Cool, thank you. I hadn't considered that your wife's perspectives could be helpful here. To be honest, I've been vegetarian at times in the past. I've also had friends that were told by their doctors that they needed to start eating meat because they were anemic, or their protein levels (however that is measured) were too low. I've read a fair amount of literature about vegetarianism, including stuff by crazy ex-vegans who say that everyone who claims to be a vegan really "cheats" and that it doesn't work - that stuff, probably mostly craziness, maybe some small element of truth. It is fucking hard to be vegan. I knew a guy who was vegan from birth, raised by his vegan parents, and I'd still turn around every once in a while and be like "You eat this? But it's totally not vegan..." and blow something out of his acceptable foods...because, fuck, I read a lot. About varied subjects, especially what I'm interested in. I did note that the study was of Austrians - although among the study's sources is a study of Australian women that also finds that vegetarians tend to have higher rates of mental issues. That was one of the more interesting points the study made, and they provide three sources - but I haven't had the time, or really the incliation, to go read three more studies on the topic. I gave it a full enough read and look at the sources to understand that, even if my friends were outraged, and giving what I understood of statistics, the findings of the study were still present. oky has raised some valid points that are all reasonably comprehensible to me and that I appreciate as providing additional insight.
Haha, brings back memories. I was at a late night diner with my ex years ago, and there wasn't much vegetarian on the menu. She ordered a bowl of lemon rice soup. Thoughtfully to my mind, I piped up that it was made with chicken broth. She looked at me with the "I'm hungry" death eyes, and said, "Why would you say that? You know I'm hungry!" And spent the rest of the night being a bitch to me.I've read a fair amount of literature about vegetarianism, including stuff by crazy ex-vegans who say that everyone who claims to be a vegan really "cheats" and that it doesn't work - that stuff, probably mostly craziness...
I'd wonder about causation. Does a vegetarian diet drive you crazy - or are crazy people more likely to eat vegetarian? Ritual restriction plays a big part in lots of mental illness so it's a tough one to separate. The study itself draws some pretty pure points - of the people they surveyed, the vegetarians were less healthy. Extending that out into some bombastic Daily Mail shitshow is inappropriate but drearily predictable. More often than not, you can improve your health by eating less meat. Improving your health by eating no meat is trickier. I generally eat beef only once or twice a week and try to go for a meat-free day once a week or so. I'd eat a lot more fish if I didn't live in Los Angeles, which has exactly zero understanding of fish. As in most things, pragmatism is your best approach, I think.I did note that the study was of Austrians - although among the study's sources is a study of Australian women that also finds that vegetarians tend to have higher rates of mental issues.
So, not the Australian study, but there was a study of German participants, and they found actually that participants were likely to have mental instability before adopting a vegetarian diet. I like the Michael Pollan approach. Meat as a side dish, not a main; less meat, but not no meat.