I just leapt out of bed with the urge to write, and this is the first thing that came to mind. Good thing no one reads this crap.
Step One: What are the essential nutrients, and can I get them from my diet choice?
- Carbohydrates - My favorite! You can get this from both diets.
- Protein - Chances are, you eat too much of this. You can get this in both diets. It’s a little easier with meat.
- Fat - Yes, this is an essential nutrient. If you don’t believe me, ask your doctor what your brain is made of.
- Vitamins - Umm… vitamins. No energy yield (w/out the three above), but important anyway. You can get this with either diet type. Vegetables are the best source however because they generally have more of them.
- Minerals - Just what it says. The elements on the periodic table. Creepy huh? You can get this with either diet type. Some are easier to get from meat, some easier from vegetables. The source doesn’t really matter.
- Water - My bane. It’s just water. You can get it from leaning back in a rainstorm. Both diets provide this, but you should drink it plain anyway… for some reason. I slept through that part of class.
In short, you can get whatever you need nutrient-wise from either diet choice. It’s a myth that vegetarians can’t get everything they need. Dumb vegetarians can’t get everything they need because they don’t plan. Ok, not dumb. Mis- or ill-informed or lazy. A piece of cantaloupe and a small green salad everyday isn’t going to cut it. It might for a little while, but… anyway. I digress. On to step 2.
Step 2: Pro’s & Cons
Omnivores
- Omnivore Pro #1: Convenience. It is really easy to get all the nutrients you need. You get your vitamins and minerals from a well-balanced diet of meat, fruit, veggies and grains, your carbs and proteins and fats from the same, tra la. It’s easy to order in a restaurant, and you don’t have to worry about getting all 9 essential amino acids because every animal source has them. You don’t have to worry about getting your fats in either because that meat you’re eating– it’s got it.
- Omnivore Con #1: Well-balanced… really? It’s not as easy as you think. Most people who eat meat eat way too much of it and not enough vegetables, fruits and grains. If you want to be an omnivore, you need to plan out your meals sensibly. This isn’t as hard as it is for herbivores, but you should really pay attention to what you’re eating.
- Omnivore Con #2: Saturated fat. You’re eating too much of it. No really, I know you’re buying lean meat. You’re eating too much. Well, most likely. Most fats from animal sources are saturated. In short– they clog your arteries, i.e. not heart-healthy. Since you are most likely eating too much meat, you’re most likely eating too much saturated fat too. Interesting note, you actually need more calories from fat than you do from protein. Weird huh? But they should be from predominantly unsaturated fats. I’d draw a diagram to show you why, but I’m too lazy. Just trust me when I say, saturated bad, unsaturated not bad.
- Omnivore Con #3: Calcium loss. We’ve already established that you’re eating too much protein. So what? Herbivores eat too much of it too. What’s the big? When the body processes proteins, it denatures it, separating the whole thing into pieces. Generally, the little thingy (that’s a technical term) attached to the amino acids from animal sources are more acidic and from plant sources are more basic to neutral. This isn’t a problem unless you get too much. When you do, your body shoves that stuff around in your arteries, and it takes a tour of your body until it gets to wear it’s being stored or, more often than not, pissed out. During this process, it goes through your bones, taking valuable calcium along with it, thus promoting osteoporosis. That’s why China and Japan have the lowest rates of osteoporosis, and one of the richest countries in the world can’t keep their women’s bones from falling apart. Aherm… This is not an issue if you aren’t eating too much protein, i.e. paying attention to what you eat. See a trend here? It’s all about the protein.
- Omnivore Con #4: Hormones. They’re in the meat. It sucks. Or rocks depending on your point of view. It’s why 8 year old’s are getting double-d’s, and why violence and sex are higher than ever. Ok, so that’s totally unsubstantiated by like… anything. And it’s even opposite of true generally. However, there have been studies linking growth hormones in food to a variety of issues in kids. As far as I’m concerned, this is the number one reason to go herbivore. But, I could never do that, so instead I buy organic meat and animal-products. What? I like fish… and chicken… and beef… so sue me.
- Omnivore Con #5: Guilt. This, in my opinion, is one of the two big reasons people become a vegetarian. If it isn’t for their heart (see con #2), it’s because they feel bad for eating Bessie. Not much to say about this. I’d recommend at least eating fish (particularly cold-water fish like salmon for the omegas), but if you still feel bad about eating Flipper’s friends (which he eats) or Nemo or what-not, there’s nothing I can do for ya. This is pretty much the only reason I consider going veg-head myself… but I *really* love fish.
Herbivores
- Herbivore Pro #1: Heart-healthy. No really. this is really a heart-healthy diet SO LONG AS IT’S BALANCED! If you don’t get a good variety of foods, you’re still going to have a heart attack. It will just be from malnutrition instead of blockage. Why is it heart-healthy? Most
- Herbivore Con #1: Difficult. As easy as you might think it is to just live on raw carrots and celery (this is bad fyi), being a vegetarian is a little more difficult than being an omnivore. It’s less convenient at restaurants (though this is changing), and it takes a little more effort to make sure your diet is balanced. I believe the Registered Dietitian teaching the college course I took (note: if they aren’t an RD, and they call themselves a nutritionist, they’re as qualified as I am to give you advice or less) said, “I won’t say it’s hard to plan a diet for a vegetarian, but it isn’t as easy.” That makes sense to me. Hope it does to you too, because that’s really the best way to explain it. If you’re thinking about going vegetarian, hopefully it means that you’ve done your research (or will) and will be careful at planning your meals. There are some AWESOME programs out there to help you, the cheapest and one of the best (though it has some failings) being http://www.mypyramid.gov . That’s right, the US government has a tool to help people eat healthier. Go fig. I use it. You should too… vegetarian or not.
- Herbivore Con #2: Trans fat. Since you aren’t using butter (assuming a full-fledged no-animal products vegetarian), you don’t have a lot of options if you need a solid fat (for example, when making cookies). Trans fat, though it starts as unsaturated fat, because of the way it is processed to make it solid at room temperatures, looks like saturated fat to your body. That means you can still get blockage and still have that heart-attack. There’s no reason for this stuff. Ok, there is, but it isn’t a good one. As a side note, most studies show that the predominant fat in dead people’s arteries is saturated fat and not trans, you should also take into consideration how long trans fat has been around and how prevalent it is in the market in that equation (in other words, there’s more saturated fat out there–relatively, the numbers are equivalent).
- Herbivore Con #3: Saturated fat. Wait… I thought plant sources of fat were generally unsaturated, therefore healthy? Well, yes, generally. But the glaring exception to this is tropical oils. Palm, coconut, etc. If it comes from the tropics (I’m not going into a geography lesson), chances are there’s some saturated fat in there. That said, my favorite is the avacado. In small doses, saturated fat is ok, and you’re going to get it in your diet no matter what you choose to eat, so suck it up (even non-tropical plants). I bring this fat up because it’s important to note that you should NOT use tropical oils if you can avoid it. Olive oil is good, but there are some whackier oils that are better with more omegas. Also of note, SOYMILK HAS SATURATED FAT. If you are a vegetarian for your heart and drinking soy milk, you are contradicting yourself. There are other sources of calcium. Spinach for example. Not a lot, but it’s there. There are ther sources too, but I’m not going to spoon feed you. Basically what I’m saying is, if you don’t pay attention to what you’re eating, the whole reason you’re a vegetarian (assuming it’s for health instead of guilt), goes out the window. Even plants have saturated fat, so you don’t get a get out of jail free card where those are concerned. You still have to pay attention to what you eat and monitor your saturated fat intake. Chances are you’ll eat less than you would as an omnivore, but if you don’t pay attention to it, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
- Herbivore Con #4: Pesticides. At least hormones aren’t supposed to kill you. This can be rectified two ways– wash your damn food or buy organic (preferably both). Yes, this is more expensive, but at least you won’t be sterilizing your children with DDT (yes, I know it isn’t used anymore… so much). Keep in mind also that washing your food will also wash away water-soluble vitamins (like C), so you should wash in cold water as little as possible without bruising the veggie.
- Herbivore Con #5: Protein. This is the hardest part of being a vegetarian–getting the right protein in the right amount. Specifically, getting all 9 essential amino acids. For meat-eaters, it’s easy. EVERY animal source has a full-compliment of proteins– milk, cheese, steak, fish, etc. In fact, egg-whites are the protein by which all other proteins are judged. That said, there are two plants that are a full protein in and of themselves. The first is soy (duh) and the second is a tropical plant that I can neither pronounce nor spell, so I won’t try. Don’t worry, you’re not likely to see it in a grocery store or market unless you live in Tonga… in which case, why the hell are you reading this? Aherm… the good news is that there’s this thing called complimentary foods. What that means is that a piece of bread isn’t a whole protein (i.e. doesn’t have all 9 essential amino acids) and neither does a peanut, but put the two together and… VOILA! Full protein. Spaghetti sauce on pasta– full protein. Generally those foods we eat that take something from one category of the food pyramid and mix it with another are full proteins. Funny how that works. But, since most vegetarians will eat soy like there’s no tomorrow thus eating TOO MUCH, this has kind of fallen to the side as an issue. Personally, I don’t care for tofu, and there’s only so often I can eat edamame. Again, you just gotta pay attention to what you’re eating.
Interesting… so this concludes that there are 5 cons and 1 pro to both sides of the coin, since this is the end-all be-all list. Yeah, right. However, most of the arguments for or against either side can be wrapped up in one of those pros or cons above. Obviously if it’s a con for one side, it’s understood as a pro for the other in most cases. It all really comes down to personal preference.
There’s a big push right now about reducing your carbon footprint, and generally becoming a vegetarian helps do that, but if you’re going to stores that are getting their vegetables from Guatamala, Mexico and Argentina, you’re not reducing anything. Try a store that buys from local growers or a farmers market. Not the industrialized ones which are just as bad as a chain, but an actual farmer’s market.
There’s also a big concern about being heart-healthy in America because, let’s face it, we’re fat. But if you monitor your food choices and do something as simple as increase your fiber intake, you can still have a lean steak Sunday night and not worry. Simply cutting down on fried foods would do wonders for your heart. And (EGADS!!!) exercise some. A simple exercise such as walking 2-3 times a week for 30 minutes at a time at a moderate pace (you can talk but not sing) drastically reduces the chances of heart disease.
Step 3: Conclusion (I.E. Do whatever the hell you want)
Eat more fruits and vegetables (herbivore or omnivore), increase your fiber intake, make sure you’re getting your omegas, and cut down on the protein because you’re eating too much (unless you are pregnant or a body-builder).
Basically, if you want to be a vegetarian, go for it. You can do so and be healthy, but keep in mind that just because you aren’t eating meat, that doesn’t make you healthy. You should still exercise (or start), and you should still pay attention to other things that increase your chance for heart disease (smoking and drinking too much too often for example). If you smoke, go ahead and have a big fat steak. Nothing’s going to help you like throwing out the cancer sticks. If you’re a vegetarian for moral reasons and smoke, you should read my essay on how many orphan souls go into each cigarette you suck down.
If you want to eat meat, do it. Just be aware of what you’re eating and pay attention. Cut down on the protein, and make sure you’re getting lean meats. Use butter in small amounts, grill instead of fry, etc. You should be exercising too, and throw away your damn cigarettes (I know, I know… I’m harping).
In general, from everything I’ve seen on the subject, the moral, personal and environmental arguments are stronger for becoming a vegetarian than the health arguments. Just make sure you do your research and decide for yourself–don’t do it because it’s a fad. You’ll get sick or “fall off the wagon”. Or you’ll poo white, gel-like poo. It’s nasty. I had this cousin… nevermind. I’ll leave it at “failed attempt at vegetarianism”. And on that note, enjoy your diet choice 
