Meat: is it 'the cure-all for every malady'?

Question

I'm wondering why so many people think vegetarians need 'protein shakes' or vitamin supplements.

Where did the myth that 'vegetarians get sick' come from? Is the media to blame? Or schools? Friends? Parents? The internet? What makes people think humans need meat?

Answer 1

because of a poor fund of knowlege.

Answer 2

This has been addressed before, I think. But I'll bite. Back in the Middle Ages, it was believed that only foods from animals were worth eating. (Yes, really.)

Nutritionally speaking, meat is quite efficient. It gives you fat, protein, and minerals in highly usable forms. A lack of protein, iron, fat, etc makes you very sick. If a person were to give up meat and not supplement their diet with anything else, it would be difficult for them to get adequate nutrition. (I'm assuming here that you live in North America, where legumes, leafy greens, high-protein grains, and seeds and nuts aren't a significant part of the average person's diet.)

Additionally, from a cultural standpoint, meat has always been considered a superior source of nutrition in many Western cultures. A belief held for hundreds of years isn't going to change overnight. ;-)

Answer 3

I live in America, and in America the meat industry does all it can to convince the public that meat is the ultimate food for strength. A few days ago I saw a commercial that was about steaks or something and the slogan was "GO Meat!" It was pretty ridiculous. The media definitely plays a large role in why so many people think they "need" meat to be healthy.

The truth is that they cover up what really goes on in those slaughter houses and the c**p that comes out of it. Ever seen those pictures of the happy smiling farm animals on packaged meat? They act like the animals enjoy giving their dead corpses for us to consume!

So yes. People only say that because that is what the meat industry has pounded into their heads.

Answer 4

It's mostly a Western mentality, all over the world there are many cultures that barely use meat as a garnish. The spread of Western influence in Asian countries has resulted in a growing popularity of KFC and other meals, but they still traditionally recognize the benefits and healthiness of at least a primarily vegetarian diet.

I think all over the world meat is seen as an indulgence, or something expensive, or something to be regarded with great respect (with ritualistic slaughter procedure, rules about what meat can or cannot be eaten, very highly regarded hunting and killing procedures, heck even a complete moral and religious objection to meat in some areas!).

In the West, we hoard natural resources, and we funnel them into the meat industry - millions and millions of pounds of grain, gallons of water, are thrown carelessly into a system that raises an animal and then fattens it - the product is calorically inefficient. 16 pounds of grain, 2,500 gallons of water are required to make a pound of meat. But it's customary to eat whatever you want and to indulge your every whim in the West, without putting much thought into whether the animal suffered or whether the thousands of pounds of grain or water the dead animal on one's plate could have gone to better use.

I think it's therefore Western culture and mentality, which then pervades the Internet, the mass media (in America all mass media is owned by 5 giant conglomerates, all of which are a jumble of various corporations that have EVERY INTENTION to keep us at the level of ignorant consumer).

Answer 5

I have no idea.  I do know that today for lunch I had light life faux turkey lunch meat and it had 13 grams of protein in the 80 calorie serving I ate.  I also eat 1/2 cup servings of beans that contain 9 grams.

Meat eaters use the protein thing as just another way to justify why they "need" meat.  It's just another lie spread by the meat industry and people who are afraid of what they don't understand.  

When I think if sickness I think of meat.  Meat is the #1 cause of food poisoning in the US.  Think Campylobactor.  Think of the f***s in every single fresh piece of meat you buy...That makes me sick:)

Answer 6

True story...

This one time, I had a broken clavicle.  I went to McDonald's, got a Big Mac, and rubbed it all over the break.  Withing 10 minutes I was playing tennis against the Williams sisters... and I won.

This other time, my eye fell out.  I was eating a meatball sub at the time so I picked up the best looking one and put it in the socket.  Not only did I regain my vision, I gained x-ray vision as well!

This other, other time, I broke my ankle playing football.  I grabbed some raw bacon and made a cast out of it with eggs and butter to keep it together.  That same day, I won the Boston marathon.

Meat cures EVERYTHING!

Answer 7

It's a very old cultural idea.

According to the book, Beyond Beef, by Jeremy Rifkin, it started with "cow cultures" of Neolithic times.

Meat, especially beef, became a symbol of strength, affluence, and superiority.

The British Empire was very big on beef culture, and the same mentality was inherited by the USA. Other countries have adopted the same kind of ideas.

http://www.foet.org/books/beyond-beef.ht...

JR gets to hang out with the Williams sisters, I'm jealous.

Answer 8

Myths promoted by the Multi billion dollar dairy, egg and meat industry. I'm sure the myths started with animal sacrifice. Just no fun sacrificing a watermelon. Poor animals :-(

Answer 9

Ignorant people have the loudest mouths. Honestly, every stupid comment I've gotten has been from people who could be described as "not the brightest crayon in the box".

Some buy into the poo they're fed from the meat and dairy industries. Some just repeat vague "facts" they've heard other people give. Others just form their own ridiculous conclusions and go around beating others over the head with them.

Some for the hall of fame:

"your son's food allergies were caused by you being a vegetarian- it's your fault" ( I'm the least confrontational person you'll ever meet, but I  almost punched her right in the face, I swear).

"being a vegetarian is a sin" - really? was that the 11th commandment? Thou shalt eat meat. Being a Christian, that one really irked me.

"You're going to die"

"You're going to kill your babies/your baby will be sickly"- My three children have had collectively two earaches and a handful of colds/stomach bugs. They're some of the healthiest children I've known. All were 7.5 lbs. and above at birth.

"what do you eat, salad?/well, we don't have a lot of vegetarian choices, but you could go outside and graze, har har har"

Answer 10

Who needs medicine when you've got *meaticine*. Throw out your old pills, drugs and medicine and start rubbing yourself with raw meat as JR suggested. Instant cure for any ailment or malady!

Answer 11

I have no idea where that idea came from. I know in America, the meat and dairy industry are close bedfellows with law makers.

They can and do mandate that public schools push this "food pyramid" c**p that includes so much meat and so much dairy. All the while, they get rich and the overall health of the American people declines at an alarming rate.

But that's another Oprah show. I agree - I think the whole idea of "needing" meat is skewed at best. Some non-veg*ns will ask about our sources of vitamins, minerals, protein, etc. I'm almost 100% certain that *they* don't survive on meat alone, so that right there should be a sign that there are loads of other food sources that keep the average human being healthy.

Yeesh!