Quote:
Originally Posted by sailsouth
Speaking of Stefansson, he says at the end of his essay about his long term meat eating experiences "Adventures in Diet" ;
[b]"So you could live on meat if you wanted to; but there is no driving reason why you should."
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The above quote is why I appreciate this post so very much.
In my view, the very “point” is that if one desires, he or she can live without veggies or any other plant foods of any kind—not that one must, but it is a viable option. Before this thread, I can embarrassingly admit that I once believed and was completely convinced of all the collective rhetoric that veggies contained certain unique nutrients necessary to essential health. I’m not referring to “optimal health” or the theorized proposed efficacy of its phytochemical characteristics reducing free radicals, but rather that plant foods had certain nutrients not found in meat.
I had believed that veggies were essential, just as I once believed eating low fat was essential.
I’ve never actually entered what I had eaten into a nutritional tracking site like Fitday. However, the past several days, inspired by this thread, I decided to enter my all-meat diet to see if I am indeed getting all of my necessary nutrients. My eating consisted of fish, steaks, chicken, pork, and along with some stomach, tripe, kidney, and livers—especially calf liver, which I like very much. Of course, I had assorted cheeses as well. (along with my regular 2-4 eggs per day)
According to fitday, I was over 100% in all recommended USDA nutrients. Vitamin A was over 400%, which I can only attribute to the assorted livers. Vitamin C was over 250%, which I contribute to the calf liver. I was shocked to see that every nutrient that I once assumed that I needed to derive from veggies, I already have in huge abundance from the meats and organs that I had already been eating. Furthermore, we all agree that vitamins from animal products especially the fat soluble ones such as Vitamin A are more readily absorbed than from plant-foods.
I feel that the point of this thread is not to dissuade people from eating veggies, nor anything else for that matter. I find the underlying aspiration of this thread to merely show that the belief of eating veggies to be necessary for acquiring all one’s nutrients to be completely without merit. This fallacy and scatalogical bovine has existed long enough. People who don’t like veggies should not eat it. Just as those who do like it should continue eating it.
I’ve never been prone to impress on people what they should or should not eat. Even while low-carbing, I never suggest to people around me to abandon eating 500 carbs per day. What I would sincerely thank the Bear for is bringing to light a fallacy that I had so long held to be true, almost on faith—that veggies are essential.
I don’t mind people suggesting that I should eat veggies. However, their reason should be, “eat veggies, because we think it tastes good adding variety to your meals” and not, “eat veggies because you need the special nutrients.”
After all of this, I think anyone who doesn't like veggies has absolutely no reason to eat it. Those who like it, should by all means eat it in abundance.
With kindest regards,
Frederick