Mitovi o vegetarijanstvu?!?
Poslao mi zabrinuti brat podugački tekst o vege mitovima tj. zašto je dobro jesti meso :roll: Pisao mrdrsci neki s hrpu radova... Ja sam uredno pročitala i prosljeđujem...da vas čujem, vegosi :D Tekst je prilično dugačak, ali nemam mogućnosti staviti ga nekam na net, a ne znam od kuda je izvorno pa ga eto tu.
MYTH #3: Our needs for vitamin D can be met by sunlight.
Though not really a vegetarian myth per se, it is widely believed that
one's vitamin D needs can be met simply by exposing one's skin to the
sun's rays for 15-20 minutes a few times a week. Concerns about vitamin
D deficiencies in vegetarians and vegans always exist as this nutrient,
in its full-complex form, is only found in animal fats (18) which vegans
do not consume and more moderate vegetarians only consume in limited
quantities due to their meatless diets.
It is true that a limited number of plant foods such as alfalfa,
sunflower seeds, and avocado, contain the plant form of vitamin D
(ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2). Although D2 can be used to prevent and
treat the vitamin D deficiency disease, rickets, in humans, it is
questionable, though, whether this form is as effective as
animal-derived vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Some studies have shown
that D2 is not utilized as well as D3 in animals (19) and clinicians
have reported disappointing results using vitamin D2 to treat vitamin
D-related conditions (20).
Although vitamin D can be created by our bodies by the action of
sunlight on our skin, it is very difficult to obtain an optimal amount
of vitamin D by a brief foray into the sun. There are three ultraviolet
bands of radiation that come from sunlight named A, B, and C. Only the
"B" form is capable of catalyzing the conversion of cholesterol to
vitamin D in our bodies (21) and UV-B rays are only present at certain
times of day, at certain latitudes, and at certain times of the year
(22). Furthermore, depending on one's skin color, obtaining 200-400 IUs
of vitamin D from the sun can take as long as two full hours of
continual sunning (23). A dark-skinned vegan, therefore, will find it
impossible to obtain optimal vitamin D intake by sunning himself for 20
minutes a few times a week, even if sunning occurs during those limited
times of the day and year when UV-B rays are available.
The current RDA for vitamin D is 400 IUs, but Dr. Weston Price's seminal
research into healthy native adult people's diets showed that their
daily intake of vitamin D (from animal foods) was about 10 times that
amount, or 4,000 IUs (24). Accordingly, Dr. Price placed a great
emphasis on vitamin D in the diet. Without vitamin D, for example, it is
impossible to utilize minerals like calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium.
Recent research has confirmed Dr. Price's higher recommendations for
vitamin D for adults (24).
Since rickets and/or low vitamin D levels has been well-documented in
many vegetarians and vegans (26), since animal fats are either lacking
or deficient in vegetarian diets (as well as those of the general
Western public who routinely try to cut their animal fat intake), since
sunlight is only a source of vitamin D at certain times and at certain
latitudes, and since current dietary recommendations for vitamin D are
too low, this emphasizes the need to have reliable and abundant sources
of this nutrient in our daily diets. Good sources include cod liver oil,
lard from pigs that were exposed to sunlight, shrimp, wild salmon,
sardines, butter, full-fat dairy products, and eggs from properly fed
chickens.
<MYTH #4: The body's needs for vitamin A can be entirely obtained from
plant foods.
True vitamin A, or retinol and its associated esters, is only found in
animal fats and organs like liver (27). Plants do contain beta-carotene,
a substance that the body can convert into vitamin A if certain
conditions are present (see below). Beta-carotene, however, is not
vitamin A. It is typical for vegans and vegetarians (as well as most
popular nutrition writers) to say that plant foods like carrots and
spinach contain vitamin A and that beta-carotene is just as good as
vitamin A. These things are not true even though beta-carotene is an
important nutritional factor for humans.
The conversion from carotene to vitamin A in the intestines can only
take place in the presence of bile salts. This means that fat must be
eaten with the carotenes to stimulate bile secretion. Additionally,
infants and people with hypothyroidism, gall bladder problems or
diabetes (altogether, a significant portion of the population) either
cannot make the conversion, or do so very poorly. Lastly, the body's
conversion from carotene to vitamin A is not very efficient: it takes
roughly 6 units of carotene to make one unit of vitamin A. What this
means is that a sweet potato (containing about 25,000 units of
beta-carotene) will only convert into about 4,000 units of vitamin A
(assuming you ate it with fat, are not diabetic, are not an infant, and
do not have a thyroid or gall bladder problem) [28].
Relying on plant sources for vitamin A, then, is not a very wise idea.
This provides yet another reason to include animal foods and fats in our
diets. Butter and full-fat dairy foods, especially from pastured cows,
are good vitamin A sources, as is cod liver oil. Vitamin A is
all-important in our diets, for it enables the body to use proteins and
minerals, insures proper vision, enhances the immune system, enables
reproduction, and fights infections (29). As with vitamin D, Dr. Price
found that the diets of healthy primitive peoples supplied substantial
amounts of vitamin A, again emphasizing the great need humans have for
this nutrient in maintaining optimal health now and for future
generations.
...evo još ovo i neću više, obećajem
MYTH #10: Soy products are adequate substitutes for meat and dairy products.
It is typical for vegans and vegetarians in the Western world to rely on various soy products for their protein needs. There is little doubt that the billion-dollar soy industry has profited immensely from the anti-cholesterol, anti-meat gospel of current nutritional thought. Whereas, not so long ago, soy was an Asian food primarily used as a condiment, now a variety of processed soy products proliferate in the North American market. While the traditionally fermented soy foods of miso, tamari, tempeh and natto are definitely healthful in measured amounts, the hyper-processed soy "foods" that most vegetarians consume are not.
Non-fermented soybeans and foods made with them are high in phytic acid (110), an anti-nutrient that binds to minerals in the digestive tract and carries them out of the body. Vegetarians are known for their tendencies to mineral deficiencies, especially of zinc (111) and it is the high phytate content of grain and legume based diets that is to blame (112). Though several traditional food preparation techniques such as soaking, sprouting, and fermenting can significantly reduce the phytate content of grains and legumes (113), such methods are not commonly known about or used by modern peoples, including vegetarians. This places them (and others who eat a diet rich in whole grains) at a greater risk for mineral deficiencies.
Processed soy foods are also rich in trypsin inhibitors, which hinder protein digestion. Textured vegetable protein (TVP), soy "milk" and soy protein powders, popular vegetarian meat and milk substitutes, are entirely fragmented foods made by treating soybeans with high heat and various alkaline washes to extract the beans' fat content or to neutralize their potent enzyme inhibitors (110). These practices completely denature the beans' protein content, rendering it very hard to digest. MSG, a neurotoxin, is routinely added to TVP to make it taste like the various foods it imitates (114).
On a purely nutritional level, soybeans, like all legumes, are deficient in cysteine and methionine, vital sulphur-containing amino acids, as well as tryptophan, another essential amino acid. Furthermore, soybeans contain no vitamins A or D, required by the body to assimilate and utilize the beans' proteins (115). It is probably for this reason that Asian cultures that do consume soybeans usually combine them with fish or fish broths (abundant in fat-soluble vitamins) or other fatty foods.
Parents who feed their children soy-based formula should be aware of its extremely high phytoestrogen content. Some scientists have estimated a child being fed soy formula is ingesting the hormonal equivalent of five birth control pills a day (116). Such a high intake could have disastrous results. Soy formula also contains no cholesterol, vital for brain and nervous system development.Though research is still ongoing, some recent studies have indicated that soy's phytoestrogens could be causative factors in some forms of breast cancer (117), penile birth defects (118), and infantile leukemia (119). Regardless, soy's phytoestrogens, or isoflavones, have been definitely shown to depress thyroid function (120) and to cause infertility in every animal species studied so far (121). Clearly, modern soy products and isolated isoflavone supplements are not healthy foods for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone else, yet these are the very ones that are most consumed.
MYTH #11: The human body is not designed for meat consumption.
Some vegetarian groups claim that since humans possess grinding teeth like herbivorous animals and longer intestines than carnivorous animals, this proves the human body is better suited for vegetarianism (122). This argument fails to note several human physiological features which clearly indicate a design for animal product consumption.
First and foremost is our stomach's production of hydrochloric acid, something not found in herbivores. HCL activates protein-splitting enzymes. Further, the human pancreas manufactures a full range of digestive enzymes to handle a wide variety of foods, both animal and vegetable. Further, Dr. Walter Voegtlin's in-depth comparison of the human digestive system with that of the dog, a carnivore, and a sheep, a herbivore, clearly shows that we are closer in anatomy to the carnivorous dog than the herbivorous sheep. (123)
While humans may have longer intestines than animal carnivores, they are not as long as herbivores; nor do we possess multiple stomachs like many herbivores, nor do we chew cud. Our physiology definitely indicates a mixed feeder, or an omnivore, much the same as our relatives, the mountain gorilla and chimpanzee who all have been observed eating small animals and, in some cases, other primates (124).
MYTH #12: Eating animal flesh causes violent, aggressive behavior in humans.
Some authorities on vegetarian diet, such as Dr Ralph Ballantine (125), claim that the fear and terror (if any, see myth #15) an animal experiences at death is somehow "transferred" into its flesh and organs and "becomes" a part of the person who eats it.
In addition to the fact that no scientific studies exist to support such a theory, these thinkers would do well to remember the fact that a tendency to irrational anger is a symptom of low vitamin B12 levels which, as we have seen, are common in vegans and vegetarians. Furthermore, in his travels, Dr Price always noted the extreme happiness and ingratiating natures of the peoples he encountered, all of whom were meat-eaters.
MYTH #13: Animal products contain numerous, harmful toxins.
A recent vegetarian newsletter claimed the following:
Most people don't realize that meat products are loaded with poisons and toxins! Meat, fish and eggs all decompose and putrefy extremely rapidly. As soon as an animal is killed, self-destruct enzymes are released, causing the formation of denatured substances called ptyloamines, which cause cancer. (126)
This article then went on to mention "mad cow disease" (BSE), parasites, salmonella, hormones, nitrates and pesticides as toxins in animal products.
If meat, fish and eggs do indeed generate cancerous "ptyloamines," it is very strange that people have not been dying in droves from cancer for the past million years. Such sensationalistic and nonsensical claims cannot be supported by historical facts.
Hormones, nitrates and pesticides are present in commercially raised animal products (as well as commercially raised fruits, grains and vegetables) and are definitely things to be concerned about. However, one can avoid these chemicals by taking care to consume range-fed, organic meats, eggs and dairy products which do not contain harmful, man-made toxins.
Parasites are easily avoided by taking normal precautions in food preparations. Pickling or fermenting meats, as is custom in traditional societies, always protects against parasites. In his travels, Dr Price always found healthy, disease-free and parasite-free peoples eating raw meat and dairy products as part of their diets.
Similarly, Dr Francis Pottenger, in his experiments with cats, demonstrated that the healthiest, happiest cats were the ones on the all-raw-food diet. The cats eating cooked meats and pasteurized milk sickened and died and had numerous parasites (127). Salmonella can be transmitted by plant products as well as animal.
It is often claimed by vegetarians that meat is harmful to our bodies because ammonia is released from the breakdown of its proteins. Although it is true that ammonia production does result from meat digestion, our bodies quickly convert this substance into harmless urea. The alleged toxicity of meat is greatly exaggerated by vegetarians.
"Mad Cow Disease," or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is most likely not caused by cows eating animal parts with their food, a feeding practice that has been done for over 100 years. British organic farmer Mark Purdey has argued convincingly that cows that get Mad Cow Disease are the very ones that have had a particular organophosphate insecticide applied to their backs or have grazed on soils that lack magnesium but contain high levels of aluminum (128). Small outbreaks of "mad cow disease" have also occurred among people who reside near cement and chemical factories and in certain areas with volcanic soils (129).
Purdey theorizes that the organophosphate pesticides got into the cows' fat through a spraying program, and then were ingested by the cows again with the animal part feeding. Seen this way, it is the insecticides, via the parts feeding (and not the parts themselves or their associated "prions"), that has caused this outbreak. As noted before, cows have been eating ground up animal parts in their feeds for over 100 years. It was never a problem before the introduction of these particular insecticides.
Recently, Purdey has gained support from Dr. Donald Brown, a British biochemist who has also argued for a non-infectious cause of BSE. Brown attributes BSE to environmental toxins, specifically manganese overload (130).
MYTH #14: Eating meat or animal products is less "spiritual" than eating only plant foods.
It is often claimed that those who eat meat or animal products are somehow less "spiritually evolved" than those who do not. Though this is not a nutritional or academic issue, those who do include animal products in their diet are often made to feel inferior in some way. This issue, therefore, is worth addressing.
Several world religions place no restrictions on animal consumption; and nor did their founders. The Jews eat lamb at their most holy festival, the Passover. Muslims also celebrate Ramadan with lamb before entering into their fast. Jesus Christ, like other Jews, partook of meat at the Last Supper (according to the canonical Gospels). It is true that some forms of Buddhism do place strictures on meat consumption, but dairy products are always allowed. Similar tenets are found in Hinduism. As part of the Samhain celebration, Celtic pagans would slaughter the weaker animals of the herds and cure their meat for the oncoming winter. It is not true, therefore, that eating animal foods is always connected with "spiritual inferiority". Nevertheless, it is often claimed that, since eating meat involves the taking of a life, it is somehow tantamount to murder. Leaving aside the religious philosophies that often permeate this issue, what appears to be at hand is a misunderstanding of the life force and how it works. Modern peoples (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) have lost touch with what it takes to survive in our world--something native peoples never lose sight of. We do not necessarily hunt or clean our meats: we purchase steaks and chops at the supermarket. We do not necessarily toil in rice paddies: we buy bags of brown rice; and so forth, and so on.
When Native Americans killed a game animal for food, they would routinely offer a prayer of thanks to the animal's spirit for giving its life so that they could live. In our world, life feeds off life. Destruction is always balanced with generation. This is a good thing: unchecked, the life force becomes cancerous. If animal food consumption is viewed in this manner, it is hardly murder, but sacrifice. Modern peoples would do well to remember this.
MYTH #15: Eating animal foods is inhumane.
Without question, some commercially raised livestock live in deplorable conditions where sickness and suffering are common. In countries like Korea, food animals such as dogs are sometimes killed in horrific ways, e.g., beaten to death with a club. Our recommendations for animal foods consumption most definitely do not endorse such practices.
As noted in our discussion of myth #1, commercial farming of livestock results in an unhealthy food product, whether that product be meat, milk, butter, cream or eggs. Our ancestors did not consume such substandard foodstuffs, and neither should we.
It is possible to raise animals humanely. This is why organic, preferably Biodynamic, farming is to be encouraged: it is cleaner and more efficient, and produces healthier animals and foodstuffs from those animals. Each person should make every effort, then, to purchase organically raised livestock (and plant foods). Not only does this better support our bodies, as organic foods are more nutrient-dense (131) and are free from hormone and pesticide residues, but this also supports smaller farms and is therefore better for the economy (132).
Nevertheless, many people have philosophical problems with eating animal flesh, and these sentiments must be respected. Dairy products and eggs, though, are not the result of an animal's death and are fine alternatives for these people.
It should also not be forgotten that agriculture, which involves both the clearance of land to plant crops and the protection and maintenance of those crops, results in many animal deaths (133). The belief, therefore, that "becoming vegetarians" will somehow spare animals from dying is one with no foundation in fact.
