Poll: Are you a Vegetarian?
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I'm an omnivore - I don't have a problem with killing animals for food, and I don't have a problem with eating meat. However, I do think we could have better systems and regulations regarding how animals are slaughtered. The way it's done right now is incredibly inhumane.
I tried to with my girlfriend being a veggie after all. Its very hard when you walk past butchers and cafes every morning to Uni every day. Ironically, my girlfriend is now a meat eater.
I'm not a vegetarian so don't take this as a comment pushing the veggie agenda, it's just fact; the grain used to feed cows and chickens could feed an entire country. Plus forest needs to be destroyed to grow grain to feed the animals, so eating meat isn't actually saving any forest.HG131 said:
Not really a vegetarian but when I'm at my student house I tend not to cook meat, because I can't be bothered. So I could go a while without eating meat. I could give up meat but I love spagheti bolognaise, chili, and pepperoni pizza. I do love veg though so it's not it's be much of a punishment. I used to have a girlfriend who was veggy but didn't like veg, talk about fussy.
Anyway if I was to go vegeterian for a good reason, then to me that includes eggs. I don't see how people don't class them as animal.
Anyway if I was to go vegeterian for a good reason, then to me that includes eggs. I don't see how people don't class them as animal.
Well, humans are omnivore and can eat anything.HG131 said:
Animals, even the ones you eat, need to eat plants themselves.
1000g plants = 100g meat. Eating the plants directly would make less people starve because you waste less ressources. Same for the destruction of the forests.
I'm sorry but my love for bacon and other meat knows no bounds. I know that they were once adorable animals, but when I eat them they are no longer adorable, just delicious.
No I am not. And it annoys me when meat eaters (i.e. my ex) won't eat specific meats, such as Veal, because of what it is. Might as well be a Vegetarian you *****.
And I dislike people who say they're Vegetarians, but are really Pescatarians (i.e. my dad's girlfriend).
I like vegetables and could easily go Vegetarian, just I see no logic to me doing so. I don't eat enough as it is (most of which isn't meat based anyway, unless they have some animal proteins in or something which I don't know of).
And I dislike people who say they're Vegetarians, but are really Pescatarians (i.e. my dad's girlfriend).
I like vegetables and could easily go Vegetarian, just I see no logic to me doing so. I don't eat enough as it is (most of which isn't meat based anyway, unless they have some animal proteins in or something which I don't know of).
Why am I vegetarian?
We don't need meat when we have so many other options. I don't want to fund or promote the unnecessary slaughter or mistreatment of animals through my lifestyle choices.
Everything you buy is like a vote. Even if my vote alone might not change the end result, I can be at peace with myself knowing that I took no part in it. I tried it out because I decided I felt better knowing that I didn't consume the flesh of dead things to sustain my own.
For the record, I don't rub it in the faces of omnivores around me. I'm not going to put someone down for eating a sausage roll or something in front of me.
Why am I not a vegan?
I see nothing wrong with eating eggs that have come from places where the chickens have been treated right, like a chicken pen in a back yard. Eggs are essentially chicken periods and have not yet grown into a conscious creature.
I don't think milk is that bad when it's organic, the cows are treated nicely, and calves aren't torn away from their mothers when they're a few days old. I don't really smile upon the idea of forcing a creature to carry its swollen udders around and be connected to big, cold machines, though. I need to read up some more on how the milk industry works in Australia.
I liked cows milk alternatives such as soy milk ever since I was a kid, it wouldn't be too hard for me to give it up. I think when I move out, I'll buy milk alternatives instead. I'll probably be a "flexible vegan".
"But people have always ate meat! It helped our brains to develop. Why stop now?"
I don't deny an evolutionary past.
I do deny that meat is required for our brains to develop adequately now.
Our ancestors may have been hunters, but we don't need to be.
We have moral consciences which we can choose to live out. We don't need to be completely ruthless to survive like carnivores. I believe that becoming more compassionate towards other creatures is a step forward towards a world with less suffering (which is a noble goal, yes?), not backward. Vegans and vegetarians are not degenerates.
"But you kill plants! They have feelings too!"
This argument irritates me the most.
Firstly, has it even been proven that plants feel in the same way as mammals, birds, and the like?
"As for other animals, plants, or other entities, their ability to feel physical pain is at present a question beyond scientific reach, since no mechanism is known by which they could have such a feeling. In particular, there are no known nociceptors in groups such as plants, fungi, and most insects,[81] except for instance in fruit flies.[82]" -Wikipedia (check the references if you like) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain
Secondly, we actually need plants to survive. Our reasoning isn't "oh well, we can't stop causing pain altogether, so we may as well keep killing animals on purpose because it makes no difference because we still have to kill plants." That is silly. That also applies to Maddox's "animals are killed during harvest" argument too. We shouldn't hurt animals on purpose just because we accidentally kill some.
"I wouldn't survive as a vegetarian. I need lots of protein and iron and I need meat to fill me up. Vegetarians need supplements, that can't be healthy or natural" and other concerns about nutrition.
If you feel like crap when you don't eat meat, you probably aren't replacing it with enough nutritious alternatives. Like some omnivorous diets can be bad, vegetarian diets which are poorly planned in relation to your own energy and nutrient needs can make you not feel one hundred percent.
All the nutrients we need are present in a vegetarian diet, but seeing as convenience and taste is valued over moral values and health for many people, alternative sources aren't exactly mainstream. Swapping a beef patty with a lentil patty is less fattening and still very nutritious, even though you probably won't find one at your local fast food restaurant.
Any other questions or statements?
We don't need meat when we have so many other options. I don't want to fund or promote the unnecessary slaughter or mistreatment of animals through my lifestyle choices.
Everything you buy is like a vote. Even if my vote alone might not change the end result, I can be at peace with myself knowing that I took no part in it. I tried it out because I decided I felt better knowing that I didn't consume the flesh of dead things to sustain my own.
For the record, I don't rub it in the faces of omnivores around me. I'm not going to put someone down for eating a sausage roll or something in front of me.
Why am I not a vegan?
I see nothing wrong with eating eggs that have come from places where the chickens have been treated right, like a chicken pen in a back yard. Eggs are essentially chicken periods and have not yet grown into a conscious creature.
I don't think milk is that bad when it's organic, the cows are treated nicely, and calves aren't torn away from their mothers when they're a few days old. I don't really smile upon the idea of forcing a creature to carry its swollen udders around and be connected to big, cold machines, though. I need to read up some more on how the milk industry works in Australia.
I liked cows milk alternatives such as soy milk ever since I was a kid, it wouldn't be too hard for me to give it up. I think when I move out, I'll buy milk alternatives instead. I'll probably be a "flexible vegan".
"But people have always ate meat! It helped our brains to develop. Why stop now?"
I don't deny an evolutionary past.
I do deny that meat is required for our brains to develop adequately now.
Our ancestors may have been hunters, but we don't need to be.
We have moral consciences which we can choose to live out. We don't need to be completely ruthless to survive like carnivores. I believe that becoming more compassionate towards other creatures is a step forward towards a world with less suffering (which is a noble goal, yes?), not backward. Vegans and vegetarians are not degenerates.
"But you kill plants! They have feelings too!"
This argument irritates me the most.
Firstly, has it even been proven that plants feel in the same way as mammals, birds, and the like?
"As for other animals, plants, or other entities, their ability to feel physical pain is at present a question beyond scientific reach, since no mechanism is known by which they could have such a feeling. In particular, there are no known nociceptors in groups such as plants, fungi, and most insects,[81] except for instance in fruit flies.[82]" -Wikipedia (check the references if you like) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain
Secondly, we actually need plants to survive. Our reasoning isn't "oh well, we can't stop causing pain altogether, so we may as well keep killing animals on purpose because it makes no difference because we still have to kill plants." That is silly. That also applies to Maddox's "animals are killed during harvest" argument too. We shouldn't hurt animals on purpose just because we accidentally kill some.
"I wouldn't survive as a vegetarian. I need lots of protein and iron and I need meat to fill me up. Vegetarians need supplements, that can't be healthy or natural" and other concerns about nutrition.
If you feel like crap when you don't eat meat, you probably aren't replacing it with enough nutritious alternatives. Like some omnivorous diets can be bad, vegetarian diets which are poorly planned in relation to your own energy and nutrient needs can make you not feel one hundred percent.
All the nutrients we need are present in a vegetarian diet, but seeing as convenience and taste is valued over moral values and health for many people, alternative sources aren't exactly mainstream. Swapping a beef patty with a lentil patty is less fattening and still very nutritious, even though you probably won't find one at your local fast food restaurant.
Any other questions or statements?
Well no, I guess you could say I'm an omnivore.
Still, my belief is that you shouldn't judge or rank people based on what they eat (Unless it's newborn infants or something) and I'm getting tired of having to have holier-than-thou types berate me about how it's wrong that I eat meat and that animals have feelings too and that I'm a gluttonous fatso-to-be because I occasionally eat maccas. Thankfully people don't seem to be like that here.
Still, my belief is that you shouldn't judge or rank people based on what they eat (Unless it's newborn infants or something) and I'm getting tired of having to have holier-than-thou types berate me about how it's wrong that I eat meat and that animals have feelings too and that I'm a gluttonous fatso-to-be because I occasionally eat maccas. Thankfully people don't seem to be like that here.
A lot of ignorance in any thread about vegetarianism. Always the influx of people commenting on how they're drooling over steaks and how eating animals makes them badass.
The global argument for vegetarianism is, and has always been, energy sustainability of the planet and environmentalism. Personal reasons have to do with health for some and/or animal rights. Or cultural/religious beliefs. Etc.
A vegetarian diet that is done right is healthier than one containing meat (and one done poorly is much much worse. Vegetarians who cut out meat but then don't properly supplement it, get sick and anemic, and then claim they "just couldn't do it" are bloody foolish). But a diet containing meat can be perfectly healthy too, again provided it's done right.
Going to steer clear of the animal rights thing as, while some people are fervently passionate about it, to the point of fanatical, you get other troglodytes whose self-entitlement and lack of empathy cause them to not give a shit about anything at all unless it directly affects them. Too loaded an issue.
The energy sustainability thing, however, is purely objective fact. What most fail to understand as it's somewhat counter-intuitive, is that if the population of the world all became vegetarians tomorrow, humanity would actually require LESS agricultural land to sustain itself. Or, allowing us to further increase food production as needed. Either way a boon to the environment and/or humanity.
I became a vegetarian when I was 15 in a house full of meat eaters. I'm 26 now so it's been quite some time. I'm 6'3'' and 195 pounds, so it hardly stunted my growth or health. Ironically I'm not a big vegetable fan as my diet is largely protein based while extremely light on fat and average carbs. I probably get more protein daily than most meat eaters.
It works wonderfully for my life, and I know it would work for most others if they could jump the stigma that vegetarian food sucks. That may have been true in the past, but it's just not true anymore. I was a fairly large meat eater pre-15, and I don't miss it in the absolute slightest these days. But, unfortunately, most in our "lovely" Western society would never give it the chance. It's too much fun getting fatter and fatter I suppose.
The global argument for vegetarianism is, and has always been, energy sustainability of the planet and environmentalism. Personal reasons have to do with health for some and/or animal rights. Or cultural/religious beliefs. Etc.
A vegetarian diet that is done right is healthier than one containing meat (and one done poorly is much much worse. Vegetarians who cut out meat but then don't properly supplement it, get sick and anemic, and then claim they "just couldn't do it" are bloody foolish). But a diet containing meat can be perfectly healthy too, again provided it's done right.
Going to steer clear of the animal rights thing as, while some people are fervently passionate about it, to the point of fanatical, you get other troglodytes whose self-entitlement and lack of empathy cause them to not give a shit about anything at all unless it directly affects them. Too loaded an issue.
The energy sustainability thing, however, is purely objective fact. What most fail to understand as it's somewhat counter-intuitive, is that if the population of the world all became vegetarians tomorrow, humanity would actually require LESS agricultural land to sustain itself. Or, allowing us to further increase food production as needed. Either way a boon to the environment and/or humanity.
I became a vegetarian when I was 15 in a house full of meat eaters. I'm 26 now so it's been quite some time. I'm 6'3'' and 195 pounds, so it hardly stunted my growth or health. Ironically I'm not a big vegetable fan as my diet is largely protein based while extremely light on fat and average carbs. I probably get more protein daily than most meat eaters.
It works wonderfully for my life, and I know it would work for most others if they could jump the stigma that vegetarian food sucks. That may have been true in the past, but it's just not true anymore. I was a fairly large meat eater pre-15, and I don't miss it in the absolute slightest these days. But, unfortunately, most in our "lovely" Western society would never give it the chance. It's too much fun getting fatter and fatter I suppose.