Vegetarian diet and immune system?

My mom (who is against vegetarianism) says that meat eaters have a better immune system because meat helps the immune system function better. She pointed that out when I had a cold a couple of weeks ago and said that I never get colds that often so it must be my new diet change, but I have noticed that everyone I knew in my classes who were mostly meat eaters had the same cold.
I eat a balanced diet with some diary, grains, fruit and vegetables and sometimes eggs.

Has it been scientifically proven that vegetarian diets are bad for the immune system? Have you noticed that you were getting sick less or more often when you went vegetarian?

 

a friend of mine went straight edge/vegetarian a few years ago.
a couple months after the switch he started getting real sick all the time, like really bad coughs and colds, fevers a little too often as well.
he ended up having to drop the whole vegetarian thing all together just because he was getting sick so much.
idk, maybe he wasnt doing it right

 

i am vegetarian for 10years now and am very healthy. there are a lot of other things that boost your immune system. Just do the research eat healthy and make sure you substitute for meat. make sure you get your iron, protien, b12 from else where. you don't have to eat meat, just get smart I know people who have never ever had meat and were born vegetarians and they seem quite normal. I think your mom just wants you to push your beliefs aside and eat meat.

 

I've been vegeterian/vegan for 10 years now, and I actually stopped getting sick as much, once I made the switch. Actually, funny enough, I went vegan for 5 years, barely ever got sick, and then one day switched to back to vegetarian and started getting sick again. So I switched back to vegan and feel amazing.

I think it honestly depends on the person. Some people can't physically handle it, for some reason, just like how some people can't physically handle meat and dairy. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of cases were caused by people not doing it right.

But despite all that, just because you got sick ONCE, is no reason for your mum to blame your diet. Did you never get sick even once, while still eating meat?

 

I've seen people on both sides put up mountains of statistics and 'expert analysis' that show one is better than or equal to the other. I think there's far too many variables involved - such as genetics, level of physical activity, what foods you end up do eating from the set of foods you choose, etc.

 

depends on the many factors like Grim said. but i wonder if being around people that eat meat has a small factor in it too, cuz you're body would start a slightly different composition from the bacteria in the environment in which skin particles and oils are abundant. I'm kinda assuming it'd be a pretty small factor.

 

I'm a vegetarian and a teacher. I rarely get sick and when I do I get over it fast.

 

You can maintain a healthy body/immune system on either diet if you want to.

You can also hurt yourself with either diet. Its all up to you. Eat right and you will be fine. I found that I have had the strongest immune system eating a balanced vegan diet, Ive only been sick once in the past 5 years.

 

I'm a vegetarian, but I eat meat now and again. I believe your mother is right, and I feel that humans should eat meat.

I mean we have molars and incisors, each tooth needed for either meat or grinding your greens.

Only reason I don't eat meat is actually texture and the idea of it. I hate the chewy feeling of meat, and the thought of flesh goes though my mind when I eat it. Ick

But yeah, maybe supplements may help. I have never been ill and I make sure and take my various supplements.

 

I must add that I do exercise on a regular basis, which is a huge factor in staying healthy.

 

im a vegetarian and work in a hospital, and am around sick people everyday and i havent been sick yet because of it.....

 

Actually, if you compare our teeth and our digestive systems and intestines with those of other herbivores, it's actually pretty obvious we're designed to be herbivores.

Think of your "canine" teeth, compared to that of a tiger. Now compare it to a chimpanzees. Carnivores have razor sharp teeth and very short digestive tracts, to easily pass meat through. Herbivores have dull, rounded teeth, and very long and complicated digestive tracts meant for digesting harsh grains and plants. Honestly, feel your teeth. They are dull, at best. This is why humans need tools like forks and knives to cut up and section meat into sizeable bites, and need to cook it in order for our bodies to be able to handle it without getting sick.

The main reason humans are ABLE to be carnivores is that our bodies are actually quite well at adapting to situations. Not trying to be snooty or anything, but I never did quite understand this argument.

 

I'd say that one of the reasons that you are getting sick is that possibly you're not getting every amino acid and essential vitamins and minerals to replace what your were getting from the meat.

It is simple once you know what to eat and how to eat it. But if you are missing even 1 essential component then it is very easy for you to get sick.

I'm not trying to scare you, I just want you to know so that you can start doing your research on the right foods to eat.

Hope that helps!

 

Our teeth are similar but are still not the same. We may have the same teeth (canines and incisors included), but the make up is simply different, because we need them in different ways, we eat meat. Plus you did say our bodies are adaptable, probably more so than any other herbivore so that does prove we aren't anything like them.

If I had said humans were designed to eat meat, fair game. But I didn't, and you are being pedantic. In this day and age, I now believe that we probably are meat eaters- it's an obvious source of protein was is imperative and, looking at the food chain, it's impossible to imagine a herbivore close to the top.

Will respectfully disagree, since we don't live in a tree or something similar. I am a vegetarian, but don't buy into this crap about how it's unnatural.

 

Well, I see what you're saying. But I don't think I'm being pedantic. I also didn't really say it was unnatural, I was just pointing out how similar our inner workings are to those of other herbivores, and that things that come easily to other carnivores--such as the ability to hunt and kill prey, and eat it, without the use of tools like knives, guns, and barbeques--are not present in humans. Also, we decend from a long line of herbivorous primates. So then, what makes us the exception? As I said before, we are somehow adaptable to a wide range of circumstances, which is just as natural anything else. So I agree, but I also disagree, I guess.

Also, the proteins found in meat are easily found in many vegetables, fruits, and nuts, and are the same or just as good as the ones you'll find in meat. But I won't even get into the discussion of "veggie meats" because if you want to talk about "living unnaturally" those products are pretty much the poster child.

 

Vegans>you.



was that troll-status?

 

I've been Veg since 1997. I dropped meat 'cold turkey' and never looked back. Never had any 'cravings' or desire to ever put what is basically dead animal flesh into my mouth and body. Ewwl! Give me 'living' things any ol' day...

Anyway, within a short period of time i sudden felt more energetic and 'light'. The grains, veggies, and other goodies really made me feel terrific and the best i had felt in years. It naturally encouraged me to continue long term and explore all the ethnic foods i was now quite a fan of. Having fried birds, cooked cows, and baked hogs held no appeal whatsoever. It was BORING to be quite honest!

My folks naturally were concerned, exspecially my Mom, believing all the marketing spin from the Meat Industry that i NEEDED to have that in my diet. Of course she ( and others) gave me the standard warning about not getting enough nutrients and the like. I felt fine, and still feel fine 13 years later.

I feel great...and wish others could understand how great it feels to drop meat and go 'clean'. I am not the type to preach, or try to 'convert' people....and even though i periodically have to deal with somewhat rude comments about being a Veg, i let people be.



So yeah, i think being Veg..and at least cutting a lot of meat out of your diet keeps you much healthier. Everyone is different, but from my experience it is a win/win situation for the long term.



I rarely get colds, and when i do they are over pretty quick ( 3 to 4 days tops..). I find my meat-eating friends, as well as my folks, are always getting colds and health issues constantly. I very rarely get stomach aches or feel ill. I have always felt it was because of the difference in our diets.

 

http://www.wellsphere.com/vitamins-...egetarians-have-stronger-immune-system/439807

I have been looking at articles all morning about this very issue. I posted one above that is talking about the results of a medical study. As far as personal experience, I eat a vegan diet, and when I do (because every few months I get to feeling down and the desire for childhood comfort food kills my resolve) I feel better, I have more energy, and I get sick less. My immune system while eating animal products was not super. I had a near constant cold through all of winter (which in Minnesota is quite long). As a vegan I am sick much less, and I have small children, so I get them coughing in my face and giving me their boogers (ah, parenthood). When people talk about vegetarians or vegans who are unhealthy the question you should ask is "what do they eat?" Some people go vegan or vegetarian but don't change their diets in any way except to drop certain products. For any diet to be successful you need to be mindful of what nutrients you need and what foods you need to get them. If you go vegan and eat bread and pasta and potatoes you are not going to be healthy, you will not get the protein and vitamins you need. Remember, the word from which these diets are derived is VEGETABLE. If you are going to be a vegetarian you need to eat vegetables and fruits, keep your carbohydrate intake to a reasonable level, and make sure you are substituting plant based proteins for the meat proteins you have given up. Remember that with any diet is it about balance, and it is about what makes you healthy. The best way to change your mothers mind is by showing her that you can eat right, let her see how healthy you are, and how happy you are to be following a diet you believe in. There are many studies that link meats to heart disease and other disorders, maybe try to research those, make up your own mind.

 

I do not eat too much meat....but I like seafood...Vegetables and fruits, nuts, grains....really is the best way to go. Animal meat is just corpses....not living food at all....