It was great that Gonzalez was able to help Mr. Hunter; but I've seen plenty of people choke on vegetables and fruits, nuts, etc. Meat is not more likely to "kill" you.

Posted by: S.Q. | July 9, 2008 04:47 PM

Man, how amazing is that? If I wasn't already a huge fan of football I know that this would have changed my mind!

Posted by: Harley | July 9, 2008 05:15 PM

given their greater content of cholesterol, fat, and carcinogenic compounds/substances, i'd say that animal products are way more likely to kill you -- choking is just one way your food can get the best of you.

Posted by: Sinon Robert | July 9, 2008 06:47 PM

Vegetarian diet really DOES save lives.

Posted by: Roxanne | July 9, 2008 07:21 PM

Wow. I almost choked to death on a piece of bread once. Wheat must be seeking revenge too.

Posted by: Tabitha | July 10, 2008 10:21 AM

I guess vegetables don't like being eaten and want to get revenge on humans, because I know someone who was saved by the Heimlich after a carrot got lodged in his throat. Incidentally, the business associate who saved him was eating a steak at the time. Apparently you can choke on things besides meat and apparently people who eat meat are capable of applying the Heimlich. Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

Posted by: Abby | July 10, 2008 11:32 AM

Gawd, people never learned how to chew their food?

S.Q.,

Just interested where you see "plenty of people" choking on food. For efficient digestion your food has to properly chewed and mixed with saliva.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | July 10, 2008 01:25 PM

An improper vegan diet can be just as bad as an improper omnivorous diet, and it can sometimes be fatal. For instance, some vegan parents fed their young infant mainly apple juice and soy milk. At six weeks, he died. A good omnivorous diet contains healthy lean meats, plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and reduced fat dairy products all in the right portions combined with exercise. A person who lives this lifestyle will most likely live to a ripe old age and not be at risk for any diseases. A healthy vegan diet will have good substitutes for meat and dairy. But neither one is better than the other. And as for my choking point; it just implies that meat is no more likely to choke you than a vegetable. I have heard nothing of the sort. A vegan diet does not dramatically cut your risk of choking.

Posted by: S.Q. | July 10, 2008 02:23 PM

Apparently eating meat dampens a person's sense of humor and ability to come up with an intelligent retort. I will clue in the three people (Abby, Tabitha, and S.Q.) on the true message of the post - Tony Gonzalez is an extemely gifted athlete, adheres to a mostly Vegan diet, and cares about humans and animals.

Just an interesting tidbit to those that think meat is not more likely to kill a person by choking - check out some medical examiner or ER statistics and you will quickly find that while any number of food or objects can cause choking related deaths, meat is by far the most common "offender." So yes, a vegetarian or vegan is irrefuatbly less likely to die a food related choking death than a meat-eater.

Chewing food is a lost art in the United States; just ask Joey Chestnut.

Posted by: Derek | July 10, 2008 03:19 PM

Apparently a vegan diet dulls one's ability to understand sarcasm.

Posted by: Abby | July 10, 2008 04:29 PM

Good thing I still eat eggs and dairy.

Posted by: Derek | July 10, 2008 04:53 PM

Hmm, if Mr. Gonzalez were eating steak at that time, you would not call him 'extremely gifted'...no? Meat eaters are not any less than you are, Derek. There are plenty of kind, amazing meat eaters who ARE quite smart. You don't seem to be bashing any of the meat eating celebrities who support PETA. I guess money dulls the senses.

Posted by: S.Q. | July 10, 2008 06:04 PM

S.Q.,

"An improper vegan diet can be just as bad as an improper omnivorous diet, and it can sometimes be fatal. For instance, some vegan parents fed their young infant mainly apple juice and soy milk. At six weeks, he died."

Give it up—that's an old story. The child wasn't fed a vegan (improper or not) diet; he was fed a starvation diet. Veganism was used as a line of defense in court. The judge didn't buy it.

Nowadays there are many healthy kids who have been vegan from birth. Of course, they have intelligent, caring parents, unlike the man-slaughterous "vegans."

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | July 10, 2008 06:11 PM

HEHEHEHE Classic, then again now i'm Vegetarian, I know longer Get nightmares of angry meat slices and animals trying to kil me =) Besides I feel Mentally and physically stronger now I'm veg. Besides I Have choved on meat over 5 times When I was i meat eater, But unless You don't know how to chew Vegtables It's pretty hard to choke on vegtables, plus Which one are you Most likely going to choke on?: Vegtables or Meat...HHMMMM... tough one.

Posted by: Madison | July 10, 2008 07:45 PM

Apparently a carnivorous diet dulls ones ability to feel compassion.

Posted by: Antigone1000 | July 11, 2008 08:27 AM

Gonzalez is just an all around good guy!!

Posted by: Carla | July 11, 2008 10:55 AM

Apparently a vegan diet makes you stupid and unaware of how crazy you are.

Posted by: Missy | July 11, 2008 11:12 AM

Apparently a vegan diet makes a person void of sanity!

Posted by: Kurt K | July 11, 2008 11:26 AM

Antigone, my posts were not meant to discuss the compassion or merits of eating meat versus not eating meat. I was merely pointing out how ridiculous and childish it is to act like a man choked because his food was intentionally attacking him, and it is crazy to try to correlate Gonzales' diet to his ability to stay calm and act quickly in the face of panic from others. It is wonderful that he acted as he did and saved another man's life, but for peta to try to credit his diet for it (or to blame the choking victim's diet for the choking) is simply silly. It is a false, illogical position that has nothing to do with the true merits of any particular diet.

Posted by: Abby | July 11, 2008 12:46 PM

I didn't say a vegan diet was bad, did I? I said an IMPROPER vegan diet is bad. I have some very good vegan friends who have lovely, healthy children. I also have seen misinformed vegan parents who have very ill children. Then again, I have seen children lashing out at parents because they want to eat cookies and cake just like thier friends at a birthday party.

And Derek; I would like to see those records you talk about.

Posted by: S.Q. | July 11, 2008 02:07 PM

Wow.

I thought I was pretty witty.

The irony of it all is I got choked on a carrot last night.

Was it avenging YOU, Derek?

Posted by: Tabitha | July 11, 2008 03:19 PM

The greatest danger for Vegans is their OVER-CONSUMPTION OF SOY! Contrary to the popular belief that soy is some sort of healthy, miracle food, NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!

Soy contains ESTROGEN, which is unhealthy for men in ANY quantity, and unhealthy for women, because it causes hormonal imbalances when added to what their bodies already produce!

VEGANS are NOT healthy, in general, unless they have a VERY varied diet. MOST rely on soy -- equivalent to 5 birth control pills a day.

Ever wonder why so many WESTERN women suffer from infertility? The soy in Asian diets is not the same.

Incidentally, all the "research" on the health benefits of soy, was done by ArcherMidlanDaniels Corporation & ConAgra -- that's like the research that was done saying Aspartame is "safe", done by GD Searle, Corporation, under good-old Donald Rumsfeld, CEO ... The fox is guarding the henhouse!

Posted by: Lydia Selwood | July 13, 2008 10:51 AM

S.Q.

Let me check my pocket, as I sould have medical examiner records shoved in there somewhere. Although you likely only know how to "Google" topics, try searching some real academic journals, such as "Academic Emergency Medicine," "American Journal of Preventitive Medicine," "Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine," "British Medical Journal," etc...

Since you are likely limited in access to such journals (there are such things as academic libraries), even a simple Google search will turn up various sites (not all good sources) that quote statistics on choking incidents/deaths. The one common theme is that ALL, no matter how reputable or otherwise, state the highest incidence of choking is on meat.

The "classic" choking victim is an edentulous, elderly person eating steak, not carrots. In a child, hot dogs are the biggest offender. I am not saying fruits and veggies don't cause choking deaths, but they are less likely to cause a choking death than meat (excpet in infants, but those results are irrevalent to the general population, since most infants do not eat meat).

I have served as medical examiner for my county for about the past 6 months, and although there have been no choking related deaths, I am confident that I am much more knowledgable on this topic than you.

Posted by: Derek | July 14, 2008 10:36 AM

Peta is probably the best at non sequitur promotions of their cause. No, they are the best.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | July 14, 2008 11:42 AM

Lydia,

First of all, soy does not contain estrogen, it contains phytoestrogens, which have some structural similarities to estadiols; this has led to the debate over their estrogenic or anti-estrogenic effects.

The word for the day is "inconclusive," as in "The positive and negative effects of phytoestrogens and isoflavones on humans are inclonclusive."

I really hate Google and all the health-"experts" it has spawned.

Posted by: Derek | July 14, 2008 11:55 AM

Dr. Cochran,

I fully agree with your non sequitur comment.

Posted by: Derek | July 14, 2008 12:01 PM

Not to harp on the subject, but some of us actually have access to more than just Google. The definition of "phytoestrogens" alone shoud tell you SOMETHING isn't right there. Unless you're a woman going through menopause. Then it's all good.

Posted by: Tabitha | July 14, 2008 03:36 PM

Tabitha,

Huh? What part of "inconclusive" didn't you understand? Not to harp on the subject, but there are no consistent, valid studies that show positive or negative effects of phytoestrogens in humans...none.

Let me repeat that...none.

Posted by: Derek | July 14, 2008 04:31 PM

Soy is only bad if it is genetically modified, as in some processed veggie burgers etc. Whole soy, like miso,tofu,edamame, or any soy product that is made from the whole soy bean is very healthy. This is why the Asian diet is healthier than the western diet when it comes to soy. We've modified soy into soy protein isolates to make foods that no longer resemble the original soy bean. It can be made into anything that we can flavor to taste like beef or chicken, or into soy bars,etc. Check the label - if it is organic, it is not genetically modified. By the way, phytoestrogens are also found in other legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, garlic, celery, seeds (sesame and sunflower) rice, oats, some fruits, vegetables, alfalfa, mung bean sprouts, sage, fennel, parsley. Phytoestrogens actually have a balancing effect on hormones because they stimulate the production of SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin), a protein produced by the liver that binds to estrogen and testosterone in order to control how much of them are circulating in the blood at any one time.

Posted by: Liz | July 15, 2008 11:49 AM

Apparently, PETA can blogs make it sound like being a vegitarian/ vega is the best thing in the universe and that meat "seeks revenge" on the person who eats it. I can think of many things I've choked on, yet I can't remember a single time I've choked on meat. Hhhhhhmmmmm..............

Posted by: Zeta | July 16, 2008 07:19 AM

I'm not a vegan, but meat/chicken is the most commonly choked on food by adults. It typically happens in restauraunts when people are talking, laughing, drinking while eating. Meat that is not chewed properly, particulary steak, has just the right consistency to block the airway. I don't think meat is seeking revenge, but I do think its a good thing to be aware of if we choose to eat it. I have a college friend whose wife and 2 little kids have come to visit him daily over the past 16 months or so, hoping to see some signs of life as he is still in a coma. He wasn't as lucky as the guy saved by Gonzalez, as he walked away from the table while choking on a piece of steak. Just be careful.

Posted by: Liz | July 16, 2008 11:00 AM

So why don't veggies get revenge? How about the hundreds of thousands of insects that are killed every year to protect your veggie crops? BS about "organic farming"...the methods they use are equally cruel. Ever see a beetle slowly starve to death in a live trap or on a glue strip? Veganism kills.

http://images.springhole.net/pics/pestcontrol.jpg

http://images.springhole.net/pics/veganphilosophy2.jpg

Oh and Derek. I am not as dumb as you think I am. Children by far choke more on grapes, nuts, other crunchy vegetables/fruits and non-food objects such as small toy parts. Hot dogs is only one meat product standing next to many vegetables and small toys. My father works as an emergency room doctor, so I have my fair base of medical knowledge.

http://www.bcchildrens.ca/KidsTeensFam/ChildSafety/SafeStart/Chokingprevention.htm

Posted by: S.Q. | July 16, 2008 10:50 PM