Meat eater, vegetarian or vegan?? Which are you?

t1nk6

love my meat

JusticeGirl25

Gotta have meat, come on....

owieprone

omnivore, to a point, i don't sea food. originally because i can't stand the taste, smell or texture of most of it and some of it makes me ill (too oily makes me quesy). I very rarely eat tuna (lmao, i know! shhh) but only if its fresh or in brine.

having done marine bio at uni, i now would't eat it even if i find (somehow) that i like it. one of the MOST environmental damaging industries in the world. I love folk that line and pole catch their own stuff or for selling, anything sustainable that doesn't use a dragger or dredger is great. big industry tho.. can do without that. I also know now what's in most seafood... i'd rather eat quorn.. and that's saying something.

I, very rarely, eat tuna (i know, shhh! lmao).

i only let my husband eat fish if i know where it's from (i.e. when in oban, the restaurants there are selling local grown seafood).

i did try and eat a fried scorpion once.. bottled at the last minute! i want to try guinea pig, rat, snake and other odd things... whether given the chance i'll actually go through with it though is another matter.

Graelwyn, did someone tell you you needed to eat meat for strength training, or personal choice due to lack of good shops/choice? I know a boxer who is vegetarian and has no problems with any part of his training.

owieprone

Veg. This is why

"if everybody in the UK changed their current eating habits to a vegetarian or vegan diet, greenhouse gas emissions savings would be equivalent to a 50 per cent reduction in exhaust pipe emissions from the country's entire passenger car fleet."

http://www.scienceomega.com/article/188/vegetarian-diet-could-considerably-reduce-carbon-footprint
http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/food-carbon-footprint-diet

what would happen to all the cattle? and the farmers who farm them? some aren't mixed farmers. Also arable farming is quite damaging in itself (pesticides, the amount of land required), and still has farmed and be transported to become the end product, it is labour intensive without modern fuelled machinery and weather dependant. It's not quite as clean cut as most people think.

also humans are omnivores, that we can survive as vegetarians or pescatarians etc is because we're omnivores. we have the ability to eat almost anything because that's how our bodies have evolved. however, just because we can doesn't mean we have to. everyone should have the choice to eat what they want. I eat a lot of vegetarian meals, because it keeps my food bills down, i buy in bulk from the local butcher and freeze what i'm not using so i don't waste. And we should all be open to reading about different ways of feeding, like your great links.

What we need to change is what we buy, how it's reared/grown and how it's killed/processed. Buy local from a butcher you trust who knows the farmers and the slaughterhouse his products go to, buy only what's in season and from the country or county (if possible) that you live in. BE mindful of the food you eat and were it comes from, rock salmon is SHARK, spiny dogfish to be exact, it's endangered and like most sharks slow growing and slow to reproduce, most imported shrimp from asia is farmed and full of chemicals (colouring and nasty pesticides that are banned here, read Taras Gresco's - Dead Seas). Not to mention the old horse flesh fiasco that we've just had in the UK, nothing wrong with eating horse of course, as long as you know its not shot full of steroids and wasn't stuck in a barn being fed processed rubbish instead of real food etc etc.

daffodilsoup

" what right does man have over the life of that animal"

The fact that we domesticated them for that purpose, that we spend the money, time and effort to raise them for that purpose. The fact that humans are the dominant species, and because we can and we want to. There's no other answer needed. We are talking about MEAT animals, which we own, over which we have the power of life and death. NOT wildlife. .I don't see any "ethical" problem here. Enough of this pointless argument, I have to go feed my ducklings, so they'll grow up strong, healthy, and be ready for roast duck in the fall.

That's awfully convenient - because we decided they were for slaughtering, and because we want to. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a stronger example of human selfishness and greed.

ETA: I can't help but feel like pulling the "this argument is dumb, I'm going to go eat a burger/feed my ducklings for a duck roast/fry some bacon/etc is kind of a child-like cop out. I can't control you, and ultimately, you are going to do what you want, so really there's no argument here, just an exchange of ideas. The closed-mindedness and stubbornness of the way you've responded to it though, is what is bothersome.

VeganCoco

" what right does man have over the life of that animal"

The fact that we domesticated them for that purpose, that we spend the money, time and effort to raise them for that purpose. The fact that humans are the dominant species, and because we can and we want to. There's no other answer needed. We are talking about MEAT animals, which we own, over which we have the power of life and death. NOT wildlife. .I don't see any "ethical" problem here. Enough of this pointless argument, I have to go feed my ducklings, so they'll grow up strong, healthy, and be ready for roast duck in the fall.

That's awfully convenient - because we decided they were for slaughtering, and because we want to. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a stronger example of human selfishness and greed.

ETA: I can't help but feel like pulling the "this argument is dumb, I'm going to go eat a burger/feed my ducklings for a duck roast/fry some bacon/etc is kind of a child-like cop out. I can't control you, and ultimately, you are going to do what you want, so really there's no argument here, just an exchange of ideas. The closed-mindedness and stubbornness of the way you've responded to it though, is what is bothersome.

^^ This, a million times this. Vegan for life - no food with a family.

terlyn20

i eat meat, fish - everything- personally for me i feel it is afront to G-D to refuse to eat whatever he has provided. i enjoy most all foods and receive them with THANKS! I am over 50 and have no health problems, blood work done last fall was perfect, BP is normal etc. My meat eating parents are both very healthy. when we refer to my mom we say " she is healthy as a fatting hog!"

however, i begrudge no one for follow their own consience and hope to get the same respect. You eat what you want and enjoy and i will do the same.

terlyn20

might add, husband hunts so we eat turkey, deer alligator, squirrel and rabbits from the back yard and road kill if it is fresh enough.

daffodilsoup

i eat meat, fish - everything- personally for me i feel it is afront to G-D to refuse to eat whatever he has provided. i enjoy most all foods and receive them with THANKS! I am over 50 and have no health problems, blood work done last fall was perfect, BP is normal etc. My meat eating parents are both very healthy. when we refer to my mom we say " she is healthy as a fatting hog!"

however, i begrudge no one for follow their own consience and hope to get the same respect. You eat what you want and enjoy and i will do the same.

The issue with those who consume meat wanting their choice to be "respected" is that it implies that there is no "other" in the situation. Ultimately, eating meat causes harm - that's why those who are morally opposed to consuming meat have difficulty "respecting" a choice that causes suffering.

degausser234

I like to say that I am a part-time vegetarian. I mostly don't buy/cook meat because I don't have the budget for it and I don't really have the time to defrost and prepare it.
However I'll eat chicken or fish maybe once or twice a week and red meat only when I go out to eat and am craving it (maybe once every month or two)

I do notice a huuuge difference in the way I feel when I don't eat red meat. Not too long ago I moved back home for two weeks, my dad is a big meat eater (eats it for almost every meal) and he cooked a lot of the meals while I was there. I have to say I felt so sluggish and tired, I just felt like I was weighed down and trudging through my day.

I find people argument about not getting enough protein on a vegetarian diet completely silly. You can get great protein from other sources besides from animals, you just have to do your research!

tinylightsbelow

I am a vegan for animal-rights reasons. I believe that our current system of farming animals is abusive. That said, I understand that everyone has their own ideas on morality and I do not wish to impose my moral system on anyone.

ice1200s

I'm a carnivore through and through!!

RllyGudTweetr

i eat meat, fish - everything- personally for me i feel it is afront to G-D to refuse to eat whatever he has provided. i enjoy most all foods and receive them with THANKS! I am over 50 and have no health problems, blood work done last fall was perfect, BP is normal etc. My meat eating parents are both very healthy. when we refer to my mom we say " she is healthy as a fatting hog!"

however, i begrudge no one for follow their own consience and hope to get the same respect. You eat what you want and enjoy and i will do the same.

The issue with those who consume meat wanting their choice to be "respected" is that it implies that there is no "other" in the situation. Ultimately, eating meat causes harm - that's why those who are morally opposed to consuming meat have difficulty "respecting" a choice that causes suffering.

That's an implication I do not read into asking a personal choice to be respected, regardless of how much animal protein the speaker consumes; it may be one you infer from a request that you respect someone else's choice, but that's different.

Are you saying that farming fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts, causes no harm to the environment? That's an. . . interesting position to take.

daffodilsoup

That's an implication I do not read into asking a personal choice to be respected, regardless of how much animal protein the speaker consumes; it may be one you infer from a request that you respect someone else's choice, but that's different.

I'm not sure I understand what's being said here?

Are you saying that farming fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts, causes no harm to the environment? That's an. . . interesting position to take.

No, that is not what I'm saying. By simply existing and doing the bare minimum for human survival, yes, we as a species cause harm to the environment. The idea though, is causing as little suffering and harm as possible.

But eating meat involves a DIRECT other - causing unnecessary pain and suffering directly and knowingly to another being that is capable of suffering and feeling pain. Considering people can thrive on plant-based diets, this suffering is caused unnecessarily.

tinylightsbelow

RllyGudTweetr, I think what they were trying to say is that vegans and vegetarians see animal consumption as unethical because it harms an animal. So it is difficult for many of us to 'respect' the decision of a meat eater because we inevitably think of the animal as well. Vegetarians/vegans generally see animals as of equivalent worth to humans so the death of an animal is a tough pill to swallow for something that does not seem necessary.

Gwen_B

I don't eat red meat.

In general, red meats (beef, pork and lamb) have more cholesterol and saturated (bad) fat than chicken, fish and vegetable proteins such as beans. Cholesterol and saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol and make heart disease worse. Chicken and fish have less saturated fat than most red meat. The unsaturated fats in fish, such as salmon, actually have health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and some plant sources, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/WeightManagement/LosingWeight/Eat-More-Chicken-Fish-and-Beans-than-Red-Meat_UCM_320278_Article.jsp

MaepleT95

Omnivore:)

SanteMulberry

I'm pretty much an ovo-lacto vegetarian. I do eat a bit of fish and the occasional meat dish (and I try to get both of them sourced as fresh and pure as I can on those occasions). Red meat seems to cause a flare in my arthritis, so I limit it to once a week (at the most) and it is difficult to get fish that meets my criteria, so I do the best I can. The rest of the time, I get my protein needs met with free-range, organic eggs and organic cheeses, whey protein (I use New Zealand whey from grass-fed cows--no hormones or antibiotics) and legumes and nuts. I also tend to run naturally high iron levels, so red meat is a no-no for me, from that angle, as well.

ETA: And I do eat a bit of organic chicken. I definitely do NOT see animals as of equal worth to people but I believe they should be treated in an ethical fashion. I would never knowingly eat anything from a factory-farmed animal. The sooner we get those kinds of hell-holes closed down, the better.

SanteMulberry

That's an implication I do not read into asking a personal choice to be respected, regardless of how much animal protein the speaker consumes; it may be one you infer from a request that you respect someone else's choice, but that's different.

I'm not sure I understand what's being said here?

Are you saying that farming fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts, causes no harm to the environment? That's an. . . interesting position to take.

No, that is not what I'm saying. By simply existing and doing the bare minimum for human survival, yes, we as a species cause harm to the environment. The idea though, is causing as little suffering and harm as possible.

But eating meat involves a DIRECT other - causing unnecessary pain and suffering directly and knowingly to another being that is capable of suffering and feeling pain. Considering people can thrive on plant-based diets, this suffering is caused unnecessarily.

Not long ago, there was an interesting TED lecture, where the naturalist giving the lecture, startled the audience by insisting that there is much more harm to the environment from the removal of large herds of grazing animals. (No, he wasn't paid by the meat producers to say so.) He said that one of the worst mistakes made in Africa was the culling of large herds of elephants and the environmental degradation (increased desertification) that occurred as a result. In areas where they have brought back grazing animals, the desert was pushed back. In N. America, when the white settlers arrived here, the Plains were lush with thick green grasses that the tremendous herds of buffalo grazed on. When the government killed off the buffalo herds (in an attempt to starve out the Plains Indians) the Plains became increasingly desertified. We need grazing animals and so does the earth.

melindasuefritz

meat eater