Man cannot live by bananas alone

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I'm thinking of becoming a vegan for health reasons, and am wondering how difficult it is and what the consequences would be for a) my body and b) my social standing, given that here in Portugal being a vegetarian pretty much excludes you from social eating.

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 08:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I think there are health reasons for *not* becoming a vegan, but I can't think of any *for* being one. NB I am no meat rockist, I think there *are* health reasons why becoming vegetarian is a good idea, but you need some dairy for the protein imho.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 08:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm a bit worried because a friend of mine went vegan, and within two months had turned into The Fattest Bastard On Earth, but that may have been down to secret hamburger guzzling. What is IMHO?

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 08:19 (twenty-two years ago)

in my humble opinion.

it may have been pasta guzzling.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 08:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Ktee to thread. She seems to do okay.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 08:26 (twenty-two years ago)

For every anecdote of vegan catastrophe, there are probably dozens of accounts of folks who entered into it with some nutritional nous and are perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, I only have one of the former. Not that bad actually - he was very fit (a badminton champion) but seemed to have a really bad cold *all year round*. He now eats meat, FWIW.

Sorry I don't have any proper answers to your questions.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 08:26 (twenty-two years ago)

What would happen if I ate nothing but bananas?

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 08:47 (twenty-two years ago)

You'd soon go extinct, because bananas are becoming extinct.

― kate, Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:01 (twenty-two years ago)

turn yellow.

― minna (minna), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks, I didn't actually know that. Does that mean we're facing a banana famine? Has anyone told Sinead O'Connor?

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:05 (twenty-two years ago)

don't nasty things happen if you only eat banannas? you can get potassium poisoning, but I don't know what it does to you.

Apparently portabella mushrooms have more potassium in them than banannas. You learn something every day.

― Vicky (Vicky), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:06 (twenty-two years ago)

go bananas

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Bananas are being killed at an alarming speed by a fungal infection. Since bananas are a sterile mutation, they can only ever be grown by transplanting or grafting - so you cannot cross breed them to make disease resistant strains. In 10 years or so, the banana as we know it may be totally extinct. So I've resolved to eat more bananas so I can remember what they taste like.

― kate, Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Apparently portabella mushrooms have more potassium in them than banannas. You learn something every day.

Now I've learnt three new things today, which means I don't have to get up 'til Friday!!

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought it was only one variety, the one used commercially? Didn't they have this problem in asia, and ended up changing which one they grew? (Radio 5's full of useful info)

― Vicky (Vicky), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Sure, there are other breeds of bananas but they don't taste the same - they're not as sweet or soft. I mean, have you ever tried to eat a Plantain when it's not fried?

― kate, Wednesday, 2 April 2003 09:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Dear god, Kate, that's a depressing way to start my day.

― Chris P (Chris P), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Never turn vegan or vegetarian all in one swoop. Ease your way into it. Right now, I'll only eat dairy if it's prepared outside my house (which is probably not the smartest angle, but oh well), but -- with minor exceptions -- my kitchen only has vegan food.

Lots of food = fat bastard.... vegan, vegetarian, flesh calories, or what have you.

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I've noticed lately that my vegan friends' body odor tends to be PHENOMENALLY more stenchular than my omnivorous friends' body odor. Maybe there's something in the tempeh.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, or maybe vegans are more likely to not use deodorant.

― Chris P (Chris P), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Or maybe your friends are DIRTY FUCKING HIPPIES!

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

it's all that satan steak

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude, meat is where its at.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)

there is an old ilx meme/equation that should be appearing right about now...

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's funny when people say that vegetarians/vegans smell bad, because it implies that meat is like the baking soda of the refrigerator of the human body.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

What would happen if I ate nothing but bananas?

bananas alone would not provide a balanced diet.

I don't really buy this bananas about to become extinct thing... when I read a newspaper report about it it sounded like a scam to get people buying GM bananas.

the basic point - I bet you could eat healthily as a vegan. you might want to do some research into human nutrition first, though, so that you don't get stuck without protein or some funny vitamin. I'm sure you would get enough protein from pulses and beans. You might want to worry more about minerals and vitamins - it's not like you ever here of anyone being protein deficient (unless they are actually starving).

I have to say, though, that the one vegan I know is not exactly a good advertisement for the health benefits of that diet.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

My best friend just went vegan a month ago. She's been vegetarian for ten years, and had toyed with going vegan before, but wasn't sure she was ready. She's ready now, but only after a long time.

If you're going to do it, I think it requires a lot of determination, much more of a change in attitude than merely giving up meat. It's easy to get hung up on what you can't eat, so you have to direct your focus toward what's good about it. And for that reason, I'd be skeptical about doing it only for health reasons. I think a change to a vegan diet is most successful when accompanied by a whole new mindset about food, nutrition, and the environment. That way, you won't feel like you're missing anything.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

When my dad was little he had celiac's disease, which is basically when your body can't digest glutton (wheat, etc). At the time, doctors knew very little about it, so the "cure" was that he ate nothing but ripe bananas for an entire year. And he lived. So, to answer the question, yes men can live on bananas alone (although whenever even the word "banana" is said near him he gets queasy).

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Taking sides: glutton vs gluten.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

damn... that was a horrible typeo

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I've been thinking about cutting off my appendages and living in pain for the rest of my life.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Last I checked your name wasn't Michael Gira.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

oops, I thought this was the "extending the metaphor" thread! I was making a tenuous metaphor for the pain of going vegan.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Veganism has nothing to do with health. It is a set quasi-religious dietary rules, similar to jewish kosher food laws. Why otherwise non-religious people want to follow a silly, difficult food regiment is beyond me.

― fletrejet, Wednesday, 2 April 2003 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Next time your out to dinner with a vegan rub a little of your meat on their food when they are not looking. In three weeks the vegan will become a raving meat-a-holic.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 17:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Or they'll throw up. Either way it will be fun, especially to rub your meat.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

For a minute I was confused as to what thread I was on.

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

B-but Vegetarianism is still cool, right guys??? Huh???

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 18:07 (twenty-two years ago)

As long as you still occasionally rub some meat on it.

― Millar (Millar), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 22:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Zesty.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 2 April 2003 23:26 (twenty-two years ago)

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