Vegetarian diet ... Meat diet

[YojanaFitbit]

I've heard that Vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters...

but

I've also heard that is not healthy to stop eating meat... 

What do you think? Feel free to share your experience about this topic, since we appreciate all points of view.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than meat eaters. Vegetarians also tend to have a lower body mass index, lower overall cancer rates and lower risk of chronic disease.

Meat is a hot topic and there are plenty of conflicting headlines out there. The Heart Foundation reviewed the science on red meat and poultry, to help you know what's best for your heart health. When included as part of a healthy, varied diet, meat provides a rich source of protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals including vitamin A, iron, and zinc. Some of which are more bioavailable than in alternative food sources.

...I personally think that you can find a balance in life and on your diet too. I like eating meat but I've eaten less and less after finding other recipes that can give me a variety of flavors and nutrients using vegetarian meals. It worked for me! 😋

Any thoughts on this 👆?

@Heybales @alexthecat @shipo @BruceM @Drumbob @t.parker @emili @Curly-Shirley @philipbourton @swiming 

[emili]

@YojanaFitbit so many. Eat meat if you like the flavor of it. You don't need to eat it every meal, but if its your thing, go for it. For me, the flavor of meat does nothing.  The spices, sauces, herbs..all that gives flavor is what I like, so I put that on healthier options of protein. Fish, chicken and turkey. I prefer the texture,  the actual flavor of those items more. The added benefit is healthy food. Unless there is a personal belief or religious reason to not eat meat,  go for it. In moderation if you genuinely like the flavor.  If you eat it because its what you've always done, maybe revisit..

[Drumbob]

Hey @YojanaFitbit, you hit it on the head for me when you said balance. I think that's key, for me at least. I do love a good steak and I eat red meat once a week also boneless, skinless chicken breast. I'm eating healthier and have learned a lot since perusing the resources Fitbit has including the community forums and everybody's experiences. I want to try cooking Portobello mushrooms and see how they taste. I used to be strictly a meat and potato kind of guy but I'm eating more veggies and just eating a lot cleaner. I feel better, too. That's really what it's all about for me. I've done the fad diets like the cabbage soup diet, etc. This time I'm not on a diet I'm finding a balanced way to live. Take care.

[YojanaFitbit]

@emili You always have great thoughts 😎. I don't eat fish, but I definitely like chicken and turkey. Great options when you want to mix a little bit the texture and nutrients in your meals.

What type of spices, sauces, herbs do you use? Did you noticed any discomfort in your colon when using any type in particular? Sorry if this is too personal to ask. 😅

@Drumbob I'm glad to see that you've been reading the information on the forums, helpful right! I think that we can learn a lot from other people's experiences. In fact, that's a wise way to learn! Uhhh good luck trying to cook Portobello mushrooms, it sounds great.

Smart decision starting to add veggies to your diet. I bet you've seen the difference in your body when you work out.

[alexthecat]

I've been vegetarian, but I'm not now. Health was never my main motivation. I just don't care for meat. I eat small amounts of poultry and fish now, but I never eat beef or pork. That's just my personal preference though. 

I think variety and balance are more important than eating or not eating meat. I know people who follow a sensible diet that includes meat and I know vegetarians whose diets are just horrible, with lots of junk food and pre-packaged meals. 

[emili]

@YojanaFitbit oh please, I'm an open book. Nothing bothers me except garlic and raw onion. I love spicy food so I use a lot of peppers, hot sauces and spice combos that don't add salt. Fresh herbs, basil, cilantro and dill are my go to. Mint and rosemary I use to infuse water. My hubs is a mini farmer so I'm very lucky to go pick what I want from the green house. I also love skinny girl salad dressing. Fat free and sugar free and delicious.  Mustard and vinegar are great for gut balance so I incorporate them in at least one meal. I also make my own faux curry with spices I have on hand to add to soup. All these things are natural health boosters without salt, sugar,  fat or calories.  Bonus..the taste is amazing 

[YojanaFitbit]

@alexthecat thanks for sharing your comment. As you said, it depends on your personal preference and what you need in your body. I think that we have a great variety of choices now, we just need to find the one that fits all our needs. Definitely avoiding as much as we can junk food and pre-packaged meals, it might be easy and quick to eat but it has a high cost. 

@emili ahhh that's your secret jejeje I'd love to have my own mini farm! 😍 You're very lucky, I use fresh herbs only the days that I go to the market and I can't always go. You have an wide and excellent selection! I love spicy food but I can't eat it everyday, I have a sensible stomach. (IBS) That's why I wanted to know what you were using in when you cook. 

[DennisMay]

I personally need protein to build muscles and I can't exclude meat/fish from my diet.)

[YojanaFitbit]

Thank you for sharing your personal experience @DennisMay! I totally understand your point. 💪😎

[NellyG]

The last few years I've been eating less and less meat, just because I didn't fancy it as much. I have never been vegetarian but had dropped meat to around once, maybe twice a week, and almost exclusively chicken (or fish). Then I got quite iron deficient so I have upped my meat intake - especially red meat. I am no longer iron deficient and feel soo much better overall. I guess I just don't get enough iron (for my body) unless I eat red meat. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @NellyG, you have good point there, the foods you eat influence not only how much iron you consume, but also how well it is absorbed into your body. In foods, iron is present in two forms: heme (which is basically beef, pork, chicken, fish and shellfish) and non-heme (some cereals, rice, wheat, spinach, kale, raisins, apricots and beans). So basically, if I reduce my meat intake I have to make sure to fill that missing iron with some other choices. It sounds easy in paper, but when cooking we need to remember to change our recipes a little bit. 😅

I also read that it’s commonly thought that vegetarians and vegans are more prone to iron deficiency. But, interestingly, studies have shown that vegetarian and vegan diets contain just as much iron, if not more, than diets containing meat. 🤔

[Bartfliet]

Well, by nature we are omnivores, as is evident by our "construction". We have "fangs" for tearing meat, but also molars for vegies. Not to mention that in our very early days of evolution, it's highly likely that the added protein we got from meat is what made it possible for our brains to grow as fast as they did. Humans are adaptable, and it's what has helped us become the dominant species. 

That being said, times change. I think nowadays a vegetarian diet is possible, without losing out on too much protein, which is the main thing we gain from eating meat. There are a lot of vegetarian options to get the same amount of protein in your system, it does take a bit more effort then meat though. I've gone vegetarian for a couple years, but then switched back because of this reason. I also just really like the flavor of meat. 

I do make it a point to not eat red meat though, which is the worst for the environment. That was also the reason why I switched to vegetarian for a bit. The environmental impact of meat is huge. Mostly of red meat though. So now, at the moment I'm looking for a good balance between not eating any red meats and eating less of the other meats, supplementing my meals with either quinoa, bulgur, lentils, beans, seeds, edame, nuts,...

I don't believe we need to stop eating meat, but just need to find a healthier balance. At the moment the average person eats way to much meat per day. Scientifically speaking, we're good with about 70gr (cooked)  a day, or around 490gr (cooked) a week. Even though I don't eat red meats, I stick pretty close to this number and still get in my 1.4gr of protein per kilo. It's fairly easy to get this in throughout the day without needing to eat a ridiculous amount of meat. 

[YojanaFitbit]

@Bartfliet Thank you for adding your thoughts on this. It's amazing that according to recent research while industrial agriculture as a whole has adverse environmental effects, the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than transportation. I didn't know this. And scientists believe that meat and sugar consumption must drop by 50% in order to reduce climate change inducing gases and preserve land for biodiversity. 😯

[SunsetRunner]

My opinion is that we should dig deeper than just the physical. I am very happy that there is so many different view points here, so I add mine here too.

I once got a lunch box at a restaurant which changed everything. It contained a lot of different perfectly cooked vegetables and a little piece of fish. But it felt soul less, like the person who cooked it didn’t add any love into it. Or how to describe it?

I later travelled around the globe. I witnessed how amazingly different people were, often stuck in the duality way of thinking, healthy/unhealthy, good/bad, wrong/right, disgusting/umami and so on.

I realised that food neither taste good (or bad). I have been trained in different ways, which makes me rather sure about what taste good (or bad). 

I prefer to eat the diet which makes me feel balanced and nowadays I often choose, in which ways I train myself.

I am witnessing my clients change diets when my methods inspires them to grow their own methods.

One client loved the taste of a special kind of ice cream.

We found comfort, support, trust, shame, guilt lurking in the depths of that ice cream bowl too,

She slowly found other food types and friends/herself who could support her to journey towards feeling in balance. Embracing that she was a human being and that there is no shame/guilt to have needs.

Nowadays she enjoying that bowl of homemade ice cream together with her friends, not as before when she felt lonely.

[rvanemanii]

The World Health Organization has actually classified all processed meat as a Class 1 carcinogen, along with cigarettes, plutonium, etc. And all other red meat as a Class 2 carcinogen. The FDA says it is still healthy but I'm going to trust the entity that can't be bought. Cheers.