On the back of my recent comment where I made the case for being an omnivore (no indigenous peoples have ever been vegetarian, let alone vegan) comes this research article.
Nothing the matter with being vegetarian or vegan for ethical reasons, but it is not an argument for optimal health:
Appears that the Indian subcontinent somehow our ancestors chose to be vegetarians (but not vegans definitely)
They probably understood that the carbs in excess would cause problems. Hence the use of whole grains and also the extensive use of all spices like turmeric, ginger, fenugreek seeds as also indian goosberry, bitter Groud vegetables which is proven to have anti diabetic effects.
Also good fats like butter, Ghee (clarified butter), almonds and walnuts were to be taken daily / regularly.
Also raw unprocessed oils like mustard oil, sesame oil or ground nut oils were used but sparingly.
But in the recent times we have shifted to refined carbs', minimized good fats, increased industrial deep fried oily stuff, MacD burgers, pizzas', bakery items, less usage of these spices etc.
Hence the high risk of all asians towards all metabolic diseases.
there is real problem with veg diet. I'm myself eggetarian but don't like to take eggs very much.
The problem with veg diet is that howsoever i try to keep carbs below 100gms/day and fats to 60% of my daily requirement i can't do because almost all veg food items contain carbs, be it wheat, lentils, legumes, peanuts etc contain carbs. I'm really finding difficult.
Mustard oil from India has been to be toxic by the Canadians so beware. On the other hand, Idhayam sesame oil has been found to lower blood glucose, triglycerides and even cholesterol in clinical research trials. It is the only oil that is capable of penetrating all the seven dhatus, hence its significance in abyganga.
The problem has arisen because we have eliminated good fats. Deserted whole grains. Adopted industrial oils. Fed with gmo foods. Junk foods. Stress. Pollution. Pesticides laden veg abf fruits. High sugar consumption. How much can a system take
Continents where it is tough to do farming had always been dependent of animals for their diet...but country like india where enough plains , resources for farming were available , people chose to remain dependent on farming rather than animal sources.
And thus this has developed as a way of thinking of "being vegetarian" in indian subcontinent.
Countires like USA ...Korea(very less plains...70% country covered with hills) during winters snow is present in farming land and everywhere, temperature is below 0 which does not allow farming almost half of a year, so people were forced to be non-vegeterian. And thus these countries people like to eat non-veg.
Just imagine ...how great are the survival skills of human being ...you can find human being in every part of world adapted to climate and eco -system of that place
OK Mr. pollard, ofcourse cow is not Veg. But you will agree there is lot of difference between bleeding a cow to death and eating it's meet vis a vis drinking the milk which otherwise is surplus after feeding the calf. Then Vegan may be a right term.
@MikePolard...vegans do not have animals products, but vegetarians can have excluding meat...there is nothing in name and definition Main point is philosophy of being vegetarian... is not to kill any animal just for the sake of feeding ourselves...there are many vegetarians...who feel the intense pain and fear of an animal when they see the meat ...so they are vegetarian by choice
Its the feeling related to cow that make us feel so miserable and sick when we see beef or talk about it
I think feeling bad for killing an animal to feed oneself is understandable and should not be restricted to cows. As I am living in India I am daily confronted with the hypocrisy of the beef-eating issue, or better said the ban on beef-eating. If we have such strong feelings of love for cows why don't we take better care of them, in stead they are left to loiter among garbage , choking on plastic and poisoning themselves slowly. (I don't want to think even of the quality of milk they produce with that kind of diet) Also I don't think it is healthy for the cows to be resting on busy roads amidst the horrible fumes of exhaust of the vehicles and the risk of being injured. Nobody seems to care about that, slowly killing and poisoning a cow is allowed but swift killing has become a dangerous political issue........
Regarding "cows to be resting on busy roads amidst the horrible fumes of exhaust of the vehicles and the risk of being injured"
I would like to say that I have seen people carelessly let their children roam around on roads ....while they are working roadside ...why people like this, will care about their pets either cows or dogs , rabbits or parrots ?But I have seen people who feel genuine respect to their pets ...feed them nutritious things with their hands ...just not because they will get milk or sth in return ...its the respect for pets whom they are responsible for and never let them get lost on roads like their own children...
This cow topic really vast and so lots and lots of space for debate
Still my point stands, cows are treated badly, if you really consider them sacred, treat them well and with love and care. I agree that all animals should be treated with respect but not just singling out one just for the sake of being Hindu. I am Indian from a Hindu background but have the facility to think critically and not do follow any religion blindly and dogmatically.
The same holds good for following any line of treatment, be it advised by doctors or by others, which is why health forums like these are so useful.
It is not anti-Hindu or anti-national or anti-anything to criticize generalisations like "we Indians, or we Hindus", I think to improve we have to get off the high horse and think critically.
Perhaps I should not have reacted on this forum as it doesn't add to the health/medical contents but as it becomes harder to speak out I sometimes feel a strong urge to voice my opinion, but I won't do it again unless it concerns a medical issue.
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