General Discussions

**Learning Newbie** · 07-31-2007, 06:27 PM

I didn't catch the name of the company, but one insurer is giving a 6% discount to vegetarians. Most life insurance companies give discounted premiums to non-smokers, non-drinkers, and other classes of people they feel are at a lower risk.

Vegetarians get heart disease much less often, and when they do, it's later in life. More important, they're as much as 40% less likely to get many common types of cancer.

I think it's a life insurance company, but it might be health insurance, too. I just heard about this on the radio. And I want to know what everyone thinks? Is this special rights for a whiny minority group, or is it an example of rewarding good behavior, and good health policy?

**seolman** · 07-31-2007, 06:31 PM

Are Ice Cream and Snickers bars considered vegetarian? If this is the case... I need the number of that insurance company.

**ForrestCroce** · 08-01-2007, 02:56 AM

Was this forced on them, or did they do this to make a profit?

**Learning Newbie** · 08-01-2007, 04:00 PM

Uh, it was of their own free will. I don't know if they did it for marketing, like to get money by more sales, or based purely on health and death risk statistics.

**angele803** · 08-01-2007, 04:01 PM

Sweet, I'm a vegetarian and I could use some life insurance! What's the name of this company?

Seriously though, I really am a vegetarian (since last April), but I don't think I am any healthier than I was before I was a vegetarian. I dont eat any animal flesh, but I eat too much sugar and too many carbs. (most vegetarians probably do). I think that some serious research would have to be done to prove that cutting out meat from a diet can really prevent life-threatening diseases.

**Learning Newbie** · 08-01-2007, 05:11 PM

Sadly, I didn't catch the news. If I'm WMT's token liberal, it means I listen to a lot of NPR. They announced this, started the segment with the name of the company, and I didn't realize it was something to pay attention to until it was too late. They only said the name of the company once.

I actually think you're wrong, about how you measure your health overall. You're right vegetarians probably eat too much sugar and high-fructose corn syrup and salt and oil and buttered popcorn and, well, most of the stuff that's in the grocery store. Thing is, I eat meat (I tried the veggie only thing in my early 30s - why it caught my attention), but I eat my share of Ben & Jerry's, too. And jalepeno poppers. For anyone who hasn't tried those, don't get started, they're like crack. A little bit of spicy plant fried in cheese and bread crumbs.

It sounds like I share all your bad or unhealthy habits, but you don't have one of mine. If eating meat is another thing that puts you at worse risk, then you're better off than I am.

**psylocke** · 08-02-2007, 04:39 AM

sad to say that i love to eat meat.. i think you can get protein from meat, well i eat veggies but only some of them.

**Learning Newbie** · 08-02-2007, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seolman

Are Ice Cream and Snickers bars considered vegetarian? If this is the case... I need the number of that insurance company.

Probably. Hostess chocolate donuts don't count, though. They have beef fat in them. I know that's hard to believe. That's why I took a close up picture of the ingredients with my phone and am writing a blog post about it.

**Cheshire_cat** · 08-02-2007, 02:31 PM

I get a good feeling of satisfaction after knocking off a 20 0z porter house steak.

**CSS4Life** · 08-02-2007, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by psylocke

sad to say that i love to eat meat.. i think you can get protein from meat, well i eat veggies but only some of them.

Yes, cannibalism...Lol sorry that was my immediate reaction when reading your post and thinking of vegetarians!

**Learning Newbie** · 08-02-2007, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheshire_cat

I get a good feeling of satisfaction after knocking off a 20 0z porter house steak.

I get a really good feeling of satisfaction after I smoke a half 1/8 (OZ) of the green stuff, wacky tobaccy.

I don't think that feeling of satisfaction and good health really go together. But then I eat meat myself, I can't really say why. It's just (part of) what I do.

**seolman** · 08-02-2007, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

Probably. Hostess chocolate donuts don't count, though. They have beef fat in them. I know that's hard to believe. That's why I took a close up picture of the ingredients with my phone and am writing a blog post about it.

I'll never look at Hostess chocolate donuts the same again...

...pass me another Twinkie dear

**Learning Newbie** · 08-02-2007, 06:30 PM

Yeah, I won't either. I've got NO PROBLEM with beef, but I'm not comfortable with the idea of not knowing how long mine has been sitting on the shelf, not refrigerated. I know there are all kinds of preservatives in there, but if we didn't put beef fat in donuts, we wouldn't need all of them.

I'm working on a blog post about how I bet half the people who think they're vegetarians really aren't.

**seolman** · 08-02-2007, 09:09 PM

Some years ago there was a huge stink in India about McDonald's french fries. Someone discovered there are treated with beef stock for taste and the Hindus were furious - went on Golden Arch rampages busting out windows etc..

They immediately agreed to stop the practice in India, not sure about everywhere else. Might be good background for your blog...

**ForrestCroce** · 08-02-2007, 10:15 PM

This is why I read the labels on food I haven't bought before. And yeah, I'm a vegetarian.

I wonder how much of the decision is based on the idea that meat is bad for you, and how much on the notion that certain "lifestyles" just mean better or worse health in general? For example, people who floss regularly live a few years longer on average than people who don't. Some of that is inflammation in the gums spreading, but most of it is simply people who take the time and energy to floss their teeth also do a lot of other health related good things.

On that note, I bike a lot, about 4,500 miles in my adult life, for fun, for exercise, sometimes to commute. Trouble is, this has been almost exclusively in major cities, usually on concrete, and it's only a matter of time before something bad happens. I've been to the ER four times for bike accidents, and hit by cars three times; only been to the emergency room once for that. A jerk ran a red light, and I was between street car tracks, so I couldn't swerve. Broken rib and finger. Another was a pothole while I had some groceries throwing my center of balance off: nerve damage and a torn rotator cuff. My brakes failed once: broken rib, radial head fracture - that's part of the elbow - and soft tissue damage. A few weeks ago my seat fell apart out of the blue, I landed on the sidewalk and bruised three ribs.

The point is the bike was supposed to keep me out of the hospital at 60 having my chest cracked for a bypass. Instead, I'm 29 and have a list of preferences for which hospital I want to be taken to. That's ironic, but if you really consider things, cycling isn't the only "active" or "outdoorsy" thing I spend my time at. I do a lot of hiking, too. Knock on wood, a friend of mine sprained his ankle on the side of one of the Olympics, a few miles up the trail. I go to the gym regularly, and a long time ago, I read a book about gym rats refusing to admit they're aging, until they give themselves heart attacks trying to slam dunk a ball at 65 years old.

I guess as nice as preferential treatment sounds, I'm not really comfortable with the idea of deciding peoples' fates based on stereotypes.