whether you eat meat or not, who really cares? it's nothing to make a point about. alcohol is no good for you either but most drink it, milk is of no use to humans but we drink it. sitting in front of your pc right now is killing you but your still here, using a mobile phone is frying your brain but you'll still take the call, every breath you take is one step closer to death too so being a vegetarian means othing appart from being able to go about in social scenes saying "well, i'm a vegetarian" umm.. so is everyone, we all eat veggies.
Oh dear - what is the word I am looking for - oh yes troll What any of this has to do with Permaculture is beyond me. This board seems to be turning to crap.
oh sorry for not holding up to your own expectations of how people should talk :think: I'm allowed my opinion, just because you don't like it doesn't give you the right to call me a troll. geez, this is why this forum hasn't gotten anywhere in this past 5 years, it's people like you that don't give anyone a chance to be themselves. this was once the most dynamic forum of it's kind online, with so many differing opinions, great debates and what not, not no more, wonder why? What is permaculture then? all being the same as you?
Trolling has nothing to do with my expectations but has alot to do with emotive words that do not add to the discussion but are used to incite an argument. and I can not remember your name as a contributor when the forum was great but I have seen what it has become since you have been contributing - and it is not pretty
Lots of the reasoning and arguments in those 4 Posts is flawed. Sorry but youre going to struggle to convert people with that. As pp pointed out ruminant vegetarians digest their food very differently to ours, their intestinal system works differently. Plus they eat their own crap, id rather drink fresh cows blood than eat my own shit. We have evolved to live on whatever we can find. And that's not a carnivorous diet, it's omniverous- we were hunter/gatherer people, eating flesh as well as plants, and other foods. Nobody I know is a pure carnivore like those blood drinking flesh tearing predators you spoke of. Even diehard "carnivore" pub going tradies I know eat chips with their steak! I take special issue with your claim that colon cancer is solely caused by consumption of meat. I suffer from coeliac disease. My father died of bowel cancer. My doctors tell me that if I continue to consume gluten I will cause irreparable damage to my intestines and bowels, killing off the Villi which leads to tumours growing in the bowel: bowel cancer. Most likely it was dads 2 weet bix every day for breakfast, and vegemite sangas for lunch every day that killed him. Man was not designed to live in processed grains. Doesnt mean I'm going to try and convert the world to a gluten free, soy free diet but I do think everyone should assess their diet, and think more about what they eat. You'd be better of Macdonalds bashing than trying to bash meat eating...
I think we need to move on from what we used to be and start concentrating on what we need to become. I think there is a place for meat. For me that means eating a surplus of roosters occasionally and the odd older bird. It may one day include pigs or goats, but that will be a tougher ask for me. I think there probably are issues with consuming meat to the point that a person is almost a carnivore. Humans are undeniably omnivores though, I can't see any physical justification to say otherwise. However, ethically and environmentally, I can see good reasons for removing meat-for-meats-sake from our diets. I think permaculture points us in the right direction. Take only what you need. Use the surplus. Earth care and people care - the principles basically tell us we should be eating a lot less meat. I don't label myself as a vegetarian unless it gets me out of a situation that subtlety can't avoid. I have a complex view of meat eating and vegetarianism that spans across spiritual beliefs, environmental ideals, social justice issues and health benefits among others. In most cases this means that I fall on the side of not eating meat. It is, as is should be, a case-by-case thing. Never say never.
I try to make sure that whatever animal protein I eat is to control the growth of the flocks / fish we have. Without having some predators that won't be in our zone due to too aggressive of an animal (me!), I have to cut back on the sheep, chickens, etc. Seems a waste to throw away that good protein. Permaculture is about making connections, and one of them is to me.
Oh just for giggles, let me stir the pot a might:devil: For the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim populations, let me direct your attention to Genesis 1:29. 'And God went on to say:"Here I have given to you all vegetation bearing seed which is on the surface of the whole earth and every tree on which there is the fruit of a tree bearing seed. To you let it serve as food."' Fast forward to Genesis9:3 This is after the flood. "Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. As in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to you." So according to ancient writings of these faiths, man was originally created VEGETARIAN. Quotes from NWT version of the Bible And that is all I have to say about that. (bracing for hate mail...)
I wish Nickolas would come back and join in. Not much use posting propaganda, disappearing and leaving everyone to it!
This is like telling Smokers, smoking is bad for their health. They don't care about it and if they do, they will pretend they don't smoke THAT much. Some will also go in the shocking direction to claim that it is beneficial(a stress reliever). Meat eaters do the same. Eating meat is a public health concern, yet they claim that they don't eat THAT much or even so far to say that we need meat! I guess it goes to show how ignorant people can be when they are in the wrong. Smokers look stupid. Meat eaters look stupid. No other way around it.
Reply even more condescending than I was expecting. Arguments missing warrants and support structure, no detailed replies, nothing of substance. I wouldn't pass a student in Year 8 writing in that style!
The greatest public health concerns in the west would be obesity and its complications heart disease, diabetes and cancers. The dietary causes are predominantly junk food related,not all of which is meat based. If you took away the meat in the burger and the peperoni on the pizza the rest including the soft drink is all fruit/vegetable based. The problem isnt the meat or the vegetables but the process of production and manufacture. If you ate 100% vegetarian meals with too much salt,refined sugar and flour,transfats,corn syrup and palm oil it would not be beneficial to your health.
I agree Matt and Gh. Smokers.... it's the wrong analogy. What you are doing is more akin to telling non-Christians that they should be born again. How successful is that likely to be? This is a permaculture forum. I suggest you try observing more (i.e. listen to what people are actually saying instead of what you think they are saying). Otherwise you are wasting space.
The Krishnas aren't a whole culture, they're a sub-culture. Do you have any evidence to support the idea that Krishnas can raise themselves and their children and their children's children on a completely non-meat diet and pretty much all be healthy? Likewise the Samurais. Where is the evidence that they never ate meat and neither did their childbearing women or children? btw, I was completely vegetarian for a long time and still eat alot of vegetarian meals. I was a very knowledgeable and experienced vegetarian in terms of food and nutrition. My health improved when I started eating meat.