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Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Romania
Posts: 59
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I gave up meat one month ago, but even before that started a friend started telling me (and is continuously telling me even now) that vegetarianism is not healthy, that humans need meat because we can't get all the nutrients that we need only from vegetables, eggs and cheese (I don't want to image what she thinks of vegans). That she cuold never give up meat cause she likes it so much and it's healthy, not excessively, but it's good to eat it. That without meat, our body becomes weak, that this is why Japanese people (we are currently in Japan) were so weak before the foreigners came.
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And all kinds of stuff. Basically, vegetarianism is not healthy and we shuold eat meat. She does have a valid point: if we don't eat meat, we don't get everything that meat and nothing else provides. Because humans are used to meat, so is it bad if we don't eat it? I would like a response that can help me both keep healthy as much as possible and that I can also give to people who tell me that vegetarianism is not healthy. |
I gave up meat one month ago, but even before that started a friend started telling me (and is continuously telling me even now) that vegetarianism is not healthy, that humans need meat because we can't get all the nutrients that we need only from vegetables, eggs and cheese (I don't want to image what she thinks of vegans). That she cuold never give up meat cause she likes it so much and it's healthy, not excessively, but it's good to eat it. That without meat, our body becomes weak, that this is why Japanese people (we are currently in Japan) were so weak before the foreigners came.
And all kinds of stuff. Basically, vegetarianism is not healthy and we shuold eat meat. She does have a valid point: if we don't eat meat, we don't get everything that meat and nothing else provides. Because humans are used to meat, so is it bad if we don't eat it? I would like a response that can help me both keep healthy as much as possible and that I can also give to people who tell me that vegetarianism is not healthy. |
@Tiger Lilly
: Actually, our major is Japanese language and culture. We studied Japanese history. Though I can't point out exactly when Japanese people started getter bigger and stronger (because I agree that a long time ago, they were very fragile), I know that it was the foreigners who brought dairy to them and large animals. However, neither me or her know exactly how history was.
Well, unfortunately, I live far from Okinawa (and really, that's a very, very expensive place), but I will document myself on the topic of Okinawan diet. And thank you for the site and the book. |
It's difficult to be vegetarian in Japan. When i go back to my country, I will see how difficult it is there, but in Japan people are just obsessed with meat. I swear. Everything has meat and if you wanna eat already cooked food from the store, they all have meat inside. There are so few options that don't have meat. I'm a student and I eat in the cafeteria a lot. They just like mixing vegetables with meat and don't give you the alternative of choosing. First of all, they don't see fish as meat. And by vegetarian they understand "no animal products" so they all the time ask me if I can eat cheese after I tell them I don't eat animal flesh (fish is not included for them). So if you come, I can tell you about some alternatives that you can find here and that don't have meat. But mostly, you have to cook for yourself and vegetables are expensive. And fruits are outrageously expensive. |
But anyway... there is also that thing that our ancestors were hunters and fishermen and without eating meat, our brain would've never been able to evolve. And this is why humans should eat meat. A lot of arguments against it that I honestly don't know how to answer. I just know that I don't want to eat meat, so I don't. |
@rasitha.wijesekera
: Yes, I would like to see the links. Thanks for the answer!
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which probably contributed to the human brain evolving
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The main 'supporting' argument for this view is Aiello and Wheeler's expensive tissue hypothesis from 1995.
Here's the problem: it's been debunked. You can find the gory details at PaleoVeganology. So should we use the science in our conversations? Absolutely not! At least not directly. Maybe indirectly with something like "Oh, yeah, the expensive tissue hypothesis. An article in the journal Nature used the data from the original study to show that it's incorrect". The problem with using the sciency stuff directly is that you will rapidly outstrip your own knowledge and that of your audience. They end up all glassy eyed staring in to space and not really processing anything. If they have even a little bit more knowledge than you you'll be asked questions you don't know how to answer and they'll summarily dismiss everything else you said. The solution may be an appeal to common sense wrapped in a sarcastic joke. "Well, I guess that explains why we have to pay tribute to our carnivorous nonhuman overlords. It's all that meat making them smart." Although anyone who has ever lived with cats will be convinced that we are at the beck and call of a hyperintelligent meat eaters. They're just an opposable thumb away from absolute domination, man ... ![]() |
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