Why did you stop eating meat?

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24

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  • Vegan_Chick
    Vegan_Chick Posts: 474 Member
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    i did not have much support at all when i started. my parents thought it was a fad and that i couldn't stay healthy. i have now been vegan for almost 10 years and have never been MORE AWARE about what goes into/onto my body!

    Congrats!
  • Vegan_Chick
    Vegan_Chick Posts: 474 Member
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    It can be hard to stick to at first but once your friends and family see that you are serious about oging veggie or vegan, they will start respecting you. Just make sure you research. Been vegan for over 6 years and raising my two kids that way!
  • savethecat
    savethecat Posts: 290 Member
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    Aside from what I have learned from documentaries over the years about the benefits of a plant-based diet, I was once driving down the highway and saw a semi-truck full of cows stacked on top of each other. As in no floors, just layers of live cows pushed into a truck and piled on one another like iinadament objects. I had never seen a more miserable set of animals in all my life and it just broke my heart.

    That's when I decided I could no longer be part of the problem. That was over 6 years ago.
  • shander7
    shander7 Posts: 613 Member
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    It was a texture thing for me! For some reason the texture of meat grosses me out. I honestly don't have any other reasons! It started about 8 years ago and I still can't get myself to like it. I don't think I could ever become vegan though.. I love eggs & cheese wayyy too much!!
  • SpectacuLaura
    SpectacuLaura Posts: 144 Member
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    I've never liked meat all that much and then watched Food, Inc. and read Crazy Sexy Diet this past spring and was absolutely grossed out by the impact meat has on our environment and our bodies. I've been a vegetarian (trying to go vegan) since May 30th.
  • limismith
    limismith Posts: 156 Member
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    There are arguments both ways, and definately a lot of "vegetarian propoganda" out there but...

    I feel guilty to eating commercially produced meat. That sounds really snobby, but I think of it like this - hunters and farmers who raise and butcher their own livestock don't bother me because the animals live a normal natural life. They live outside, graze and roam or do whatever they do, and when it's their time to go... well... that's the circle of life. But giant slaughterhouses full of thousands of sick cows, chickens living in cages stacked 20 deep, pigs being dipped into boiling water to remove their hair while they try to swim out.... NOT natural! Not humane! Not anything I want a part of.

    I respect life, and I respect that it's natural to hunt and fish and eat what you catch. I just can't support a life of fear and cruelty that ends in an even more cruel death. It sounds very cheesey and hippie-dippy, but that is really how I feel.

    That being said.. even after a year I miss chicken strips, and occasionally bbq. And eating out can be hard when your options are a dry iceburg lettuce salad or fried breaded vegetable items. Truly, I don't eat fast food more than 2 times a month because I went veg. It's just too unhealthy!

    I recommend to anyone watching "Food, Inc.". Also, I liked "Super Size Me"- its not about being vegetarian, but it does make good points about how unnatural the commercial meat industry is! I fully support the free range, organic, and human farms and ranches out there!!!
  • Kalrez
    Kalrez Posts: 655 Member
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    I just recently started eating meat again ... for no real reason.

    I stopped eating meat because I just didn't really like it all that much. And I figured why eat it if I didn't like it, especially considering the fact that something else had to die for me to just pick it off my food. Seemed like a waste.

    I started eating meat again about a month ago maybe. I didn't wake up and decide "Today I will stop being a vegetarian." I don't even remember what it was that got me to start eating meat again. I don't really like it all that much, so I think I'll go back to vegetarian once the pack of brats in my fridge is gone.
  • bluegirl10
    bluegirl10 Posts: 695 Member
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    I am not a vegetarian, but I don't eat any red meat... I eat chicken, turkey, fish and shrimp. I stopped eating red meat about two years ago and honestly I don't miss it!
  • gaeljo
    gaeljo Posts: 223 Member
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    Why would I eat a rotting corpse? All meat is, is a dead animal in the process of rotting. Gross! Not only that, I LOVE LOVE LOVE animals, they have every right to have their life respected. Then I think about all the PEOPLE I love. If everyone ate less meat ,the land used to sustain beef could be used to grow food and there would be no faminie or world hunger. When I think about all the envrionrmental issues related to raising cattle and that the farming industry is the leading contributor to pollution (not automobiles) the environment is another great reason. And if that isnt' enough, how about the fact that all cholesterol comes from animal products and that vegetarians have extremely low virtually non existant heart disease, low rates of cancer and diabetes and a slew of other diseases. Then I think about how much energy I have because I'm a vegetarian. I run faster, train harder and compete like a tiger. What's not to love about being a vegetarian? I don't miss being a omnivore, not even a little.
  • mcdonl
    mcdonl Posts: 342 Member
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    I have always had a soft spot for animals and just couldn't turn my head anymore, I figured if i couldn't go out and hunt and kill it myself because I couldn't stomach the thought then I shouldn't be eating it. I think a lot more people would be veggies if they had to go out and kill there own food.

    I hunt, and there is nothing more organic than game from the Maine woods.

    But I have sworn off Dairy for the health reasons.
  • Timkerbelle
    Timkerbelle Posts: 53
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    I have always had a soft spot for animals and just couldn't turn my head anymore, I figured if i couldn't go out and hunt and kill it myself because I couldn't stomach the thought then I shouldn't be eating it. I think a lot more people would be veggies if they had to go out and kill there own food.

    Couldn't agree more.

    I'm not against meat eating per se, but the way meat is "produced" in today's society is nothing short of disgusting.
    I don't eat meat or animal products because I can't excuse the impact on the environment or turn a blind eye to animals' suffering.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    I was a veg for most of high school and a lot of college, mostly I did it to be a brat and piss off the side of my family that is super hick. Then I dated a guy who became a veggie because I was and I stopped, to piss him off. I didn't like him all that much...
  • starracer23
    starracer23 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    I quit and became pescatrian because I watched Food Inc and then the thought of eating meat that was pumped so full of growth hormones that it couldn't move disgusted me. And the thought that the beef we consume has to be bathed in ammonia to kill off all the diseases, again that made me so nauseous that I quit eating and buying meat then and there. It's been 5 mths for me now. I'm a newb still but I do enjoy it.

    What do you guys do for Thanksgiving? This will be my first year surrounded by a giant turkey and ham and I am a bit worried. I have always loved turkey and ham....I know that I will be able to eat the sides (as long as there is no meat in it) and I am also thinking about getting nice fish fillet or something....but I'm sure it will be tough on me.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
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    I quit and became pescatrian because I watched Food Inc and then the thought of eating meat that was pumped so full of growth hormones that it couldn't move disgusted me. And the thought that the beef we consume has to be bathed in ammonia to kill off all the diseases, again that made me so nauseous that I quit eating and buying meat then and there. It's been 5 mths for me now. I'm a newb still but I do enjoy it.

    What do you guys do for Thanksgiving? This will be my first year surrounded by a giant turkey and ham and I am a bit worried. I have always loved turkey and ham....I know that I will be able to eat the sides (as long as there is no meat in it) and I am also thinking about getting nice fish fillet or something....but I'm sure it will be tough on me.

    I made a tofurkey loaf last year.......OMG totally great! I seasoned it and roasted it in the oven, I didn't miss the d@mn turkey one bit.....and that saying something because thanksgiving dinner would be my last meal on this earth choice
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I quit and became pescatrian because I watched Food Inc and then the thought of eating meat that was pumped so full of growth hormones that it couldn't move disgusted me. And the thought that the beef we consume has to be bathed in ammonia to kill off all the diseases, again that made me so nauseous that I quit eating and buying meat then and there. It's been 5 mths for me now. I'm a newb still but I do enjoy it.

    What do you guys do for Thanksgiving? This will be my first year surrounded by a giant turkey and ham and I am a bit worried. I have always loved turkey and ham....I know that I will be able to eat the sides (as long as there is no meat in it) and I am also thinking about getting nice fish fillet or something....but I'm sure it will be tough on me.

    I made a tofurkey loaf last year.......OMG totally great! I seasoned it and roasted it in the oven, I didn't miss the d@mn turkey one bit.....and that saying something because thanksgiving dinner would be my last meal on this earth choice

    I seriously just can't stomach the idea of eating meat anymore, so I eat sides and leave the rest. When I smell those things cooking, they still smell good to me, but then I visualize actually taking a bite and I feel sick.

    Also, if there are candied yams, remember that most marshmallows are made with gelatin ...
  • Kalrez
    Kalrez Posts: 655 Member
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    I was a veg for most of high school and a lot of college, mostly I did it to be a brat and piss off the side of my family that is super hick. Then I dated a guy who became a veggie because I was and I stopped, to piss him off. I didn't like him all that much...

    +1

    lol Huge jerk move. I love it!
  • Kikilicious84
    Kikilicious84 Posts: 312
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    I was a veg for most of high school and a lot of college, mostly I did it to be a brat and piss off the side of my family that is super hick. Then I dated a guy who became a veggie because I was and I stopped, to piss him off. I didn't like him all that much...

    LOL! Nice!

    I'm a veg because I guess I just want to be. I was in high school and started eating meat so that I could survive basic training. I started back over a year ago because I wanted to focus more on getting veggies and more nutirents into my meals. I'm not going back. Lately I've noticed that I've started to *think* about what's happening to the animals.... :-/ and the quality of meat in the grocers.

    My husband is omni and I still cook meat for him.
  • BodyRockerVT
    BodyRockerVT Posts: 323 Member
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    It was a texture thing for me! For some reason the texture of meat grosses me out. I honestly don't have any other reasons! It started about 8 years ago and I still can't get myself to like it. I don't think I could ever become vegan though.. I love eggs & cheese wayyy too much!!

    Same reason here! I have serious texture issues with meat. I *can* eat bacon only because it isn't the same texture as say a chicken breast or a steak...
  • emma1488
    emma1488 Posts: 175
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    For anyone who is interested, this is another good documentary: 'Meat the Truth' (http://www.unleashed.org.au/features/meat-the-truth/)

    And also a little animated series which is a bit of spoof of the Matrix movies: 'The Meatrix' (http://www.themeatrix.com/)

    I stopped eating meat for many of the same reasons as what other people have mentioned. Though it was first sparked by me getting involved in trying to help put a stop to the Taiji Cove dolphin and whale slaughters in Japan (which is happening again right now for anyone who is interested in becoming involved). Opposing arguments would be like, 'The japanese are just eating what they like to eat, just the same as you would eat cow, pig or sheep'...I felt like a massive hypocrite and decided to give up. Once I discovered how much cruelty is involved in the dairy industry, I also gave up dairy. I also stopped eating anything with egg products in it. The way I figured it, you could be trying to do the right thing with buying free range eggs (which aren't very well cared for anyway) but any products like cakes, biscuits, sauces etc would just have caged eggs in them as well. I own my own chickens who I've had since they were babies and I would hate to think of them having to go through the kind of life other chickens have to endure.
  • shankleefranklee
    shankleefranklee Posts: 142
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    I've been vegan and vegetarian, even raw vegan. It was just something I wanted to do. Now I eat chicken, occasionally turkey and fish. I don't really have any other reason then it's something I wanted to do. I didn't feel right eating red meat, or pork. It didn't make me feel good, and I didn't particularly enjoy it. I just like being more aware of what I put into my body.

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