Can people survive being vegetarian for life without health problems/ risks?

Question

Are there certain cultures around the world that do believe in this and if so, what ones? Just curious because I've always thought it to be a very healthy lifestyle, but I always seem to get negative complaints from people saying that "not eating meat will kill you". Can you please tell me also what some of the healthiest dishes are that would easily replace meat in the diet and have enough protein, etc. Thanks

Answer 1

There is nothing in meat that you need for a healthy ifestyle that you cannot get from a vegetarian diet.

People who say "not eating meat will kill you" are unlikley to have studied this in any depth.

Am i dead ? No

Do I lead a perfectly healthy and active lifestyle ? Yes

Am i a miracle of nature ? No

therefore, you can thrive ( not just survive ) on a vegetarian diet without health problems or risks.

We regularly hear the "you don't get enough protein" or "we need to take supplements" comments, its just simply not true. I have never, in 27 years as a veggie, given any thought to my diet, i just eat food free from meat, fish, poultry and slaughter by-products.

what could be simpler ?

Answer 2

There is no short cut miracle diet that makes you healthy without personal homework time. I learned this the hard way. The biggest problem you face as a vegetarian is the ignorance of non-vegetarians cramming their opinions down your throat all the time. As long as you don't have wheat, nut, or any other type of allergy to vegetarian staples.. I don't see any concerns health-wise. You need to make sure you are keeping up with your iron intake, along with plenty of vitamin C to absorb iron better. You may need b12 shots, which you can have a doctor do or do yourself. This isn't strictly related to vegetarianism, a lot of women who eat meat don't absorb the b12 well on their own and require the shot anyway. The good news is that the b12 shots make you feel great and assist in weight loss. The best thing you can do is visit some vegetarian recipe websites and forum communities to help yourself adjust. I'll add a nice site for you in the sources. A lot of people do very well on vegetarian diets. And remember, just because we have canine teeth, that does not mean we were meant to eat meat. Herbivores have canines, too. Don't let the rude comments of uninformed people get you down.

Answer 3

In India, around 20-40% of people are vegetarian. They have been doing that for a couple thousand years or so. So at this moment, probably 200 to 400 million of them are lifelong vegetarians.

In Asia there are some too, but I don't believe there is a good count of it. If you've watched any Kung Fu or other martial arts, like Shaolin Temple monks (i.e. Kill Bill, etc...), well they are well known martial arts masters and many of them are vegetarian/vegan, and that's been going on over a thousand years. So they seem pretty healthy.

Generally beans and nuts are most common for protein sources.

Answer 4

People are sadly misinformed about nutrition.. A person can be vegetarian their whole life without any health problems. My 3 year old neice has never had milk, eggs, or meat in her life, and she's the picture of health. Rather than being scrawny or sickly or underdeveloped as people try to claim a vegan child would be, she is quite tall for her age (she is hardly able to wear clothes made for 4 year olds anymore!) and not too chubby or too thin, she has just about the right amount of baby fat for her age. She's smart, well behaved, and so healthy!

Healthiest dishes to take the place of meat.. Beans and rice eaten together have excellent protien, just as good as meat, but better.. Eat whole grains, beans, nuts, and you'll not suffer for lack of protien..

Dont' replace the meat in your diet with junk food.. you won't be doing your body any favors..

not having PROTIEN will kill you.. there are plenty of plant sources of protien.. you do NOT "NEED" meat..you do need protien..Vegetarians are proven to live longer, because they lack alot of the cancers, heart disease, etc

Answer 5

Enough protein is not the problem. The human body cannot function with out FAT. Fat in the system is necessary to synthesize new molicules and compounds. There are two forms of fat-vegatable and animal. True vegetarians will not eat anything derived from animals. I know of someone who is very strict--but I call her on the fact that she drinks milk and eats ice cream-both produced from animals. Of, course she says they are a product of vetatation, the cow just processes and it is not consumed as part of the animal when it is killed and used for human consumption.

There are a great many diets (partial and full) for vegetarians. Go to a good search engine and look some up.

Dr. Tommy Skelton

Answer 6

those who are ignorant will tell you meat is a necessity to survive. do some more research, arm yourself with knowledge, and try out the vegetarian lifestyle. protein is not even a concern b/c one can easily get enough protein in a diet based on nuts, fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, and grains.

for recipes, try out vegweb.com.

read "the food revolution" by john robbins and "the china study" by t. colin campbell. both books provide tons of info about eating meat-free and the negative health and global impacts meat farming has.

best wishes :)

Answer 7

The question should be can people survive being meat eaters for life without health problems/risks? Vegetarians have lower instances of heart disease, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, prostate cancer, bowel cancer, and kidney disease. And, they live longer.

Almost all foods have protein in them. Eat a varied, balanced diet that includes plenty of whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and fresh veggies and you won't have an issue with protein (or any other nutrient people think you HAVE to eat meat for.)

Answer 8

Hi their are cultures around the world that are vegetarian and survive quite well.You can get every thing you need to survive
from this type of diet.The way most meats are processed and treated why would anyone overload your system with junk.
Veggie eaters have less medical problems than meat eaters;
digestive ,colon cancers etc.....

Answer 9

Of course you can live your whole life meat free, provided you have a healthy, balanced diet so as to get everything you need. My old boss, who was Hindu from India, along with his entire family, were vegans, and had been from birth, and they were fine. There are other cultures that share that trait, but I'm rather tired and as such at a loss for specific names right now.

Answer 10

Humans eat too much protein generally so we can definitely survive and thrive without meat. Proteins like tofu, nuts and beans are easier to digest than a steak, for example.