• H&R Moderators: streaM Freak

Is meat inherently unhealthy?

psychedelicsoul

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 3, 2015
Messages
726
Okay, we all know what veganism is. However, there's something else called peganism. It's basically the paleo diet, except you eat less meat... simple.

Could it be argued that no matter how lean the meat is, or how it's made, preserved, or how the animals were fed... that meat is inherently bad for you, and all meat dishes are inherently unhealthy.
It seems like a lot of vegans are arguing that no matter if it's a piece of lean chicken, or a greesy big mac, meat is inherently unhealthy and will kill you faster. Some even argue that humans are naturally herbivores and aren't "meant" to eat meat.
A lot of them seem to think veganism is the only way to have a healthy diet, and that the paleo diet or vegetarianism isn't good enough.

So, is a turkey sandwich from subway bad for me?

(Keep in mind, I have no intention of changing how I eat, I'm just curious)
 
In what way are lean meats like turkey, chicken, vennison, fish, bad for you??

Sure, they have some cholesterol, but as long as you don't eat way too much that's fine.

All are high in protein and have the right kinds of fats we need.

I don't see that argument as having any merit.
 
Id rather live to be 50 eating steaks and burgers while washing them down with a cold beer than live to be 100 chewing on grass and drinking water.
 
isn't veganism unhealthy? where are the amino acids coming from?
 
inherently unhealthy - no

inherently unethical - maybe

Truth^^^

I'm vegan. I also know my facts. Fish isn't bad for you. Lean chicken isn't bad for you. I wouldn't eat them because I do not condone murder. But they are still not unhealthy, especially in moderation. A diet of all fish would of course be unhealthy but I am assuming that this is just like a piece of fish or chicken like once a day. It's fine health-wise.
Steaks every day... not healthy. There are healthier and unhealthier meats for sure.

A turkey sandwich from subway will not really harm you LOL. Although the bread could be unhealthy. And the meat from places like subway are super processed so also not good for you.

Vegetarian isn't incredibly healthy either because cheese can actually be quite unhealthy. Moderation may be fine but cheese is one of those foods that most people do not eat the recommended amount. It's much, much more. Which starts to get unhealthy.
I wouldn't think eggs would be super unhealthy but I don't know much about them, I always just thought it was weird eating something that came from someone else's vagina. But that's just me.

On a personal level, since I became vegan, I have become much healthier. Not necessarily because I cut out meat. I could eat super unhealthy on a vegan diet. Processed vegan sausages and burgers daily. Tons of pasta with fatty sauces. How about vegan ice cream, that is delicious. But since I became vegan, I just started paying more attention to what I've been eating, thus resulting in a healthier change. Causation isn't correlation. I haven't had to sacrifice anything since becoming vegan. Like I've indicated above, there are vegan versions of EVERYTHING. I'm human, I crave some unhealthy things once in a while. I have some vegan ice cream sometimes and it tastes the same. Same with just about everything else. Face it, people don't enjoy eating a chicken just off the chicken. It's cooked, it's marinated, etc. to get the taste. That's what is done to vegan products too, except animals aren't harmed in the making :) Also I'm a bit of a fruit addict. I will eat like 4-5 pieces of fruit each day. Veggies are meh, I only like them when spiced and steamed. I eat a lot of fruit and tofu (if you have only ever had bad tofu... there is a lot out there.... it takes a while to find tofu that actually tastes good hahah).

:)
 
There's no such thing as a 'healthy' or 'unhealthy' diet. Every person has different and individual health needs that affect what diet is best for them. Attempting to export a one-size-fits-all moral idea of 'unhealthy/bad food' is inevitably going to fail some people.

Ethical and environmental considerations around diet are a completely different question.
 
There's no such thing as a 'healthy' or 'unhealthy' diet. Every person has different and individual health needs that affect what diet is best for them. Attempting to export a one-size-fits-all moral idea of 'unhealthy/bad food' is inevitably going to fail some people.

Ethical and environmental considerations around diet are a completely different question.

There are healthy and unhealthy diets..i think maybe you meant to say something else?
But youre right, each person has specific things that do and dont work for them and are effective for them were they might not be for another person
 
The health argument when it comes to dietary choices is the weakest imo. What is far, far harder to ignore is the environmental argument. Choosing to consume/create demand for meat and dairy is choosing to contribute to/help fund the global environmental disaster that is the animal agriculture industry.
 
Most humans could do with eating far, far less meat, and protein in general actually. That doesn't mean meat should be eliminated altogether.

I can't live without meat in my diet, and I've experimented with all diets, including vegan and paleo. It's just not physically possible on my end.

Also? These righteous non-meat eaters? A lot of what they're eating comes from the other side of planet earth. Avacadoes? Raw cacao? Other exotic foods and supplements? Yeah... the earth is on fire from fossil fuels in order to deliver these things to you.

If people actually ate seasonally, instead of expecting any kind of food on demand 365 days a year, we would have far fewer problems. It would also mean that people living in the Northern hemisphere would be meat eaters. Northerners are not meant to be vegetarian in the winter. If you study all indigenous Northern cultures, this fact is obvious. If I don't eat meat in the winter time, my immune system starts to get run down. Being a vegetarian is way easier in the summer time, and hot climates... which is why the cultures which support vegetarianism the most tend to live in hotter places.
 
Truth^^^

I'm vegan. I also know my facts. Fish isn't bad for you. Lean chicken isn't bad for you. I wouldn't eat them because I do not condone murder. But they are still not unhealthy, especially in moderation. A diet of all fish would of course be unhealthy but I am assuming that this is just like a piece of fish or chicken like once a day. It's fine health-wise.
Steaks every day... not healthy. There are healthier and unhealthier meats for sure.

A turkey sandwich from subway will not really harm you LOL. Although the bread could be unhealthy. And the meat from places like subway are super processed so also not good for you.

Vegetarian isn't incredibly healthy either because cheese can actually be quite unhealthy. Moderation may be fine but cheese is one of those foods that most people do not eat the recommended amount. It's much, much more. Which starts to get unhealthy.
I wouldn't think eggs would be super unhealthy but I don't know much about them, I always just thought it was weird eating something that came from someone else's vagina. But that's just me.

On a personal level, since I became vegan, I have become much healthier. Not necessarily because I cut out meat. I could eat super unhealthy on a vegan diet. Processed vegan sausages and burgers daily. Tons of pasta with fatty sauces. How about vegan ice cream, that is delicious. But since I became vegan, I just started paying more attention to what I've been eating, thus resulting in a healthier change. Causation isn't correlation. I haven't had to sacrifice anything since becoming vegan. Like I've indicated above, there are vegan versions of EVERYTHING. I'm human, I crave some unhealthy things once in a while. I have some vegan ice cream sometimes and it tastes the same. Same with just about everything else. Face it, people don't enjoy eating a chicken just off the chicken. It's cooked, it's marinated, etc. to get the taste. That's what is done to vegan products too, except animals aren't harmed in the making :) Also I'm a bit of a fruit addict. I will eat like 4-5 pieces of fruit each day. Veggies are meh, I only like them when spiced and steamed. I eat a lot of fruit and tofu (if you have only ever had bad tofu... there is a lot out there.... it takes a while to find tofu that actually tastes good hahah).

:)


I'm fine with people being vegans or vegetarians, but i don't like how they often preach.

So just so you know...killing vegetables and fruits IS murder also.

They are living creatures, and some recent studies have supposedly suggested that they are aware of being killed and feel pain.

Living beings must die to support other living beings.

It's been this way since the dawn of time so I dont' see it as unethical.

I don't even see eating meat as unethical, I see it as the natural course of things.

I guess you probably dont' see it as unethical for dogs to eat meat cause they CAN'T survive on plants??

That might make sense...but nevertheless, killing plants is still "murder".


Not to mention there are other ethical concerns with eating plants.

Do you like oranges or orange juice??

Better stop eating them because most in the U.S. come from California which is experiencing a drought right now and people their have less water because of what is being used to water the oranges you are eating.

To eat almost ANYTHING causes SOME sort of "ethical dilemna".

Eating itself is an act of CONSUMPTION of resources...the give and take is what makes nature nature.
 
There are healthy and unhealthy diets..i think maybe you meant to say something else?
But youre right, each person has specific things that do and dont work for them and are effective for them were they might not be for another person

I said exactly what I meant to say. :) Dietary health is a very individual thing. There is no such thing as a diet that is universally unhealthy or universally healthy. The possible exception is trans fats, but even the kinds of foods that tend to be high in trans fats can be 'healthy' for some people with very specific dietary needs if you look at their total nutritional makeup.
 
Also chickens don't have a vagina. They have a cloaca. I don't know if you find that more or less weird.
 
thujone said:
where are the amino acids coming from?

soybeans?

I don't think it is unethical to eat meat but if you have the ability to attain adequate nutrition without consuming mammals I think you should do so.
 
I'm fine with people being vegans or vegetarians, but i don't like how they often preach.

So just so you know...killing vegetables and fruits IS murder also.

They are living creatures, and some recent studies have supposedly suggested that they are aware of being killed and feel pain.

Living beings must die to support other living beings.

It's been this way since the dawn of time so I dont' see it as unethical.

I don't even see eating meat as unethical, I see it as the natural course of things.

I guess you probably dont' see it as unethical for dogs to eat meat cause they CAN'T survive on plants??

That might make sense...but nevertheless, killing plants is still "murder".


Not to mention there are other ethical concerns with eating plants.

Do you like oranges or orange juice??

Better stop eating them because most in the U.S. come from California which is experiencing a drought right now and people their have less water because of what is being used to water the oranges you are eating.

To eat almost ANYTHING causes SOME sort of "ethical dilemna".

Eating itself is an act of CONSUMPTION of resources...the give and take is what makes nature nature.

Eating fruits doesn't kill plants.
 
I said exactly what I meant to say. :) Dietary health is a very individual thing. There is no such thing as a diet that is universally unhealthy or universally healthy. The possible exception is trans fats, but even the kinds of foods that tend to be high in trans fats can be 'healthy' for some people with very specific dietary needs if you look at their total nutritional makeup.

There are plenty of diets that are unhealthy - by saying that you leave room for someone to stumble onto any diet and have them assume it will be healthy for them
there are diets that claim you can eat only chocolate, diets that advocate basic starvation,crash diets, all type of things that are not healthy for you
 
Top