Are Vegetarians Healthier?

Could veggie burgers increase your lifespan? Many experts insist that switching to a vegetarian lifestyle can greatly increase overall health, leading some to ditch their pork rinds like an old smoking habit. Still others swear by an omnivorous diet, saying that occasional New York steak never hurt anyone. Is a fresh helping of tofu just what the doctor ordered, or only a lot of empty calories?

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Regarding Argument

Myth: Vitamin B12 Can Be Obtained From Plant Sources

- From Weston A Price Foundation

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"Vitamins" are not a dirty word. Take a B12 supplement. It's OK.

Regarding B12:
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm
http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/vegansources

Even the US government says,
"Fortified breakfast cereals are a particularly valuable source of vitamin B12 for vegetarians."
source: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminB12.asp

(I take a vegan multi-vitamin that includes B12. It's no big deal. And it's really no different than how most Americans rely on fortified dairy for vitamin D.)

- ElaineVigneault October 8, 2008 9:59AM

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- Yes, but...
  
  If you are trying to justify that your diet is natural for human beings and that eating meat is unnatural, the fact that you need artificial supplements to remain healthy detracts from that argument.
  
  - richardsonkr January 24, 2009 11:58PM
  
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  - three things
    
    a) My claim is that plant-based diets including vegetarianism and veganism are healthy.
    
    b) If you're curious about B12 and plant sources or current lack thereof, you might be interested in topsoil erosion and the roll it plays. Google it.
    
    c) Vegetarians who eat some animal products like eggs or dairy don't have to worry about B12 at all.
    
    - ElaineVigneault January 25, 2009 12:50AM
    
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    - You aren't alone.
      
      You are not the only vegetarian/vegan arguing for its supposed benefits. While you may not possess the delusion that man evolved as an herbivore, there are those on this site who do. The B12 claim is against that argument, not yours. In the current era, being a healthy vegan/vegetarian is possible, though not recommended by most nutritionists, due to the high level of planning and supplements required, though it is not a sustainable lifestyle for the entirety of the human species.
      
      - richardsonkr January 25, 2009 8:04AM
      
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      - Evolve: go vegan
        
        It does not matter how we evolved because evolution is still in play. We can choose to evolve NOW in a way that will benefit our species, other species, and the planet or we can keep eating animals, get sick, die, and destroy the Earth.
        
        We evolved with this big brains capable of rational ethical thought. We should use our big brains to make good decisions about our health, the health of our planet, and the health of other species.
        
        We should evolve away from dangerous animal agriculture that puts human health and worker safety at risk for profit, we should evolve away from factory farming that treats animals as commodities, we should evolve away from unnecessary violence towards other humans and other species, we should evolve towards a healthy plant-based diet, we should evolve to vegan.
        
        - ElaineVigneault January 25, 2009 10:53AM
        
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        Do you know what evolution is?
        
        Evolution, by definition, requires natural selection. Since modern medicine allows the vast majority of people to reach breeding age and reproduce, natural selection has stopped, thereby ending evolution . If anything, we are sliding backwards. You cannot choose to evolve. It doesn't work that way. As far as getting sick and dying goes, that's a part of life. You will not get around it, whether you are vegetarian, vegan, on the Atkins diet, or any other crazy way of eating. Everybody gets sick and dies eventually.
        
        - richardsonkr January 25, 2009 3:10PM
        
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        Meat-Eating Is Maladaptive
        
        When I say "choose" I mean that we can modify our behaviors. I don't mean it in a free will kind of way. I simply mean that some segment of the human population will modify their behaviors in a way that will prolong their lives and likely have long-term changes in the future of our species.
        
        We're already seeing some of this play out:
        http://www.vegansoapbox.com/meat-eating-is-maladaptive /
        
        - ElaineVigneault January 25, 2009 5:51PM
        
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        More comments in this thread
        
        Well stated.
        
        I completely agree that making the decision to move towards a vegatarian diet is an evolutionary stride.
        
        Human beings, unlike many of our fellow creatures in the animal kingdom, can make a decision on where we obtain our food . Sharks, birds , and lions can't farm, buy groceries, or barter for food. They must be opportunistic feeders, and they don't always have the luxury of choosing where, when, or how they will feed. Environment and hunting ability will play the greatest role.
        
        To me, this is one key differentiator between humans and animals . We can use our ingenuity, our creativity, and knowledge to sustain ourselves without killing other animals. To me, that is the next part of our evolution .
        
        Evolution isn't accidental. Decisions absolutely factor into the evolutionary process. Language is one example. Written and spoken language were evolutionary developments that took some active social development to grow and develop.
        
        I love the taste of burgers, but I am making the hard decision to do what is right. Note that doing the right thing usually is harder than the alternative.
        
        - Eric123 August 7, 2009 1:19AM
        
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B12 supplementation is a small price to pay

Taking a tiny sublingual B12 tablet every morning is a small price to pay to save the planet and put an end to the torture, misery and terrible deaths that 112,000 animals go through every minute of every day.

- karenelated October 8, 2008 11:30AM

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Oh yea?

It is almost too easy to blow holes in this B12 theory and I'll be happy to do just that.
My wife and I have been vegan for 16 years and our levels of B12 are always just fine when we go to the doctor. This also goes for our vitamin D levels. As a matter of fact, I personally have not been sick one time since being vegan, I have increased my muscle mass, and my doctor always asks why I even bother to come see her since I am in such great shape.
My wife and I take no D supplement (just get plenty of sunshine) and our source of B12 comes from nutritional yeast and is not derived from dead animals.
Shame on you, Weston A Price foundation, for preying on the ignorance of the carnivorous populations that are willing to read or listen to your BS.
By the way, B12 deficiencies are more common in omnis than vegans.

- HumanAnimal October 8, 2008 11:42AM

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Myth: Animals are a good source of B12

Animals and plants cannot synthesize vitamin B12. That includes farm animals. All B12 found in animals and their secretions are derived from bacterial sources. Let's eliminate the mistreated and inefficient middle man and harvest B12 directly from a culture of the appropriate bacteria. We aren't living "a few decades ago;" it's okay to take a supplement or eat fortified foods.

- Antimatter October 13, 2008 11:49AM

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Vegan or Vegetarian?

The question is "Are Vegetarians Healthier?" not "Are Vegans Healthier?" Perhaps eating meat impairs one's ability to read long words.

- MrPogle January 16, 2009 7:22PM

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Related Debates

Experts on "Yes" Side

PETA
People for Ethical Treatment of Animals See arguments
International Vegetarian Union
Promoting Vegetarianism Worldwide See arguments
PCRM
Encouraging Higher Standards in Research See arguments

Experts on "No" Side

Weston A Price Foundation
for Wise Traditions See arguments
Scott Gold
Author: The Shameless Carnivore See arguments

Most Objections

Fact: Meat is Good For You
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