[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by BobGraves

About 10 years ago I drove my 96 year old Uncle to the funeral mass for my 98 year old Aunt. We got there early so we stopped at a diner for breakfast. I thought he would order a bowl of oatmeal or cottage cheese with fruit or some other "healthy" food but he had the corned beef hash with fried eggs and finished every last bite. I asked and he told me he has bacon and eggs almost every day. My 87 year old mother is still going strong after smoking 2 packs of cigarettes for most of her life (she does have some emphysema). She told me stories of her childhood where, being very poor, their dinner consisted of a slice of bread spread with lard. Growing up she cut the whites off of her eggs, gave them to the dog and only ate the yolks. Bacon, pot roast, meat loaf, corned beef, sausage, and many other "mammal" meats were and still are staples of her diet. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, my Aunt "Sissy" just celebrated her 105th birthday this past January. She was raised on these same lard sandwiches. She never smoked and has "A" beer every St. Patrick's day with her corned beef and cabbage. Growing up, I've been to her house for dinner countless times and I've seen what she eats when we go to Baumanns Brookside resort in upstairs NY for our annual family reunion. Here's a hint, it ain't vegan or vegetarian.
When finding"studies" on diets, check where the funding came from. Dig deeper into how they classify things such as "meat eater". One such study classifies a meat meal as a big Mac, French fries, and soda. And then claims it was the meat that caused the heart disease. It couldn't be the triple layer sesame seed bun, the "special" sauce, the fries that are fried in seed oils at high temperatures, or the high fructose corn syrup soda. Nah, that couldn't be it. Meat is not your enemy. In fact it is the most, readily available, nutrition dense food you can eat having all the necessary nutrition, including amino acids, that your body needs. Stay away from seed oils, starches, sugary cereals, highly processed foods, sugary sauces. JMHO.

I can't speak for everyone else in this thread, but I don't vilify meat. I'm a happy omnivore and enjoy a juicy steak, a chicken parm dish, and hot lobster roll as much as any other proper American does.

HOWEVER - as an omnivore, I ALSO like foods that don't contain meat. Like a non-mushy falafel in a syrian (not greek, those are horrible) pita with tahini and lots of fresh ripe diced tomatoes and crunchy lettuce. And baked macaroni and cheese with a crunchy dusting of breadcrumbs on the top. And oatmeal with raisins and butter, or a swiss-cheese omelet with sauteed mushrooms and onions for breakfast. And peanutbutter and strawberry preserves on wheat bread for lunch. All these things are "vegetarian."