Reasons for ur vegetarianism
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RIGHT ON!!!0
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I originally went vegetarian in graduate school because I was on a $10/week grocery budget and it was easier to make that work with beans than with meats. Started reading Vegetarian Times, and soon was solidly in the ethical vegetarian camp. I could not force myself to eat meat now, for anything.0
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I know what you mean about people's reaction to vegetarians. I recently purchased some Buffalo Jerky for my son at our local Farmer's Market. The reason for telling this guy that I was a vegetarian escapes me, but his response gave me a chuckle. He said, " Oh, you seem like a nice person anyway."0
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When I was a kid I realized that eating animals felt so wrong to me that I was killing off a part of myself--my sensitivity to all living beings--in order to eat the meat my parents forced me to consume.0
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Actually, I've only had a few weird or off-putting reactions to my vegetarianism. Several years back, after a stay in Paris and the French countryside, a friend who lived in Paris told me to give up trying to find a vegetarian meal in that city--particularly late at night. I found one just find. Then there was the time that my little brother who just doesn't get why I would want to be a vegetarian even though he eats mostly a plant-based diet suggested that I order an entree in a restaurant because there really wasn't that much pork in it. But my late father's wife is a special case. She is a competent cook but she would like to be revered for her cooking. She's repeatedly prepared dishes with stealth meat and tried to get me to eat it. Fortunately, she lives a long way away! :huh:
Also, I think that my vegetarianism has its roots in the love for animals that my parents shared and also my agnostic research scientist father's sense that life most likely could not be recreated in conscious form.0 -
Without getting technical (because you really can go into depth with the subject of eating meat à la Eating Animals) my response is that "it makes me happy". Every single day no matter what mental state I'm in, how bad work was, or if I laughed until I cried that day, this intimate knowledge that I'm actively practicing something I feel passionate about will make me more content. Whether I'm out eating with friends or perusing the pretty vegetables at the store I make a vote every time I eat for what makes me happy. It's a lovely cycle of awesome.
So I am absolutely selfish & the best part is that it's not a challenge - eating vegetarian is crazy easy.
p.s. Reading previous responses has been thrilling. You guys are beautiful!0 -
I just tell them "baby I was born this way" LOL. My Mother became a vegetarian before I was born (as part of her religion) so that's how it began with our family. After trying to feed 4 growing kids on her own it became too much and she attempted to sneak meat into our diets. I was the youngest but I was the only one that wasn't going for it. I could stand the site of flesh on my plate. I knew it was some type of animal. There are only 4 of us in our fam that remained vegetarian but the other 3 eat seafood. I just can't do it. I was a rather sick child because of my lack of protein from not eating meat, poultry or fish. The vegetarian substitutes they have now were not a plentiful and accessible 30 years ago. After dealing with health issues I made the decision a few years ago to eat animal by products like eggs and cheese for the protein but I always get sick to my stomach if I don't disguise it with something else. The by-products are not that bad. I mean no animal has to die for me to consume milk but if you eat a hamburger..well let's just say...
"Elise" didn't make it. My plan, and my goal is to soon become vegan and do away with even the by-products. It's a process that I believe will be much healthier for me now that I am learning of the variety of protein based foods and I don’t have to live with the thought of animals. Kudos to all of you who have to endure what I have my entire. Like the side eyes you get when you refuse a holiday meal like Turkey on thanksgiving and the endless questions of "so what do you eat?? just eat vegetable? " or " I could never do it" or "why don't you just try this steak I think you'll like it??" the all too familiar hush from across the room of " she's fat ! How can she be a vegetarian" and the simple yet favorite " you don't know what you're missing". to that I think to myself " and you don't know what you're eating". The hormone induced flesh that is sold in this country can do more harm than good to so many people. All that to say it was not a choice as a child but it's all I have known and I thank God for it. He created everything for us ..even the animals for those who choose to slaughter them for food But nothing is like the beautiful fruits and colorful vegetables that grow from the earth and trees. He did it ALL for us. V for life!!
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I want no part in what happens in those slaughter houses0
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GMO's - Genetic Engineering.0
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I've been vegetarian since 2000 and never looked back. The reason was a combination of morals and just feeling disgust at the thought of eating another animal's muscles, veins, skin, etc. I think the most horrifying memory of eating meat was taking a bite of a chicken and seeing little red vein stripes in it. No. thank. you.0
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I've been vegetarian since 2000 and never looked back. The reason was a combination of morals and just feeling disgust at the thought of eating another animal's muscles, veins, skin, etc. I think the most horrifying memory of eating meat was taking a bite of a chicken and seeing little red vein stripes in it. No. thank. you.
SAME FOR ME! Ew! Seeing the veins in chicken grossed me out os bad.0 -
My husband and I have been vegetarian/vegan for a little over a year now. We decided for health reasons to start. Once we started doing research and reading more we found many reasons why it is a good choice for us (sustainability, hormones, chemical additives, humanity). One of our boys (14 yo) has no problem with it and loves all the awesome new food we eat (I suspect he was vegetarian at birth, he always hated meat, LOL). Our 15 yo is mostly vegetarian and only eats meat sandwiches for lunch. I think that is only because I have not figured out what to send with him for lunch
Still working on it. 0 -
I don't like the way animals are kept/abused/treated, whatever word you wanna use....I don't think animals are ours to eat.
I don't see a difference in pigs, cats, rats, horses, birds etc....All living things feel pain and I don't think it should be at the hands of humans. What gives us the right to choose that it's ok to eat pig flesh but cat flesh is not? I don't want any part of it.
This exactly!0 -
I'm vegetarian almost two years. It's funny how all people react the same way, when they find out that. Some of them even say how vegetarians eat unhealthy, which is really not truth. Searching on the internet, I found out that some vegetarians even live longer.0
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Great topic & post, my reasons and experiences have essentially been the same. I became a lacto-ovo vegetarian in December/2006 and before becoming a vegetarian I loved burgers, bacon & seafood, etc. but what changed was my love for my cat *sappy story ahead*... She (my cat) was very important to me, and I learned that there are cultures that actually do see felines as food. Besides being gross (which is a typical meat-eater opinion) it was really upsetting the idea that someone would see my beloved cat as food. That made me change my views on eating meat, especially when I always thought "If I had to kill an animal for food I couldn't do it/eat it." but I could eat someone else's slaughter? No. Also realizing what is the difference between a cow & a cat, why is one acceptable to eat and the other not? All of that made me stop being a hypocrite, and I stopped eating meat.Ok so we have all been asked the following questions
'omg like what do you eat?'
'So why are you a vegetarian'
and my personal favourtite response from those who i tell about my vegetarianism
'dude i COULD NEVER be a vegetarian'.
Sometimes i answer with seriousness but other times i am really sarcastic when answering.
So what reasons do you give. personally i believe every animal and fishy have the right to a life. And if u can survive without then why not.
When I first became a vegetarian it was hard, and there were accidental slip-ups (i.e. eating gummi bears not realizing they were made w/gelatin = cruelty food), but 6 years later it's second nature. The most embarassing thing is being a long-term vegetarian w/a large frame (5'5 300+ lbs.) because then people assume you're lying and sneaking burgers lol. People have been more understanding than I would think though.0 -
It will be three years in March since I became vegetarian. I still don't know my reasons for turning into vegetarian diet. ^^ As I remember, my big transition of losing weight started three years ago. I started attending gym and my trainer recommended me not to eat meat on those days when I attended my workouts basically because meat is heavy food to digest. After some time, I realised that I feel better on those days when I exercise and don't eat meat. So maybe it was the primer reason for making the decision. :} Later on, I realised how significantly meat industry contributes to climate change and as I'm environmentalist from the bottom of my heart ( ^^ ), I found it advantegous to not to eat meat. Animal rights? I'm not sure. Maybe it's a reason too but I never thought about it. :}
P.S. It's nice to know there are so many vegetarians on this website.
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I agree with you completely tattoedtwin. Animals are abused and filled with abnormal chemicals. Also the flood of stress chemicals in their bodies probably affect the humans that eat them. Vegetarian for me. And it is a more sustainable diet in a 7 billion people world
^yup!0 -
Because the meat industry is dirty!0
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I was in the grocery store about a month ago and I was getting some things, and all of a sudden I became so grossed out/saddened by the fact that I was surrounded by cases and cases of meat. Dead animals. In freezers, in refrigerators, in tanks swimming ontop of each other. Why? Why do people think it's perfectly okay?0
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I ave been a vegetarian for 6 years, and for multiple reasons, so I'll just list them out:
1) As a Christian, I believe I am called to be a good steward of the earth. You don't have to be a Christian to go green, but my greenness stems from more than my personal ethic. The meat industry is the exact opposite of a good steward of the earth.
2) I'm not against eating meat, but I am against inhumane treatment of animals. So while I guess I would technically eat free range, properly-fed, hormone-free, humanely-killed meat... it's too complicated
3) Cutting meat out of my diet forces me to eat a wider variety of foods to be nourished--I could just eat a bagel to feel full, but I want to eat a well-rounded meal to feel full and be nourished!
That being said, I do eat seafood sometimes, so I am technically a pescatarian. I just can't avoid eating seafood in the Korean food I grew up with and absolutely love. I am also from Maryland, where blue crabs are so amazing and a rich part of the culture.
I also try not to eat foods that are too processed--even if they are technically vegetarian. This is mostly for health reasons, and because I want to be more aware of how my food gets on to my plate. For example, I stay away from vegetarian "hot dogs" and things that try too hard to be a meat substitute. If I can't feasibly make it on my own, I will generally avoid it.0
