Oh and also, it's incorrect to say "there are always side effects from eating meat, be it heart disease, cancer, constipation, etc". There is an increased "risk" but the risk isn't very high for heart disease if you aren't on diets with high cholesterol.

Speaking of cancer, a person might've consumed meat all his life, but died of melanoma. Meat isn't the only thing that causes cancer, it''s important to remember that.

This post was edited by hwd-2 on Oct 29 2010 08:27pm

Yes, there is an increased risk, which doesn't happen with eating vegetables and other healthy alternatives.

I know that eating meat isn't the only thing that causes cancer, and that's completely besides the point.

I never said there are no side effects from taking supplements.

If supplements are so bad then why do doctors recommend them to get the full nutritional benefits of any healthy diet?

Usually the side effects that supplements have are when you don't take the recommended dosage or a too high dosage or when it interacts with other drugs one is taking.

No offence, but since you don't specialise in this area, let me explain why doctors recommend patient to take supplements to "get the full nutritional benefits of any healthy diet"

You have to weigh the adverse effects of someone who is nutritiously malnourished to the adverse effects of taking supplementations.

Adverse effects of malnutrition > Adverse effects from supplements

Oh and, overdosing is completely off topic. That's just plain stupid and can happen with any types of drugs/supplementation.

This post was edited by hwd-2 on Oct 29 2010 08:55pm

I've actually talked to doctors that recommend vitamins without a real urgent need for them. Just for nutrition to help balance a diet. Any diet that is not perfect is going to need vitamins or supplements to help them out.

I really doubt the adverse effects of taking supplements are as bad as you make them out to be.

Believe me, not all doctors think the same. They may be taught the same concepts but they have their own ways of doing things when it comes to "what to give to the patient" (I am sure your GP will acknowledge this)

Taking supplement is ok, but prolonged intake isn't, since the adverse effects are induced by an accumulative process.

So avoid supplementations if you can, don't take it unless you really need to.

And also, It's important to remember that a vegan, needs other supplementations other than vitamin tablets e.g. essential amino acids.

...and there are plenty more on the list.

Anyway, thats me, I prefer to obtain my nutrients from natural food products rather than from processed forms.



This post was edited by hwd-2 on Oct 29 2010 11:21pm

So what are the side effects of taking vitamins? And don't you think the FDA would actually restrict vitamins if they were that bad for you? I've also read a nutritionist who recommended taking vitamins, he was a doctor who researched a vegetarian diet that helps with depression. I don't have depression myself, though.

Amino acids are easily obtained from other foods. Legumes, beans, soy products, etc.

I can get all the things you can from meat without eating meat. With the environmental, health, and moral issues of eating meat I consider this diet superior to omnivorous diets.

It depends on how you define bad as there are multiple variables that you need to take into account. If you talk about tablets in general, how do you think its processed into a form that's stable? How is it stored for such a prolonged period? How is it made into a directly absorptable form? Chemicals.

Cellphone/microwaves/x-ray can all cause cancer, but who is going to prove it? no one is gonna know if they really cause cancer until 10-20 years later, cuz the damage done by these possible carcinogens are all accumulative.

I am no dietician, but one thing I do know is that vege diet ain't superior.

Believe what you want, but I've got an exam to study for. Enjoy

This post was edited by hwd-2 on Oct 30 2010 01:25am

No, veggie diets are superior in every way. You just think they aren't because you like the taste of meat.

lol is that why so many vegans end up anaemic/malnutritioned.

Good luck with your tablet diet bro lol.... Was a nice conversation with someone who obviously don't know much about science.