I would like to quote a much loved Michael Franti song because i feel it is appropriate. "I don't eat red meat, but I'm not a vegetarian. I like ice cream, but not much dairy....".

strmn said:

SeventeenDayze said:

If you caught the George Lopez show, you'll see that when George asked Prince if he's vegan Prince said he's vegetarian...any thoughts? I wonder what made him go back to dairy and/or eggs again.

I don't know why exactly; but I have the distinct impression that Mayte was influential in Prince's becoming a vegan. Does anyone have information to the contrary or in support of this hunch?

you dont have any information to base your "distinct impression" on so what's the use? HOw distinct can it be?

Timmy84 said:

Spinlight said:

From what I know, his vegetarianism began around 1996-1997 - it coincided with the Larry Graham union.

Interesting.

oh that Larry...what a trouble maker... lol

bellanoche said:

@ how ridiculous many of the posts on this thread are - Mayte influenced Prince to be a vegan; no that evil guru Larry influenced Prince to be a vegan; wait a minute, Prince became a vegan for religious reasons; but Prince ate meat 30 years ago so how can he be a vegan now; blah blah blah.

It's just too much! Whatever the reason for his diet change, Prince stated himself that HE IS A VEGETARIAN. Many people have changed their diets throughout their lives for different reasons. At the end of the day, when you know better you do better. I have been a vegetarian for 18 years. I was not influenced by anything but the knowledge that I gained from researching diet and health. Maybe Prince did the same.

And for those of you who think the virgin goddess Mayte influenced Prince to be a vegan, when was that? Was it before she was on TV barbecuing steaks with Tommy Lee when she was running around with him on his reality show?

Based on exactly what he said about what he eats, him nodding to George's question saying "yeah, vegetarian," is a mis-statement. That's just it. Based on exactly what he said, apparently he eats non-red meats, like chicken and fish. Just one of several contradictions during that conversation, lol.

WaterInYourBath said:

bellanoche said:

@ how ridiculous many of the posts on this thread are - Mayte influenced Prince to be a vegan; no that evil guru Larry influenced Prince to be a vegan; wait a minute, Prince became a vegan for religious reasons; but Prince ate meat 30 years ago so how can he be a vegan now; blah blah blah.

It's just too much! Whatever the reason for his diet change, Prince stated himself that HE IS A VEGETARIAN. Many people have changed their diets throughout their lives for different reasons. At the end of the day, when you know better you do better. I have been a vegetarian for 18 years. I was not influenced by anything but the knowledge that I gained from researching diet and health. Maybe Prince did the same.

And for those of you who think the virgin goddess Mayte influenced Prince to be a vegan, when was that? Was it before she was on TV barbecuing steaks with Tommy Lee when she was running around with him on his reality show?

Based on exactly what he said about what he eats, him nodding to George's question saying "yeah, vegetarian," is a mis-statement. That's just it. Based on exactly what he said, apparently he eats non-red meats, like chicken and fish. Just one of several contradictions during that conversation, lol.

if you want to be technical, he didn't say he ate other meats, he just said he does not eat red meat. Of course that implies that he eats other meats...

CynthiaMarie84 said:

DoffieParker said:

so prince made a point of saying he doesn't eat red meat. does this mean he's one of those annoying 'vegetarians' who eat chicken & fish?

he's had some serious protein intake just lately judging from his physique.. i think he's eating white meat on the sly

I could make a serious joke about white meat and prince eating it....but i will be good and not go there....

purplenuts said:

fambam93 said:

CynthiaMarie84 said:

Timmy84 said:

Interesting.

oh that Larry...what a trouble maker... lol

That's not true at all. When he was interviewed by Oprah, he mentioned that he had been a vegetarian for over a decade at the time.

NDRU said:

WaterInYourBath said:

Based on exactly what he said about what he eats, him nodding to George's question saying "yeah, vegetarian," is a mis-statement. That's just it. Based on exactly what he said, apparently he eats non-red meats, like chicken and fish. Just one of several contradictions during that conversation, lol.

if you want to be technical, he didn't say he ate other meats, he just said he does not eat red meat. Of course that implies that he eats other meats...

How is it a "mis-statement"? We don't know what is apparent or what his statement implies because we are not in Prince's head or stomach.

Also, there are different types of vegetarians. The term is a catch-all for various types of meatless or limited-meat diets. If I am not mistaken, there are at least eight types of vegetarians. Therefore, I do not get a the hullabaloo about how PRINCE LABELED HIS DIET. Maybe he is a pescatarian or a pollo-vegetarian or both, but did not want to spend the remainder of the interview explaining it.

Some of you act like you are the vegetarian police or worse, that you are in his kitchen or at his dinner table with him every night. You don't know what he is eating. I have had conversations where I say that I do not eat pork. Does that imply that I eat red meat? Am I contradicting myself by not stating item by item what foods I eat?

I eat very little meat during the week. I see it as a treat so when I buy meat I only get it from local farm shops/butchers (UK thing) so I know the animal is both local, well cared for (at least until it's bumped off) and has not been pumped full of growth hormones (USA) and water (UK supermarkets). Okay so it costs more but I'm happy with that. Some people think I'm mad spending over £10 on a chicken when Tesco can do them for £3 but I couldn't live with myself knowing how that animal has been kept and treated.

All that goes out of the window when I have a kebab on the weekend or eat out in a cheaper restaurant.

And as for the human rights when it comes to prawn/shrimp farming in Thailand. Well we won't go there. Needless to say we shouldn't worry about drugs in our food when buying prawns from a country with no system of control.

So Prince is eating normally again and reading between the lines he may be eating the odd bit of white meat. Let's face it, nobody gives a fuck about fish as they aren't cute and fluffy. Good source of Omega 3 apparently (oily fish). Although I've no idea what Omega 3 does

As long as I dont see no head, tails, legs and guts etc I'll eat it but within reason.

catpark said:

Genesia said:

swdee said:

Why on earth do meat eaters always ask us vegetarians why we are vegetarians! I mean this ALWAYS happens to me at meals!

We don't go around asking meat eaters why do you eat dead animals. At least most of the time we don't.

I have asked that once and was told 'meat tastes good' so I replied 'something tasting/feeling good doesn't make it right. Eating humans might taste nice too but does that make it right?'

True, most vegetarians I've encountered don't do this. They just say things like, "Meat is murder" and tell omnivores that their diet is unhealthy - even if they know nothing about what the omnivore in question actually eats.

Yes. This has happened frequently to me as well.

What's funny is, for some people, being vegan is TRULY unhealthy...one vegan blogger had to famously quit being a vegan, as it was making her very ill.

What's also funny is that plants are just as much living beings as animals, and yet we as humans like to categorize and say "these things have souls" and "these things do not." Rubbish. Eating anything once alive is "murder."

=0P

iloveannie said:

catpark said:

As long as I dont see no head, tails, legs and guts etc I'll eat it but within reason.

Pussy.

and that too; no willys, balls, feets, bums, fur, nails, blood...Yuck I feel sick just thinking about. Them sausages have all that...Enjoy.

Hero0101 said:

What's also funny is that plants are just as much living beings as animals, and yet we as humans like to categorize and say "these things have souls" and "these things do not." Rubbish. Eating anything once alive is "murder."

=0P

That's completely ridiculous. Plants are AS MUCH living as animals? REALLY? They have consciences? They can express emotions? They can defend themselves against attack and express a will to not be killed?

You're talking complete shit. And I'm an atheist as well as a vegan so the presence of "souls" or whatever people want to believe in has absolutely nothing to do with my veganism.

If plants are as much living beings as animals, let me come into your house, kill your plant, then kill your dog/cat and see what you care more about.

Hero0101 said:

Genesia said:

True, most vegetarians I've encountered don't do this. They just say things like, "Meat is murder" and tell omnivores that their diet is unhealthy - even if they know nothing about what the omnivore in question actually eats.

Yes. This has happened frequently to me as well.

What's funny is, for some people, being vegan is TRULY unhealthy...one vegan blogger had to famously quit being a vegan, as it was making her very ill.

What's also funny is that plants are just as much living beings as animals, and yet we as humans like to categorize and say "these things have souls" and "these things do not." Rubbish. Eating anything once alive is "murder."

=0P

People can stay vegan, they just have to work at it and make sure they get what they need every day.

I was strict vegan for 6 years and did ok but gave it up because it was too hard to keep up with my busy schedule and it's extremely difficult to always find vegan food especially if I had to travel for work. Maybe that's why P changed?

Yes I did get more hungry often but just had to eat more regularly as we're probably supposed to anyway.

And everyone knows the difference between animal life and plant life. To think they are equal is rather silly.

swdee said:

Hero0101 said:

Yes. This has happened frequently to me as well.

What's funny is, for some people, being vegan is TRULY unhealthy...one vegan blogger had to famously quit being a vegan, as it was making her very ill.

What's also funny is that plants are just as much living beings as animals, and yet we as humans like to categorize and say "these things have souls" and "these things do not." Rubbish. Eating anything once alive is "murder."

=0P

People can stay vegan, they just have to work at it and make sure they get what they need every day.

I was strict vegan for 6 years and did ok but gave it up because it was too hard to keep up with my busy schedule and it's extremely difficult to always find vegan food especially if I had to travel for work. Maybe that's why P changed?

Yes I did get more hungry often but just had to eat more regularly as we're probably supposed to anyway.

And everyone knows the difference between animal life and plant life. To think they are equal is rather silly.

To address your first point: SOME people can, they are malnourishing themselves, but they CAN. Some people physically cannot. For what I am referring to, read here:

http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-vegan-no-more/

The most relevant quote:

“You see,” she concluded, “for many, if not most, people a totally plant based diet is not a good thing. It obviously is not working for you and that is nothing to be ashamed of. The body has evolved to utilize meat efficiently and healthfully, not tablets or pills. You’ve been taking B12 supplements for years, and you’ve been trying to take iron supplements for weeks, and they haven’t been utilized by your body at all. Supplements are a very poor substitute for whole foods. Taking medication is not the best option and it is not necessary; you could almost certainly regain your health on a balanced diet. It is my recommendation that you try that.”

I shook my head in silence.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t. I won’t.” I said to her for the millionth time, wiping the tears that were flowing down my face. “It just isn’t going to happen. I don’t care how sick I am. It’s wrong to eat animals!”

She leaned forward on her desk and made one more plea for me to think more carefully about my health and well being. “Natasha, you are hurting yourself. You are very, very sick. Your hair is falling out, your depression is back, and you are making yourself ill. You cannot go on like this.”

=0P

bellanoche said:

NDRU said:

if you want to be technical, he didn't say he ate other meats, he just said he does not eat red meat. Of course that implies that he eats other meats...

How is it a "mis-statement"? We don't know what is apparent or what his statement implies because we are not in Prince's head or stomach.

Also, there are different types of vegetarians. The term is a catch-all for various types of meatless or limited-meat diets. If I am not mistaken, there are at least eight types of vegetarians. Therefore, I do not get a the hullabaloo about how PRINCE LABELED HIS DIET. Maybe he is a pescatarian or a pollo-vegetarian or both, but did not want to spend the remainder of the interview explaining it.

Some of you act like you are the vegetarian police or worse, that you are in his kitchen or at his dinner table with him every night. You don't know what he is eating. I have had conversations where I say that I do not eat pork. Does that imply that I eat red meat? Am I contradicting myself by not stating item by item what foods I eat?

I didn't say it was a mis-statement. Why are you so angry? Eat some fruit!

WaterInYourBath said:

bellanoche said:

@ how ridiculous many of the posts on this thread are - Mayte influenced Prince to be a vegan; no that evil guru Larry influenced Prince to be a vegan; wait a minute, Prince became a vegan for religious reasons; but Prince ate meat 30 years ago so how can he be a vegan now; blah blah blah.

It's just too much! Whatever the reason for his diet change, Prince stated himself that HE IS A VEGETARIAN. Many people have changed their diets throughout their lives for different reasons. At the end of the day, when you know better you do better. I have been a vegetarian for 18 years. I was not influenced by anything but the knowledge that I gained from researching diet and health. Maybe Prince did the same.

And for those of you who think the virgin goddess Mayte influenced Prince to be a vegan, when was that? Was it before she was on TV barbecuing steaks with Tommy Lee when she was running around with him on his reality show?

Based on exactly what he said about what he eats, him nodding to George's question saying "yeah, vegetarian," is a mis-statement. That's just it. Based on exactly what he said, apparently he eats non-red meats, like chicken and fish. Just one of several contradictions during that conversation, lol.

bellanoche said:

NDRU said:

if you want to be technical, he didn't say he ate other meats, he just said he does not eat red meat. Of course that implies that he eats other meats...

How is it a "mis-statement"? We don't know what is apparent or what his statement implies because we are not in Prince's head or stomach.

Also, there are different types of vegetarians. The term is a catch-all for various types of meatless or limited-meat diets. If I am not mistaken, there are at least eight types of vegetarians. Therefore, I do not get a the hullabaloo about how PRINCE LABELED HIS DIET. Maybe he is a pescatarian or a pollo-vegetarian or both, but did not want to spend the remainder of the interview explaining it.

Some of you act like you are the vegetarian police or worse, that you are in his kitchen or at his dinner table with him every night. You don't know what he is eating. I have had conversations where I say that I do not eat pork. Does that imply that I eat red meat? Am I contradicting myself by not stating item by item what foods I eat?

My thinking on the subject that if P said he was a vegetarian that he doesnt' eat anything that is not a vegetable, that would include, beef, pork, fish or chicken (or any other 'meat). I did not think there was a contradition in what 'he' said. Sometimes I think we all feed into what he sez word for word.

I don't know about OTHERS, but I don't feed into it. He does this to get a response and it works as seen here.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha at vegans malnourishing themselves. That is a complete load of bollocks.

How about you tell that to the DOZENS of vegan bodybuilders, who regularly defeat and outrank their meat-eating counterparts in competitions?

Your average meat-eater is far more unhealthy than your average vegan. Fact. Ask any nutritionist.

Can you address the fact that since becoming vegan, I am healthier and stronger and have more energy and stamina than ever before, I get sick far less, and I am at my optimal BMI? I also do not take supplements regularly either, I simply eat a balanced diet.

As for that article - great. ONE persons body was unable to adapt and that's supposed to indicate veganism is bad for you? Well, I got news for ya. My father is a coroner and two of my uncles and one of my aunts are doctors. The amount of deaths they get every month from cancer, heart disease, obesity and more as a DIRECT result of eating meat and dairy is staggering. The western world has an obesity epidemic which is costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the taxpayer to deal with. That obesity ain't coming from vegans. It's coming from overconsumption of meat and dairy products.

Militant said:

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha at vegans malnourishing themselves. That is a complete load of bollocks.

How about you tell that to the DOZENS of vegan bodybuilders, who regularly defeat and outrank their meat-eating counterparts in competitions?

Your average meat-eater is far more unhealthy than your average vegan. Fact. Ask any nutritionist.

Can you address the fact that since becoming vegan, I am healthier and stronger and have more energy and stamina than ever before, I get sick far less, and I am at my optimal BMI? I also do not take supplements regularly either, I simply eat a balanced diet.

As for that article - great. ONE persons body was unable to adapt and that's supposed to indicate veganism is bad for you? Well, I got news for ya. My father is a coroner and two of my uncles and one of my aunts are doctors. The amount of deaths they get every month from cancer, heart disease, obesity and more as a DIRECT result of eating meat and dairy is staggering. The western world has an obesity epidemic which is costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the taxpayer to deal with. That obesity ain't coming from vegans. It's coming from overconsumption of meat and dairy products.

AFAIK, the scientific proof for vegetarian or vegan diets to be healthier still hasn't been made, and there's a good reason for that. Health can be a result from your overall lifestyle, not only your diet. Many vegetarians and vegans are probably much more aware of a healthy lifestyle, because if you are already willing to adjust your diet to certain demands, you are often also aware that you need to exercise, sleep enough, stop smoking and so on. In other words, it's extremely difficult to separate these effects from the ones just resulting from the diet.

Btw, I'm glad you're feeling well, but that (as a single case) is hardly a proof that your diet is in general recommendable or advantageous. Former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt smokes 80 cigarettes a day, and he's 92 years old. Is that a proper proof that smoking doesn't harm your health?

EmancipationLover said:

Militant said:

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha at vegans malnourishing themselves. That is a complete load of bollocks.

How about you tell that to the DOZENS of vegan bodybuilders, who regularly defeat and outrank their meat-eating counterparts in competitions?

Your average meat-eater is far more unhealthy than your average vegan. Fact. Ask any nutritionist.

Can you address the fact that since becoming vegan, I am healthier and stronger and have more energy and stamina than ever before, I get sick far less, and I am at my optimal BMI? I also do not take supplements regularly either, I simply eat a balanced diet.

As for that article - great. ONE persons body was unable to adapt and that's supposed to indicate veganism is bad for you? Well, I got news for ya. My father is a coroner and two of my uncles and one of my aunts are doctors. The amount of deaths they get every month from cancer, heart disease, obesity and more as a DIRECT result of eating meat and dairy is staggering. The western world has an obesity epidemic which is costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the taxpayer to deal with. That obesity ain't coming from vegans. It's coming from overconsumption of meat and dairy products.

AFAIK, the scientific proof for vegetarian or vegan diets to be healthier still hasn't been made, and there's a good reason for that. Health can be a result from your overall lifestyle, not only your diet. Many vegetarians and vegans are probably much more aware of a healthy lifestyle, because if you are already willing to adjust your diet to certain demands, you are often also aware that you need to exercise, sleep enough, stop smoking and so on. In other words, it's extremely difficult to separate these effects from the ones just resulting from the diet.

Btw, I'm glad you're feeling well, but that (as a single case) is hardly a proof that your diet is in general recommendable or advantageous. Former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt smokes 80 cigarettes a day, and he's 92 years old. Is that a proper proof that smoking doesn't harm your health?

I'm afraid it has, actually. There's a TON of evidence to support the basis that meat and dairy are not only carcinogenic in many ways but also directly related to heart disease amongst other problems. The problem also relates to over-consumption, unfortunately what's considered over-consumption from a scientific standpoint is far lower than the average consumption in the western world, so essentially damn near everyone that eats meat/dairy is overconsuming and rapidly increasing the likelihood of it causing significant damage to the body.

And yes - the awareness helps, of course. I agree it's hard to separate, but that doesn't negate the evidence.

As for me being a single case, my wife went vegan shortly before I did and is experiencing the same increase in her health and wellbeing. My cousin who has been vegetarian for a long time has heavily cut back on the amount of dairy he consumes and was surprised at just how much better he feels because of it. So, now there's three examples just from my immediate family for you..... do any of Helmut Schmidt's immediate family also smoke 80 cigarettes a day and have lived past the age of 90? Regardless, I would bet his lungs are barely functioning at this point.

bellanoche said:

NDRU said:

if you want to be technical, he didn't say he ate other meats, he just said he does not eat red meat. Of course that implies that he eats other meats...

How is it a "mis-statement"? We don't know what is apparent or what his statement implies because we are not in Prince's head or stomach.

Also, there are different types of vegetarians. The term is a catch-all for various types of meatless or limited-meat diets. If I am not mistaken, there are at least eight types of vegetarians. Therefore, I do not get a the hullabaloo about how PRINCE LABELED HIS DIET. Maybe he is a pescatarian or a pollo-vegetarian or both, but did not want to spend the remainder of the interview explaining it.

Some of you act like you are the vegetarian police or worse, that you are in his kitchen or at his dinner table with him every night. You don't know what he is eating. I have had conversations where I say that I do not eat pork. Does that imply that I eat red meat? Am I contradicting myself by not stating item by item what foods I eat?

I'm simply just going by what the standard definition of the term "vegetarian" is, LOL: "A person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc." Prince and others can contort the word's meaning to suit their eating habits any way they want, but that's unsubstantial 'cause it still represents "herbivores" only.

I don't want to debate with you though. I really don't care about what Prince is consuming, lol. I just found his response to be comical.

NDRU said:

WaterInYourBath said:

Based on exactly what he said about what he eats, him nodding to George's question saying "yeah, vegetarian," is a mis-statement. That's just it. Based on exactly what he said, apparently he eats non-red meats, like chicken and fish. Just one of several contradictions during that conversation, lol.

if you want to be technical, he didn't say he ate other meats, he just said he does not eat red meat. Of course that implies that he eats other meats...

Right, that's what I meant.

no need for me to be a jerk-edit

[Edited 4/19/11 11:39am]

I just now realized that a thread about Prince's change of eating habits is one of the most active threads in this section .

Militant said:

do any of Helmut Schmidt's immediate family also smoke 80 cigarettes a day and have lived past the age of 90? Regardless, I would bet his lungs are barely functioning at this point.

Yes, his wife died last year at the age of 91, I think. She smoked as much as him. And though he needs a wheelchair these days, he still works around 40 h per week AFAIK.

The point is: you can even come up with 5 people from your family and friends to state that they feel better since they went veggie, it's still not a scientific proof. Most vegetarians I know became veggie with an agenda, i.e. they were convinced that their new diet would be superior. With that mindset, it's only natural that you subjectively feel better after you've changed your lifestyle.

I personally have cut down my meat consumption dramatically (from nearly daily to something like once a week or so, sometimes even less), but I also started exercising at the same time. And yes, I do feel better now, but I can't tell if that results from my diet or the exercising. I have the impression that the exercising has the more pronounced effect, because in periods when I'm very busy and can't make it to the gym, I realize that I don't feel as strong as otherwise. Anyway, it's really tricky to separate all these effects from each other.