Vegetarians Are Just Better People

I've been a vegetarian my entire life and was a vegan for a number of years....Yet, I don't get preachy. I have yet to date a man that's a vegetarian, I have yet to convert any of my friends to my lifestyle, I have yet to go to my mothers house without having her ask if I want bacon and eggs in the morning, lol. My lifestyle is no one elses business but my own. I don't force it on you and you shouldn't force your opinion on me. It's that simple.

I was a vegetarian for two years and gained 30lbs when my weight hadnt budged by even a pound in the five years before that. I also have several vegetarian friends. One claims to be a vegetarian, but eats fish and chicken. Another one of my friends claims to be a vegetarian, but I have a picture of her eating a buffalo wing, and she denies it ever happen. Those aren't vegetarians. There's nothing wrong with being vegetarian, but if you're going to do it, do it right. And don't pretend like it'll help you lose weight. And don't act like you're better than other people.

Why should we care about what other people are eating? Why does everyone have to nitpick everyone else's diets/lifestyles? Isn't this a form of Ethnocentrism? I say let others eat whatever the heck they want and you concentrate on your own diet/lifestyle. End of story. >_>

Why should we care about what other people are eating? Why does everyone have to nitpick everyone else's diets/lifestyles? Isn't this a form of Ethnocentrism? I say let others eat whatever the heck they want and you concentrate on your own diet/lifestyle. End of story. >_>

Well said.

Why should we care about what other people are eating? Why does everyone have to nitpick everyone else's diets/lifestyles? Isn't this a form of Ethnocentrism? I say let others eat whatever the heck they want and you concentrate on your own diet/lifestyle. End of story. >_>

totally agree.

aggressive smug pushy vegetarians and vegans are just as bad as aggressive smug pushy meat eaters. why does any one need to hammer others with their choice....?

Nothing wrong with eating meat. Humans are carnivores, it's what we do.

For those of you saying you're a vegetarian but eat fish, please see the definition of vegetarian below:


veg·e·tar·i·an
   /ˌvɛdʒɪˈtɛəriən/ Show Spelled[vej-i-tair-ee-uhn] Show IPA
–noun
1.
a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc.


YOU'RE NOT A VEGETARIAN IF YOU EAT FISH!

I don't see why there needs to be an argument over it, period. I do what is best for me; I'm a vegan for ethical, not health-related reasons. My long-term boyfriend and all of my family are omnivores. So what? I don't force my choices on anyone else just as I wouldn't want other's lifestyle choices forced on me.

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.

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

All of the above. No one likes a preachy vegetarian that thinks they're superior, but no one likes an equally ignorant meat eater.

I'm a meat eater and my wife is a vegetarian (w/ no fancy name pescawhatever attached). She made that decision when she was 7. I cook for both of us all the time and I understand the rules: Different spoons to stir the different foods, all cheese has no animal rennet, no red meat cooked in the house, change the channel when someone is cooking raw meat, all meat in the house is free range organic, etc.

Us "meat eaters" need to understand that for veggies that make the decision for ethical reasons, it pains them (and disgusts them) to see animal flesh. It doesn't pain me to look at or cook her tofu and beans so to compare is not really fair. The last time I cooked red meat in the house (after we first got married), she was sickened, upset, and couldn't eat her dinner that night... not because she was being righteous, but because it honestly grossed her out. In fact, she left the house until the smell went away. Because a normal person would be sympathetic to that situation, I haven't cooked red meat in the house since.

Now, I'm with the folks that get ticked off from the veggies that 'look down upon' others... I really do... but a post like this is just as bad. Just try to see it from the other point of view like I was forced to and maybe you'll understand it better.

Sorry for the rant, but both sides need to chill.

Edit: Sorry, one last thing... Comments like "I have Bambi roasting in my backyard if you wanna come over for a BBQ" may sound funny, but it really is offensive to an ethically sound vegetarian... and I don't mean for that to sound preachy at all... I'm just letting you know for next time you're hanging out w/ a veggie or talking to one on here.

I've been a vegetarian my entire life and was a vegan for a number of years....Yet, I don't get preachy. I have yet to date a man that's a vegetarian, I have yet to convert any of my friends to my lifestyle, I have yet to go to my mothers house without having her ask if I want bacon and eggs in the morning, lol. My lifestyle is no one elses business but my own. I don't force it on you and you shouldn't force your opinion on me. It's that simple.

Amen to that I'm vegetarian mostly for my own benefit... and my own beliefs.. and my own health.

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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.

The general impression I get from this thread is people are just stating what their choices are, and why; not arguing. It's great you're happy with your food choice.

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! ;-)

Agree 100%. I'm vegetarian as well. 25 years now, since I was 11 years old. I think there are more of us now-the kind of vegetarians that chill out a bit about what others do.

In fact, I adopted a girl last year, and I didn't force her to convert. She eats meat. What I do for her is try to buy healthier versions and from animals that are not in factory farms.

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.

Vegetarians are healthier by epidemology studies, along with the preponderence of clinical studies, and thinner (though you couldnt prove that by me), and large scale animal agriculture is worse for the environment.

Being a vegetarian works for me and I think it's better for the environment too.

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.

Vegans tend to pizz me off because often they think that they are morally and ethically superior because they choose to not eat animal flesh.

Ha! They're just like a lot of Apple fanatics aren't they? Many of them think they're better than everyone else and you're completely wrong if you don't do the same things or buy the same things they do. Just makes me laugh.

It's the vegans that try to get hunting/fishing outlawed that truly chap my butt.

I am not a vegetarian, but I think it is better to be one if you can. And, I think that in the future there will be more vegetarians and vegans. It's a cleaner, greener lifestyle for the body, mind and planet.

I read somewhere that if the entire planet were vegetarian, it would require that all possible land would need to be farmed in order to feed everybody. That includes cutting down all the forests and growing food on that land, as well.

I just had to quote all these b/c I found them to be humorous and/or poignant.

But, I think this is a choice each adult has to make for themselves.

I agree with this person.^^^

ETA: Thanks to OP. I think I'll find that movie to be hilarious. :laugh:

I couldn't do it. I don't understand it. But I don't knock it. I think the body was designed for meat. We are made of proteins and fats. We should consume proteins and fats. And the bio-availability of the nutrients and amino acids in proteins are high. Our body gets the most out of these foods.

The only way to obtain vitamin b12 is through meat. So unless you are getting it in pill form (which is debatable itself) vegetarians/vegans are not getting sufficient b12.

I can absolutely see why some people decide to stop eating meat. Look at the fried unidentified objects you can pay $6.99 at a restaurant for an appetizer. However, there are alternative choices to eating healthier meat.

And there are a number of vitamins as a vegan that are harder to obtain, including: calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D.

Becoming a vegan/vegetarian does NOT mean you are healthier than a meat eater, it can actually mean that you are getting less vitamins and minerals.

So if anybody wants to preach about how vegetarian/vegan diets are healthier, than they should also know how to counterbalance the nutrients and vitamins they miss from not eating meat. It is much easier to fufill daily requirements of vitamins and minerals through food (which is more beneficial). My point is, is that if you're planning on becoming vegan or vegetarian, you should know the disadvantages that also accompany that kind of diet and understand you have to plan your meals more to get the same amount of micronutrients.