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

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Replies

  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    Who here has read the Omnivore's Dilemma?! Any ethical omnivores out there?? I love you guys...

    YES. This is the book that began my entire lifestyle turnaround / weight loss journey / changing my entire way of thinking about food / you get the picture. What a book.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    Its so nice to have somebody else out there that doesnt like fruit and loves veggies. haha.

    Fruit is just so much EFFORT. I occasionally put grapes in a freezer bag and freeze them for a quick "sorbet" tasting treat, but anything I have to peel or eat off a core is too much effort.

    Berries!!
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    Its so nice to have somebody else out there that doesnt like fruit and loves veggies. haha.

    Fruit is just so much EFFORT. I occasionally put grapes in a freezer bag and freeze them for a quick "sorbet" tasting treat, but anything I have to peel or eat off a core is too much effort.

    if i have fruit i drink it. bolthouse farms has the best smoothies. the best is the strawberry/banana smoothie. i dont have to do anything but drink.
  • Troll
    Troll Posts: 922 Member
    ive never been a fan. And i love animals, so when i saw a video of cows in a slaughter house i freaked out. I do eat eggs, but i limit my dairy, use fake leather and wont eat gelatin.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Who here has read the Omnivore's Dilemma?! Any ethical omnivores out there?? I love you guys...

    YES. This is the book that began my entire lifestyle turnaround / weight loss journey / changing my entire way of thinking about food / you get the picture. What a book.
    Love it. I would say that I'm an ethical omnivore. I think the industrialized food system is terrible, period.

    Has anyone read The Vegetarian Myth? I have heard a couple interviews and it is on my list to read. I'd be interested in hearing thoughts.
  • tbisca1
    tbisca1 Posts: 142
    I don't eat red meat or pork haven't since I was 9. I stopped eating it by choice. I don't care for seafood too much either. I eat chicken and turkey. I only eat meat at dinner time.
  • szimba
    szimba Posts: 290 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 :)

    i agree with this. i'm not a vegetarian, i don't eat a lot of meat tho. i try to be aware of where its coming from and how it lived and was treated before i buy or eat it
  • SarabellPlus3
    SarabellPlus3 Posts: 496 Member
    My reasons are a lot like other posters.
    I decided when I was in 4th grade (around 10) that I wanted to be kinder to animals, and one facet of that was to stop eating meat. There were other facets as well, but I suppose my reasons were/are animals primarity, but also environmental and health reasons would have had me not eating MUCH meat one way or another.
    That was 20+ years ago. About 5 years ago, I did start eating fish, I try to be careful about where I get my fish, main source being my father who is a very responsible fisherman. I do drink milk / dairy and eat eggs. Luckily, in my area, there is a great source of local small farms I can get these products from, and I am comfortable with that. Just over a year ago, I started talking to a poultry farmer at our market, and I started buying chickens from him, to try to make dinners easier with my husband and kids. Since then, I started eating a little chicken, from him. I try to be careful with it-- I'll roast a whole chicken with one dinner, use leftovers in some dish the next night, and make stock to make soup the next night, so I feel it's less wasted. I'm not really 100% comfortable with this- killing birds to eat them (when I have no NEED to), but I've made peace with it making my life easier, and at least trying to do it as humanely as possible.

    As far as hunting goes, I consider it more humane than factory farmer, but it is still not for me. I don't think I would eat a mammal unless I had to to live, no matter how "kind" the conditions of killing that mammal were.

    eta: I love Michael Pollan too. Those of you who liked The Omnivore's Dillema, I bet you'd like his other books! He's very engaging.
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    hubby is very excited, they have vegan jello now. i cant stand jello, but its nice my little one can have it. he loves it. also, i have been told basically im a horrible person for being married to somebody that eats seafood and eats cheese, but besides that eats what i do. i did not become vegan until 7 years ago and weve been together almost 14 years, and he was that way before that. im not a horrible person for being married to somebody that has different beliefs than me, especially since we had the same beliefs when we got married. what im supposed to do, divorce him.
  • jec228
    jec228 Posts: 67 Member
    i was never a huge fan of red meat and just recently stopped eating chicken.... still eat fish, eggs and dairy. no particular reason other than i wanted to see if i would feel differently - so far so good! and the bambi thing, too
  • Net132
    Net132 Posts: 174 Member
    Question? I am learning more about how animals are raised and have been thinking/doing my best about eating clean. Currently my family would not be onboard with the whole vegetarian thing I 've asked. We eat lots of fresh local veggies. My question is the cost. Do you find that it cost more? I am having a hard time just trying to find things not loaded with sodium. And no one in my house but me will eat beans,or lentils or tofu or edamame. I have tried.
  • 1smemae94
    1smemae94 Posts: 365 Member
    Question? I am learning more about how animals are raised and have been thinking/doing my best about eating clean. Currently my family would not be onboard with the whole vegetarian thing I 've asked. We eat lots of fresh local veggies. My question is the cost. Do you find that it cost more? I am having a hard time just trying to find things not loaded with sodium. And no one in my house but me will eat beans,or lentils or tofu or edamame. I have tried.

    I don't think it costs anymore to eat veggies than meat. It all depends on what you want to buy. If you want specialty items it will be more expensive. And if no one else wants your food, more for you.
  • Smilee3233
    Smilee3233 Posts: 108 Member
    I read the book "China Study". That started things rolling. Further research from there has lead us to a gradual transition to being vegan's.
  • savanahspring
    savanahspring Posts: 27
    i personally am vegan. i dont eat, use, wear anything associated with a living creature. i also dont do honey or certain things like red dye 40 since thats actually ground up beetles, not to be gross. my reasoning is because i dont think anybody should suffer, including animals. i wouldnt do that to my cat or dog, so i wont do that to anything else. with all the alternatives, theres no reason not to. i dont care why people dont eat animals, im just glad they dont. whatever reason is a great reason to me. i am not here to judge, as i wish people wouldnt judge me as well, so to each his own, but i wish nothing/nobody had to suffer.

    You do know that plants are living too, right? And so are bacteria...ever use antibacterial soap?
  • savanahspring
    savanahspring Posts: 27
    Oh and lots of antibiotics and MANY medications are made from living creatures. You never use those either, right?
  • 1smemae94
    1smemae94 Posts: 365 Member
    I don't eat meat because i saw PETAs ( I hate peta but i love their information) Meet your meat video and the glass walls video. I was so disgusted that i just can't eat it anymore. I realized that this wouldn't be healthy (just giving it up), so i did alot of research, found out my nutrients and whatnot and i went veggie. I love it. It's guilt free eating. For the ethical part, i'm not killing anything to eat. For the health part, I'm getting more vitamins, nutrients, less sat fats, less chlorestoral than before i quit eating it. It's good for the planet, good for the earth and good for me. How could i not make the switch?

    If you eat meat though, i don't push what i think on you. i respect their beliefs, as long as they respect mine. I understand that some people don't want to think about what they are eating so i won't point out what you're eating during meals. It's rude. Although if you say something rude and vulgar about my meal choices i will tell you exactally what you're eating and why you wish you weren't.

    I do eat eggs, but i'm transitioning out of it. I've had 2 eggs in the past month and i've cut out milk. Eventually i want to go vegan, but i can't do it yet because i live at home.

    I love how great everyones been on this post about all the different ideas.
  • anjukins
    anjukins Posts: 103 Member
    oh NO!!! It's the "poor defenseless broccoli" argument! I wondered how long it'd take to show up! Six pages... not bad...
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    m
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    oh NO!!! It's the "poor defenseless broccoli" argument! I wondered how long it'd take to show up! Six pages... not bad...

    haha. was wondering what to respond with. plus i dont want to be rude as i personally am taking the comment.
  • anjukins
    anjukins Posts: 103 Member
    Being a vegan/vegetarian doesn't mean that I'm free of hypocrisy, or don't recognize the inherent contradictions posed by simply LIVING on this planet. It means that I'm making a conscious choice to do LESS damage. It isn't about being perfect and judgmental, it's about being mindful and compassionate. I don't understand why people go right to the "plants are alive too! beer has yeast! You're a hypocrite and therefore i invalidate EVERYTHING you say! HAH!"
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Savannah, being a vegan/vegetarian doesn't mean that I'm free of hypocrisy, or don't recognize the inherent contradictions posed by simply... LIVING on this planet. It means that I'm making a conscious choice to do LESS damage. It isn't about being perfect and judgmental, it's about being mindful and compassionate. I don't understand why people go right to the "plants are alive too! beer has yeast! You're a hypocrite and therefore i invalidate EVERYTHING you say! HAH!"
    I'm not Savannah and I'm not trying to accuse anyone of being hypocrite, but no one has addressed my question about animals (rodents, birds, etc.) who lose their lives when fields of corn/wheat/soy are planted as compared with, for example, one cow who has grazed on grass his entire life (thus not being fed the aforementioned crops either).
  • anjukins
    anjukins Posts: 103 Member
    yeah, mono-cropping sucks, and it's totally bad for the environment. So is shipping soybeans halfway across the world. I try to eat as locally and seasonally as possible, from small, sustainable, organic farms, etc. but... like i said. It isn't about being perfect. It's about making decisions that I personally feel are the least damaging, the least detrimental, the least harmful, and the most ethical. That's all.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    yeah, mono-cropping sucks, and it's totally bad for the environment. So is shipping soybeans halfway across the world. I try to eat as locally and seasonally as possible, from small, sustainable, organic farms, etc. but... like i said. It isn't about being perfect. It's about making decisions that I personally feel are the least damaging, the least detrimental, the least harmful, and the most ethical. That's all.
    Cool. Me too. I believe most everyone on this thread is. I am just bringing it up as I don't know that it is something everyone considers. :happy:
  • KTGator
    KTGator Posts: 78
    I don't eat meat simply because I don't like the taste or texture. I do, however, eat fish and eggs. Anything on land though has just never appealed to me, and I found myself smothering it in condiments to be able to eat it, which was just so unhealthy that I ultimately decided to cut meat out of my diet instead.
  • anjukins
    anjukins Posts: 103 Member
    Well, if we all did that... I think things would be ok. :)
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    so my final comment, haha, if you know me, maybe it wont be. heres my conclusion. dont shove your beliefs down my throat, because i would never do it to you. i would never tell you what religion, political party, etc. to be so dont do it to me. its my opinion, doesnt make it right, doesnt make it wrong, it just makes it mine. glad that most people on here were very polite and respectful.
  • milanks
    milanks Posts: 122
    I don't eat meat out of respect for the animals. I don't feel that they are "mine" to eat any more than I would like to be "theirs" to eat. I love being at the top of the food chain, where reason and compassion outweighs primitive impulse, giving me the ability to choose not to eat my finned, feathered, and furry fellow Earthlings.
  • lunchgirlie
    lunchgirlie Posts: 101 Member
    Here's my story. When I was 13 I saw a video about sea turtles getting shot and killed en masse. Since then the thought of eating meat has grossed me out and I haven't since. I just don't want it. I eat eggs and dairy products, I use leather goods, I even eat gelatin. It's not a seriously moral decision for me, I just don't find meat appetizing.

    I also never preach to people or judge what they eat. My boyfriend whom I live with is a meat eater and I cook meat for him regularly. I just choose not to eat it myself. Make of that what you will.
  • Babbs1977
    Babbs1977 Posts: 42 Member
    For me it's completely a texture thing. I stopped eating all forms of meat, fish and poultry when I was 5 by my choice...I'm 34 now and I physically can't eat it. I've tried and I can't even chew meat without gagging...I'm sure it's a mental block thing but I have no desire to ever eat it.

    That being said, I'm not a PETA freak. I stayed vegetarian through my pregnancy, but my son loves meat and I cook it for my husband and son as much as they want it.
  • ChelsBuch
    ChelsBuch Posts: 14 Member
    If you have Netflix, or if you don't I am sure you can watch it somewhere, I strongly advise you to watch Forks Over Knives it tells you a lot about how meat and dairy isn't very healthy for you and eating a vegetarian diet can get rid of diseases etc. :) Here is their website http://www.forksoverknives.com/
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