Claire&Jack said:
then why dont you show us some of the *evidence* that actually supports what you're saying
http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/ve ... en1c.shtml
(written by vegetarians about why meat isnt all bad for you)
http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb ... ew1g.shtml
(again, written by vegetarians who went out of their way to show that meat WAS a major part fo the ~pre-diet~ of mankind
http://www.energygrid.com/health/2002/0 ... yrnes.html
Another fantastic site regarding the myths of Vegetarianism
Magazines/websites i'd recomend as well..
The Lancet
British Journal of Nursing
NHS
Also, a breif look through medical sites (as opposed to biased one specifically about herbivourous dietry styles) will net you a lot of information, including the coupel of following tidbits..
Anemia: caused by lack of Iron, the vast majority of vegetarians take iron suppliments. Red Meat is the predominant source of balanced iron in an omnivores diet.
Energy production/maintainance: Vit B (epsecially B12), again balanced vitamin B is found in meats.
Other vital things found predominantly in meat: omega-3 (fish).
Sadly most people dont know how to Moderate their portion sizes, and get fat, then think its the meat they're eating making them over weight and then go the drastic method of cutting it out.
It's simpler just to go for the Lean cuts of meat and make your portions smaller as well as take up more excercise, such as walking (yeah walking is an excercise. walk a couple of miles a day and you'll feel better for it, and it gets you out in to the open air which is also good for you (unless you live in a city.. )
For some the choice to go herbivore is one about feelings and care for animals, they dont want to see the cute fwuffy lil moocows get killed, so they dont eat them.
For others it is down to health, however you have to follow a Very careful diet to remain purely vegetarian, especially in todays age where everything is packed with hidden fats, flavourings and gods knows what chemicals.
Sadly at the end of the day, the majority of vitamin & suppliment sales are made to those who follow "alternative lifestyles" or those who feel their diet is not giving them enuogh of what ever vitamin (simple solution, eat the things that have that vitamin in them!)
(digression point, dont read if you really dont care about the respect ALL diets need)
When i was in catering college we had to visit farms, abbatoirs and butchers.
We had to know every aspect of the meat production line.
Yes, production line.
Sadly in todays world we do eat to much of somethigns and not enuogh of others, this is in part due to all the faddy diets that have sprung up since the mid 1800's which have all been at the time "scientifically proven" but sadly never revised atthe time (some years later they are looked at again and people are aghast at the damage the diets done to the body).
But as i was saying about when i was in college.
Before catering college i didnt really think about where mny food came from.
I DID change my eating habits after i started, it became a bit more balanced, fileld with much less crap & sugar, ironically i'm overwight now where as before i wasnt, teh lolz (but i do suffer from a congenital bowel defect).
I personally would not eat meat if i could not give proper respect the the animal it came from or if i felt i could not justify taking its life so that i might continue living.
(Thsi will be where people scream and shout and flame me..)
When we went on our "feild trips" we were asked to get involved with the process at each stage.
The majority of the people on the course could feed the pigs & chickens etc, and could cook the meat, but they could not do the bits in between.
I have fed animals, i have tended them when they were sick, i have put animals out of their misery when vetinary medicine could do nothing for them, i have (under extreme guidance) killed animals in the slaughterhouse (and yes for some i was sick afterwords with the impact of what i had done), i have bled out, skinned & gutted animals.
I have worked in a butchers to learn the cuts of meat, how to treat it with respect and not just hack at it.
It had nothing to do with pride or machismo, it was simply about learning the process of dealing with meat.
Having personally done those things, i feel i am able to eat meat with much more of a conscience regarding the whole process.
And yeah, i used to keep a small vegetable patch as well.
The human body is designed to be omnivourous, it is downt o us to mnake sure that we give it what it needs, everything in moderation.
Even to much veg can be bad for you.. (especialyl roughage which'll just pass right through you and you'll get nothing from it at all, like most veg and fruit).
Some fish contain "high" amounts of mercury, others have toxins in their skins that the human body finds hard to process (and thus to much of it makes us very ill), other meats are to fatty (which is easily remedied, dont eat the hyper processed meat from supermarkets, where possible buy direct from farmers markets where you have much more chance to inspect the flesh for sale and make a personal choice on the matter.
Even to many nuts are bad for you..
and I've just seen the update in 3rd tri 
Take no notice of me, I'm an idiot 
I'll get Kaz to slap his arse when she's recovered from giving birth 
