7 ms·

And we're not some magical creature free from biological needs. Eating other animals is what got us here. Until we can print actual, chemically identical meat

And we're not some magical creature free from biological needs. Eating other animals is what got us here. Until we can print actual, chemically identical meat on a conveyor belt, our reliance on animals will continue.

shshdhduxbx 6y ago
This is always said but it's just not true. Unless you kill the animal yourself you shouldn't eat it. Doing so makes you a coward.
rcMgD2BwE72F 6y ago
> And we're not some magical creature free from biological needs. Am I? I became 100% vegetarian a year ago. No one around me was vegetarian. I saved money. I never ate so well and I'm in my best physical form ever. What is magical?
- noworriesnate 6y ago
  You need supplements to grow healthily as a vegetarian. For example, it's difficult to get Omega 3, 6 and 9 from plants. You need supplements for that. Also you've only been vegetarian a year. Being a vegetarian from birth to death without supplements would be much more difficult to do without major deficiencies. Also vegetarians today have the option of buying food from all over the world, but that wasn't the case for the vast majority of human history.
  - jnathsf 6y ago
    You only need to look at cultures like in India, Taiwan and elsewhere that have large vegetarian population to see that your statement doesn’t hold water.
    - simonsarris 6y ago
      The myth of the Indian vegetarian nation https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43581122 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43581122
    - searchableguy 6y ago
      You shouldn't point toward us as an example. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6540890 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6540890 https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/malnutrition-behind-69-per-cent-deaths-among-children-below-5-years-in-india-unicef-report/articleshow/71618288.cms https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/malnutr... Guess where do you get folic acid, b12, etc from? As a side note, OTC supplements are not as effective. You need prescription supplements if anyone is considering going vegetarian.
      - La1n 6y ago
        Guess where animals get their B12 from, supplemented to their feed
    - noworriesnate 6y ago
      It's possible to have a large population with deficiencies, which may be the case in India for example [1]. Another factor is, the number of insects that accidentally get into the food supply provide some protein. I remember reading about how a more primitive lifestyle leads to more insects being in the food supply, which provides some of the necessary protein for humans to thrive. But I can't find the link at the moment. 1: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/80-indian-diets-are-protein-deficient-survey/article7290278.ece https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/80-india...
  - huffmsa 6y ago
    And the distillates and supplements still aren't universally as "good" (bioavailability, cost, associated nutrients) as the real thing. I'm all for lab produced everything, but it's not good enough yet for me to feel comfortable trying to outsmart nature.
  - crucio 6y ago
    You are spreading misinformation. Everyone needs Omega 3/6/9. You can get it from nuts and algae. IF you want to be inefficient and introduce a middleman, you can get it from fish. B12 is needed by everyone. The meat you eat has it supplemented. Again, you can cut out the middleman and get it directly as a supplement rather than having a cow killed.
    - huffmsa 6y ago
      Growing 1lb of almonds requires ~1900 gallons of water. Beef is ~1800lbs. Not particularly efficient is it
  - gautamdivgi 6y ago
    Practical experience of trying to go vegetarian/vegan. I gave up after a while. I just felt constantly hungry. Maybe because I started working out and going vegan at the same time. fwiw - "vegetarian" doesn't count for animal well-being. Egg laying chickens and milk cows are treated really badly and their agony is rather prolonged for the duration of their "productive life".
high_density 6y ago
aren't there lab-grown meat researches going on?
- huffmsa 6y ago
  There are and I look forward to them. Cheap, USDA prime grade steak for everyone one will be excellent
Falling3 6y ago
Humans don't require animal products to live (or thrive). And your "what got us here" comment is a Naturalistic Fallacy.
surajama 6y ago
400-500 million people in India are vegetarian [1]. Are these all magical creatures? [1] http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/the-food-habits-of-a-nation/article3089973.ece http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/the-food-habits-of-a-na...
- seanmcdirmid 6y ago
  India is incredibly agriculturally productive, with amounts of arable land other countries can only dream of. Try doing the same diet just a few paces up in more arid and mountainous Central Asia and it would be famine.

shshdhduxbx 6y ago

This is always said but it's just not true. Unless you kill the animal yourself you shouldn't eat it. Doing so makes you a coward.

rcMgD2BwE72F 6y ago

> And we're not some magical creature free from biological needs. Am I? I became 100% vegetarian a year ago. No one around me was vegetarian. I saved money. I never ate so well and I'm in my best physical form ever. What is magical?

noworriesnate 6y ago
You need supplements to grow healthily as a vegetarian. For example, it's difficult to get Omega 3, 6 and 9 from plants. You need supplements for that. Also you've only been vegetarian a year. Being a vegetarian from birth to death without supplements would be much more difficult to do without major deficiencies. Also vegetarians today have the option of buying food from all over the world, but that wasn't the case for the vast majority of human history.
- jnathsf 6y ago
  You only need to look at cultures like in India, Taiwan and elsewhere that have large vegetarian population to see that your statement doesn’t hold water.
  - simonsarris 6y ago
    The myth of the Indian vegetarian nation https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43581122 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43581122
  - searchableguy 6y ago
    You shouldn't point toward us as an example. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6540890 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6540890 https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/malnutrition-behind-69-per-cent-deaths-among-children-below-5-years-in-india-unicef-report/articleshow/71618288.cms https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/malnutr... Guess where do you get folic acid, b12, etc from? As a side note, OTC supplements are not as effective. You need prescription supplements if anyone is considering going vegetarian.
    - La1n 6y ago
      Guess where animals get their B12 from, supplemented to their feed
  - noworriesnate 6y ago
    It's possible to have a large population with deficiencies, which may be the case in India for example [1]. Another factor is, the number of insects that accidentally get into the food supply provide some protein. I remember reading about how a more primitive lifestyle leads to more insects being in the food supply, which provides some of the necessary protein for humans to thrive. But I can't find the link at the moment. 1: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/80-indian-diets-are-protein-deficient-survey/article7290278.ece https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/80-india...
- huffmsa 6y ago
  And the distillates and supplements still aren't universally as "good" (bioavailability, cost, associated nutrients) as the real thing. I'm all for lab produced everything, but it's not good enough yet for me to feel comfortable trying to outsmart nature.
- crucio 6y ago
  You are spreading misinformation. Everyone needs Omega 3/6/9. You can get it from nuts and algae. IF you want to be inefficient and introduce a middleman, you can get it from fish. B12 is needed by everyone. The meat you eat has it supplemented. Again, you can cut out the middleman and get it directly as a supplement rather than having a cow killed.
  - huffmsa 6y ago
    Growing 1lb of almonds requires ~1900 gallons of water. Beef is ~1800lbs. Not particularly efficient is it
- gautamdivgi 6y ago
  Practical experience of trying to go vegetarian/vegan. I gave up after a while. I just felt constantly hungry. Maybe because I started working out and going vegan at the same time. fwiw - "vegetarian" doesn't count for animal well-being. Egg laying chickens and milk cows are treated really badly and their agony is rather prolonged for the duration of their "productive life".

high_density 6y ago

aren't there lab-grown meat researches going on?

huffmsa 6y ago
There are and I look forward to them. Cheap, USDA prime grade steak for everyone one will be excellent

Falling3 6y ago

Humans don't require animal products to live (or thrive). And your "what got us here" comment is a Naturalistic Fallacy.

surajama 6y ago

400-500 million people in India are vegetarian [1]. Are these all magical creatures? [1] http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/the-food-habits-of-a-nation/article3089973.ece http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/the-food-habits-of-a-na...

seanmcdirmid 6y ago
India is incredibly agriculturally productive, with amounts of arable land other countries can only dream of. Try doing the same diet just a few paces up in more arid and mountainous Central Asia and it would be famine.