Why Vegetarians Live Longer

Eating a plant-based diet may let you live eight years longer than the general population, says a recent research report.

 
A recent article in the Huffington Post postulates that vegetarians live on average almost eight years longer than the general population, which is similar to the gap between smokers and nonsmokers. This was one of the findings of a large scale study done on vegetarians and vegans. For more information on the study and its results, read more here.

Dating Non-Vegetarians 101

Love doesn't have to be complicated unless you want it to be

People (mostly non-vegetarians) have asked me why I chose to date a non-vegetarian although I abstain from eating flesh. I tell them it's the person, not the dietary preference and that's the truth. 

One "auntie" figure even suggested that I "change him" into a vegetarian later in the relationship, to which I responded by smiling (not a little uncomfortably). But the reality is, I've been vegetarian for over a decade now and nothing's about to make me change my lifestyle, so why should I expect my boyfriend to change his?

People do change over time, of course. This doesn't however mean that you should start out thinking that you can be the catalyst of change. Life doesn't work that way. Just because you are vegetarian doesn't make it right for you to manipulate meat-eaters to your way of thinking and living. The only thing you'll succeed in doing is ruining what could be a great relationship.

Of course, you could be persistent and chose to date only vegetarians. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. There are more female than male vegetarians, which makes it hard to find a male vegetarian to date. And even if you're lucky enough to meet a single vegetarian, there's no guarantee that you will be compatible in other ways. So many of us decide to take the plunge and date non-vegetarians. 

The problem with this is that you have to "endure" the day-to-day realities of dating a meat-eater, especially during meal times. So as a vegetarian, how do you learn to live with it? Here are three ways that have worked for me:

Be realistic. Like I mentioned earlier, don't try to change him or her. Remember that dietary preference is not a deal breaker. If it helps, make a list of all the good qualities your other half possesses. If that fails, ask yourself if you would be willing to change your dietary preference for your other half? If that doesn't work, perhaps you're better off dating a vegetarian.

Stand your ground. Be prepared for your other half to ask you why you are vegetarian or why you won't eat fish occasionally. The natural response is to get indignant or defensive, but please don't. Often these questions are the result of ignorance or just plain curiosity. Gently (but firmly) explain why you feel so strongly about vegetarianism and why you won't change.

Bend a little. Meal times can be stressful for vegetarians when they're sitting across the table from a plate of meat. Be the bigger person: suggest restaurants that serve vegetarian and non-vegetarian options instead of always insisting you go to an all-veg restaurant. Forcing your significant other to eat vegetarian meals all the time is not particularly endearing. If the thought of kissing your date after a meal is unbearable, ask him or her to eat a mint or brush his or her teeth before kissing you.

Remember: love isn't complicated, people make it so.

Vegepreneurs On The Rise

Vegetarian entrepreneurs (or the rather cutely coined "vegepreneurs") are now on the rise, according to an article on Businessweek.com.

Ancient Humans Were Mostly Vegetarian, says critic

Where once the vegetarian diet was all the rage, now the Paleolithic diet seems to be the new trend in the West. A brief explanation of the diet for the uninitiated, courtesy of Wikipedia: 

"The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet. Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils."

There are however, still believers in the vegetarian diet and that our ancestors, ate mostly a plant diet. One of them is Rob Dunn, who is a critic of the paleolithic diet and by the sound of it, a dedicated vegetarian. He presents a credible case for vegetarianism in his recent article in the Huffington Post. 

Vegetarianism and the French Revolution

We don't typically associate the French Revolution with vegetarianism, but according to this post in NPR, vegetarianism was alive and kicking during the era:

"...nearly lost to history were the middle and upper class opponents of the political system, some of whom were reported to have used vegetarianism — not the guillotine — to protest the monarchy.  
Vegetarianism during the French Revolution is most often traced to the political writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He was a philosopher who greatly influenced the revolutionaries, says Tristram Stuart, author of the book The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism: From 1600 to Modern Times.
Rousseau writes in Emile, his treatise on education:

"The indifference of children towards meat is one proof that the taste for meat is unnatural; their preference is for vegetable foods, such as milk, pastry, fruit, etc. Beware of changing this natural taste and making children flesh-eaters, if not for their health's sake, for the sake of their character." "