To Meat or Not to Meat?

Have you ever thought about why there are vegetarians and vegans? What's the deal with that? Why are they so anti meat? Should I be anti meat too?

Let's define some of these less meat categories.

Vegetarian- This is a general term that means someone who does not consume red meat, poultry, fish, or seafood.

There are variants of vegetarianism including,

Lacto-vegetarian- a vegetarian that eats dairy products but excludes eggs.
Ovo-vegetarian- a vegetarian that eats eggs but excludes dairy products.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian- a vegetarian that eats dairy products and eggs.
Semi-vegetarian- a person that eats mostly vegetarian foods but will eat at times fish and sometimes even poultry, as well as dairy products and eggs. Some vegetarians don't recognize this group as a vegetarians.
Vegan- a vegetarian that also excludes all products and by-products of animals, including eggs, dairy products, and even honey and yeast.

There are many reasons why a person would choose to eat these ways including moral, religion, culture, ethics, aesthetics, environment, society, economy, politics, taste, or health reasons. There are even more vegetarian sub-categories or similar categories that you can look in to.

We will suggest some health reasons to think about while deciding what you would like to choose for yourself.

First off, some studies to think about.

There are recent studies that have shown that a diet where the person eats a lot of red meat (this is including pork, beef, veal, and lamb), or such meat products were diagnosed with colorectal cancer more often than people who ate little of it or none at all. In comparison, those who ate a lot of fish on a regular basis, had a lower chance of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer as opposed to those who ate little to no fish at all.

Red meat and processed meat (this includes poultry sausage and such), has also been linked to breast cancer in women.

Now, studies aside, lets look at our bodies. Are we carnivores or herbivores?

Answer, neither. Are bodies have been made to survive on what's available to us. Or, in other words, we are omnivorous. Are bodies have been made to survive on both meat and veggies.

But let's look a little deeper into our bodies. Our intestines are very long and bumpy similar to an herbivore's length. We also need fiber to help our meat digest, where carnivores don't. Carnivores have 20x the amount of acid in their stomach than humans do. Interesting, isn't it?

Our bodies lean more toward what an herbivore's body looks like inside and reacts inside.

I have found this facsinating and dwelled upon this subject many times in my life. Personally, I am not considered to be a vegetarian. I usually eat fish on a weekly basis and from time to time (meaning a few times a year), I will eat turkey and chicken. I do exclude red meat for the most part. My diet is high in veggies, whole grains, herbs, and fruits. I'm not sure if that falls into any "catagory or sub-category" yet. My reasons are health and religion and it fits well with me and so far with my family.

In conclusion, this article is meant to help you think about your own food choices especially with meat. What you feel is best for you and your family. There are studies and voices calling all over the world (mine could be included in that). Don't follow one just because the crowd does or because one study told you too. Do the homework and choose for yourself. Feel confident in your choice because you've done the homework.

Have a great day!