How important is it for me to have meat in my diet?

Question

I don't like meat at all, I only eat it like once a month, is their anyway i can get the same kind of nutritional value by eating other things..on a low budget?

Answer 1

it is not important to eat meat because meat is not a necessity (although freakin GOOD...haha) it is simply pleasure food. we eat it because it tastes good. well not in your case cause you don't like it.

most people say you need meat for protein, iron, zinc, and b12. you don't.

info on iron, zinc, and b12:

"Vitamin B12 grows in the soil, and we only need three micrograms per day. Some animals have trace amounts of B12 in their flesh because they eat dirt from the ground. Eating meat for trace amounts of B12 - a secondary source that comes with cholesterol, saturated fat and animal protein - is inefficient and deadly. This explains why 99 percent of all people with B12 deficiencies are meat-eaters and vegetarians who subsist off of cheese and eggs. Cheese-and-egg-eating vegetarians are also at risk for anemia because cheese and eggs are void of iron. Vegans are never at risk for B12 deficiencies or anemia, or any other ailment. Veganism causes no disease. It is preventative medicine, the treatment and the cure.

The best way of getting B12 is drinking the "B Monster" smoothie by Odwalla which has 360 percent of the daily recommended dosage. In fact, the human body stores B12 for up to three years, so one Odwalla smoothie can go a long way. Fortified soy milks, rice milks, cereals, tempeh, seaweed and unwashed vegetables are great sources of B12.

The best sources of iron are green vegetables, soy, bran flakes, Grape Nuts, cooked chick peas, cooked pinto beans, raisins, dried apricots and blackstrap molasses. While the best sources of zinc are beans, peas, corn, cashews, peanut butter, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds."

this is some info on protein:

"Drs. Dean Ornish of UCSF and Caldwell Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic are world-renowned heart specialists who admit that 50 percent of meat-eaters die prematurely from heart attacks and strokes caused by arteries that were clogged with cholesterol and saturated fat. All cholesterol and 99 percent of saturated fat are found in animal products.

If that news isn't bad enough, animal-based protein is the reason why 1 in 3 meat-eaters get cancer. Animal protein is too acidic for the human body and was never intended for us because we are natural herbivores. We need to stop pretending that animal products are healthy. If it contains cholesterol, saturated fat and animal protein, it is unhealthy. I'm still looking for the first medical report in history that can indict broccoli, bananas or asparagus as a cause of illness.

Contrary to the misinformation spewed forth by uninformed doctors, there is no shortage of protein in a vegan diet. Cauliflower and broccoli are 40 percent protein, while most other vegetables contain 30 percent. Soy, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, tofu, brown rice and mushrooms are great sources of protein. Even fruit has about 5 percent protein, which is the same amount of protein babies receive from mother's breast milk."


ps. i am not vegan. i am vegetarian. i just copied and pasted this from a vegan website. ALTHOUGH i am vegetarian, vegan is the best way to go. :)

peace homie.

Answer 2

Meat is not a crucial part of the diet, but it's typically the leading source of fat and protein; however, due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, this energy is often unnecessary and even detrimental to health. The human diet is incredibly diverse. Some people, like the Jain, refrain from eating any animal products, whereas others, like the Maasai, live almost entirely on milk, meat and blood. The Western Diet is directly linked to increased rates of "Western diseases" (obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease... ) Meat has significant amounts of vitamin B, iron, thiamin, niacin, phosphorus, and selenium, to name a few, but fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that meat often lacks. With the exception of tarsiers, there are no primates that are completely carnivorous. Modern chimps, whose diet may reflect those of our ancestors, are mostly vegetarian. More females fish for termites and males engage more often in organized hunts for small primates and rodents. Our primate ancestors, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, and all in the Homo genus followed similar dietary behavior. However, Paranthropus, a cousin species, may have been completely vegetarian. I only eat meat if I know that the animal was humanely raised and slaughtered. Today, there's more than just protein and iron in meat, but synthetic growth hormones and nitrates. I feel good eating the way I do, psychologically and physiologically. I feel like I'm supporting a good cause, and I have enough energy to run at least four miles every day. If you want to become vegetarian, you have to make dishes that taste good and don't leave you wishing for a chicken drumstick.

Answer 3

it is not that important that you eat meat but it is important to still have protein. some substitutes for meat are cheese, peanut butter and eggs. 2 oz of meat or a meat alternate is all you need for a portion.

Answer 4

The concern with a vegetarian non-meat diet is the lack of vitamin B12. Take your supplements and you will be OK.

Answer 5

It's important for you to take an iron and protein supplement.

Answer 6

you know it is important to have proteins in your diet it does not matter where do you get it from meat eggs milk cheese but the important thing is to get proteins

Answer 7

try the whey powder they have at costco... probably the most economical source of protein in terms of $/gram... lol

Answer 8

THEy say beans and corn, beans and rice, eggs, peanut butter and nuts.SOy products. Tofu.Milk cheese.

Answer 9

Mushrooms are a good choice, and they are exceedingly cheap.

Answer 10

not very as long as you get your protein