4 ms·

This reads like a hitpiece against vegetarianism/veganism to me, or a way to assure omnivores that their current diets are OK and not completely terrible for th

by vzidex 7y ago

This reads like a hitpiece against vegetarianism/veganism to me, or a way to assure omnivores that their current diets are OK and not completely terrible for the environment. > she returned to eating meat after learning that the soybean and corn monocultures that accounted for much of her vegan diet were wreaking havoc on the environment This is patently false, even though she might have believed it. Over 70% of soy grown in the US goes directly into animal feed [1], with some being used for biofuel as well [2] > After spending her high school and college years subsisting on a vegetarian diet of flavored yogurt, Gardenburgers, pizza pockets and mac and cheese with frozen vegetables mixed in ... “As soon as I started eating meat, my health improved,” she said. “My mental acuity stepped up, I lost weight, my acne cleared up, my hair got better. I felt like a fog lifted.” It should be obvious that if you go from a diet heavy in processed foods to one based on whole foods (plant-based or otherwise) your health will improve, but this wording makes me feel like it's trying to show that an omnivorous diet is healthier than a vegetarian/vegan one. The article does raise a good thought though, being the following: > The system’s advocates say it can regenerate vast swaths of grassland, which has the potential to sequester carbon rather than emitting it as factory farm operations do. I haven't yet seen good analysis on whether the grassland tended by grazing livestock does good than the livestock themselves (in the form of methane emissions), but it would be wonderful if it did. Finally, the article thankfully acknowledges the elephant in the room: > Critics of the alternative approach say that not all studies show improved carbon sequestration on grazed grassland, and that the system can’t produce enough meat to meet current demand Regardless of whether or not meat raised in this way is better for the environment and/or peoples' health, there is no way enough meat could ever be raised this way to meet the modern demand for it. The demand for meat worldwide is going _up_, and the typical Western diet that is heavy in meat will continue to be a hugely destructive force on our environment until we _all_ slash our consumption of animal products. [1] https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/coexistence-soybeans-factsheet.pdf https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/coexisten... (PDF warning) [2] https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/where_do_all_these_soybeans_go https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/where_do_all_these_soybeans_go

jschwartzi 7y ago
>> After spending her high school and college years subsisting on a vegetarian diet of flavored yogurt, Gardenburgers, pizza pockets and mac and cheese with frozen vegetables mixed in ... “As soon as I started eating meat, my health improved,” she said. “My mental acuity stepped up, I lost weight, my acne cleared up, my hair got better. I felt like a fog lifted.” > It should be obvious that if you go from a diet heavy in processed foods to one based on whole foods (plant-based or otherwise) your health will improve, but this wording makes me feel like it's trying to show that an omnivorous diet is healthier than a vegetarian/vegan one. I came here to post this. I mean it's quite obvious to me that if your diet consists mostly of junk food, whether you're vegetarian or not, you will feel like crap. I've stopped eating meat almost entirely(except at restaurants, where the "vegetarian" option is vegetables with more vegetables on the side on a platter made of vegetables), and I feel much better than I did when I was cooking meat.
Theodores 7y ago
There are those that are vegetarian and there are those that try it for a while. The article could be search/replaced and rewritten to describe an extreme minority of interestingly tattooed people that 'quit smoking for a few years' to go back to smoking, albeit only pipe tobacco, and to work in ethical tobacconists. In this alternate story they go on to sell only pure tobacco without the hundreds of additives, the goal being to help other smokers live healthier lives. A lot of people who try vegetarianism get a bee in their bonnet about it and go preachy on the rest of the world. The rest of the world just shuns them even if they are right, getting told what to eat is not what anyone wants to hear. Others are brought up vegetarian or have a partner who does all the cooking and happens to be vegetarian. In the article I didn't get the idea that any of the people featured were this more down to earth and less preachy crowd.
maximente 7y ago
agreed re: processed stuff. i've about had it with "vegetarians" who eat frozen pizza 3x a day whining about being unhealthy. also agreed that the framing about "rediscovering meat" is misleading as hell. > “It can be hard to balance your diet as a vegetarian, especially when you’re younger, and I wasn’t doing it right,” he said. i really don't understand this - there's no justification given, nor is there a reason why it's harder when younger.

by vzidex 7y ago

jschwartzi 7y ago

>> After spending her high school and college years subsisting on a vegetarian diet of flavored yogurt, Gardenburgers, pizza pockets and mac and cheese with frozen vegetables mixed in ... “As soon as I started eating meat, my health improved,” she said. “My mental acuity stepped up, I lost weight, my acne cleared up, my hair got better. I felt like a fog lifted.” > It should be obvious that if you go from a diet heavy in processed foods to one based on whole foods (plant-based or otherwise) your health will improve, but this wording makes me feel like it's trying to show that an omnivorous diet is healthier than a vegetarian/vegan one. I came here to post this. I mean it's quite obvious to me that if your diet consists mostly of junk food, whether you're vegetarian or not, you will feel like crap. I've stopped eating meat almost entirely(except at restaurants, where the "vegetarian" option is vegetables with more vegetables on the side on a platter made of vegetables), and I feel much better than I did when I was cooking meat.

Theodores 7y ago

There are those that are vegetarian and there are those that try it for a while. The article could be search/replaced and rewritten to describe an extreme minority of interestingly tattooed people that 'quit smoking for a few years' to go back to smoking, albeit only pipe tobacco, and to work in ethical tobacconists. In this alternate story they go on to sell only pure tobacco without the hundreds of additives, the goal being to help other smokers live healthier lives. A lot of people who try vegetarianism get a bee in their bonnet about it and go preachy on the rest of the world. The rest of the world just shuns them even if they are right, getting told what to eat is not what anyone wants to hear. Others are brought up vegetarian or have a partner who does all the cooking and happens to be vegetarian. In the article I didn't get the idea that any of the people featured were this more down to earth and less preachy crowd.

maximente 7y ago

agreed re: processed stuff. i've about had it with "vegetarians" who eat frozen pizza 3x a day whining about being unhealthy. also agreed that the framing about "rediscovering meat" is misleading as hell. > “It can be hard to balance your diet as a vegetarian, especially when you’re younger, and I wasn’t doing it right,” he said. i really don't understand this - there's no justification given, nor is there a reason why it's harder when younger.