Calling all Vegans and Vegetarians...etc...

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  • kippit
    kippit Posts: 78
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    I was a vegetarian for about 5 years in the 1990s mostly due to slaughter houses and eating something that was alive seemed a bit nasty to me. If you have to "slaughter it" and "drain the blood" and "cut up the flesh", sorry but that doesn't sound YUMMY to me! But then, I went back to eating meat again and I am really not sure why.

    I started 2011 back on a vegetarian diet to feel less sluggish and better all around. Then in February, I watched Food Inc followed by Earthlings (you can see them on youtube) and that pretty much did it. I went 100% vegan....for the humanity, for the planet, for health reasons....I no longer want to guess what I am putting into my body or support an industry that has no compassion for other INNOCENT living creatures.

    I have no issue with anyone who does eat meat...in fact I am the only one in my family who doesn't.......but I do support things like Meatless Monday...to drive the demand for meat lower......it's good for our planet!
  • ElegantErratic
    ElegantErratic Posts: 5
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    Also worth pointing out I'm the opposite of most people. My mum has been a vegetarian most of her life as she thought meat made her ill (turned out to be a different allergy) anyways I was basically bought up as a vegetarian all through my childhood until late teens. After seeing how fanatical and damn right fascist some of the more hardcore V&Vs are it put me off for life ever joining that crowd again. Plus after 18+ years of no meat... Steaks taste damn fine now :)

    I think some animal rights vegetarians and vegans don't realize that pushing their beliefs on somebody else is often just going to turn them away from it! While I do try to educate friends to things, I never preach or try to force my lifestyle on anyone. I have known a few of those types, so I totally get where you're coming from!
  • kippit
    kippit Posts: 78
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    After seeing how fanatical and damn right fascist some of the more hardcore V&Vs are it put me off for life ever joining that crowd again. Plus after 18+ years of no meat... Steaks taste damn fine now :)

    It's a shame that there are those who can put people off regarding being V or V........vegans have such a bad name now due to that. When I tell people (or they ask why I am eating tofu) that I am a vegan, the next step is to defend the attacks that they send my way. Even though I never tell THEM what to eat.....I just told them what I eat......it's sad....vegans have lost some respect which sucks because most are very caring people....hence the fact of caring enough for animals to not support that industry.

    But I can see your point for sure....
  • BlutAura
    BlutAura Posts: 97
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    I think some animal rights vegetarians and vegans don't realize that pushing their beliefs on somebody else is often just going to turn them away from it! While I do try to educate friends to things, I never preach or try to force my lifestyle on anyone. I have known a few of those types, so I totally get where you're coming from!

    And if anyone was to ever convert me in the future it would be someone like the above!
    Its much like religion and politics I do not appropriate anyone trying to force anything on me and most people don't realise I am quite spiritual I just approach it in a much less oppressive way!

    I buy from free range and local sources where I can and I've previously been a member of animal rights organisations like Stop huntingdon life sciences (before they went psycho). I try to do my part I just enjoy meat and cheese too much! :)
  • snowsflake
    snowsflake Posts: 214 Member
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    Honestly, I was at an Hr block office, and there was a PETA magazine. It was learning about factory farming that did it. I'm probably the only vegetarian I know that was converted by PETA. My husband and I did it together, came home, gave our meat away and never looked back.

    In hindsight, I could see events leading up to it. I was getting slowly grossed out by certain meats.

    You know...that is what has happened to me. I would find myself not eating meat for days and then I would say, I need to eat meat. But I feel like it "depresses" my system, and some of it is starting to gross me out. I'm not fully vegetarian yet, but I see it in my future. I've discovered a true love for other foods, but that came over time. Which I feel is the best way to do it. I tried to just "be" vegetarian and I wasn't ready to make the switch so I went back to eating meat. This time around it's just naturally happening.
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
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    I did forget to mention I feel bad for animals. Meat has always grossed me out, but it's soooo sad to see what happens. I watched Food Inc. with my boyfriend the other day and they had a HUGE cow they were pushing with a crate mover because it had fallen down, probably from not being able to move and they wouldn't give it a minute to stand up. I hate that people assume I'm stuck up because I'm vegan my boyfriends step dad is CONSTANTLY making comments about me being stuck up because I won't eat their meat or pizza. I don't tell anyone what to eat and I still get bombarded because of my eating habits. Bleh, whatever I guess! I agree with a previous post about the PETA stuff, I love the general idea of them wanting to protect animals however they go about it in an almost overly aggressive.
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
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    You know, I'm sorry to not be agreeable, but I find that SO many people say vegans are "facist" and "fanatical" and while I have met a couple of vegans I generally found to be unpleasant people, you kind of have to ask yourself, aren't there unpleasant people from all beliefs and walks of life? I do not think it directly relates to their veganism, not in anyone I've ever met, anyway. Also, I've found that 90% of vegan/vegetarian people I've met are very nice and wonderful people. I think most people tend come up with this facist view of vegans as just another way to hate someone who is different in some way. I say its 2011; its time we all finally start respecting each other, no matter what our differences.
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    I was a vegetarian briefly, but we only eat meat once or twice a week now. I just feel better when I'm eating a mostly plant/legume etc diet. My good friend has been a vegetarian for about 12 years now. She simply doesn't like eating meat and is grossed out by many of the hormones given to the animals. If you think you might like to try it, I suggest trying new recipes that look good rather than digging into all of the faux meat products, which some are good to help transition, but there's such a wealth of tastiness out there!
  • hardyh
    hardyh Posts: 13 Member
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    I became veggie for a bet...

    Two veggie friends were insisting that I HAD to give something up for new year one drunken new years eve. After establishing that I was unlikely to give up smoking, I agreed to not eat meat for a year (£20 if I remember correctly). The year came and went, and I never resumed. I kind of rationalised it all after the fact.

    Actually started eating oily fish again about 18 months ago after I discovered I have familial hypercholesterolemia. My main reason for not doing so previously was unsustainable fishing practices worldwide, not health - so I still try to source sustainable fish, and only eat those which are beneficial to me health-wise.
  • scs143
    scs143 Posts: 2,190 Member
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    My aunt and uncle had a cow named Bumper. And I was 7.

    I had never really been around cows before. They would let us go see the cow, pet the cow etc...

    Then the cow was gone. They said the cow ran into the woods and got lost.

    Later that night, I heard my mom say (after Easter dinner) "wow, Bumper was really tender."

    To my mom's credit- she didn't know I was in the room.

    However, I have not ate meat since.

    True story
  • BlutAura
    BlutAura Posts: 97
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    You know, I'm sorry to not be agreeable, but I find that SO many people say vegans are "facist" and "fanatical" and while I have met a couple of vegans I generally found to be unpleasant people, you kind of have to ask yourself, aren't there unpleasant people from all beliefs and walks of life? I do not think it directly relates to their veganism, not in anyone I've ever met, anyway. Also, I've found that 90% of vegan/vegetarian people I've met are very nice and wonderful people. I think most people tend come up with this facist view of vegans as just another way to hate someone who is different in some way. I say its 2011; its time we all finally start respecting each other, no matter what our differences.

    If your referring to my post you will also see I mentioned religion, politics and pretty much everything in life people try to force around :) If you have a look at my profile I think you would see I'm very much in the "its 2011; its time we all finally start respecting each other, no matter what our differences." club :).
  • kippit
    kippit Posts: 78
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    My aunt and uncle had a cow named Bumper. And I was 7.

    I had never really been around cows before. They would let us go see the cow, pet the cow etc...

    Then the cow was gone. They said the cow ran into the woods and got lost.

    Later that night, I heard my mom say (after Easter dinner) "wow, Bumper was really tender."

    To my mom's credit- she didn't know I was in the room.

    However, I have not ate meat since.

    True story

    Oh WOW....that is traumatic for a kid!!!!
  • babs24
    babs24 Posts: 13 Member
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    Honestly, it sounds like you're already following a diet that's natural to you. Why label it or try to eat by certain rules?
  • kippit
    kippit Posts: 78
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    I buy from free range and local sources where I can and I've previously been a member of animal rights organisations like Stop huntingdon life sciences (before they went psycho). I try to do my part I just enjoy meat and cheese too much! :)

    I think that is above and beyond what most people do....good for you for trying to do something to help the planet while you still enjoy the food you love. While I wish more people wouldn't eat meat...I REALLY wish more people would do what you try to do....the world might be a different place.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    I went vegetarian for the first time when I was about 17, after watching some PETA videos online and deciding that if I wanted to truly say "I love animals" I should probably stop eating them.

    I went back to meat eating a couple of years later anyway, mostly because I wasn't being a healthy vegetarian and had gone anemic (I substituted meat with chips and twinkies...).

    In my early twenties, I decided to go vegetarian again, and tried out veganism as well, but still went back to meat.

    After reading The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone in March of 2010, I went vegan. I had finally found a way to go vegan in steps and found my true reasons for doing it. It was for the animals, and for my own health.
  • Melinda91
    Melinda91 Posts: 51 Member
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    I guess i've always been a vegetarian, although im what they consider an ovo-lacto vegetarian because i eat eggs and dairy products. I really dont like alot of vegetables, but i eat just about every fruit there is lol. I adore animals and the thought of eating them just kills me! I do get tired of the vegetarian jokes, and holidays are hard because im the only vegetarian on both sides of my family, but overall i love it!!
  • dreaasha
    dreaasha Posts: 31
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    I've been a vegetarian since I was 17 years old. First did it to be different, but as I researched the subject, I came across animal rights, as one would. I also had the opportunity to visit a chicken slaughterhouse, and it made my so sick-I can still remember the smell of blood in the air. It takes a special kind of "person" to kill things for a living. But I digress.

    I couldn't imagine my life including meat in my diet. Kindness is so much easier to live with.
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
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    BlueAura,

    While my response was inspired by your reference of vegans as facist an fanaticals, I realized from the start that you specifically do not fall under that category of intolerant and close minded people since you yourself were raised in a vegetarian home. I only meant that I believe the poor opinions toward vegans and vegetarians and the general hostility toward them is usually inspired by ignorance and close mindedness rather than truth of how most of us are. Again, I'm referring to most people, but not you. :)
  • monkeysmum
    monkeysmum Posts: 522 Member
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    i stopped eating pork products when i was around 12 we went to a farm that bred pigs for slaughter and the farmer thinking he wa sbeing nice showed us where they went after the nice stys etc to fatten them up before going to abbatoir OMG it was horrible i stopped eating it and then as i got older 16 i just stopped all meats i feel mean thinking a sheep is looking for its baby or a calf its mum silly i know and fish i just dont like the taste so i dont eat it
  • batalina
    batalina Posts: 209 Member
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    i went vegetarian on June 11th, 2008, and vegan sometime in mid-march of 2009.

    my decision to go vegetarian was kind of sudden, and basically came down to the realization that i couldn't be upset at SOME animal cruelty without being upset at ALL of it. a coworker i had at the time was telling us all about some cruelty she seemed to be proud of, concerning a snake she had seen in her yard. i went off on her for having been so unkind to an innocent creature.
    the next day, i found myself unable to eat the chicken soup i'd brought for lunch. i felt nauseous at the thought of eating it -- it just reminded me of the poor snake. so i decided to go vegetarian.

    my change to veganism came when i learned that rennet, used to make cheese, is made from the lining of calves' stomachs. and even when i ate meat, i never ate veal because i didn't want to eat babies... so to find out i was eating babies all along was kind of... crushing. and then i learned of the things that happen in the egg industry. dairy and eggs are so interwoven with the meat industry, and i realized that just cutting out meat was an incomplete sort of thing.

    my husband went vegan a few months after i did. i think we're both happier this way.

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