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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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Yes, but...
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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Elongation of life is not desirable.
From an evolutionary standpoint, once you are finished reproducing and caring for your offspring, you are no longer valuable, and are just a strain on the food source. That's not to say that we shouldn't value the elderly, who are excellent sources of wisdom, but rather that they are no longer affecting evolution . Prolonged life has no effect on evolution, and will have no long-term effects other than a larger population with a higher percentage of retired people.
"When I say 'choose' I mean that we can modify our behaviors. I don't mean it in a free will kind of way."
Voluntarily modifying your behavior is free will. Not to say that it's wrong, but it is not evolution. Vegetariansim and veganism are not evolution at work, but rather an emotional response from people who have become disconnected from the brutal realities of life. People die, animals die. We all bleed and suffer. It's a part of life. Embrace it.
- richardsonkr
January 26, 2009 7:11AM
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Never type the word evolution again
You're right, we can evolve to be more vegetarian . Go ahead and have as many kids as you can, and funnel rabbit food down their throats their entire lives. Then make sure they have a ton of kids each, and make sure their kids eat the same way. Also, throw some environmental pressure at them. Like only provide a set amount of food for the entire family, so only the kids who are most adept at eating greens survive, and the poor ones who don't starve.
Maybe in a dozen generations you'll have a bunch of kids with flat canines. Neat!
How long you live has zero effect on how well your adapted trait is propagated in future generations. How long you are capable of reproducing, combined with how well you can convince your offspring to adapt the same trait are the evolutionary factors that would lead to your vision of vegans evolving to take over the world.
- keytud
August 3, 2009 9:29AM
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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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