Vegetarians Are Just Better People

I have a couple of people who live with me who are vegetarians but still eat fish...

I asked them one day why they dont eat meat...
My future mum in law said it makes her ill... (fair doues)
And my future sister in law said that she doesnt eat meat because then the farm animals will become extinct but she eats fish because there is a limited supply...
So i said to her that animals that live on a farm have been bread to be eaten and are in constant supply, infact if it wasnt for humans there is a good chance that there would only be like 100 pigs left the wild, etc... And that if everyone became vegetarians there would be no need to breed these animals and they would slowly all die.
And that there are not a limited supply of fish now-a-days and that the ways most people gather the fish is damaging our environment...
And according to her that is the only reason why she is a vegetarian....
And she is very obese for her age so it is nothing to do with the fat in meat, etc...

I dont understand it...
But im sure there are people who have good reasons to of given up the meat..

.

I'm a meat eater. Vegetarians gotta do what they've gotta do but I just don't feel well on a no meat diet. I probably shouldn't mention that our rooster is currently simmering in the kitchen right now...

I am sure if I was a vegetarian I would live longer.

I'd want to die a hell of a lot sooner though...imagine a life without bacon. Or steak. Or burgers. Or hotdogs. The horror of it all.

I respect the right of individuals to be vegetarians so I hope they can respect my right to put avoid anyone who wishes to make a moral issue out of what I put in my mouth.

I'm going to have beef carpaccio for dinner tonight, in honor of vegetarians everywhere. mmmmmmmmmmmmm


Ok Ill add some pounded tuna, too. Double nom nom

My wife and I are vegetarians bordering on vegan (we do some dairy when we eat out). But a vegetarian (or vegan) diet is not automatically healthier. If you eat nothing but potato chips, you're a vegan. If you eat nothing but Snickers, you're a vegetarian. You're probably also going to die real soon...

Honestly, I think I get more offended by the "EVERYONE SHOULD BE A VEGETARIAN" people more than non-veggies, because I feel like, "Dude, will you shut up? You're making the rest of us look bad!" My main thing is I want people to realize that they have a choice. You don't HAVE to eat meat, and eating too much meat can lead to problems. If you understand that and you choose to eat meat, that's fine with me. Hopefully you'll be eating healthier meat choices (say, a home-grilled free-range burger vs. MickyD's), but what you put in your body is entirely up to you.

Oh, I hadn't see Scott Pilgrim; that clip was a riot. I'll let everyone know if I develop psychic abilities! ;-)

Oy vey. If you absolutely cannot live without _______, that's an addiction and I feel sorry for you.

Many people are vegetarian for good reasons. Many people are also vegetarian for silly reasons, like the alleged weight loss that accompanies it, saving the environment without knowing how or why, etc. I was vegetarian for 10 years, mainly to escape my family's horrible cooking and because it always upset my stomach. Whether the two are related, I'm unsure.

IMO there are various levels of vegetarianism:
1. Entry-level: You eat restaurant side salads, french fries, ice cream, etc. There are plenty of foods that are vegetarian that no omnivore, carnivore, or anyone else should be consuming because it's processed junk. One thing I don't understand is the focus on fake meats...fake corn dogs, fake chik'n nuggets, etc. I never wanted to eat that stuff in the first place, and now it's the go-to for n00b vegetarians trying to get protein.
2. Mid-level: You discover other sources of proteins like whole grains, lentils, tempeh, and learn how to cook for yourself so you're not stuck eating french fries. You read labels and slowly discover what all those random ingredients do (xanthan gum? gelatin?). You can fend for yourself in a supermarket, hooray.
3. Make it or break it: It's a pain in the butt to have to read labels all the time. It's also a pain to visit New England and have to order grilled cheese because that's the only non-meat option they have during the winter (true). This is where most people jump into going fully organic, vegan, raw, flex, pescatarian, omnivore, etc. I don't know many people who have been vegetarian for more than a decade or so and haven't made a conscious effort to fully align with another movement. Personally, I started eating fish again, but I also cut back on dairy. Not to preach, but I've gained energy, I look better, and my body composition has changed. And I was a healthy vegetarian, so I'm on team "eat real foods in moderation" :-)

The rooster in the pot made me think (please take the following with a grain of salt interspersed with a dash of humor).

When I was about 6 and the family was still together evidently my parents had a vision of being farmers. They didn't know that they moved to the country and intended to grow all our own food so that they would have a sustainable lifestyle. We had the 2 acre garden, chickens, hogs, cows, fruit trees, and whatever we could forage wild (such as a huge blackberry bush). So at an early age, I readily associated the dinner plate with its natural source.

We had chickens, Rhode Island Reds to be specific and I fondly remember Henrietta. I'd go out with Dad and gather the eggs, feed the chickens egg mash, and pet Henrietta. She was my pal. Then one day... these two men showed up at the house and Mom and Dad looked excited and worried all at the same time. I soon discovered it was Chicken killing day.

Within a few minutes we were in the midst of the chicken pen and these two strangers proceeded to demonstrate how to ring the chicken's neck and de-feather in hot water. So I figured I'd help, grabbed a stick and proceeded to dispatch chickens (stick+head+kinetic energy=). Yes, including Henrietta. We ate Henrietta that Sunday after lunch and it was indeed good eats.

So no, I don't understand vegetarianism but neither do I try to dissuade someone of that persuasion. However, as I have grown older I have learned that the commercial chicken, pork, and beef that we eat is radically different than Henrietta. I have also come to understand that we in America eat far more meat than necessary. So even I attempt to make progress but still I remember we fed the hogs slop that was essentially a vegetarian diet and then we ate the hogs. So for me to be a vegetarian would feel like I was slipping backwards on the food chain.

my mums a vegetarian but she eats seafood, something about blood in meat that she deosnt like, also during the depression her mum use to try feed them rabbit and say it was chicken

I love everything haha

I'm a carnivore really....purely because i just cannot stomach veggies. I really wish i could, but i just can't!

The amount of turkeys and lean beef i get through...wow....

why are we arguing about vegetarianism?
i am a vegetarian and it was the best choice i ever made.
I dont care if your not, and you shouldn't care that I am.

I'm a non-preaching vegetarian and have been for about 5 years, but about 1.5 years ago I reintroduced fish and I feel like this is the healthiest diet for me. I never argue with meat eaters about what they are eating, and it really pisses me off when meat eaters start arguments with me because my choice to not eat meat is a personal choice and I don't tell anyone else how to live! :grumble:

My choice to become a vegetarian initially was to eat cleaner, be healthier, be more ethical, and also because I barely ever ate meat anyways (except if it was in chicken finger or hot dog form). So I figured I wouldn't miss much! And I was right. Being a vegetarian works for me and I think it's better for the environment too. All the fish I eat is wild caught too and I try not to eat any fish that are overfished, like tuna. I probably only eat fish 1-2 times per month.

Preachy vegetarians can be the worst types of people. But equally, ignorant meat eaters can be just as bad.

I have been vegetarian for six years. It is purely for ethical reasons, the largest of which being that in today's society, humans can live a happy and healthy lifestyle conveniently without killing animals in the process. I'd love to be vegan, but I don't believe I have the funds or resources to do it very healthily at the moment. I personally love the taste of meat, but I choose to stick to my own personal beliefs above that.

Being vegetarian does not mean you are instantly healthier. If it did, I'd never have ended up on this site. But anyone that believes a vegetarian diet cannot be as healthy as a meat inclusive diet is just plain ignorant.

It's also a pain to visit New England and have to order grilled cheese because that's the only non-meat option they have during the winter (true).

What? Not true at all. I've live in New England and as a vegetarian, I've never had this issue. Maybe you were eating at a steakhouse? Almost every restaurant has salads and at least one vegetarian entree. I did go to a restaurant in Utah where literally every item on the menu (including salads) had meat in it.

i am a veg that occasionally eats fish... but if i do eat fish I have a pocket guide that says whether or not a fish is caught or farmed sustainably. So I only eat sustainable seafood.

I also am vegetarian, I also occasionally eat seafood. I do believe we are top of the food chain, I only tried this (vegetarianism) because of high cholesterol. Losing weight was a wonderful side effect for me. I was totally a meatasaurus before! I had meat with meat sauce and a side of meat with meat for dessert! I didn't think this (veg) was gonna work for me, but it has and I love it! I do have people trying to convert me all the time, which does get on my nerves, but I deal with it. I do NOT try to push my beliefs onto anyone else, I know how that feels! Just like us old folks used to say in the 70s... different strokes for different folks!