Is it true that society finally accepts that a vegetarian diet is better than a meaty diet?

Question

Life insurance is one of the more conservative and risk averse businesses and yet now life insurance companies are offering from 6% to 15% discount to vegetarians because they believe our diets are more healthy

One life insurance company said:
"The risk of vegetarians suffering from some cancers is reduced by up to 40% and from heart disease by up to 30%"

and

"It said that despite the fact non-meat eaters are less likely to suffer from a range of chronic diseases, vegetarians do not pay less for their life cover and are therefore “subsidising” meat eaters."

Seems to me, the world is waking up.

Unfortunately if i post the link some meaty-trolls will report me for advertising. Perhaps google "life insurance vegetarian" if you are interested.

Answer 1

A representative of one of these companies was interviewed on the Chris Evans show on Radio 2 this evening, talking about the very same thing.

I have to say she did fudge the question a bit when Chris asked her how the company would prove that a claimant had or had not eaten meat. It basically came down to the fact that you answer the question "Are you a vegetarian?" on the application form and they take your word for it because they can't prove it one way or the other.

It's great news though that our healthy lifestyles are recognised as being of such benefit!

Answer 2

One... dogs are NOT omnivores. Those studies are CRAP. Take any basic biology or anatomy class, and you will see the stupidity of those words. Dogs are CARNIVORES. Two... Omnivores NEED meat. Animal based protein source. That is why they are OMNIVORES and not HERBIVORES. Three... that diet is HORRIBLE. Where is the nutrition? Dogs can not digest grains at all. The oats are doing nothing, along with the toast... Dogs have an extremely hard time digesting any other vegetation... the carrots do nothing. All animals are lactose intolerant... the milk does nothing. Eggs are healthy, but RAW, not cooked. The cheese is horrible for your dog. Peanut butter is horrible for dogs... too much salt. Pedigree dog biscuits are made with MEAT, so there goes your vegetarian diet out the window. Granted, it's mainly meat fat and chicken feet, but hey, animal based is animal based. At least put your poor puppy on puppy food before it dies of malnutrition! Better yet, research a prey model raw diet and feed your dog species appropriate foods!

Answer 3

I have to correct Metro900 who wrote:
"Not all blood types are able to be vegetarians. If you are type 0 you probablly would not be able to do it because you need meat. I think the balance is needed. Yes, veggies and fruits are healthy, but some meat is needed also."

That's just not true. There is nothing that precludes individuals with Type O blood from being vegetarian and healthy.

By the way, I'm type O+ and a regular blood donor, and a perfectly healthy vegetarian.

Answer 4

Yes. And money talks.
I'm underweight compared to most N. Americans who are usually overweight. So, my life insurance company seeing that I was low in weight compared to everyone else wanted to test me. They did. Hm, found nothing wrong. Ran more tests. Hm, I'm totally healthy -- interesting... I passed their tests. I didn't tell them about my diet, just told them that I'm highly athletic.

It's also the reason there are so many organic farms popping up all over the place -- money talks... it's cheaper to produce yet they can sell it for more to idiots that think that better quality should mean high price.

Answer 5

Wow! I didn't know this! I think it makes perfect sense, because people are now more aware of the health risks a high-fat, high-cholesterol, meat-based diet can pose. That's one reason why it's now more common to find vegetarian meat substitutes and soy milk on the grocery store shelves. And it's about time, too!:)

Answer 6

I am not sure where the insurance companies are getting their information, but I believe that they may need to expand upon the policy that they seem to have adopted. The thing is that some vegetarian diets ARE heathier, but not because they are vegetarian diets. What makes them heathier is the amounts of lean protein that SOME vegetarians are consuming, usually in the the form of soy or whey protein. On the other end of this issue, there are also many non vegetarians (myself included), that eat diets that are just as, if not more heathy than the beforementioned vegetarian diets. Eating lean proteins, such as chicken breast, white fish, shell fish such as mussels, and lean cuts of properly prepared beef provide heathy and lean protein that your body needs.

I am only mentioning the protein content of both of these diet options under the assumption that both also include proper amounts of fruits and vegetables, as well as dairy and grains.

Also "diet" is not referring to what some people do to lose weight, but rather to what people choose to eat.

My focus on the protein content of these diet options comes down to this; You can have a vegetarian who thinks that they are eating heathy by focusing on just fruits and vegetables, with occasional grains and maybe some soy products. The trouble is that if they are not replacing the meat that they are not eating, with protein from soy and whey products, their body will not be getting proper nutrition and will cause them to become less heathy over time and eventually lead to a comprimised immune system. On the other hand, a meat eater can do exactly the same thing to themselves by not eating the proper amounts of fruits an vegetables by focusing on just meats and starches.

On the whole, it is all about balance, whether you eat meat or not. The fact still remains that we, as human animals, are omnivores. Our bodies need Proteins, vegetables, fruits, dairy, grains and starches in order for us to have proper nutrition.

Back to my point about the insurance thing. I agree with them that the should give people who eat a HEALTHY vegetarian diet a break on their insurance. However, I do not think a blanket policy for all vegetarians is a good idea. Not all vegetarians eat the proper amounts of proteins, dairy and starches that they should. I believe a policy of checking what people eat on a regular basis, regardless of whether or not they eat meat, and having it evaluated by a clinical nutitionist as part of the application process for insurance would better way to evaluate the "heath" of each individual. Using generalizations of ANY group of people for purposes of lumping them into ANY category is bordering on discrimination, and these insurance companies in question my have legal problems in the future if they are not careful.

Think about it. Saying ALL vegetarians are healty, is like saying ALL white people are rich.

I am white, but I am NOT rich. I'm also a meat eater, but I AM healthy.

...and that is my humble opinion.

Answer 7

Addressing your original question, no, it's not true. Society in general doesn't think vegetarianism is necessarily better. Does that fact surprise you?

The details of your question indicate that life insurance companies are proclaiming that vegetarians have a lower risk of certain diseases. That's true--then again, they have a higher risk of certain other maladies.

Moreover, splitting people up into two groups--vegetarians and omnivores--is one of those oversimplifications that researchers ought to resist. There are literally hundreds of different diets out there; Atkins, Zone, South Beach, Blood-type, Vegetarian, Ovo-lactic, Vegan, Kosher, Halal.

When I look at what passes for research into dietary benefits, I find little that's reliable. Dieticians, in my lifetime, have promoted (always supported by 'science') high-protein, high-carb, low-fat, high-fiber, high liquid, right-fat, right-carb, etc. etc. etc. I've been advised to eat lots of breads and pastas--and then not. It was wise to substitute margarine for butter--oops, mistake!

I think the most reasonable attitude is the one that says we don't really know much about diet; that people who make decisions for their own diet need to be respected (within reason); that moderation and variety seems to be the only guideline that science has really proven.

It's entirely possible that the portion of the population that consumes meat (six ounces of high-quality cuts per day) is the healthiest of all, and is subsidizing everyone else's health insurance--until the medical research can cut it that finely, I wouldn't jump to any haughty conclusions. We're on more solid ground if we try to get everyone to quit smoking, if health is our issue.

Answer 8

That's freaking awesome. I'm wanting to cut out more of the red meat from my diet and become more of a semi-vegetarian (and still consume dairy and eggs etc). I'm against factory farming in general and the beef and pork industries are the worst. I do however love meat and going semi-veg seems like it would be a good compromise.

Answer 9

The company is animal insurance friends. I'm a vegetarian and I still think this is a crock. I can't believe the posters ahead of me believe this. This proves how gullible we are.

Answer 10

It's a known fact that people who eat more fruits and vegetables seem to have a higher degree of health than those who choose otherwise, but I think it all has to do with the choice of foods you make. But like everything, certain types of meat, in moderation, have also proven to be good for people. It's the heavy meat eaters that are the one's who vegetarians may pay for, not the one's who limit red meat and allow fish and chicken into their diets. But again, the fruits and veggies do contain antioxidants and nutrients that seem to ward off cancer. But then look at my neighbors. They lived off of a diet that was suppossed to prevent cancer, only eating organic foods and veggies they grew in their yard, with careful research of everything they both were suppossed to eat. You guessed it, both of them ended up with Cancer. He died several years ago, she is considered a survivor! That wasn't suppossed to happen!