Vegetarian experiment: Day 1...

[Keith_W]

BTW, where did you come up with the fact there are no studies about the positive effects of a plant based diet???

A simple google search brought me numerous, credible studies that a plant based diet can reverse diabetes, reduce cholesteral,
improved digestion, and reduce RISK of cancer..note the word risk.

I think you misunderstand what I said. Specifically, I said that there are benefits to your health if you consume less meat and more vegetables. However, there is no evidence to show that giving up meat completely is of any further benefit. Even if there were such studies, they wouldn't be level 1 studies.

Your sweeping statement is clearly an opinion.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2013/01/07/plant-based-diets-a-primer

I don't know why Americans look down on "opinions" and "theories" as if it was something I pulled out my bottom end An opinion is what you come out with after you look at the data and analyse it. That article you linked to is very nice, but it would be better if you could link to an academic journal. There are dozens of books and websites out there purporting benefits for all sorts of claims.

 

[Andre Marc]

I think you misunderstand what I said. Specifically, I said that there are benefits to your health if you consume less meat and more vegetables. However, there is no evidence to show that giving up meat completely is of any further benefit. Even if there were such studies, they wouldn't be level 1 studies.



I don't know why Americans look down on "opinions" and "theories" as if it was something I pulled out my bottom end An opinion is what you come out with after you look at the data and analyse it. That article you linked to is very nice, but it would be better if you could link to an academic journal. There are dozens of books and websites out there purporting benefits for all sorts of claims.

Oh no worries. Nothing wrong with opinions! But when they are offered up with certain vigor, it usually
means they are being passed off as fact. This is a MAJOR component of high end audio hobbyists...

But any way, the truth is even there was a definitive study proving that a strict 100% plant based diet
is advantageous, I would still consume some animal product in moderation.

 

[Keith_W]

Oh no worries. Nothing wrong with opinions! But when they are offered up with certain vigor, it usually
means they are being passed off as fact. This is a MAJOR component of high end audio hobbyists...

Actually, I am passing it off as a fact. I am making a statement that there is no evidence that making the move to mostly plant + some meat to 100% vegetarian has any advantage. I agree that a diet which mostly consists of meat is not good. What I dispute is the health claims of a vegetarian lifestyle, as opposed to an omnivorous lifestyle where meat is consumed in moderation. If there is any scientific evidence published in a peer reviewed journal, and not some kind of claim made by some naturopath, I would like to see it.

 

[Steve williams]

I would like to see it

me too

 

[Andre Marc]

Actually, I am passing it off as a fact. I am making a statement that there is no evidence that making the move to mostly plant + some meat to 100% vegetarian has any advantage. I agree that a diet which mostly consists of meat is not good. What I dispute is the health claims of a vegetarian lifestyle, as opposed to an omnivorous lifestyle where meat is consumed in moderation. If there is any scientific evidence published in a peer reviewed journal, and not some kind of claim made by some naturopath, I would like to see it.

I agree with you that "natuorpath" studies don't hold much water.

There are studies floating around by the WHO, and major universities like Harvard talking about
the benefit of a high plant diet, but larger, detailed studies are hard to get funded. The food industry
holds the purse strings, and meat and animal products are big business.

In the end, we have no argument. I believe, as stated numerous times, in being an omnivore.

One thing we cannot debate, because this is not up for dispute, is that a diet high in fruits in vegetables
is better than taking a fistful of vitamins.

 

[Ronm1]

Moi troi.

 

[Steve williams]

Bear in mind the high sugar intake that all too often results from a diet high in fruits

In fact I can remember treating a patient several years ago who was pregnant and a vegetarian and whose diet consisted only of fruit and vegetables. That patient became one of the most brittle gestational diabetics I ever treated

 

[Andre Marc]

Bear in mind the high sugar intake that all too often results from a diet high in fruits

In fact I can remember treating a patient several years ago who was pregnant and a vegetarian and whose diet consisted only of fruit and vegetables. That patient became one of the most brittle gestational diabetics I ever treated

Absolutely. If you do eat a lot of fruits, you can actually gain weight from the fructose.

However horse for courses. If you are a competitive athlete, bananas are an excellent source of energy and potassium etc...
Coconut meat and water are superb sources of fuel and electrolytes.

The BBC did a documentary on weight control and they had youngish woman who was a good 50lbs overweight and
she was distraught because she claimed to have a healthy diet, and she ate fruit salad every morning for breakfast.
It turns out she was eating TWO POUNDS of fruit in each serving!