Vegetarian--I'm not. I'm questioning if it's good for you?

Hi Everyone,

In a packet of information I received from my chiropractor concerning helping fibromyalgia one part of it states whether it's a good idea to be a vegetarian. Here's what it says:

"The bottom line is that the amino acid sequences in protein are highly preferred by the body. When the protein is digested, it's broken down into amino acid sequences that are used specifically in metabolic reactions throughout the entire body. With vegetarianism, your body has to add sequences together to build them. It's more difficult to build them than to break them down.

One nutrient, vitamin B12 is very difficult to find in a vegetarian diet. Vegetarians will tell you that there are non-meat sources high in B12, however the truth is that the vitamin B12 in these sources such as blue-green algae is not absorbed well in the body.

Another thing to consider is that if you want to spend less time in the kitchen, eat high quality meats such as chicken, turkey, fish, beef, pork, wild meats, eggs and dairy products. They're a lot easier to fix than spending time planning and cooking beans, rice, legumes such as lentils.

I find that a lot of vegetarians are really not vegetarians. They're eating processed foods that are marketed to vegetarians. Tofu is a very processed protein, a far cry from real soybeans. Tofu ice cream does not count as a protein. It's processed and it's also very high in the glycemic index, which means that your body produces a lot of insulin after eating it. Tofu hot dogs are also processed, as is tofu turkey."

I would be interested to hear what some of you think.

All the best.

 

Hi Karen,

I should have made it more clear. I'm not a vegetarian. I was questioning people who are vegetarians.

High protein diet, that's what I hear and that's what I follow. A healthy protein at just about every meal along with fruits and vegetables and a slice of ezekial bread a day.

Thanks for commenting and sharing.

Well I think there is a misconception about what a vegetarian/vegan is... They do not sit and eat greens all day long. There are many many many many ways to get protein. Avocados are a staple as are nuts and seeds and beans. Beans are my new meat and I am 100% fine with it. Plus leafy greens have a lot of protein and calcium. No one realizes that as a possibility because it not advertised. I do not eat soy either or processed anything.

And BTW I would not call myself and vegan or a vegetarian as I will use meat. I will use it as a side, as a flavoring. Its not going to be my main entree anymore. Teeth are for chewing but that chewing was not primarily meat. Meat was the side the rare treat but we have built it up to be the main part of the plate. Research clearly shows as meat and milk have become the predominate things consumed health has declined and obesity risen... Osteoporosis has risen in countries that drink the most milk...

IMHO we have been trained to think meat and milk and integral parts of nutrition and its just not true. You can get just as much from non animal based products. Any nutritional guideline has always illustrated you need a lot more fruits and veggies than you need meat and milk and animal based things. So that is all I am doing going back to the basics. How many households have no veggies beyond potatoes? How many children eat no veggies or fruit???

I cannot even address processed/convenience foods because that is another entire bag of worms and no one should ever eat those and the worst part is they don't need to do that to food they just do it to make $. $$ always the bottom line... sad.

And most vegans and vegetarians have normal B12 levels. Even with not eating meat or taking B12 they just do... So IMHO and again IMHO b12 is something cooked up and advertised to make sure everyone keeps eating their meat and drinking their milk. Its not unheard of but its not as common as advertised.

Lastly, I personally do not think everyone needs to be a vegetarian or a vegan to save the world. BUT it is a real big shame what has happened in the households of America (and were even spreading to other countries) and what people eat and that they are even made to think is good for them. Processed anything is not good for you, no matter how they fortify it, even in moderation, its awful for you. You also need to eat 3 times as much processed food to feel full than you do unprocessed... but people need to look long and hard at their cabinets and have the focus in their diet be fruits, veggies, beans nuts and seeds. Notice I said focus not exclusively. Meat has its place but not as advertised to us.

Post Edited (KayC04201231) : 2/22/2012 9:03:31 AM (GMT-7)

I really started something here. It's very informative.

Thanks for sharing everyone.

Kay, I admire all that you do to help yourself, you too Sherrine and Karen.

There's nothing like learning how to help ourselves and to learn what works for our own bodies.

Wise advice here.

I have friends who are vegans, and they wouldn't have it any other way. I have other friends who are on high protein diets, and those seem to work for them. I, myself, am trying to increase fiber while at the same time lowering carbohydrates for other health issues I have.

It's tough to wade through all of the science and psuedo science out there in regards to what we eat. And I agree with Debbie that the "experts" are always changing their minds anyway.

I think some of the best advice I've ever gleaned from this site is what Debbie and Sherrine just said: eat what makes YOU feel good. That will probably take some trial and error, I'm sure, but it does make sense to me.

Almost medfree, and everyone else, I admire your search to find the healthiest best balance of foods/nutrients for your body and health concerns. I'm on that road too, trying to find what works best for me. It isn't an easy task.

Yeah, I didn't mean it in the literal sense, lol. If that were true, I would eat only chocolate.

I meant that it sounded like sage advice to me to try to discover what type of diet was healthiest for me given my particular health issues.

Good post, Kay.

I'm medication sensitive. My rheumatologist told me fibros are generally medication sensitive. Sorry to hear about your health issues. You should be very proud of yourself in how hard you're trying to help yourself.

I read on this forum about a documentary "Forks over Knives" and immediately watched it on Netflix. It was very pro whole foods vegetarian. I'm not willing to go that far. But some of the research they presented did intrigue me. They mentioned that in China where they have the lowest rates of cancer and heart disease their meat portion for the whole family is what one American typically eats at a meal. They use meat to add flavor. I feel that is a good way to go. We tend to eat portions that are way too large. We forget that a meat portion is about the size of a deck of cards. Pretty small when you think about it.

My chiropractor recommended that I avoid dairy. I stayed away from it for a week but didn't notice much of a difference. Does anyone know if that was long enough, or should I have given it more time?

I'm personally avoiding processed foods as much as possible. More veggies are a good thing for everyone!

A friend of mine posted this on facebook today. Robyn O'Brien talks about all the genetically modified food we are eating nowadays and the health consequences from eating that food (which includes soy and dairy):

www.wimp.com/realfood/

Good topic!  I have Meniere's Diease so I can't have salt or MSG...and now I have developed a nut/legume allergy.  My diet is sooo restricted.  I have never been a meat eater.  I just don't care for it although I do eat fish or chicken.  I can't have cheese because of the salt and oh yes...I am also allergic to eggs.  I was worried I wasn't getting enough protein but my last set of blood work was perfect.  I drink Ensure or Instant Breakfast once a day just to make sure I get enough protein.  Even though I eat a lot of carbs (it's just about the only thing I'm not allergic to) and veggies I'm not over weight so I guess I'm lucky in that respect.

I guess like everything else, we all process food differently.  My SIL went vegan and her cholestral zoomed up to 360 so now she's on Lipator.  Go figure...

Donna

Thanks, everyone!

Debbie, I wanted to share that I don't digest many whole grain breads well either. Ezekial bread is what works for me.