rgrowden wrote:I became a vegetarian 30 years ago; turned vegan about 20 years ago. Never regretted it. A few years ago, I was at a restaurant in Saudi Arabia with a group of coworkers. They ordered shish kebabs - goat, chicken, camel. When the waiters served it, the smell made me sick. Since then, the smell of most meat makes me nauseous. I've never had a desire to eat meat or fish, although bacon still does smell good. The number one benefit is that I still look like a 30 year old. Of course, I exercise and weight train, but being a vegan has kept me young looking and very healthy. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. What do I eat? Muesli, soy yogurt, whole grain breads, soymilk, protein powder, lime juice, bananas, apples, raisins, chocolate, and, when I eat out, it's Indian.

My older brother has a been a vegetarian for over 20 years. He is 8 years older than me, people always think I am the older one and by large and he rarely gets sick.

[quote="potty"]@rgrowden
I think there is plenty of evidence from research, that there is no substitute for meat, and the human body needs it in fact.
perhaps, we just eat too much of it...

when you look not your age, it most likely (cant) have anything to do with your vegan diet.
perhaps you would look even younger if you had EATEN meat, acutally ?

if you really feel nausea, when you smell meat, then I think something is wrong with you.. health wise. but im just a "medical googler".

personally, I need cheese and eggs, I would never be a vegan.
since I feel better healthwise, I eat lots of meet at burger king. ways more than ever before.

burger king has 3 for 2 meals. you buy 2 and get 3 sets (beef only, I understood).
all February.
this may be the end of the KFC opposite. all they have on offer is some boring chicken burger meal for $3.60 or so.




I have to correct some of your assumptions.
Among others, a large scale, long-range study was conducted among 7th Day Adventists, who are vegetarians and vegans.
They live about 8 years longer than meat eaters, and also have much better health. You can Google, you say. Do so.

The only nutrient in meat which we need is vitamin B12; I take a supplement.

The nausea is most likely psychological. I think of putrid flesh when I think of hamburgers.

Eat what you want - load up on those chicken wings, too.

...vegetarians (not vegans) live longer, but it may not be because of the meat...

It’s absolutely true that vegetarians live longer (at least among Seventh Day Adventists, the target group of the study). In fact, in this study, vegetarians live six to nine years longer, which is a huge effect. But vegetarians are also more likely to exercise, be married, smoke less and drink less alcohol—all factors that also contribute to a longer life. The actual causal relationship between becoming vegetarian and living longer is unclear, and is certainly smaller than the correlation might seem to suggest.

http://qz.com/91123/vegetarians-live-lo ... -eat-meat/

Because meat is an easy source of essential nutrients, including iron and protein, healthy vegetarianism takes careful planning.

...soy and quinoa to replace protein...

Adults need roughly 8 grams of protein per 20 pounds of body weight, according to the Institute of Medicine. Meat is a complete protein, meaning it delivers all the amino acids the body requires. A vegetarian must vary his diet to include seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, grains and, depending on the type of vegetarianism, possibly eggs and dairy to obtain a complete complement of amino acids. All types of vegetarians can partake of two sources of complete, plant-based protein: soy and quinoa.

..iron absorption is best from meat...

Your body absorbs heme iron, the type found in meat, better than nonheme iron, the type found in plants. Vegetarians should pair fortified cereals, dark leafy greens, molasses, dried fruit and other iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich produce, such as oranges, to enhance absorption.

...other deficiencies to balance...

Additionally, vegetarians may be slightly more prone to calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies than meat eaters, but that can be rectified by eating a variety of foods, including those fortified with vitamin B-12, which is only found in animal products

http://www.livestrong.com/article/44087 ... ting-meat/

Minimizing caloric intake is one key to longevity. Starve yourself senseless your whole life and you might live quite a bit longer than average. I'm not so sure I would actually want to live past 95 even if I could, unless they come up with effective ways of improving quality of life at that age and not just maintaining a heartbeat. When you see media coverage of "the oldest living person", their lives don't look very inviting. They are carted out on a wheelchair or a reclining hospitable bed like an artifact. Might as well be a mummy.

Here is the person who lived the longest ever (127 years), from Mexico of all places. I think she dated George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Poncho Villa.

... cook your veggie food in an iron pot...

HEME iron is found only in meat, fish and poultry and is absorbed much more easily than NON-HEME iron, which is found primarily in fruits, vegetables, dried beans, nuts and grain products.

The following factors will increase the iron absorption from NON-HEME foods:
• A good source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - i.e., oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, broccoli and strawberries, eaten with a NON-HEME food
• A HEME and NON-HEME food eaten together
• A NON-HEME food cooked in an iron pot, such as a cast iron skillet

most heme iron has beef, then turkey, least chicken
http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handou ... _iron.html

I put myself on a calory-restricted diet for about 10 years; stopped 2 years ago. I only ate once a day, kept calories under 1400, and fasted often, sometimes for 3 days. I felt great, was extremely thin, and I couldn't handle cold weather at all. Below about 75 degrees I shivered. That was the only drawback that I noticed. Don't know/won't know if it worked. I read the research - it extended the lives of fruit flies and earthworms by over 30%, I believe. If it DID work, I'll make it to about 125. I'm 64 now - a spring chicken!

You may live 30% longer, but w/that regimen, it's more like extending a life sentence.

potty wrote:processed food is pretty much the best you can eat, btw.

Processed foods are bad.They are the main reason why people all over the world are getting fat and sick. How do we know?
Every time a population adopts a “Western” diet high in processed foods, they get sick. It happens within a few years. Their genes don’t change, their food does.
9 Ways That Processed Foods Are Slowly Killing People http://authoritynutrition.com/9-ways-th ... ng-people/

A little on the "meat debate" http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-wi ... h-a-vegan/

Here's what I kept on wondering other than ridiculing vegetarians and vegan eaters isnt a good thing for meat lovers...like the more homos there are the merrier for pussy lovers.