Is meat really bad for you?

Question

I'm considering not eating meat or rather not very often. I know red meat isn't that good for you but what about chicken and fish?

Answer 1

Hello there, I don't think eating meat is necessarily bad for you. While red meat should be eaten maybe only once or twice a month for optimal health, fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (like salmon) and poultry 2 - 3 times a week is a fine way of adding diversity and richness to your diet, while getting some quality protein and other nutrients.

I think the problem that many of today's vegans have with meat eating is the suffering attributed to animals in today's industrialized "factory farms". It can be quite a cruel process since the aim is to produce as much meat as possible for millions of consumers. This means that many of these facilities don't treat livestock as humanely as they should when the pressure to produce is so high.

While eating meat in itself isn't wrong, in my opinion, the cruel treatment of animals is, and if this really concerns you, you should do yourself a favor and find a natural food store where you live that offers naturally and humanely processed meats. Places like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, and Wild Oats are ideal. You can always enter "natural food store locater" in a search engine as well to find websites that help you find stores close to wear you live. By buying naturally and humanely handled meats, you can eat poultry and fish with a better conscience and also be supporting local farmers who want to refrain from harsh industrialized agricultural methods.

On a final note, I would recommend that you *not* visit websites like PETA's homepage, www.goveg.com, etc., since these are not good sources to find about the pros and cons of eating meat. Too often, these sites are extremely (and often zealously) biased, and use scare tactics to alarm people rather than giving rational, open-minded support for their beliefs. You can find out about the benefits or disadvantages of eating less or no meat, or only consuming fish and poultry, at other places who are not strictly animal rights groups.

I hope you find my answer helpful in some way. When it comes down to it, you can have a diet that is both healthy, good for the environment, and treats animals humanely.

Yours Truly,

Socrates

Answer 2

Yes. The factory farms and slaughter houses pollute the environment by mass producing animals. They abuse the animals and give them steroids and antibiotics which is horrible for the consumer to eat. Our bodies already have trouble digesting meat regularly without all of that. Even seafood consumption bad for the environment. Watch "Earthings" on Netflix. Eating meat is not as good for people as the industry says. I would consider buying meat from a local farmer that has free range animals and doesn't abuse them or be a vegetarian. There are many options to avoid being a part of the environmental destruction that the big companies cause.

Answer 3

Meat provides you with nutrients your body needs like protein that you cant find in just veggies and fruits. Thats why vegetairians are not always the healthiest. I suggest you should eat meat of all kinds, just not too much and stay away from pork and seafood. Pigs eat everything in their way and is automatically turned into fat. When you eat pork, you eat all the things that the pig ate. Also, dont eat seafood except fish. Chicken, Duck, Fish, Beef.. etc are all okay and your body needs them.

Answer 4

Where the heck did you hear that??? People have been eating meat...well after they discovered fire I would imagine, and well as you can see the human race for the most part is OK!

Being a Vegetarian & Vegan is for most a choice. For some its not. I know many Veggies...and they are no healthier than I am...most (the ones who feel the need attention) are not as healthy as me. So I think it could go both ways. Red meat is not that bad for you...unless you eat like a ton of it, its great protein. Chicken and fish are good for you as well!

The biggest mistake people I know who went from eating meat to not was they did not get enough protein. If you are going to start eliminating stuff from your diet you have to make sure you subsitute it with something of similar health value.

Oh and do not think cutting meat out for your diet is going to make you lose weight...again I know a few people who eliminated meat from their deit and managed to gain weight. My guess would be that they did not eat much protein, therefore were always hungry.

My 2 Cents!
Good Luck!

Answer 5

You can get protein from sources other than meat. Chicken is one of the healthier meats but meh...it's full of hormones and antibiotics so it's not something I would eat. Fish, I don't know much about though since I've never researched much about the nutrtional info. I do know that their are quite a few fish out there that have mercury though which can lead to health problems, (i.e. tuna). But I say if you're going to give up chicken, you might as well give up fish. You can get all you need from veggies, soy, nuts, beans, grains, etc.

Answer 6

I don´t eat red meat now days (cow, pig), but I eat chicken and fish, and I feel very good.

Red meat have more toxins, and according to my yoga Master (I agree with Him), as those animals (cows and pigs) suffer a lot when they are killed (they are very aware of their suffering), to eat red meat makes people to feel more insecure and frighten.

It is very important, that if you leave red meat, to have a balanced diet, eating fruits and vegetables.

Answer 7

no, eaten in modest ammounts, meat is beneficial to the diet. red meats, however can cause kidney stones and other health problems are they are very rich in protein and quite hard to digest, but it is also important to eat moderate ammounts of protein rich foods, as protein is needed in the body for strong bones and to make red blood cells. fish is a very important part of the diet and everyone should have at least 2 portions of fresh or frozen fish every week, one of which should be an oily fish such as mackerel, and by oily fish i do not mean cod liver oil, as, although this is good for you, too much can have a negative effect. when buying fish, try not to buy farmed fish, and i wouldn't advise buying cod too often as the world's cod supply is running low. lorraine x

Answer 8

I no that chicken is one of the healthyest.. lol... meats for u. fish i think is okay 4 u 2. I would neva eat either one though cuz im a vegiterian.

Answer 9

Your body needs protein, and chicken and fish are lower fat protein than beef. You can substitue tofu and other items for the animal sources, but anything in moderation is okay, even red meat.

Answer 10

The majority of vegetarians choose that life style because they are against the abuse, inhumane torture and murder that lives and exists in todays massive farm factories.