Potential health risks of being a vegetarian

[Guest69235]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow...185053959.html

The long and short of it is that you need a balanced diet that supplies all the essential nutrients your body needs... blindly scarfing down vegetables to prove a point doesn't improve your health any...

[fleabo]

...it can make you fart a lot too. Nonetheless, the carbon footprint of a vege-diet must be pretty good?

[littlesarah]

It is possible to live healthily without eating meat, but it takes more thought to ensure a balanced diet that provides the necessary nutrients.

Shoving lots of meat into one's gullet at the expense of vegetables is none too healthy either!

[Guest69235]

We are all essentially in agreement. The point I am trying to convey is that effort needs to be spent on ensuring a balanced diet. A vegetarian or vegan diet doesn't automatically translate into healthy living.

[Freckleface]

I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years and don't worry at all about 'balancing' my diet. In fact my diet is very unbalanced. However in my entire working life I have only had to take one day off work due to ill health.

While it is possible I just have a strong constitution I think it is odd that the people who 'warn' me about how unhealthy my diet is (and spent a lot of time and energy worrying about their own diets) are sick on a semi regular basis.

[CrimsonPetal]

It's unfortunate that the vegetarian movement have shot themselves in the foot too with all this talk of balancing proteins, combining nuts and tofu at every meal or some such thing. It's been proven to be rubbish but the idea still sticks. Most vegetarians are ovo-lacto anyway which is of course animal protein. It's not as if vegetarians are keeling over in the streets on a regular basis is it? I believe Indian culture is mostly vegetarian too?

Anyway, the upshot of it is, I was veggie for four years and was perfectly healthy. Since I started eating meat again, oh, about a decade ago my health has steadily declined. Nothing magical about the health benefits of eating meat. Having said that, it's blooming delicious and I have no plans to stop eating it.

[CrimsonPetal]

A vegetarian or vegan diet doesn't automatically translate into healthy living.

Yes. And neither does a meat eating one.

[Maruska]

My friend used to be a vegetarian. She went to study human nutrition and started eating meat again, saying it was too expensive ( but possible) to replace all the nutrients that meat-eaters get. I like my steak.

[scrumpy]

Ever butcher I have ever met is a very jolly chap indeed, a little plump but none the less happy and full of life.
Pop into a health food shop and you will meet some skinny drawn person who probably will not live any longer but it will sure feel like it!

[Guest69235]

Yes. And neither does a meat eating one.

Agreed whole heatedly. I never said it does!!!