Is it really healthier to be a vegetarian or to have a mix diet of meat and veggies?

Question

I was just wondering because one of my friends are vegetarian and im a mix eater and we're both slim.

Answer 1

Vegetarian diet is not the best diet. Humans have an intestine that is right between the length of total vegetable eating animals and meat eating animals. This says we are a mixed veggie & meat diet animal. There are many things the body requires that it does not make and the only way to get it is through the food we eat. A very strong case for not being a vegetarian is that we need Vitamin B-12 and the ONLY place you can get this essential vitamin is from meat.

A very good quotation that a person needs to listen to is: "An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into account is the only method of preservation against the fluctuating extremes of fashionable opinion."
- Alfred North Whitehead

While lacto and lacto-ovo vegetarians have sources of vitamin B12 in their diets (from dairy products and eggs), vegans (total vegetarians) do not. Vegans who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 will eventually get anemia (a fatal condition) as well as severe nervous and digestive system damage; most, if not all, vegans have impaired B12 metabolism and every study of vegan groups has demonstrated low vitamin B12 concentrations in the majority of individuals. Several studies have been done documenting B12 deficiencies in vegan children, often with dire consequences. Additionally, claims are made in vegan and vegetarian literature that B12 is present in certain algae, tempeh (a fermented soy product) and Brewer's yeast. All of them are false as vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods. Brewer's and nutritional yeasts do not contain B12 naturally; they are always fortified from an outside source.

There is not real B12 in plant sources but B12 analogues --they are similar to true B12, but not exactly the same and because of this they are not bio available. These B12 analogues can impair absorption of true vitamin B12 in the body due to competitive absorption, placing vegans and vegetarians who consume lots of soy, algae, and yeast at a greater risk for a deficiency.

Some vegetarian authorities claim that B12 is produced by certain fermenting bacteria in the lower intestines. This may be true, but it is in a form unusable by the body. B12 requires intrinsic factor (protein digestive enzyme) from the stomach for proper absorption in the ileum. Since the bacterial product does not have intrinsic factor bound to it, it cannot be absorbed.

It is true that Hindu vegans living in certain parts of India do not suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency. This has led some to conclude that plant foods do provide this vitamin. This conclusion, however, is erroneous as many small insects, their feces, eggs, larvae and/or residue, are left on the plant foods these people consume, due to non-use of pesticides and inefficient cleaning methods. This is how these people obtain their vitamin B12. This contention is borne out by the fact that when vegan Indian Hindus later migrated to England, they came down with megaloblastic anaemia within a few years. In England, the food supply is cleaner, and insect residues are completely removed from plant foods.

The only reliable and absorbable sources of vitamin B12 are animal products, especially organ meats and eggs. Though present in lesser amounts than meat and eggs, dairy products do contain B12. Vegans, therefore, should consider adding dairy products into their diets. If dairy cannot be tolerated, eggs, preferably from free-run hens, are a virtual necessity.

Many vegetarians eat a lot of SOY products for protein. Many recent studies are now showing that soy products are harmful in many ways to the body. A few particular harmful things about soy are that SOY inhibits mineral absorption and especially iron (about 50%) and this leads to many degenerative diseases, SOY slows the thyroid down to the point where drug companies put a severe warning not to eat soy when using the thyroid drug, Synthroid and other thyroid medications because SOY counteracts the actions of the drug by slowing the thyroid down, SOY contains huge amounts of the heavy metal Aluminum because of it's affinity toward absorbing this metal.

These examples are only the tip of the iceberg. There are many other reasons to avoid being a vegetarian. A very good case could be mounted against this craziness by looking at one of it's huge proponents, Pavlov Aerola. This nutritionist, author, vegetarian promoter died at 62 of a stroke.

Eating meat is not bad. Eating meat like Angus Beef that are fed grain like most American cattle is VERY bad for you. The good meat comes from Grass Fed Cattle. This meat is very good for you and contains many things the body needs everyday, like omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins A, E, K, and CLA (an anti cancer nutrient).

Wild fish is a meat. This is very good for you, because again, it contains large amounts of omega 3 fatty acids.

These SATURATED FATS are the good fats. The high omega 6 fatty acids found in commercial beef are the BAD Saturated FATS.

The healthiest diets found in the world that produce healthy people all contain large amounts of GOOD saturated fats and surprisingly enough, non of the vegetable oils found in American diets that are being heavily promoted by big money from food companies and nutritionists that are hired guns of the big food companies.

Large amounts of sugar are the real problems with either the vegetarian or mixed meat & veggie diets, not the fats, proteins (except for soy), or carbs in terms of being slim.

good luck to you

Answer 2

I think it depends both on the types of meat or vegetables you eat as well as your body type. If you eat lean chicken all the time, you will be slimmer than a vegetarian who eats broccoli with cheese sauce or cookies all the time. Now, I kept the type of food I ate the same, but I ballooned like a blimp when I became vegetarian. Then I lost all the weight when I started eating meat again a year later, which shows me that my body is meant to eat meat. Pay attention to your body and what makes it feel good, since the answer to this question will be different for everyone.

Answer 3

I think that a diet of mostly vegetables with a little meat is probably the healthiest. People overdo it on the meat. On the other hand, Newsweek Magazine said that something like one out of three vegetarians had eaten meat in the last 24 hours, so maybe that's good, too. It's important to understand what you're doing as a vegetarian, with mixing different kinds of foods, so you get what you need.

Answer 4

You truly do not need to worry about the protein myth. Eat a varied, balanced diet and you are virtually guaranteed of getting enough protein. The average American meat eater gets 4x the protein needed, to the detriment of their health. Most American vegetarians also exceed the amount needed daily. You can get protein from soybeans and soy products (tofu, tempeh, edamame, tvp, faux meats,) beans and other legumes (lentils, peas, peanuts, chickpeas,) grains and grain products (bread and pasta are often vilified as "carbs" and everyone forgets they have protein, too!,) nuts and seeds, fruits and veggies, and even mushrooms. If you are still eating eggs and dairy, those are protein sources as well, as is the shellfish you're planning on eating. I am not going to complain about you eating shrimp, but I am going to ask that you be respectful and not call yourself a vegetarian as long as you still eat dead animals. It leads to all sorts of confusion.

Answer 5

I don't care what the vegan crowd spouts. Meat and veggies. You need just as much protein as carbohydrates. The only way to get good protein is through meat/milk products. Don't believe all that crap about soy. Too much soy messes with your hormones. Google the evils of soy. It wouldn't be that bad but because it's such a cheap vehicle for lower carbs and higher protein, it's in everything. Randomly pick up 10 packages of food at the store, no matter what it is. Chances are half of them have soy isolates/soy protein/soy lecithin somewhere in the ingredients.

Eat some damn meat. Its good for you and tastes damn good.

Now that being said, for a better healthy fat ratio, grass fed beef is superior to corn fed (which is what your normal store bought meat is).

Answer 6

the key thing to good health is balance. I'm a vegetarian, but i make sure i get my protein and iron through other foods.

It has been proven however through study of the worlds oldest people one similarity. They've had a vegetarian based diet. This means MAINLY fruits and veggies, plus meat now and then.

I think the best way to go is to be semi vegetarian.
consult your doctor if your going to change your diet though

Answer 7

It is the mix of protein, fibre and carbs that are important. As long as you eat healthily on the right balance, whether you are vegetarian or mixed eater is a personal preference.

Xiaozhen
http://lowcarblowfathighfibrehighprotein.blogspot.com

Answer 8

You can be sure UG the caveman didn't club to death a stalk of celery. Otherwise, he'd be on the menu, with no cavelady. If animals WERE NOT meant to eat, why do they taste so good?? You can be sure to see a few PETA members at your town steak house on a Saturday night. The bottom line is that it's ok to eat meat.

Answer 9

it's better to be a vegetarian and even better than that is vegan, then raw vegan but thee best would be a fruitarian(http://www.fruitarian.com/). I'm a healthy teenage girl living a vegan lifestyle and I get everything my body needs without excessive amount of fat, cholesterol, and all the bad stuff in meat..pluss i save animals and have the pleasure of knowing no dead animal is rotting inside of my body, i have lots of energy and feel so pure, my skin and hair are greattt!
Yea, you might both be slim physically, but I'm almost positive that his body is in much better condition that yours :o) it's one thing to be "skinny/slim" and another to be "healthy".

*EDIT: all those people telling you that "you need meat in your diet" or that "there is no other way to get protein" are soo wrong and they are pretty much posting their ignorance on here by saying things they are not even well-informed about.

Answer 10

my little sister is a vegetarian when we were younger she wouldn't eat any meats at all, now in her late twenties she only will eat chicken and ground turkey not red meats . you can get protein from peanut butter,peanuts , other foods ,vits, protein drinks.
my 2 yr old has one working kidney ,one is a multi systic kidney , her special kidney doc or nurse practioner said to us to not have her ate red meat or (steaks) it will be too hard for her over working good kidney to break down the red meat . so we find other proteins to be healthy.