What nutrients can only land meat give you, and can you be healthy without it

[ehealthguy]

Originally Posted by NorthYorkEd

Eat whatever makes you feel best, whether morally, ethically, or physically. There are several paths to good health and balanced nutrition.

This.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by NorthYorkEd

The same can be said for fruits and vegetables. Meat has several nutritional advantages and is often a more efficient means of transporting nutrients, especially those that ruminants and other animals process on our behalf.

The same can't be said of vegetables, vegetable consumption is critical component of a healthful diet. While fruit consumption is consistently linked with improved health outcomes one can eat more vegetables to make up for a lack of fruit in your diet.

Considering that most common meats are less nutritious (per calorie) than even common whole grains (and dramatically less than vegetables) , I think the idea that meat has nutritionally advantages to be a bit strange. The nutrients that are sometimes mentioned in relation to meat are protein, iron and zinc but all of these are easily obtained without meat and many common meats aren't even high in iron and zinc. But the OP is only asking about land based animal products, incidentally the richest sources of iron and zinc are from sea foods (bivalves, etc).

Originally Posted by NorthYorkEd

Eat whatever makes you feel best, whether morally, ethically, or physically. There are several paths to good health and balanced nutrition.

Unless one has experimented a lot with different diets they aren't going to know what "makes you feel best" and this is problematic to begin with. Basing your diet on what "makes you feel best" in the short-term could have deadly consequences in the long-term, if one is concerned about their long-term health it makes far more sense to base one's diet on populations that have high longevity and well established nutritional science.

[NorthYorkEd]

Originally Posted by user_id

I think the idea that meat has nutritionally advantages to be a bit strange....

Of course you do, you are a meat-phobe.

Originally Posted by user_id

Basing your diet on what "makes you feel best" in the short-term could have deadly consequences in the long-term, if one is concerned about their long-term health it makes far more sense to base one's diet on populations that have high longevity and well established nutritional science.

So you disagree that each individual is free to make their own dietary choices based on what works for their personal ethical and physical well-being, and that "good health" is a vast concept that has different meanings and implications for each one of us? Or are you agreeing with my statement but trying to find a way to wedge a "meat-free" bias into it?

You are convinced that the only path to health is to eliminate meat and other animal-based foods from the diet. It's simply not true.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by NorthYorkEd

Of course you do, you are a meat-phobe.

My comment is based on the nutritional profiles of the respective foods. As I said, if you look at nutrients per calorie common meats are actually less nutritious than even common whole grains. Now there are some animal products that have higher nutritional value, for example oysters and liver, but the common meats people eat aren't that nutritious.

Originally Posted by NorthYorkEd

So you disagree that each individual is free to make their own dietary choices based on what works for their personal ethical and physical well-being, and that "good health" is a vast concept that has different meanings and implications for each one of us?

People are free to do whatever they wish but they don't get to decide what is and isn't a healthful diet and that isn't something they are going to be able to determine as an individual.

Originally Posted by NorthYorkEd

You are convinced that the only path to health is to eliminate meat and other animal-based foods from the diet. It's simply not true.

That is a nice straw man as I've said no such thing. Instead I've claimed that there is no reason why anybody needs to consume "land meat" and, in fact, there is no reason why someone needs to eat meat at all. I'd add that there are definite advantages, on many levels, to avoiding land meats as well.

Is the elimination of all meat and animal based foods required for a healthful diet? No.....but diets low in animal products have been consistently linked to improved health outcomes and the only animal product that is associated with improved health outcomes, but not conclusively, is fish and other seafood. That is likely due to the omega-3 but perhaps its another factor. So, from a health perspective, a plant strong diet with some fish would be pretty ideal but eating no meat is a good options as well.

[LivingDeadGirl]

"meat phobe" Phew, that's a new one. I've been a vegetarian for over 21 years: no meat, no fish, or anything made from it (like marshmellows, etc). I'm 63 yrs old, healthy as a horse, strong, have great energy and am often complimented on my "glowing skin". The only problem I ran into as a vegetarian is that I need to take omega 3 flax seed oil tablets or else I crave tuna fish. Meat is not necessary and to me, heavy meat eaters actually smell badly: rather like rancid fat. When I first stopped eating meat, after about 3 months I noticed my body internally felt differently - cleaner, I felt less sluggish, had more energy. It is each individual's own moral and health choice as to diet but I do find it curious how uncomfortable or threatened some people are by vegetarians/vegans. When they discover I am, the insults start. I wonder why that is as I certainly don't go around advertising the fact or calling them names.

[NorthYorkEd]

Originally Posted by user_id

That is a nice straw man as I've said no such thing.

You have repeatedly stated that saturated fat, particularly from animal-based sources, is responsible for heart disease and other degradations of health.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by NorthYorkEd

You have repeatedly stated that saturated fat, particularly from animal-based sources, is responsible for heart disease and other degradations of health.

I've said that saturated fat, in particular the type found in animal foods, promotes heart disease. But there are a number of animal based foods, for example a lot of seafood, that is low in saturated fat so I'm not sure why you'd conflate that with a claim that all animal foods promote heart disease.