| iNathan said: No. Just eat less meat like i do and eat more veggies nuts and stuff but still eat some meat, you need it. |
You do not need meat. I don't know of any government health authority that has a recommended daily amount of meat you should eat. There's no nutrient that's exclusive to meat, as animals themselves get their nutrients from eating plants (or eating animals that eat plants), save for those nutrients that come from neither animals nor plants (such as vitamin B12, which is synthesized from soil bacteria). Consume animal products if you wish, but it's important not to spread misinformation about it and suggesting humans need meat is absolutely incorrect.
| AlfredoTurkey said:
[...]Losing weight has nothing to do with meat or no meat. It's about how many calories you're ingesting. |
I agree that losing weight is not simply about eating meat or not doing so. If you become a "junk food vegan" then you may gain weight (Oreo cookies are vegan, but not a good way to lose weight). That said, you are incorrect to say it's simply about how many calories you're ingesting. Not all calories are created equal since they are absorbed at different rates, have different glycemic indexes, may contain obesogens, among many other factors. It's not just "calories in, calories out", whatever the soft drink industry would like you to believe. That said, when you look at population studies, only vegans on average are in the healthy weight range. Vegetarians, pescatarians, an omnivores on average are overweight (and omnivores on average are the most overweight). It seems that vegans have the most success crafting diets that allow them to successfully manage their weight (in populations as a whole, on average, so anecdotes to the contrary are therefore irrelevant).
| vivster said: What you should do is ask people who do not sacrifice meat and are still being healthy and losing weight. The notion that a vegetarian lifestyle is inherently better or healthier is pure bullshit. It's all about moderation. |
When heart disease is the number one killer of omnivores, and people on whole food, plant-based diets essentialy don't get heart disease, I think that is at least a strong case for a whole food, plant-based diet being better for health, if not absolute proof. And see above about weight management, only vegan populations average in the recommended BMI range (and looking at large populations smoothes out the exceptions to BMI, such as body builders).
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vivster said: Me too, even without lots of exercise. Just eating a bit less than you normally do makes you drop weight like crazy. |
Just eating a bit less than normal *may* help you successfully manage your weight. It does for me! But it doesn't for everyone, because of obesogens and other considerations.
