For those that don't eat meat, explain your reasoning

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Replies

  • honu18
    honu18 Posts: 294 Member
    I don't eat red meat, pork, or fish. I do eat eggs, but usually opt out if necessary. I mainly do it for health and environmental reasons. Beef production is a huge consumer of fossil fuels, well suited agricultural land, as well as a huge contributor to the massive corn subsidies we have in this nation that contribute to eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico as well as other smaller waterbodies. Plus, beef is fatty and unhealthy. If i eat meat, it's chicken or turkey--which I know has some of the same costs, but to a smaller scale. Recently just started eating veggie burgers and other veggie options, like tofu and soy proteins, and I actually really like them. I don't eat fish because I really can't stand the smell or taste, as well as the fact that over 75% of fisheries are overfished and on the verge of collapse.
  • rae347
    rae347 Posts: 10
    Some great books on being vegetarian and vegan are:
    The China Study (Research on the health benefits)
    The Kind Diet (Alicia Silverstone)
    The Veganist (another book which goes through so many reasons why! Also has awesome personal stories to read too!)

    I am sure you can find all of these at the library like I have :)

    Personally, I like the health and environment reasons and the kind-to-animals reasons-- but mainly, I feel amazingly better when I eat vegetarian and even better when I eat vegan.
  • anjukins
    anjukins Posts: 103 Member
    i was vegan but i never really thought that humans "shouldn't" eat meat- i think if civilization as we knew it collapsed, i'd probably eat fish and deer (native to the area of the world that i live in)... but if it isn't necessary, i'm certainly not going to force myself to do it. it just sounds... like a last-ditch survival measure. everyone feels different. I don't think you could say anything about "vegans" as a group and have it actually be universally applicable :)
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    Multiple reasons. Not the animals though.

    I found it to be a challenge to eat as a vegetarian, and I loved the challenge. But I started because a friend was using it as a fad, and I thought it was kind of fun (bc of the challenge). After I lost most of my weight being one, I'm liking it. One of my best friends is vegan, and so it's something that I connect with him on.
    I do eat eggs. Just not meat, or something like chicken broth, etc.

    ETA: We could also feed a ton of people with the grain and corn used to feed the animals... That one is meaningful to me.
  • princessthecat22
    princessthecat22 Posts: 57 Member
    I am not a "vegan" put I do have trouble putting down alot of meats. I choked as a child on steak and had the hylac monuever ( wow, im sure thats not spelled right) done on me and it was a painful, tramatic experience. Plus I hate the smell of bloog and I feel like steak smells like blood. I do love chicken though mainly off the bone.
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    to the people that dont eat animals as they are against the killing, do you own any leather goods? shoes, couches etc?
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    I don't eat red meat, pork, or fish. I do eat eggs, but usually opt out if necessary. I mainly do it for health and environmental reasons. Beef production is a huge consumer of fossil fuels, well suited agricultural land, as well as a huge contributor to the massive corn subsidies we have in this nation that contribute to eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico as well as other smaller waterbodies. Plus, beef is fatty and unhealthy. If i eat meat, it's chicken or turkey--which I know has some of the same costs, but to a smaller scale. Recently just started eating veggie burgers and other veggie options, like tofu and soy proteins, and I actually really like them. I don't eat fish because I really can't stand the smell or taste, as well as the fact that over 75% of fisheries are overfished and on the verge of collapse.

    Fair enough. Good answer.

    Although I will disagree with you that beef is unhealthy because it's "fatty". There isn't any research or study to support the fact that animal fat is bad for you or is the cause of CVD or CHD.
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    i was vegan but i never really thought that humans "shouldn't" eat meat- i think if civilization as we knew it collapsed, i'd probably eat fish and deer (native to the area of the world that i live in)... but if it isn't necessary, i'm certainly not going to force myself to do it. it just sounds... like a last-ditch survival measure. everyone feels different. I don't think you could say anything about "vegans" as a group and have it actually be universally applicable :)

    Interesting. i've talked to some who referenced medical studies about how meat isn't even good for you. (I disagree, but it was interesting nonetheless)
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
    I, my whole life disagreed with vegetarianism. I had all the arguments about how humans are just animals, part of the food chain, animals eat each other, why shouldn't we eat them? I have teeth made to rip and tear flesh, I am designed to eat me, it is natural and normal.

    BUT I turned vegetarian at the start of the year. For a looooong time I had lived in denial about what I was eating. There was a major disconnect in my brain between the living breathing animals I saw and had had relationships with over my life and the hunk of chicken breast or leg of lamb on my plate.

    I also started to think about the effect of eating meat on the planet. The increased carbon footprint, the strain on land, the exploitation of natural resources etc. This is a nice illustration of that for the fishing industry http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jun/03/fish-stocks-information-beautiful

    And finally I started to think about cruelty in the industry - to produce more animal products, faster at a lower cost.

    And it came down to this for me. Being fully away of all these factors I realised I was in the privileged position (in terms of my means, my conciousness etc) to still live a very happy healthy life and minimise my contribution to these issues, as well as not having to have anything die. At that stage it wasn't why I would be come a vegetarian it was how could I not :)
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    As father would say,"Hook, line, and sinker.."
  • bonogul
    bonogul Posts: 96 Member
    Started with being diagnosed with cancerous cells. After 5 surgeries and no change i started doing my own research. After quitting all meat except fish... My 6 month checkup was clean. That was 7 years ago. Healthy ever since. NOW its a combo of healthy eating and my own ethical feelings on killing. I try very hard to never push my opinion on people, but if they are serioulsy interested i will converse with them.

    wow congrats, i am really happy for you. I am no expert or anything on this topic, but i have heard of this before... here is a website below with some cited research articles. in my opinion its very interesting, but probably needs more research.

    http://www.cancerproject.org/survival/cancer_facts/meat.php

    I love chicken, and steak and its a great source of protein. i wouldn't know what to replace the nutrition of meat if i were to quit it.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    to the people that dont eat animals as they are against the killing, do you own any leather goods? shoes, couches etc?

    Excellent question.
  • sister_bear
    sister_bear Posts: 529 Member
    This question is not geared at me, but yet watch me respond. :smile:

    I've been debating a trial vegetarian run. Probably a week or two, nothing too fancy, just to see how it makes me feel. I would still eat eggs and cheese.

    Fist of all, back story. My parents grew up on farms and taught me skills to survive the wilderness. Hunting, fishing, cleaning dead animals, been there, done that. I knew where my chicken nuggets came from when I grew up and have eaten plenty of wild game.

    I'm not big on red meat and could easily give it up. I've never liked hamburgers and I'll usually only eat red meat because my husband wants steaks for dinner, it's on a taco, or I was too lazy to find a bean burrito option.

    I'm finding I have less of an interest in chicken. I still eat it, but it's almost like... lack of a better idea, I guess. I'm finding I prefer beans for protein. I used to eat eggs like they were going out of style until I got the cholesterol talk. I still eat eggs, but in moderation. I'm thinking this may be why I'm turning to beans for a new protein source.

    I love fish, but if I had to give it up, I could. I eat salmon pretty often and love a good trout fillet. I'm finding it... less satisfying?

    It's weird. What's dictating this change for me is how the food makes me feel. I get so few calories, I want to make them count. I don't have any kind of ethical, moral, etc. problems with eating meat. For me, I'm starting to lose interest in meats because they're not giving me the same boost I'm getting from other foods.
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
    bump
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
    also, as naively as it sounds, i honestly didnt know how the animals were killed. i actually thought they were euthanized and when i found out how, i stopped that minute. also, when my mom said, what do you think they do with the animals after they cant produce anymore, i stopped being vegetarian and went to vegan.

    sort of this. i knew how the animals were killed, but i ignored it. and then i watched the movie Earthlings and went veggie the next day. i drink milk and eat eggs yes, but i buy organic for both and free-range when possible. i know that doesn't really mean much, but it makes me feel better and i think it tastes better as well.

    i actually tried chicken wings the other day and managed to keep them down for all of an hour and then my body was just like NOPE ain't havin' it! i will admit that i ate meat the other day and it only renewed my interest in my veggie diet.
  • anjukins
    anjukins Posts: 103 Member
    uh... there are a LOT of plant-based and synthetic fabrics besides cotton. In fact, i bet most of your clothes are vegan. Just sayin'.
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    to the people that dont eat animals as they are against the killing, do you own any leather goods? shoes, couches etc?

    Excellent question.

    I don't purchase it but I have been given it and have no problem using leather if it's second hand. I am concerned about the environment and reduce, reuse and recycle!
  • QuietAnimals
    QuietAnimals Posts: 3
    to the people that dont eat animals as they are against the killing, do you own any leather goods? shoes, couches etc?

    Excellent question.

    No. I do not. I have been vegan for 18 years. What few leather/non-vegan items I had at that time, I continued to use until I needed to replace them. And then replaced them with non-vegan alternatives.
  • RangerSteve
    RangerSteve Posts: 437
    Question for some of you:

    If you're against eating meat because of how the animals are treated, would you consider hunting? Would you eat meat that a hunter shot? What about farms, individuals who slaughter animals quickly and after treating them well?
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
    to the people that dont eat animals as they are against the killing, do you own any leather goods? shoes, couches etc?

    Excellent question.

    Nope :)
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    to the people that dont eat animals as they are against the killing, do you own any leather goods? shoes, couches etc?

    Excellent question.

    Quite. I don't purchase any leather products - however I still use what I bought before I went vegetarian, what little I have, because it's meaningless now and throwing it away isn't exactly good for the environment. I rock converses and fake-leather products when you can't get away from the look, like for phone holsters, ipad cases, etc. My couch is also made of canvas.

    Last year I was really sad that I bought a pillow with actual real feathers in it. It was so cheap it didn't even occur to me. You definitely get an education when researching products.
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    i have certain website i go to for products i cant find at clothing stores, such as shoes and jackets. they are the same amount, if not cheaper, i dont like buying expensive shoes, haha, im not a shoe person, so personally every pair of shoes is too expensive, dont like spending more than 30 dollars, im cheap:)
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    to the people that dont eat animals as they are against the killing, do you own any leather goods? shoes, couches etc?

    Excellent question.

    No. I do not. I have been vegan for 18 years. What few leather/non-vegan items I had at that time, I continued to use until I needed to replace them. And then replaced them with non-vegan alternatives.

    ive noticed that vegans are very conciencious about these things, as they use no animal based products. but i have noticed tha vegetarians seem to only worry about foodstuffs, not anything else (my niece being one of them)
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
    i do not purchase anything made of leather but i do own or have been given things...for example, my best dress shoes are leather and i will wear them til they fall apart, and then will be choosing a non-leather alternative. my favorite handbag is leather - it was a gift, and i plan on doing the same thing with it. i no longer buy things for myself if they're made from animal skin.
  • anjukins
    anjukins Posts: 103 Member
    IF I ate meat, it would be under these conditions... but with the added component of it being NECESSARY to my survival. Otherwise, i don't like it, & i feel better without it. And the animal is still killed- even if it's humane, it's still taking a life for a life. I really hope this doesn't start the "what about the poor defenseless broccoli?" debate... I can go there... but it's pretty tedious...
  • _beachgirl_
    _beachgirl_ Posts: 3,865 Member
    inhumanity of the meat industry is a good one, but also the environmental cost...there's a ton of reasons, to be honet, i am a bit of a hypocrit, i am not a vegatarian. i believe in trying to eat meat less and hopefully from a responsible provider. if you talk to a nutritionist they may tell you that the amount and frequency with which americans eat meat is ridiculous. it is hardly sustainable let alone in a humane manner. But more so, we just weren't meant to eat THAT much meat. I try to be a vegetarian during the week for the most part. on the weekends if we are out i won't throw a fuss about eating pepperoni pizza or when invited to someone's house for dinner. i love meat and i will probably never stop eating it but that doesn't mean i can't try to eat it more responsibly :)

    Actually, our mouths are designed for eating meat. We have canine teeth to grab, incisors for cutting, and bicuspids and molars are designed to masticate. Meat.
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    If you're against eating meat because of how the animals are treated, would you consider hunting?

    or roadkill,

    ive heard of people that will eat meat made from road kill as the animals death was a result of an accident, not the intentional killing for consumption.
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    also, as naively as it sounds, i honestly didnt know how the animals were killed. i actually thought they were euthanized and when i found out how, i stopped that minute. also, when my mom said, what do you think they do with the animals after they cant produce anymore, i stopped being vegetarian and went to vegan.

    sort of this. i knew how the animals were killed, but i ignored it. and then i watched the movie Earthlings and went veggie the next day. i drink milk and eat eggs yes, but i buy organic for both and free-range when possible. i know that doesn't really mean much, but it makes me feel better and i think it tastes better as well.

    i actually tried chicken wings the other day and managed to keep them down for all of an hour and then my body was just like NOPE ain't havin' it! i will admit that i ate meat the other day and it only renewed my interest in my veggie diet.

    This was a great read. I watched a lot of videos/movies, etc before going vegetarian. It's just so obvious how the industry wants us to stay so disconnected from our food. Something tells me if you saw them alive, how they were treated, you really wouldn't want to eat them.

    Not to mention, it's really unsanitary.
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
    i do not purchase anything made of leather but i do own or have been given things...for example, my best dress shoes are leather and i will wear them til they fall apart, and then will be choosing a non-leather alternative. my favorite handbag is leather - it was a gift, and i plan on doing the same thing with it. i no longer buy things for myself if they're made from animal skin.

    would you eat a meal of meat if it was bought for you at a restaurant?
  • rodegghero
    rodegghero Posts: 212 Member
    I was vegetarian (lacto-ovo) for 5 years. It started cause i didnt like meat. Then i read animal vegetable mineral and i now eat meat locally, ethically produced but still once or twice a week only. I dont need to eat meat every meal or everyday.
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