Re: Optimal Eating (Herbivors and Veganing)

From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Sat Nov 04 2000 - 15:12:16 MST


Dave Sill wrote:
>
> Michael S Lorrey <retroman@turbont.net> wrote:
>
> > And what 'commercial meat' are you talking about? Typically cornfed beef
> > is the main culprit in any meat diet, but free range beef is as healthy as
> > beans, fish, or chicken. The danger of the modern meat diet comes from the
> > practice of raising the animals on a corn diet in unsanitary conditions
> > with little exercise.

A few problems and a bit of my own dietary experiences. First, nowhere
near enough beef to meet demand could be produced by free range
methods. Second, the current factory methods for producing animals
(including chickens, turkeys, pigs and so on) are notorious for multiple
health vector risks. Particular the use of massive amounts of various
steroids, antibiotics, various sicknesses in the animals induced by
severe overcrowding along with pesticides in the feedstocks. For that
matter some of the feedstocks include animal products from previous
generations. This can multiple and concentrate the problems.

When I first started cutting back on meat products I kept fish and dairy
for a while. I cut out eating land animals first. But then it occurred
to me that fish, by virtue of filtering water continuously, may
concentrate any pollutants and nasties in the water thousands of times
in their flesh. So I dropped them. That hurt. Dairy is very
problematic in factory methods because the cows are literally kept
pregnant to get maximum milk production and are boosted into even higher
estrogen states. And their feed has all the problems above. Factory
milk cows typically live only 1/4 as long as free range cows. It is not
a healthy environment. So dairy went also.

By then I was totally vegan. Stayed with it for nearly three years. It
was a little difficult finding/producing foods I could eat but not too
bad as I've always seen food pragmatically. But after a while I noticed
that I was a bit too spacey and not so focused. Could have been the
diet, could have been large amounts of meditation I was doing around the
same time. Lately I've seen articles on the dangers of many
underprocessed soy products, especially to memory/concentration. I was
eating a lot of soy so that may have been the culprit. I know that now
that I avoid tofu my memory is sharper than it was a few years ago when
I ate a lot of it. In the end I departed the vegan ranks. At first I
only added seafood and a little dairy. Since then I've tried other
things. I still don't have much taste for heavier meats but I now eat
chicken, fish and most dairy. The chicken feels a bit wierd
physically. The fish seems mainly ok. The dairy results im more mucous
production.

- samantha



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