Why are you a vegetarian?

SkinnyMsFitness
SkinnyMsFitness Posts: 389 Member
in Chit-Chat
Hi! I know there's different versions (i.e. vegans & so on) & I understand some people are vegetarians pertaining to their different views. However, I'm seeing posts that people are forcing their selves to become vegetarians although they don't really want to; that they're craving meat, but won't allow their selves to eat it! In that case, what's the point? A lot of (good) meat has good nutritional value.

** I'm not knocking anyone for their views, h*ll, I'm not vegetarian, but I mostly live off of plants...that's just what I like. But, if I want meat, I EAT MEAT! lol

Guess I'm looking for opinions...
Thanks!
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Replies

  • Alexandra289
    Alexandra289 Posts: 330 Member
    Because I think animals are killed in pretty gruesome ways after living horrible lives (not always but usually). I just don't like the idea of eating a dead animal and I can live well without it so feel no need to eat meat.
  • jem302
    jem302 Posts: 373 Member
    I've been a vegetarian since I was 8. Lived on a farm, watched my pet chickens get their heads chopped off, didn't wanna eat it anymore. I don't even think about it anymore until somebody brings up the fact that I don't eat meat. I live in a farming province so it's not very common.
    My spouse became veg when we started dating 4 years ago. I had no intentions of him following my lifestyle, but he said it was always something he wanted to do but was too tough while living with meat-eaters, so when we started dating on our dates he'd order all veg food so we could share and eventually just stopped altogether. He's more about the cruelty to animals and the sustainable healthy lifestyle without supporting that, I'm more just out of habit by now haha. That said, I definitely don't consider eating meat again in my life, I've gotten by just fine without it and don't see any reason to start now.
  • SerenaFisher
    SerenaFisher Posts: 2,170 Member
    < carnivore.

    But most of my veggie friends say it's their ethics and how animals are treated. We do not discuss ethics, especially since they know I (and my family, who own a few farms in the area) grow and raise 90% of all the meat I consume. Minus the venison, that was caught.

    Considering many animals start consuming their prey when their still kicking, I think we are slightly more humane than animals themselves. :D

    Then I know people that consider themselves vegetarian that still eat chicken, and fish. So who knows the full reason, I know one friend just hates the taste of beef, thus she considers herself a vegetarian because all she eats is fish and chicken.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    I was one for 5 years, but craved seafood so bad that I eventually went back to meat and potato. I live with a die hard meat eater now, so it's hard to bring it back.

    I chose to become a vegetarian because of ethical.
  • Nightterror218
    Nightterror218 Posts: 375 Member
    PETA

    People
    Eating
    Tasty
    Animals

    My sis was a vegetarian since as a kid she did not like the idea of eating a pretty animal. She eats meat now that she is gluten intolerant and options are low. My step mom was raised that way, so that is all she is knows. She is basically gone vegan because she is crazy. She is like 5'10 140 lbs and says she is fat..... so she went vegan to cut out eggs and cheese.
  • SerenaFisher
    SerenaFisher Posts: 2,170 Member
    PETA

    People
    Eating
    Tasty
    Animals

    My sis was a vegetarian since as a kid she did not like the idea of eating a pretty animal. She eats meat now that she is gluten intolerant and options are low. My step mom was raised that way, so that is all she is knows. She is basically gone vegan because she is crazy. She is like 5'10 140 lbs and says she is fat..... so she went vegan to cut out eggs and cheese.
    My Vegan friend is also crazy. Coincidence?
  • rebeccajordannn
    rebeccajordannn Posts: 6 Member
    i love animals.
    eating something that had eyes + organs + emotions always made me feel horrible.
    just looking at blood from meat grosses me out.
    being a vegan cured me of pcos.

    :)
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
    watched my pet chickens get their heads chopped off,

    that's awesome
  • sasha_nz
    sasha_nz Posts: 7
    I never enjoyed the taste of meat! My Dad was a butcher and I would feed my top quality meat to the dog. It became ethical as I endeavoured into my vegetarian journey, over 7 years into it and I still have no desire to eat meat. I will never push my views onto someone else unless they ask me about it, in which case I will answer honestly and happily debate my reasoning. Don't care about the smell of meat, or if someone eats a steak in front of me-it's just my choice not to eat it!
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    PETA

    People
    Eating
    Tasty
    Animals

    My sis was a vegetarian since as a kid she did not like the idea of eating a pretty animal. She eats meat now that she is gluten intolerant and options are low. My step mom was raised that way, so that is all she is knows. She is basically gone vegan because she is crazy. She is like 5'10 140 lbs and says she is fat..... so she went vegan to cut out eggs and cheese.
    My Vegan friend is also crazy. Coincidence?

    Not really. Lack of B12 found only in animal products will eventually progress to neurological issues.
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
    Because I think animals are killed in pretty gruesome ways after living horrible lives (not always but usually). I just don't like the idea of eating a dead animal and I can live well without it so feel no need to eat meat.

    I hate to be unoriginal (because I am definitely one of a kind) but this^^

    Plus meat just grosses me out. :indifferent:
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
    I'm another one who does it because of the treatment of animals on factory farms. I won't wear fur, but food animals want to live just as much as a mink or fox does.

    With that said, I'm not a perfect vegetarian. I'm working on it and am probably about 80 percent of the way there overall, but it's hard to get rid of meat cravings after nearly 50 years. I know I couldn't go vegan because I love cheese too much, but I've switched over to almond milk for everything but coffee (gotta have cream in that).
  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member

    My Vegan friend is also crazy. Coincidence?

    Not really. Lack of B12 found only in animal products will eventually progress to neurological issues.

    Neurological issues =/= crazy.

    I'm a vegetarian because I'm a vet tech and it seems to me to be a conflict of interest. I also never really liked much meat, and had to be forced to eat most of it when I was a kid. So, I guess I should amend that to say primarily, it's because it's natural for me, but it's not the only reason.
  • wendyholla
    wendyholla Posts: 11
    I stopped eating meat about 3 weeks ago, so I'm new at this. I do eat eggs and dairy, though not a lot of dairy since I am lactose intolerant and some are easier to digest than others. I drink soy milk. I basically stopped because I thought it was a healthier lifestyle. I know chicken and fish are healthy and good sources of protein, but I decided just to stop eating all meat. It hasn't really been that hard for me, since I didn't eat a lot of meat and my family has been supportive considering they all still eat meat. The main thing is - I have never felt better! If I knew I would have felt this good, I would have given it up a long time ago. I am continuing to make sure I eat enough protein and don't go overboard on the carbs and fat. I think I have found a good balance because I feel good and I am slowly losing weight.

    I just want to add, that I have not had any meat cravings yet.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member

    My Vegan friend is also crazy. Coincidence?

    Not really. Lack of B12 found only in animal products will eventually progress to neurological issues.

    Neurological issues =/= crazy.

    I'm a vegetarian because I'm a vet tech and it seems to me to be a conflict of interest. I also never really liked much meat, and had to be forced to eat most of it when I was a kid. So, I guess I should amend that to say primarily, it's because it's natural for me, but it's not the only reason.

    I understand that neurological issues doesn't equate to crazy. When the body uses all of it's B12 stores the nervous system starts to not function properly which leads to behaviors that aren't normal or logical. I'm not saying all vegans are like this.
  • jjscholar
    jjscholar Posts: 413 Member
    Actually, I consider myself to be mostly vegetarian... What I mean is that I still eat chicken, turkey, fish and seafood in addition to fruits, grains, and vegetables... Basically, I avoid red meat, fried battered food, and fast food...

    My favorite type of food is either turkey burgers, Indian style vegetarian food such as vegetable samosas, and lobster curry... In addition, I love anything and everything that is spicy as long as it does not have any red meat in it...
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    Parents raised me to be vegetarian and I have never ever been tempted to eat a dead animal, I have been vegetarian my entire life and never even tasted meat but hey if you want to go eat eat dead animals, , then go eat them.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Considering many animals start consuming their prey when their still kicking, I think we are slightly more humane than animals themselves. :D

    Beg to differ. We are much less "humane" than other animals in the sense you mean. Other animals eat what they need to survive, they do not systematically dominate, contain and raise other species in unnatural, unhygienic and highly restrictive conditions with no concern for their welfare for their own convenience.
  • jrbb03092
    jrbb03092 Posts: 198 Member
    I'm vegetarian because I got seriously ill (hospitalized) in Peru a few years back and when I came home I had continued gastrointestinal issues that nothing helped (saw specialists, had tons of tests, tried every other dietary change I could think of for TWO years) until one day I thought I'd take a break from meat and it made such a drastic, almost overnight difference that I simply can't go back to eating meat now.

    I feed my family vegetarian (I refuse to be a short order cook) and my kidlet (13) has decided to go completely vegetarian (with her it's because she loves animals) whereas my husband is a near vegetarian (he still occasionally eats meat when we're out but has chosen to go vegetarian even with his lunches and says he feels so much better as well - had some digestive issues too that have resolved themselves).

    Do I miss meat? Occasionally. But I felt so awful for the two years after Peru that I don't miss it enough to go back.
  • Cp731
    Cp731 Posts: 3,195 Member
    So much drama on this thread. (when you say things like don't eat flesh & eyeballs and its animal cruelty)
    Meat was put on this Earth to be consumed.

    It's nice to see you all don't push your views on other's tho.
    Such as "If you eat meat, good for you, but we I don't"
  • richied26
    richied26 Posts: 948 Member
    1. Animal cruelty
    2. Health
    3. Something like 9 vegetarians can be fed off the land needed to feed 1 meat eater.
  • Saraisdifferent
    Saraisdifferent Posts: 10
    I am a vegetarian for 2 reasons:
    1. How animals are treated in the farms and killed afterwards, without any regard to their well-being. They have feelings and can most definitely feel pain. I believe I should treat them the way I would like others to treat me.
    2. Eating meat is not ecologically sustainable. Farmed animals consume loads of water, crops, antibiotics, etc. There is food for everyone on the planet, we just consume 5 times more by eating meat than by eating the crops directly.
    I do not like preaching and would never complain if you chose to eat meat, but I'm happy to explain why I chose to do this when people ask. I just try to do my part, and maybe millions of other people will try to do theirs, and then maybe one day we will change the way we all eat and create a better world. :)
  • rachelelizabeth88
    rachelelizabeth88 Posts: 73 Member
    Definitely my ethics... I've been vegetarian for 6 years now, best decision I've ever made for myself... I like feeling that I'm making a little bit of a difference :)
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    I like animals better when they are alive. They are much nicer to pet, that way.
  • elenathegreat
    elenathegreat Posts: 3,988 Member
    I was raised vegetarian and have been for my entire life. Personally I find the idea of eating flesh pretty gross, and I don't want to kill animals unnecessarily, so I don't. I also happen to believe it's healthier to not eat meat. I'm not a militant vegetarian; if you want to eat meat that's your business, and I'm not going to bug you or judge you about it, and I appreciate the same courtesy from others. Sometimes meat-eaters are just as bad about telling me what I should or shouldn't be eating as the hard-core vegans/vegetarians are.

    Extreme carnivore here and a rancher to boot...*bowing to your choice and respecting you too*...live long and prosper:)
  • Rhonda21km
    Rhonda21km Posts: 90 Member
    Eating meat just grosses me out on many levels. Going vegan was just a natural next step. I really don't care what others eat (not my business) but I definitely could do without people uneducated regarding nutrition insisting I do not get enough protein just because I don't eat meat. They have no idea what I DO eat - so just as I mind my own business about what they choose to eat, I'd like them to do the same.
    I get plenty of protein ! lol
  • richied26
    richied26 Posts: 948 Member

    My Vegan friend is also crazy. Coincidence?

    Not really. Lack of B12 found only in animal products will eventually progress to neurological issues.

    Neurological issues =/= crazy.

    I'm a vegetarian because I'm a vet tech and it seems to me to be a conflict of interest. I also never really liked much meat, and had to be forced to eat most of it when I was a kid. So, I guess I should amend that to say primarily, it's because it's natural for me, but it's not the only reason.

    I understand that neurological issues doesn't equate to crazy. When the body uses all of it's B12 stores the nervous system starts to not function properly which leads to behaviors that aren't normal or logical. I'm not saying all vegans are like this.

    B12 is present in marmite(yeast extract) and fortified cereals and available in supplements so it shouldnt be a problem for vegetarians/vegans
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member

    My Vegan friend is also crazy. Coincidence?

    Not really. Lack of B12 found only in animal products will eventually progress to neurological issues.

    Neurological issues =/= crazy.

    I'm a vegetarian because I'm a vet tech and it seems to me to be a conflict of interest. I also never really liked much meat, and had to be forced to eat most of it when I was a kid. So, I guess I should amend that to say primarily, it's because it's natural for me, but it's not the only reason.

    I understand that neurological issues doesn't equate to crazy. When the body uses all of it's B12 stores the nervous system starts to not function properly which leads to behaviors that aren't normal or logical. I'm not saying all vegans are like this.

    B12 is present in marmite(yeast extract) and fortified cereals and available in supplements so it shouldnt be a problem for vegetarians/vegans

    Yes, one must supplement an essential vitamin. There is no B12 in yeast unless it's been fortified.

    Edit: I also want to make it clear that I am not interested in arguing against a vegetarian diet. To each their own. Unfortunately, a few vegans/vegetarians do not properly supplement their diet and develop nutritional deficiencies.
  • EmiBun
    EmiBun Posts: 84 Member
    I've never liked red meat so I was basically just eating poultry and pig. . .
    After developiong an eating disorder I gave up meat for calorie puposes. I got into almond milk because it was low cal and basically lived off of plain fat free greek yogurt. Now I'm in the better part of recovery I've gone completely vegan. Eat sufficientlym and avoid all animal products.
    After watching documentaries like food inc., forks over knifes, and all the ones that fall into this category I've seen what is in most commercial meat and its gross.

    I don't personally believe eating meat is wrong. We as humans have been doing it for thousands of years. BUT I hate how we treat them in the big companies.
    I don't have anything against an omnivore. Whatever floats ur boat.
    I actually don't like vegans who think they're better then everyone else :( it makes me sad
  • GormanGhaste
    GormanGhaste Posts: 430 Member
    my spiritual health
    my physical health
    the planet's health

    I'm not an ethical vegan, I don't think it's wrong to eat animals, but I must say I'm glad I don't contribute to the animal cruelty of agribusiness.

    I've been vegetarian about half my life. I never did really care for meat or eggs, they were easy for me to give up. Cheese, on the other hand, I really miss the taste. I physically feel so much better when I don't eat dairy, though.

    I don't tell people that I'm vegetarian unless they ask. I certainly would not try to convince someone else how to eat. We all have to walk our own road through this life.

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