For those that don't eat meat, explain your reasoning

SarabellPlus3

Wow that took a long time to read through!

Few things:

1) Our teeth are not designed to eat meat. This annoys me so much when used as an argument! Look at a gorillas teeth (vegan, except for a couple of ants now and then) and notice that they too have canines (which are MUCH bigger than ours). Then look at the teeth of, say, a lion. Which are ours more like?!? Our teeth are not suitable for sinking into the side of a cow and ripping a piece off.

2) If the only food left on the planet was meat then either it was already dead and would run out eventually causing starvation, or it was still alive and would need plant sources to survive. Either there is plant food available or the meat would run out eventually anyway, so eating it would just prolong an inevitable starvation. This is another "argument" that irritates me.

3) Studies that prove or disprove that meat causes diseases are usually very biased towards the views of the researcher. Don't forget as well that the pharmaceutical companies makes a hell of a lot of money out of you being sick. If you stop being sick they stop making money. Also, if they tell you that the real way to get healthy is to stop taking meds and start eating veg they'd stop making money. So it's in their interest that you continue to get sick. There's a reason behind the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

Also, I am vegan for so many reasons. Firstly, I view all creatures as having equal rights to their own lives, and to live without suffering. Cows were not "made" for us to abuse and exploit. Nor were any other animals. Milk and eggs (other than the reasons that eggs are a chickens menstruation and milk is designed to turn a baby cow into a great big heifer) has death as by products - the male calves that are born so the cow produces milk are often kept anemic and motionless to keep their flesh white and tender for veal. Also I have feminist reasons - why should female chickens and cows be exploited just for their reproductive system byproducts?!

I could talk forever about this, but I feel that I would be a) preaching to the choir and/or b) talking to people who have made up their mind to continue using animals.

The "if only meat was left on the planet" was an arguement that I created to see what the vegan community would do in that kind of situation. It was a hypothetical question, and in no way was I trying to decipher whether or not it could be possible for a cow to live if there weren't any more plants, etc.

The thread wasn't intended to bash vegetarians but moreso to learn as to what their reasonings are. There are some who claim they are vegetarians but eat fish, and then there are some who have ethical issues with the cruelty of animals but wear leather and wool clothing.

I'm not saying you are one of these people, I'm just speaking in general.

So you're asking if I'd rather die than eat a steak? No, I'd rather eat a steak than die.

Surely you get that that means very little, though. Would you rather die than cause a car accident, in which someone would get hurt? Probably not. I can think of a lot of things I'd do if I had to in order to save my/my kids'/anothers' lives, but those have very little bearing on the situations most of us live in.

That is, to say, of course I'd eat a cow before dying of starvation. I'd also eat you, or at least feed you to my kids, before allowing them to die of starvation. Does that have any bearing on our current reality? No, not really.

ninerbuff

It's more than obvious that ethics play a part in the choice of many to be vegan or vegetarian. Unfortunately us meat eaters don't have time to or resources to raise our own farm animals and comfort them before using them for food.
But again read about low cholesterol and how it affects people who don't get it. You CANNOT get cholesterol through plant based foods.

See my above post.

Saw it. And responded.

joejccva71

Wow that took a long time to read through!

Few things:

1) Our teeth are not designed to eat meat. This annoys me so much when used as an argument! Look at a gorillas teeth (vegan, except for a couple of ants now and then) and notice that they too have canines (which are MUCH bigger than ours). Then look at the teeth of, say, a lion. Which are ours more like?!? Our teeth are not suitable for sinking into the side of a cow and ripping a piece off.

2) If the only food left on the planet was meat then either it was already dead and would run out eventually causing starvation, or it was still alive and would need plant sources to survive. Either there is plant food available or the meat would run out eventually anyway, so eating it would just prolong an inevitable starvation. This is another "argument" that irritates me.

3) Studies that prove or disprove that meat causes diseases are usually very biased towards the views of the researcher. Don't forget as well that the pharmaceutical companies makes a hell of a lot of money out of you being sick. If you stop being sick they stop making money. Also, if they tell you that the real way to get healthy is to stop taking meds and start eating veg they'd stop making money. So it's in their interest that you continue to get sick. There's a reason behind the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

Also, I am vegan for so many reasons. Firstly, I view all creatures as having equal rights to their own lives, and to live without suffering. Cows were not "made" for us to abuse and exploit. Nor were any other animals. Milk and eggs (other than the reasons that eggs are a chickens menstruation and milk is designed to turn a baby cow into a great big heifer) has death as by products - the male calves that are born so the cow produces milk are often kept anemic and motionless to keep their flesh white and tender for veal. Also I have feminist reasons - why should female chickens and cows be exploited just for their reproductive system byproducts?!

I could talk forever about this, but I feel that I would be a) preaching to the choir and/or b) talking to people who have made up their mind to continue using animals.

The "if only meat was left on the planet" was an arguement that I created to see what the vegan community would do in that kind of situation. It was a hypothetical question, and in no way was I trying to decipher whether or not it could be possible for a cow to live if there weren't any more plants, etc.

The thread wasn't intended to bash vegetarians but moreso to learn as to what their reasonings are. There are some who claim they are vegetarians but eat fish, and then there are some who have ethical issues with the cruelty of animals but wear leather and wool clothing.

I'm not saying you are one of these people, I'm just speaking in general.

So you're asking if I'd rather die than eat a steak? No, I'd rather eat a steak than die.

Surely you get that that means very little, though. Would you rather die than cause a car accident, in which someone would get hurt? Probably not. I can think of a lot of things I'd do if I had to in order to save my/my kids'/anothers' lives, but those have very little bearing on the situations most of us live in.

That is, to say, of course I'd eat a cow before dying of starvation. I'd also eat you, or at least feed you to my kids, before allowing them to die of starvation. Does that have any bearing on our current reality? No, not really.

Again, it was a simple hypothetical question and I was interested in hearing the answers.

NoDairy

I stay away because if i eat meat or eggs is hello pimple town!! U know its way harder to have acne/pimples than a few lbs on ur body... Depressing and cant cover up, it still shows even with makeup... Theres no spanx for the face so this is why i cant eat meat or eggs or dairy or nuts or oats or gluten or wheat or cake!!...
Ughhh u see its hard to be me!

Eating animal hormones is no good

SarabellPlus3

Wow that took a long time to read through!

Few things:

1) Our teeth are not designed to eat meat. This annoys me so much when used as an argument! Look at a gorillas teeth (vegan, except for a couple of ants now and then) and notice that they too have canines (which are MUCH bigger than ours). Then look at the teeth of, say, a lion. Which are ours more like?!? Our teeth are not suitable for sinking into the side of a cow and ripping a piece off.

2) If the only food left on the planet was meat then either it was already dead and would run out eventually causing starvation, or it was still alive and would need plant sources to survive. Either there is plant food available or the meat would run out eventually anyway, so eating it would just prolong an inevitable starvation. This is another "argument" that irritates me.

3) Studies that prove or disprove that meat causes diseases are usually very biased towards the views of the researcher. Don't forget as well that the pharmaceutical companies makes a hell of a lot of money out of you being sick. If you stop being sick they stop making money. Also, if they tell you that the real way to get healthy is to stop taking meds and start eating veg they'd stop making money. So it's in their interest that you continue to get sick. There's a reason behind the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

Also, I am vegan for so many reasons. Firstly, I view all creatures as having equal rights to their own lives, and to live without suffering. Cows were not "made" for us to abuse and exploit. Nor were any other animals. Milk and eggs (other than the reasons that eggs are a chickens menstruation and milk is designed to turn a baby cow into a great big heifer) has death as by products - the male calves that are born so the cow produces milk are often kept anemic and motionless to keep their flesh white and tender for veal. Also I have feminist reasons - why should female chickens and cows be exploited just for their reproductive system byproducts?!

I could talk forever about this, but I feel that I would be a) preaching to the choir and/or b) talking to people who have made up their mind to continue using animals.

The "if only meat was left on the planet" was an arguement that I created to see what the vegan community would do in that kind of situation. It was a hypothetical question, and in no way was I trying to decipher whether or not it could be possible for a cow to live if there weren't any more plants, etc.

The thread wasn't intended to bash vegetarians but moreso to learn as to what their reasonings are. There are some who claim they are vegetarians but eat fish, and then there are some who have ethical issues with the cruelty of animals but wear leather and wool clothing.

I'm not saying you are one of these people, I'm just speaking in general.

So you're asking if I'd rather die than eat a steak? No, I'd rather eat a steak than die.

Surely you get that that means very little, though. Would you rather die than cause a car accident, in which someone would get hurt? Probably not. I can think of a lot of things I'd do if I had to in order to save my/my kids'/anothers' lives, but those have very little bearing on the situations most of us live in.

That is, to say, of course I'd eat a cow before dying of starvation. I'd also eat you, or at least feed you to my kids, before allowing them to die of starvation. Does that have any bearing on our current reality? No, not really.

Again, it was a simple hypothetical question and I was interested in hearing the answers.

Fair enough. That's my simple answer. I source my dairy / eggs (& newly fish and chicken) carefully, and am not vegan. But to answer anyway, of course I'd eat a cow part if it was that or death.

I'd kill you if I had to to live, or for the lives of my children. But I wouldn't just for fun, or because I like the way you taste. And that is the context at work, here.

Codefox

There's a reason behind the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

You might be interested in reading Michael Pollan's book "The Botany of Desire"...great read! And you're right, there is a reason for the saying but perhaps not what you think it is. The United States used to use apples primarily for making cider until the late 19th/early 20th centuries when the pressure of what would become Prohibition was applied to the orchards. It really is a marketing campaign to save the apples and create a new market for consuming them through eating rather than drinking.

That said...they really are very good for you 8)

joejccva71

Wow that took a long time to read through!

Few things:

1) Our teeth are not designed to eat meat. This annoys me so much when used as an argument! Look at a gorillas teeth (vegan, except for a couple of ants now and then) and notice that they too have canines (which are MUCH bigger than ours). Then look at the teeth of, say, a lion. Which are ours more like?!? Our teeth are not suitable for sinking into the side of a cow and ripping a piece off.

2) If the only food left on the planet was meat then either it was already dead and would run out eventually causing starvation, or it was still alive and would need plant sources to survive. Either there is plant food available or the meat would run out eventually anyway, so eating it would just prolong an inevitable starvation. This is another "argument" that irritates me.

3) Studies that prove or disprove that meat causes diseases are usually very biased towards the views of the researcher. Don't forget as well that the pharmaceutical companies makes a hell of a lot of money out of you being sick. If you stop being sick they stop making money. Also, if they tell you that the real way to get healthy is to stop taking meds and start eating veg they'd stop making money. So it's in their interest that you continue to get sick. There's a reason behind the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away".

Also, I am vegan for so many reasons. Firstly, I view all creatures as having equal rights to their own lives, and to live without suffering. Cows were not "made" for us to abuse and exploit. Nor were any other animals. Milk and eggs (other than the reasons that eggs are a chickens menstruation and milk is designed to turn a baby cow into a great big heifer) has death as by products - the male calves that are born so the cow produces milk are often kept anemic and motionless to keep their flesh white and tender for veal. Also I have feminist reasons - why should female chickens and cows be exploited just for their reproductive system byproducts?!

I could talk forever about this, but I feel that I would be a) preaching to the choir and/or b) talking to people who have made up their mind to continue using animals.

The "if only meat was left on the planet" was an arguement that I created to see what the vegan community would do in that kind of situation. It was a hypothetical question, and in no way was I trying to decipher whether or not it could be possible for a cow to live if there weren't any more plants, etc.

The thread wasn't intended to bash vegetarians but moreso to learn as to what their reasonings are. There are some who claim they are vegetarians but eat fish, and then there are some who have ethical issues with the cruelty of animals but wear leather and wool clothing.

I'm not saying you are one of these people, I'm just speaking in general.

So you're asking if I'd rather die than eat a steak? No, I'd rather eat a steak than die.

Surely you get that that means very little, though. Would you rather die than cause a car accident, in which someone would get hurt? Probably not. I can think of a lot of things I'd do if I had to in order to save my/my kids'/anothers' lives, but those have very little bearing on the situations most of us live in.

That is, to say, of course I'd eat a cow before dying of starvation. I'd also eat you, or at least feed you to my kids, before allowing them to die of starvation. Does that have any bearing on our current reality? No, not really.

Again, it was a simple hypothetical question and I was interested in hearing the answers.

Fair enough. That's my simple answer. I source my dairy / eggs (& newly fish and chicken) carefully, and am not vegan. But to answer anyway, of course I'd eat a cow part if it was that or death.

I'd kill you if I had to to live, or for the lives of my children. But I wouldn't just for fun, or because I like the way you taste. And that is the context at work, here.

Cool. Thanks for the convo.

LisaMarieee

I don't eat meat or eggs because I don't like the taste of them.

RangerSteve

1) Our teeth are not designed to eat meat. This annoys me so much when used as an argument! Look at a gorillas teeth (vegan, except for a couple of ants now and then) and notice that they too have canines (which are MUCH bigger than ours). Then look at the teeth of, say, a lion. Which are ours more like?!? Our teeth are not suitable for sinking into the side of a cow and ripping a piece off.

Of course our teeth are more like a gorillas, we share more common ancestry with them than we do with lions.

Have you taken any anthropology classes by chance? Human beings, and our ancestors before us, survived by scavenging. This included eating meats, bone marrow and anything else they could get their hands on. Our teeth are designed to eat anything we can get a hold of. Eating raw meat ended with the use of fire so it's safe to assume our teeth have changed since then because cooked meat doesn't take razor sharp teeth to cut through.

Kimbie500

Primarily because of the articles based on peer-reviewed scientific journal articles I read on this blog:

http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/

Lucky side effects of the overall lifestyle change I've undertaken, including the diet change and increase in activity level? Weight loss, more energy, clearer skin, improved mood, greater tolerance for pot stirrers.

Mski02

I've never liked the taste or texture of meat.... My family forced me to 'at least' eat chicken until I was 16. I studied Biology at college and my lecturer was some kind of vegan warrior who *along with friends* broke into an intensive chicken farm and decided to show us the video one day..... I've never touched meat since, and I don't miss it at all!

Mine is a personal choice and whilst I would love it if less people ate meat, I would be happier if meat eaters were more conscious where their meat was coming from and actually read the list of indredients. Cheaper pre-packed chicken breats for example and pumped full of water and sugar to make them look plumper.... should sugar have a place in chicken?!

thinkitten

i just don't think we were made to eat meat, seriously think about, if we were made to eat meat than we could chase down a (insert meat animal here) on our own two legs and kill it with our own two hands and teeth and eat it like that. Maybe its just me that cant do that......

the thing that really got me off meat tho was the thought that all meat and fish in the supermarket is just dead rotting carcasses. Yeah try and eat meat with that thought in your mind its not fun. its really icky and ewwies and creepy. but again maybe that's just me.

kitkat415

I stopped eating meat in college because I learned too much about the food processing industry and it's questionable practices. I told myself I would only ever eat meat if I could be sure it was raised in a humane and environmentally friendly manner. It took me a while to adjust to the vegetarian lifestyle, but once I did I was hooked. Having to think outside the box both when dining out and cooking at home has forced me to try new things, and I've loved all of them (too much because I'm here obviously, but that's beside the point). After school, I found out I was gluten-intolerant, so I tried adding meat back in so I'd be able to eat more variety, but found I'd lost my taste for it. There's just much more variety in non meat options. An added bonus is that I usually save calories by skipping meat and loading up on veggies. These days I eat chicken or fish once or twice a week, but I've found it's much easier than I thought to be both vegetarian and gluten free.

girlinahat

I am an omnivore and happily so, however I love my veggies and eat stacks of them. I go through phases where I will only eat vegetarian dishes as a challenge to myself to shake up my meals.

I rarely eat dairy as my body doesn't like it, and this is often the fallback position for many vegetarian. plus, I confess, I LOVE the taste and texture of meat.

One of the reasons I eat an omnivorous diet is a sustainability issue. if all the world were to become vegan, we would have no need to keep cattle or sheep etc. In addition to the no sweet little lambs gambolling in the field, there is an often overlooked issue. If we were to grow only crops on the land, how would we fertilise it? Petrochemicals? What happens when they run out? What about the developing world where animals truly are part and parcel of life - goats are kept for meagre amounts of milk, and because they eat most things. Cattle can be used to pull the plough and at the same time fertilise the field. When that cow gets old what is the best option - to let it die and rot, or use is as a celebratory meal and use the skin for coverings, the bone for tools etc.?

Whilst in Canada I watched a video of a seal hunt by Inuits. I was amazed by how useful the whole animal was to them. To our shame in the Western world we take only the plumpest chicken breasts, the nicest cuts of meat and waste the rest. It is our approach to animals that should change - we should know more about where meat comes from and how it is processed. And we should change the practices are bad. Call me a cynic but the food processors aren't going to listen to the people who simply refuse to eat meat, what they want is for the meat eaters to eat their meat, and to that effect they may even be willing to change their practices.

I think we could all ddo with knowing a little more about where everything we use comes from and how it is made. hairspray for example is made using ground up shrimps. There was an excellent photostudy in the Guardian newspaper a few years back about one pig http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/mar/27/from-one-pig-185-products - the pig went into matches, porcelain, candles etc. - forget about the leather, that's the obvious one.

for me - less meat, but not no meat.

thirdtime

I have been a vegetarian for over 19 years (since the age of 15) and a vegan for about 4. While I don't like to give unsolicited reasons why I eat the way I do, I welcome the opportunity to explain when asked...

Everyone in my family loved eating meat and it was regularly over-consumed. I always hated eating meat, fish, and chicken: I identified animals with humans since the very early age, and felt it was wrong to chase them, torture them, and then eat them. I also did not like the feeling of eating something bloody, so raw, so gooey, and so stinky. My feelings about eating animals have never changed. In fact, never in my life have I felt something feeling so right. I have never stuck with anything for so long without doubting once my choice. So, yes, I have at least two reasons: hate the way meat looks and tastes, and hate the way we “grow” our food.

Most of my friends are not vegetarians, but interestingly enough, three of my best friends are all vegetarians. My live-in boyfriend of five years is not a vegetarian, although he mostly eats vegetarian food (I cook it!) and says he likes it a lot. He knows my stance on eating animals and I almost never bring it up as I don’t believe in pressuring someone into believing what you believe in. They eaither get it, or they don't . Some of my friends liked the way I ate and tried being vegetarians, but went back to eating meat. They missed it. Some have stayed and have been vegetarians for a long time now. What I did notice was this: those who tried it for health reasons (i.e. did not like the way their meat was “grown”, hormones…) – they eventually went back to eating meat - and just started buying organic/better versions of what they ate before. Those who did it because they were exposed to the idea of not eating meat for moral reasons (they just thought eating animals was wrong) – they stayed vegetarians. Hope this helps a little…

questionablemethods

Whilst in Canada I watched a video of a seal hunt by Inuits. I was amazed by how useful the whole animal was to them. To our shame in the Western world we take only the plumpest chicken breasts, the nicest cuts of meat and waste the rest.

I agree. In the Bay Area (and also in the "paleo" world) there is a movement to eat more "nose to tail" -- meaning making use of more of the animal. I can't say that I am yet a die-hard fan of offal, but I have introduced liver and rendered tallow into my cooking.

scraver2003

I love meat. I eat chickens, cows, turkeys, pigs, fishes, shrimps, and have tried deers, rabbits and squirrels.

Beckym1205

I recently became a vegitarian because I have become discusted by even the thought of eating meat. I read a bit about what takes place on farms and slaughterhouses and I am thouroughly disgusted. So, even though I loved steak I can no longer stomach it. I do (for the moment) still occasionally consume eggs and milk, but I only buy Organic eggs and milk (however I don't trust that USDA Organic is really what it claims to be, but that it is better than non organic).

TK421NotAtPost

i personally am vegan. i dont eat, use, wear anything associated with a living creature. i also dont do honey or certain things like red dye 40 since thats actually ground up beetles, not to be gross. my reasoning is because i dont think anybody should suffer, including animals. i wouldnt do that to my cat or dog, so i wont do that to anything else. with all the alternatives, theres no reason not to. i dont care why people dont eat animals, im just glad they dont. whatever reason is a great reason to me. i am not here to judge, as i wish people wouldnt judge me as well, so to each his own, but i wish nothing/nobody had to suffer.

Do you ever watch any movies?

ninerbuff

I agree. In the Bay Area (and also in the "paleo" world) there is a movement to eat more "nose to tail" -- meaning making use of more of the animal. I can't say that I am yet a die-hard fan of offal, but I have introduced liver and rendered tallow into my cooking.

Lol, being Asian eating nose to tail isn't uncommon, but many Americans like to make fun of our food choices.