<p>I think that lealdragon is trying to say that a meatless diet is the healthiest diet. She never siad that it is the "perfect" way to eat since there is no perfect way. We aren't immune to arthritis and joint problems no matter what we eat. However, we can do what we can to lower the chances of these things from happening and perhaps a meat-free diet is the best way to do this."</p>
<p>Thanks Hepstar. Yes, that is exactly what I meant. Here; I will elaborate:</p>
<p>Diet is but one of many factors affecting health. Attitude, exercise, genetics, environmental factors, karma, etc. all affect one's health. We've all heard of cases of people who drank heavily and smoked 2 packs of cigs a day and lived to 100. Obviously those rare cases must have had either extremely tough genetic dispositions or an ironclad will, in order to offset the toxic effects of known carcinogens.</p>
<p>Likewise, there are plenty of other people who have delicate constitutions and every little thing bothers them. They get exposed to something toxic and they get all sorts of allergic symptoms, and they have to be very careful what they eat all the time just to function.</p>
<p>Then there are those who follow a strict dietary regimen but have such a negative attitude towards life that they are sick all the time anyway.</p>
<p>There is no 'one-size-fits-all' when it comes to diet or even lifestyle. Many people have lost weight on the Atkins diet but to me that diet is horrible and I could never do it. Plenty of other people keep fit with a low-fat vegetarian diet and that is much more appealing to me, so that is what I prefer.</p>
<p>Bottom line is that there is no instant, magic answer that will automatically work for everyone. But, even though there are those rare exceptions like the chainsmoker/drinker who lived to 100, the fact is that MOST people who chainsmoke/drink heavily/eat lots of high-fat meat and junk food DO have their health compromised. The fact is that, DESPITE other factors like exercise and attitude and environment, diet DOES play an important role for MOST people.</p>
<p>There are no absolute guarantees that if you become a vegetarian you will never have any health problems. Ah, if only it were so simple! But, you will be doing yourself something very positive, and dramatically increasing the odds in favor of health and vitality that you didn't even know was possible. You are young right now so probably feel great anyway, but you'd be amazed at how much better you might feel on a lighter, healthier diet.</p>
<p>I don't agree with your statement about the human body machine not being designed for perfection. I believe it is, but abnormal conditions predispose it to illness. I have attended health seminars and learned some interesting facts, such as: The cells in our bodies are continually proliferating and replacing themselves. In 7 years, we have a whole new set of cells. In other words, not a single cell in your body was there 7 years ago! You are all new! There is a psychic blueprint, but even that can be changed. See 'What the Bleep Do We Know?' for more explanation on that. </p>
<p>There are cultures, like the Hunzas, who live in clean, mountain environments untouched by modern society and all its accompanying ills. These people are incredibly fit, hiking up the mountain daily, and live on vegetarian diets composed of raw fresh produce, nuts, and raw goat's milk. These people normally live to be over 100 and keep working and climbing the mountain until the day they drop dead! Many of them live to 120 or more! Yes, it's true! They have ZERO heart disease, stroke, cancer, etc. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that most diseases are caused by poisons we either eat or breathe in. Here's the interesting thing: In recent years, some of the younger Hunzas have left their isolated mountain and moved to the city and started eating the SAD diet. And guess what, now the younger generation is starting to get those diseases that Americans think are normal. They 60-year-old Hunzas are getting sick, while their grandparents are still thriving and fit!</p>
<p>So yes, our bodies actually are designed to regenerate themselves and be healthy. It is our toxic diets and poisonous environments that have screwed things up. Sure, people got plagues and various diseases even before the chemicals introduced by modern technology. But they had other things wrong - they did not practice good hygiene and often their diets sucked. So there are many factors. But, people like the Hunzas are living examples of what IS POSSIBLE.</p>
<p>And, even though you probably can't really think about the future too much (most young people don't) trust me that it DOES catch up with you! I certainly do not FEEL 46! I was like you once and never thought I'd get to 30, much less to 40! I know plenty of young people who are already on all sorts of meds for allergies and stuff, that a cleaner diet would probably help.</p>
<p>And, there are plenty of other reasons to go veg. There is the global warming crisis. See my earlier posts. The single biggest thing people can do, even more important than driving an energy-efficient car, to do their part to decrease global warming, is to become vegetarian! Besides the obvious animal suffering, it is simply inefficient to raise animals for food. Do a search on John Robbins Diet for a New America. He has a couple of books and videos that explain the impact of the meat industry on the planet. Not to mention that there would be much more food available to feed starving children. There are just SO MANY great reasons to go veg - personal health is but one of them!</p>
<p>Global warming might not seem like a big deal to you, but it is YOU and YOUR children who will be affected by it. This planet is heading towards a major climate shift of massive proportions in the next 50 years, unless we change our course drastically. Older people like me won't see all of the changes but YOUR generation WILL. So it's a VERY real thing! Do some research. I just saw a special on Discovery Channel that predicted a major ice age within 50 years if we don't halt the progression. Sorry to sound all doom and gloom, but people, especially YOUNG people, need to WAKE UP and quit letting the older generation f*** their planet.</p>
<p>Getting back to health, no, eating fish once or twice will not adversely affect your health. Of all the meats, fish is the least harmful and in fact to be honest I don't really think it's harmful at all. There is plenty of research that shows fish is actually healthy. I'm not sure if it's because the people who ate fish did so in place of the fattier red meat, though. But I think there were even some studies that compared vegetarians and people who were mostly vegetarian but ate only fish occasionally. There wasn't much difference between those groups. That is, if the fish is not fried - fried fish is definitely not healthy.</p>
<p>As I said, there are many reasons to go veg. If you are doing it strictly for health reasons, and you want to continue to eat fish a couple of times per week, that is totally fine as far as health is concerned. It is certainly far, far healthier than eating any other type of meat, most definitely. Avoid tuna, though, because it has been shown to contain high levels of mercury and mercury is very toxic. Other fish do too, so you might want to do some research on that if you are going to eat a lot of fish. It's because of the poisons in the ocean from toxic dumps. The oceans are quite polluted, unfortunately. So that is a reason to avoid fish or at least be careful about what type of fish you eat. I have no idea which fish is safe - since I don't eat fish that is not something I have researched. </p>
<p>So, for health reasons, no, occasional fish is not bad. People who decide to be vegetarians usually have other reasons as well, including ethics. For me personally, I have a belief that any soul which is advanced enough to incarnate into a body that is capable of running away or swimming away when chased, is too advanced to eat. The easy guideline I personally follow, and is the guideline that defines the word 'vegetarian' is to not eat anything that had a face.</p>
<p>But, each person has to decide for themselves what is important to them. I would advise you to follow your heart and get clear about what YOU want to do. If you want to be MOSTLY vegetarian except for some occasional fish, then bless you! You are WAY ahead of most of the population! If more people do what you are doing, the world would be a better place! Do not be concerned that you are not 100% pure vegetarian - do what you feel comfortable with, get clear on what your convictions are, and then stick to your convictions, while remaining open to possibly making adjustments later if you feel you want to do that. Many people take the 'gradual' road to vegetarianism by first giving up red meat, then later giving up poultry, and the last to go is the fish. There is certainly nothing wrong with that! And even if you decide to keep the fish, as I said, you are still lightyears beyond most people!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>