Not true, I forgot to explain where the thread originated from. It came from Donut Bitch's post about his/her anxiety attacks. It never was about converting people to veganism, but it is a nice bonus if they do. It was started out as well-intentioned helpful suggestion to someone with a panic disorder (found to be relieved on a pure vegan diet; many Atkins dieters experience incredible anxiety and rage)
Here was the exchange:
My second response (trying to help): Seriously though, it's not just coffee, cigarettes and alcohol. Do you have any idea how meat & dairy is produced. It is the root cause of most of western society's vast array of new sickness epidemics since WWII. Meat, dairy and eggs = the only generic foods that advertise regularly. What does that tell you? I can't remember the last time I heard a radio spot for vegetables, but I heard a dairy commercial about 6 times today and saw "Steak. It's what's for dinner." ads on the subway. That shit is worse for you than coffee and cigarettes combines. Not sure about the alcohol, since being a raging alcoholic is pretty unhealthy lifestyle. -- Scaredy Cat (pushki...), June 19th, 2003.
This was a half-serious, half-exaggerated post. However, studies have shown that vegetarian smokers are less susceptible to cancers, alcoholics less so to liver diseases and less damaged by coffee.
So, hopefully now you can all understand what the other thread was about. If not, let me sum up the key points I was making:
"Root cause of most of the diseases" definition: most of the diseases Americans suffer can be directly linked to meat eating. There are too many diseases, sicknesses/conditions to even take the time to list which are directly and dramatically improved in a short time on a pure vegetarian diet. True, a vegan can have high cholesterol, but that vegan is really eating a shit diet high in fat, which would be an indication that it's not so much meat that's the problem, but how much of whatever you eat? Well, that sounds true, but let's take a look at a little chart, shall we?
This makes me wonder what the hell this vegan was eating. Was this person actually a vegan? Did she eat coconut, palm kernel oil and chocolate (the only plant foods significantly high in saturated fat. Deep fat frying potatoes in vegetable oil would be cholesterol free.
Countries such as the U.S. which have a higher per capita meat consumption than almost any society in the history of the world also happen to have a higher average life expectancy than almost any society in the history of the world (which has increased by 30 years over the last century). You may be able to make a political point out of this, but claiming meat-eating represents some kind of health disaster is just a nonsense, not to mention an insult to all the Third Worlders who subsist on fucking grains and die at 40.
Eskimos, Laplanders, Greenlanders and Russian Kurgi tribes, which have the highest animal flesh consumption in the world—and also as among the populations with the lowest life expectancies, often only live about 30 years. Contrast that with other peoples, living in equally harsh conditions who eat little or no animal flesh and have some of the highest life expectancies in the world. Russian caucasians, Yucatan Indians, East Indian Todas and Pakistan Hunzakuts have life expectancies of 90 to 100 years (and their elderly are physically fit and able to work and play in the ages most Americans have 2 broken hips and Alzheimer's, even on their 100th birthday, retirement is unheard of).
The United States has the most sophisticated medical technology in the world, and on eof the most temperate of climates. One of the highest consumers of meat and animal products in the world, it also has one of the lowest life expectancies of industrialized naitons. Rated 24th out of 191 (not many of which qualify as "sophisticated industrialized countries).
The cultures with the very longest life spans in the world are the Vilcambas, who reside in the Andes of Ecuador, the Abkhasians, who live on the Black Sea in the USSR and the Hunzas, who live in the Himalayas of Norther Pakistan, all of which are totally vegetarian or close to it. So, your reference to starving people who barely get by on one food source isn't much of a point, is it?
And finally, back to the issue of pesticides:
Meat contains approximately 14 times more pesticides than do plant foods; dairy products 5 1/2 times more. So, by eating anything, however little, from animal origin, one is ingesting greatly concentrated amounts of hazardous materials. In animals, as in humans, these chemicals are stored in the fatty tissues. This is why mother's milk is contaminated; a nursing woman's body draws on its body fat resservoirs to make milk. In these reservoirs, virtually all the toxic chemicals she has ever ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through her skin are stored. So, when you eat from a cow, drink milk or have cheese, you are not getting great concentrated doses of pesticides. Vegetables, having no fatty tissues, are far less contaminated. Vegetarian mothers are found to have 1,000x less contamination in their milk than meat eaters (only 1 or 2 per cent contamination as that experienced by the national average, the greatest percentage of contamination occuring in those with a heavy meat, dairy and egg diet.)
Interestingly, these pesticides also tend to collect in the male reproductive tract. This is pretty important. These chemicals are toxic enough that they can change the DNA molecule. Changes in chromosomes of sperm or precursor cells may be transmitted to all future generations of humans. Chromosomes can't be repaired (well, okay, we've mapped the human genome and can clone things now, so maybe we don't have to worry about this issue). A handful of dioxin is sufficient to kill ten million people (actually more).
So, in summary, I am not differentiating between red meat, white meat or fish. I'm also not saying that every person who gets cancer is due to meat-eating. When I say "root cause" I mean "of primary concern, moreso than many other factors (barring things more extreme like welding jobs, etc.) I am also referring to AMERICAN meat packing plants. I trust Ed when he says Europe is different.
And, so, if you bothered to read at leat the introduction to that (which I am tending to doubt almost anyone here did given the last thread, you should plainly see that this has nothing to do with "bible thumping" veganism and mercilessly pestering those who prefer meat. This is just my response to the charges of spreading "patently false" advice, even though I stated nothing major.
The facts are hard to refute: there's a major difference per each portion of meat vs. veggies regarding toxicity and cholesterol levels, which are the root cause of most illnesses. The difference is ridiculously MAJOR, so there is no point in comparing apples and oranges to beef and chicken. Facts don't lie.
What were the statements that were "patently false"? 1. Try it, Donut Bitch, it might work.2. meat & dairy is the root cause of most of western society's vast array of new sickness epidemics since WWII. and, what people probably find most outrageous is the statement "meat is worse than cigarettes, booze and coffee combined" which is referring to the fact that pure vegetarians are much less prone to diseases from smoking, drinking and coffee than meat eaters for a variety of reasons. It might not have been the best way of expressing that, but like I said, the initial post was meant to be helpful and offhanded. It certainly is not "patently false".
There was no shred of vegan "holier than thou" sanctimony here or there. It was an argument continued in a new thread is all. Sorry for the confusion.
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 05:14 (twenty-two years ago)
If you want to convinced mee you're going to have to show me some peer modderated academic papers by reputable academics and show me some that make the counter claim.
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 05:38 (twenty-two years ago)
(Did you not catch Dan's comments on the original thread? Honestly, I was having a hard time containing myself, too!)
― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 20 June 2003 05:46 (twenty-two years ago)
Ed, if you have not seen any facts, you won't see any facts with 2 viewpoints of the same problem (impartial science vs. paid for by meat industry). Diet For A New America has the ins and outs of these cases as well as a long list of footnotes and references.
― Scaredu Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 06:05 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 06:10 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:14 (twenty-two years ago)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:16 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:18 (twenty-two years ago)
― Chris P (Chris P), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:20 (twenty-two years ago)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:26 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 06:30 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 06:34 (twenty-two years ago)
enough is enough
and as for being a fascist, fuX0r you.
― chris (chris), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:35 (twenty-two years ago)
― Chris P (Chris P), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:36 (twenty-two years ago)
So cut down on the chargrilling eat meat as rare as possible and no cheap salami, then.
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:43 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 06:44 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 06:49 (twenty-two years ago)
See, now here it's a news item in a scientific journal... so, I'm confused as to what to do. I've posted it, anyway.
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 06:52 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:54 (twenty-two years ago)
― Chris P (Chris P), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:00 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:01 (twenty-two years ago)
Call me all the names you like, but you're the one who's being a rude cunt here.
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:03 (twenty-two years ago)
You're not listening and you're assuming we're a bunch of uneducated morons. You go so far as to start yet ANOTHER thread about the exact same stuff because "no one understands your point" despite all evidence to the contrary. And you manage to start a thread about veganism that puts off most of the vegetarians and vegans on the board (including myself). And therefore we make fun of you. You have made yourself into a caricature and it has become sport to see how many ways we can poke you into being that caricature. It's a cruel sport, maybe, but it's also one that most of us have found ourselves at the receiving end at one point or another; it's important to realize when it's happening and what it means, but that's probably a completely different thread. (Hmm...)
― Chris P (Chris P), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:12 (twenty-two years ago)
You're being an asshole, so go away now, asshole.
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:14 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:16 (twenty-two years ago)
Obviously, you still don't. The point was not to preach veganism, but back up my claims, which I've done and am doing still. Either post something relavant or keep on acting like a child.
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:17 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:19 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:26 (twenty-two years ago)
― oops (Oops), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:29 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:30 (twenty-two years ago)
So, why is it that I'm hearing that this is all obvious, old news and yet there is also the prevailing attitude that this is not true? It's obvious, everyone here knows it, but then again, apparantly, most of you here don't believe it.
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:39 (twenty-two years ago)
SC, actual life expectancy is much of a muchness across the industrialised world. You say America comes way down the list, but the difference is only a year or two (for men at least, American women are way up at the top) so a) why worry, and b) why make over-dramatic assumptions about discrepancies which are likely the result of a million&one different factors (I notice that German men come nearer the top, and they aren't exactly renowned for their fat-free diet).
― sb, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:44 (twenty-two years ago)
Also, now that I reread it:
I can't remember the last time I heard a radio spot for vegetables
Those avocado billboards are everywhere, around here; I don't know if they have radio spots or not. I feel certain that there's another vegetable or fruit ad campaign that I'm not remembering right now...
― Chris P (Chris P), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:44 (twenty-two years ago)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:46 (twenty-two years ago)
Yes eating meat exposes you to toxins that you would not otherwise expose yourself too if you didn't but you have failed to provide any evidence that the increased risks from these toxins exist let alone are significant (estrogens aside). You ahve made no mention of the fact that one would be exposed to a lot of these toxins in a similar way if you failed to wash your vegetables properly.
All in all you have failed to provide a convincing well reasoned argument. It's very hard to respond properly when you are throwing unverified facts and figures about many of which hindewr rather than help your argument.
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:46 (twenty-two years ago)
I put forward my thoughts on the other thread, where this conversation should be carried out, instead you decide to start a fresh thread and basically start again, jeez.
I won't be posting on any of these threads again that's for sure, especially when people such as yourselves with your thoughts on rails will just keep spurting out facts that you've read parrot fashion all the way through. Hope you're happy.
― chris (chris), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:50 (twenty-two years ago)
I've provided 2, one of which is a culmination of various reports and studies (but that book is not available as an HTML document). I could provide more given more time, yet look what happens! I get called an asshole for providing any! The fact that cholesterol is linked to so many diseases alone is proof that meat eating is less healthy, so extensive meat-eating is much less healthy.
Ah, so I've failed to prove that toxins which last for decades and, in some cases, hundreds of years, accumulate and are therefore more concentrated in top-feeders? I've also failed to provide an HTML resource that proves these toxins are stored in fatty tissues, I guess. And I suppose I've failed to provide proof that organic vegetables are likely toxin-free, while organic meat is fed with sprayed grains and toxic fish. Well, give me some time and I'll have it for you, then.
I will find sources for these issues for you then, as you seem to be interested. If you already know these things to be true, and this is a Jedi lesson in proper argumentation procedures, that's pretty dorky, but I'll take the bait.
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 07:58 (twenty-two years ago)
― oops (Oops), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:01 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 08:04 (twenty-two years ago)
― oops (Oops), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:05 (twenty-two years ago)
― scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 08:05 (twenty-two years ago)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:06 (twenty-two years ago)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:07 (twenty-two years ago)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:08 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 08:10 (twenty-two years ago)
― oops (Oops), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:10 (twenty-two years ago)
If organic meat is fed with dprayed grains then it is not organic. I've never seen any evidence to suggest that this is the case.
that meat eating is less healthy, so extensive meat-eating is much less healthy.
cholesterol causes diseases yes but this is an argument for moderation not for abstinence, and an increase in omega-3 oils (which help to break down cholesterol) from walnuts oily fish, etc.
would you have a convincing argument with HTML documents lined up? Could you pull it out of your ass in 2 weekdays? Would you even realize you would be expected to at the start of it? I sure didn't think I would be hearing simultaneously,
I assumed that since you were so keen on this subject you would have a few references to back up your claims.
Keep in mind, if you were trying to prove, let's say, the opposite: that top-feeders were just as riddled with pesticides as your average salad, and that cholesterol was not linked to so many diseases
Again it does not follow that just because these toxins are present in meat we should stop eating meat, we shoul stop using the toxins to produce artifically cheap meat (and for that matter vegetables).
Cholesterol only becomes a major problem if you live a sendantry lifestyle. Exercise is much more important than diet in staying healthy. Moderation in everything.
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:13 (twenty-two years ago)
* - "I am right, you are wrong" (it's a fact!)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:15 (twenty-two years ago)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:20 (twenty-two years ago)
― oops (Oops), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:22 (twenty-two years ago)
Meanwhile, my opening argument was, "Do you have any idea how meat & dairy is produced? It is the root cause of most of western society's vast array of new sickness epidemics since WWII." That would be referring to nonorganic meat, obviously, for one thing. For another, in order to deal with the unnecessary cholesterol in your system, you need to limit the amount of meat you eat and exercise. Meanwhile, you can eat all the raw fruits and veggies you want all day long, with great big helpings of nuts and beans and you're never going to have dangerous levels of cholesterol. And you would have to eat A LOT to get fat on a diet like this. While you eat like this, you're also filling your body with fuel that actually makes you much less sedentary than a helping of meat, not to mention all the water, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber you're getting.
Cultures can go entirely without meat, but you can't go entirely without fruits and vegetables for too long before you develop some serious deficiencies.
But, anyway, I'm in the process of searching for a few things for both you and Oops about different cultures and large groups of people who were on and off meat for different reasons and the correllation to numerous diseases and death rates... These events are actually what got people looking into vegetarianism... So, let me get back to that search.
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 08:32 (twenty-two years ago)
― mark s (mark s), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:35 (twenty-two years ago)
Even if this is true, it's impossible to prove--no matter how many tables you paste for us.
― oops (Oops), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:38 (twenty-two years ago)
This is crazy talk. You might as well say that the root cause of western society's vast array of new sickness epidemics since WWII is proseperity, progress, health care, or the fact that people are living longer. Just because two things correlate does not mean that they are dependant.
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:43 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 08:53 (twenty-two years ago)
this is just the kind of wild claim that you need to provide strong evidence for.
― Ed (dali), Friday, 20 June 2003 08:58 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 12:04 (twenty-two years ago)
Er..
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 20 June 2003 12:18 (twenty-two years ago)
― NA. (Nick A.), Friday, 20 June 2003 12:20 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 12:26 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 12:31 (twenty-two years ago)
― hstencil, Friday, 20 June 2003 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)
When I get a chance, I'll post some more stuff (stuff I've been looking for online for only a half-hour or so before I had to sleep, wake up and work).
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)
― Sam (chirombo), Friday, 20 June 2003 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 June 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)
― NA. (Nick A.), Friday, 20 June 2003 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 June 2003 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)
― NA. (Nick A.), Friday, 20 June 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 June 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)
― NA. (Nick A.), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)
― Millar (Millar), Friday, 20 June 2003 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 19:54 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 20 June 2003 19:55 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 20 June 2003 19:56 (twenty-two years ago)
― Millar (Millar), Friday, 20 June 2003 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)
― Scaredy Cat, Friday, 20 June 2003 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 20 June 2003 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)
― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 20:29 (twenty-two years ago)
― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Saturday, 21 June 2003 08:23 (twenty-two years ago)
― timmy tannin (pompous), Thursday, 12 October 2006 04:05 (nineteen years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 12 October 2006 04:06 (nineteen years ago)
― am0n (am0n), Thursday, 12 October 2006 04:10 (nineteen years ago)
― timmy tannin (pompous), Thursday, 12 October 2006 04:38 (nineteen years ago)