Are vegetarians actually smarter?

First, there’s the headline, followed by a bunch of justifications that defy both basic human nature and common sense
it's all just a window into how a toddler perceives the world
honestly, if you ask me, the crowd that suddenly decided to go full vegetarian is just a group of people doing absolutely nothing with their lives, so naturally, they aren't burning any actual energy and they feel perfectly fine about staying in their little "balanced" bubble
🙂
but, I’ve started noticing a pattern where, once they lose a bit of body fat, their nerves start fraying and they turn incredibly aggressive and erratic
my guess is that their primal survival instincts eventually kick in and they start acting like predators because their bodies are screaming for some real fuel

Prejudices have never done anyone any good!

So, am I being lumped in with them too? You think you know me?

William Williams27 said:Prejudice has never done anyone any good!!!!

So, I fall into that category too? You think you have me figured out...

Yeah, they "know" exactly how every vegetarian thinks because some friend or coworker did things a certain way once... just like that.

azzie_elbub said:You're being paranoid again 😳

Oh, so this isn't the "Vegetarians are smarter" thread after all? 😵

Look, Galatea, it’s really nothing personal
I just wanted to demonstrate how grating it sounds when someone tries to shove you into some arbitrary little box or label you with a category that doesn't fit
It’s honestly pretty unpleasant when people start preaching at you, especially when they try to frame your own unique way of being as if it were some sort of inherent flaw, wouldn't you agree?
To be perfectly blunt, I couldn't care less whether you decide to switch over to solar power or not
🙂

De Billek said:I'm not a vegetarian... I just know I'm being foolish.😉 😬

You see, once I finally admit when I'm wrong, so many things will start to fall into place.
For now, though, I'm mostly just avoiding people, Neo.
Come with us.

Scientists are basically claiming that the modern human brain started its major evolutionary leap
right around the time our ancestors picked up hunting and started eating meat. Honestly, it makes total sense to me—you need those proteins to actually fuel brain development.
I mean, following the whole vegetarian trend seems almost trendy now, but if we go that route, maybe people will just stop having sex altogether because it's too "primitive" or just meant for cavemen. We’ll end up like that Schwarzenegger movie where everyone just hooks up in some virtual reality simulation without ever actually touching.

Carol Parker said:Scientists claim the human brain, at least the version we have now, started evolving
once our ancestors began hunting and eating meat. Honestly, that makes total sense to me, given how much protein is required for brain development...
It’s almost trendy to be a vegetarian nowadays, though I suppose eventually they'll stop having sex altogether since that's considered "pre-human" or just too primal. We'll all end up like that movie with Schwarzenegger where people just engage in virtual reality sex without ever actually touching...

If you're going to pose as an intellectual, you really ought to realize that protein isn't exclusive to meat...

Poor folks in Asia—based on your logic, they should all be complete idiots, shouldn't they? 🤣

😂 😂

I just headed into the kitchen, and instead of making my usual hearty comfort food, I ended up just grabbing some kale. I honestly can't quite explain why!

Tihhana said:What are your thoughts on this?

I’m not sure how to feel about the article itself, but personally, I am a hardcore meat eater. If I don't eat meat, I genuinely get sick. It’s just one of those things... I've had this intense craving for meat for as long as I can remember. 😍
I do feel for animals, and I actually tried being a vegetarian out of pure compassion 😬, but it just didn't work for me. I felt terrible and physically unwell. 😎

Heh, this is honestly just ridiculous...
People who are more self-aware tend to eat healthier. That isn't necessarily without merit either, since proteins—as someone else pointed out—are absolutely essential to prevent things like kwashiorkor.
Funny...

A little clarification to clear up the whole protein debate:

It seems proteins are the primary bogeyman people conjure up when they contemplate going vegetarian. You see anxious parents fretting, asking, “But what about the protein?” as if it were some rare, elusive element right behind diamonds on the list of nature's hardest things to find. Honestly, you don't need to lose sleep over a protein deficiency. In fact, you’re statistically more likely to be trampled by a stampede of wild horses on Fifth Avenue than you are to run into a vegetarian suffering from a lack of protein.

Proteins matter, sure—they help build the body, repair tissue, and fight off infections. The good news is that they are tucked away in almost everything we eat, including fruits and vegetables. Legumes are really the heavy lifters here. We're talking chickpeas, lentils, and the whole pea family—beans, fava beans, even split peas. When it comes to sheer versatility, soy is the king; it’s the backbone of countless vegetarian staples like tofu, veggie burgers, veggie sausages, soy milk, and even something called TVP—textured vegetable protein—which actually isn't quite as unappetizing as the name implies. You'll also find plenty of protein in farm-fresh eggs, cheeses, nuts, seeds, and even in rice and pasta.

Proteins are made up of various amino acids. Certain foods, like soy products, milk, cheese, and meat, are "complete" because they contain all the essential amino acids. Other foods only provide a subset. But if you simply vary your diet within a vegetarian or vegan framework, those different amino acids will combine to give you—bingo!—complete protein. This isn't just guesswork; it's a principle backed by every major nutritional organization in the world. And no, you don't even have to eat them all in a single sitting; the human body is smart enough to store amino acids until they're needed.

Back in 1995, the U.S. government released dietary guidelines specifically noting that vegetarians can easily meet all their protein requirements through their diet. Even the American Medical Association, one of the most respected medical institutions globally, stated the exact same thing years before that. They were absolutely right, too, because there hasn't been a single documented case of protein deficiency caused by a vegetarian or vegan diet. So, I'm telling you, stop worrying.

Quote from the book by Juliet Gellatley, "How to Become, Be, and Remain a Vegetarian."

Vegetarians are great 👍, but what about those of us who give up meat only to suffer when we catch a whiff of something delicious roasting on the grill? 😬 Who’s going to sympathize with us? 🤣

So, how do vegans actually get their B12? And what's even in those supplements they take?

Do vegetarians actually live longer than meat-eaters? NO.
Are they any happier? NO.
Is their sex life better? Absolutely NOT.
Do they have more money in the bank? NO.
Do they enjoy a higher social status? NO.
Do they love animals more? Not necessarily.
Are they superior athletes? No way.
Are they "greater" artists? I don't think so.

Look, I have zero interest in going vegetarian—honestly, I just don't see the point. I knew two women back in the day, one was strictly vegan and the other followed a macrobiotic diet, and both of them passed away from cancer just a few years ago—one from breast cancer and the other from ovarian cancer.

Every bit of Vitamin B12 on this planet is actually produced by bacteria. Neither plant life nor animals have the ability to manufacture it themselves. Plants only end up with B12 through contact with soil bacteria. Animal foods are rich in B12 only because animals eat foods that are contaminated with it or because bacteria living in an animal's intestines make it.

http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html
http://www.lifesave.org/VitaminB12.htm
http://www.google.com/

restlesscobra132 said:Vegetarians have it easy 👍 , but what about those of us who give up meat only to suffer every time we catch the divine scent of a roast? 😬 Who’s going to sympathize with us? 🤣

I have to admit, I went through the exact same thing during my first attempt at cutting out meat about six or seven years ago. It was strange—even when I was completely full, just catching the smell of something roasting would trigger this massive craving for meat. I even dealt with bouts of physical weakness. On my second attempt, I made sure to incorporate two staples into my diet: seitan and mushroom and corn pizza. Sure, there are endless vegetarian recipes out there, but those are the ones that actually hit the spot for me. Since then, the cravings and the fatigue have vanished. I’m sitting at about 205 lbs at 5'10" (not exactly overweight), and honestly, I don't feel any smarter or slower just because I stopped eating meat, but I certainly enjoy my food more and generally feel better overall.

crimsonhound80 said:I have zero interest in going vegetarian. I used to know two women—one was strictly vegan and the other followed a macrobiotic diet—and both passed away from cancer a few years back, one from breast cancer and the other from ovarian.

For me, skipping meat is purely about my own conscience. That doesn't mean anyone eating a steak is automatically a bad person, though. I don't actually run in many vegetarian circles—truth be told, I don't personally know a single vegetarian—but I’ve known plenty of people who struggled with, or eventually succumbed to, cancer or cardiovascular disease regardless of their diet. Whether those outcomes serve as any kind of reliable indicator for the health of vegetarians versus meat-eaters is something I'm not convinced by. It's all a bit too anecdotal for me.