Does heat destroy and coagulate amino acids rendering them useless by the human body?

Question

I want to stop feeling bad and start feeling good in my life. I am doing and will be doing many things to manifest this change, one of them being the address of my body's physiological requirements. I am thinking seriously about going vegetarian. I'm reading Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond and I agree with so many things vegetarians point out. Humans have hands, not claws. Humans have molars, not canines. Humans have an intestine which is super long, while carnivores have one that is like 12 feet long. The hydrochloric acid in carnivores is like 10 times more potent than that in humans. Psychologically humans don't like hurting peaceful herbivores like deer and rabbits. The Diamonds point out to trust your common sense and how you feel. I haven't eaten pork in years, or beef in months. I still eat chicken, fish and egg whites. I just had an egg white sandwich, it didn't go down so good (again). Feels heavy. I'll continue eating animal products if they help me, but do they?

Answer 1

It is perfectly healthy, and even the US government agrees, to eat a strict vegetarian, or vegan diet. A multivitamin is recommended for everyone, regardless of their diet, and there are certain ones formulated for vegetarians. There are also many widely-available fortified sources of B12, including soy milk, juice, and nutritional yeast. If you want to help animals and the environment, as well as reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, veganism is where it's at. Try vegweb.com for some tried and true recipes, as well as a helpful forum with friendly people (all types of vegetarians, not just vegans) who want to answer any questions you have! Also, you do NOT have to combine certain aminos in the same meal, eating a varied diet does the trick. (That info is from an outdated study that was long-ago proven false.) If you are worried about that, quinoa and hempseed are sources of complete protein,and have all 8 aminos. They can be cooked, but cooking does destroy omega 3 fats in oils and some vitamins in veggies. As long as you eat a varied, whole foods diet there is little to worry about! Try the quiz at whfoods.com (not a veg site but good non-biased nutritional info) to see what you might be lacking in your current diet. Good luck!

Answer 2

Humans have canines and molars. We also cannot produce vitamin B12, it is only available in by eating it in meat products. We are at the top of the food chain, and are omnivorous, like chimpanzees, rats, pigs and many, many other animals. Our gut is adapted to this diet, if we were meant to be strict vegetarian, then we would have a larger appendix, and other adaptations, like more than one stomach, etc.
If you do not eat meat, without supplementing, eventually you will become B12 deficient - it takes about 4 years - but it will come. If you eat chicken, fish, or other meat products, then you are not a vegetarian, strictly speaking. Speaking about the psychology of meat eating always makes me suspicious of the authors. There is nothing unusual or inherently wrong with killing another animal, no matter how cute and innocent it might be, if it is purely to eat it. This is normal behaviour for animals, humans included. Humans have been eating meat since time immemorial, it is probably what got us to the top of the food chain. If you want to be a vegetarian, then it is a personal choice, but go and see a dietician, don't get advice from one book.

Answer 3

Going vegetarian is not so bad, many people do it and do just fine. In fact that gets rid of artery clogging fat. I do not eat much meat and in fact when I go by the meat counter at a store it feels like a grave yard to me. Really sad. Heat will denature a protein. But the human body does not take in proteins as proteins it breaks down proteins all the way to amino acids. So even a denatured protein still is made of amino acids. So the body still gets the nutrients. Bon appetite

Answer 4

i think "vegetarianism" is great as a diet--not a philosophy.

the thing about humans is we have an extremely diverse diet compared to other animals...i mean, look at all the exotic cuisines from around the world--compare that to what animals eat; some animals highly specific diets and if their food source were to go extinct that animal will probably go extinct as well.

and let's not get into the whole anectdotal "humans don't have claws and snarling fangs so they weren't meant to be predators" story; humans have hunting and cooking technology, something that (most) animals don't have [i just read some article about chimps making crude tools for "hunting"]

so other than that:
i'm glad that you've decided to be proactive about your health and are looking to do that through a vegetarian diet with the caveat that healthy vegetarianism isn't just about eating only vegetables, you have to eat certain vegetables in combination to get the correct amino acids (and vitamins and minerals) so that our bodies can synthesis proteins properly.

i'm not too sure about this, but i think there are 8 essential amino acids that humans have to have in their diet--something about you need to eat beans and corn in combination...but i'm sure that book of yours addresses these essential amino acids.

that being said, good luck! be healthy.

Answer 5

if it makes you feel better, by all means go vegetarian. But try not to knock those who don't wish to embrace your food philosophy. There is nothing evil about eating meat. To each their own. Wish you all the best though