Justin writes: "You should do a show about vegetarians, because my girlfriend is one, and I just don't get it."
Justin writes: “You should do a show about vegetarians, because my girlfriend is one, and I just don’t get it. Unfortunately, I have no research for that, because every time I try, I start thinking about delicious meat, and then I have to go get a hamburger.”
Anatomically speaking, people are omnivores. I mean, look at these teeth. There are reasons tigers don’t have flat molars. But some of us see the cute, pleading eyes of a wooly lamb, and instead of licking our lips, we push away the plate. I really don’t like lamb. Â But lamb mixed with beef, like you can get at the Mad Greek… Oooooh…
Vegetarianism has been around a long time. Â So it’s gotten a little bit confusing. Confusing? It just means you don’t eat meat. Yes, but the question we have to ask here is, “What is meat?” To different vegephiles, meat means different things. Pescetarianism is a diet that excludes all meat except fish, shellfish, and crustacea. Â Pollotarianism excludes all meat except poultry and fowl, lacto vegetarianism makes an exception for dairy, ovo vegetarianism says eggs are O-K, and lacto-ovo vegetarianism means you can eat both. Â Milk and eggs. But no meat.
Now I’m gonna throw in my own neologism here. Carni vegetarian, which means you can eat a little meat, except when you’re currently claiming to be a vegetarian, unless the aroma of a cooked animal smells so good you can’t resist.
We forgot something? Ah. Vegans. Let’s not forget the vegans. They’re the ones who not only don’t eat meat, but they avoid all animal byproducts, like honey, milk, eggs, butter. Â You know, all the good stuff. I should not have said that. Just to clarify here, you may think you’re a vegan, but you’re probably just a dietary vegan, ’cause those boots with the fur, and the leather in your ride – not vegan. See, there’s a little more to it than just what you eat. People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it’s easier to harass rich women than it is motorcycle gangs.
So why be a vegetarian? For a lot of people, it stems from their religious beliefs, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, or Seventh Day Adventistism. But my guess is that most people in America who are vegetarians do it out of conscience. ‘Cause they can’t stand the sight of blood. [Laughs] So if you’re thinking of going green – but on the inside – here are a few things you should consider.
Before you decide to change your doctor– change your doctor? No, change your diet. Before you decide to change your diet, talk to a doctor or a nutritionist. Preferably a nutritionist, ’cause most doctors don’t know very much about this. You’re just gonna tell me to lose weight and exercise. I know you feel very strongly about those bouncy bunnies and cuddly cows, but you can do a substantial amount of damage to your body by eating incorrectly. So educate yourself.
Protein. It’s a necessary part of the human diet. And people that become vegetarians usually have an issue finding a good source of it. I know, some of you are screaming, “Soy beans have more protein than meat!” Well, not really. Dried soy beans seeds have more protein than meat per gram, but that’s like comparing apples to dried mangoes. But it’s not all about amounts, either. There’s the question of how well the human body can use the protein you’ve eaten. There’s an almost 100% transfer of egg white protein to usable protein in the body. For fresh, green soy beans, that transfer rate’s about 72%. For dried soy beans, it’s around 61%. More protein, but less transferrable. Weird, but true. Getting the right amount of protein-rich foods like beans and soy is essential to your new veggy lifestyle. So talk to a nutritionist.
Another one to watch out for is vitamin B12, which is exclusively synthesized by bacteria – a living thing, which is kind of a problem for the vegans out there. And it shows up in meat, eggs, and dairy products. Another problem for the vegans out there. A whole bunch of research has been done to see if there’s another safe source for vitamin B12 for vegans. I mean, it looked at everything from fermented soya to seaweed, but the B12 they found wasn’t usable by humans. Vitamin B12 is necessary for synthesizing red blood cells, maintaining the nervous system, and helps with growth development in children. That’s why it shows up as a supplement in a lot of vegan foods. Wait, doesn’t that make it nonvegan? Not getting enough can produce anemia, and over time, irreversible neurological damage.
Honestly, I’m fine if you order a tofu burger with me and Justin over at the steakhouse. But if you choose to go veggy, make sure you know what you’re eating, and why.
I know the real reason. You’re not a vegetarian because you love animals; you’re a vegetarian ’cause you hate plants!
Transcribed by: Justin G.
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45 Comments
Mati
Therev is wrong. He is right in the sense that our teeth are not the same as lions, this ...Mati
To Curits[22]: What animals are vegetarian? All grazing animals eat animals sometimes (an unseen insect on the plant]. ...Mati
Everything we eat is living and therefore even all those is this episode feed though the death of others. ...Colby
Theres a song by a Canadian Band, the Arrogant Worms, called Carrot Juice is Murder. Just for all you Vegans ...Child_of_86
I'm in the boat as the last two peeps. I suffer from celiac disease/gluten ataxia. There is a ...oohshiny
DIE VEGGIES!!! I agree with the last guy, you should do a show on gluten intolerance and celiac disease, my ...curlyq88
I was wondering if you could do a video on Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Me and my roommate are ...Therev
Tinako is right, comparing a human's canines to a carnivorous animal's canines is absurd. Physiologically and anthropologically speaking, humans are ...nick
I'm confused on this B12 thing. Webster defines a vegan as a person who doesn't consume animal food or dairy ...AngInAmerica
In his manifesto "In Defense of Food," Michael Pollan refers to "near vegetarians" as "Flexitarians": they don't exclude meat ...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 ...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 ...Dee
Guess I'm a carna-vegetarian, lol. I agree that Americans overall eat way too much meat, but I don't think ...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 ...Mucky
Thanks for the show guys! My girlfriend has insisted that she just likes the produce section more! I ...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 ...Anonymi [22]
tinako: I actually agree with you partially. I do think that are other reasons why people are vegetarians and ...AngInAmerica
Thanks, Deigo :) I guess it would take a bugge-vegetarian to be ok with eating bugs. I'm ...tinako
I've been vegetarian (lacto-ovo) for 15 years and vegan for 8 months. I'm not a nutritionist, but then, neither ...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 ...BasilsHumanFriend
I'm a strict animal lover...but meat...just tastes sooooo good....lol. I used to feel really strong about not eating horse ...JohnnyWhat
Ok here's a funny story: My sister used to be a meat eater until she had a bad dream involiving ...steph {207}
I am a person that loves challenges and the ultimate challenge for me would be to become a vegetarian. I've ...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 ...Nospinplease
I love meat. I can't go a day without. One of my friends is a vegetarian because of her religion ...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 ...AngInAmerica
Diego, Don't insects count as meat? They have nerves of some kind, don't they? (...do they? Now ...Diego [22]
As a vegan(both dietary and lifestyle) I submit that you don't need meat. Most of our primate relatives eat mostly ...Meandering {207}
I eat meat, lots of it and I don't see how these ... ack! I'm having chest pains!! I'm back. ...marc
My girlfriend is also a veggie... well I guess she is technically a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. I keep trying to get her ...Drecon [22]
There's one hope left for veggies. You actually don't need much meat to live. Only like oner piece of meat ...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 ...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 ...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. ...Curtis [22]
Thanks for the info. I've decided to only eat the meat of animals that are vegetarians. That should solve ...wx5aaa
Now I'm hungry for a big juicy steak. bbl....kd
Beef....It's whats for dinner...