Comments on: Going Cold Turkey From Meat

Sunday Morning: Austin Firefighters Are Powerful Advocates Of A Vegetarian Diet, But Some Have A Beef About Giving Up Meat

[aurorac]

Great article. I have been a vegan for 5 years, I feel great, work out regularly, and haven't had a cold in so long I can't even remember. Also, I went through menopause without barely noticing it. I have six adult children. Three were vegans before I became one, and now two others have joined. Only one continues to eat meat...but not when he comes home. It has also opened up a whole new world for foods.

[karuna37]

"Those other types of pleasure that come from enjoying good quality proteins, whether you're roasting a turkey or a piece of beef, I think it would be sad to deprive ourselves of some of those things," said nutritionist Rodriguez.

Actually what's sad is what we're doing to animals and to ourselves by eating turkey and beef.

[pearl999]

From The American Dietetic Association:

'Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.
...'
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML.htm

The Heme Iron Problem:

'When the body is low in iron, it can increase absorption of non-heme iron, and it can reduce absorption when it already has sufficient amounts. The heme iron in meats tends to pass quickly right through the absorption mechanism, thus entering the blood stream whether it is needed or not. Since vegetarians generally have adequate iron intake, it is clear that non-heme iron can easily meet nutritional needs. Also, plant iron doesn't create the health risks of heme iron.
Iron increases heart disease risks because heme iron acts as a pro-oxidant, causing LDL-cholesterol -- the 'bad' cholesterol -- to react with oxygen. This reaction is involved in the formation of plaques in the arteries and therefore increases one's risk of cardiovascular problems. [2]
..
[2] Ascherio, Willett, Rimm, Giovannucci, Stampger. Dietary iron intake and risk of coronary disease among men. Circulation 1994; 89:969-74
....'
http://www.ecologos.org/iron.htm

Africa - environmental degradation and lack: http://www.wasteofthewest.com/Chapter6.html (Global Perspective)

[honestabe8]

Of course it tofu eating goody-two-shoes westerners in plastic sandals want to eat only organic vegetables and ride bicycles that is their choice.
But in a few generations they will be overtaken by the meat/fish eaters of the world as only meat/fish can deliver the nutrition that developing brains require.
Posted by Sunbeamalpine

Goody-two-shoes for choosing a diet we feel is best for our health?

Nancy Rodriquez is a candidate to work for Big Pharma. She should be ask the question by any patient who seeks her service. "Whose payroll are you on?" The answer here is , of course, the beef industry. Posted by Baileyccc

[Sunbeamalpine]

Tell me, why did you bring politics into this discussion?
Posted by honestabe8 at 1:22 PM : Apr 27, 2009

This issue was politicised many years back by the UN.
Third world nations, who mainly subsist on grains donated by the west were outraged that beef herds were being fed grain in the west before slaughter.
Their recorded view is that "people in the west" should not eat meat thus more grain would be available to African countries.
Here, in Africa - I am in Johannesburg - there is a continual decline in agricultural output.
South Africa has become - for the first time in history - a net importer of food.
This is because over 15000 commercial farmers in Southern Africa have been chased off their land simply because they are either white - or because local tribes claim the land to be "theirs" from generations back.
Most of this highly productive land is returned to subsistence farming which generally results in overgrazing and soil erosion.
Up until corrupt, socialistic/communist black governments came to power Malawi, Zambia, Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mocambique, Tanzania and Kenya were all self-sufficient in food production. Moreover, many became exporters of food.
The future for Southern Africa now looks pretty bleak - all it needs is one drought for the tipping point to be reached and for a famine of tragic proportions.
Concurrent with this, the rail networks of Southern Africa are on the verge of collapse and the rural roads and bridges are in general disrepair which will make the delivery of aid almost impossible. Many small airfields have been overrun by squatters and pilots attempting to land doctors and medical teams have been attacked.
In many of these countries, there is now evidence of wide-spread under-nourishment with increases in TB, malaria and AIDS.
It is ironic that it was the white farmers in Africa that grew the bulk of the food for black tribesmen and they still do today, albeit no longer in Africa but in western countries which deliver the food as aid.
Local despots love to control the distribution of food aid, as it gives them complete control over the population - many of them refuse to allow crops to be grown the the locals as they would no longer be able to control them!
It is quite remarkable that the meat eating tribes like the Masai and the Zulus and Matabele are the strongest and smartest - and also the healthiest.
As I said in a previous post - the meat/fish eating nations of the world are the most technologically advanced.
And it is generally accepted that children should not be on a vegan diet at all.
Also, recent research has shown that pregnant women on vegan diets do not supply sufficient Vitamin B to the child.
Notwithstanding all of this there are many "goody-two-shoes" leaders in the west who are on record as wanting to comply with restrictions on feeding beef herds grain and they have latched on to "veganism" as a vehicle to further their goals.
African populations have grown exponentially thanks to food aid - but most of these populations are largely dysfunctional sitting around waiting for westerners to put boreholes, clinics and food stations in place.
Not much of what the UN or the west is doing is helping any of these people to become self-sufficient.
There are of course exceptions as there always are and most of these have been hardy black individuals who eschew government, UN/ Western help and have built successful business and farming ventures single handedly.
It will be this culture that if encourage and allowed to develop that will be the salvation of Africa.
Of course it tofu eating goody-two-shoes westerners in plastic sandals want to eat only organic vegetables and ride bicycles that is their choice.
But in a few generations they will be overtaken by the meat/fish eaters of the world as only meat/fish can deliver the nutrition that developing brains require.

[KristyLee77]

Hunky Firefighters that don't have to "prove" their manhood by eating steak and ribs...woo-hoo!!!

Nice "nutritionist" they chose -- sponsored by the beef industry?? What the?

[alvinbunbun]

great article! this story tells of men in one of the most physically demanding careers keeping strong and healthy on a plant based diet! i am very glad the fact the nutritionist's affiliation/funding by the meat industry was noted...opinions such as hers are biased to say the least. as for iron or any other nutrient being substandard when from plant origin compared to animal - i say hogwash! after one year of being vegan i feel better than ever. i have more strength and endurance than i ever would have expected and a whole array of health issues have resolved! after my most recent physical, my doctor kept saying how "perfect" all my levels were (e.g. iron, B12, cholesterol, etc). i told her the same thing - how it is all thanks to my healthy, cruelty -free and environmentally responsible diet! going vegan was the best thing i ever did!

[honestabe8]

writestock: good luck. is your veggie diet a vegan one?

[writestock]

Thanks for this story. More people might start to think about what they put into their mouths now! Its important stuff. I started my own veggie diet a month ago because of high cholesterol and I am sure not eating meat will make a difference with my numbers when I check back with my doctor in a couple of months.