[jimbo2012]

Dr. Neal Barnard analyzed 11 observational studies and found that vegetarians tend to have lower blood pressure than meat-eaters. The reasons behind this are not well understood. According to the authors (both of whom are affiliated with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which promotes a vegetarian diet), probably one of the most important is the generally lower body weight of vegetarians due to the abundance of fiber in their diets, which causes them to feel full faster and helps with insulin control.

Since the risk of death from a stroke in middle age rises significantly as blood pressure rises, it is no surprise that vegetarians tend to face fewer cardiovascular issues than the rest of us.

In an article published in April in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Harvard researchers found that the more red meat you usually consume, the more likely you are to succumb to heart disease. Adding three ounces of meat to your daily diet (above what you normally eat) elevates the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 16 percent. For processed meat (think sausages and bacon), the numbers are even more striking: Increasing consumption by one serving a day — that would be just one more hot dog — elevates the long-term risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 21 percent.

Beyond damaging your heart, researchers tend to agree, eating red meat increases the risk of colorectal and other cancers. Similarly, a 2004 investigation by researchers from the Harvard Medical School found that middle-aged and older women who ate red meat more than five times a week had a 29 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who indulged in it less than once per week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated that in 2010 almost 27 percent of Americans over the age of 65 had diabetes.

Researchers studying 41,000 Seventh-Day Adventists found that eating meat increased their risk of diabetes. The scientists pointed to hamburgers, bacon and hot dogs as the worst offenders.

In the American Journal of Cardiology, meanwhile, showed that forgoing meat of all kinds can decrease blood cholesterol levels by at least 10 to 15 percent. It’s not just that these diets are low in saturated fats, authors say: What also helps are plant sterols and soluble fiber, which increase cholesterol removal

[rubicon]

If God did not intend for people to eat meat he would not have given them incisors.

[Sable99]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

Dr. Neal Barnard analyzed 11 observational studies and found that vegetarians tend to have lower blood pressure than meat-eaters. The reasons behind this are not well understood. According to the authors (both of whom are affiliated with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which promotes a vegetarian diet), probably one of the most important is the generally lower body weight of vegetarians due to the abundance of fiber in their diets, which causes them to feel full faster and helps with insulin control.

Since the risk of death from a stroke in middle age rises significantly as blood pressure rises, it is no surprise that vegetarians tend to face fewer cardiovascular issues than the rest of us.

In an article published in April in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Harvard researchers found that the more red meat you usually consume, the more likely you are to succumb to heart disease. Adding three ounces of meat to your daily diet (above what you normally eat) elevates the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 16 percent. For processed meat (think sausages and bacon), the numbers are even more striking: Increasing consumption by one serving a day — that would be just one more hot dog — elevates the long-term risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 21 percent.

Beyond damaging your heart, researchers tend to agree, eating red meat increases the risk of colorectal and other cancers. Similarly, a 2004 investigation by researchers from the Harvard Medical School found that middle-aged and older women who ate red meat more than five times a week had a 29 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who indulged in it less than once per week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated that in 2010 almost 27 percent of Americans over the age of 65 had diabetes.

Researchers studying 41,000 Seventh-Day Adventists found that eating meat increased their risk of diabetes. The scientists pointed to hamburgers, bacon and hot dogs as the worst offenders.

In the American Journal of Cardiology, meanwhile, showed that forgoing meat of all kinds can decrease blood cholesterol levels by at least 10 to 15 percent. It’s not just that these diets are low in saturated fats, authors say: What also helps are plant sterols and soluble fiber, which increase cholesterol removal

I am not a vegan or a vegetarian. But my thoughts on eating chicken have changed dramatically in the last few weeks. I try to eat healthy so I had been eating a lot of chicken.

In the past 18 months or so, I have been having recurring UTIs. They just won't go away. The doctors have been giving me Cipro (an antibiotic) which helps for a few weeks. Now they are telling me the Cipro and the chicken I have been eating have made the infections worse!

I knew chickens were raised in a very close environment but I didn't know they were given antibiotics to keep them alive! In my case, the Cipro and the chicken not only killed the bad antibodies but also the good.

There was a segment on this a few weeks ago on the evening news. I think it was on NBC but I may be wrong. Anyway, they called it the"Super Bug" and said these infections could affect as many as 8 million women. So, be careful.

After this segment on TV, I asked my urologist if this is my problem. He said yes and there isn't a vaccine for it yet!

I have cut way down on the chicken I was eating! But now, it is antibiotic free chicken! Its a little more expensive but it is worth it!

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by rubicon

If God did not intend for people to eat meat he would not have given them incisors.

You can't be serious?

Although some historians and anthropologists say that man is historically omnivorous, our anatomical equipment * teeth, jaws, and digestive system favors a fleshless diet. The American Dietetic Association notes that "most of mankind for most of human history has lived on vegetarian or near-vegetarian diets."

And much of the world still lives that way. Even on most industrialized countries, the love affair with meat is less than a hundred years old. It started with the refrigerator car and the twentieth-century consumer society. But even with the twentieth century, man's body hasn't adapted to eating meat. The prominent Swedish scientist Karl von Linne states, "Man's structure, external and internal, compared with that of the other animals, shows that fruit and succulent vegetables constitute his natural food." The chart below compares the anatomy of man with that of carnivorous and herbivorous animals.

When you look at the comparison between herbivores and humans, we compare much more closely to herbivores than meat eating animals. Humans are clearly not designed to digest and ingest meat.

Meat-eaters: have claws
Herbivores: no claws
Humans: no claws

Meat-eaters: have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue
Herbivores: perspire through skin pores
Humans: perspire through skin pores


Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding
Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding
Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding


Meat-eaters: have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat
Herbivores: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater
Humans: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater

Meat-eaters: salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits.
Herbivores: well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits
Humans: well-developed salivary glands, which are necessary to pre-digest, grains and fruits

Meat-eaters: have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Herbivores: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains
Humans: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains


Many people ask me, "If we weren't supposed to eat meat than why do we?".

It is because we are conditioned to eat meat.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by Sable99

I am not a vegan or a vegetarian. But my thoughts on eating chicken have changed dramatically in the last few weeks. I try to eat healthy so I had been eating a lot of chicken!

I used to also.

Did you know that they are sprayed with ammonia as well as many other meats for prevention of E coli transmitted to us.

Originally Posted by Sable99

But now, it is antibiotic free chicken! Its a little more expensive but it is worth it!

The real question is can you trust the claim that they are antibiotic free, I read as long as they haven't been treated within a certain number of days of being slaughtered they are considered antibiotic free.

Check into it a bit more perhaps,

[shcisamax]

That was a very interesting post. If it weren't for bacon, I could go without ...but what is a BLT without the B?

[BarryRX]

While some may object to the OP doing a little "preaching" about the benefits of vegetarianism, all the studies I have read fully support everything he says. Vegetarians have a lower BMI, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, less incidences of certain types of cancer, less type 2 diabetes, etc. On the other side of the coin, vegetarians that don't plan their diet carefully may wind up deficient in vitamin B12 and calcium. But a well planned diet will take care of those issues. I try to eat lower on the food pyramid than I did when I was younger, but I often succumb to the temptations of an aged porterhouse steak or some slow smoked baby back ribs. But I don't try to fool myself that when I do indulge myself that I'm not making the best health choice.

[Sable99]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

I used to also.

Did you know that they are sprayed with ammonia as well as many other meats for prevention of E coli transmitted to us.



The real question is can you trust the claim that they are antibiotic free, I read as long as they haven't been treated within a certain number of days of being slaughtered they are considered antibiotic free.

Check into it a bit more perhaps,

I have wondered about the antibiotic free chicken. I think I have had chicken once since I learned it could be part of my problem. I bought my antibiotic free chicken from the Amish in Shipshewana, Indiana and I'm hoping I can trust them.

These infections are pretty debilitating. I've ended up in ER twice with them -- once when I was on vacation! And, I consider myself healthy!

[shcisamax]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

The real question is can you trust the claim that they are antibiotic free, I read as long as they haven't been treated within a certain number of days of being slaughtered they are considered antibiotic free.

,

That is very interesting. That is the same ploy they are using in trying to convince the USDA that horse meat would be safe if they don't administer any drugs for a couple weeks.

The food safety issue, at least to me, is a bigger concern than if I have the right "nutrients". I continue to thing that all the pollutants, pesticides, GMO's, tinkerings, are going to come back to bite us. That this "unfood" will essentially change who we are as a species.

[jimbo2012]

While most consumers would like to be able to buy meat or poultry raised without antibiotics — and would even pay a little more for it, according to a new Consumer Reports survey — the problem is determining whether that "antibiotic-free" label really means what it says. When Consumer Reports sent out "secret shoppers" this past spring to 136 groceries in 23 states, they found more than 1,000 raw meat and poultry products either labeled organic or with claims about antibiotic use.

The survey also found:

Big differences between retailers. All meat and poultry at Whole Foods is guaranteed antibiotic-free; there's a wide selection of antibiotic-free products at Giant, Hannford, Shaw's and Stop & Shop; there are no such products at Sam's Club, Food 4 Less, Food Lion and Save-A-Lot.
Some surprisingly low prices for organic and "no antibiotics administered" products. The least expensive were whole chickens at Publix and Jewel-Osco, and chicken drumsticks at several Trader Joe's locations, all for $1.29 a pound.
Consumers would pay more to avoid antibiotics. Sixty one percent contacted in a telephone survey said they would pay five cents or more a pound extra; 37 percent indicated they would pay a dollar a pound or more extra.
Most want their groceries to carry meat raised without antibiotics. Eighty six percent said such products should be available in their local supermarket, but only 57 percent said they were available locally.
And what about those confusing labels?
To make sure you're really getting meat and poultry raised without antibiotics, here's what to keep in mind:
The "USDA Organic" seal is best. Federal organic regulations prohibit antibiotic use in livestock and must be verified by an independent, accredited certifier.
Acceptable phrases are "no antibiotics administered" or "no antibiotics added" when accompanied by "USDA Process Verified" shield, or a private certifier, such as Global Animal Partnership for Whole Foods' meat.
"Natural" doesn't always mean no antibiotics. Although "natural" is a USDA-approved claim, it only means minimally processed with no artificial ingredients or added color to the final product. Antibiotics can still be used in raising "natural" meat and poultry unless the label specifically says they weren't.
"Antibiotic-free" is meaningless. A claim never authorized by the USDA, it has no clear or consistent meaning on labels.
Other misleading phrases: "No antibiotic residues" and "No antibiotic growth promotants." Neither claim is USDA-approved nor insures that no antibiotics were used during the animal's life.

[asianthree]

our son the doctor has been a no face veg for 25 years...his cholesterol is off the charts hard to control even with meds...sometimes family history means, it doesn't matter what you eat, or the way you live you are just screwed..