Vegetarians and vegans. Controversial Topic

veganbaum

Look my ENTIRE life my mom has been a vegetaraian. My entire life she has been less than 100lbs. One of her boyfriends also vegan... He also was tiny. So I'm sorry if it has somehow become a stereotype in my head that all vegetarains are small. I have met some pretty big vegetarains before and I've met a few athletes and a few fellow service members as well.

So if your done trolling please move on....

Ok, yes, I'm replying again. And I'm not the one trolling here, I'm responding to your post. In one post you say you posted this just to try to understand why people are veg*n, yet nowhere in your title or OP does this come across. Then here, you say you've known athletes and service members who were vegetarians yet were "pretty big," even though in the previous statement you say you have a stereotype that they're small. And in your original post you say that if you were vegetarian you would be a twig and wouldn't be able to do hard labor without straining yourself, even though here you say you've known vegetarians who obviously do a lot of physical activity, are big, and probably not straining out of the ordinary.

You're full of contradictions. If you wanted to know why people choose to be veg*n, all you had to do was start a polite topic asking "I'm curious - what is your reason for being veg*n?" It doesn't seem like that's why you started this.

MoreBean13

Also look at the skin of most vegans and many vegetarians. The collagen levels are poor, the skin looks wrinkled, drawn and dry-because it is. Those fats help maintain that youthful texture and appearance of skin.

My skin is actually pretty awesome and wrinkle free. Much to the chagrin of my meat eating younger sister, who is commonly mistaken as older than me. I get plenty of healthy fats from Flax seeds, coconut oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.

rhichi

Ugh...I hate the Veginazis. I've been a vegetarian for nine years and never once have I told someone that their choice to eat meat was wrong. I choose not to eat it because it's gross TO ME. I'm not going to tell someone not to eat meat if it's not gross TO THEM. All I ask in return is that meat eaters let me eat my rabbit food without lecturing or being condescending to me. Eat and let eat, yo.

*sigh*

cleavagefurrow

Wow, what a rude lady!! She makes vegetarians look bad. Shame on her. I try to reduce my consumption of meat for environmental reasons. The amount of energy and resources it takes to feed and raise a cow from birth until its death (to be made into beef) could have fed so many more people versus how many people the beef from that one cow would feed. If I can decrease the demand for meat, then maybe I can decrease the production of meat, and in turn lower my environmental impact.

redcat17

Okay, I get your point now. Let's put it this way...

Many vegetarians are that way for ethical reasons (most I would guess).

Some take up a plant-based diet for health reasons.

Vegetarians come in all sizes and shapes and levels of fitness (just like omnivores, paleos, pescatarians, or any other eating style).

Smart vegetarians take the time to learn how to get all of the maro- and micro-nutrients required for whatever fitness level they prefer ( just like omnivores, etc).

Lackadaisical vegetarians don't plan their diet and consequently have issues in the nutrition and fitness areas (just like...see above).

I understand why you would question the choice because of your personal experiences with vegetarians. However, that is a rather small sampling of the 7 million or so in the US alone.

suziecue66

Look my ENTIRE life my mom has been a vegetaraian. My entire life she has been less than 100lbs. One of her boyfriends also vegan... He also was tiny. So I'm sorry if it has somehow become a stereotype in my head that all vegetarains are small. I have met some pretty big vegetarains before and I've met a few athletes and a few fellow service members as well.

So if your done trolling please move on....

Ok, yes, I'm replying again. And I'm not the one trolling here, I'm responding to your post. In one post you say you posted this just to try to understand why people are veg*n, yet nowhere in your title or OP does this come across. Then here, you say you've known athletes and service members who were vegetarians yet were "pretty big," even though in the previous statement you say you have a stereotype that they're small. And in your original post you say that if you were vegetarian you would be a twig and wouldn't be able to do hard labor without straining yourself, even though here you say you've known vegetarians who obviously do a lot of physical activity, are big, and probably not straining out of the ordinary.

You're full of contradictions. If you wanted to know why people choose to be veg*n, all you had to do was start a polite topic asking "I'm curious - what is your reason for being veg*n?" It doesn't seem like that's why you started this.

He posted this to show how obnoxious and know-it-all some vegetarians or vegans can be. I should say that meat-eaters or paleo dieters, clean eaters they all exhibit the same. Don't forget some low carbers who think low carb is the obesity cure for everyone.

tlc12078

Humans have been eating meat since the dawn of days, its in our blood. We are omnivores. I will never give up meat, it actually helps me lose weight.

suziecue66

Humans have been eating meat since the dawn of days, its in our blood. We are omnivores. I will never give up meat, it actually helps me lose weight.

I probably will too but I'm not going to discount the health benefits that vegetarians and vegans are experiencing. You just need to stick with the diet that you feel the best on. When reasons are just ethical it can be tricky if you don't do well on vegetarian/vegan.

schpanks

On a loosely related note, Jimmy John kills elephants. I don't eat there anymore.

http://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/jimmy_john_is_a_big_man._with_the_photos_to_prove_it/

_VoV

On a loosely related note, Jimmy John kills elephants. I don't eat there anymore.

http://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/jimmy_john_is_a_big_man._with_the_photos_to_prove_it/

I look at those pictures, and it makes me feel sad for those animals. He is mocking them in death, when all he did was shoot them from a distance. Some 'big' man he is.

monty619

Quick Poll: any republican vegetarians/vegans out there?

I hope not. If so, I might have to rethink my diet.

So glad to have you as a friend

If I dropped friends because they didn't share my political views, I'd lose probably 75% of my friends. I don't share my political views with many of them, because I've had other friends like them drop me for the same reason. That's one of the differences between people on this side of the aisle and that side. They *think* they're more tolerant, but are actually less so.

Party affiliation has nothing to do with this topic, anyway. Let's just say that vegetarians are a diverse group and leave it at that.

i think there is a stong correlation for vegan/vegetarians and their political party... just my opinion.

_VoV

Party affiliation has nothing to do with this topic, anyway. Let's just say that vegetarians are a diverse group and leave it at that.

i think there is a stong correlation for vegan/vegetarians and their political party... just my opinion.

Fine. You are entitled to an opinion. I just don't see the relevance. For the record, I don't wear my political views on my sleeve. I don't think it's anyone's business. Plus, it can be very divisive when it shouldn't be.

agrzybow

Quick Poll: any republican vegetarians/vegans out there?

I hope not. If so, I might have to rethink my diet.

So glad to have you as a friend

If I dropped friends because they didn't share my political views, I'd lose probably 75% of my friends. I don't share my political views with many of them, because I've had other friends like them drop me for the same reason. That's one of the differences between people on this side of the aisle and that side. They *think* they're more tolerant, but are actually less so.

Party affiliation has nothing to do with this topic, anyway. Let's just say that vegetarians are a diverse group and leave it at that.

i think there is a stong correlation for vegan/vegetarians and their political party... just my opinion.

No, there isn't. You probably know more vegetarians in one political party because you tend to associate with those who have similar views.

susanswan

Live and let live. You're glad you don't have to eat my diet and I'm glad I don't have to eat yours. There. We're both satisfied. I can't imagine in a restaurant some stranger coming up to you like that. It's just plain rude! The nerve of some people!

susanswan

Republican and looking towards being more of a vegan than not. Now you all can unfriend me if you like! = D

jaymek92

the closest i've ever gotten to telling anybody they should eat veg*n is when my boyfriend told me he was buddhist and considering going vegetarian. i encouraged him to do so if he was interested and told him that there are plenty of protein sources he could eat to meet his daily needs.

on the other hand, when i order food without meat, i get snide comments at least 10% of the time. usually from my grandmother (who also touts things such as "if god wanted you to have holes in your body, he would have put them there.") who insists that i have to eat meat to be healthy (and have to be starving myself to lose weight). sometimes, though, the comments come from the server. i've ordered spaghetti and asked for marinara and no meatball, and the waitress asked me "why? are you allergic to meat?"

it's none of my business why you're eating what you're eating and it's none of your business why i'm eating why i'm eating.
that being said, probably 95% of the time, it's the omnivores trying to "fix" the veg*ns, not the other way around. kind of refreshing for the other side to get it for once.

monty619

Quick Poll: any republican vegetarians/vegans out there?

I hope not. If so, I might have to rethink my diet.

So glad to have you as a friend

If I dropped friends because they didn't share my political views, I'd lose probably 75% of my friends. I don't share my political views with many of them, because I've had other friends like them drop me for the same reason. That's one of the differences between people on this side of the aisle and that side. They *think* they're more tolerant, but are actually less so.

Party affiliation has nothing to do with this topic, anyway. Let's just say that vegetarians are a diverse group and leave it at that.

i think there is a stong correlation for vegan/vegetarians and their political party... just my opinion.

No, there isn't. You probably know more vegetarians in one political party because you tend to associate with those who have similar views.

which is why i asked for a poll and no one is talkin.. wbu? how do you define your views?

andrea198721

Today, after I left the gym I stopped at Jimmy Johns to get a snack. I ordered a #1 which is Applewood Smoked Ham and provolone cheese garnished with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. I sat down minding my own business enjoying my snack. Like a the normal American Male that I am, I take really big bites of my food. Of course their might be a string of lettuce hanging from my mouth or drops back onto tray. Well while doing this I'm approached by a very bitter lady.

"That is so gross" was the first words out of her mouth. At first I was going to say something like "get off my nuts if you don't like the way I eat" but before I could say anything she wasn't talking about the way I eat food. She was referring to my meaty sandwhich. She says to me, "How can you eat that stuff, its disgusting, unhealthy, and just plain wrong. People kill animals for you to eat, god didn't put us on this planet to kill everything" (that wasn't word for word but its the same damn gibberish she was spouting at me)

Being a educated fellow I smiled real big and just knew this was going down right then and there.

My response "What makes you think that this is unhealthy? Because its high in calories? My food is cooked to kill the germs that might be harmful to me. As far as taste goes I believe its very good and I might just get another."

"I'm a vegetarian and vegetarians are just more fit and healthier than those who are not" she said.

Again I smile real big "Lady I'm 5'4" 160lbs, I can run 2 miles in under 13 minutes and at that pace I can maintain a heart rate of 150bpm and a dead rest heart rate of 52bpm. My blood pressure is 116/75. I can benchpress 205lbs. I go to the gym 4 days out of the week. I eat all the nutrients my body needs. Without sacrificing my size. If I were like you and eat only veggies I would be a puny twig that can be pushed over by a strong wind. I like my chances of being healthy without being a vegetarian. I like having protein in my body, it allows me to do hard labor work without being strained, and if I am strained I can recover very quickly. If I were you I'd start eating meat so you can be healthier than you are now"

Baffled and stunned this lady was forced into retreat.

I would've stared her right in the face and took another bite and said this is how I eat this stuff. Ha ha. People need to mind their own business.

jaymek92

i think there is a stong correlation for vegan/vegetarians and their political party... just my opinion.

false.
"According to Lempert, conservatives correlated with foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch, plus fried chicken, meatloaf, and steak for dinner, with Italian food being the cuisine of choice.

Liberals, on the other hand, preferred Asian: Thai and Indian for lunch, and veggie burgers and green curry for supper. His findings indicate they also tend to make more nutritionally sound choices, such as eating vegetables more often and fast food less frequently, and making dishes from scratch." [source: http://www.yumsugar.com/Political-Party-Affiliation-May-Correlated-Food-Choices-6375098]

just because comfort foods tend to include meat doesn't necessarily mean that conservatives must eat meat. my family is conservative and (outside of my household), nearly everything is homemade. i, a liberal vegetarian, do love making things myself and eating the veggies i like, but i would gladly eat nothing but pasta for the rest of my life and, quite frankly, i don't like spicy foods like asian.
there may be some correlation between heaviness of foods, if you will, but not necessarily if there is meat or not.

monty619

i think there is a stong correlation for vegan/vegetarians and their political party... just my opinion.

false.
"According to Lempert, conservatives correlated with foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch, plus fried chicken, meatloaf, and steak for dinner, with Italian food being the cuisine of choice.

Liberals, on the other hand, preferred Asian: Thai and Indian for lunch, and veggie burgers and green curry for supper. His findings indicate they also tend to make more nutritionally sound choices, such as eating vegetables more often and fast food less frequently, and making dishes from scratch." [source: http://www.yumsugar.com/Political-Party-Affiliation-May-Correlated-Food-Choices-6375098]

just because comfort foods tend to include meat doesn't necessarily mean that conservatives must eat meat. my family is conservative and (outside of my household), nearly everything is homemade. i, a liberal vegetarian, do love making things myself and eating the veggies i like, but i would gladly eat nothing but pasta for the rest of my life and, quite frankly, i don't like spicy foods like asian.
there may be some correlation between heaviness of foods, if you will, but not necessarily if there is meat or not.

so it kind of proves my point..

jenna324

Quote: [/quote]Uh. Animals are humanely killed, they are not "tortured to death". I have been to slaughterhouses and have seen it firsthand.
I take exception, too, to your claim that animals were put here by God for us to eat.
We are animals. We love to imagine that we're special, but I think that's bull****. We are no different and have evolved in the same way as anything else.
[/quote]

Reply: Uh, no I disagree. I am a food scientist & clinical nutritionist currently working on my masters degree in food science & industry. That being said, a lot of meats that consumers buy are from "the industry" not the farm (where, as I'm sure you're aware, things are done differently and often more humanely). The horror stories I could tell you. I honestly couldn't sleep at night after taking my meat production class. Yes, you do have some companies out there that have moral and ethical values that they enforce while raising & slaughtering their livestock. Then you have the not so nice companies who DO "torture" their animals. Being fed hormones, steroids and by-product of my fellow livestock friends is not what I would call humane. Not to mention living in my own feces, being crammed in a tiny cage that I can't even turn around in, having my legs and/or wings broke, being electrocuted... and I'll stop there. I would call that torture. I am all for buying my produce, dairy & meat (for my husband, since I am a veg because meat grosses me out) from the local farmers.

fajitatx

I am an omnivore, tried and true. I have never done an all meat (like Atkins, the way most do it) diet, but I did go completely vegan, for 11 days.

My sister was a hard core vegetarian turned vegan, no telepathic powers unfortunately (pilgrim fans clap now), and I saw on a few family visits (our family is in Michigan, I am in Texas [ land of beef] and she lives in Portland [land of vegans]) and I saw that she had a hard time eating with the family.

This was mostly due to the fact that at the family meals, my father namely, had forgotten to tell the family members doing the cooking that my sister could not eat anything with meat, even a couple of times my dad made a meal, he neglected.

So, feeling her plight and having made fun of her for only eating vegetables (the way a brother does to a younger sister), I opted to walk a mile in her shoes and try to eat like she did for 30 days.

Due to stress at work, I finally broke down at dinner on the 11th day and had something with cheese and at that point went in for some beef as well. It had been a really ****ty day and I needed some comfort food.

But during my 11 days, i was able to get my protein in via soy and I was able to keep my energy up with carbs and I felt in general good and healthy. I might even try again this year to see if I can make it to say 14 days, as a good sort of cleanse.

But the one thing and for me this goes along with religion and politics, keep your opinion to yourself unless otherwise solicited for it.

The lady was at a SANDWICH place, one of my favorites notably, while they have a veggie sandwich on the menu, that is one of like 20 different ones they prepare, not where a vegan / vegetarian (big difference by the way, vegetarians will generally still do dairy and eggs, sometimes fish), not where a vegan should be hanging out.

And I would also say that given human nature, unless you are doing it for health reasons (or a some what whacky empathetic experiment) you are not a going to the extreme of becoming a vegan without being extreme in personality in general, meaning you are probably more likely to speak out and unfortunately think that you can convince someone who is enjoying their food, to switch their entire way of life, by say 'eww, yuck, what you are eating is evil and wrong'.

Much the same way that if you walked up to someone and said 'God, I can't believe you are eating that, I mean it came out of the dirt, picked by workers that are paid crap wages and are not even likely citizens of our country, I can't believe you are eating fruits and vegetables that were harvested by exploited labor, I mean me, I prefer meat made by labor that is also likely exploited, but assembled into tasty sandwiches by college students'

anyway, I say, do whatever feels right for you, but don't force your beliefs on others.

jaymek92

i think there is a stong correlation for vegan/vegetarians and their political party... just my opinion.

false.
"According to Lempert, conservatives correlated with foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch, plus fried chicken, meatloaf, and steak for dinner, with Italian food being the cuisine of choice.

Liberals, on the other hand, preferred Asian: Thai and Indian for lunch, and veggie burgers and green curry for supper. His findings indicate they also tend to make more nutritionally sound choices, such as eating vegetables more often and fast food less frequently, and making dishes from scratch." [source: http://www.yumsugar.com/Political-Party-Affiliation-May-Correlated-Food-Choices-6375098]

just because comfort foods tend to include meat doesn't necessarily mean that conservatives must eat meat. my family is conservative and (outside of my household), nearly everything is homemade. i, a liberal vegetarian, do love making things myself and eating the veggies i like, but i would gladly eat nothing but pasta for the rest of my life and, quite frankly, i don't like spicy foods like asian.
there may be some correlation between heaviness of foods, if you will, but not necessarily if there is meat or not.

so it kind of proves my point..

no. it doesn't. it doesn't prove anything. it suggests that conservatives eat heavier food, both veg*n and non. it also suggests that liberals eat lighter or healthier foods, both veg*n and non.
for your earlier survey, i am a member of the green party and i am a vegetarian. i had a friend at work who was a republican and vegetarian. my uncle is more moderate and was a vegetarian for years. political party has nothing to do with whether or not you eat meat.

FatherGruff

I'm a vegetarian (and have been for 24 years). When people say "oh, you must be really healthy!" my standard answer has always been "Oh, I don't know: Doritos and Mountain Dew are vegetarian..." Of course, I haven't eaten that way in a while, but as a teen that seems like it was my main diet.

The lady that accosted you was just wrong. There are plenty of good reasons to be a vegetarian. There are also plenty of good reasons to be a locavore, or to recycle, or to bike to work, or to do any of a number of other things. That doesn't mean that if you see someone doing something other than that you should be rude to them. There are plenty of good reasons to be polite to the people around you.

Can you imagine someone walking up to you, as you are sitting in your car at a stoplight, and saying "it's just gross that you drive around instead of walking. I walk every day and I'm healthier for it."? You'd probably just run them over.

I'm sure she has the best of intentions, but she was taking the wrong tack. And giving vegetarians a bad name at the same time.

batalina

i do think it's funny that veg*ns get all kind of crap for being uppity at omnivores, because i am a vegan and i have NEVER just come out of nowhere and started ragging on someone for what they're eating, but it happens to me coming from meat-eaters ALL. THE. TIME.
makes it a little hard for me to understand this reputation that veg folks supposedly have, because i have only observed it in reverse.

monty619

i think there is a stong correlation for vegan/vegetarians and their political party... just my opinion.

false.
"According to Lempert, conservatives correlated with foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch, plus fried chicken, meatloaf, and steak for dinner, with Italian food being the cuisine of choice.

Liberals, on the other hand, preferred Asian: Thai and Indian for lunch, and veggie burgers and green curry for supper. His findings indicate they also tend to make more nutritionally sound choices, such as eating vegetables more often and fast food less frequently, and making dishes from scratch." [source: http://www.yumsugar.com/Political-Party-Affiliation-May-Correlated-Food-Choices-6375098]

just because comfort foods tend to include meat doesn't necessarily mean that conservatives must eat meat. my family is conservative and (outside of my household), nearly everything is homemade. i, a liberal vegetarian, do love making things myself and eating the veggies i like, but i would gladly eat nothing but pasta for the rest of my life and, quite frankly, i don't like spicy foods like asian.
there may be some correlation between heaviness of foods, if you will, but not necessarily if there is meat or not.

so it kind of proves my point..

no. it doesn't. it doesn't prove anything. it suggests that conservatives eat heavier food, both veg*n and non. it also suggests that liberals eat lighter or healthier foods, both veg*n and non.
for your earlier survey, i am a member of the green party and i am a vegetarian. i had a friend at work who was a republican and vegetarian. my uncle is more moderate and was a vegetarian for years. political party has nothing to do with whether or not you eat meat.

well thats ur opinion.. where i think that the more environmentally conscious people are they are more inclined to be vegetarian, liberal, or both.

chksarma

I am a Vegan!! I was raised like that from my childhood!! Sometimes I got a chance to eat meat, but I didnot eat!! Its not because I love animals, I HATE them!! I love the food I eat!! So I don't eat non-veg :P

At the same time I donot have any bad opinion on others who eat non-veg, I just rag them about it!! Its just for fun nothing else!!

But the question which I donot have an answer is "Gals say puppies r cute and chicken is delicious" why so? :P

jaymek92

no. it doesn't. it doesn't prove anything. it suggests that conservatives eat heavier food, both veg*n and non. it also suggests that liberals eat lighter or healthier foods, both veg*n and non.
for your earlier survey, i am a member of the green party and i am a vegetarian. i had a friend at work who was a republican and vegetarian. my uncle is more moderate and was a vegetarian for years. political party has nothing to do with whether or not you eat meat.

well thats ur opinion.. where i think that the more environmentally conscious people are they are more inclined to be vegetarian, liberal, or both.

i didn't say anything about environmentalism. i agree that those with more environmental consciousness do tend to be liberal, but as veg*nism is generally more about ethics than the environment, environmental consciousness doesn't always translate to veg*nism.

MoreBean13

I am a Vegan!! I... Its not because I love animals, I HATE them!! I love the food I eat!! So I don't eat non-veg :P

Best response in this whole thread. I love it.

I hate fish. I think they're creepy and gross and want nothing to do with them.

Beezil

I would have given her a piece of my mind too. Good for you man. lol