Mercola.com

[thomer]

What do you guys think of this guy.... www.mercola.com (http://www.mercola.com) The reason I ask in here is because he is adamantly against vegetarianism. After I read his opinions, I felt like I was going to die a slow and painful death before age 30 just because I don't eat cows.

Some of the things he says are good and informative, but every time I read his site, I can't help but think he is a carniverous veg-hater....

So, :td or :tu ?

[GrowingInGrace]

Well... I'm a healthy 3rd generation vegetarian raising healthy 4th generation vegetarians. :)

Here's a good article with objective information on soy.

http://www.foodrevolution.org/what_about_soy.htm

(also has good info on other vegetarian issues)

Some of his info IS good, but it's also not info you can't find elsewhere. He definitely has an anti-vegetarian agenda which I find very weird. People in my faith community have been vegetarian for well over 100 years and not only aren't dropping dead but are some of the healthier americans!

http://www.llu.edu/llu/health/previous.html

Good luck with your vegetarian journey. :) Eat a wide variety of foods, fresh and whole when possible. Exercise, get sunlight, get rest, drink plenty of water, pray and fellowship. You'll be healthy. :)

[Punkie]

I think there's some good and some not-as-good info on his site. I take it with a grain of salt, but I did check his book out from the library and enjoyed parts of it :)

[Havilah]

off topic to GrowingInGrace...

My husband was born at Loma Linda Hospital (they were stationed there for the air force) on Christmas Eve. They love to reminisce about the veggie burgers they ate for Christmas dinner!

[GrowingInGrace]

neat! :)

[Katherine]

I recently came across some of his anti-veg articles. :/ He named a couple of specific reasons that he thinks animal products--meat in particular--are necessary to the human diet. I think B12 and Vit.D were mentioned, but he also basically said that he believes there are undiscovered elements in animal food sources that our bodies need to be healthy.. :shrug I tend to have the opposite opinion: I think if there are undiscovered/unidentified substances necessary for health, they are more likely to be found in fruits, grains, and vegis. Let's think about this, after all, where do most of our vitamins and minerals and essential nutrients come from now? kwim? :think

He was very outspoken against feeding children vegan diets and there was one article specifically against vegan pregnancy. :/ I am very, very new to vegan eating, and haven't maintained it will since I've been so sick with this pg. but I was hoping to get back to it once my system can handle solid food better. I was discouraged to read it, but you know--there are plenty of other people and resources that support the validity of sound vegan living. He really didn't make that good of a case against it anyway, IMO.

[flowermama]

I tend to have the opposite opinion: I think if there are undiscovered/unidentified substances necessary for health, they are more likely to be found in fruits, grains, and vegis. Let's think about this, after all, where do most of our vitamins and minerals and essential nutrients come from now? kwim?

I totally agree.

About children being vegan... my children are vegan. I guess it's been about three years or so since my oldest two became vegan. My little girl who is going to turn four next week has always been vegan, and of course my baby is vegan. He is the only one with whom I was vegan during the pregnancy. I was healthy throughout my pregnancy, and my guess ;) is he had a pretty healthy time in the womb because he was born one pound four ounces heavier than any of my other children (!) -- he was 9 pounds 4 ounces at birth. Anyway, our experience with being vegan has been positive for me and my family.

Some things in the book are outdated (you can read the reviews on amazon for more about that), but Dr. Klaper has some good info about the vegan diet in his book Pregnancy Children and the Vegan Diet (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0961424826/002-3196768-0861656?v=glance).

GrowingInGrace wrote:

Eat a wide variety of foods, fresh and whole when possible. Exercise, get sunlight, get rest, drink plenty of water, pray and fellowship. You'll be healthy.

Good advice! :tu

:heart

[Ninetales]

There is much helpful & wise information from Dr. Mercola. But he can be a jerk. He does not seem to understand (or doesn't want to) that for some people, eating meat is not an option, i.e., they are vegetarians out of deeply-held emotional motivations, either religion, or, more commonly, they can't bring themselves to eat animals because they empathize deeply with them. (I am one of the latter.)

So, on his site, Dr. Mercola talks about something called emotional freedom technique - a psychological/physical technique that will - wait for this! - cause animal-rights vegetarians TO STOP CARING ABOUT ANIMAL SUFFERING, FACTORY FARMS, SLAUGHTERING, ETC.!!! You see, we are mentally ill for identifying with the suffering of animals, and need Dr. Mercola's "cure".

Friends, I could not invent this to save my life.

I agree that some people should definitely not be veg. or vegan if it's only because they think it's somehow healthier. But when we are dealing with deep personal or religious beliefs, I think all doctors should respect that, and work around it for people who are having health problems.

[*snowflake*]

Yeah, it bugs me that he's anti-vegan diets... :(

But I love his site for medical info other than diet. :tu

[ShangriLewis]

If you go back I posted a soy article. I'll help you find it if need be. That same newsletter had an article about Dr. Mercola. I believe he has been getting into a little trouble for some of his "research" or writings.

[Ninetales]

Hi, ShangriLewis. Where exactly is that soy article from Dr. Mercola? Thanks.

As to soy, I read both pro- and anti-. And I have no idea what to think, except maybe that certain people should avoid certain foods; and other people can eat anything in moderation. I know that some vegetarians overdo soy. If I eat more than a bit of tofu, I get leg cramps. I hard about a postmenopausal woman whose periods came back after consuming soyfoods. So it is a pretty strong food, like flesh, and we should I guess all be careful to be moderate. Except if it's Christmas time, of course, when we can have all the cookies we want.

[ShangriLewis]

http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/mb/index.php?topic=13719.0

[Soliloquy]

I just wanted to chime in and say that even though I'm not vegetarian, I thought his anti-veggie stuff wasn't very believable. I know so many healthy vegetarians that it doesn't make sense at all to me. He also promoted a grain-free diet which I don't agree with. I do like his site for information on food additives like aspartame and splenda. I don't like how the mainline medical community just accepts these additives as perfectly safe. My SILs OB actually recommended she eat yogurt sweetened with aspartame and drink diet soda while she was PG. I think that's nuts. So, like any website, I think you just have to use your head to filter out the hype.

[J3K]

I am not a vegan/vegetarian . The subject line caught my eye. I hope it's okay I chimed in.

I adore Dr. Mercola. He has some of the best alternative medicine info out there. His stuff on vaccinations is amazing.

That said...
I disagree with his stance on vegetarians/vegans. My daughter is a vegetarian. She decided to become one at the age of three. It's totally her choice. I go out of my way to make sure she isn't offended when I cook meat for the rest of the family. We do have a hard time making sure her diet is well balanced however. She is allergic to tree nuts , peanuts , shellfish , and certain food colorings. Having a daughter that feels so adamantly about eating meat as she does...I honestly feel she was simply born that way. Occasionally she'll ask for chicken nuggets from Wendy's. I made sure she understood that is meat. (it doesn't look like meat..lol) Lately though she won't even eat that. She orders it then stares at it. She started to cry last time and said "please don't be mad , I changed my mind". (we weren't mad , we were as loving as we knew how to be and the manager gladly replaced her order with fruit instead)

AND

I find Dr. Mercola's reliance on EFT (Emotional Freedom Techinque) to be really bizzare. He seems to think this is the be-all and end-all of becoming healthy. I've looked into EFT ,specifically because he mentioned it and raved about it , and I was highly discouraged. I may do more study on it , but what I intially found goes against scripture. Anything that requires that I clear my mind , form a blank slate.... imo just leaves me open for Satan and his teachings. The mind can control all things. *shudder*

It's late. I'm not tired...but I really should get to bed. I'll check back in the morning. Again , I hope it's okay I posted over here even tho I'm not a vegetarian/vegan. :hug

[GodisGood]

I am not a vegan/vegetarian . The subject line caught my eye. I hope it's okay I chimed in.

I adore Dr. Mercola. He has some of the best alternative medicine info out there. His stuff on vaccinations is amazing.

That said...
I disagree with his stance on vegetarians/vegans. My daughter is a vegetarian. She decided to become one at the age of three. It's totally her choice. I go out of my way to make sure she isn't offended when I cook meat for the rest of the family. We do have a hard time making sure her diet is well balanced however. She is allergic to tree nuts , peanuts , shellfish , and certain food colorings. Having a daughter that feels so adamantly about eating meat as she does...I honestly feel she was simply born that way. Occasionally she'll ask for chicken nuggets from Wendy's. I made sure she understood that is meat. (it doesn't look like meat..lol) Lately though she won't even eat that. She orders it then stares at it. She started to cry last time and said "please don't be mad , I changed my mind". (we weren't mad , we were as loving as we knew how to be and the manager gladly replaced her order with fruit instead)

AND

I find Dr. Mercola's reliance on EFT (Emotional Freedom Techinque) to be really bizzare. He seems to think this is the be-all and end-all of becoming healthy. I've looked into EFT ,specifically because he mentioned it and raved about it , and I was highly discouraged. I may do more study on it , but what I intially found goes against scripture. Anything that requires that I clear my mind , form a blank slate.... imo just leaves me open for Satan and his teachings. The mind can control all things. *shudder*

It's late. I'm not tired...but I really should get to bed. I'll check back in the morning. Again , I hope it's okay I posted over here even tho I'm not a vegetarian/vegan. :hug


Except for the veg daughter, I agree with the above. :tu

Edited to clarify that I don't have a daughter, just three very carniverous boys.

[flowermama]

Oh, yes, non-veggies are welcome here, too. :mrgreen :hug

I disagree with his stance on vegetarians/vegans. My daughter is a vegetarian. She decided to become one at the age of three. It's totally her choice. I go out of my way to make sure she isn't offended when I cook meat for the rest of the family. We do have a hard time making sure her diet is well balanced however. She is allergic to tree nuts , peanuts , shellfish , and certain food colorings. Having a daughter that feels so adamantly about eating meat as she does...I honestly feel she was simply born that way. Occasionally she'll ask for chicken nuggets from Wendy's. I made sure she understood that is meat. (it doesn't look like meat..lol) Lately though she won't even eat that. She orders it then stares at it. She started to cry last time and said "please don't be mad , I changed my mind". (we weren't mad , we were as loving as we knew how to be and the manager gladly replaced her order with fruit instead)

That is so great that you are so supportive and understanding of her. I think that is amazing that she is so sweetly sensitive at such a young age. :heart

Your story reminded me of some stickers my parents gave us (because we are vegetarian) that they got at a vegetarian fair they went to.... they have a drawing of a chickie on them and say "I am not a nugget."

Anyway, I also felt concerns about EFT when I looked it up after reading Ninetales' post. I agree with her that doctors should respect it when patients have deep personal or religious beliefs against eating animals, and that they should work around it for people who are having health problems.

As with any way of eating, I think it's important for veggies to be informed about their chosen way of eating and what a healthy vegetarian diet involves, especially when eating vegan, but I honestly don't believe that meat is essential for a healthy diet. I think about the various things I've read, about our own experiences, and about how humans didn't eat animals until after sin came into the world, and I really feel convinced in my heart, and mind!, that our family does not need to, should not (at least the kids and I), eat animals.

I like Mercola in some things, but I think he is too far out there in others.

[Ninetales]

Flowermama, thanks for agreeing with me, and looking up the Emotional Freedom (?) technique stuff.

Isn't it funny (strange) that when a vegetarin has a certain health problem, a doctor or anyone who disagrees with avoiding meat will say that the condition is caused by lack of meat, and will be cured by eating it. Yet, when alifelong meat eater has that same health problem, it never has anything to do with diet! Funny ol' world, huh?

I wanted to inquire about your children's names listed at the bottom...are these their real names, or do the children just have the qualities of those great plants?

I