Benefits of Eating Meat

[Brutha]

As well as the fact that fire has a number of benefits aside from cooking. On the most basic level it probably prompted early humans to realize that many things were possible that they once thought impossible.

That doesn't give an evolutionary advantage.

You want proof that early man ate raw meat? Really? Humans were and still are just like any other animal.

The other big apes don't eat meat so it's not so simple.

There's however a problem, for what do you need fire when you aren't already eating meat?
If you aren't into producing sharp sticks for hunting why do you rub wood sticks against each other over longer period of time to produce fire?

Meat in the human diet: An anthropological perspective by Neil Mann in Nutrition & Dietetics says:
"Human ancestral diets changed substantially approximately four to five million years ago with major climatic changes creating open grassland environments."
As far as I know the usage of fire isn't that old. The article that linked above dated it eight hundred thousand years in the past.

Possible, but I don't know. Our cooked food doesn't go bad, because we have air tight containers and fridges to hold the meat in. I think the spoiling of both raw and cooked might be the same.

I think the idea is to keep the raw meat till you want to eat it and then cook it to kill some of the bacteria in the meat.

When it comes to eating hunted animals you also shouldn't forget that they didn't had knifes. Without knifes it might be easier to separate a cooked animal than it's to separate an animal with isn't cooked.
We don't have the teeth that most carnivores have.

[Maria Erving]

I chose to become a vegetarian maybe 8-9 months ago or so, because of ethical reasons, and I always rave about how much better I feel now - but mostly, (mostly..!) all you women out there that suffers from PMS - I want to let you know that give it a try for a few months if you too suffer from it, give it a shot to live without meat and see the difference. It was an added bonus in my life if you will, that came from my change in diet, that I feel so blessed by nowadays:-)

I have had severe PMS all my life and thought (seriously) that I would just have to live with it until menopause lol but suddenly after a month or two into my vegetarianism I suddenly just got my periods without the hellish week before as usual - it just came and went, without any issues like before.
I just wanted to share this! It's amazing and it's my duty as a woman to share it when the opportunity shows itself even if it is a bit off topic

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by Maria Erving

I chose to become a vegetarian maybe 8-9 months ago or so, because of ethical reasons, and I always rave about how much better I feel now - but mostly, (mostly..!) all you women out there that suffers from PMS - I want to let you know that give it a try for a few months if you too suffer from it, give it a shot to live without meat and see the difference. It was an added bonus in my life if you will, that came from my change in diet, that I feel so blessed by nowadays:-)

I have had severe PMS all my life and thought (seriously) that I would just have to live with it until menopause lol but suddenly after a month or two into my vegetarianism I suddenly just got my periods without the hellish week before as usual - it just came and went, without any issues like before.
I just wanted to share this! It's amazing and it's my duty as a woman to share it when the opportunity shows itself even if it is a bit off topic

I'd say a good part of that, comes from highly processed non organic factory meat, and not from lack OF meat. We all know how many hormones are in there, so it wouldn't surprise me that a hormone based women problem would be exacerbated by those said hormones.

Meat seems to always be the scape goat for just about EVERY single. problem. Cause and effect people.

[firenexx]

Cause and effect people.

Yeah, you tell 'em!

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by firenexx

Wrong!

I know this was posted in 2006, but I had to respond simply because it is an incorrect statement.

Someone posted a plethora of sources recently relating to B vitamins in foods; I wish I could dig it up.

we're waiting.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by firenexx

Yeah, you tell 'em!

do you follow me around to make comments like this? lol

[elucidate]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

do you follow me around to make comments like this? lol

Awww...you gotta fan RR...that's sweet!

[elucidate]

We wouldn't have made it this far without meat!

[1by1]

we're waiting.

Are you looking for a list??

Because it is quite easy to find one, here, here or here.

So yes, meat is a major and easy source of B vitamins, but you can get them from other places like brown, wholemeal bread, green vegetables, peas, potatoes, whole grain cereals.

Vitamin B12 is the hardest to get on a pure vegetarian diet. Milk and eggs can help if you eat them. Otherwise you can get foods with B12 added or take vitamin supplements.

Basically, if you don't eat meat you just have to pay more attention to what you do eat and make sure its giving you all the nutrients you need.

[firenexx]

Originally Posted by russianrocket

we're waiting.

Cool, keep waiting.

...

Alright that's long enough:

Substantiating my views on veganism

This is mainly directed towards B12. 1by1's links seemed to cover the rest of the B vitamins but gave the typical "LOL B12 CAN ONLY BE GOTTEN IN EXPENSIVE SUPPLEMENTS FOR BRONTOSAURUS-TYPES" spiel for B12.

In particular, one study found that the testing used to determine B vitamin content often destroyed the vitamins it was looking for.

Unfortunately, ochromonas malhamensis (a method which is able to distinguish active from analogue) has been used in very few studies (probably due to the expense compared to IF assay and other methods.) In that post, you'll see a study that uses O.M. to show that far lower levels than previously reported were found in milk, meat, etc. Keep in mind this is an isolated study. O.M. also found that vegetables did in fact contain B12; keep in mind this is an isolated study. O.M. has not been performed on foods enough to be considered solid evidence. However, the only testing methods that HAVE been used on foods inadvertently measure analogue in addition to or instead of active and are therefore useless. Basically, we have no idea what the B12 content of any food is unless we use a superior testing method than what is currently used, or unless we measure our own MMA level while on a diet containing the food.

Here is another link related to B12: Measuring B12: Why the Confusion?
There is a lot of information related to testing for B12 content.
It sort of ends the issue this way:

No food in Europe or the U.S. has been tested for lowering MMA levels. Thus, the discussion about whether Western vegans can get B12 from plant foods can, and probably should, end here (until proper research is conducted).

Basically, they say that no food has been adequately tested for active B12 content (while many have been tested for analogue content). This means that we simply must rely on our own blood tests of MMA levels rather than rumours and useless knowledge on B12 analogue content.
Sadly, food manufacturers are not motivated to use more accurate testing methods, because they'd rather list the analogue content on the label so that people think it contains B12.

There is one thing that really bothers me, and it is mentioned in the Bradshaw post I linked to above. Sometimes, when discussing B12, people say one or more of the following or similar things:
-X study showed that primates were given a purified diet free of B12 for 3 years, and never showed a deficiency!
-I haven't worried about B12 for months/years, and I feel great! It's all a load of crap!

The fact that they FEEL GREAT or that the primates didn't get a deficiency after 3 years, means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Your body conveniently stores B12 the way a rechargeable battery stores power! You won't know you're out until you're really out! And that'll take a while! (Of course, your body does produce its own, but I have no idea how much.)
I have no problem with people responsibly talking about B12, quoting a whole bunch of crazy studies and such, but when they start saying ridiculous things like "LOl i don't pay attention to my B12 level, but I feel fine, so I must be fine rite?" THEN I get annoyed because it promotes inadequate knowledge of nutrition.

That is all.