Vegetarianism - Opinions?

[Eternal Mametchi Fan]

I hope this doesn't end up in any kind of arguments but here is a remake of this old topic I found interesting to read.

I personally disagree with vegetarianism - I believe humans are meant to eat meat. We have the teeth of omnivores, meat contains important nutrients (although these nutrients can be found in other food as well), and there are thousand of species that kill other animals to survive. Most animals slaughter each other more cruelly than humans do. It's just the way nature is. I understand why people do it; they care a lot for animals, but people in the world are dying cruelly all the time and I think a human dying can be considered sadder than an animal dying because of friends, family, complex emotions... I know animals may feel a sense of loss when their companions die too but it just isn't the same in my opinion.

Being vegetarian for other reasons is okay, (e.g. you don't like the taste, you're allergic). I eat meat a lot; I basically have it for every meal (but I only have 1 - 2 meals a day, haha). I am allergic to chicken and it causes severe cramps in which I scream and cry but I eat it anyway.

What are your views?

 

[fluffums]

I have been vegetarian for five years so I obviously support it. I think that humans were "meant" to eat meat, but in nowhere near the quantities people today do. In the past meat would've been eaten rarely, at most once a week before the domestication of animals. I'm not a vegan but I honestly believe the healthiest lifestyle would be to rarely eat meat and then only eat lean meats and to not eat other animal byproducts like eggs or dairy because while humans did evolve to eat meat they did not to eat dairy and it's still really recent in history that humans do. I'm a vegetarian for various reasons including animal welfare (the majority of animals eaten today are not raised in humane conditions at all; even ones labelled "free range" are often not really running around outside and are still in horrible conditions), I have never liked the taste of meat, and I have a disease for which the symptoms have been helped a lot by not eating meat. I've never had trouble getting enough proteins or vitamins and I was a competitive athlete until a year ago and it did not adversely impact my performance at all, so I don't think not eating meat is unhealthy.

I don't have a problem with people eating meat in general but I do have a problem with the way almost all food animals are raised. It's not that they are killed, it's how they were treated in their life before they were killed. I did an internship at a farm animal sanctuary and they rescued over 4000 chickens who were abandoned by the company they were owned by in the factory for two weeks before someone realized what had happened. They trampled each other to death and 60,000 of them had starved to death (they had been left, for good, without food and the owners had intentionally left them to starve to death). This, along with other extremely inhumane practices, happens often to farmed animals and this type of treatment is what I'm against. Yes, humans dying and being treated cruelly is also bad but you can think both the mistreatment of humans and animals are bad can't you? It's not like you only get one cause to support your entire life. In addition to working with rescued animals I also volunteer at a battered women's shelter. It's definitely possible to care about people and animals. I feel like it's weird to think you are only allowed to care about one.

I feel like it's a little weird for you to say it's "okay" to do it for health reasons or because you don't like the taste but not for moral reasons. If it's okay for one reason it should be okay for any reason.

 

[tamatown123]

Well..

I believe in Vegetarianism - Why? Because they have a genuine reason for not eating meat. There's many reasons why people don't want to eat meat. Although, we're stamping on so many ants when we walk, we're killing so many head lice when we wash our hair...of course, they are different because they are small, but isn't it kind of similar to us and the animals? We're doing exactly what animals are doing, lots of animals eat "meat."

Just my opinion.

~TT123

 

[mozaique]

Maybe vegetarians don't kill animals, but they eat their food, and that kills animals anyways in the end.

... <_<

Just joking, I have nothing against vegetarianism, but I love tuna and salmon so much!!

Hovewer I'm against parents forcing their childrens to be vegetarians, because kids need proteins and all the good stuff that meat contains to grow tall and healthy Hearing a 6 year old at my sister's birthday party ''Sorry, I can't eat hamburgers because I'm vegetarian!'' was pathetic. Did they have the choice?

 

[dazzilitchigirl]

I'm a vegetarian, have been for my whole life and everyone in my family is vegetarian too, so I obviously support it. People don't actually need to eat meat. I listened to a really long audiobook on it for some weird reason and apparently meat and dairy are actually unhealthy and make you overweight and you have a higher chance of getting cancer and all sorts of diseases...and that was based on actual studies so I'm pretty sure it's true. Vegetarians have a greater life expectancy than non-vegetarians as well. However I have nothing against people who eat meat, just people who tell me to eat it.

Animals do kill each other, but they don't really have a choice. They must eat other animals to survive, and it stops their prey from overpopulating. But the main thing that's overpopulating now is us, and we don't go around killing other people to prevent overpopulation. We don't need to eat meat and there aren't many benefits to doing so, so why do it?

EDIT: My parents don't force me to be vegetarian. They did raise me that way, but they explained why to me when I was about 5, and I agreed that I didn't want to eat dead animals. Some parents force their children to eat meat, which I don't think is right either. When I was 6 or 7 I explained why I was vegetarian to others in my class at school, and they wanted to stop eating meat too but their parents wouldn't let them. People should have the right to decide what they eat.

 

[booboo1]

i like eating meat but i understand becoming a vegetarian for health reasons like many people have stated!

meat isn't totally bad for you!! though it is much healthier to each organic meat, any meat is fine in moderation! organic eggs provide a lot of nutrition for you! meat provides important nutrients which can be obtained other ways, but without having a good diet that include those nutrients gained from meat, it can be very unhealthy to not eat it!

i only have meat every once and a while because i don't like it that much, so i'm not really concerned about eating meat too often and becoming unhealthy.

i wouldn't become a vegetarian though because there are some things i enjoy eating and i don't want to stop eating what i like just for the sake of being a vegetarian. i just think that as long as it's in moderation you'll be okay!

 

[Rosaria]

I think people should allowed to eat whatever they want. If they don't want to eat meat, they shouldn't be forced.

 

[Box]

As some of you have mentioned, people don't actually need to eat meat

it may actually be healthier to be vegetarian (even better to be a vegan, studies show)

will convert when I move out (spend extra money to be a vegan? pffft, I don't have the money to prepare a completely separate meal every day)

 

[Counting Bodies Like Sheep]

Fluffums has given a brilliant answer. I only have a few things to add...

The world grows enough food to feed the world's entire population almost 3 times over. However... a lot of this food is fed to animals to address our demand for meat - from a scientific standpoint, this is a HUGE waste of energy and natural resources. Especially when tens of thousands of children alone die of starvation every single day.

Secondly, the practices employed during factory farming - which is unfortunately where the vast majority of our meat, dairy and eggs come from - would be classified as a criminal offence if cats or dogs were involved. Most of us would never consider eating our pets - that would be inhumane. But to me, the distinction between animals that are pets vs. animals that are food is arbitrary and fundamentally flawed.

I do not believe that eating meat is wrong. I have friends who know exactly where their meat comes from. They see the pretty green fields where the cows and sheep live, and the clean, spacious chicken coops for egg-laying hens. If I could be so sure of the origins of my animal products, I would be much more willing to eat them. But until then, I will refrain, as I refuse to have a hand in supporting the potential mistreatment of animals. I do understand that not everybody cares about where their meat comes from, and that's fair enough... afterall, there is nothing more delicious than a juicy, flame-grilled steak...

 

[The Ultimate Doomer]

Vegetarians have a greater life expectancy than non-vegetarians

Spoiler

People actually need to eat meat. There are articles about it...and that was based on actual studies so I'm pretty sure it's true.

Here's part of one from INH:

Meat is not bad for you. Look at our caveman ancestors. They didn’t suffer from the health problems that we do today.4 And their diet relied heavily on meat. But not just meat. Fresh, organic meat and fish alongside eggs, tree nuts, and lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.

A study published by the journal Nature provides an answer to this long "which-diet-is-better debate".5 Researchers studied the tooth enamel from fossils of three different types of early cavemen. They discovered that the group that ate mainly plants died out before the meat eaters.

Bottom line: If you want a healthy heart, you don’t have to resign yourself to a life of eating lettuce.

It’s not meat that's killing us. It’s the junk. So do as our caveman ancestors once did: fresh, organic, and low-glycemic.

Studies show being vegetarian is very healthy? Studies show being vegetarian is unhealthy? Studies show eating meat can increase disease risk? Studies show eating meat is not bad?

Hurr hurr all studies are true and real

 

[Box]

contrary to what the FDA says, you don't really need meat (and this has actually been admitted)

I'd elaborate, but I'm just too gosh darn tired to pull a decent post out of my butt

but I will say this

Finland boosted dairy/meat/egg production after the breakup of the soviet union. the government stepped up programs designed to encourage farmers to shift production from products in surplus, such as eggs, milk, and meat, to products that replaced imports, such as wheat, sugar, and vegetables.

heart attacks

evrywhar

even put America to shame

*shot*

yeah, they pulled themselves out of that

quite miraculously so

don't need that stuff, though.

And Doooooomerrrrrrrrrrr

Cavemen? Really? They didn't exactly live as long as we do today.The long-term effects of eating fatty meats might not have been as apparent in them

Meat wasn't always bad (obviously; we're omnivores), but we are living longer than ever...

you gaiz wanna be that old lady that haz hart atack in middle of puzle game hmmmmm

(I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore)

 

[The Ultimate Doomer]

Really? They didn't exactly live as long as we do today.

[citation needed]

 

[Yoggs]

HURR DURR YOU DON'T EAT MEAT, HOW DARE YOU NOT DO THE SAME AS ME GRUMBLE GRUMBLE

*cough*

I mean, be a vegetarian all you want, I know I couldn't live without meat so it's not something I'd want to pursue but if you want to, go ahead.

 

[The Ultimate Doomer]

"Research links cancer to fruit and vegetable", Science Editor theguardian.com/uk/

HURR DURR THERE ARE ARTICLES THAT SAY EATING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES CAN CAUSE CANCER

Seriously though, you can find "scientific articles" on just about anything and claim it's true.

HAHA THERE ARE STUDIES THAT PROVE BEING VEGETARIAN IS MUCH MORE HEALTHY THAN BEING NON-VEGETARIAN

"There Are No Studies Showing That They’re Better Than Other Diets there are no controlled trials showing that these diets are any better than other diets. ... They actively use lies and fear mongering to scare people away from fat and animal foods. ... Despite all the propaganda, there really isn't any evidence that meat, eggs, or animal-derived nutrients cause harm." authority nutrition HURR DURR IT SAYS VEGETARIANS USE PROPAGANDA AND EXAGGERATED CLAIMS

 

[Stefan Bauwens]

Lets face this: When you eat too much of something it is always bad for you.

For me personally I don't have to eat a lot of meat to feel full. However if I think about a plate without meet it does sound pretty dull(and eating pasta everyday is probably not as great as I would hope it to be).

I don't mind (some) vegetarians. They don't eat meat because the animals were treated like animals BAD.

My brother works on electronic stuff and once in a while he has to go to this Chicken "farm". The stories he tells are awful. And because it's such a mass production there, of course it is no surprise that on some places there are dead ones, or chickens stuck...

And based of what I've seen of Documentaries it's pretty much the same by other animals: Bad treatment and mass production.

And both things are bad, and not normal.

I do think meat is healthy, and once in a while is good for you. I would not stop eating meat completely, but maybe you do have to eat some less.

Spoiler

People actually need to eat meat. There are articles about it...and that was based on actual studies so I'm pretty sure it's true.

Here's part of one from INH:

Meat is not bad for you. Look at our caveman ancestors. They didn’t suffer from the health problems that we do today.4 And their diet relied heavily on meat. But not just meat. Fresh, organic meat and fish alongside eggs, tree nuts, and lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.

A study published by the journal Nature provides an answer to this long "which-diet-is-better debate".5 Researchers studied the tooth enamel from fossils of three different types of early cavemen. They discovered that the group that ate mainly plants died out before the meat eaters.

Bottom line: If you want a healthy heart, you don’t have to resign yourself to a life of eating lettuce.

It’s not meat that's killing us. It’s the junk. So do as our caveman ancestors once did: fresh, organic, and low-glycemic.

Studies show being vegetarian is very healthy? Studies show being vegetarian is unhealthy? Studies show eating meat can increase disease risk? Studies show eating meat is not bad?

Hurr hurr all studies are true and real

I personally believe that the Cavemen were people from before the Biblical flood(before the flood God the people mostly became around 900 years old).

When you get older some bones continue to grow, and a 900 year old skeleton would probably match that of a cavemen skeleton.

Anyway, it was only AFTER the flood that God allowed man and animal to eat meat. And above that He then said that they would no longer grow that old but maximum get 120.

I am not saying they lived longer because of no meat. And you don't have to believe anything the Bible says, but I believe you can live healthy enough without meat. At least you could then.

Also, I've talked with this vegetarian girl(IRL) and basically she said that if we were to kill our own chicken she probably would eat of it...

Oh yeah. Eggs, milk, etc.. If you don't eat/drink that (for "moral" reasons) it is completely ridiculous.

 

[The Ultimate Doomer]

we don't go around killing other people to prevent overpopulation.

Really?! O_O

We don't need to eat meat and there aren't many benefits to doing so, so why do it?

We don't need to eat candy, chips, donuts, French fries, tuna, pizza, pies, cereal, ice cream, cake, sandwiches and there aren't many benefits to doing so, so why do it?

and also about that quote...

Vegetarians have a greater life expectancy than non-vegetarians

but article says:

"what did the non-vegetarians eat? A balanced diet with organic meat? Or was it mostly processed meat?

And if we continue to dig…

What about lifestyle factors? The result may possibly be that vegetarians live a healthier lifestyle. Smoke less, exercise more… There are way too many factors in play that make it impossible to say exactly what the direct cause and effect is."

It doesn't make any sense to say "vegetarians have a greater life expectancy than non-vegetarians". What if the non-vegetarian exercises more? What if the vegetarian drinks too much soda? What if the vegetarian eats other unhealthy foods? What if the non-vegetarian eats other unhealthy foods? What if the non-vegetarian only eats some meat? There are too many different factors.

 

[Counting Bodies Like Sheep]

Oh yeah. Eggs, milk, etc.. If you don't eat/drink that (for "moral" reasons) it is completely ridiculous.

I disagree. I always choose meat over dairy or eggs. I am much happier knowing the animal died than knowing I am willingly supporting the prolonged mistreatment and suffering of animals. So... no, I don't think it's ridiculous to have moral objections to eggs and milk. Not in the least.

Everybody here has made valid points regarding the 'healthiness' of vegetarianism. Vegetarians do have lower risk of cardiovascular disease, but these studies don't take into account people who eat lean meats a few times a week. Yes, we do not need animal products to survive, especially as vegetarian food options such as soy milk and tofu are now enriched in vitamin B12. However, sensible consumption of meat - i.e. limited red meat and processed meat - will not reduce your life span significantly. In fact, while it is long-established that red meat consumption is a causative factor in the development of bowel cancer, chicken actually protects against bowel cancer.

So as Stefan was saying earlier... moderation is the key, to all aspects of diet. I'll add to this by saying that the decision to be vegetarian is a very personal one. If it's what you feel is the right thing to do, do it. It's a personal conviction, and for me, a very powerful one... but it's just that - personal. Don't demand or expect everyone else to see things the way you do.

 

[Midorime]

We are omnivores, and meat is part of our diet. We have enzymes in our bodies that help break down proteins (but not in our saliva! Makes sense because if we did, we'd dissolve our own face off with drool...), and we need amino acids to get energy. However, meat doesn't have all the necessary other vitamins we need, which we find in plant matter and nuts. Hence why we are omnivores and basically eat anything. We could even as well be insectivores and still get the protein we need that way, but I don't think anyone here would be happy to chow down on bugs.

However, becoming a vegetarian is a personal choice and I respect that of people and know a few who are one for different reasons. Just don't go telling me to become a vegetarian.

Personally, I prefer a more seafood diet rather than red meat, but it's rather expensive.... (Seafood is also healthier because it contains more of the 'good fats' especially Omega 3s.) And i also prefer chicken over red meat, too. And pork is a rare thing for me to eat.

And to touch on soy products, they contain a lot of estrogen-based chemicals and hormones in them which have been linked to... odd effects in males, such as lactation in some extreme cases, breast formation, etc. See here: https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/soys-negative-effects

In my opinion, a balanced diet is best while avoiding all the junk food. Eat meat in moderation, and stick to fruit and veggies the most.

 

[Box]

/likes your post while trying chips and cotton candy together

but, in all seriousness, I agree with just about everything you said in that last post

 

[Amat Gotchi]

I'd say that while I'm not a vegetarian, I can see people's reasons for vegetarianism and veganism in all situations.

The way meat is produced nowadays is very horrific and makes me want to become a vegetarian. (Have you ever driven past a turkey barn, feed lot, or slaughter house on the highway? You totally don't want to; the smell is so awful it makes you think, so this is where my food comes from.) The meat companies coop up their animals really tightly, and feed them with all kinds of antibiotics and horrible things (as a matter of fact there are still ranchers who feed dead cows to their cows; that's like forcing a vegan to become a cannibal). It's not only inhumane, it's grossly unsanitary, potentially hazardous to humans, and extremely common in the US.

The way a lot of factory farms treat their milk cows and egg chickens (lol need a better word for that) is also really terrifying.

I am fond of meat every so often, and I like vegetarian stuff such as tofu, vegetables, et cetera.

My favorite kind of meat is probably venison, and I also like elk. We get this meat from friends who like to hunt down and shoot the animals themselves, which is in my opinion the most humane way of obtaining meat, also one of the cleanest as you are there the whole time while butchering the animal and you have control over what gets into your meat.

[Fun story I was at my friend's house for Halloween, and my dad and her dad were butchering a deer on a table on the porch. Then these little kid trick-or-treaters walked up to the door, looked over at that side of the porch and freaked out.]

Once I grow up and go to college and stuff I might or might not become a vegetarian, because it really is healthier (unless you get organic meat which basically costs you an arm and a leg) but I'll likely still be eating my favorite game meats when I get the chance.