God wants me to eat meat it's in the Bible. Most vegans look like crap with very little muscle def to them. It's a shame the PETA people care more about animals than the Millions of abortions that take place in this country every year. Yeah animals are more important......geez!

Wow, is that what you really think omnivores are thinking? I am a conscous omnivore; that is, I've thought a great deal about what to eat and why. Here are my answers:

Question: What's the one thing that keeps you from being vegetarian?

Answer: Eating a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet regulates my insulin and blood glucose levels and helps keep me from spiraling further down the diabetes spectrum to full-blown type II diabetes. It regulates my weight, has reduced the symptoms of my polycystic ovary syndrome (a condition that is a*sociated with high insulin or blood sugar levels), and has virtually eliminated the neuropathy in my hands and inflammation of my joints. To get a comparable amount of protein and fat without eating animal products, I would have to consume way more carbohydrates than my body can handle, and my fat consumption would shift away from healthy omega-3 fatty acids to inflammation-promoting omega-6 fatty acids. In other words, I'd become fat, diabetic, and unhealthy.

Question: What about the fact that alot of these tastes can be replicated by meat substitutes?

Answer: Well, sure, if you're talking about hotdogs and sliced deli meats - yeah, the substitutes aren't a bad approximation. But I seldom eat the real-meat versions of that crap. If you're talking about a nice chicken breast, or a steak, or a nice plate of mussels, forget it. The food processors don't even try to fake out the experience of eating a nice slow-cooked brisket, because they know they can't. Besides, the products you are referring to are not whole foods, and I prefer my food to be as close to nature as possible. Finally, I feel better when I avoid gluten, and I prefer to avoid soy because experts can't agree on whether it's good or bad.

Question: I notice you have children. Do you worry about the environment you're leaving them?

Answer: Well, I don't have kids, but I am worried about it. One reason I don't have kids is because I'm worried about the environment, in fact - many of our environmental problems stem from overpopulations. I don't own a car. I haven't used a clothes dryer since July. I keep the temperature of my house at 65 in the winter during the day and 60 at night. I don't have an air conditioner. And I absolutely think factory farming is unsustainable. But what about grazing, where the animal eats gra*s and converts it to form that humans can use, and then drops manure to fertilize the soil for the next crop of gra*s? What about letting chickens peck around for bugs?

On the other hand, even organic farming of plant crops kills animals. Plowing kills bunches and bunches of little critters, not just worms but cute little field mice and voles. Even organically acceptable pesticides kill insects. We all have blood on our hands - I figure if an animal is killed in the process of raising food, it should be eaten, not left to rot in the field while someone plants soybeans on top of it. I'll skip the soybeans and eat the chicken.

Question: Why aren't you worried about it?

Answer: What part of "I do worry about it" didn't you get? ;)

Question: You're familiar with some of the methods by which meat animals are killed and tortured. How do you get past that when you bite into a burger?

Answer: I don't espouse the torture. But as an animal myself, I know that nature is full of animals that kill and eat other animals. Espousing my animal nature helps me come to terms with this. Learning about biology helps. Name any behavior that humans engage in, there's probably an animal that does it, too. Cats play with their prey. Ants keep farms of aphids and "milk" them for honeydew. Heck, there's a species of ant in the rainforest that secretes an herbicide to kill plants other than the species it lives on, thereby demonstrating that animals are just as capable as humans of slash-and-burn agriculture.

Question: How much do you worry about your health in connection to what you eat?

Answer: See my answer to your first question. My health has never been better.

Question: Would you be willing to reduce your meat-eating days to 3 per week, plus one fish day?

Answer: Nope. Elevated blood sugar is dangerous every day. It causes your body to make proteins called advanced glycosolation end products that damage the small nerves and blood vessels in the eyes, kidneys, and heart. You're basically asking me to allow my blood sugar to be elevated over half of my life!

I realize this was written tongue-in-cheek so no carnivorous spouting-off - though I will suggest it's a good idea to research the science of opposing views as well as of the views you yourself hold. This from a former lacto-ovo veg who would have remained fat and unhealthy if she hadn't done just that :)

Anyway, just wanted to say I agree with Britni on the live-and-let-live philosophy. Don't bug your hubby about eating meat. Been there, done that! Some people feel and do very well on a vegetarian diet - some don't. One has to do what's best for one's health, and perhaps he feels better eating meat than not. 'Course I get on my fella for chowing down on sugar 24/7, so I'm one to talk! I've had to learn to just hush up and mind my own dinner.

Glad it's working for you - I would offer advice though to really look in to the health effects of many meat substitutes, esp. ones containing soy and wheat. Also, check out www.eatwild.com for sources of gra*sfed beef, etc. Good health to you :)

I don't see why people are getting so pissy over this article. I personally, live off a vegan diet because I dont believe in using animals and all that, and I'm perfecly healthy. I also know lots of meat eaters who are perfectly healthy as well.
So why critisize people for their decisions? I dont see the merit behind veggies and meat-eaters attacking each other's lifestyles, and thrusting their standards down each other's throats. Live and let live.

Kind of curious why all these meat eaters are reading a blog about being a moderate vegetarian? They seemed to be drawn to it, sort of like flies to a ______ (fill in the blank). Love your blog, kiddo. Keep talkin'; I'm coming around!

Thanks for the 11 comments all! I think all of them finally came through.

I am especially interested in free range animal foods for my (omnivore) family. That's what I was trying to get at with the post above, about how meat animals (goats) are raised in parts of Mexico.

Also, for the person who mentioned abortion, you may want to look up the belief system known as "Consistent Life Ethic," many of whom are vegetarians, pro-life, anti death penalty, etc. Quite a mixture.

Some answers to your questions from someone who actually eats meat. I hope I can offer some realistic answers, rather than the propaganda you've offered.

"Question: What's the one thing that keeps you from being vegetarian?"

Answer: I really enjoy meat. I don't really like very many vegetables. I like what the protein does for me. I like the taste of animal fat. I don't particularly care for brussel sprouts.

"Question: What about the fact that alot of these tastes can be replicated by meat substitutes?"

Answer: I have sampled some of these substitutes. A better word for them would be "simulations". That would be with an implied ersatz. Ersatz No-Chicken is not chicken. It doesn't replicate anything but a memory of chicken. If you side by side these things, you'd no there's no real substitute.

"Question: I notice you have children. Do you worry about the environment you're leaving them?"

Answer: I don't have kids. Clearly your overindulgence in soy has warped your hormonal balance to the point of distorting your senses of perception.

"Question: Why aren't you worried about it?"

Answer: Again, I don't have kids. But sustainability weights on my mind. Of course, technology tends to address problems, so perhaps it's naive to use history as a guide, but it's always worked in the past. But that said, the estrogen enhancing nature of soy (see weston price on the subject) doesn't feel like sustainability of the human race to me.

"Question: You're familiar with some of the methods by which meat animals are killed and tortured. How do you get past that when you bite into a burger?"

Answer: I really appreciate the sacrifice of the animal every time I eat meat. There can be ethical meat eating, since many native societies ate animals. I try to buy meats that were ethically raised and slaughtered, but that's a very hard road to hoe.

"Question: How much do you worry about your health in connection to what you eat?"

Answer: Not at all. I improved my lipid panel, controlled my blood sugar, and lost over 50 lbs eating a diet that was high in animal protein and fat. I feel much better with this diet. As does my doctor.

Question: Would you be willing to reduce your meat-eating days to 3 per week, plus one fish day?

Answer: Why? I don't particularly like fish, either. Would you be willing to reduce your legume consumption to 3/week? Or, since you're sure my meat eating is destroying the planet, how about you limit your solo use of your personal motor vehicle to say 30 miles a week to limit your carbon output, your contribution to traffic congestion and parking congestion, etc.

"Sure."

Answer: Great. Get right on it. For my part, I take ma*s transit nearly everywhere, limiting my personal motor vehicle use to weekends and holidays, and nearly never solo. Something that would be great, is if everybody else did this. Another thing would be for vegetarians to stop thinking they are better than everyone else or that they have the license on ethical behavior. They don't and they should maybe be a little less evangelical. It makes being friends with you very difficult for the 90% of us who do enjoy meat consumption.

Hi Allena. I would offer that you opened the door to debate by posting this interview. You obviously had a point you were trying to make, which I believe is that a) there are health and environmental benefits to adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, and b) that people don't actually think about the a*sociated consequences of what they eat. The problem is that it's easy to score points for (a) with somebody from category (b).

If you really think your own POV can withstand some critical thinking, then you should be more than willing to engage with somebody who does think about the issue. I do have confidence in my particular stance, as I believe it is backed by scientific evidence. However, I clearly don't know all of the evidence (nobody ever could), and thus am always open to hearing that supporting alternative views.

I'm hoping you'll reconsider the offer to do an interview like the above. It's tempting for me just to respond to the same set of questions, but I think if we do it "off the cuff" it may evolve in more interesting directions. For my part, I will stick to issues that can be backed by science. The ethics of vegetarianism (or any other "ism") lay in the realm of opinion and personal choice, and such arguments tend to go nowhere fast.

You can contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Hi all, sorry the comments took a long time to come through! I saw them in my email but they didn't get posted so I couldn't address them until now.
I notice some haven't even come through, so....I don't know. I don't moderate, I just WRITE!

First, thanks for visiting.
Second, you all have great points. Please keep in mind that I am a moderate vegg, and not really perfect at maintaining the liefestyle myself, so I certainly understand and support your views. Also, it is still a newish lifestyle for me.

HOWEVER, the point of this blog is to support those who have already made this lifestyle decision, so I won't be debating any points are questioning anyone else. I wouldn't be adverse to opening a vegg debate blog somewhere, but this blog is not it.

And this was a true "interview", er, questionaire. It was very off the cuff and not prepared for though. These are basically the questions I fire at my husband everyday in trying to sway him.

Thanks again for visiting!

Question: What's the one thing that keeps you from being vegetarian?

Answer:
Credible research up to this point indicates that humans need a dietary source of amino and fatty acids. Some of these are only available from animal sources.


Question: What about the fact that alot of these tastes can be replicated by meat substitutes?

Answer: They absolutely cannot be replicated by meat substitutes! Are you kidding? You think a juicy steak and a Boca Burger taste anything near alike?
(Also, it's "a lot" not "alot".)


Question: I notice you have children. Do you worry about the environment you're leaving them?

Answer: I don't have children, but the argument about meat-eating being bad for the environment is based on faulty logic. Vegetarians like to tout the "one acre of land can produce 165 lbs of beef or 20,000 potatoes" line, but let's examine that briefly.

Firstly, while you do get more potatoes, potatoes are a vastly inferior source of nutrition to beef. If you doubt this, let's go head-to-head, and I'll eat only beef for a year while you eat only potatoes, and we'll see who's alive at Christmas.

Secondly, this argument rests on the faulty premise that every acre of land in the world is suitable for arable farming. This simply isn't the case - there are many areas where it is impossible to farm, but animals like sheep can graze freely. Until humans evolve a mechanism to derive nutrients from gra*s, perhaps we could continue to eat the ingenious devices which turn gra*s into nutritious protein - animals.


Question: Why aren't you worried about it?

Answer: I think there are more pressing concerns, like 8,500 people dying from AIDS every day and a largely ignored genocide ongoing in Darfur.

I am concerned about damage to the environment, however. To that end:
- I recycle whatever I can
- I use a canvas bag to to grocery shopping instead of using environmentally-damaging plastic bags
- I pay a carbon offset charge when I fly ($70 for a round trip flight from Montreal-Orlando for two people)
- I don't smoke or litter
- I don't own or drive a car

Care to rack up your environmental damage next to mine just because you eat veggies instead of delicious meat?


Question: You're familiar with some of the methods by which meat animals are killed and tortured. How do you get past that when you bite into a burger?

Answer: I find the inhumane treatment of animals disgusting and unnecessary. I absolutely favor reforms so animals are raised and slaughtered in the most pain-free way possible. Temple Grandin has made some great progress with slaughterhouse improvements around the country. Buying free-range gra*s-fed beef, and free-range eggs are just a couple of ways to support more humane farming. Plus, happy cows taste better!


Question: How much do you worry about your health in connection to what you eat?

Answer: I pay very close attention to my health in connection to what I eat. I've noticed that eating a diet full of high-quality protein from meat, fish and eggs, and a few vegetables thrown in has made me healthier and happier than ever before. I also don't have the sallow complexion and the big dark circles you often see under vegetarians' eyes from iron deficiency.

Question: Would you be willing to reduce your meat-eating days to 3 per week, plus one fish day?

Answer: No way. Would you be willing to reduce your eating days to 4 per week?

Allena, are you hearing all this?

I would like to be interviewed also. What are people who have multiple food allergies supposed to eat if the are allergic to soy and wheat. Most vegetarian meat substitutes are filled with these overprocessed products. I do low carb and it lots of fresh vegetables more alot more than most of my vegetarian friends. Please don't a*sume that people who are not vegetarian are truly that ignorant. The interview sounds made up to me.

After gaining a BS in WildLife Ecology and an MS is Animals and Public Policy I decided that a diet that included free-range, humanely produced animal products was not only ethical, but better for the the health of my body and the environment. I'd be happy to volunteer to take this "interview" with you if you would like to hear another point of view.

You have another volunteer to take the survey in me.

I fed my family and myself a nearly meatless diets for 2 years. I'll sum up the effects: I gained weight, became anemic, and suffered from severe depression. I reversed all the effects by adopting a low carb diet after a great deal of reading (and not some desperation, after all, I was on a healthy diet, right?).

I don't argue if a person tells me they, in particular, are healthier on a diet of reduced animal products. However, vegetarianism is not right for everyone and I would argue that it would produce ill health for most of the planet.

Uh, I don't suppose you'd care to repeat this interview with someone who has a more balanced and informed view of the issue? I'll volunteer, if you're interested.

Hi Jimmy.
I really enjoy your blog. However, I wanted to point that you can be lowcarb AND veggy. I am a pescatarian (I eat fish/seafood), however an ovo/lacto veg could definitely do low carb as well. My "staples" are eggs, greek yogurt, veggies, nuts, oils, avocados, seeds, fish, cheese, cream, etc... I love this lifestyle and now wear size 6 jeans (I am 5'9). Just wanted to let you know it does not have to be such an "us versus them" mentality. You can be both vegetarian and low carb.
Thanks for putting so much into this blog. You do an amazing job!

What a dopey "interview," Allena!

Here are my responses to your questions:

Question: What's the one thing that keeps you from being vegetarian?

Answer: You NEED animal fat in your diet to be healthy, so a veggie-only diet would leave you nutrient deficient.

Question: What about the fact that alot of these tastes can be replicated by meat substitutes?

Answer: If you mean tofu, then NO THANKS! There are a lot of unanswered questions about soy that still linger out there and these concerns are being substantiated by the research. Give me a steak instead!

Question: I notice you have children. Do you worry about the environment you're leaving them?

Answer: I'm MORE worried about a world where a truly healthy diet of fats and proteins is shunned and they'll be forced to eat bean sprouts and tofu for sustenance. We've become too ba*sackwards nutritionally these days and it's getting worse.

Question: Why aren't you worried about it?

Answer: Because quite frankly civilization has lasted for many years longer than the past hundred or so on a high-fat, low-carb diet consisting of meat, a little bit of vegetation, and a few berries. The whole low-fat, vegetarian fad has only been around the past few decades and has not stood up to the test of time. It'll pa*s soon enough when people realize they can manage their weight and health on a diet with 60-70% fat--even saturated fat!

Question: You're familiar with some of the methods by which meat animals are killed and tortured. How do you get past that when you bite into a burger?

Answer: I care about the humane treatment of animals, but I don't care that they are slaughtered to become food for me and my family. It's the way God intended. The real outcry is how people can get all worked up over a cow becoming hamburger meat, but millions of unborn babies are sacrificed at the altar of inconvenience each year when they are aborted. That's the REAL travesty in this country.

Question: How much do you worry about your health in connection to what you eat?

Answer: It's the reason why I went on a high-fat, low-carb diet in January 2004 and have continued to eat that way ever since. My health has never been better than it is RIGHT NOW thanks to eating this way despite the fact that it goes against everything I've ever heard to be true about a healthy lifestyle. But I challenge anyone to tell me that I'm worse off today than I was four years ago at 410 pounds. Anyone?

Question: Would you be willing to reduce your meat-eating days to 3 per week, plus one fish day?

Answer: Why the %$&*# would I want to do that?! Meat not only tastes good, but it is good for you, too! Do you WANT me to be unhealthy?