Vegetarians, what are the benefits of not eating meat?

[bazera]

Hey guys,

Those of you who don't eat meat, why don't you?

I've been thinking of trying a vegan diet for a while, but all there will be left is veggies, fruit, eggs, nuts, and seeds to eat a healthy diet. So it limits food options.

What benefits do you find personally in not eating meat?

[Michael569]

You could say ethics is a strong reason for many people. We could argue "is it ethical to consume meat if we can get (almost) everything we need from plants?" Ofcourse you'll find persuasive arguments from both sides. 

We know that in people who replace saturated fats for more plant-derived polyunsaturated fats, all-cause mortality, as well as cardiovascular incidence, seem to improve especially where beef is being minimised in favour of plant proteins. 

But certain animal foods such as oily fish are, pretty much unanimously, associated with a trend towards benefits for cardiovascular mortality and for LDL cholesterol reduction. 

Sometimes there is no need to go 100% in but just minimise the amount of animal protein you consume and see how that makes you feel. 

I guess the best advise is "go do it and see how you like it". It may be a good idea to educate yourself on potential deficiencies and making sure you do not end up starving yourself in the early weeks, which sometimes happens during the transition. 

Other than that, experimenting with plant-based diets can be a really good lesson not just into diet but into personal ethics, empathy & compassion for other living species, I think everybody should try, at least for some time in their life, to avoid 100% of animal products just to have that experience before judging others. 

[undeather]

11 minutes ago, Michael569 said:

You could say ethics is a strong reason for many people. We could argue "is it ethical to consume meat if we can get (almost) everything we need from plants?" Ofcourse you'll find persuasive arguments from both sides. 

We know that in people who replace saturated fats for more plant-derived polyunsaturated fats, all-cause mortality, as well as cardiovascular incidence, seem to improve especially where beef is being minimised in favour of plant proteins. 

But certain animal foods such as oily fish are, pretty much unanimously, associated with a trend towards benefits for cardiovascular mortality and for LDL cholesterol reduction. 

Sometimes there is no need to go 100% in but just minimise the amount of animal protein you consume and see how that makes you feel. 

I guess the best advise is "go do it and see how you like it". It may be a good idea to educate yourself on potential deficiencies and making sure you do not end up starving yourself in the early weeks, which sometimes happens during the transition. 

Other than that, experimenting with plant-based diets can be a really good lesson not just into diet but into personal ethics, empathy & compassion for other living species, I think everybody should try, at least for some time in their life, to avoid 100% of animal products just to have that experience before judging others. 

I love this answser

[bazera]

@Michael569

Quote

I guess the best advise is "go do it and see how you like it".

Yup, I'd agree on that. Meat has the highest percentage in my diet currently, I don't know what to eat if I don't eat meat. I think it will be hard for me to feel full on only vegetables and fruit. But at least a month without meat is a nice experiment.

[Stovo]

It's theoretically possible to be a relatively healthy vegan but it's challenging. 

There are certain vitamins & minerals that are difficult to get from non animal sources like Vitamin B12, Vitamin D (winter), Omega 3, and Iron. 

Also vegans are likely going to have to eat more nutritionless grains to make up for the loss of meat calories which isn't healthy. 

[Michael569]

39 minutes ago, bazera said:

I think it will be hard for me to feel full on only vegetables and frui

Sounds like before you do that, you should take some time to familiarise yourself with what a healthy plant-based diet actually looks like. If you are not used to eating large quantities of legumes, wholegrains and fermented soy products, it may seem like there is nothing to eat but once you start exploring other recipes, you'll quickly see that actually meat is super easy to either dump completely or minimise to a few portions per week. 

With some preparation, a bit of reading,  bulk ordering and batch cooking, plant-based diet actually becomes pretty easy. 

[Clabber Girl]

For me personally.. here are a few benefits (I do eat fish and eggs)

• I don't care for the taste of bacon, pork chops, milk, ext. 
• I am able to avoid processed meats - fried chicken, hotdogs, smoked meats
• Avoid red meat consumption 
• Cheaper 

[shallotsometimes]

I've been vegetarian (and ~85% vegan) since spring 2018. I do it mostly for the animals and environmental reasons and it's enough to keep me away from it. The thought of putting an animal through suffering and killing it so I can enjoy its taste for 5 minutes just doesn't sit right, especially since most of us have tons of alternatives and it's not necessary for survival. I was actually shocked at how easy it was to quit eating meat because there's so much fear mongering around it, I was scared I would get ill or just have crazy intense "meat cravings," neither of which happened. I also initially had lots dreams about eating it and feeling guilty which kept me on track. Dairy on the other hand has been difficult because it's in so much food, and food is such a social thing so I personally allow myself to have a little of it here and there.

But if you want to go fully vegan I fully support that Taking baby steps in that direction is good too. Do you eat legumes? I find that to be a good meat replacement.

Edited July 18, 2022 by shallotsometimes

[integral]

it's very difficult doing it vegan and getting all your nutrients. personally if I don't eat eggs I can't get an erection or it becomes very difficult, And I've experimented with everything every supplement and there is no alternative besides eating animal products.

[Jannes]

4 hours ago, integral said:

it's very difficult doing it vegan and getting all your nutrients. personally if I don't eat eggs I can't get an erection or it becomes very difficult, And I've experimented with everything every supplement and there is no alternative besides eating animal products.

Did you eat enough healthy fats ?

[integral]

3 hours ago, Jannes said:

Did you eat enough healthy fats ?

Good point, i was having issue digesting fats and probably still do. Im not sure what in the egg improved my libido and what the vegan alternative to it is? No supplements worked. The egg also plays a role in muscle fullness and healing for my body.  

Edited July 18, 2022 by integral

[Jannes]

42 minutes ago, integral said:

Good point, i was having issue digesting fats and probably still do. Im not sure what in the egg improved my libido and what the vegan alternative to it is? No supplements worked. The egg also plays a role in muscle fullness and healing for my body.  

What is your digestive issue exactly? The body can just absorb animal products better. So maybe if you fix that you don’t need eggs. 

The fats in the egg change if it is organic or not. Organic has a good amount of omega 3, eggs from factory farming dont. You could take a vegan omega 3 supplement with nuts, seeds, avocado. I would eat as least 0.4g of fat per pound of bodyweight.

Muscle fullness ? Eggs have protein. Protein builds muscle. Do you mean that? Maybe you don’t get enough from vegan sources. 

 

[integral]

58 minutes ago, Jannes said:

nuts, seeds, avocado

I cant eat these they basically don't digest and cause pain moving along the digestion track, like eating a rock, i can even bleed sometimes on the way out. I take vegan omega 3 its not doing what eggs do. 

58 minutes ago, Jannes said:

Muscle fullness ? Eggs have protein. Protein builds muscle. Do you mean that? Maybe you don’t get enough from vegan sources. 

When body building the muscle swells with water, blood and lactic acid, making them fuller (the pump). Healthy bodies the pump will last a few days, in mine i would loss it in minutes, similarly a erection would drop instantly if i stopped stimulating it and the entire process takes concentration to keep it up. The egg solves both of these, entire body swells up and my erections never die. After ejaculation it would instantly shrivel down, but if i eat an egg before hand, it will remain hard after ejaculating and i can go again.

Edited July 18, 2022 by integral

[Jannes]

12 minutes ago, integral said:

I cant eat these they basically don't digest and cause pain moving along the digestion track, like eating a rock, i can even bleed sometimes on the way out. I take vegan omega 3 its not doing what eggs do. 
 

What can you digest other then eggs ?

[integral]

53 minutes ago, Jannes said:

What can you digest other then eggs ?

Things the are light and easy to digest like Vegetables, fruits, all grains. fish. 

Edited July 18, 2022 by integral

[Jannes]

@integral Have you talked with a doctor about it ?
You could maybe go for smooth nut butter, olive oil, avocado, .. ?

Edited July 18, 2022 by Jannes

[integral]

@Jannes If you ate 2 cups of almonds it would digest no problem? 

[Jannes]

1 minute ago, integral said:

@Jannes If you ate 2 cups of almonds it would digest no problem? 

That’s a shitton of almonds (300g at least right) so I would probably feel pretty sick. But I think I would digest it okay. Obviously it wouldn’t feel great ?

[integral]

2 minutes ago, Jannes said:

That’s a shitton of almonds (300g at least right) so I would probably feel pretty sick. But I think I would digest it okay. Obviously it wouldn’t feel great ?

lmfao ah ok, maybe i was over eating...

10 minutes ago, Jannes said:

@integral Have you talked with a doctor about it ?
You could maybe go for smooth nut butter, olive oil, avocado, .. ?

Olive oil works and Avocado oil, just not Olives and Avocados lol

[Michael569]

19 hours ago, integral said:

I cant eat these they basically don't digest and cause pain moving along the digestion track, like eating a rock, i can even bleed sometimes on the way out. I take vegan omega 3 its not doing what eggs do. 

Sounds like a bit of fat undigestion. Do you still have your gall bladder?

There are some faecal tests your doctor could do for the presence of certain substances in the stool that would show potential fat malabsorbtion or deficiency of certain digestive enzymes. @undeather would be better suited to explain how fat malabsorption is being tested and investigated and what can be done.