High I.Q. = vegetarian?

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061215/hl_ ... tarians_dc

So, who here is a vegetarian? I figured many people here had "high I.Q.'s"

I am not a vegetarian.

Tim

I've considered myself a "grainarian" at times because veggies can be as disgusting as much as raw meat can. Nothing like someone pulling a carrot out of the dirt and rinsing it off and yum. So considering that certain conditions can be associated with high IQ how does that necessarily mean that "smart" people eat healthier - maybe they are all just obsessive/compulsive .

See, that study is silly. 33% of people claiming to be vegetarians actually eat meat. I know lots of people who act self-righteous and call themselves vegetarians but aren't. So, that study is using faulty information.

IQ is not really indicative of a tendancy for vegetarianism.

If anything its counterintuitive considering having a high IQ and good education means you probably know that meat contains essential enzymes and protein types that are very difficult to aquire from other sources.

Among autistics (please excuse the generalization) its even more unlikely since the majority of vegetarians are that way because of an overdeveloped empathy that makes them feel sorry for animals that wouldnt exist if no one intended to eat them.

Eh Im not happy with how this rant turned out but Im kinda in a hurry.. guess Ill just say that while Im not a vegetarian I dont condone cruelty to animals or killing them for sport and I prefer vegetarian food as part of a balanced diet but I still eat meat on occasion to maintain my health.

Sorry Corvus!

You certainly CAN be very smart, and be a vegetarian, or even a vegan, but it is FAR harder than if you are omniverous. They HAVE done studies. You need amino acid mixes that are COMMON in meat but apparantly there is NO vegetable that can provide them, so you need to properly mix various vegetables. In fact, THAT is why SOY was so prized, because it was SO complete. It is still NOWHERE near as good as meat, but it is better than most other vegetables.

BTW I HAVE met a lot of stupid vegetarians. It is almost a stereotype. Of course, I HAVE met some very smart vegetarians also. I think most indians(not native americans) in the US are vegetarians, and some of them ARE pretty smart.

Steve

I'm vegetarian.

HEY, I was arguing FOR meat! Most big animals, including humans, generally eat meat. The ONLY reason humans avoid meat is because they are SCARED because of health claims, etc..., or their RELIGION says they shouldn't, or their ETHICS say it is bad to eat other creatures.

Think about it. Before religion and scientific evidence, it is likely EVERYONE prefered meat!

The macrobiotic diet is an example of one often advertised as being SAFER!(Reasons given are no consumption of cancer, easier digestion, more fiber, fewer heart problems)
Indians(from INDIA) often do it for religious reasons.
In the 70s some Americans did it for ETHICS reasons.

Can you think of any other reason?

Steve

I'm so mad, my post got eaten.

Social evolution does point to creating a more agricultural, small game dependent people based on population density.
I attended a lecture given by local archeologists about the Sacramento Valley in CA. Its civilization rivalled that of the Aztecs, in development and population density. They discovered that the Indians overhunted the game (like anyone does anywhere) and eventually developed agriculture and complex tools and methods for eating small game/fish.
The current fad of eating vegetarian mirrors this. However, I think other generations have eaten less meat and dairy because of storage problems. I think vegetarian options/fads come in waves and then become integrated into social customs.
I think it has more to do with distribution of resources than actual IQ.

I'm a carnivore.

look at animals do they have a relgion? fear nope its a choice maybe they don't like killing animals... take that into account?

meat

I need a lot of protein, or my cognitive abiltiies tank and my depression get bad. I've found a high protein, moderate fat, low cab diet works best for me. I have a very high IQ, and I definitely eat meat, daily.

I tried going veg a couple times int eh past, and it was baaaaaaaad. I felt horrible, depressed, couldn't think. Baaaaaaaad. But then I felt great after eating a piece of chicken or a steak.

Veg diet is bad for em too because I'm allergic to a lot of vegetable proteins, including the proteins found in soy, corn and tree nuts.

Don't know how anyone could function without meat. Seriously.

I have no opinion on whether vegetarians have larger IQ's but I must comment on some comments here which bother me.

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"See, that study is silly. 33% of people claiming to be vegetarians actually eat meat. "
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I agree. As a vegan myself, I find it annoying when some people call themselves vegetarian and yet eat chicken or fish "some of the time" . Either you are you aint! One can't say one is a Christian 2 days a week, a Muslim 3 days a week and Jewish the other 2 days. It's bad for the word definition as it weakens the word 'vegetarian' until someone ordering a 'vegetarian' meal at a restaurant gets something with fish or chicken in it. Last time I checked, fish and chicken did not grow on trees.

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"More than 33 percent of the men and women in the study described themselves as vegetarians but said they ate white meat and fish. Just over four percent were strict vegetarians and 2.5 percent were vegans, who eat no animal products at all, including eggs and dairy."
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This part about 'some vegetarians describing themselves as vegetarian but still eating white meat or fish' only prooves that the people who said so either don't have a dictionary, have forgotten the correct meaning of the word or aren't very intelligent afterall.

If this weakening of word definitions continues maybe the word vegan will change until one is given a fish sandwich as a 'vegan meal'. Oh well I only rarely eat out and always at a vegetarian/vegan place downtown.


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"Among autistics (please excuse the generalization) its even more unlikely since the majority of vegetarians are that way because of an overdeveloped empathy that makes them feel sorry for animals that wouldnt exist if no one intended to eat them."
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I'm a vegan. I find your statement to be untrue. I don't consider myself to have an "overdeveloped" sense of empathy any more than some hunters would feel sorry for his beloved retriever dog who got injured or died. It's more a matter of not applying this empathy towards other animals due to habit or training or learning. People are taught that pigs are food and dogs are not so if someone from the west hears about dogs being killed for food in the world, they get upset and even outraged as much or more than some animal rights activists here are outraged by storeis of farm animal mistreatment.

There are many people who have less or more empathy than me and some may be omnivores but don't see things the same way in this situation.

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"animals that wouldnt exist if no one intended to eat them"
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I don't feel that existance for it's own sake outweighs the lack of concern for welfare whilst alive. In my opinion, there is no merit to simply bringing billions of animals into existance for food and, as is the ever-expanding modern trend of big business, taking away as many legal protections against welfare (ie, welfare= money and time spent = reduced profit for big business). What good is a life stuck in a cage such as a egg laying hen with it's writing paper sized confinement ? Natural life greatly outweighs confined living.

In my opinion there are a number of disagreeable or fuzzy statements in this thread where people are stating some things "they just heard somewhere" without really investigating matters fully.

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"BTW I HAVE met a lot of stupid vegetarians. It is almost a stereotype."
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If it is a stereotype (I have not heard of this ), it is based on weak logic or understanding like most stereotypes.