Most people I know who eat plant-based diets do it because of their health. Personally I love meat and eggs but I gave them up when I watched Forks over Knives. I’ve lost 20 pounds and my cholesterol dropped 40 points. I’m just really happy with it. I think it’s a mistake to lump vegans with plant-based. Vegan is more of a political statement.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't want all the antibiotics in meat. They make you fat.

+1

Honestly, it's pretty depressing that you can see the difference in kids between families that eat mostly organic and families that eat mostly conventional.

Really? I don’t think this is true at all.

If families eat the exact same foods except one did only organic, and the other did only conventional, and they got the same calories, then I believe their weight would be the same. That’s just my hypothesis .

There are plenty of people who have healthy or low-calorie conventional diets (think of all the skinny old women!).

Antibiotics are well known to make animals fatter/larger. Why would humans be exempt from this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't want all the antibiotics in meat. They make you fat.

+1

Honestly, it's pretty depressing that you can see the difference in kids between families that eat mostly organic and families that eat mostly conventional.

Really? I don’t think this is true at all.

If families eat the exact same foods except one did only organic, and the other did only conventional, and they got the same calories, then I believe their weight would be the same. That’s just my hypothesis .

There are plenty of people who have healthy or low-calorie conventional diets (think of all the skinny old women!).

Anonymous wrote:Cow farts are apparently bad for the environment. I can see why they'd be unpleasant but don't really understand why they're an actual problem.

Agriculture produces a bit under 10% of US greenhouse gases (in terms of CO2 equivalent, this includes methane). Of that, 28% is "enteric emissions" from ruminant animals, primarily cattle. The digestive system of ruminants allows them to digest stuff (grasses and other forage) we can't but it does produce methane gas that leaves the animal at the front end or the back end.

OTOH, termites produce more methane than cows, and natural decay produces more than anything else.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone care to weigh in on lab grown meat? Impossible burger, etc?

I'm a flexatarian but have reduced meat consumption significantly due to environment and cancer concerns (processed esp). I'd be happy to cut it out entirely but my family not as excited by lentil and other bean/grain stews as I am. Did get my daughter to eat a brown rice veggie bowl though.

To me, the "fake meats" are a fun treat but not meant to be a daily or frequent part of your diet. I tasted the Impossible Burger and to their credit, it reminded me so much of a burger it grossed me out since I haven't eaten on in so long. So it could help people trying to wean off burgers.

But I like getting a "fake" breakfast sausage patty and making my own breakfast sandwiches with eggs and an English mufin - but it's like a once in a while thing. II don't pretend it's healthy. I don't think it's particularly harmful, but it's meant to be a "in moderation" thing.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone care to weigh in on lab grown meat? Impossible burger, etc?

I'm a flexatarian but have reduced meat consumption significantly due to environment and cancer concerns (processed esp). I'd be happy to cut it out entirely but my family not as excited by lentil and other bean/grain stews as I am. Did get my daughter to eat a brown rice veggie bowl though.

Lab grown meat - does this exist yet? But I could see that being a much better choice for the environment and possibly for health. The impossible burger I think is just junk food - highly highly processed, probably better for the environment than beef but probably not better for health. I'd rather eat the occasional real burger, but if you're someone who loves burgers and wants to eat them a lot, then maybe you could sub in an impossible burger sometimes.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone care to weigh in on lab grown meat? Impossible burger, etc?

I'm a flexatarian but have reduced meat consumption significantly due to environment and cancer concerns (processed esp). I'd be happy to cut it out entirely but my family not as excited by lentil and other bean/grain stews as I am. Did get my daughter to eat a brown rice veggie bowl though.

White rice has much less arsenic than brown rice, btw.

Anyone care to weigh in on lab grown meat? Impossible burger, etc?

I'm a flexatarian but have reduced meat consumption significantly due to environment and cancer concerns (processed esp). I'd be happy to cut it out entirely but my family not as excited by lentil and other bean/grain stews as I am. Did get my daughter to eat a brown rice veggie bowl though.