I just lost an argument to someone who thinks vegetarians are stupid. Can anyone help me?

Question

Honestly, I am new at trying to become vegetarian so I don't know all the answers.

I recently got into a debate with someone hwo thinks all vegetarians are stupid. We went back and forth for a while but he had me pinned when he asked me questions I couldn;t answer:

1. If vegetarians are so healthy, why are all old people meat eaters and why you never see any old vegetarians?
2. Why are vegetarians so skinny? You never see any bodybuilding vegetarians?
3. Are there any professional athletes that are vegetarian?
4. Vegetarians suck because they are always hungry. Vegetables can not keep you full for more than 1 hour but a 20 oz steak can keep you going for at least 4-5 hours.

Please give me advice. I hate looking stupid when I KNOW for a fact I am doing the right thing.

Answer 1

I am not a vegetarian, but I have two vegetarian family members. I can say that it is more work eating healthy as a vegetarian.
That statement would be compounded 10 times if we're talking about a vegan.

There are a lot of healthy non-meat foods that can provide MOST of the nutrients of a diet that includes meat.

The only vegetarians that are always hungry are those that rely on carbs. You must consume appropriate amounts of vegetable proteins (usually the lacking portion of a lazy vegetarians diet).

There are many pro athletes that are vegetarians, but I don't know any that are vegans.

Answer 2

1. If vegetarians are so healthy, why are all old people meat eaters and why you never see any old vegetarians?
Find some people from India and you'll see a lot of old vegetarians. My mother in law is about 85, several other people in my wife's family are old. My wife's grandfather died at the age of 96.

2. Why are vegetarians so skinny? You never see any bodybuilding vegetarians?
I have seen skinny, fat and muscular vegetarians. My ex-girlfriend was an amateur body builder and vegetarian.

3. Are there any professional athletes that are vegetarian?
I'm not really interested in sports so I don't know.

4. Vegetarians suck because they are always hungry. Vegetables can not keep you full for more than 1 hour but a 20 oz steak can keep you going for at least 4-5 hours.

Nonsense. I eat lunch at 12 and dinner at 6 PM every day and I usually don't eat anything in between.

PS: Here's one for both 1 and 2: Jack La Lane is 90, a vegetarian and former Mr. America who is still in remarkable shape:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3933924

Answer 3

I wouldn't worry what people say but I will answer your question.

1. This argument is erroneous. Older generations come from a different school of thought altogether. The same argument could be made by saying, "why are old people racist?" Because that was more acceptable in those times. Vegetarianism is only now becoming acceptable and any vegetarian will tell you that even that is a stretch. I mean we ARE having this debate. Secondly, if you look at other cultures and other parts of the world (where vegetarianism originated) you will find vegetarians of all ages.

2. Again, this is a misnomer. There are veg*n bodybuilders. They may not be as gigantic as your average body builder but there are some things to consider here. The only thing you get from meat is protein (protein is what builds muscle). While nothing gives you quite as much protein per serving as meat, it isn't hard to supplement. Nutritionists and dietitians have proven that a well-balanced veg*n diet provides the recommended amount of protein. So what is a non-veg*n bodybuilder getting that a veg*n is not? What gives them the ability to get so big? Surely it isn't protein because that is no longer an issue. Could it be growth hormones found in meat? Could it be other chemicals (i.e. steroids) that no self-respecting veg*n would ever use? Who wants to look like that anyway?

3. There are many veg*n athletes. Gold medalist Carl Lewis to name but one. I could name more but an Olympic athlete is more than enough.

4. If you are used to eating a 20 oz. steak every 4-5 hours than I doubt there is much that could fill you up. That would be nearly 70oz of steak per day, or 30 lbs per week. A heavy meat eater might eat 1/2 that. This is another statement that shows a total disregard or knowledge of a healthy diet. No living doctor would ever recommend that amount of red meat consumption on a steady basis. A healthy diet recommends eating a smaller well-balanced meal 5-6 times daily. Think of it like a fire; if you put a lot of wood on a fire it will burn quickly and die out eventually. By adding smaller amounts of wood periodically you can keep the fire going longer as it releases the energy more consistently. This also helps your metabolism to maintain a healthy weight. When you gorge yourself once a day your body stores more fat because it only gets one meal a day. Spanning out your meals over the entire day causes your body to continuously burn calories. Can your body do this with out the benifit of meat? Can your body get fuel from the same veggies that your doctor and your parents have been telling you to eat since you were born? Ask Carl Lewis...if you can catch him.

All this being said, good luck convincing someone of something they don't want to know. All these questions are tired and unfounded. People who ask these questions do not seek to prove themselves right, but to simply prove you wrong. These types of debates are not the way to go about educating people. They will only cause you grief, as you now know. Also, these questions are superficial and in no way pertain to more important issues regarding this topic. Good luck!

Answer 4

There are plenty of old vegetarians - look at Sir Paul McCartney.
Some vegetarians are fat and some exercise, like anyone else.
A professional athlete I know of was a woman who walked the length of Britain to win a world record, but I don't remember her name.
Vegetarians are good at sustained energy bursts while meat-eaters can only keep up stamina for a short time. Compare a camel and a cheetah - the camel can walk all day in desert heat, while a cheetah can only run very fast for a very short time, then it's finished.
Last thing - don't bother to argue about what you eat. It is your business and nothing to do with anyone else. Walk away from people who get so uptight about such things!

Answer 5

1. Bob Barker, for one, is a fossil. He's a d*mn good example of an old vegetarian. If the oldest woman on record up there is French, everyone was baffled why she lived so long, too, because she was a smoker. They narrowed it down to her vegetarian diet. But that's only on record. If you study the Hunzas (pron. Hoon-zuhs), which is a culture that lives high in the Himalayas of India and Pakistan, they are the healthiest, happiest people on earth as well as the longest living. They have very little to no meat. At 90, they will be working with 20 year olds as if they are still that age. . .just as strong. They live healthy often until 120, and some have been known to make it to 140-145. It is said that someone from the United States who is considered healthy would look weak and sickly standing next to a Hunza. Not only do they live to that amazingly old age, but they do not die of disease - they go peacefully and naturally, just how we should. Okinawans also have little to no meat in their diet and the same diseases that plague us here are almost unknown there. They also tend to live until a very, very old age. If you take a look at meat-eating cultures vs. cultures with a plant-based diet, the ones with the plant-based diets have far fewer disease and tend to live much longer. Take a look at "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell and "Healthy at 100" by John Robbins.

2. I'm vegan and I have very round hips. . .I see much skinnier girls than I on a daily basis. There are vegetarian bodybuilders - Andreas Cahling, Mr. International Bodybuilder. Bill Manetti, powerlifting champion. Stan Price - world record bench press. Many award-winning bodybuilders are, in fact, vegan. Brendan Brazier, ironman triathlete. Ruth Heidrich, 3-time ironman. I'm not highly into sports and such, but many, many athletes, bodybuilders, wrestlers, etc. are vegetarian and vegan. If you don't want to end up in these situations, you need to do the research. Google them. soystache.com has quite an extensive list.

3. Yes. There are professional athletes that are vegan. For example, Peter Burwash, tennis champion; Lucy Stephens, tri-athlete; Leroy Burrell, Olympic Champion; Geoff Rowley, pro-skateboarder; Edwin Moses, Olympic Champion; Ed Templeton, pro-skateboarder; Debbie Lawrence, 5k record holder, etc. Again, these are not all of them. Research. And for the person who said steak supplies more protein. . .actually, per calorie, that's not true. 100 calories of broccoli actually supplies slightly more than double the amount of proten than 100 calories of "steak."

4. What exactly are they sucking on if they are always hungry? Or, better yet, if someone is hungry, how does that make them suck? Do Ethiopians suck? Do those in Sudan suck? That's dumb. Furthermore, I'm constantly full and am vegan. Though I don't really like the feeling of being full. . .but fiber is what keeps someone full for a long period of time and meat. . .and animal products in general. . .have no fiber. Fiber is what expands in the stomach and causes bulk. He can't really judge because he's obviously never been there.

Answer 6

1) Actually the word "vegetarian" has been around since 1847. Before then, they were called Pythagoreans. In cultures where people eat very little meat, people live long, healthy lives.

2) Iknow some fairly chubby vegans, myself included. There are skinny vegan and chubby vegans.

3) Yes. Google "vegan athlete" and you'll get your fair share of hits for vegan and vegetarian athlete sites.

4) I'm not always hungry. I feel I get by on less food, actually. Plant foods--fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts--have fiber, which fills you up and keeps you sated. Animal foods do NOT have fiber, so they cannot fill you up.

Answer 7

1. The oldest living person ever (with proof of birth records) was a vegetarian. Marie-Louise Meilleur lived to be 122.

2. Bill Pearl was a vegetarian and won the Mr. Universe contest, the most important event in bodybuilding. Actually, he won it four times.

3. There are a lot more than you think. Here's a link to some of them. http://www.veganathlete.com/vegan_vegetarian_athletes.php
If you want more just google "list veg athletes"

4. Protein keeps you full for longer, not meat. Beans, nuts, etc. have the same effect.

Now that you know... tell them to go **** themselves.

Answer 8

4. Vegetarians suck because they are always hungry. Vegetables can not keep you full for more than 1 hour but a 20 oz steak can keep you going for at least 4-5 hours.


this one is funny. remind him how long meat stays in your system for. better yet print some pages off the internet of parasites found living in the human body due to that "tasty" steak rotting away.

we actually use the food we eat. the way food was meant to be used

Answer 9

There are fewer vegetarians in general, so percentage wise there will be fewer older vegetarians in number. However, that doesn't mean the percentage of vegetarians that are old will be less. There are many old vegetarians where there are more vegetarian people in general (India, Asia, etc...)

There are many successful vegetarian/vegan athletes. Again, percentage-wise there are fewer to begin with in non-vegetarian societies.
http://www.gotohealth.com/athletes/veg_athletes.cfm?cat=1

As far as keeping you full, that is a negative issue since your body spends more time and effort digesting, that is why people (Carl Lewis, Brenden Brazier) report better recovery times when doing exercise on a vegetarian diet.

Answer 10

I'm going to answer all of those questions and I'm not vegetarian, even though i wish i was.

1. Bullshit, they're are old people who are vegetarians but there are only a few because hello when you get old you need allot of protein allot of things you really don't need when your young because your body works good, but when you get old your body starts shutting down on you in many ways, but there are some old people who are i don't know how but when i went into some retirement homes there were a few, so i go against this question.

2. BULLSHIT again wow i have seen body builders being vegetarians! I'm not going to argue on this one because this is such a dumb question i have seen PERIOD.

3.I'm pretty sure there are athletes that are vegetarian, wow this person who asked this is very closed minded because I'm sorry not everyone is a damn meat eater like he is!

4.Not true, yes steak might fill you up but not for 4-5 hours what the hell is this guy on crack? OK first off there are allot of things that are vegetarian that you could make and you will get full depending if your a big eater or not DAMN.

That guy you should tell him to F OFF.

Answer 11

Wow this person knows every single vegetarian on the planet?? Where are his facts?
I got this off the net....

I've compiled a list of some of my personal favorite famous vegetarians and vegans throughout history. Of course, this selection is by no means comprehensive. See one of your favorite famous veggies missing? Make a post to the forum and I'll update this list!
A. Politicians and Activists
Ariana Huffington
Dennis Kucinich
Rosa Parks
Cesar Chavez
Julia "Butterfly" Hill
Andrew Bartlett, Australian Senator
Coretta Scott King
Musicians, Singers, Pop Stars

Brandy
Gustav Holst
Shania Twain
Dwight Yoakam
Erykah Badu
Bob Dylan
Joan Baez
Benji Madden and Billy Martin, from Good Charlotte
Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice)
Anthony Kiedis, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Belinda Carlisle
Common
Davey Havok
Conor Oberst, from Bright Eyes
Dizzie Gillespie
George Harrison
Leonard Cohen
Paul McCartney
Ziggy Marley
Actors/Actresses

Alec Baldwin
Corey Feldman
Hayley Mills
Mary Tyler Moore
Kim Basinger
Rosanna Arquette
Leonard Nimoy
Richard Gere
Omar Epps
Athletes

Martina Navratilova
Tony LaRussa
Hank Aaron
Jack LaLanne
Billie Jean King
Joe Namath
Contemporary and Historical Authors/Writers/Poets

Alice Walker, writer
Allen Ginsberg, poet
Upton Sinclair
Clive Barker
Deepak Chopra, author and doctor
Kafka, writer
Louisa May Alcott
Mark Twain
William Blake
Voltaire
Leo Tolstoy
George Bernard Shaw
Percy Shelley
Other, miscellaneous

Steven Jobs
Dr.
Ruth Bates
Casey Kasem
Don Imus
Chelsea Clinton
Jane Goodall
Uri Geller
Mr. Rogers
Yoko Ono
Historical

Vincent Van Gogh
Susan B. Anthony
Immanuel Kant
Leonardo Da Vinci
Ralph Waldo Emerson
John Wesley
Plato
Pythagoras
Sir Isaac Newton
Clara Barton