Tinako is right, comparing a human's canines to a carnivorous animal's canines is absurd. Physiologically and anthropologically speaking, humans are frugivores. The human digestive tract digests fruit more completely and efficiently than any other food available. In fact, it's so efficient that when eaten on an empty stomach it actually doesn't digest in the stomach at all, it digests in the intestine. We CAN eat meat and starch, but it's supposed to be more of an emergency thing, and eating them together isn't a very good idea. "Why?" you ask. Because it takes an acidic stomach secretion to digest protein, and an alkaline one to digest starch. And what happens when an acid and base are combined? They neutralize each other, so nothing gets properly digested. And yes, there is plenty of science to back this up. The meat and dairy industries know all about it, they just don't want YOU to. On a related note, "Fit For Life" by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond is a great book, even if being published in '85 means that it also has a VERY '80s feel to it(kinda like reading an infomercial). I recently finished reading it and am currently working ... lots more (229 words)
I'm confused on this B12 thing. Webster defines a vegan as a person who doesn't consume animal food or dairy products. You said B12 is synthesized by bacteria, and bacteria is in the kingdom Monera, not a animal, so I don't see the problem for the vegans with B12
In his manifesto "In Defense of Food," Michael Pollan refers to "near vegetarians" as "Flexitarians": they don't exclude meat and animal products entirely, but will only eat a very small amount of it. ...just thought you should add that to your list :)
I guess bacon would be the candy of meat. Just like most candy, it should be eaten in moderation as they both are really unhealthy. Just think about what is in the bacon aside from pig.
I really liked this show! Hilarious yet informative. Anyway, thanks for clarifying that. My mom is a dietician and she always gets a little worried about people who choose these lifestyles but don't educate themselves while doing it. YAY for meat! :) (Especially bacon?)
Guess I'm a carna-vegetarian, lol. I agree that Americans overall eat way too much meat, but I don't think cutting it out completely is the solution either. I try to stick to mostly veggies and a little meat for the easy access to protein. Besides, never gonna give up sushi and jr. bacon cheeseburgers!! ;)
I call for a "Hip Hip Hurray" on The Brothers Winn gaining over 1000 subscribers.
http://www.whatyououghttoknow.com/show/2008/02/08/what-i-want-to-know/
The linked video no longer matters. Congrats.
Thanks for the show guys! My girlfriend has insisted that she just likes the produce section more! I still find it hard to believe, but as long as I don't have to eat tofu, I'm happy.
Gurgle, I know I'm guilty of dispensing snide comments, although only to close friends of mine, and only in jest. Still, I can easily see how it could grow tiresome; if every time I admitted to liking burgers somebody asked, "How could *that* be your diet?" I'd probably get sick of it in short order... Another interesting thing you brought up is that you feel others think you are judging them. I've never felt that way about vegans, personally, but it's cool to hear your point of view, especially that you consider your choices to be yours and nobody else's business. Great post!
Tinako, awesome post. Just one thing, though, he was only pointing out the canines to demonstrate that we are biologically omnivorous; in fact, he specified the molars, which are not present in carnivorous mouths. Certainly our canines are underdeveloped at best, vestigial at worst, but the fact that we have them along with ... lots more (255 words)
Great post by tinako!
Aside from some of the smarmy and ignorant jests made in the video I thought it was good. Veg folks get used to hearing the snide comments all the time.
My wife, our children, and I are vegan. Most of the vegans that I know do so to reduce suffering. So, that is a handy metric for determining what is and is not acceptable. For example, the plight of bacteria does not really resonate with anyone that I know.
For my family, we have made a choice to live an examined life. We look at everything we do and why we do it. The moral consequence of our choices are considered every day. This spills far beyond just our diet, though that is a big part of it. How a product is produced, where the materials come from, how the workers are treated, etc. are all factors.
Some might say "What a pain in the ass!", which is certainly your prerogative. For my wife and I though we feel morally obligated to do the right thing.
The usual vibe I get from most people when they learn about my veganism is ... lots more (250 words)
tinako: I actually agree with you partially. I do think that are other reasons why people are vegetarians and vegans other than the reasons you have mentioned (I've heard some weird ones before) but I completely agree that most people need to either see a nutritionist or at least research more into nutrition. I'm not a nutritionist but I have had some nutrition classes and most american diets are really not that healthy.
Thanks, Deigo :) I guess it would take a bugge-vegetarian to be ok with eating bugs. I'm glad I'm not one of those. ...and I'm glad I'm not a chimp, either.
I've been vegetarian (lacto-ovo) for 15 years and vegan for 8 months. I'm not a nutritionist, but then, neither is anyone else here.
Great show, but a few things: 1. Human canines are pathetic. People point to them and say "Look, just like a lion." Have you seen lion's teeth? Look at your dog's teeth. Anyway, most vegetarians don't give up meat because they think we aren't meant to eat it. They give it up because it is unhealthy, cruel, and/or wasteful. Whether you agree or not, pointing to your canines is, well, pointless.
2. Most Americans get too much protein (4th paragraph of http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11234). It is a health problem. Did you know that protein robs your body of calcium if your diet is already low in calcium, which most Americans' are? So to imply that vegetarians need special help from nutritionists to survive without meat is a distraction from the truth that vegetarians generally eat much healthier than non-vegs, and that people eating the typical high-protein, high-fat, high-cholesterol, low-fiber, processed-food American diet ought to RUN to a nutritionist. You can absolutely have an unhealthy vegan diet, but you ... lots more (448 words)
@AngInAmerica
Don't insects count as meat?
Sure, they have muscles, nerves, blood, the whole nine yards. I don't know anyone who eat insects, and also claims to be a vegan. Just to clarify, the chimps in my example, are not vegan.
I'm a strict animal lover...but meat...just tastes sooooo good....lol. I used to feel really strong about not eating horse meat, I mean, I still love em now, but at the same time, they are an meat animal, though they have other purposes, thank higher power, and yet it's illegal, in most ways, to eat them....
Ok here's a funny story: My sister used to be a meat eater until she had a bad dream involiving some fried chicken. Since that day she's been a pretty strict vegetarian. You know the kind who'll eat dairy products but not eggs. Always thought that kinda odd and amusing.
I am a person that loves challenges and the ultimate challenge for me would be to become a vegetarian. I've thought about it, but not only would it be an ultimate challenge, I'm 100% positive I wouldn't be able to go more than a week with out fish, meat, or any diary products. It's in what I eat every single day and I'm not sure I could survive without a big juicy piece of steak or a salmon smoked on a plank. So I praise those who have become veggies because I know I would never, ever be able to ... more (128 words)
I love this show! Random facts are my favorite. On that note, I was wondering: since it's winter time and all, why does your skin dry out when it's cold outside? I own like twelve bottles of lotion. Yikes.
I love meat. I can't go a day without. One of my friends is a vegetarian because of her religion and she asked me one day why I eat meat. I asked her if she had to find ways to get her portien. She said yes and I said see that is why I eat meat. I also told her becuase it tastes REALLY good. hahaha! Equals D!
AnginAmerica: Lol, breaded bugs are the hot new item on vegan menus.
I love the quote at the end. I heard it once as a child, and now I can't remember who said it...(time for a little web research)...ah, it was A. Whitney Brown. Good ol' Whitney. Very humorous.
Diego, Don't insects count as meat? They have nerves of some kind, don't they? (...do they? Now that I'm writing this I'm second guessing myself...) Anyway, I'm wondering if vegans eat bugs. And, I'm wondering if "breading" single-cell organisms makes them tastier :)
As a vegan(both dietary and lifestyle) I submit that you don't need meat. Most of our primate relatives eat mostly plants and insects, whereas we have mastered the art of breading single celled organisms, and can get everything they get from picking bugs off each other, except companionship, through the consumption of vat-grown microbes.
Most vegans don't use the scientific nomenclature that differentiates animals from plants, while yeasts are more closely related to what we generally refer to as animals, it's hard to argue that that relationship makes them "meat" in the conventional sense. We tend to think of animals as ... more (152 words)
I eat meat, lots of it and I don't see how these ... ack! I'm having chest pains!!
I'm back. Actually I do eat meat, not to excess, but I do love a nicely cooked piece of meat. I can understand not eating meat because a person might think its bad for them, but there are others who can't inflict pain to these animals. Well, aren't veggies alive? They grow, they eat the nutrients from the ground and they even breathe (they turn CO2 to Oxygen) so shouldn't that argument be moot? Just thinking out loud, ... more (113 words)
My girlfriend is also a veggie... well I guess she is technically a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. I keep trying to get her to a nutritionist, but she refuses...
Yeah, another thing that you forgot to mention is a "complete protein." You need to eat proteins that have all the amino acids in them. Amino acids are the chemicals that make up the proteins. Our bodies can only synthesize 10 amino acids... Our diet must include the following amino acids: arginine (required for the young, but not for adults), histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. If one of these above listed animo acids are not found in our diet, our body will destroy another proteins in our body to obtain it, or just not make the protein it was going to make. Luckily, the above listed amino acids are produced by plants, you just have to find a diet that includes all of them (I think a mixture of corn and black beans have all of the essential amino acids).
The biggest example of diet having to include animo acids is cats... not eating cats... but the cute kittens eating meat. Cat's ... lots more (309 words)
There's one hope left for veggies. You actually don't need much meat to live. Only like oner piece of meat in one or two weeks should be enough to live on.
There's one big plus to vegetarians: they can often cook well (if they know what they're doing that is). |Pays to have one as your girlfriend. Just remember to eat out sometimes and sartisfy your lust for meat. Because as tasty as most veggie food can be it just doens't compare to a good steak once in a while...
So I would be a pesco-pollo-vegetarian. I'm sorry, but I don't like any of those meats and I very rarely have the chance to get the only other meat that is out of that classification that is ham which I find delicious but don't get often enough to count.
Yeah!!! Those plant haters. LOL.
I LOVED the ATkins diet.....until my blood pressure didn't. I think everything in moderation is a good way to do it. I wish I could maintain the weight loss that way.
Eat less and exercise. Whatever.
Red Green Thought: Atleast as carnivores we are merciful. We kill the animal first before eating the steak. Raw fruits and vegetables are still alive, you just can't hear their screaming in pain...
November 11th, 2008 
38 Comments
Therev
Tinako is right, comparing a human's canines to a carnivorous animal's canines is absurd. Physiologically and anthropologically speaking, humans are frugivores. The human digestive tract digests fruit more completely and efficiently than any other food available. In fact, it's so efficient that when eaten on an empty stomach it actually doesn't digest in the stomach at all, it digests in the intestine. We CAN eat meat and starch, but it's supposed to be more of an emergency thing, and eating them together isn't a very good idea. "Why?" you ask. Because it takes an acidic stomach secretion to digest protein, and an alkaline one to digest starch. And what happens when an acid and base are combined? They neutralize each other, so nothing gets properly digested. And yes, there is plenty of science to back this up. The meat and dairy industries know all about it, they just don't want YOU to. On a related note, "Fit For Life" by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond is a great book, even if being published in '85 means that it also has a VERY '80s feel to it(kinda like reading an infomercial). I recently finished reading it and am currently working ... lots more (229 words)nick
I'm confused on this B12 thing. Webster defines a vegan as a person who doesn't consume animal food or dairy products. You said B12 is synthesized by bacteria, and bacteria is in the kingdom Monera, not a animal, so I don't see the problem for the vegans with B12AngInAmerica
In his manifesto "In Defense of Food," Michael Pollan refers to "near vegetarians" as "Flexitarians": they don't exclude meat and animal products entirely, but will only eat a very small amount of it. ...just thought you should add that to your list :)Cullenlover
im sort of a veggie eateri dont know if i really want to make the switchAnonymi [22]
I guess bacon would be the candy of meat. Just like most candy, it should be eaten in moderation as they both are really unhealthy. Just think about what is in the bacon aside from pig.khoeber
Especially bacon! It's the candy of meat!Soul Sister [22]
I really liked this show! Hilarious yet informative. Anyway, thanks for clarifying that. My mom is a dietician and she always gets a little worried about people who choose these lifestyles but don't educate themselves while doing it. YAY for meat! :) (Especially bacon?)Dee
Guess I'm a carna-vegetarian, lol. I agree that Americans overall eat way too much meat, but I don't think cutting it out completely is the solution either. I try to stick to mostly veggies and a little meat for the easy access to protein. Besides, never gonna give up sushi and jr. bacon cheeseburgers!! ;)Snowmanincave [22]
I call for a "Hip Hip Hurray" on The Brothers Winn gaining over 1000 subscribers. http://www.whatyououghttoknow.com/show/2008/02/08/what-i-want-to-know/ The linked video no longer matters. Congrats.Mucky
Thanks for the show guys! My girlfriend has insisted that she just likes the produce section more! I still find it hard to believe, but as long as I don't have to eat tofu, I'm happy. Gurgle, I know I'm guilty of dispensing snide comments, although only to close friends of mine, and only in jest. Still, I can easily see how it could grow tiresome; if every time I admitted to liking burgers somebody asked, "How could *that* be your diet?" I'd probably get sick of it in short order... Another interesting thing you brought up is that you feel others think you are judging them. I've never felt that way about vegans, personally, but it's cool to hear your point of view, especially that you consider your choices to be yours and nobody else's business. Great post! Tinako, awesome post. Just one thing, though, he was only pointing out the canines to demonstrate that we are biologically omnivorous; in fact, he specified the molars, which are not present in carnivorous mouths. Certainly our canines are underdeveloped at best, vestigial at worst, but the fact that we have them along with ... lots more (255 words)Johnb300m
Woah! a name drop there. Gettin' liberal in our identity secrecy huh? good show as always.Gurgle
Great post by tinako! Aside from some of the smarmy and ignorant jests made in the video I thought it was good. Veg folks get used to hearing the snide comments all the time. My wife, our children, and I are vegan. Most of the vegans that I know do so to reduce suffering. So, that is a handy metric for determining what is and is not acceptable. For example, the plight of bacteria does not really resonate with anyone that I know. For my family, we have made a choice to live an examined life. We look at everything we do and why we do it. The moral consequence of our choices are considered every day. This spills far beyond just our diet, though that is a big part of it. How a product is produced, where the materials come from, how the workers are treated, etc. are all factors. Some might say "What a pain in the ass!", which is certainly your prerogative. For my wife and I though we feel morally obligated to do the right thing. The usual vibe I get from most people when they learn about my veganism is ... lots more (250 words)Anonymi [22]
tinako: I actually agree with you partially. I do think that are other reasons why people are vegetarians and vegans other than the reasons you have mentioned (I've heard some weird ones before) but I completely agree that most people need to either see a nutritionist or at least research more into nutrition. I'm not a nutritionist but I have had some nutrition classes and most american diets are really not that healthy.AngInAmerica
Thanks, Deigo :) I guess it would take a bugge-vegetarian to be ok with eating bugs. I'm glad I'm not one of those. ...and I'm glad I'm not a chimp, either.tinako
I've been vegetarian (lacto-ovo) for 15 years and vegan for 8 months. I'm not a nutritionist, but then, neither is anyone else here. Great show, but a few things: 1. Human canines are pathetic. People point to them and say "Look, just like a lion." Have you seen lion's teeth? Look at your dog's teeth. Anyway, most vegetarians don't give up meat because they think we aren't meant to eat it. They give it up because it is unhealthy, cruel, and/or wasteful. Whether you agree or not, pointing to your canines is, well, pointless. 2. Most Americans get too much protein (4th paragraph of http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11234). It is a health problem. Did you know that protein robs your body of calcium if your diet is already low in calcium, which most Americans' are? So to imply that vegetarians need special help from nutritionists to survive without meat is a distraction from the truth that vegetarians generally eat much healthier than non-vegs, and that people eating the typical high-protein, high-fat, high-cholesterol, low-fiber, processed-food American diet ought to RUN to a nutritionist. You can absolutely have an unhealthy vegan diet, but you ... lots more (448 words)Diego [22]
@AngInAmerica Don't insects count as meat? Sure, they have muscles, nerves, blood, the whole nine yards. I don't know anyone who eat insects, and also claims to be a vegan. Just to clarify, the chimps in my example, are not vegan.BasilsHumanFriend
I'm a strict animal lover...but meat...just tastes sooooo good....lol. I used to feel really strong about not eating horse meat, I mean, I still love em now, but at the same time, they are an meat animal, though they have other purposes, thank higher power, and yet it's illegal, in most ways, to eat them....JohnnyWhat
Ok here's a funny story: My sister used to be a meat eater until she had a bad dream involiving some fried chicken. Since that day she's been a pretty strict vegetarian. You know the kind who'll eat dairy products but not eggs. Always thought that kinda odd and amusing.steph {207}
I am a person that loves challenges and the ultimate challenge for me would be to become a vegetarian. I've thought about it, but not only would it be an ultimate challenge, I'm 100% positive I wouldn't be able to go more than a week with out fish, meat, or any diary products. It's in what I eat every single day and I'm not sure I could survive without a big juicy piece of steak or a salmon smoked on a plank. So I praise those who have become veggies because I know I would never, ever be able to ... more (128 words)kjeracarroll
ha ha I loved this one! Goooo BEEF! now my friend and I want a nice juicy steak.Tae
I love this show! Random facts are my favorite. On that note, I was wondering: since it's winter time and all, why does your skin dry out when it's cold outside? I own like twelve bottles of lotion. Yikes.Nospinplease
I love meat. I can't go a day without. One of my friends is a vegetarian because of her religion and she asked me one day why I eat meat. I asked her if she had to find ways to get her portien. She said yes and I said see that is why I eat meat. I also told her becuase it tastes REALLY good. hahaha! Equals D!The Brothers Winn
graceofbass, It was A. Whitney Brown. We also quoted Alexei Sayle with the comment about fur and rich women.graceofbass [22]
AnginAmerica: Lol, breaded bugs are the hot new item on vegan menus. I love the quote at the end. I heard it once as a child, and now I can't remember who said it...(time for a little web research)...ah, it was A. Whitney Brown. Good ol' Whitney. Very humorous.AngInAmerica
Diego, Don't insects count as meat? They have nerves of some kind, don't they? (...do they? Now that I'm writing this I'm second guessing myself...) Anyway, I'm wondering if vegans eat bugs. And, I'm wondering if "breading" single-cell organisms makes them tastier :)Diego [22]
As a vegan(both dietary and lifestyle) I submit that you don't need meat. Most of our primate relatives eat mostly plants and insects, whereas we have mastered the art of breading single celled organisms, and can get everything they get from picking bugs off each other, except companionship, through the consumption of vat-grown microbes. Most vegans don't use the scientific nomenclature that differentiates animals from plants, while yeasts are more closely related to what we generally refer to as animals, it's hard to argue that that relationship makes them "meat" in the conventional sense. We tend to think of animals as ... more (152 words)Meandering {207}
I eat meat, lots of it and I don't see how these ... ack! I'm having chest pains!! I'm back. Actually I do eat meat, not to excess, but I do love a nicely cooked piece of meat. I can understand not eating meat because a person might think its bad for them, but there are others who can't inflict pain to these animals. Well, aren't veggies alive? They grow, they eat the nutrients from the ground and they even breathe (they turn CO2 to Oxygen) so shouldn't that argument be moot? Just thinking out loud, ... more (113 words)marc
My girlfriend is also a veggie... well I guess she is technically a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. I keep trying to get her to a nutritionist, but she refuses... Yeah, another thing that you forgot to mention is a "complete protein." You need to eat proteins that have all the amino acids in them. Amino acids are the chemicals that make up the proteins. Our bodies can only synthesize 10 amino acids... Our diet must include the following amino acids: arginine (required for the young, but not for adults), histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. If one of these above listed animo acids are not found in our diet, our body will destroy another proteins in our body to obtain it, or just not make the protein it was going to make. Luckily, the above listed amino acids are produced by plants, you just have to find a diet that includes all of them (I think a mixture of corn and black beans have all of the essential amino acids). The biggest example of diet having to include animo acids is cats... not eating cats... but the cute kittens eating meat. Cat's ... lots more (309 words)Drecon [22]
There's one hope left for veggies. You actually don't need much meat to live. Only like oner piece of meat in one or two weeks should be enough to live on. There's one big plus to vegetarians: they can often cook well (if they know what they're doing that is). |Pays to have one as your girlfriend. Just remember to eat out sometimes and sartisfy your lust for meat. Because as tasty as most veggie food can be it just doens't compare to a good steak once in a while...Anonymi [22]
So I would be a pesco-pollo-vegetarian. I'm sorry, but I don't like any of those meats and I very rarely have the chance to get the only other meat that is out of that classification that is ham which I find delicious but don't get often enough to count.Lampworker
Another informative show... but don't forget the level-5 vegan: doesn't eat anything that casts a shadow :o)Jennifer McKenzie
Yeah!!! Those plant haters. LOL. I LOVED the ATkins diet.....until my blood pressure didn't. I think everything in moderation is a good way to do it. I wish I could maintain the weight loss that way. Eat less and exercise. Whatever.wolfman2525 [22]
vegetarian friends that is.wolfman2525 [22]
Very informative. I will have to let my vegetarians know about this show.pkw
Red Green Thought: Atleast as carnivores we are merciful. We kill the animal first before eating the steak. Raw fruits and vegetables are still alive, you just can't hear their screaming in pain...Curtis [22]
Thanks for the info. I've decided to only eat the meat of animals that are vegetarians. That should solve the problem.wx5aaa
Now I'm hungry for a big juicy steak. bbl....kd
Beef....It's whats for dinner...