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August 20th, 2010
08:58 AM ET
Will eating meat help recovery after long runs?Every weekday, a CNNHealth expert doctor answers a viewer question. On Fridays, it's physician nutrition specialist Dr. Melina Jampolis. Question asked by Michele of Manchester, New Hampshire: I have been a vegetarian and long-distance runner for about nine years. I am now wondering if re-introducing meat into my diet will help with recovery after long runs/races and improve my endurance and speed. If I did begin eating meat again, what can I expect to see in terms of gains regarding running? Expert answer:: Hi Michele - In order to answer your question, I turned to a leading sports nutritionist, Nancy Clark M.S., R.D., author of "The Sports Nutrition Guidebook" and "Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners." Here is her response along with a few points that I've added in. Re-introducing meat will help you if: 1. You are iron deficient. Iron deficiency anemia can certainly slow you down and contribute to needless fatigue. It is more common in female athletes due to menstrual blood loss. Your body needs iron to make red blood cells that help transport oxygen from your lungs to your working muscles. Red meat is an excellent source of iron. White meat and seafood are also good sources of iron. While vegan foods, such as spinach, almonds, lentils and tofu offer some iron, the iron from plant foods does not boost iron stores as effectively. Combining plant-based sources of iron with vitamin C rich foods including oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, kiwi, broccoli, tomatoes and green peppers helps increase the absorption of iron. To assess your iron status, I recommend you talk with your doctor about getting your blood tested for serum ferritin. This will let you know if your iron stores are depleted. If so, depleted iron stores will hurt your performance. You'll notice a big improvement when you both eat red meat and take iron pills (supplements are usually necessary to get out of the iron-deficient status but usually do not need to be consumed long term). If you take iron supplements, make sure to take them separately from calcium supplements, which can interfere with their absorption. 2. You are protein deficient. Sometimes vegetarians eat too little plant protein; this hinders recovery from hard exercise. Each time you exercise, you create tiny bits of muscle damage. Protein is involved in the repair and growth of muscles. You'll get more from your workouts if your muscles can grow to their potential. Red meat (and white meat) are also sources of natural creatine. Vegan athletes tend to have lower creatine stores than athletes who eat meat. Creatine assists with recovery from repeated hard exercise. Hence, you might find your recovery better from track workouts and weight lifting.
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9 time Olympic gold medal winner and Olympian of the Century Carl Lewis is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time and he is vegan. You don't need meat, or the saturated fat and cholesterol that come with it and clogs your arteries.
Carl lewis is not a distance runner....
Altough Carl Lewis is a runner, he is not a long distance runner. There are many different diets that professional distance runners use. Eating red meat (in moderation) along with fish and poultry is fine, and it cuts down on the amount of "supplemental foods/vitamins" that those on vegan diets have to include in their diets. It is all a matter of preference and lifestyle.
The notion that a vegan diet puts one at risk of nutritional deficiency is baseless. I would recommend anyone interested in the topic of a vegan diet and endurance running/sports please read 'Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life' by champion tri-athelete Brendan Brazier, a vegan since the age of 15.
I like meat.
Not all meat is loaded with fat. Go for leaner cuts of beef or just have boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast. Please do some research before spewing your anti-meat, pro-peta propaganda.
Oh hey, look! A handful of genetically gifted athletes are vegans, so that must be the key to their success.
Some people need to learn a thing or two about causality.
Need meat? No, I don't neeed meat, I LIKE meat! NUMMY NUMMY NUMMY!! Pork, steak, chicken, fish, they TASTE GOOD! You can be vegan if you like, leaves more meat for me!
To ensure proper nutrition with a vegan diet requires knowledge and planning. Proper nutrition with a meat-based diet is easy. Eat meat, vegetables and some kind of carbohydrate.
No, YOU don't need meat. Stop being a typical leftist fascist by telling others what they should do...wait a minute, I just did that too hehe, guess we're both guilty now.....Damn! Oh well, have a good weekend fellow fascist 🙂
1. Eating Red And Processed Meat Associated With Increased Risk Of Death
"March 24, 2009 — Individuals who eat more red meat and processed meat appear to have a modestly increased risk of death from all causes and also from cancer."
2. Dietary Fat Linked To Pancreatic Cancer
"June 27, 2009 — High intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy products was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer."
3. Vegetable Diet May Reduce Risk Of Prostate Cancer
"June 4, 2009 — Certain modifications in diet have a beneficial effect on the prevention of prostate cancer. Results suggest that a diet low in fat and low in red meat but high in fruits and vegetables is beneficial"
4. Charred Meat May Increase Risk Of Pancreatic Cancer
"April 22, 2009 — Meat cooked at high temperatures to the point of burning and charring may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer"
5. Diet Affects Diversity Of Microbes In Human Gut, And In Turn, Colon Cancer Risk
"April 2, 2009 — A typical Western diet, rich in meat and fats and low in complex carbohydrates, is a recipe for colon cancer"
6. Retail Meat Linked to Urinary Tract Infections: Strong New Evidence
January 21, 2010 — Chicken sold in supermarkets, restaurants and other outlets may place young women at risk of urinary tract infections, researchers have discovered.
7. Vegetarians less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters
"Vegetarians less cancer diet risk"
8. "Diet rich in red meat doubles breast cancer risk | UK news"
– The Guardian
9. BBC NEWS | Health | Red meat cancer risk
"Eating lots of red meat is linked with DNA damage which raises the risk of bowel cancer"
10. ACS :: Eating Lots of Red Meat Linked to Colon Cancer
"People who eat a lot of red meat or processed meats may be raising their risk for colon cancer." -American Cancer Society
11. Red meat increases risk of death from cancer – The Globe and Mail
"In contrast, those who ate more white meat have a decreased risk of dying, and in particular of dying from cancer"
SCEINTIFIC INFORMATION.
And there you have it. Also, meat is injected with trace female hormones, so any male eating normal beef and standard market steak is sopping up girl's menstrual hormones with every bite. Eating Meat is not manly, it actually turns a man more effeminate and girly. And women who eat meat can expect diseased lumps of tumors in their chests. Go put "SYNOVEX-C" into google. You'll find out. You're eating estradiol, melangestrol, progesterones, and levels of female menstrual hormones in meat.
There is nothing wrong with eating meat, or saturated fat. Wake up.
what about ironman dave scott
I'm a long distance cyclist. I eat meat, not to improve my 'mucsles' but because I like the taste of it. Yes, I know where it comes from as my Grandfather used to raise cattle and 'humanely' killed them when ready. However, the subject states "Do you need to eat MEAT to recover" The answer is NO. However, you need to eat a balanced protein diet and you really need to stay on top of what you are eating. I, for one, drink a prepared mixture that contains Soy protein when riding and after drink Whey protein. This has helped improve my ability to ride long distances and my speed (14 to 17 MPH on a mixed ride.) I highly recommend consulting with a sports medicine health expert to find out if you need a special diet for your exercise periods.
This just in: Eating what you like to eat increases a person's chances of having a happier life. That is all.
BS – I am a long distance runner and a vegetarian – so tired of the meat crap most of which is filled with hormones, antibiotics and pesticides. there are PLENTY of ways to get iron and protein other than from a butchered animal
"Dr" John Rogen I doubt that you are a doctor. If you were you wouldn't be so obviously biased and also you would understand how to provide a complete reference. Vegans are tards.
Ya but Scott Jurek is and he's won the Western States 100 mile endurance run 7 times in a row and is a vegan. Fact is if you eat over 2k calories it's impossible to be "protein deficient" Long distance runners need fuel in the form of carbs not protein. The US recommends that we get 10% of our calories from protein thats about 200 grams per day based on 2000 calories, long distance endurance athletes who are training 100+ miles a week are only eating 60-70 grams of protein a day and eating about 5000 calories a day so what makes you think the average person who eats 2000 calories needs to eat 100+ grams of protein a day? When you start getting over 15-20% of calories from protein you start running into major health problems, do the research it's out there!
Install Whey Protein
Whey is the liquid portion of milk that is leftover after making cheese. Wouldn't it be hippocritical if a vegan consumed that and not eat meat? Try soy protein or simply go with nuts and legumes.
Brendan Brazier, professional Ironman triathlete, two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion, eats a 100% plant-based diet. He describes in his book "Thrive" how a healthy vegan diet is the ideal diet for an athlete. He specifically goes into how the vegan diet speeds up the recovery process so that you can train harder and improve more quickly. Meat is absolutely not necessary.
I think we need to dispel the notion that there is only ONE way to do train. Your training must meet your goals and it must fit your lifestyle. Just because one athlete or another has managed to be successful with or without eating meet doesn't mean you will. YOU have to experiment with what works for you, using guidelines as guidelines and not gospel.
Nutritionists don't agree on this subject and I have found that they rarely know what they are talking about. Case in point – you need iron to make hemoglobin, not red blood cells as stated above.
Well red blood cells are the transport vehicle for hemoglobin so i'm sure they meant the same thing. They really aren't that far off base.
well said... everyone is built different, try what's best for you.
I totally agree here. Again, when training, especially for an event, you should be in contact with a sports training expert. They will advise what you can do to improve. Also, train as you would run in an event. This means eating, drinking and recording how you feel, your weight before and after (you would be surprised at the amount of water you shed and a two per-cent level of dehydration will negatively affect your performance.) Again, I don't eat meat to improve my performance and I know several vegan/vegetarians that are very successful in running/bicycling/triathlons. Meat is not necessary for maximum performance.
If there were hard and fast rules regarding health issues, we would know them already.
In other words it probably doesn't make a big enough difference either way to actually be significant.
Thank you. As I always say, "If there were one best way to do something, there would be a book and everyone would've read it by now."
Lewis may not be a distance runner, but Scott Jurek is and he is the two-time winner of the most grueling ultramarathon on earth, starting in Badwater in Death Valley and stretching 135 miles, the Badwater Ultramarathon is known as the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.
And there are hundreds of famous top level athletes -even Olympians- who are vegetarian or vegan. “Olympian of the Century” track star Carl Lewis, tennis champions Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, cricket star Anil Kumble, Mr. International bodybuilder Andreas Cahling, Heisman trophy winner Desmond Howard, Debbie lawrence Olympic race-walker, four time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl, 4-time Olympic gold medalist Al Oerter, WBC World Middleweight Champion Keith Holmes, double Olympic Gold medalist in hurdles Edwin Moses, and Dave Scott, six-time Ironman triathlon winner, to name but a few.
The notion that great athletes cannot be vegetarian or vegan is just plain ignorance of the facts.
You can do anything as a vegetarian/vegan, but you have to be aware that you have to eat a great variety of items in order to replace the nutrients found in a single source like meat. That said, if you are a picky eater maybe being a vegetarian is not your best choice.
Humans are OMNIVORES, we are supposed to eat meat you silly vegans.
well actually that is not true, Humans are classified as Frugivores, which is based on the way our digestive system is built. The fact that our bodies can digest meat does not mean it is healthy. I refer you to the list of meat related chronic diseases that Dr. John Rogen referenced above. It has been shown that without exception an athlete can improve their performance by adopting a balanced plant based diet. If you doubt this I can point you to dozens of athletes who increased their performance by going vegan. Your challenge will be to find one vegan who increased their performance by eating meat. Hint- there aren't any.
people people PEOPLE... Eating Animals is the SAME as eating vegan – as most animals that are commonly consumed are themselves vegan. Hence, we are actually RECYCLING!!! so go and EAT a VEGAN!!!
I have Nancy's book. She knows her stuff though the more accurate answer for why you would eat red meat, is not only the iron, but for complete amino acids. If you can replace your amino acids, without red meat then do so but chances are you can't. Try whey protein. The main thing is that you need complex protein to rebuild your muscles.
that complete protein crap was debunked years ago. All protein is broken down into their amino acid parts during the digestive process. Your body combines amino's you absorbed last week along with new ones to build the proteins the body needs.
The two hardest proteins for the body to digest Lactose and Animal Protein. Research has shown that your body actually treats these proteins as foreign invaders when bits of undigested animal proteins slip into the blood stream. Your body then produces Antibodies to contain them and remove them from the blood. This, in the case of high protein fad diets can actually impact your immune system making you more susceptible to disease. This is science, not opinion or industry spin.
Having been a vegetarian for over 40 years, I always answer such a debate with the simple observation: all of the largest land animals are vegan and have been for millenia. If you are on your game, you watch your nutrition and keep it balanced. The recent studies on red meat consumption indicate that meat is directly related to increased heart disease and cancer. There are also the environmental consequences of raising cattle that must be taken into account. It's your choice.
The problem with your argument is that it admittedly applies to the "largest land-dwelling mammals," which humans are decidely not among. Unless you're suggesting that human evolution is leading us down a path where being as big as a hippopotamus or elephant is somehow a healthy state, I don't think your argument holds much water. Yes, large animals often tend to be strict herbivores, but that's because plant matter is the easiest food for them to obtain, and they often have very specialized digestive tract features like multiple stomachs in order to be able to properly extract nutrients from grasses and leaves. It would be fairly difficult for an elephant to be able to catch and eat enough meat to sustain itself, for example, although it could find plants in abundance... which is why elephants are herbivores.
Large herbivores must eat nearly 20 hours a day to get enough calories to maintain their systems. Sorry, but I have to work and don't have time to graze all day.
Living causes cancer. As to the effects of eating red meat, the jury is still out on this one. As to the environmental impact, we have done more to damage the environment trying to raise plant matter than can be counted. As to the original question, yes, red meat, or any meat for that matter may or may not be needed. Menstruating females do need two proteins that are not supplied through plant matter. Thus a 1/4 pound hamburger once a year will more than supply the need. Now to the daily consumption of red meat, this is not needed, but I eat it because I like the taste. It is not to help my ability to ride multiple-day 100 mile rides. I do eat a lot of plant matter as well (I love pintos, white and red beans and lentil soup is a favorite of mine as well.) Industrial farming of any kind has a major impact on this planet, not just cattle/hogs.
mmmmm Meat. Me like
CNN has dumb articles.
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
lets take this in reverse:
Recycle – Eat a Vegan animal, Recycle again by composting...
ReUse – Wear the skin of the Vegan animal you just ate... or use for your car's interior, etc...
Reduce – Eat SMALL Vegan animals...
I've just SAVED the World.... thank me later.
I hear vegan skin comes in several colors and thicknesses, I wonder if it's thick enough to make gun holsters with. does anyone know what type of grain vegan skin is, like a lizard snake or alligator?
For those mentioning Whey protein, keep in mind that is a dairy by-product, and would not fall into a strictly vegan diet
Meat eaters already admit that meat tastes horrible.
Most of the greatest flavors on earth come from plants. Meat tastes awful. For example, anyone bragging about "KFC" is really talking about the great vegetarian taste of the batter and breading on the outside. What is their slogan?– What makes KFC great is "The colonels secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices" That shows right there that the amazing tastes in the world come from vegetarian plants. So if you see anybody extolling KFC, that person just agreed with vegetarians! And he just admitted that it's plants that are what taste great, and smell fantastic, not meat.
Same goes for sausage, what sausage is, is pieces of snout, scrote sac, ground up loin (pubic) area, ears, and other undesirable "offal" meat. But what meatheads proclaim is all about the taste of the spices, herbs, and seasonings that manage to cover up the horrible organ meat taste in there. Although they don't know it.
The actual true taste of meat, would be if you took a piece of it and threw it in a pot and boiled it in plain water. That's the true taste of meat: bland and awful. However, look at all the rich amazing tastes in the world that come from plants, hot peppers, garlic, oregano, cloves, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, curries, and more, then there's other plant flavors for drinks and all kinds of products, like chocolate, cherries, vanilla, peaches, oranges, limes for your beer, (beer is also vegetarian), cayenne peppers, habaneros, wow! Just about everything in the world that tastes great is due to plants, not meat. Boiled bacon, yuck.
Meat eaters need to do things to meat in order for it to even be edible. Often the source of all the flavor is plants. For example, Barbeque. Meat eaters praise barbeques, up and down. Well, barbeque briquette grills burn what: wood. Which is a what: plant. All the good flavor from a barbeque comes from plants, not meat. Hickory smoke flavor comes from hickory, a tree, which is a plant. Oh, barbeque sauce? Again, from tomatoes, spices, etc. all from plants. What are barbequed hot wings? nothing but a squirrely little piece of wrinkly skin, but with a rich luscious hot sauce from tomatoes, herbs, hot spices, etc, all due to plants.
Oh, that 'big juicy steak' huh? covered with A-1 steak sauce.. which comes from plants. Grilled over mesquite barbeque, mesquite is a tree, wood, a flavor from plants. And covered with pepper, a plant. Or a hot dog, covered with ketchup, from plants, or mustard, again, it's a plant. Or chili. Well, chilis are hot peppers, again its a plant.
Oh, and that's if you grant the meat eater the allowance to cook that piece of meat, otherwise the true taste of meat would be that nasty metallic thick coagulated blood taste. Disgusting. Raw meat, rich in parasitic worms like tapeworm eggs and larvae. Raw pork infested with Trichinella worms. Crawling with embryotic cysts of worm eggs in all uncooked pork. Salmonella writhing chicken, with rubbery pimple-skin. Gross.
Even hamburgers have to be made with onion inside it. Those patty's aren't just meat, they are made by grinding up pieces of bad beef, the kind with those pieces of 'toenail' in it, and then smashed up and it takes the onion, and garlic, and even grains are mixed in with that burger patty. Then you have a bun (vegetarian), tomato (vegan), lettuce (vegan), pickles (vegan), ketchup(vegetarian), mustard(vegan), and more. If any meathead ever brags about eating a hamburger he just admitted meat tastes like garbage and admitted plants have most all of the great tastes in the world.
Fish.. eww. That fishy smell, and disgusting slippery slime texture? Sushi soaked with mercury that dumbs down your brain's intellectual capacity and PCB's in salmon and fish that make a man's gonads abnormal? Sorry, no way. By the way, those McDonalds fish sandwiches have breading on them, again the best tastes come from plants, the fish part.. ever get that silvery bit in there? That bite that sickens you with fishy taste? Uggh. makes you want to throwup.
And don't forget fruits! Amazing! Apple pie! Banana bread! Raisin bread! Warm Apples and cinnamon! yum! Cherries, peaches, melons, soo good. Oh, and cashews! Pistacchios too, awesome! oh, and the smell of freshly baked bread! Fresh from the oven! Wow, that's good.
Compared to that, raw cold pieces of oily greasy lard, and pieces of uncooked pork, or cut up mutton, or raw steak with those pieces of that white blubbery ribbons of fat in it, or a lump of raw mealy-worm looking red uncooked hamburger meat all cold is horrible! Remember, 'man' would be eating it raw. It wasn't until vegetarian man invented fire and after when vegetarian man invented stone tools that hominids could cook anything, so anyone trying to claim that man was 'designed' to eat meat is saying that they are designed to eat it raw. Uncooked. So if you claim that man is designed to eat meat, let's see you eat raw uncooked meat as you were designed, like you claim. With all that clear or yellowish lymph-node fluid seeping out of it, and that irony tasting scab-like coagulated blood goop. Enjoy your gulp of e-coli bacteria and tapeworm proglottid egg larvae. Hey, you're the one bragging You are absolutely designed for eating it, so you should like it and relish it so much more than cooking anything which of course you aren't designed for. In fact, prove you're designed to eat meat by eating only pieces of raw chicken, and raw pork and uncooked cow pieces for a year. Hey, vegetarians and vegans have proven they can not only live off just plants not just for a year but for 20, 30, 50 years! And even be healthier at it too. So anyone who brags of the claim that humans were 'designed' to eat meat, prove it yourself by eating only uncooked raw meat for a year. Then, after a year, after you get sick from the infectious diseases and get the parasite eggs out of your stomach and tissues, if you're still alive, then the world will belive you. Otherwise, you can't say it. Sucks to be you I guess.
This is why there are more vegetarians in the world and outnumber meat eaters by a great margin. And also why vegetarians are stronger, and have longer lifespans.
Guile Prentiss
"Meat eaters already admit that meat tastes horrible."
FALSE.
Many of us eat meat as 'rare' as it is safe to do so, unflavored because we enjoy the taste.
Your arguements for our 'design' to be herbivores is overly generalized.
Your arguement that cooking meat for consumption means we shouldn't eat it is weak. Vagetables of all sorts are vulnerable to infestation by parasites, bugs, molds and what not that make them spoil or rot before they can be eaten or even harvested. I would make the challenge that you not refridgerate any of your vegtable diet for a year and see how well you last.
Our eyes were not designed to look at LCD computer screens, the strain of doing so stresses the eye.
Your hands are not designed for the standard Qwerty keyboard as it leads to carpal tunnel issues.
Our naked bodies are not designed to survive in any environment cooler than subtropical zones.
My crux of my arguement is that the technological advancements that began with early human's use of fire for cooking have led to a lot of things that have made life a lot better for us.
As for your longevity arguements: Three of my grandparents lived into their 90s on an omnivourous diet. (The one that didn't died in Vietnam in combat. Semper Fi, Grandpa.)
My diet includes a lot of variety: meats, vegetables, grains and 'gasp' even refined sugars and alcohol. I take no medications, I exercise regularly. And though I'm no world class athlete blessed with good genetics I am proud of the 3.5 hour marathons I have run.
Your combative language that attacks and insults those living a non-vegan lifestyle will win you no converts.
Take your self-rightious know-it-all demeanor and stick it in your composter.
This is a ridiculous post. It's like North Korea publishing a paper on the evils of capitalism.
BTW , Sushi, and a good steak doesn't need steak sauce.
Wow, what a horribly uninformed piece of drivel.
There are far more omnivores than vegetarians. India has more vegetarians inside the country than the rest of the WORLD combined, and it still represents only 20% of their population. And in India, vegetarianism means lacto-vegetarianism, not "strict" vegetarianism, as hindus do not believe that drinking milk harms the cow or is unnatural. "Strict" vegans are actually the SMALLEST population of vegans, right after their lacto-ovo-vegan brethren.
Also, many of us enjoy our meats rare or raw where appropriate, from raw beef in tartar or carpaccio form, to raw fish. I grind my OWN beef for hamburger, so I know exactly what is inside of it. I eat my meat with steak with salt only, because the only steak that needs sauce is a bad steak. Last I checked, salt was NOT a plant. Meat tastes delicious to people who enjoy the taste of meat, and does not taste delicious to those who don't. It's not a difficult concept to understand.
You're either some sort of internet troll or a horrible representative for veganism. Your generalization of vegans as the savior of mankind, inventors of fire, and your demeanor in terms of describing with utter futility the horrible potential side effects of meat eating suggest the first. IF it's the latter, perhaps you should think about adding some fish to your diet to help bolster and preserve the last few remaining neurons you possess.
LOL! Try again!
Guile Prentiss, care to cite the resources from which you are getting these "facts" from?
Your rant is just full of false propaganda. More vegetarians in the world than meat eaters? I don't believe that to be true, as vegetarians make up a small percentage of the population in nearly every country, with the exception of India (where most are vegetarians, due to religion). And I enjoy eating meat in its cooked, unseasoned form. I personally prefer seafood over red/white meat–steamed crab is the best.
Just because humans must cook meat prior to consumption (with the exception of sushi) doesn't meant we weren't designed to eat them. Are you telling me that you don't cook your vegetables or grains?
It's fine that you love being a vegetarian, but trying to knock others for eating meat as a way to justify your choice is ridiculous.
"Sushi" is not plain raw fish. Sushi, in Japanese, means "Vinegared Rice including raw fish". In other words, plants are required in order to make it palatable enough to eat. So once again, you lose. Sushi isn't plain raw fish, its Rice (vegan), seasoned with vinegar (vegan), and then dipped in other vegan sauces, such as "Shoyu" which you call SOY SAUCE (once again, vegan).
Vegans win.
Oh, and by the way, asians have the most vegetarian people in the world.
And Japanese eat lower amounts of red meat than Americans, and live longer.
The predominant religion in Japan is Shinto Buddhism, buddhism extolls and promotes being vegetarian. This is why life expectancy in Japan far exceeds that in the US, because Japanese eat less red meat.
And lastly, where do you think "TOFU" is from? Hmm?
The eating of meat was actually BANNED in Japan by the emperor. And remained that way for over 1,200 years.
Eating meat is a western flaw introduced and pushed onto Japanese culture.
So, mister "bragging about sushi thinking you rooted for meat and somehow know Japan" you just proved the opposite. Thanks for showing that you don't know what sushi is, showing that sushi indeed contains and is seasoned by plants, showing that where it comes from in the first place is the source of Soy protein, Tofu, and soy sauce, showing that the people where it comes from consist of many vegetarians, who eat LESS meat and live longer than meat eaters, and that you as a meat eater didn't know what you were talking about. Nice!
Oh, and by the way, actual raw fish contains things called Nematodes. Nematodes are small worms that burrow into all fish. They are small coiled-up little parasites, which if you ingest raw fish, can infect you.
Not to mention, that many types of fish contain huge amounts of Mercury. Mercury eats away at the human brain's cognitive capacity. In other words, eating fish makes you stupid. It also contains PCB's, and can also damage your male genitals. So ladies, if you want a diminished small man, pick a meat head, he'll have been eating women's estrogen soaked meat, develop a paunch, a fat stomach, soft rounded shoulders, and wide feminine hips, plus he'll be growing some manboobs for you to play with. Chest Flaps. Vegetarians are more manly, virile, and do not have this estrogen-soaked meat steak hamburger boob problem.
Since you're so keen to split hairs, raw fish is indeed consumed PLAIN in the form of sashimi. Although a dipping sauce or garnish may be present, these are not a part of the sashimi. It is simply thin slices of raw fish. Since most sushi places also serve sashimi, this is what the previous poster was referring to. Based on your high-horse response, you either (a) don't know what you're talking about or (b) know, but choose to split hairs anyway. Whatevah.
There is just one thing I’m having a hard time getting. If plants and grains are so good for you why are cows so fat and unhealthy according to you? Cows eat grass and oats all day long, but yet it makes them horrible tasting and bad to eat. I’m just trying to follow along, but I eat sushi and sashimi so you may have to explain it to me more than once.
@Guile Prentiss re: Sushi
Sushi is NOT raw fish and vinegared rice. Sushi is ANYTHING wrapped in vinegared rice. Sashimi is raw fish. If you're going to spout propaganda at least learn how to use Google.
And answer this one: if we are made to be vegetarians, how come our bodies produce the acids required to digest meat? Hmm? That, you dimwit, is the difference between the carnivores, the omnivores and the herbivores - the animals that are strictly herbivores do not have the ability to digest meat, therefore they don't eat it.
Guile Prentiss, your "arguments" are full of holes. First you say that Japanese live longer than Americans because they don't eat red meat (and instead eat fish), and then you say fish is full of mercury that essentially makes people stupid. So Japanese people are stupid too? I highly doubt that, as they're one of the richest and highest educated countries in the world.
The Japanese live longer because they simply eat healthier–smaller portions, less junk food, and less energy-dense foods. If your supposed "vegetarians live longer" argument was actually true, then countries like India would have a longer life expectancy–but they don't. Just because you are a vegetarian doesn't mean you'll live longer. There are plenty of vegetarians who eat too much junk food–potato chips, candy, etc.
It's evident you've never been to Japan because there aren't many vegetarians there. I went there a year ago with a vegetarian friend, and vegetarian fare is very difficult to find, except in places like Kyoto, where there are many Buddhist temples. The concept of "strict" vegetarianism is somewhat foreign to the Japanese, as seafood comprises a large amount of their diets. \
Anyway, I could argue and say that eating vegetables/fruits only is just as dangerous as eating meat/fish because of the pesticides and risks from genetically modified crops, but it's kinda pointless, just like your silly rant.
I couldn't make it through your first paragraph without reeling at the fact that you're an idiot. Anyone who says "vegetarian vegetables" is an idiot.
Ever been hunting? I don't think my butcher is seasoning my cuts of venison before they get to me, and I don't add any, and it is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.
Marry Me Guile Prentiss!
What in the world is your problem?
You are a moron to open your long statement with such as "Meat eaters admit it tastes horrible".
Hippie...
"One size fits all" is a harmful way to manage your health. Read all the information you want, but the bottom line is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. I'm 56 years old woman, 5'7", 122 lbs, toned and healthy; practiced martial arts for almost ten years and run 5 days/week. I'm not a professional athlete but definitely into health and fitness. I eat mostly raw veggies and fruit, fish (raw and cooked) and occasional burger patty (cooked, mind you). It works for me and my man but, again, listen to YOUR body.
PS: Oh yea, and we take vitamins and supplements too. Today's food, even organic, has depleted nutritional value due to over-farming.
Being a vegetarian takes work to make sure you are getting enough protein and iron. Levi Leipheimer a cyclist who has competed in tour de France is a vegetarian. Organic athlete is a web site that encourages vegan and vegetarian athletes.
Veganism is stoopid.
I'm a marathon runner, and I have a lot of runner friends (some who are vegans). Training for and then running a marathon takes a toll on your system and requires a lot of extra nutrients, carbs and protein most diets don't require. Even my vegan friends will admit that training for a marathon while on a vegan diet is difficult, because there are only a hand full of foods that give them what they need to recover from hard distance training. If you are okay with having a very controlled diet over the course of four months of marathon training, then a vegan diet can be successful for you. Some professionals do that and are willing to sacrifice variety. Again, I'm not saying that being a vegan in normal situations is very restrictive in food options, but it becomes quite restrictive when you are eating to power a body that's training for a marathon.
I am a distance runner. My diet is varied, but most of my protein comes from eggs and peanut butter. I do okay with chicken, turkey and fish, but dense protein like beef and pork are hard for me to digest and slow me down. I would caution someone who has not eaten meat in some time to try it in small bits before going whole hog (or cow LOL).
Everyone needs to eat what is best for them-while I do think cows are tasty (a rare filet is a true indulgence for me) I don't eat them very often. Doesn't mean that other runners can't enjoy a burger or steak if they want to.
If God didn't want us to eat meat.... he wouldn't have made animals so tasty.
-Homer Simpson
I bet you'd be tasty too but then I don't eat meat.
MEAT CAUSES CANCER.
LANCE ARMSTRONG is an endurance (marathon) cyclist. LANCE ARMSTRONG ATE MEAT, LANCE ARMSTRONG GOT CANCER. LANCE ARMSTRONG IS NOW RIDING AROUND WITH 1 BALL.
Lance Armstrong ate meat, and did poorly in his first multiple attempts at the Tour de France endurance cycling race. (Yes, folks, he didn't just go enter it and win it the first time, when Armstrong ate the most meat he did poorly, came in 27th, and worse, he tried multiple times, losing the Tour de France.)
Lance Armstrong ate meat, he then got stricken with Testicular Cancer. He then reduced his meat intake, had to go through chemo, and came back to win multiple times. However, he now is a male who bears the permanent scar of having only 1 testicle left in his scrotum sac. His downstairs got infected by Cancer.
Vegetarians and vegans have more endurance. Plus, are healthier. Any and all of the stuff in the article above about iron, protein, etc is a myth. Any person can simply eat a couple bowls of cereal and obtain all the iron this false worry-wart goes on about in the uninformed article up top. Not to mention just eating a multivitamin a day. So any commenter going on about having to go round eating all kinds of random vegetables 'in order to' (falsely) 'obtain what's in meat' is false. If you ever see anyone post that, they have discredited themselves. Also, the meat-protein garbage is a myth. Look, any meat-head trying to say you 'need' meat in order to obtain protein is debunked in about 5 seconds. To anyone who goes around bragging that plants have no protein and that their (add the inevitable adjectives they'll put in front of it first: big juicy) steak contains 'massive' amounts of protein, simply say Oh, so plants dont have protein, only meat, eh? Guess what, that steak you just bragged about came from a bull, how'd the bull get to be 2-thousand pounds of ripping muscle, bigger than YOU? Hmm? Guess what a bull eats: Plants! So plants generated a 2,000 pound mass of vegetarian rippling muscle that could toss you around like a wimpy ragdoll. Thank you very much.
If they un-wittingly go on, still obtusely trying to erroneously insist that meat builds better muscle, or endurance, or athleticism, or anything, simply point out that there's NO MEAT IN A BODYBUILDING STORE! Look, bodybuilders build muscle. It's what they do. And some of them would do nearly anything to do it too, so if there was something that worked, they'd probably do it. Yet what do you see when you go to a bodybuilding nutrition store? Fish drinks? No. Milkshake mix with pieces of meat floating in it? No. Pork powder? No. Chicken packets? NO. Do they have fish and bacon protein bars in there?? NO! There is NO meat crap in even a bodybuilding nutrition store whose entire purpose is to provide the best products for building massive muscle! What do you find in there? You find WHEY protein (lacto-vegetarian!), Albumin protein (ovo-vegetarian), and Soy protein (vegan!). All of the massive musclebuilding protein products contained in a BODYBUILDING nutrition store are vegetarian and vegan! Think about it, meat-head. Naturally all Smart bodybuilders already know that meat is a HORRIBLE source of protein.
An Added Benefit:
"NEWS: Green, Leafy Vegetables Linked to Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk"
USNEWS & WORLD REPORT
[
or, you can ingest sour meat and obtain this:
NEWS: RED MEAT RAISES HUMAN HEART ATTACK RISK
"BOSTON, Aug. 19 (UPI) - Eating red meat and processed meats like bacon sharply increased heart disease risk in women, U.S. researchers say."
UPI NEWS
The smarter one is, and more athletic, and educated on nutrition and muscle, the more likely one is to be vegan or vegetarian. But, 1 thing is correct, eating meat won't help you run, but it will certainly give you the runs. If you enjoy that, and breast tumours as a woman, or infected testicles as a man, then sop it up.
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Reading your reasoning by the Lance Armstrong story, I am now irrevocably convinced that bicycle seats cause testicular cancer.
he now has a prosthetic testicle so his self image hasn't suffered too much.
My Aunt, a vegan, teetotaler and non-smoker died from stomach cancer at the age of 58.
Don't be so mentally challenged (replacement for R-word), over a billion people eat meat...adn testicular cancer is extremely rare. Maybe he got it because he breathes oxygen? When the forum for "people without logic" comes up, I am suer you'll do well. In the meantime, enjoy a beef skewer!
LA did not get testicular cancer because he eats red meat. He may have got it because of a number of reasons. He is now a vegetarian at his own desire. He does consume some meat products, but not red meats. He has stated this several times. Levi also consumes some meat products, but not red meat. Thus, neither of these two men are vegans. They do, however, realize the impact of red meat on this planet. We don't need to eat red or processed meats everyday. I try to avoid consuming meat with nitrites/nitrates as both are bad for you and don't prevent to spread of disease.
Yeah it must have been the meat that caused testicular cancer. Good god man, its almost as if you have no medical training at all. Oh wait, you don't.
Just RAN 3 miles..........Feels Great!!!
Tim VanOrden is a stunning example of an accomplished vegan distance runner. Please visit his site: runningraw (dot) com
"MEAT CAUSES CANCER"
/facepalm
so do vegetables sprayed with pesticides.
So does the sun.
"Expert answer:: Hi Michele – In order to answer your question, I turned to a leading sports nutritionist"
In other words: "F**k if I know!".
if humans were meant to live on plants alone, we'd have cellulase (or a symbiotic parasite which had it). instead we have protease. this is what biology gave me, therefore i eat meat.
and stop citing examples of elite athletes. they are the exception (as is their diets), not the rule.
Sounds like you need an excuse to eat meant, I have one as wel to not eat meat.
meat tastes good. Nothing beats tearing into dead cooked flesh for me. The only excuse I need to eat meat is hunger.
I and other body builders have a much higher demand for protein than endurance runners and it's not difficult at all to exceed protein needs on a vegan diet and recover fast from a muscle tearing workout.
You gotta eat pounds and pounds of meat to get a a decent amount of creatine from it, it's better to take a creatine powered supplement such as the popular Creapure (which is vegan derived) and many vegetarian and meat eating athletes supplement with it. If you need an iron boost - just eat beans, as broccoli, pumpkin seeds etc - you don't have to eat animal muscle.
On the flip side, endurance runners need a top notch cardiovascular system and eating the cholesterol of animals may lead to narrowing of your arteries.
Humans have eyes facing forward and canine teeth. That supposedly means we evolved by hunting prey and eating meat. Do vegans look at themselves in the mirror with disgust?
You must have switched to vegetarian for a reason and I suspect it was a moral one. Does your endurance have a higher priority now? The most powerful animals ever to have existed on Earth were vegetarian.
exactly. and thankfully, those vegetarians fattened up on plant matter so those hungry carnivores could come along and eat them. didn't you ever see lion king?
I am vegan and run ultramarathons, that is races of 50K and more. I have run many 100 mile races, including 24 and 48 hour races. There is no reason to eat meat to be a distance runner. If you feel your diet is lacking, it may be, but it is not lacking meat. A diet based in whole grains, legumes, leafy greens and a variety of fruits and vegetables is extremely suitable for long distance running. In America we are programmed to think we need meat at every meal and without meat we are unhealthy. It is a very Americanized way of thinking and totally false.
I agree. We don't need red meat at each meal. I eat one meal per day that does not contain red meat, but a very mixed salad and fish meat. That has helped me greatly in my attempts to retain muscle while loosing weight. The fact that we were trained to eat bacon/sausage with breakfast, a burger for lunch and some sort of meat at dinnertime is not the way we evolved. Meat was rare and looked upon with reverence. We should be this way today. We need a mixed diet, That is why we have a mixture of teeth. Incisors AND Molars (even the 'Wisdom' teeth are designed for consumption of mixed meals.) The fact that one person does not eat/consume meat should not be a reason for another to not do so.
But is it healthy to lose so much muscle mass that you look like the grim reaper?
eat anything you want...just don't drink, smoke or do drugs...ur body will take care of itself if you exercise...all this healthy eating is crap compared to what you don't need to be doing with the above three things. Just don't do them and you will be fine!
this country needs to stop wastin money on nonsense magazines just designed to be something to make money for some crook that prints all that crap in them...stay healthy by exercise, eating decent food, and little to no drinking, no smoking, and no drugs...everyone get back to basics and to hell with all this printed bullshit...save your money or buy good food with it! End of story!
I suggest reading Brendan Brazier's book Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life. it answers all plant-based performance questions. As a runner, i noticed a significant improvement in endurance and recovery time when I applied what I learned from this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Nutrition-Optimal-Performance-Sports/dp/0738212547/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
I've heard that "Vegetarian" is an Indian word that means "Poor Hunter"
why wouldn't it? the protein will help your muscle recover from all the work they just had to do. It's not rocket science, check out http://www.diet-myths.com for more information
Wouldn't it be nice if each person could decide for him/herself whether a meat-eating or a non-meat-eating regimen is right for them without feeling so self-righteous about it? There wouldn't be these nasty comments on either side if we were discussing turnips instead of meat. Let's live and let live. Some people prefer to eat meat and others prefer not to. Just let it be.
i agree. live and let live.
unfortunately, those who eat meat don't let live.
No, if you aren't a vegan then I hate you and your point of view
Some of us don't have a choice but to be vegetarian. I'm allergic to beef and poultry – I physically get sick when I eat either one, and have been officially tested at an allergy clinic to be sure. What do you naysayers have to say about that? HMmmmm? I seem to function just fine without meat and I am actually quite athletic. My protein levels are on the high end last time they were checked, too. Gee.... stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
I think you should cut your own head off for only thinking of yourself.
Plants are alive too. If you want to stay true....eat rocks, soil, polyurethane. Lets not allow the plants to suffer any longer!
I agree with wegan. Eat rocks and soil. I ran a 400 mile uber-ultramarathon, and that's all you need to keep in shape.
Humans are humans because we eat meat and developed superior brains from the animal fats we consumed. So what do you think promoting veganism will do for a certain part of our population?
Vegans smell funny.
YOU smell funny. I lived in a country (Korea) where red meat consumption is a luxury. They would comment on my smell on a regular basis. I commented that they smelled like garlic (which they do consume in a vegetable dish called gimchee (that's how it is spelled) .) Their diet is considered extremely healthy, even though it does call for the consumption of LIMITED amounts of well cared for beef. While there, I learned to accept the consumption of gimchee and I still consume it, when available today (and there are thousands of types of it.)
DON"T EAT PLANTS – THEY HAVE FEELINGS TOO! SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HAVE PROVEN THIS. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF SOMEONE CAME ALONG AND YANKED YOUR FEET OFF OF YOUR LEGS?
Eating a vegan diet will turn you into a girly man. Meat is energy dense, plants are not. Like it or not humans have been eating meat for thousands and thousands of years. I'm a runner, I run every day, I know from experience that reducing meat in my daily meals makes the next few training sessions slower and shorter. Yes you can be an athlete and a vegan but not a good one of either.
You can't get B12 in any sufficient quantities from vegetables...being Vegan and pregnant is not recommended due to possible anemia. Yet people maintain the diet is safe and holistic. Puzzles me a bit.
B12 comes from bacteria found in the water and soil. It is only found in animal products because the animals don't wash their grass when they eat it. B12 is actually made in the digestive tract. With factory farming, animals are no longer allowed to graze or eat a natural diet. Even eating meat might not give you adequate B12 because of this. When chlorine was added to the water supply, it killed the B12 producing bacteria. Also we wash our fruits and vegetables. A simple supplement is all you need or eat B12 fortified foods.
The distance runner asking the question if he should eat meat. should read this fantastic new book that has 500+ 5 star reviews on Amazon:
"Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen"
This tribe of superathletes live most of the year exclusively on a locally grown vegan diet and are the greatest runners on earth.
To all those who feel the need to push their habits on others, especially the vegans out there, thhere is indisputable scientific evidence that shows that every human being born will die, regardless of your dietary lifestyle. Let people enjoy what food they like instead of bashing them because they choose to eat meat or not to eat meat.
That is an awesome post. Please give me permission to wear fur, too. I'm tired of all those pesky PETA people, or whoever they are...
How about taking it easy and walking for a while if you are having such dramas recovering. What's the hurry, anyway?
Most doctors do not use ferritin levels appropriately. As long as hemoglobin levels are normal they don't pay attention to it. This is not good practice especially for runners. The bottom line is that if your ferritin is below 70 you need more iron, especially if you are a distance runner. It does not matter what your hemoglobin levels are. A ferritin level below 70 makes it more probable that your marrow stores of iron are very low which makes recovery difficult. To complicate matters, if you are experiencing any inflammation your ferritin levels increase. So, don't trust the ferritin test if you were sick or injured at the time of the measurement. Get it tested when you are felling good. Another test to look at is the rdw. This needs to be below 12.5. If its higher you may have a folate or b12 or iron deficiency. Also look at TSH. This needs to be below 2 (they say normal is up to 5.5 and this is BS.) If it's higher make sure you are eating your carrots and dark veggies. Another point to consider is that a lot of people are deficient in zinc. You really need to keep a food diary to see if you're getting enough. Complicated? Yes. Big problem is that doctors could tell you where you are deficient to make your job easier but they do not. If you are healthy you won't come back. If your dead you won't come back. Their job is to keep you just sick enough that you keep coming back for a long time. (and it's a myth that insurers want to lower medical costs. They skim off the top so the higher the bills are overall the more money they make. That is why they do not pay for nutritional testing. They are in cahoots with the hospitals in keeping you just sick enough that you keep coming back, raising the rates so that they make more money.)
Yay! Conspiracy!