Vegetarians! Please Help me.?

Question

My husband just returned from a one year deployment in Iraq and during his absence my son and I became vegetarians. We have been at each others throats about this issue since his return. I need help finding strong scientific facts about what meat does to our bodies. (especially read meat)

Answer 1

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.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.”They may also have a lower risk for some other diseases such as constipation, diverticular disease, gallstones and appendicitis. Women who eat little or no meat are four times less likely to develop breast cancer than women who eat meat reguraly.An English study that compared the diets of 6,115 vegetarians and 5,015 meat eaters for 12 years found that the meatless diet yielded a 40 percent lower risk of cancer and a 20 percent lower risk of dying from any cause. According to William Castelli, M.D., director of the famed Framingham Heart Study, vegetarians outlive meat eaters by 3 to 6 years.After reviewing 4,500 scientific studies and papers on the relationship between cancer and lifestyle, a team of 15 scientists sponsored by two leading cancer research institutions advised that those interested in reducing their risk of many types of cancer consume a diet that is mostly fruits, vegetables, cereals and legumes. They declared that up to 40 percent of cancers are preventable, with diet, physical activity and body weight appearing to have a measurable bearing on risk. In 1996 the American Cancer Society released similar guidelines, including the recommendation that red meat be excluded entirely from the diet.Heart disease does not have to be a death sentence or mean a life of cholesterol-lowering drugs and bypass surgery. By prescribing a vegetarian diet, regular exercise and spiritual nourishment for his heart patients, Dean Ornish, M.D., proved that the progression of this number-one killer can be halted and even reversed.In 1995, 683,000 people died prematurely as a result of atherosclerosis-related diseases. In other words, they died largely as a result of their meat-eating ways. This figure represents 29 percent of all deaths for that year.

Meat contains 14 times the amount of pesticides as plant foods, since pesticides get concentrated as they move up through the food chain, and since they're more easily stored in fatty tissues.The EPA discovered that the breast milk of vegetarian women contained far lower levels of pesticides than that of average Americans. A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found that "The highest levels of contamination in the breast milk of the vegetarians was lower than the lowest level of contamination…(in) non-vegetarian women… The mean vegetarian levels were only 1-2% as high as the average levels in the U.S."In the fall of 1996, a study showed that prenatal exposure to PCBs, even relatively small amounts, can impair intellectual development in children. Aside from fish, PCBs can be found in other high-fat foods such as cheese, butter, beef and pork. Women who plan to become pregnant were also advised by the study to avoid foods containing PCBs because the chemicals can remain in their bodies for years.An early '90s EPA report found that 95 percent of human exposure to dioxin, a known carcinogen, comes from consuming red meat, fish and dairy products. Later, chicken and eggs were added to the list. Dioxin builds cumulatively in fatty tissue. The only way to flush it out is through rigorous fasting or via lactation. When a batch of dioxin-contaminated soybean feed entered the food chain in 1997, the FDA set limits on concentration at one part per trillion. If all animal foods were held to this standard, it is likely that many would not be cleared for human consumption.

In the United States, farm animals receive 30 times the antibiotics that people do--not so much to treat infection, but to make the animals grow faster on less feed. Though perfectly legal, the practice is, in effect, promoting the selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Some of these bacteria can cause human diseases that physicians are finding difficult to treat. The practice is adding to the general worldwide crisis of drug-resistant disease. Each year, 60,000 Americans die because their medications were ineffective in combating bacterial strains.Every year, on average, each American becomes sick and 9,000 people die from something they ate. That something was probably of animal origin.Except in rare instances, neither the USDA nor the FDA has any regulatory powers on farms where pathogens originate. With the exception of E. coli O157:H7, dangerous bacteria are legally considered "inherent" to raw meat. It's up to consumers to neutralize pathogens with cooking. Two of the "legal" ones--campylobacter and salmonella--account for 80 percent of illnesses and 75 percent of deaths from meat and poultry. One hamburger can contain the meat of 100 different cows from four different countries. One infected animal can contaminate 16 tons of beef.The Centers for Disease Control estimates that campylobacter infects 70 to 90 percent of all chickens. Campylobacter infections give their human victims cramps, bloody diarrhea and fever and lead to death for up to 800 people in the United States each year. For 1,000 to 2,000 people per year, infection will lead to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disease that requires intensive care for several weeks. A September 1997 sampling of supermarket chicken in Minnesota found 16 percent infected with an antibiotic-resistant strain of campylobacter.A USDA microbiologist declared in a Time magazine story on processed poultry that "the final product is no different than if you stuck it in the toilet and ate it." No wonder: A 1978 USDA rule allows poultry processors to wash contaminated birds rather than discard them or cut away affected parts. "Wash," as interpreted by the poultry industry, means "communal dunk" in what amounts to a virtual fecal soup that ensures salmonella cross-contamination.

Vegetarians have also been shown to have more endurance.At Yale, Professor Irving Fisher designed a series of tests to compare the stamina and strength of meat-eaters against that of vegetarians. He selected men from three groups: meat-eating athletes, vegetarian athletes, and vegetarian sedentary subjects. Fisher reported the results of his study in the Yale Medical Journal. His findings do not seem to lend a great deal of credibility to the popular prejudices that hold meat to be a builder of strength.
"Of the three groups compared, the... flesh-eaters showed far less endurance than the abstainers (vegetarians), even when the latter were leading a sedentary life."
Overall, the average score of the vegetarians was over double the average score of the meat-eaters, even though half of the vegetarians were sedentary people, while all of the meat-eaters tested were athletes.
A comparable study was done by Dr. J. Ioteyko of the Academie de Medicine of Paris. Dr. Ioteyko compared the endurance of vegetarians and meat-eaters from all walks of life in a variety of tests. The vegetarians averaged two to three times more stamina than the meat-eaters. Even more remarkably, they took only one-fifth the time to recover from exhaustion compared to their meat-eating rivals.
Wherever and whenever tests of this nature have been done, the results have been similar. Doctors in Belgium systematically compared the number of times vegetarians and meat-eaters could squeeze a grip-meter. The vegetarians won handily with an average of 69, whilst the meat-eaters averaged only 38. As in all other studies which have measured muscle recovery time, here, too the vegetarians bounced back from fatigue far more rapidly than did the meat-eaters.

Answer 2

As a deployed soilder, now is really not the time. He just spent a year away from his family, where his only foodsource was the DFAC. Trust me, all we talk about around here is how much we miss family, and what we are going to do when we get home. The number one thing on most people's list is to get a good meal. We could spend hours talking about the foods we miss.

He missed you, more than anything. I promise you that. Just be understanding, give him some space. Then bring up the issue in a few months. In the mean time, be supportive, and feed him more and more veggies and less and less meat. :)

Answer 3

Yes, just calm down.
Enjoy being together right now.
There are more important things with you two right now than being upset about what you are all eating.

I know being veg is an important issue but c'mon he's trying to normalize himself after a year away!

Give it some time. (Give him some time)
Let him eat what he chooses and you eat what you want.
I'm not saying anything you don't know... but marriage is compromise... Right now you have to bend more for him than he will because of what he's been through.

When things calm down about this issue just start making fantastic all veggie meals maybe once a week or every other day. Make meals with veggie ground round... that way he doesn't feel he's missing out on eating meat (like chili or lasagna). Make pizza with Italian veg sausage.

I'm NOT saying be deceptive...just make meals that are eye rolling delicious where your husband won't care if there's meat in it (hopefully he likes mushrooms because there are amazing dishes using them).

After a while he may feel better and will only "need" to eat meat once a week.

It takes time you know this.

Throwing "strong scientific facts" at him won't change things immediately...(Think of all the smokers who are aware of what tobacco does to them).
Depending on what kind of person he is you may start a thinking process in him that will convince him to at least TRY being "meat-free" one day a week or more.

Personally with me & my husband he's been enjoying meat free dinners for a few years now but... he will make himself a sandwich with sliced turkey for lunch now & then or have a burger once in a while... It wasn't his choice to go veg but since we've been together he stopped eating pork, lamb & veal altogether and most fish. He'll have a burger maybe once every 2 months but no other red meat. Chicken & turkey a couple times a week. He's come a long way and he has noticed how much better he feels physically and more clear mentally since drastically reducing his meat intake.

I've been finding great recipes that we enjoy so much and they are all cruelty free.

My approach was more subtle but that's how I had to do it with my husband...no arguements.

Good luck to both of you. Take care and enjoy the time you have with your husband... at least he came back. (Not saying this to make you feel bad...just to appreciate the reality which I'm sure you do.)
You both have to get used to each other again... 12 months!!... I can't imagine!!
Big hugs to you!

Answer 4

Your approach is common, but ineffective. Instead of focusing on the negitives of meat, focus on the positives of grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegies.
But 1st, give him a chance to get back to "normal". It take a lot of patience.
Then, introduce him to new dishes. Then show him some books and websites such as:
http://www.veganmusclepower.com/
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/6/emw253235.htm
Muscling Out the Meat Myth - by Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
http://www.vsdc.org/meatmyth.html
http://www.famousveggie.com/peoplenew.cfm?&VEG=1&ORD=L

To the anit-veg's: She doesn't need the propaganda, she's already read the truth.

"He's been fighting for our country.....I think he deserves a steak, fried chicken, pork chops."

He deserves better than that. he deserves a fresh start, body and mind. Eating simple and clean will create a better recovery from stress and toxins.

Answer 5

I think that you should try not to force him but introducing him to some tasty vegetarian food will definately ease the process if he's considering a new diet and it might ease the tensions between you too as well. But anyway, here we go:
-- frequent red meat eaters are 40% more likely than vegetarians to develop colon, breast or prostate cancer
-- mad cow disease!
-- significantly increases chance of hypertension, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, osteoporosis, heart disease
-- carnists are 30% more likely to die of a heart attack
-- pesticides and other chemicals accumulate in meat (14 times more concentrated than in plants)
theres a lot more! just type into a search engine negative health effects of meat. you'll be there all day.

Answer 6

Yes, meat is bad for you, but...

If he just got back from deployment, his wars should be laid to rest for a while. Let him recouperate, let him relax, let him eat what he wants to eat. He shouldn't be trying to force you to eat meat. But you shouldn't try to refrain him, or your son from eating meat if your son wants to be closer to his father and share a meal with him. Your husband needs that closeness.

After your husband gets re-acclimated and relaxes into a routine than slowly introduce him to the different possibilities. He may be more likely to open up then.

Good luck to the two of you. My respect goes out to your family, to you for your choice, and to him for going to a war that not many people support.

Answer 7

Eating for Life
Leading health experts agree that going vegetarian is the single-best thing we can do for ourselves and our families. Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health and provide protection against numerous diseases, including our country’s three biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. The American Dietetic Association states that vegetarians have “lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; … lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer” and that vegetarians are less likely than meat-eaters to be obese.1 Well-planned vegetarian diets provide us with all the nutrients that we need, minus all the saturated fat, cholesterol, and contaminants found in animal flesh, eggs, and dairy products.




Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters.3,4 Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are.5

The consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products has also been strongly linked to osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, asthma, and male impotence. Scientists have also found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat-eating friends; this means that they are less susceptible to everyday illnesses like the flu.7 Vegetarians and vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.8

A plant-based diet is the best diet for kids, too: Studies have shown that vegetarian kids grow taller and have higher IQs than their classmates, and they are at a reduced risk for heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases in the long run.10,11 Studies have shown that even older people who switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet can prevent and even reverse many chronic ailments.

Read our top nutrition tips for maximizing the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. It's never too late to turn over a new leaf—you can take control of your health today by going vegetarian. Request a free vegetarian starter kit today!

Answer 8

Perhaps it's not the change in diet? Maybe something else has happened and thats why hes a bit edgy. Talk to him and see if it goes deeper than switching to a vegetarian diet.

Answer 9

I think your husband is ignorant. if you choose to be a vegetarian then let it be.

it's your body not his. if HE doesn't want to be one then whatever.

*

Being vegan is healthier, than any other diet possible and that isn't even touch the hormones and antibiotics, used in raising animals, and the possibilities and realities of meat borne illness, Mad Cow Disease etc. .


Better for your heart. Proven to reduce heart disease, and even reverse coronary heart disease.


Automatically lower s your cholesterol levels. The only foods that contain cholesterol are animal products, like meat and dairy. And since a three-decade-long study found that not a single subject with a cholesterol level below 150 has ever developed heart disease, that's hard to ignore!


Vegans have lower rates of obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, large bowel disorders, cancers and gallstones.


Reduces stroke risks and coronary artery disease.


Reduces symptoms of fibromyalgia.


Reduces food poisoning. 95% of food poisoning is linked to animal products.


Your bowels will work much better, therefore, keeping your whole system healthier.


Live longer healthier lives. One 21-year-long study that compared meat-eaters and vegetarians showed that the greater the meat consumption, the greater the death rate from all causes combined.


Increased vegetable and fruit intake reduces your need for taking a multi vitamin plus increases your antioxidant intake.

Answer 10

He has been through a lot...cut him a little slack...there are a lot of facts (you could get some books from the library or a bookstore)..but as to what he himself eats..cut him some slack..

Answer 11

Let him eat what he wants. He's probably experiencing PTSD, is tired, stressed, and wants some home cooked meals. You can be vegetarian all you want, but you cannot force someone else to do so. It isn't right. He is an adult and can make his own decisions, and he needs your love and support right now, not you nagging at him. Give it time, then gently approach the subject again 6 or 12 months from now.