Vegetarians - why?

DarkNebula84

A good, scientific based explanation for adopting a plant based diet can be found in the documentary "Forks Over Knives". It is a non political documentary based on the research of a physician and nutrition expert. It changed the way that I think about food.

The one that changed me was "Food Matters" very interesting!

chrishgt4

why does it matter

exactly. i live my life, you live yours.

:flowerforyou:

I hate this type of answer to a question. It shows such a fundamental level of ignorance.

Why should I read about what's happening in other parts of the world, why should I be interested in what others say or think or do...? Because sometimes we are interested in things.

That is the reason things like Wikipedia exist.

Whether you believe the OP actually cares or is just stirring debate is beside the point, asking questions is how we learn...

spoonful

It's a choice. What people choose is their business. Which means it is none of yours. Unless, of course, you are a vegetable.

doorki

You'd eat any tofu recipe I made and you would ask for seconds.

This. Even my meat-eating husband adores my beer-breaded tofu. And that's only one example. :-)

As to why, it's because all my research and my gut feeling and the looks and diseases and overweight of people who chow down the meat constantly have convinced me. Do whatever you want. I don't preach. I don't have to. If my absolutely marvelous health, stamina, energy, positive outlook and MUSCLES don't win any converts, then nothing I can say would either.

Oh, and also so I don't have to pick user names like "Big Mama Rebecca". :bigsmile:

Haha...I chow down on meat pretty much constantly...does my "look" convince you?

But in all seriousness...I'll never understand why people do it, I personally couldn't...but at the same time I really don't care why people do it...or don't do it for that matter.

I do get a little offended with blanket statements like the above though. Not everyone who eats meat is diseased and overweight....I'm not! I'm healthy as a horse, feel great, and LOVE meat!

Don't take it personal. I know there are people who appear to be healthy who eat meat. I just happen to think it will kick their *kitten* down the road. The fat that is contained in even lean red meat and chicken ups your bad cholesterol and triglycerides and over time, that accumulates as plaque in your arteries. So even if you feel healthy now, watch out. But by all means, have at it. I started for health reasons, but along the way fell more in love with animals the more respect I showed them by not supporting their murders and now that's another reason I don't eat their flesh. It isn't a blanket statement from my perspective, it's a difference of opinion.

Some of my best friends are cows.

sktllmdrhmz

Some of my best friends are cows.

I lol'd.

chrishgt4

You are what you eat. I eat bacon.

So...you're a cooked piece of dead animal flesh? Wow, I hope you don't use that for a pick-up line. :laugh: :laugh:

See this is what gets me- when people say "dead animal flesh" or "carcus". Like people who eat meat a bad or animals (which we are- I mean in a derogatory way). Bashing us for being meat eaters. Which by the way I am craving steak so bad right now !

carcass: : a dead body : corpse; especially : the dressed body of a meat animal

flesh: : the soft parts of the body of an animal and especially of a vertebrate; especially : the parts composed chiefly of skeletal muscle as distinguished from visceral structures, bone, and integuments

dead: deprived of life : having died


It is what you're eating, there's no exaggeration there. Why does it bother you?

It might not be exaggeration, but it is certainly cacophemism.

It's like using the term kicked the bucket instead of died, it is intentionally harsh to make a point.

That being said - you can call meat what you like, I'll still chow down on that ****...omnomnom

moxiecowgirl

I don't see a problem with asking why. That's how we learn. :flowerforyou:

I'm a fairly new vegetarian. Not vegan...I still eat some eggs and dairy, but not anywhere near as much as I used to eat.

For me, the decision has come mostly from a health standpoint, and also from my upbringing. I spent a good part of my childhood on my grandparents' farm, where there was always a huge supply of fresh, good-quality vegetables and fruits, so that was what I ate most often. There just wasn't any processed food, and there wasn't a lot of meat. It wasn't a preference, it was just the way things worked out for them because the closest grocery store was almost 45 minutes away, so they ate what they had on hand, as did the rest of us.

I never had any problems maintaining a healthy weight until I started eating more processed foods and meats. Over 15 years or so, I nearly doubled my body weight, and now that I'm trying to lose well over 100 pounds, I just went back to what seemed to work well for me before. Guess what? It still works well. I lost 20 pounds in 2 months, and I'm working on the next 10. My blood pressure is lower, my cholesterol levels are coming down, and I don't have any of the stomach trouble or general "aches and pains" that I used to have. I don't think it would be overstating to say that I take in a much more nutritionally stable diet now than I ever did while eating meat. I'm not saying it's for everybody, but it's what works for me. :ohwell:

I also take issue with all the hormones used for growing the animals used to produce meat, and don't get me started on the conditions at the processing facilities. But again, that's just me. Your mileage may vary. :happy:

odusgolp

However, I just don't get it, and never will.

So why?

If you don't get it and never will, why are you asking why?

Same reason people who post this always come back to the answers given with more statements of "I don't get it... it's ______". It's soft-trolling. They are looking to start something but doing it in what they think is a subtle way.

Or maybe they'd truly like to be enlightened about something they don't understand...

tadpole242

. But by all means, have at it. I started for health reasons, but along the way fell more in love with animals the more respect I showed them by not supporting their murders and now that's another reason I don't eat their flesh.

murder=unlawful killing of another human being without justification or excuse"
you can not murder a cow/pig/chicken

nygrl4evr

Why do you care?

You have your way of eating, I don't expect you to give a reason so why do you expect veggies to explain.

Thank you! :happy:

veganbaum

why does it matter

exactly. i live my life, you live yours.

:flowerforyou:

I hate this type of answer to a question. It shows such a fundamental level of ignorance.

Why should I read about what's happening in other parts of the world, why should I be interested in what others say or think or do...? Because sometimes we are interested in things.

That is the reason things like Wikipedia exist.

Whether you believe the OP actually cares or is just stirring debate is beside the point, asking questions is how we learn...

A person first has to be willing to learn. Asking a question simply to stir "debate" for the sake of drama is not in the same category as asking an earnest question. We put up with this as a regular part of our lives, having people ask us "why" not because they truly want to know but just to be argumentative. Most people I know who are veg*n are more than willing to engage in a genuine conversation, unfortunately the motive of most people who ask "why" is rarely to actually hear and thoughtfully consider what the other is saying, even if they don't agree with it.

sanjoparolas

I eat a plant-based diet because it makes me happy and contributes to my well-being. I have never felt better and wish I had converted years ago. I made the change based on the book Eat To Live and the movie Forks Over Knives, among others. My question is, why do people spend time questioning vegetarians instead of doing their own research and coming to their own conclusions?

laurenlind

I am going to do my best to really answer the OP's question... I only hope that the OP really does have an interest in the answer, because stating that you will never understand does sound like you do not.

My journey to vegetarianism goes as follows:

Growing up, I was allergic to all poultry products- chicken, turkey, eggs. It was a bummer. I grew up eating (and loving) red meat and pork. It was delicious, and I scoffed at my friends who became vegetarians. I outgrew my poultry allergy around age 16 and also loved adding those items to my diet. I distinctly remember sitting at a restaurant telling a friend who had become a vegetarian that I would- and COULD- never give up meat.
In college, I had a class that examined the food industry, particularly in the US. Plain and simple, it is disgusting. As an animal lover, I knew in my brain that I was eating animals, but my heart could not take the knowledge of how the animals were treated. I take no issue at all with humans eating meat... there is a food chain on this earth, and that is where our place is. However, I do not feel that the incredibly indecent treatment of livestock is ethical. I am not going to go into details here. There is plenty of documentation of this all over the place, you just have to be willing to actually read it- and once you do, you might find that it is difficult to still put that meat in your mouth. Furthermore, I would encourage all to read research on how livestock are mass produced, fed, maintained, processed, etc. Even if you totally agree with how the industry works, I think that we all owe it to our bodies to really KNOW what we are putting into them. To that end, you should do research on agriculture. Not only think about that animal that gave its life to give you sustenance, but think about the farmer who works hard to harvest the crop. Food is a privilege, one that not everyone in this world has so readily... I just think people should all take some more time to think about and appreciate the source of it.
In addition to the inhumane treatment of livestock, the amount of medicines, chemicals, forced grain feeding, etc, produces meat that is actually not all that healthy for you. Which is why, when people say that cavemen ate this way, I find it a bit ironic. No, they didn't. They did not eat hormone-injected meat to make sure that those chicken breasts are so big that there is actually three servings in one breast (disclaimer- this is an estimate- I don't know how many servings of chicken is in your average chicken breast, but I know that they are much bigger than they are supposed to be). If, however, you do follow a paleolithic diet and ensure that your meat is grass fed, free range/ wild game, then I applaud you.

So, the class is how I became a vegetarian. I never actually made a conscious choice to stop eating meat. I read, did research, was turned off and figured that I would lay off for a while. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted meat. Here I am, 9 years later, and still happily munching away on plants. I buy and cook meat for my husband, who is an omnivore. I think it smells good. I know that it tastes good from past experience, but I don't want it. I don't mind making it, I just don't want to eat it. It is my body, and it is my personal choice what I put in it.

By the way, not all vegetarians eat tofu. I VERY rarely (as in, maybe once every 4 months) eat tofu. I have a veggie burger maybe every two months.

Happy eating!

moxiecowgirl

Oh yeah, one more thing...I don't eat much tofu. Most of the vegetarians I know don't, either. Why do so many non-vegetarians assume we all eat tofu? You can eat vegetarian without subsisting on blocks of bean curd.

*Edited to correct a generalization.

bluefox9er

Ok, I am probably going to offend some, but its not my intention.

However, I just don't get it, and never will. There has never been a good argument presented to me. I figure because whenever I ask why, they almost always get offended. For the life of me, I don't understand why I can't ask for a reason?

So why?

And please remove all of the tofu answers. That stuff is just nasty.

there are plenty of alternative food sources for human beings. Dead animals aren't the obvious choice.

britcurl

I find lately that meat is not my favorite thing. I eat it, and I cook it...but I can usually skip it. I'd so much rather have a plate full of veggi's. I wouldn't mind tring tofu, cause I need a protien source. We shall see...

gwengogreen1

Please do not get offended anybody, but i think it is very unnatural for someone to not eat meat. think about cavemen, they ate meat all their lives, they needed it to survive. they did not eat any grains either. Sure it saves you from the fat, and maybe a heart attack being a vegetarian, but if you eat lean cuts of meat, its even better for your health. Sure they are adorable, but you need meat to survive, or at least be as healthy as can be. I was a vegetarian for a VERY short time, because i joined PETA. sure it kills animals, but you are never 100% vegetarian, because think of all the flies a year that you eat in your sleep... I think its really cool when people are vegetarians, its just not for me, because i love meat too much.

please nobody get offended, this is just my opinion.

*edited to fix a spell error*

I'm not offended:).....but what if you don't like the taste?!?!

i hate how plain meat tastes, so i put tons of seasoning or sauce on mine its a good way to get lots of protein!

_the_feniks_

Read "The China Study". For those who don't like to read, watch "Forks Over Knives".

moxiecowgirl

Please do not get offended anybody, but i think it is very unnatural for someone to not eat meat. think about cavemen, they ate meat all their lives, they needed it to survive. they did not eat any grains either. Sure it saves you from the fat, and maybe a heart attack being a vegetarian, but if you eat lean cuts of meat, its even better for your health. Sure they are adorable, but you need meat to survive, or at least be as healthy as can be. I was a vegetarian for a VERY short time, because i joined PETA. sure it kills animals, but you are never 100% vegetarian, because think of all the flies a year that you eat in your sleep... I think its really cool when people are vegetarians, its just not for me, because i love meat too much.

please nobody get offended, this is just my opinion.

*edited to fix a spell error*

I'm not offended:).....but what if you don't like the taste?!?!

i hate how plain meat tastes, so i put tons of seasoning or sauce on mine its a good way to get lots of protein!

And fat, and sodium, and all kinds of other additives you don't need. Most of which are pretty unnatural. Just sayin'.

I'm not seriously offended, just some gentle ribbing. But if you're going to argue against vegetarianism by calling it "unnatural", it's probably safe to assume that you don't ever use anything synthetic or man-made, right?

flabbytofabby

I'm not veggie, but i only eat butcher meat + i prefer alot of veggie dishes over meat dishes. Quorn is amazing.

I think its a personal choice + if everyone ate meat apparently there wouldnt be enough meat to go around.

If you watch food inc, or kill it cook it eat it, or read skinny ***** it will put you off meat or cause you to become more aware i'm sure