some people are just rude

[Alison]

I've been looking at this all day. Has my comment about not eating meat being viewed as by some as an unhealthy diet been construed to mean that I have a higher moral attitude? That's not what I said and not what I meant.

I don't think that you come over as thinking that you have a higher moral attitude, but you do sound like you have very thin skin if you're upset / annoyed enough to bother turning on your computer to post about an off the cuff remark by somebody who you'll proabably never see again.

Sorry just checked again, it wasn't you that started the thread, sorry about that but hope people know what i mean.

[Glutton4...]

Anyone like to comment on people who 'inflict' (if I may use such a word), vegetarianism on their Cats and Dogs?

Anyway, I'm off to bed, so will leave you to it .

[Alice]

I don't think he meant to insult you Janeyo.
Would you have taken the sausage roll even if you weren't vegetarian ?
Maybe he read the I'm a vegetarian as some kind of morally superior position statement.
I wouldn't worry about it, there's really no harm done either way.

[Hilary B]

Petal, not all vegetarians are animal-rights crusaders. Some simply take the view that meat is unhealthy.
There are also a few pisco-vegetarians who eat fish, as well as vegetarian stuff. I have had the dairy argument with the occasional self-satisfied vegetarian (most vegetarians are much more reasonable, but I've met a few..........), and had at least one simply refuse to believe the biology (she was actually quite nice when off her hobby horse, but also terribly naive in many ways), and I've also had the extinction argument with a couple of rabid vegans (again, more are reasonable than otherwise, but out of a smaller total number of vegans I've 'met' there were as many OTT in attitude as among rather more non-vegan vegetarians).

Biologically, historically, and in most other ways, humans are 'designed' (in the sense of 'fit') for an omnivorous diet. That doesn't mean vast amounts of meat at every meal! Most primates are omnivorous, it's just that only a few species get more than a tiny proportion of meat in their diet.

Isn't yeast a natural source of Vit B12? (the only vegan-acceptable one I believe, although they might have found another in the last few decades).

I got the River Cottage Cookbook one Christmas, and in it Hugh says something about "the meat becomes the seasoning". Sounds good to me!

[Hilary B]

Anyone like to comment on people who 'inflict' (if I may use such a word), vegetarianism on their Cats and Dogs?

Anyway, I'm off to bed, so will leave you to it .

Dogs can handle a vegetarian diet (not vegan so far as I know). I don't think it is right, but the few dogs fed that way I have heard of seemed to be healthy. The diet included a fresh egg per day.
One vegan I 'met' (online) claimed to provide SOME meat for her cat by collecting roadkill. I read somewhere that cats really do NEED meat.

[Wren]

Shall we just make clear this bit.
'FISH ARE NOT VEGETABLES' and if you eat fish you are not a vegetarian.
I love my meat an have great fun ribbing my veggie friends about their environmentally unfriendly , imported out o season veg that get imported in ships that pollute our oceans etc etc etc

I don't allow my veggie friends to have air's an graces

Wren

[digthatchick]

Personally I think TEB is right, I have met many veggies with that sort of high and mighty attitude. By the way I have been a veggie for over twenty years - as a practicing Buddhist it was my choice, (even the Buddha was not a veggie, as meat was often gifted to him, as one of the most precious foods, he would not insult people by refusing it) I grow a lot of my own food and cook both veggie and meat dishes, as I love cooking and would not force my beliefs on anyone. Make your own choices and respect others views, no one is right or wrong.

[daleclarke]

Why do people assume that not eating meat is somehow unhealthy anyway?

Can anyone tell me how A vegetarian can get vitamin K without supplements?

[zazen999]

Can anyone tell me how A vegetarian can get vitamin K without supplements?

Wiki says:

Vitamin K is found chiefly in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, swiss chard, and Brassica (e.g. cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts); some fruits such as avocado and kiwifruit are also high in Vitamin K. By way of reference, two tablespoons of parsley contain 153% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin K.[8]. Some vegetable oils, notably soybean, contain vitamin K, but at levels that would require relatively large caloric consumption to meet the USDA recommended levels.[9]

Hope that helps.

[Capsid]

Can anyone tell me how A vegetarian can get vitamin K without supplements?

Don't you mean Vitamin B12 (see my post above); vitamin K is produced by bacteria in our gut and found in leafy vegetables.

[zazen999]

Vitamin B12

Wiki says:
Vitamin B12 is naturally found in meat (especially liver and shellfish), milk and eggs. Animals, in turn, must obtain it directly or indirectly from bacteria, and these bacteria may inhabit a section of the gut which is posterior to the section where B12 is absorbed. Thus, herbivorous animals must either obtain B12 from bacteria in their rumens, or (if fermenting plant material in the hindgut) by reingestion of cecotrope fæces. Eggs are often mentioned as a good B12 source, but they also contain a factor that blocks absorption.[27] Certain insects such as termites contain B12 produced by their gut bacteria, in a manner analogous to ruminant animals.[28] An NIH Fact Sheet lists a variety of food sources of vitamin B12.
According to the U.K. Vegan Society, the present consensus is that any B12 present in plant foods is likely to be unavailable to humans and so these foods should not be relied upon as safe sources, as the B12 analogues can compete with B12 and inhibit metabolism. Also, vegan humans who eat only plant based foods must ordinarily take special care to supplement their diets accordingly. The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some soy products and some breakfast cereals), and B12 supplements.[29]
While lacto-ovo vegetarians usually get enough B12 through consuming dairy products, vitamin B12 may be found to be lacking in those practicing vegan diets who do not use multivitamin supplements or eat B12 fortified foods. Examples of fortified foods often consumed include fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soy-based products, and fortified energy bars. Claimed sources of B12 that have been shown through direct studies[30] of vegans to be inadequate or unreliable include, laver (a seaweed), barley grass, and human gut bacteria. People on a vegan raw food diet are also susceptible to B12 deficiency if no supplementation is used[31].

[Two_Sheds]

You can only get vitamin B12 from animal sources; it is very important for growing kids to have vitamin B12. Imposing a strict vegan diet on young children is detrimental to their health.

It is available in milk and eggs. Vegans would need a B12 supplement. I've not eaten meat for 20 years, and I've never been anaemic The Vegetarian Society - B12 Information Sheet

[Capsid]

It is available in milk and eggs. Vegans would need a B12 supplement. I've not eaten meat for 20 years, and I've never been anaemic The Vegetarian Society - B12 Information Sheet

I did say a strict vegan diet.

[raine]

Has anyone got a nice'n easy SIMPLE web site that I can link to that will give me info on vegetarianism for children? My 10yr old neice has decided not to eat meat and as all our family are dedicted meat eaters my sister is concerned about what she needs!

[Two_Sheds]

Has anyone got a nice'n easy SIMPLE web site that I can link to that will give me info on vegetarianism for children?

Have you looked at the Vegetarian Society? The Vegetarian Society - Vegetarian nutrition for children part 1 - Information Sheet

Simple, sensible advice.
"Whether vegetarian or not, it is vital that children have a well balanced diet". (something that many do not, living on ready meals and snack foods). "The nutrients to particularly watch are calcium, iron, zinc, protein, vitamin B12 and vitamin D"