Don't watch if you're in a good mood...

[Antilikos]

Whole Foods ftw.

[Goodgnome]

PETA is definitely good for one thing - they shine a light on meat plants that are violating the laws. They're unfortunately bad at realizing that just because they saw it once, it isn't necessarily like that everywhere all the time. Ah, well.

If I wasn't supposed to eat meat, I would have a mouth full of molars, and it just wouldn't taste so dang good. ;-)

[Atelo]

Actually we do have the teeth of a herbivore, just like a horse or cow. People started eating meat apparently for the extra protein required to sustain our large brains (some larger than others).

[godpigeon]

But we also have had bigger canines in the past... In the way of teeth we're closest to something like dogs... omnivores, if it's around, was living, and not poisonous we can eat it. It's all about proportions now-a-days.

[Zamphir]

also we have the digestive tract of an omnivore....

herbavores have long tracts because it takes alot to get the nutrients you need out of plants...

carnivores in turn have a very short digestive tract... nutrients from meat are easily absorbed into the system...

humans digestive tract is middle of the road suggesting we lived on both plants and animals..

[Kaohi]

also we have the digestive tract of an omnivore....

herbavores have long tracts because it takes alot to get the nutrients you need out of plants...

carnivores in turn have a very short digestive tract... nutrients from meat are easily absorbed into the system...

humans digestive tract is middle of the road suggesting we lived on both plants and animals..

Well another thing is, after you've consumed meat for so long, or pretty much with anything, you're body becomes dependent on it, so likely one can't just completely cut it off without proper nutrient support.

[ascanius]

The conditions of various meat processing facilities should be assessed and made public often. Most people, even rabidly pro-meat advocates, would call for stricter requirements and controls of these places. I used to be an outspoken fan of kosher beef (religion aside) because of the ridiculously strenuous requirements for certification and the humane way of putting animals down (which apparently is more humane than the common bolt gun), but after the infraction exposure of an Iowa kosher meat plant I find it hard to buy beef without checking out the history of various store's wares.

Its not just the processing plants conditions that bother me. Anyone who has driven I5 from/to LA has had the (mis)fortune of experiencing Harris Ranch's cattle farm. Miles of olfactory bliss...

I do, however, hate people who get in arms about genetically modified foods. There is little to no definitive proof they can be harmful, and there untold numbers of people (especially in less developed nations) that would starve without them. Sure, there are moral (patents and patent enforcement methods) and environmental (undesirable gene trades with other organisms) issues, but European style attitudes are harmful at best.

I go sustainable and local at all costs around here. We have lots of good things up in the hills of Western VA, and I get to eat pretty well... The harder I work to find the good stuff, the better my reward so to speak.

I hope I am able to find lots of good things in San Diego, even though it is mostly Big Agriculture out there.

I'm with you on the eating sustainable/local when possible, but the local thing can be a problem for a lot of people who don't live in moderate climates with arable land. Otherwise those who aren't in optimal locations would have to either rely on crappy diets (especially during the winter), or be forced to eat food from energy inefficient hothouses.

As for San Diego, remember you'll be in one of the best climates in the US. Grow some of your own food. It's s much better and tasty. When I look for new plants I go to the local nursery/gardening store for the lowdown on good crops for the local soil and season. When I've lived in places that don't have yard I pack as many smaller plants in every window possible, though the smell of basil has been a bit much sometimes...

You'll also be close to the ocean, so fishing might be something to take up (if you don't already angle). I love heading down the beach for an afternoon of fishing for some great food and drinking beer in the sun. If you like swimming, you might like spear fishing or abalone diving (not sure if abalone diving is legal in the south). I don't have a wetsuit anymore so spear fishing is a bit uncomfortable for now, but when I'm able its a ton of fun. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a good list of sustainable fish, and thankfully halibut is totally solid to not throw back.

I'm not trying to be a west coast elitist/stereotype, but I'd guess you'll actually have more options for sustainable/humane food in San Diego than in Virginia. Though not the most liberal place in California, San Diego does seem to share the more liberal affinity for eco-friendly healthy foods.

Whole Foods ftw.

The meat at WF's is so god damn good. If I wasn't hooked from taste alone, they regularly have ranchers from their 'local' (the SF area's is in parts of northern CA and southern OR) beef provider available for questions. They also have buffalo meat, which turns out to be great when cooked right (it's lean enough that its easily prepared too dry). The only elements I don't like are the price (if it turned WFs wasn't making a ton off meat sales I wouldn't mind as much, and perhaps frequent it more often), the CEO's views on universal healthcare (not a big deal since it doesn't effect the the company and every man is entitled to having their own views), and that they carry some very unsustainable seafood items (my GF is a ichthyologist and adviser to Safeway, so when I buy suspect seafood I never hear the end of it).

I hate that good beef is so expensive, but I can't stand the taste of crappy meat and the terrible cuts. The only compromise I've been willing to live with is to get most of my protein from less expensive sources most of time and buy some nice cuts for special occasions. Come to one of my BBQs and have a $30 porterhouse, or a piece of a smoked $70 brisket. Damn I love summer...

humans digestive tract is middle of the road suggesting we lived on both plants and animals..

I don't know if these are evidence of anything, but I'd like to think so. An active person requires a lot of protein, and its ridiculously hard to get enough as a vegan without chugging vegetable based protein supplements. Plus vegans need/should take nutrient supplements to get enough of certain micro nutrients that are more rare in quantity within plants.

A more conclusive proof I've read of is cholesterol levels of omnivore and herbavore diets. Certain people, genetically, need animal cholesterol. When these people are vegan and not consuming animal cholesterol, the their body goes crazy and creates tons the bad type [LDL] and puts them at a higher risk of heart attacks. Irony?

Well another thing is, after you've consumed meat for so long, or pretty much with anything, you're body becomes dependent on it, so likely one can't just completely cut it off without proper nutrient support.

I was a vegan for about a year, and this is definitely true. As my body adjusted and was better able to withdraw nutrients I didn't get cravings (an awesome and interesting evolutionary trait) for random ass stuff. I thought cravings for dirt was something only pregnant women get. In an odd, and disgusting, way one can judge the bodies transition from the consistency of bowel movements over time. After dropping to my lowest adult weight ever, 158lb (6'5"), I gave it up. Its definitely great for leaner builds, but is terrible for trying to put on serious bulk. I never though I would get sick of eating, bu that was before trying to regularly consume 3000+ calories a day from produce without doing shots of vegetable oil. Gross.

[Croakker]

If you want a good example of hybridization in plants, take a look at Bananas. Your regular yellow banana you find in a store is not something that grows in the wild. It was bred by man into the form it is today. Wild bananas have large seeds in them. No genetics were involved.

And, every banana you get these days are genetically identical. Not due to any engineering, just the way they're farmed. It makes the banana plant population very susceptible to infection, though. The ones we eat today are not the same kind our grandparents ate. Those were wiped out by a rampant fungal infection. There was a lot of talk a couple of years ago about what our next big consumer banana would be if the current one was similarly taken out.