On the topic of human evolution, we evolved on the savanna, a habitat closest to the one baboons live in (among primates). Unsurprisingly, baboons are also omnivores that eat significantly more meat than tree-dwelling primates.
Humans ate significant amounts of meat before civilization emerged. It can be seen from the archeological record, with many artifacts created from animal bones, teeth, etc. and tools associated with killing and butchering animals (hand axes, etc.).
Last edited by andrewf; 2012-10-25 at 04:47 PM.
It's okay for me and I don't find it bad at all, instead, that is considered healthy. I'm a meat person and because of that I always feel heavy and cannot run and walk that long. I read in some websites that if you are a person who eats more veggies and fish you are likely to feel lighter.
I am apparently the strange one in this discussion who has actually increased the amount of meat I eat due to the fact that I have a hard time maintaining my weight. I have throughout my life been borderline underweight according to BMI and have found that more meat and higher fat content dairy has helped keep me in the normal range as well as regular exercise. Personally, I dont love meat and left to my own whims would probably eat it once every couple days and used to eat like that. I can't say that I feel noticeably different since changing my diet so I can't really verify what some others have said. The most important thing I think is to eat a balanced diet and for most people, myself included, to eat more vegetables.
Originally Posted by andrewf
I believe it's also been shown that eating (cooked) meat was an ESSENTIAL step towards early humans evolving higher brain functions.
I have a hard to accepting there won't be some essential vitamin, mineral or protein that the body misses out on by completely eliminating meat. Although I haven't done the research specifically on that topic.
Also, I don't know why people keep saying meat is expensive. Sure, MOST meat is expensive. But there is invariably some cut of meat every week that is less than $2/lb at the grocers. And every month or two even premium meats get discounted down to $3-4/lb where you can stock up.
We cut down on meat about 20 years ago but increased our dairy consumption. Think cheese omletes with cottage cheese and fried pototoes etc. Then my son and DIL turned vegetarian, and are now vegan. They made us watch a movie with them called Forks over Knives that made us think about our eating habits. We made a decision to cut not eliminate dairy from our diets since we were not big consumers of meat.
It has truly made a difference in how I feel. I used to have plantar faciaitis and my lower consumption of diary has help with the inflammation. I am not just using this as a guide line. I remember years ago my wonderful family doctor asked me to lower my consumption of dairy and I was horrified. Cheese and dairy products were a large part of our lifestyle....think lasagna, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese on basically anything. I thought it would be very difficult to give up and it was. But we have really cut down. Oh, how can I forget pizza!!!!!! But the lower dairy consumption has made a difference in how we are feeling. Just my 2 cents.
You can make pizza with no cheese! Or limited cheese. Signed, a lactose intolerant person.
Yeah, my favourite pizza currently is topped with potato slices (you steam or boil them first to cook, then slice thin and put on top of the pizza dough) and either chopped garlic scapes or pesto. If garlic scapes, sprinkle with some chopped rosemary or oregano and pine nuts. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. To die for, no cheese necessary although you can grate a smidgen of Parmesan on top.
I wouldn't. I've never been vegetarian, but my doctor has told me to eat more meat, due to a vitamin deficiency. Even with supplementation, I notice my energy dropping if I've gone without meat for a few days. I do frequently eat vegetarian lunches though, and occasionally it happens at dinner as well, but I wouldn't purposely plan to do it once a week.
For the record, today inspired by this thread I go meatless Saturdays and seafood Fridays, see how it goes.
btw, a previous discussion we've had on these forums, started by KaeJS, had me reading some new books on low carb dieting and subsequently going more strictly low carb until I'd lost 23 pounds of excess weight, didn't take long at all either.
I found that a side effect of going low carb was a significant increase in vegetable and fresh fruit intake, which couldn't be a bad thing either.
I've changed my diet about a year ago to Vegan + occasional seafood due to health concerns. On special occasions, like Christmas I will have a bit of skinless turkey. I was surprised not to miss red meat near as much as I thought I would, as I used to love roasts and burgers. What I miss most is cheese. I eat vegan cheese in tortillas which adds a bit of cheese flavor. I eat lots of cruciferous vegetables, soy, lots of fruit (especially dark fruit like blueberries) and nuts. I've cut most needless sugar out of my diet but do have a square of dark chocolate (80%) as a nightly treat. Thankfully red wine, coffee and beer are all okay in moderation. Green tea is also good. To make vegetarianism easier it is helpful to incorporate lots of spices and dishes from other cultures - spices, curries, Mexican food, etc. Dishes like Brad's Tunisian Stew are a good example.
Weight loss was not a main goal but I've lost 20 pounds without feeling like I'm cutting portions.
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