Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Belgium decided to introduce a veggie-day in all the schools. I read an article about it, and it talked about the usual crap : "meat is bad for the health, so this initiative is great for our children", "we will help the environment this way", ...

I wonder how long it will take before people realize their "meat is bad" theory is all wrong. Even my father, who saw my health improve in the last couple of months still says meat is bad ... and he has been fat his whole life (very sad indeed, I can't believe he has the guts to tell me what's healthy and what's not, his main argument is "ask the doctor").

edited Sep 9 2011 at 15:29

Bread-Eating Beelzebub
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asked Sep 9 2011 at 15:21

Korion
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Korion, sorry I had to edit this, it was too political for this site, but now it's OK. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Sep 9 2011 at 15:30

Oh that's totally fine, I agree with your edit :) – Korion Sep 9 2011 at 15:52

Ooh, I confess that I am now burning up with curiosity about what was too "hot" for Paleo Hacks! – Simibee Sep 9 2011 at 16:24

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Simibee, you can see the edit by clicking on the link that says "x hours ago" next to "edited". – Ambimorph Sep 9 2011 at 21:49

Thanks for that Ambimorph. I love tips like yours, as Paleo Hacks has so many great features of which I'm still unaware. :) – Simibee Sep 10 2011 at 1:04

Joshua · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-09 16:04:51Z UTC

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I'm more concerned with the indoctrination of our children that meat is bad... and believe that has more far-reaching negative effects than 52 meatless days in a year.

answered Sep 9 2011 at 16:04

Joshua
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Liz · Answer 2 · 2011-09-09 16:13:15Z UTC

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I'd rather see a "sugar-free" day with articles that say "sugar is bad for your health".

answered Sep 9 2011 at 16:13

Liz
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	that is sooo fringe. don't want to turn our kids into healthy radicals. – Rockgrrl Sep 9 2011 at 17:40
	That kind of radical thinking could get you in trouble! – FED at LiveCaveman.com Sep 9 2011 at 18:35
	How about grain free days? Don't know what the heck they would serve, though. I think everything on our school's menu is grain based. And it would look funny next to the poster on the cafeteria wall that shows a circle half filled with grains, and a little slice with meat and an asterisk that says no more than 2-3 servings per week. – Ambimorph Sep 9 2011 at 21:52

Casey · Answer 3 · 2011-09-09 18:59:46Z UTC

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I have no problem if they substitute vegetables for meat.

I'd have an issue if they insist on using frankenfoods as their substitute for actual nutrition. Tofurkey, tofu burgers, breaded "chick'n" nuggets, etc.

edited Sep 9 2011 at 18:59

answered Sep 9 2011 at 15:45

Casey
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and that's exactly what they will do. I have a feeling all the food service companies are on board not because they care about the environment, but because they care about the bottom line. Textured vegetable protein is cheap. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Sep 9 2011 at 16:15

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Cheese pizza is cheap, spaghetti is cheap, french fries/tater tots are cheap. Eggs, meat, and veggies are not. Taxpayers pay thrice for crops like corn, wheat, and soy (subsidies, retail, healthcare) and our kids get a "meat free" day because it is "healthier" and "meat is bad"? – FED at LiveCaveman.com Sep 9 2011 at 18:41

In all fairness the EU ain't so bad when it comes to food regulations! Nothing like US or Canada! – Celton Sep 9 2011 at 20:59

This. When my husband and I used to have "meat-free" days, it was never for health, and always had to do with cost. Two services of Kraft Dinner cost a lot less than real food. – Omnomnivore Sep 9 2011 at 22:27

Simibee · Answer 4 · 2011-09-09 16:22:19Z UTC

I'd like to point out that industrial meat is a cheap and commonly consumed aspect of the standard diet of wealthier nations. Just because these children aren't having meat at lunch doesn't mean that they won't have any during the other meals/multiple snacking opportunities throughout the rest of the day. So to be fair, I doubt that the kids are at risk of protein deficiency. In fact it's actually probable that most consume excessive methionine/muscle meat, which is inflammatory unless in the context of nose to tail eating.

Frankly, I find I disagree more with the needless politicking of school lunches than the actual nutritional aspect of this.

luckybastard · Answer 5 · 2011-09-09 15:46:35Z UTC

i don't think meat-free days are a bad thing per se. if you're on a meat-heavy diet(like i am) a meat-free day for autophagy is a good thing. the SAD's problem isn't that it doesn't have enough meat. it's that there's too much high o6 PUFAs, fructose and gluten in it. i was having a convo with a vegetarian friend and we found common ground in that area.

Ratiocinative · Answer 6 · 2011-09-09 16:22:17Z UTC

The thought of going a day without meat had never even crossed my mind, so I haven't researched this question specifically, but no data comes to mind that might suggest not eating meat for a period of time would be beneficial, aside from occasional fasting (but that involves all food, so I'm sure that's not what you're asking). However, I haven't seen any data that would suggest that not eating meat for a day is inherently unhealthy, and would depend upon what you replaced it with. Replacing it with eggs, for example, would probably be fine. As others mentioned, however, schools tend to replace meat with processed foods and excessive amounts of grains.

Whatever the case, nutrition is just another thing to add to the long list of reasons why we need to have school choice programs. All the time and tax dollars wasted arguing on what and how children should be taught, fed, disciplined, transported, etc. Would be interesting to compare the health of children in schools that serve paleo lunches verses schools that serve vegan lunches or SAD lunches.

Rockgrrl · Answer 7 · 2011-09-09 17:44:57Z UTC

Tricky question, because at least in American schools you'd be hard pressed to call what they serve at school lunch "meat"-- it's often some kind of processed meat mixed with soy, preservatives and MSG anyway. The way out of this conundrum is to teach the kids to distrust confined at-school feeding operations (CAFO's).

wheelhouse · Answer 8 · 2011-09-09 18:54:48Z UTC

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I'd pack my kid a Swanson on those days. :)

(Swanson - bacon wrapped turkey leg)

answered Sep 9 2011 at 18:54

wheelhouse
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UncleLongHair · Answer 9 · 2011-09-09 21:19:51Z UTC

Well given the choices of "meat" that are usually in schools (hot dogs, prison-food-grade hamburgers that have probably been frozen for 2 years, etc), this might not be a bad idea. I don't think kids or anyone needs to have major protein in every single meal, and I sometimes will have a meal with just yogurt and fruit or coffee and cream or something like that.

I don't agree with the justification ("meat is bad") and wish they would have sugar-free or PUFA-free days, but I don't think either of those will ever happen...

wmertens · Answer 10 · 2011-09-09 22:31:04Z UTC

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The solution is simple: Start the kids' veggie day with a huge omelette-in-bacon-weave and for dinner a meatza.

Whatever they still manage to eat during school lunch is their side salad :-)

answered Sep 9 2011 at 22:31

wmertens
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Are meat-free and no-meat days in schools bad for children?

10 Answers