Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for November 20, 2014
Transcript:
Bob: So...I can avoid coronary bypass surgery just by not eating meat anymore? Dr.: And dairy...yes. Bob: *sigh* You know I'm an American, right? Dr.: Ok! Surgery, rehab and lifelong medications it is...good choice! Bob: All right, all right...I'll go vegan. Dr.: Oh, here's a bonus...that'll cure your diabetes, too. Bob: Wait...my what?! Dr.: Oh...sorry. I just assumed you knew.
Baarorso almost 10 years ago
Wiley, if we want a lecture on nutrition, we’ll contact either PETA or the CSPI.
Superfrog almost 10 years ago
Diabetes and cardiac disease, sweet heart.
Baarorso almost 10 years ago
Don’t forget NightShade that “your output is derived from your input”. My take is that Wiley’s a vegan and wants us to be the same.
Barker62 almost 10 years ago
And 1 of my neighbors who lives a mile down the road has been a vegan for the last 35 years and takes more meds than I do. So what’s your point?
ChrisCAllen almost 10 years ago
MEAT DOESN’T CAUSE DIABETES!
Dtroutma almost 10 years ago
A truly balanced diet, proportion too, works. Even the Dalai Lama was told by his doctors to start eating some meat, as the vegan thing was killing him. Vegetarians who still get animal protein can get by. That includes “dairy”.
unnormal almost 10 years ago
Wiley seems to know all our ‘buttons’, doesn’t he?
dadoctah almost 10 years ago
When they told me I was diabetic, I just figured “okay, so when I decide it’s time to check out, all I have to do is request a big bag of marshmallows.”
nosirrom almost 10 years ago
What’s a good diet for one person may be a bad diet for another. Our genes do play a role in this. Take me for example. I like beef, pork, chicken, seafood. I also like vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains and dairy (especially ice cream, my serving size is usually a pint). Some people would say that with my diet I’m heading for a coronary. The blood test from my physical this year show that everything is within normal ranges (cholesterol – 179). over the last 10 years my cholesterol has ranged between 171 and 186 without any changes to my diet. Go figure!
Ol Skool almost 10 years ago
vegan my butt, my dinner crapped all over your dinner
didereaux almost 10 years ago
That’s it! This strip is history for me until the aliens release the real Wiley. He wants to shinny up to Gwynith Paltrow that’s his business, but I don’t have to watch or read it.
pcolli almost 10 years ago
Why do people assume they heve the right to tell others what to eat? I’ve never been told by a vegetarian / vegan to stop eating meat, but I know that omnivores are more likely to be judgemental..I do find vegetables tastier than meat, though.
tripwire45 almost 10 years ago
I eat mostly protein, vegetables, and fruits with a minimum on carbs and work out at the gym 5 or 6 days a week. I’m also 60 yrs old and feel fine. No meds, no doctors. Really, being vegan isn’t the only way to go. Of course I also don’t eat fast food and hardly any junk food and absolutely no soft drinks. The missus makes most of what we eat by scratch and it’s all pretty yummy. No complaints.
ladykat almost 10 years ago
You can’t cure diabetes. It can be controlled, but never cured.
Cook for Good almost 10 years ago
Watch the documentary Forks Over Knives for an easy and entertaining look at how a whole foods plant-based diet can prevent and reverse the diseases of affluence. If you want to dig through the mounting science, check out the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I’d love to see this series of strips as a poster that could be hung in waiting rooms and cafeterias.
jbmlaw01 almost 10 years ago
Leftism = humorless.
Hardthought almost 10 years ago
“Vegetarian” is a Native American word that means “bad hunter”.
Hardthought almost 10 years ago
“Vegetarian” is a Native American word that means “bad hunter”.
Cozmik Cowboy almost 10 years ago
OK, yeah, the American diet is nasty – but every vegan I’ve ever known has been sick ALL the time; why would you weant to live longer & never feel good?
valnaples almost 10 years ago
KUDOS to Wiley Miller! People are dying needlessly due to heart disease, America’s #1 killer for men and women…which is totally preventable and reversible IF we eat plants. Sure, vegans can be unhealthy if they choose processed junk like vegan donuts & cookies but if you go PLANT-STRONG, you’re diseases will likely disappear, not overnight, but over the course of 4 to 10 weeks, you’ll LOOK better and feel better!
ekw555 almost 10 years ago
this strip sure does attract people who like to argue in the comments.
habfan40 almost 10 years ago
My friend is a life long vegan (he’s from India) He had a triple by-pass and has type 1 DIABETES. When I kidded him about that he said that its HOW a vegan cooks their food that leads to these problems. They use lots of rich sauces and fry in oils for flavor
bagbalm almost 10 years ago
Bunk. The British Medical journal lancet published back in the early 50s that a high carbohydrate low fat diet was what kills you. The official government diet has one advantage. It is both cheap and high profit. Hard to beat that from their view.
ishannon5289 almost 10 years ago
My only problem, is apparently moderation is a silly idea. It is either one extreme diet or the other.
mplaffey almost 10 years ago
Problem is that scientists are changing there tune and the consensus is no longer that meat and diary cause heart attacks.
lynxreign almost 10 years ago
Going Vegan is not a cure for diabetes, nor it is a replacement for bypass surgery. What utter idiocy. I have diabetes, none of the medical literature even suggests that.
morningglory73 Premium Member almost 10 years ago
Beans and greens…oh yummy…. :-(
dabugger almost 10 years ago
Ah yes, one and one equals two, and so on.
maxcat631 almost 10 years ago
I am, like all of us humans on this planet, an omnivore. I will not change that to suit someones whim. Though, for my own health’s sake.. I have cut my sugar and salt intake back, severely.
twainreader almost 10 years ago
Next week- The wonders of Common Core!!
jespence97 almost 10 years ago
http://authoritynutrition.com/lean-vs-fatty-meat/
sarah413 Premium Member almost 10 years ago
It all comes down to the age old saying, “Everything I like in life is either illegal, immoral or, fattening.”
FashionFan almost 10 years ago
I think this is awesome! Comic strips make social commentary all the time, what’s so bad about a little nod to health?
loner34 almost 10 years ago
I am a meat eater, I hate most veggies, and I don’t do any measuring etc. BTW I am 80 years old, and going strong.
goweeder almost 10 years ago
@jbmlaw
Leftism = humorless.-Rightism=cruel and humorless~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I’m with you, Bro.
Iamalwayswrong almost 10 years ago
Personally, I’m paleo. (Well, paleoish. I take their “all grains are bad” mantra and trade my breads for pastries. My “bad” might as well taste good.) But it says something that after so many years of dietary research that fad diets continue to spread. Makes one wonder about yesterday’s comic.
LeePIII Premium Member almost 10 years ago
LOSING WEIGHT can help eliminate diabetes. Avoiding RED meat can help reduce arterial clogging. High protein diets can assist with losing weight. Avoiding high glycemic foods will avoid aggravating diabetes.
Being vegan will definitely make one lose weight!
BLEEEEAGH
goweeder almost 10 years ago
As the mother of a diabetic who became diabetic at the age of twenty, I might have a bit more knowledge about the disease than most people. She has always been slim, and she has what is called Type1 Diabetes, which is incurable. Unfortunately, she is also what is called a ‘brittle diabetic,’ which means her blood sugar level is on a roller coaster. She tries to maintain a tight control, testing her blood sugar often and adjusting the amount of insulin she uses. She also is quite knowledgeable about diet and stays on a proper diet at all times. This disease has controlled her life. It is much more complicated than most people realize. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Folks who believe they are qualified to diagnose it and suggest remedies are living in a dream world.,
Wiley creator almost 10 years ago
For those who somehow think a plant-based diet equals weakness….http://www.forksoverknives.com/how-plant-based-eating-made-me-healthier-and-a-better-athlete/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletter111914
ladylagomorph76 almost 10 years ago
I was a total vegetarian, low fat, no sweets, walked every day…had my cholesterol checked, and it came in at over three hundred. I refined my diet a bit more, upped my excercise routine, and it got worse, the good cholesterol went down and the bad way up. The doctor said I was at even higher risk then! So statins it was. I still eat right and take care of myself, but the family history of nasty cholesterol is a bummer.
ishannon5289 almost 10 years ago
Again though, it seems that just about everyone has decided that moderation is a ludicrous idea. You must find the enemy and completely cut it from your diet!
luisp almost 10 years ago
http://authoritynutrition.com/top-11-biggest-lies-about-vegan-diets/
Pr0phet almost 10 years ago
Thanks Wiley.
There is a reason dairy and meat is pushed so heavily ($$). It’s not because of how amazing it is for us. The government created an agenda to push specific foods in history and dairy and meat is it’s current subsidized food of choice. And allowing addictive ingredients into unhealthy food by food scientists. It’s interesting that we push milk drinking paste the age of being a toddler. And that every time an article or research is published on eggs or milk not being ‘the best’ for us, mroe research immediately comes out countering the claim.
Pr0phet almost 10 years ago
On that note, China is seeing an increase in weight not just due to less exercise, but there’s been a strong push for increased milk and other dairy consumption. American’s do it, so surely it must be a well founded idea.
Ôó
P51Strega almost 10 years ago
Funny, I can say the same for my omnivorous eating habits. And I really enjoy beef, lamb, & pork.
ishannon5289 almost 10 years ago
I have been thinking. Don’t both the pharm and health food industry push pills to fix what is wrong with your diet?
bobdingus almost 10 years ago
The meat and dairy industry really has pulled Americans into Stupidville. Studies have repeatedly shown that the human body can get all the protein it needs through plant sources, and statistics clearly show that vegetarians and vegans are as a group healthier than those that eat meat, although calorie consumption and exercise are the biggest factors.
dflak almost 10 years ago
I don’t mind my doctor telling me what I should eat. That’s why I visit him once a year for a physical. I do mind politicians legislating what I am allowed to eat.
jhampa almost 10 years ago
well we certainly stirred up a hornets nest here didn’t we. I dropped my cholesterol way down by going quasi vegan. That means some days I am vegan and some I am an omivor, eat anything in front of me.
fdhefty almost 10 years ago
sugar and some vegetable oils cause diabetes and hardening of the arteries. It is the processed foods we eat and the GMO plants that are fed to animals that are creating the health crisis. Since I went on a low carb, high fat diet, I have lost 20 lbs. It is sure difficult to get away from the sweets.
Varnes almost 10 years ago
Meat, hard vegetables, (Beans, broccoli, peas, corn, cauliflower, etc), very little bread, pasta or donuts…..It’s the carbs that make you fat. If you don’t burn them off, they accumulate as fat….And that leads to all kinds of problems….
Spyderred almost 10 years ago
Folks it’s not an absolute a or b choice. Do some research on healthy eating, or read a book about a lifestyle free of nicotine and liquor, excessive sugar and so on. Meat in small servings or rare occasions; seafood, and so on. Do the research and stop trying to post it as vegan/meat. That’s just being lazy and trying to excuse the lazy by posing a false choice.
natureboyfig4 Premium Member almost 10 years ago
This is B.S. There is no magic “cure” for diabetes!
Guilty Bystander almost 10 years ago
Nice to know I don’t have to go to church on Sunday as long as we’ve got people like Wiley Miller preaching at us during the week.
belgarathmth almost 10 years ago
I tried going vegan for about eight weeks a short time ago. I didn’t lose an ounce of weight, and my diabetes and triglycerides stayed just the same – sky high. That’s because I ate way too many calories worth of nuts, soy, and grains, and I still didn’t exercise. It’s not what type of food you eat that does you in. It’s obesity and lack of exercise. Going vegan will not help you with heart disease unless you moderate your caloric intake and start exercising daily.
eatplants almost 10 years ago
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Dr. Caldwell Essylstein, Dr. John McDougall, and other MDs tell the truth about nutrition and plant based eating. I’ve been following their advice for 36 years, and never felt better. This strip and the comments here seem to demonstrate that we are all very attached to our diets and our opinions. Still the strip is doing a public service if even 1 reader cuts back on meat and dairy. And choosing to not eat bacon really is a life and death choice for the pigs.
Vegan Potato Star almost 10 years ago
If you are not eating a healthy vegan diet yet, you are honestly missing out. There are healthy vegans who eat whole food, plant-based and unhealthy vegans who eat processed vegan crap (Oreos are vegan), so don’t get the two mixed up. A plant-based lifestyle will cause you to drastically slow the aging process and even reverse it. I’m pushing 50, btw. To those who have such a problem with the vegan message, look up “factory farming” in google images. I dare you to take your head out of the sand for a few minutes.
1148559 almost 10 years ago
Moderation is the key… there is no need to cut meat out of your diet completely..Also, even if vegan was the “perfect” diet, it won’t help if Bob doesn’t change his lifestyle and exercise more.
IQTech61 almost 10 years ago
Meat and dairy do not cause coronary artery disease. That information is based on the highly biased and highly flawed study by Ansel Keys.
Heart surgeons now know that it is inflammation that causes hardening of the arteries, not high cholesterol. The leading cause of inflammation is sugar and highly processed foods like margarine.
Yes, vegan can fix this. But so can Atkins.
attius9 Premium Member almost 10 years ago
I don’t agree. I eat a very high protein diet (mostly chicken breast, fish and low fat dairy), and my total cholesterol hasn’t been over 145 ( that’s not a typo) since i began regular tests decades ago. And a plant-based diet high in simple carbs, such as pasta and processed white rice, contributes to diabetes, because the carbs turn quickly into sugars. I would also add that a diet high in soy will drive up estrogen in men and drive down testosterone, causing other physical complications. I can support a vegetarian diet, because it can include an adequate amount of complete proteins. But a vegan diet is just plain unhealthy.l
lmonteros almost 10 years ago
Ummm..even my vegetarian son, who does his food research, says that science no longer sees red meat, dairy, and eggs as culprits in high cholesterol.
miraminn almost 10 years ago
Wiley, thank you for writing this series. I just wish you’d cited your research sources, because many folks are unaware that a whole-food, plant-based diet has been shown through MD-conducted, published scientific research to reverse accumulations of plaque in the arteries, among other things. Whether or not the vegan diet is ultimately healthy is another question altogether, but it is an effective treatment for certain conditions, and the average American eats far more meat than the recommended daily amount. Scaling back can be very beneficial without eliminating it entirely, as well as supplementing with plant protein.
BillWa almost 10 years ago
Can we get off this Vegan diatribe?
wherehaveallthetalentedartistsgone almost 10 years ago
Trouble is, it’s backwards. Meat has no carbs. Veggies give you diabetes – sugar and starches are vegetable-only products. Newest research suggest that it’s true of heart disease as well.
Spade Jr. almost 10 years ago
A little disappointing to see the traditional and totally false ideas about treating heart disease in the current story. Low-carb eating (with plenty of meat as well as veggies!), a customized regimen of nutrients in the proper dosages for you individually, and chelation treatment works far better for most than what this strip is preaching. How am I so sure? I’ve done it. Almost the same situation ten years ago, now, the best blood pressure ever, no diabetes, no problems—and all documented. Let’s move on to the next story line and forget about this one, eh?
Say What Now‽ Premium Member almost 10 years ago
Willy you almost had me until you bring up the Vegan diet. It is heavily based on ethical principles rather than scientific theories. The most sensible posts on this sight were from Nairebes and others who suggested moderation, more vegetables, and little meat.
jenifer flower almost 10 years ago
Wiley is right about the health benefits!!!(although i’m not vegan-i eat a healthy Thai diet on our island)
IQTech61 almost 10 years ago
Actually – Riley is wrong. Going vegan will not cure diabetes any more than going Atkins or South Beach will cure diabetes. Going vegan may control the diabetes much better than drugs and without the side effects but only if the diabetic sticks to the vegan diet and does not overdo it with fruits or carbs. If all the person does is eliminate meat and dairy and compensates with a lot of bread and fruit, the diabetes will not be controlled.
lectricdude almost 10 years ago
…touche…
FranziskaM almost 10 years ago
Wiley Miller, CONGRATULATIONS! So few people have the courage to say it right out loud! So true! THANK YOU!