Vegetariansim: the Choice of the 'More Intelligent' Child

[prometheus]

Vegetarianism: the Choice of the
'More Intelligent' Child
by Jeremy Laurance

It's official - vegetarians really are smarter. But it
is not because of what they eat. Bright children are
more likely to reject meat and opt to become
vegetarians when they grow up, a study has shown.
Clever veggies are born not made.

The finding helps explain how a team of vegetarians
won the BBC Test the Nation competition in September,
when they beat off competition from six other teams
including butchers, public school pupils and
footballers' wives to achieve the highest overall IQ
score.

The top scoring individual in the contest, Marie
Bidmead, 68, a mother of five from Churcham,
Gloucester, was also a vegetarian. "I think it shows
we veggies are good thinkers. We think about what we
eat for a start," she said.

Researchers from the University of Southampton who
conducted the study agree. They suggest that
vegetarians are more thoughtful about what they eat.
But they say it is unclear whether bright children
choose to become vegetarians for the health benefits
or for other reasons, such as a concern for animals,
or as a lifestyle choice.

The scientists began investigating the link between IQ
and vegetarianism because people with higher
intelligence have a lower risk of heart disease, which
has long puzzled doctors.

A vegetarian diet is associated with a lower
cholesterol level, lower blood pressure and less
obesity - all risk factors for heart disease. The
researchers wondered if this could explain the health
advantage of having a high IQ. They cite Benjamin
Franklin, the 18th-century statesman and scientist,
who said that a vegetarian diet results in a "greater
clearness of head and quicker comprehension" . He may
not have realised that this was because of whom was
eating rather than what was eaten.

However, early last century doctors were less
enamoured of the practice. Robert Hutchison told the
British Medical Association in 1930: "Vegetarianism is
harmless enough though it is apt to fill a man with
wind and self-righteousness. "

The study, published in the British Medical Journal,
was based on more than 8,000 people born in 1970 whose
IQ was measured at age 10. Now aged 36, the
researchers found 366, just under one in 20, said they
were vegetarians (a third of these ate chicken or fish
but none touched red meat).

As well as being brighter, the vegetarians were better
educated and of higher social class but the link with
intelligence remained statistically significant even
after adjusting for these factors. Despite their
intelligence they were not wealthier and more likely
to be working for charities or in education. "It may
be that ethical considerations determined not just
their diet but also their choice of employment," the
report said.

It concludes: "Our finding that children with greater
intelligence are more likely to report being
vegetarian as adults, coupled with the evidence on the
potential health benefits of a vegetarian diet, may
help to explain why higher IQ in childhood or
adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary
heart disease in adult life."

The benefits of forsaking meat

* A vegetarian diet tends to be lower in fat, higher
in fibre and vitamins

* Vegetarian diets are associated with lower
cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less obesity

* Vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease, less
diabetes and may have less risk of cancer and dementia

* The Vegetarian Society, claimed to be the oldest in
the world, was founded in Ramsgate, Kent, in 1847.
Mahatma Ghandi, George Bernard Shaw and Linda
McCartney were members

* 'Vegetarian' is derived from the Latin vegetus,
meaning 'lively' and was intended to be suggestive of
the English 'vegetable'

© 2006 Independent News and Media Limited

[anthony]

veganism is the next step though. we cant just stop at vegetarianism. we must end all suffering for the animals. on top of this..its beyond wonderful for your health. its one of the best choices i ever made in my life.

[prometheus]

I agree with you anthony, I went from a meat eater to vegan from one day to the next, a little more then a year ago.

But I want to go further. There is raw food, which is better then cooked food, but my real goal is to live on prana.

The word vegetarianism above is meant to be general, as is indigo.

[anthony]

yes. I am transitioning to complete and utter rejection of all unnatural food products. If it contains one ingredient I dont know about, or cant pronounce, I will not eat it. Im looking forward to the warmer months this year as I will begin my organic garden and get my food soley from there, minus things like whole grain whole wheat bread and so on. The majority of my food will come from the garden though. I refuse to let these companies destroy my heath simply so they can "earn" some more cash. i found your first post fascinating. Thanks for posting it Tell me more about this "raw" concept please. Thanks

[citruspolyhymnia]

I have been interested in raw food for a long while now. I feel so wonderful when I eat this way, ever~more connected to Spirit. I think that the link that Prometheus has bestowed upon us is most awesome. Frederic Pautenaude is right to the point with everything, he leaves all of the nonsense behind in the dust. I really appreciate that about him, he's totally into getting to the point and helping you out in the most efficient manner possible. (No, teehee, I'm not associated with his website in any manner, promise, I just really like him.) I also like www.thegardendiet.com . One can sign up for a free raw inspiration newsletter there. Storm and Jingee are awesome, very Earthy Loves they are. I really admire that about them. Healing with raw foods is superb. If you have any issues with your body, raw and organic will heal them quite quickly. One can even create the most wonderful gourmet~esque raw dishes. I especially love the cookbook, Raw Food, Real World, which is written by the creators of the Pure Food and Wine Restaurant in New York City, Sarma and Mike, I believe are their names. There are all sorts of yummy~sounding recipes in there, from pineapple~cucumber gazpacho to candied pumpkin seeds, yummy for me tummy. I once also heard it channelled by a wise Spirit (that once once incarnated during ancient Egypt, channelled through Kevin Ryerson) that food~combining is of great importance where health is concerned. I too, yes, I'm totally getting involved in the community gardens here in Missoula, Montana this summer~! Yaayyy for gardens, such fun, yes, indeedee, Anthony~! Yes, Prometheus, I have declared myself a 100% raw vegan this day, actually. (Perhaps later I will go to part~raw, doing mainly the Ayurvedic, food~combining thingy thing.) What an inspiration you are. Oh, my, and imagine my surprise when I discovered just the other day that sugar is processed with the use of animal bones...I'm sure this is well~known to most vegans, but what a shock to me~! Anyhoo, I rarely eat white sugar these days, for many nutritionists refer to it as "white death"~! And for those very reasons, I shall never eat it again~! Ugh. Icky, icky, I say. Yes, I do believe that when one takes immaculate care of the body they are inevitably doing the same with Spirit, for we are Mind, Body and Spirit. All is connected. Somewhere in the Bible, can't 'member where, it says something along the lines of Spirit being ever~connected to the body, for the body is your temple. And then it says something about how one's ear cannot function without some other part of the body I am not remembering at the moment and that ties into a metaphor for Spirit and Body. Mind, Body and Spirit. If you chuck one, you inevitably chuck much else. Food for thought there, Loverlies, pardon the pun. Good luck with your diets, Dear Ones, not that you'll need it or anything. Bless You, Angels.

love, LoVe, LOVE~!
Tash
XXX

[citruspolyhymnia]

Muy interesante~! Thank you much, Prometheus, Brother in Spirit~!

[citruspolyhymnia]

http://www.creativehealthinstitute.us/

Also known as the Wheatgrass Place. It is an organization dedicated to Anne Wigmore's philosophies. Anne Wigmore, Raw Foods pioneer. If you are in the States, I would most definately recommended their exchange program in Michigan. One works on~site in exchange for priceless education, room and board. Methinks the educational process lasts all but three months time. Very doable, depending upon your personal situation. (Great if you are single~!)... This is a most awesome blog of a very compassionate Soul who came to the States clear from London to learn of raw foods. Here is his site, it forever inspires me, though I haven't dropped in for awhile to check things out. (Wish not to be a slave to the 'net, you know.) 'Tis www.meetjoebest.com (Oh, feel free to check out his music too, but especially his first video on site, very Indigo~!) Anyhoo, Dear Ones, just recommending Anne Wigmore here. Okey dokey. Best be heading off to Dreamtime. Very sleepy Indigo here. zzzzzzzzzzz

love, LoVe, LOVE~!,
Tash

Bless you all. May the Angels be with you~!

"Oh, Beauty, your Angel lives inside of You~!"
~Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy (SARK)~

[citruspolyhymnia]

Never did think of raw food in such a way, but this is what a friend recently wrote me:

"Another amazing thing with raw foods and colors is that
they correspond with our chakras: red for root, blue for eyes, green for
heart, yellow for solar...What's you're favorite colour?"

Hmmm...Though I don't know enough about chakras to entirely "get" this yet... very interesting, very interesting. For what it's worth...

love, LoVe, LOVE~!,
Tash
XXX

[serapj]

I just found out the using psychic powers consume large amounts of energy, and that you lose weight, so here's a link of vegetarian dishes and low-fat meals.

http://www.cosmicblessings.com/recipes.shtml

so you know what to prepare for your meals.

love and light,
serapj

[*~i GlOw 0F iNdIgO~*]

this thread is very interesting!! It really pertains to me, because when I was little.. my mom could not force me to eat a speck of meat! For some reason I could NEVER bring myself to eat it. My whole family are extreme meat eaters! My dad owns a Cajun/French Restaurant for crying out loud!! When I was about 2 (I have proof, its on video) My father had a pig roast. They were whole pigs, they were just gutted. He roasted them hanging by their tails and my dad asked if I was going to eat it and I had the saddest look on my face and said "pig is dead?" and then I made up some story how he had a family and how he had to go to work. I looked so sad for him. That is around the time i started being disgusted at the sight of meat.
What's really weird is.. my mom said when she was pregnant with me, if she tried to eat meat she would throw it up automatically, and she never craved it. She craved fresh fruits, especially blueberries. But when she was pregnant with my brother, all she wanted was meat!! lol. Also, my canine teeth are not sharp. They are just dull and like my other teeth.
I have been a proclaimed vegetarian for about 5 years, that is when my mom let me fully become one (she would still force a tiny piece of chicken here and there for protein.. yuck!). I just turned 17, btw. So i was about 12. But really, all my life I have been one. I've never had a burger, steak, any kind of seafood, lamb, ribs, etc. etc. etc. lol, people think im so strange!!

[EnemyAtLineSix]

you will all be eaten by chocolate chip pancakes, that i exclusively created.

I AM A GENIUS!

[psuedo-judo]

i eat whey for the rich range of protein contained, whey is suitable for vegetarians and its also raw.

I also take a propreitary blend antiox drink which contains many fruit blends and cod liver oil.

Basically a raw fasting vegetarian diet because it is so low sugar low carbs but i pick them up accordingly. I used to swear by meat and didnt understand how vegetarians didnt die now i swear by vegetarianism and understand why meat eaters die.

Yes its true that any psychical activity is highly diminishing to your hormonal levels. This is why many apparently spiritual people can have sporadic fits of jealousy, rage, insomnia, impotence etx.

During three months of low intellectual stimulation combined with high excercise+calories caused me to grow 5inches and put on 3 stone.

During periods of contemplation(usually several months) I use a more intense metabolic diet; much lower in calories but higher nutrition with hormonal therapies, meditation, entrainment short form tai chi and an intensive/comprehensive yoga system.

I still lose weight during these times even when i ingest a highly calorific diet.

P.s. aware that cod liver oil is not vegetarian.

[sshenry]

Interesting - I grew up vegetarian - as I grew older I began adding meat to my diet thanks to various social pressures. Recently went back to the vegetarian diet and it has done WONDERS for my energy levels (and as an over-30 Indigo, this means a lot!) Intersting input!

[ZZ23]

interesting-- what i think makes this incorrect is that iq is not accurate anymore your measuring only what the person knows at that time compared to thier age group-- what needs to be measured its "q.a." Quantam Intelligence-- which iq is only one aspect of-- secondly i eat meat im not afraid to say it but i view meat differnetly than all of you-- i see meat the same way i see plants-- all as existing to be not nessarily devoured but it was a preset obligation--

[PhoenixofVirtue]

this thread is very interesting!! It really pertains to me, because when I was little.. my mom could not force me to eat a speck of meat! For some reason I could NEVER bring myself to eat it. My whole family are extreme meat eaters! My dad owns a Cajun/French Restaurant for crying out loud!! When I was about 2 (I have proof, its on video) My father had a pig roast. They were whole pigs, they were just gutted. He roasted them hanging by their tails and my dad asked if I was going to eat it and I had the saddest look on my face and said "pig is dead?" and then I made up some story how he had a family and how he had to go to work. I looked so sad for him. That is around the time i started being disgusted at the sight of meat.
What's really weird is.. my mom said when she was pregnant with me, if she tried to eat meat she would throw it up automatically, and she never craved it. She craved fresh fruits, especially blueberries. But when she was pregnant with my brother, all she wanted was meat!! lol. Also, my canine teeth are not sharp. They are just dull and like my other teeth.
I have been a proclaimed vegetarian for about 5 years, that is when my mom let me fully become one (she would still force a tiny piece of chicken here and there for protein.. yuck!). I just turned 17, btw. So i was about 12. But really, all my life I have been one. I've never had a burger, steak, any kind of seafood, lamb, ribs, etc. etc. etc. lol, people think im so strange!!

Lol. Oh dear. Your story sounds interesting. I guess it's safe to say you were born to be a vegetarian. I was a vegetarian from October of last year up until August '07...I don't know what happened to me. I started craving meat again. It's sickening. I feel physically slower, I'm not as sharp-minded as I use to be in class, oh and I feel sick that I consume these creatures....So I made a vow to start my vegetarian diet on Hallowe'en. I'll be 17 a few days before that on the 28th--yay me! haha, you're so not strange. And it's good your mom accepts you...

[ZZ23]

hey you know whats funny to be truthful i tried the vegatarian thing it didnt work out so well for me-- i dont eat many dairy products or drink them -- and well i dont like many types of vegatables-- im a picky eater lol-- Actully i cook almost all my own food- and well i just crave meat sometimes and bascially say screw the broccli and other vegies- and well i have to eat steaks and other beef-- but i dont eat pork- or lamb- only beef and chicken for some reason-- my parents tricked me into eating meat when i was younger they used to say, "your not eating meat, thats a steak, thats tritip- but well i cant stop eating meat anymore, my body becomes too weak after i stop its like the nergy is taken from me- I'm drained from all i have-- i also become weak strength wise, i have to eat meat and other products of animals-- secondly eating meat doesn't nessarily make you slower i can process three times as much information as anyone you could put infront of me- including Almost all the vegitarians (my age)= 16 in ca--

[sshenry]

It is the age - for both of you - Iron and Protein are very important for 'growing' young people. Body uses up tremendous amounts of both.

It is not my 'place' to tell you not to eat meat - but there are alternatives. The necessary iron can be obtained through supplements, and the protein can be found in foods other than meat. The RDA recommends that we take in 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram that we weigh (or about 0.36 grams of protein per pound that we weigh). This amounts to about 10% of one's caloric intake for those who have already stopped growing. For those who are still growing - this can be as high as 20%. For an excellent run-down on protein alternatives for vegans, see the link below. And remember -you are what you eat.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/vegetarian...proteins.shtml

[Becca11:33]

Can you believe I work in a butchertown? There is a reason for everything. I started eliminating pork, the pigs go squealing by my desk on their way to be slaughtered (I try to send them love & light as they go...I'm cheezy I know).

Then during my recent spiritual awakening, I felt prompted to go vegetarian...or better yet, vegan. And now raw food is interesting me. However, when I made this change, it was drastic and I became lethargic. It is important to get protein and VB12. I still eat fish and cage-free eggs because I need time to still transition, but as soon as I feel that I can do this, I will switch to vegan again.

It's very interesting in that most of us are feeling inclined to do this. I am also feeling like I should eliminate alcohol (I don't drink much anyway). Basically, the more creation lifeforce in the food the better our connection will be balanced.

[sshenry]

I don't think I could handle that - I have a problem just knowing where the meat is coming from (which I don't eat), let alone seeing it on its way to be killed.

[Becca11:33]

Oh my, yes definitely! The smell is awful. I try to call and have them shut it down. It makes me throw up in my mouth a little. It's horrible. It definitely gives me that reinforcement on my diet.