Happy Monday. I realize this post may piss a few people off, but if it’s one thing I’ve observed over the years is that in life, you will never please everyone all the time. I don’t even try.

Sometimes, pissing people off can start a constructive debate.

But it’s largely dependent on what you’re pissing people off about.

In this case, I think it’s worth it…and if anything, I like to look at this post as the hard to swallow but ever so necessary medicine that needs to be taken.

So screw your spoonful of sugar, Mary Poppins – let’s ruffle some feathers and drink that shit neat.

Workout Nutrition DIY: Meat Eaters vs. Vegans – Why You Both Fuckin’ Suck.

This whole vegan vs meat eater argument has crossed my path a few times now.

I’ve tried to ignore it. Step around it. Over it. Under it. Swerve it. Bob and weave.

I’m a firm believer in picking your battles in order to win the war.

But I can no longer bring myself to just gloss over it like I would the horoscopes section in my Sunday paper.

What’s my “beef” (see what I did there?) with the whole thing? Let’s break it down. By the end of this, I hope you’ll feel more…enlightened. Or at least shut your traps for about 5 minutes and “digest” what was just said (I’m on fire with these puns).

The vegans.

Look I get it – our earth is important. Animals are important. The balancing of our eco-system is paramount.

Yes, you can get protein from other sources outside of meat and dairy.

But you can’t save the world by just eating vegetables and legumes – in fact, you may just do more harm than good.

The meat eaters.

I understand you too, bros and broettes. Meat is tasty. Hunting is sacred. Protein is a necessary nutrient.

Hunters are also doing their part by controlling animal population.

But you can’t keep poking fun at all those Holly House Wife kale smoothie recipes on Instagram (no matter how funny it is to do).

The middle ground.

How do I put this lightly….

You both fuckin’ suck.

Why?

Because things are all about perspective, but neither camp seems to be thinking objectively about this whole thing.

If you’ve bought any of my books, that probably means you’ve gotten a bit of background story about me through my bio. I like to lead a pretty private life but for this post I’ll pull the curtain back a bit more (right after this analogy).

When I say think objectively, I mean looking at things like this:

Now let’s just say, that you’ve got a situation that your team and you are in – let’s just say you’re the leader of your team – and you know that a solution has to be reached.

You can’t have any division, because as a unit you know you guys are stronger but divided you’re weaker, and it compromises things and puts you in a worse-off situation.

So you have to think as a unit, even though there may be a difference of opinion in order to get the objective completed.

I don’t expect everyone to understand this – but providing a little bit more about my past – as someone who grew up in the country, learned about hunting, fishing, farming, survival, and more – then went and applied it to their professional and personal life as an adult – understanding this is the most important part.

It’s something about being way out there in the back woods, where you’ve got to depend on yourself and those in your family. You learn the importance of thinking objectively.

Let’s discuss the vegan argument first.

From a farming point of view, veganism taxes the soil. Ask any farmer and they’ll tell you you’ve got to let your soil “rest” every so many years. Different crops have to be rotated to balance the soil as well, as from a biology point of view, soil is a living thing (not to mention a home for a lot of other living organisms!).

It also takes a tremendous amount more land to feed people an all vegetable and legume “diet”.

From a business point of view, we live in a globalized world – one where not every bastard gives a rat’s ass about “in season” and “farmer’s markets”. Even I tend to be one of those bastards, at times (if I want pineapple in winter, god dammit I’m having pineapple in winter).

Growing fruits and vegetables takes seeds.

Not sure if you realize this sunshine, but certain large conglomerates (which names I will not disclose) have a monopoly on the seed business – so much so that I’m fairly confident their sentiments are of the variety where you pipe up too much, and don’t farm the way they want you to, and they’ll swoop you up and swift you off to some undisclosed location for “re-edumacation” – before you can correct them on the correct way of saying that.

Keep screaming your pre-pubescent-esque voice for more veggies and fruits, and you’re fueling that monopoly. Because from what I see, a large percentage of self-proclaimed vegans are also city slickers who don’t know the difference between a mattock and a hoe, and a mattock hoe.

Do a little research on farming, actually do some farming (and no, not that window garden you’ve got set up that accommodates 3 carrots), then come talk to me.

From a business and farming point of view, corporations are already pushing around farmers enough. While some farmers may not care, others do, and time and time again will attempt to explain that farming is science, bitch – and not to be taken lightly.

Tax the earth too much and you’ll end up getting a rude awakening from that same thing you’re taking for granted.

If you read either of my nutrition books, you’ll know that today’s fruits and veggies are much, much less nutrient dense than they were some decades ago, and that part of that is because of the demand placed on mother nature to meet supply agricultural affairs place on our earth, taxing it anyway. You’ll also remember the critical point I made about soy protein being peddled by big companies in the fitness industry and why it’s the worst thing to happen since praising use of the word “savage” as a compliment.

So if you think meat eaters are wreaking havoc, and by preaching “save the animals, we’re all wildlife” is the way forward in preserving this great green earth – yeah, you’d actually be fucking us sideways – ironically the same way your argument states meat eaters do.

Good job.

Now let’s discuss the meat eater argument.

From a hunting point of view, eating meat is an honor. You’ve got to respect your kill, and only hunt to feed. I’m entirely against hunters who hunt exotic animals, or any animals for that part, for pure pleasure. Hunting is not a sport. It’s a survival skill that feeds and nourishes both yourself and your family.

One deer can fill a freezer. Respect that.

From an athletic point of view, protein is more than just a nutrient broken down into amino acids to fuel the muscle and other cells. Not all proteins are created equal, either. The way your body absorbs consumed protein, how much of said protein can be utilized, and how much of said protein you have to eat in order to get adequate levels, is a deciding factor when picking what sources to obtain your protein requirements from.

Plant and legume based proteins aren’t absorbed as easily by the body as meat, poultry, and fish…and before you vegans start attacking the meat eaters (including myself) with pitchforks, plant based proteins don’t always go down well for those with gastrointestinal diseases – literally.

Which is why if you’ve bought and read either of my books, you’ll remember why I say whey protein in your nutrient profile is important.

From a business point of view, again, we live in a globalized world. If the customer wants meat, companies will find a way to ensure that demand is met, even if that means quantity over quality.

But quantity takes more farming. And quantity of “exotic” or “game” meats takes more hunting. And while it takes less land to feed people with meat, more of the former (farming) means more animal waste. More of the latter (game hunting), means encouragement of companies trying to “farm” wild game – and we all know how shit farm raised salmon tastes.

Keep howling about how you want a new and improved quadruple patty burger, or a cheaper, bigger steak, and you’re fuelling that shit show.

Because again, from what I see, a large percentage of meat eaters are also city slickers who don’t know the difference between grass fed and grain fed beef (trust me, there’s a difference), why the hell they see cows snacking on salt and molasses in pastures way out in the middle of bum fuck nowhere, or why you’ve got to hang a deer upside down in your backyard.

Do a little research on hunting and farming – better yet actually do some of both – then come talk to me.

From a farming, hunting, and business point of view, corporations are already pushing around farmers and hunters enough. Again, hunting and farming animals isn’t some dumb caveman’s venture. It takes skill, time, and care. You’ve got to develop a knack for it. Force grow animals too much and you’re gonna have some weird shit go down. Try and domesticate wild game and you’re going to expose them to a whole new host of sicknesses.

Focus more on using your brain, and less on satisfying your medium-rare steak blood lust.

Now, let’s discuss why you both fuckin’ suck.

Hopefully, you threw your egos and strong viewpoints out the window for a second and saw a consistency in both the vegan and meat eater discussions.

While several people in each camp may be running around trying to prove why their argument is superior, I don’t hear any motherfucker talking about overconsumption.

And that’s the real fucking problem, in my opinion.

Going vegan won’t save the planet or the animals if you don’t learn to control your flabby lips and how much you shove down your trough.

Eating your favorite cuts of meat won’t last very long if you consume with reckless abandon.

Both have the same end result – supply attempting to meet demand for the sake of profit no matter the sacrifice of quality.

From a nutrition point of view, you’re both fucking bastards.

For the more enlightened, if you read either of my nutrition books from cover to cover, you’ll understand this logic and objectivity with ease.

Eating is about nutrition.

Nutrition is about balance.

Balance is about consuming what is required.

While stuffing your face is a nice treat, that’s all it’s supposed to be – a treat! Not an everyday, breakfast lunch and dinner type thing.

Pathetic excuses and terms like “snack-cidents” and “treat day turned into a treat week, oops!” solidifies your existence as a selfish and gluttonous human being.

Saving the planet isn’t going to come from wearing a hemp shirt or getting all your meat through hunting alone. It starts with remembering the phrase “everything in moderation”.

It’s not about any of this hippy bullshit of “we’re wildlife too”.

The last time I checked, carnivorous animals like mountain lions and bobcats are wildlife as well – it doesn’t mean they’ll carry those same sentiments you have, and stop themselves from eating your sorry ass if you both so happen to be in the same field and they’re hungry. Take off the “majestic creature” goggles.

Tons and tons of food, both plant based and meat, gets wasted every year because of agriculture trade – supply, demand, and waste after demand is obtained.

When my parents used to tell me I had to eat all my food at dinner, it wasn’t because they made it – it was a fucking lesson.

A lesson that if my greedy eyeballs were greater than my tiny, fist-sized stomach, I was going to eat everything so I would feel physically horrible afterwards – with the aim of making sure I didn’t unnecessarily ask for more than my body required next time around.

I see every argument under the sun getting preached except moderation.

This isn’t just pure speculation either – many of times I’ve come across and befriended vegans and meat eaters, but the moderation part is still missing, which makes the whole interaction fall through.

Hell, I remember even attempting to date a vegan – only to see them waste half their food at the restaurant.

Vegans pitch “Mushroom enchiladas are healthier, and you can eat more! Plus if you love your pets, you should love other animals too!”

Well I do, dear vegans – I love the tasty little fish, and the cows, and the chickens, and the deer, and the turkeys, and the lambs. I love them down to every last bite. I also love the nutrients like protein, omegas, saturated fats, and more they provide me with.

Meat eaters pitch “you’ve got to have a bit of meat with every meal to be full!”

Well that’s just not true either my fellow brethren, and you know this from my “Breakfast Bites: 5 Minutes to Full” blog post I wrote a while back.

Eating is something that’s a necessity for our bodies first, that we were given the gift of being able to also enjoy second. The same way we enjoy sex – we need it to reproduce first, but can enjoy it second.

The pleasure aspect is a fucking gift – few other animals on this planet get to enjoy these things (except for dolphins – on the sex part if I remember correctly – but hey, don’t quote me).

So when thinking about nutrition and its purpose, think objectively and realize it’s not so much what you don’t eat that’s going to save this rock we’re stuck on – but how much of it you’re eating now – and adjust accordingly.

If you don’t know where to start when it comes to making those adjustments, this is exactly one of the several reasons I wrote the SUPP UP. series.

I got sick of nutrition information being spun for pure profit. I started with writing it for myself, and my buddies in active duty – and all I wanted was a simple, stripped down, real deal, say it straight solution for keeping my strength up, and my body in fighting fit condition, no matter where in the world I was. I wanted a guide that cut away all the bullshit, and to just have something that gave me access to whatever nutrients I needed ASAP.

THAT’s what keeps me growing the SUPP UP series.

THAT’s what has me writing every week for you guys.

It’s not just for the men and women in active duty service, it’s for reserves, veterans, athletic civilians, and people in general who want to be constructively conscious about what they’re tossing down their gut.

So vegans, meat eaters…just fucking quit for a minute with the whole, our camp vs. yours argument.

Use your brains and shelve your egos. And fucking know, that the equation is bigger than justifying your own argument.

Happy fucking Monday.

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If you really liked this post, but don’t have the SUPP UP. books yet, buy either SUPP UP. On The Go or SUPP UP. At Home E-BOOKS now, and discover what nutrition is really all about, separating the bunk from the useful.

Both nutrition books work very well in conjunction with my workout guide, SUPP UP. No Bull, Gym In A Bag Workout Guide, which provides guidance on the best portable workout equipment to own, a breakdown of how muscles are and can be effectively worked, and customizable workout plans. If you haven’t already check it out now, either in paperback or as an e-book.

Drop by next week for yet another great post to add to your workout and nutrition arsenal.

Stop doing guesswork, start making the necessities of your life easier.

SUPP UP. – Get your copies now.

If You Know How To Fuel and Train Your Body, Where You Are Matters Less.™

– SUPP UP.

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Photo Credit:
Photo 1: Andrés Medina
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Photo 5: Joe McDaniel

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