I too agree with these sentiments. While I enjoy meat, it is an addition to my diet which these days consists mainly of fruit and vegetables, particularly oranges. During the working week I'll eat pretty much nothing else during the day and get through up to 6 a day.

I avoid fast food at any cost and have recently gone right off pizza for some reason (meat or otherwise)

I believe that if you choose to eat meat (which we can live just as healthily without) then you should be able to go and visit where animals are kept and watch them being slaughtered in the most cruel way... often bleeding to death after spending hours in fear smelling the death of the animals it had spent it's short life with.

Don't bother replying to me, I'm leaving this thread... it's too distressing

I DO choose to eat meat... And I DON'T try to make people feel guilty for their dietary choices, whether I agree with them or not.

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I do agree with Trin, and have seen the killing process of lambs, calves and chickens, and also on TV's latest drive (including the food fight week not that long ago and a series of programs called "Kill it cook it eat it") I've further seen goats and chicks (in addition to those mentioned above).

People should understand how/where there food has come from, seeing the way food is processed is why I'll always buy free range chicken & eggs.

Now you're at it !

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no, vegetarian isn't better for running... vegetarians and vegans are much more likely to develop anaemia due to iron deficiency (microcytic anaemia) or vitamin B12 deficiency (macrocytic anaemia)... if you are anaemic it reduces the oxygen carrying capability of your blood and you are at a significant disadvantage when you are running...

just because you're vegetarian or vegan doesn't imply that you're healthy. In such cases, anemia can defintely occur.

I know many vegans who subside on breads and refined foods and barely touch any fruits and vegetables.

Conversely, I know many people (and runners) who are vegetarian or vegan and have no problems at all. It takes roughly 7 years for a b12 deficiency to arise because it is a tissue bound vitamin so if you are getting enough whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and plenty of coloured fruits and veg there shouldn't be any problems.

Spirulina, a blue-green algae, is a much better source of protein than meat. Parsley, green vegetables, and red fruit are some of the best sources of iron on the planet.

So it's not a lack of meat that's the problem. It's an unhealthy diet that is the issue.

Based on those two comments, would it be fair to say that the most important thing to do is eat a healthy diet? As long as you get a good supply of protein, carbs, vitamins and healthy fats, it's not too relevant what sources they come from? (as long as you can tolerate the food you eat)

Could not agree more. I am a veggie but my business partner is a meat eater - together we have just written a book Fit Food which says just that. Eat a healthy variety of food that is right for you.

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There's a group of six maasai warriors over here to do the London Marathon on Sunday. They're here to raise money to buy a life-saving well for their village back in Tanzania.
Here's a diet-related newspaper extract:
... usual diet. Which consists mainly of milk, porridge, meat and a white sticky stodge called ugali, and blood, drained from the jugular veins of live cattle. "Milk is good but blood is better," explains Isaya. "It gives me great energy. I drink as much as five litres at a time and it will keep me going for ages without food."
And what about fruit and veg -- are they not bothered about their five a day? "No. That is food for a woman. Warriors eat meat, milk and blood. Though we do vary it. One week we might have a lot of milk, sometimes it's more blood."

And on such a diet, these warriors are able to run literally all day, either hunting for food or maybe chasing down and killing lions.
So why exactly do they kill lions?
"They kill our cows, so we kill them. We chase after the lion -- maybe from dawn to 11 at night -- until we kill it."
But don't they get afraid?
"No! The lion has made us run all day. We are angry with it. We think of it as a little cat."
And is anyone ever injured?
"No. It is very rare and shameful."

Check out www.maasaimarathon.org

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