Is becoming a vegetarian/vegan worth it?

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SvennoJ said:

I rather be a marathon running omnivore than a sedentary vegan :)

Frozen produce just tastes bland to me, I don't very much like it. It's easier to make something that tastes good with meat in it. This time of year my diet is mostly brocoli, cauliflower and squash when it comes to vegetables, besides the regular onions, mushrooms and garlic on the side. Occosionally a chunky roasted red pepper soup with carrots and peas in chicken broth, and some fresh honey garlic sausages. Frozen yoghurt for desert.

Perhaps if I had a chef that could cook awesome vegan meals I would be willing to try it out for a month, see if I still feel as energized to cycle 130km in a day. Yet I don't have that, and rather play video games instead of planning meals.

Besides what's the prize? Living to be frail at 90+ while shuffling around trying to remember who you are... Actually my grandfather was still in good shape afer 90 while always eating meat. It was not his heart nor cancer that got him in the end, more not being able to do the things he loved anymore, kinda lost interest in staying alive.

Interesting similarities.  Not only do we both live in Canada, but I'm also a cyclist.  :)

There's a bit of a myth to aging.  The idea that we inevitably get frail as we age is being challenged.  As we look at the Okinawans, the Tarahumara, the Adventist vegetarians, etc., we're seeing these highly plant-based populations are also unusually vibrant in old age.  One recent study of 4200 autopsies found that not one of them died "of old age", all of them died of disease.  Even people who lived to be over 100 clearly died of a disease.  As we age our defences against disease drop, but diet and lifestyle choices can protect against that.  A plant-based diet reduces systemic inflammation in the body (vs. animal products which promote inflammation).  An active lifestyle can keep the body more supple (the "use it or lose it" philosophy has a lot of truth in it).  If you eat anti-inflammatory foods and stay active, you significantly improve your odds of being vibrant into your 90s.