the animal feces that ends up in what's left of the drinking water and makes people sick either from drinking it or eating the vegetables grown with it.)
To get one calorie's worth of protein from beef, 78 calories of fossil fuel are needed.
One calorie of protein from plants (any kind) will only use up 2 calories of fossil fuel.
In the US, about 1/2 to 2/3 of all grains go to feed livestock raised for meat. If that went to humans, about 1.2 billions could be fed and kept from starvation.

Think perhaps the eco-friendly argument may have been my reason #2 for going veg?

i eat meat and hate people that tries to force me to stop eating it

Everything in moderation, exercise regulary - thats it.

1 donut is good for you, 5 aren't
1 carrot is good for you, an all carrot diet isn't

its about perspective. A good diet is a balance of everything. But its meaningless without exercise.

I used to be a vegetarian, but I gave up on it because I discovered that I really didn't believe in it anymore. But still, I don't need to eat meat at every meal. In fact I like meat a lot less than I used to.

But if I had the means, it would be hard not to eat a big juicy steak at every meal.

I try not to eat too much meat.

It just seems like a good idea.

I find it quite a chore to eat fruit and veg though which doesn't help.

I can definitely vouch for eating everything in moderation and getting plenty of exercise. Benn concentrating on that area of my life lately and it's really paid off. I have more energy sleep better etc.