Debunking Stereotypes/myths of Vegetarianism.

As a vegetarian, I get all sorts of questions, comments, etc. from people that are for lack of better word, ignorant.

I just decided to take it upon myself to debunk certain myths and explain certain things that confuse people that have not taken time to research nutrition. I am including several resources from doctors and respected health sites.

1.) "Where do you get your protein?"
Ah. The oft-asked question. Well, my friend, I'll tell you how.

"It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for protein. Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some, and often much, protein. Fruits, sugars, fats, and alcohol do not provide much protein, so a diet based only on these foods would have a good chance of being too low in protein. However, not many vegans we know live on only bananas, hard candy, margarine, and beer. Vegans eating varied diets containing vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds rarely have any difficulty getting enough protein as long as their diet contains enough energy (calories) to maintain weight."-Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.

In other words, as long as you are eating RIGHT, which means the majority of your diet being fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, and nuts, etc.- you will definitely get your protein. All these things have protein, not JUST meat, eggs and cheese. In fact, most Americans actually get TOO MUCH protein, which has harmful effects. Interestingly, however, getting too much protein from plant based products do not have these harmful effects:

"High protein intake is also associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis due to calcium loss. When protein is digested, amino acids break apart and pass into the blood making the blood slightly acidic. Since your body needs to have a balanced pH level, calcium is pulled from the bones to neutralize acidity. Therefore, the more protein you have in your diet, the more acidic your blood will be and the more calcium that will be needed. Animal proteins (i.e. meats) are the main culprit of this cycle; grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits act as calcium savers." (2001), Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine

"Most Americans already eat more protein than their bodies need. And eating too much protein can increase health risks. High-protein animal foods are usually also high in saturated fat. Eating large amounts of high-fat foods for a sustained period raises the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and several types of cancer. People who can't use excess protein effectively may be at higher risk of kidney and liver disorders, and osteoporosis." American Heart Association

2.) How you get iron? Isn't meat the only source?

The American Dietetic Association and the British Medical Association have stated that vegans are not at any greater risk to suffer from iron deficiency anemia than non-vegetarians. The China Study agrees- it found that the Chinese, with their predominantly vegan diets, got 34 milligrams of iron on average compared to the 17 milligrams averaged by Americans.

"Vegetables that are good sources of iron are potatoes with their skin, bok choy, spinach, kale, watercress, broccoli, savoy cabbage, peas, turnip greens, mung bean sprouts, and tomato juice. Baked beans, adzuki beans, black beans, chick peas (garbanzo beans), kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans and pinto beans also provide iron to the body. Soya in its many forms, whole grains like whole grain bread or brown rice, black treacle, fortified breads, cereals and grains..." Fehmida Zakeer

3.) What the heck do you eat?!
Take one second and pry your brain away from the standard American diet of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, and fries and you will find yourself with a whole WORLD of new and exciting foods out there. And you don't even have to eat tofu or any other meat substitute either. I barely EVER do. Ethnic foods are the best! Here are some of my favorite foods:
-Veggie fajitas with zucchini, onions, and peppers, loaded with gaucamole salad and salsa
-Veggie pizza
-Many Indian dishes are vegetarian or vegan, consisting of curried lentils and other veggies and/or rice, and are so flavorful and delicious!
-Also, there are many Thai dishes that can be enjoyed without meat, pad thai with veggies or tofu, curries, stir fry with veggies, etc.
-Burritos with black beans, avocado, spinach, and tomato
-Vegetable Stew
-Chili with no meat but full of beans, and sweet potatoes
-Avocado Sandwiches with spinach and tomato and garlic salt.
-Peanut butter sandwiches
-Whole grain apple-cinnamon pancakes
-Oatmeal
-Quinoa with beans
-Falafel, a middle-eastern meal made out of mini fried chickpea patties, stuff them in a pita and they are delicious!
-Black bean burgers topped however you want
-Zucchini "crab" cakes, (sounds crazy, but they taste like crab cakes and are DELICIOUS)
-Whole grain Spaghetti or Penne with sauteed veggies, I especially love to sautee spinach and zucchini and throw it in there.
-Baked Sweet potatoes
-Hummus with carrots or another raw veggie
-Stuffed peppers
-Guacamole and chips

You get the point, I hope.

4.)“Life's not fair. It's survival of the fittest, and the strong kill the weak.”

"There is little difference between this opinion and the idea that it is justifiable to kill, hurt, or otherwise violate any person you want as long as you can get away with it.

The "life's not fair" argument is the logic of such wonderful people as Fascists, military dictators, murderers, rapists, school-yard bullies, and self-centered people in general. If the philosophy of vegetarianism goes against the philosophy of this sort of people, then that is just another tremendous benefit of vegetarianism.

Indeed, it is reasonable to assume that people who are willing to consider the moral consequences of killing animals are more likely to restrain from violence against other human beings if at all possible. Vegetarianism inherently encourages peaceful thought and thus peaceful action. Conversely, it is not unreasonable to assume that thoughtlessly killing creatures by the thousands for nothing more than pleasure and convenience might lend to generally more violent thoughts and behaviors." Ed Pastore

5.)Animals are raised to be meat, so it's okay.
People used to be raised to be slaves- is that okay?

Here are some more nice factoids:

The Mayo Health Clinic states: "Vegetarians have lower rates of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Vegetarians are also less likely to have gallstones, kidney stones and constipation and they weigh less on average."

The American Institute for Cancer Research provides a list of guidelines for a diet which helps prevent cancer. These guidelines recommend eating a "predominantly plant-based diet," eating a wide variety of vegetables, and limiting meat consumption.

The Journal of the American Dietetic Association states that, "...appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, are nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases." The article then goes on to describe a variety of ways in which vegetarianism is a healthier lifestyle, citing lower mortality from and incidence of a variety of diseases and conditions.

The American Cancer Society states:

Scientific data show that vegetarian diets reduce not only obesity and constipation, but alcoholism and the risk of lung cancer as well. There is also evidence that diets excluding animal fats reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension, type II diabetes and gallstones.

Vegetarian diets are healthful primarily because they reduce or eliminate fat derived from animal products, while containing almost the full range of vitamins and minerals essential to good health.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports on numerous health benefits from a vegetarian diet. Their article cites lower risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diverticulosis, constipation, macular degeneration, neural tube birth defects, and diabetes. The article also reports that "any raw food--including fruits or vegetables--can carry harmful bacteria... But meat, seafood, and poultry are the most likely culprits in foodborne illness."


I never try to force my beliefs on anyone. I never make fun of or ridicule people for eating meat. I don't think it makes me better than anyone, it is just my personal decision. If someone decides they don't like green beans, then they just don't eat green beans. Nobody harasses them about not eating green beans, they just don't eat them. Vegetarians don't eat meat. It's simple. I don't make a big deal about it. I just personally don't see the difference between any animal. A pig is equal to a cat is equal to a chicken. They all deserve life, to me. The negative health effects that eating meat can bring is even more of a reason to not eat meat. Any vitamin meat provides, you can get it in plant products WITHOUT the saturated fat/antibiotics/hormones/chemicals/etc. In not eating meat, I choose to not ingest something that has been tortured suddenly, that has possibly been sick, that has grown up in a dirty factory and has all this negativity surrounding it. I feel like if I would eat meat, I would eat all that negative energy...as hippieish as that sounds haha. When I eat something that is delicious, meat-free, with lots of good-for-you ingredients- I know that nothing was harmed for my pleasure, and that I am actually doing myself and my body a service by giving it what it needs and wants. It makes me feel GOOD to eat it. I don't go through life begrudgingly "giving up" meat. I don't WANT it. I think alot of people don't understand that. I'm not trying to be a martyr here. Meat is not looked at by me as some sort of "forbidden fruit" type of thing. It's not appetizing at all. Obviously, I can deal with people eating it around me, and working in a burger restaurant I have to deal with it as well, I just don't personally want to eat it myself.

And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Sources:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11234
http://www.nwhealth.edu/healthyU/eatWell/protein_1.html
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm
http://www.veg
family.com/health/boost-iron-intake.htm
http://users.erols.com/epastore/veg/nutrition.html