# Study: Vegetarians Less Healthy, Lower Quality Of Life Than Meat-Eaters



## Big Don (Apr 6, 2014)

[h=1]Study: Vegetarians Less Healthy, Lower Quality Of Life Than Meat-Eaters[/h] 				 				 										_April 1, 2014 3:23 PM_ 
*ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) Excerpt: * Vegetarians may have a lower  BMI and drink alcohol sparingly, but vegetarian diets are tied to  generally poorer health, poorer quality of life and a higher need for  health care than their meat-eating counterparts.

 A new study






 from the Medical University of Graz  in Austria finds that vegetarians are more physically active, drink  less alcohol and smoke less tobacco than those who consume meat in their  diets. Vegetarians also have a higher socioeconomic status and a lower  body mass index. But the vegetarian diet  characterized by a low  consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol that includes increased  intake of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products  carries elevated  risks of cancer, allergies and mental health disorders.

 Vegetarians were twice as likely to have allergies, a 50 percent  increase in heart attacks and a 50 percent increase in incidences of  cancer.
((((((SNIP)))))))
Vegetarians reported higher levels of impairment from disorders, chronic  diseases, and suffer significantly more often from  anxiety/depression.
End Excerpt


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## Tames D (Apr 6, 2014)

There are different types of vegetarians. The type that eat a healthy balanced diet and the type that that eat french fries, ice cream, a ton of bread etc. The latter diet is very unhealthy. There are alot of overweght, unhealthy vegetarians. It's just a matter of what type of vegetarian they choose to be.


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## Gnarlie (Apr 6, 2014)

A veggie diet is fine if properly researched and planned. Just like any other diet. 

Gnarlie


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## K-man (Apr 6, 2014)

Tames D said:


> There are different types of vegetarians. The type that eat a healthy balanced diet and the type that that eat french fries, ice cream, a ton of bread etc. The latter diet is very unhealthy. There are alot of overweght, unhealthy vegetarians. It's just a matter of what type of vegetarian they choose to be.





Gnarlie said:


> A veggie diet is fine if properly researched and planned. Just like any other diet.
> Gnarlie


I think both these posts almost miss the gist of the study. Firstly it states that overall vegetarians were higher sociology- economic, and low BMI etc. That by its very nature assumes a reasonable diet.

To write the study off as "It's just a matter of what type of vegetarian they choose to be" and "A veggie diet is fine if properly researched and planned", suggests that the people studied had poor diets, which the study does not imply. 

And the the paper qualifies its findings ...



> Many past studies have instead put an emphasis on the health risks associated with red meat and carnivorous diets, but this study points the other dietary direction. However, the researchers do caution that continuing studies will be needed to substantiate some of the rather broad dietary distinctions, associations presented in this current research.


:asian:


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## Big Don (Apr 6, 2014)

Where are all the vehement supporters of evolution? Shouldn't one of you point out that homo sapiens is an omnivore with teeth evolved to match?


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## K-man (Apr 6, 2014)

Big Don said:


> Where are all the vehement supporters of evolution? Shouldn't one of you point out that homo sapiens is an omnivore with teeth evolved to match?


That may well be true but how does that tie in with being a vegetarian? Surely vegetarian is a lifestyle choice, nothing to do with religion.
:asian:


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## Tgace (Apr 6, 2014)

K-man said:


> That may well be true but how does that tie in with being a vegetarian? Surely vegetarian is a lifestyle choice, nothing to do with religion.
> :asian:



A lifestyle choice based on politics, opinion,"lifestyle" and contrary to what our bodies evolved over 2 million years to operate on IMO.

http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/evidence-for-meat-eating-by-early-humans-103874273

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a health risk associated with eliminating meats/animal/fish proteins from our diet....no more than I would be with the risks associated with too much meat in the diet.


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## K-man (Apr 6, 2014)

Tgace said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if there is a health risk associated with eliminating meats/animal/fish proteins from our diet....no more than I would be with the risks associated with too much meat in the diet.


Well this is pretty much what the article is saying, just not the meat only bit. Your reference refers to a mixed diet from very early times in man's evolution. Your reference also explains why the marrow bones were so important to hominin development.



> *Why did hominins start eating more meat and marrow?*
> "Why" questions are notoriously difficult to answer about the past, but we can examine some of the benefits that meat and marrow provide. Meat and marrow are calorie-dense resources with essential amino acids and micronutrients (Milton 1999), and aquatic fauna offer resources rich in nutrients needed for brain growth (e.g., Broadhurst et al. 2002). Increasing the consumption of animal foods could have allowed hominins to increase their body size without losing mobility, agility, or sociality (Milton 1999). But what was the frequency and quantity of nutrients obtained by hominins from animal tissues versus other foods? Hominins at sites FLK 22 and FLKN 1-2, Olduvai Gorge, broke long bones of small to medium-large mammals in direct proportion to their estimated gross caloric yield from marrow fat (Blumenschine & Madrigal 1993 - but see Bunn et al. 2010 for a different interpretation of hominin behavior at FLKN 1-2). Long bone abundance of medium-large mammals at FLK 22 is also correlated significantly and positively to the net yield of marrow bones (Blumenschine & Madrigal 2000). Optimal foraging theory dictates that foods in the optimal diet set are expected to be consumed whenever encountered; the carcass encounter rate is dependent on a variety of ecological variables (Blumenschine & Pobiner 2006). This indicates that by at least 1.8 million years ago, carcass-processing decisions may have taken into account the energy yield of a variety of foods. Assuming opportunistic encounters with carcasses, these net yields are comparable to, or higher than, those for most, if not all, non-mammal food items harvested by tropical hunter gatherers (Blumenschine & Pobiner 2006 and references therein).


:asian:


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## Steve (Apr 7, 2014)

As others have said, it's possible to eat a varied, healthy vegetarian diet, but it's not easy.  Nature has provided so many ways to get nutrients.

I love meat, but is also believe that, as a group, we eat way too much of it, and not enough rabbit food.

Balance is the key, IMO.
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## Carol (Apr 7, 2014)

K-man said:


> That may well be true but how does that tie in with being a vegetarian? Surely vegetarian is a lifestyle choice, nothing to do with religion.
> :asian:



Not sure about nothing to do with religion.

Meat is generally the only type of food with religious barriers, and nearly all religions have restrictions based on eating meat.  Many Christian sects don't allow eating meat on Fridays during lent.  Judaism and Islam forbids pork. Sikh priests are traditionally vegetarian -- a stricter form of orthodoxy mandates a vegetarian diet.  Additionally, no meat must ever be brought in to a Sikh temple, including food supplies bought for the community meals open to all.   Hinduism and Jainism traditionally forbids eating meat therefore mandating a vegetarian diet.  Some Buddhists do as well.


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## ballen0351 (Apr 7, 2014)

Carol said:


> Not sure about nothing to do with religion.
> 
> Meat is generally the only type of food with religious barriers, and nearly all religions have restrictions based on eating meat.  Many Christian sects don't allow eating meat on Fridays during lent.  Judaism and Islam forbids pork. Sikh priests are traditionally vegetarian -- a stricter form of orthodoxy mandates a vegetarian diet.  Additionally, no meat must ever be brought in to a Sikh temple, including food supplies bought for the community meals open to all.   Hinduism and Jainism traditionally forbids eating meat therefore mandating a vegetarian diet.  Some Buddhists do as well.


Are you sure about that.  I had to do security outside a Sikh temple after that shooting in Wi or wherever it was.  They were having some type of celebration there and they invited me in to eat.  I declined because I didn't want to disrupt then or make anyone feel uncomfortable.  So they brought me a huge plate with lamb, and chicken.  That' was inside the temple.


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## Carol (Apr 7, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> Are you sure about that.  I had to do security outside a Sikh temple after that shooting in Wi or wherever it was.  They were having some type of celebration there and they invited me in to eat.  I declined because I didn't want to disrupt then or make anyone feel uncomfortable.  So they brought me a huge plate with lamb, and chicken.  That' was inside the temple.



Absolutely sure.  Was an orthodox Sikh for 5 years myself and volunteered quite a bit in my own temple.  The "langar" (community meal) is open to everyone, regardless of their religion.  And since meat is the only food restricted by religion, all meals must be vegetarian so all meals can be enjoyed by everyone.  During the time I was there, some officers from my temple were helping to investigate some issues in a different temple in the region.  I won't go in to details but one of the issues involved meat being brought inside.  Twas quite the scandal.

BTW -- next time a Sikh asks you to join them for a meal, don't feel you would be disruptive or make other folks uncomfortable.  You'd absolutely be welcome 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_in_Sikhism



> In Sikhism, only vegetarian food is served in the Gurdwara (Sikh temple) but Sikhs are not bound to be meat-free.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][2][/SUP] The general consensus is that Sikhs are free to choose whether to adopt a meat diet or not.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][2][/SUP] Sikhs, once they become Amritdhari (baptised) via the Amrit Sanskar (baptism ceremony), are forbidden from eatingKutha or ritually-slaughtered (Halal, Kosher)[SUP][2][/SUP] meat[SUP][3][/SUP] because it transgresses one of the four restrictions in the Sikh Code of Conduct.[SUP][4][/SUP][SUP][5][/SUP] According to the Akal Takht (Central Body for Sikh Temporal Affairs),[SUP][6][/SUP] Other dietary Sikh practices include Sarbloh Bibek, which translates literally to "all-iron lifestyle", and consists of the use of only iron utensils and strictly eating food prepared by the Khalsa Sikhs.[SUP][7][/SUP]


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## Tgace (Apr 7, 2014)

Carol said:


> Not sure about nothing to do with religion.
> 
> Meat is generally the only type of food with religious barriers, and nearly all religions have restrictions based on eating meat.  Many Christian sects don't allow eating meat on Fridays during lent.  Judaism and Islam forbids pork. Sikh priests are traditionally vegetarian -- a stricter form of orthodoxy mandates a vegetarian diet.  Additionally, no meat must ever be brought in to a Sikh temple, including food supplies bought for the community meals open to all.   Hinduism and Jainism traditionally forbids eating meat therefore mandating a vegetarian diet.  Some Buddhists do as well.



What about fish, milk, eggs and other forms of "non plant" protein?

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## ballen0351 (Apr 8, 2014)

Carol said:


> Absolutely sure.  Was an orthodox Sikh for 5 years myself and volunteered quite a bit in my own temple.  The "langar" (community meal) is open to everyone, regardless of their religion.  And since meat is the only food restricted by religion, all meals must be vegetarian so all meals can be enjoyed by everyone.  During the time I was there, some officers from my temple were helping to investigate some issues in a different temple in the region.  I won't go in to details but one of the issues involved meat being brought inside.  Twas quite the scandal.



I guess these guys were not as strict then because there  was def meat in there.  They are the only Sikh temple around so I guess nobody checks up on them.  


> BTW -- next time a Sikh asks you to join them for a meal, don't feel you would be disruptive or make other folks uncomfortable.  You'd absolutely be welcome
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_in_Sikhism


I felt very welcome they where very nice it was just awkward because of why (the shooting) I was there.  Its just sad for them they needed armed police there.  We do it at the Jewish Synagogue as well some times when they get threats called in to them and its the same feeling they always go out of their way to welcome us its just sad we have to be there in the first place.


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## wingchun100 (Apr 8, 2014)

Vegetarians who don't try to supplement with alternate protein sources run into more problems than those who eat tempeh and other forms of protein.


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## Carol (Apr 8, 2014)

Tgace said:


> What about fish, milk, eggs and other forms of "non plant" protein?
> 
> Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2



I'm not sure I understand your question.  What is it you'd like to know?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## Tgace (Apr 8, 2014)

Carol said:


> I'm not sure I understand your question.  What is it you'd like to know?
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2



Just curious about the definition of "meat" in the religious examples...some vegetarians seem to include fish, eggs, etc. and others don't.


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## wingchun100 (Apr 8, 2014)

Tgace said:


> Just curious about the definition of "meat" in the religious examples...some vegetarians seem to include fish, eggs, etc. and others don't.



I always wondered about the fish part myself. How does a vegetarian NOT count that as meat?


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## Carol (Apr 8, 2014)

Tgace said:


> Just curious about the definition of "meat" in the religious examples...some vegetarians seem to include fish, eggs, etc. and others don't.



Ah gotcha!  I don't know of any further restrictions in the Abrahamic faiths, other than the specific meats.  Sikhs, Hindus, and Buddhists tend to view vegetarianism as lacto-vegetarian.  I believe Baha'i are strict vegan.   A view in Jainism is that one must never harm an animal.  Some Jainists are lacto-veg, others vegan.   Some Jainists won't eat tubers or roots such as carrots because small animals in the soil can be injured upon harvest.

Outside of religious rules...people vary, and orthodoxy varies too.  There are many folks who identify as Hindu (for example) that don't observe a strict lacto-veg diet.  Some eat eggs.  Some will eat meat and fish but will plan meals, or even days, where they will only eat lacto-veg.  Its not uncommon for a non-vegetarian from India to say they eat vegetarian one (or more) days out of the week.


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## crushing (Apr 8, 2014)

wingchun100 said:


> I always wondered about the fish part myself. How does a vegetarian NOT count that as meat?



:idunno:  

Here is something else to wonder about-  Beaver eating pescatarians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver#In_dietary_law


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## Carol (Apr 8, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> I guess these guys were not as strict then because there  was def meat in there.  They are the only Sikh temple around so I guess nobody checks up on them.



That's definitely possible.  Its also possible that you encountered a group that was partaking in some regional festivities...some of which were celebrated by eating meat.  Sikh organizations are largely voluntary.  There is a governing body, but not the hierarchy that one might find in other faiths.  Its more up to the communities to manage themselves.   Our temple came in to assist the other temple with their matters because they asked.  



> I felt very welcome they where very nice it was just awkward because of why (the shooting) I was there.  Its just sad for them they needed armed police there.  We do it at the Jewish Synagogue as well some times when they get threats called in to them and its the same feeling they always go out of their way to welcome us its just sad we have to be there in the first place.



:asian:


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## arnisador (Apr 11, 2014)

A student in my class today came in finishing a hot dog and complaining loudly that he wasn't supposed to eat meat on Fridays. To top it off, he was the only one of 5 students in class wearing a National Day of Silence shirt who was speaking...


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## drop bear (Apr 11, 2014)

Our coach by the way is a pescetarian.

Guy seems pretty fit.


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## Takai (Apr 11, 2014)

arnisador said:


> A student in my class today came in finishing a hot dog and complaining loudly that he wasn't supposed to eat meat on Fridays. To top it off, he was the only one of 5 students in class wearing a National Day of Silence shirt who was speaking...



Maybe he was aiming for some dramatic irony?


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## crushing (Apr 12, 2014)

Takai said:


> Maybe he was aiming for some dramatic irony?



If he is going for dramatic irony and has an old timey mustache, he just might be a hipster.


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