Sunday, 29 March 2009

• On Diet, Veganism/Vegetarianism, and Common Sense

  
  

  A few days ago I read a couple of the featured blogs about A). Why Vegetarianism/Veganism is supposedly bad for you (GrannyButter's site), and B). Why Vegetarianism/Veganism is supposedly good for you (Atomic_emmcee's site).
  

  What astounded me was the lack of common sense that both of these blogs and their commenters seemed to possess.
  

  Homo sapiens are all born with genetic differences in metabolism, height/width, allergies, deficiencies, ect., which necessitate differences in diet, which is to say, the intake of nutrients. This is not even to mention the difference in lifestyles which create different needs for different bodies.
  

  For example, a teenage male who lifts weights needs a high intake of protein, to keep up with his growing body which is constantly building muscle, whereas a woman of seventy who only does light aerobic exercises would need more calcium, to prevent osteoporosis, and more vitamins, especially vitamin C, to prevent illness and infections from setting into her weak immune system in her old age.

  So, this being said, it is ridiculous to say that any one diet of anything, such as all uncooked vegetables and fruits or all meat and bread, is healthy for everyone.
  

  GrannyButter said that eating a lot of meat is good for you because he has witnessed it in his life; but he also said he lifts weights. This means his body needs more protein to build the muscle his body thinks it needs to lift heavy things on a daily basis.
  

  Atomic_emmcee said that vegetarianism is good for you because it reduces the risk of heart diseases and heart attacks that eating too much meat causes. But these diseases are usually genetic, so the problem can be solved by knowing your own body, and eating moderate amounts of all things; don't overdo it on anything, and give YOUR body what it needs, not what angry vegans or angry meatheads say it should be mandated to eat.

  Know your body. If it turns out that vegetarianism/veganism is good for you, more power to you, but if you need more protein, eating meat is usually the easiest way to get it in its most dense and useful form.

  And on NO account would I ever advise "starving" yourself, or binging and purging, as a healthy way to "lose weight". Because the people who want to "lose weight" aren't just losing fat when they do this. They're also

  1. Losing muscle mass, which makes one look emaciated and definitely NOT "trim and fit".
  2. Eroding their esophagus due to continued contact to stomach acid (in the case of binging and purging).
  3. Denying their bodies nutrients necessary to their overall health, such as vitamins and minerals.

  It is unbelievably stupid to follow the guidelines of any sort of diet plan (i.e. the Atkins "high protein, low carb" diet) wherein you are told to deprive yourself of all the nutrients that you get from a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, meats, ect. that you need to be a healthy and functional human being. The best way to find out exactly what your body needs in terms of nutrition is to schedule an appointment with your doctor or nutritionist/health expert and find out where the needs lie. You may have some that you didn't even know about, and fulfilling those needs may be the key to being healthier and feeling more vibrant and full of energy.

  Do you agree, none of these diets really benefit the body and you need both?  Are you a vegetarian or meat eater?
  
  This is submitted guest blog sent to us through an email by a healthkicker reader
  

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