Vegetarians - why?

[BrassButtons]

Because that makes more direct sense, IMO. Lots of people are just scared to death of bugs (mostly spiders I guess, but still). While one may not call that the most legit reason to not eat insects, it's certainly a more obvious one.

Except that there are many many many places where insects are a regular part of the diet.

But you didn't grow up eating bugs (aside from the ground-up ones they use in certain food dyes), and you aren't surrounded by people who think its weird to NOT eat bugs, so it doesn't occur to you that not eating bugs is exactly as strange as not eating meat. In both cases you are cutting out an entire class of foods that many people love. It seems silly to me to wonder why people choose not to eat certain things--we all have certain foods, and certain classes of foods, that we eliminate from our diets (there are some people who are exceptions, but I think this is probably a safe rule of thumb).

 

[Fightgarr]

I don't buy meat all that often, but I'm not a vegetarian. Livestock utilize a very large amount of resources and create a large impact on the creation of greenhouse gasses, so I try and purchase meat as rarely as I can. I generally get it for special occasions or if I'm cooking something very specific. The other thing is that I'm working on a student budget and meats tend to be higher cost than other protein sources. I've encountered very few meals that I can't make just as flavorful as meat dishes with the use of grains, beans, tofu and eggs. I see vegetarianism as quite practical, even if I don't practice it.

 

[Liudeius]

My canine teeth and biological need for large amounts of protein disagree with you.

Protein can be obtained from plants easily. How do you think the animals that produce the meat you eat get all of the protein that they need to produce it?
Also humans are omnivores, that's why we have four canines. Have you counted your molars recently? 20 of them (with premolars). Those are designed for plants not meat.

 

[Gottesstrafe]

A variety of reasons, actually. Not one myself, but it's easy to see the appeal: It's healthier. You get all the calories and nutrients your body needs, and at the same time cut out the excessive chemicals, hormones, biomass, and parasites commonly associated with mostly meat reliant diets. Plant tissue and starches are also easier to digest than meat. Screw claims against animal cruelty and moral superiority, vegetarianism is just a healthier, more efficient diet.

Edit: You don't need meat for protein, nuts and beans can fill that row too.

 

[dagens24]

I think that vegetarianism/veganism is an extremely enlightened view; if you're able to live your life without causing unnecessary suffering then that's awesome. That being said I am not able to (or atleast choose not to) go without meat. I think it's a barbaric practice but I'm also okay with that.

 

[Ossian]

This is something that I have never been able to fully understand; the reasons some people have for being vegetarians.

So I would just like to ask, to any vegetarian escapists here, why? What are your reasons for it?

I don't necessarily have a problem with it - though I do kinda hate to see people give up meat for the sole reason of animal cruelty and that pandora's box (so please don't open it unless you feel it's much more relevant, this is more for me to explore people's opinions rather than debate).

The amount of grain and food put into cattle just to get meat is INSANE. Health wise you're going to live longer as a vegetarian. Cancer rate is about 10% lower at least. Everyone I know that has gone vegetarian drops about 10 pounds in a week.

I could give you about 10 years of my experience learning about the health effects of meat, but I'll just say you'll have to trust me when I say its bad.

Also watch the movie Food INC.

 

[Blue_vision]

I don't like the taste of meat, I think that Animals can have it better than to be bred for the sole purpose of being slaughtered for consumption, it's good for the environment and my health, it's cheaper, and I don't really mind not having it.

 

[E-mantheseeker]

no idea, but i didnt climb the top of the food chain to eat rabbit food

Bears, sharks, and many more animals can easily kill and eat humans. I don't think we're at the top of the food chain

OT: I don't eat meat and it started with cows, because I can't help but think of cows as huge animals that eat grass all day and remain fat. With that thought, it doesn't make sense for me to put it in my body.

Well humans can pretty much eat anything, if it is cooked/prepared right. Other animals can't say the same. We may be easily preyed on by some big time predators, but that doesn't automatically put us below them in the food chain. Humans are damn versatile eating machines.

That's a weird thought I must say. You aren't eating the fat, just the muscle. Their bodies break down that grass into the most basic molecular components for energy and mass building. It's not the same as what went in.

I understand your point, and it is definitely an advantage that we can figure out how to prepare various foods to be edible for our consumption. When I think of the "food chain" though, I think more along the lines of what creature can hunt and kill another.

You know, I haven't given it that much deep thought I just settled on the rationale of, "cow eat grass, cow stay fat, cow no good for me" the logic works for me, but it certainly isn't the truth. But I do have to say, I feel better overall since not eating beef/meat in general

 

[Hader]

This is something that I have never been able to fully understand; the reasons some people have for being vegetarians.

So I would just like to ask, to any vegetarian escapists here, why? What are your reasons for it?

I don't necessarily have a problem with it - though I do kinda hate to see people give up meat for the sole reason of animal cruelty and that pandora's box (so please don't open it unless you feel it's much more relevant, this is more for me to explore people's opinions rather than debate).

The amount of grain and food put into cattle just to get meat is INSANE. Health wise you're going to live longer as a vegetarian. Cancer rate is about 10% lower at least. Everyone I know that has gone vegetarian drops about 10 pounds in a week.

I could give you about 10 years of my experience learning about the health effects of meat, but I'll just say you'll have to trust me when I say its bad.

Also watch the movie Food INC.

Well yes I know how much healthier it is. Though for me that isn't much of a problem. I am happy with my weight, I would hate to gain or lose 15 pounds really.

Bad in which ways now?

 

[Hader]

You know, I haven't given it that much deep thought I just settled on the rationale of, "cow eat grass, cow stay fat, cow no good for me" the logic works for me, but it certainly isn't the truth. But I do have to say, I feel better overall since not eating beef/meat in general

Fair enough. not bad to not eat meat. Though I would say if you lived with the plains Indians a few centuries back, you would have had a hard time applying that to buffalo

 

[Margrave Rinstock]

I guess I don't like eating animals-particularly mammals-because they just seem too intelligent. They feel pain, they feel fear, and my inner hippy forces me to care about that. I choose to eat an unfeeling plant whenever possible. That being said, I loath peta and many animal rights groups for their abrasive attitudes towards others who do not share their opinions. Vegetarianism is a personal choice, and none of their asinine publicity stunts will sway anyone's opinion.

 

[RoBi3.0]

In all honesty being a vegetarian is closer to the way human bodies are supposed to eat then the typical American/western European diets. That is not to to say the humans don't need or can't benefit from animal protein. People need meat, but nowadays to much focus is put onto meat, and even worst the wrong types of meat.

I now that bacon and ribeye are taste, but humans need lean protein not tasty fatty meats.

disclaimer: not a vegetarian, and love fatty tasty meat to much to give it up.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

no idea, but i didnt climb the top of the food chain to eat rabbit food

Bears, sharks, and many more animals can easily kill and eat humans. I don't think we're at the top of the food chain

*cough*weapons*cough*

 

[E-mantheseeker]

You know, I haven't given it that much deep thought I just settled on the rationale of, "cow eat grass, cow stay fat, cow no good for me" the logic works for me, but it certainly isn't the truth. But I do have to say, I feel better overall since not eating beef/meat in general

Fair enough. not bad to not eat meat. Though I would say if you lived with the plains Indians a few centuries back, you would have had a hard time applying that to buffalo

]

True, as soon as I would have said "look how big those animals are" someone would have told me that is the very reason they're being hunted.

Keep in mind though, those plain Indians were a lot healthier than me. (and probably most of the people posting here...maybe you too) Just acquiring the food involved exercise, and I'm sure the buffalo weren't given growth hormones before the Indians got to it.

 

[Chased]

I knew a guy who got sick when he ate meat once but other than that I don't have anything for "Why" other than some people just choose to. I love meat myself.

Human's aren't biologically designed to eat meat.

My canine teeth and biological need for large amounts of protein disagree with you.

Our canine teeth are not the same teeth that canine's have. They only share a similarity within the name. Canine's have large mouths in addition to razor sharp teeth that we fail to posses.

Which is why cooking our food is so helpful.

Natural carnivores do not cook their meat, likewise humans do not usually consume unprocessed, raw meat because we do not naturally find it appetizing. Since many have grown up eating cooked meat from a young age, its found to be perfectly acceptable from a social standpoint, but our bodies are not biologically created to ingest other animals. We have the ability to eat just about anything, but it does not mean that our physical body is tailored to that style of consumption. A true carnivore sees say a deer for example and salivates at the sight of it because its body is telling itself that it sees fuel. Humans do not salivate at the sight of whole animals; carnivores do because they see fuel that they need to survive. The majority of nutrients in meat lies within blood which again most humans do not consume.Meat also contains large amounts of fats are that lead to clogging our arteries. A misconception is that meat contains vital proteins that we are not receiving, but if eating a balanced diet, one should already be eating more than enough protein through grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Consuming too much protein can cause serious kidney issues that can't be immediately foreseen until later in life.

 

[E-mantheseeker]

no idea, but i didnt climb the top of the food chain to eat rabbit food

Bears, sharks, and many more animals can easily kill and eat humans. I don't think we're at the top of the food chain

*cough*weapons*cough*

True, with a big enough gun I could kill a bear easily. But without guns/tools and knowledge of how to use them, humans lose to many animals. All a bear needs are the claws it was born with, and it could kill and eat 5 humans very easily.

 

[Hader]

Natural carnivores do not cook their meat, likewise humans do not usually consume unprocessed, raw meat because we do not naturally find it appetizing. Since many have grown up eating cooked meat from a young age, its found to be perfectly acceptable from a social standpoint, but our bodies are not biologically created to ingest other animals. We have the ability to eat just about anything, but it does not mean that our physical body is tailored to that style of consumption. A true carnivore sees say a deer for example and salivates at the sight of it because its body is telling itself that it sees fuel. Humans do not salivate at the sight of whole animals; carnivores do because they see fuel that they need to survive. The majority of nutrients in meat lies within blood which again most humans do not consume.Meat also contains large amounts of fats are that lead to clogging our arteries. A misconception is that meat contains vital proteins that we are not receiving, but if eating a balanced diet, one should already be eating more than enough protein through grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Consuming too much protein can cause serious kidney issues that can't be immediately foreseen until later in life.

I am not arguing the health value of meat, I never said it was particularly healthy. But nonetheless, we have the ability to eat meat. Natural carnivores don't cook their meet cause they don't need to, we do.

 

[Canid117]

My canine teeth and biological need for large amounts of protein disagree with you.

Protein can be obtained from plants easily. How do you think the animals that produce the meat they eat get all of the protein that they need to produce it? Also humans are omnivores, that's why we have four canines. Have you counted your molars recently? 20 of them (with premolars). Those are designed for plants not meat.

Most plants that have high protein tend to be labor intensive and short of nuts, the easiest ways our ancestors could get protein was by running a steer off a cliff and roasting it over a fire. And you are correct we are omnivores. You might want to look that up though because it means we were designed to eat plants AND meat. It doesn't take much for my canines to chew through a steak and the molars help too.

Also Captcha is on the fritz. If this works it is only because I have tried posting it over a dozen times. (That is not an exaggeration)

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

no idea, but i didnt climb the top of the food chain to eat rabbit food

Bears, sharks, and many more animals can easily kill and eat humans. I don't think we're at the top of the food chain

Brazilian Wandering spiders and Sydney Funnel Webs, for example, will chase you down if you enter their field of vision, the Wandering spider will sit on a tree branch and drop down on you. They don't eat us, so maybe they do it for the lulz?

O.T... I have seen how cows are killed and prepared, doesn't change the fact that I find Black Angus delicious. I have caught, gutted and cleaned my own fish, still as tasty as before I knew what was inside them. I have chopped the heads off chickens and my stomach still rumbles when I smell it being cooked. I'd be ok with eating dolphin too, especially since how recently they have been shown treating other marine species.

Two types of Vegetarians:

Type one: They choose not to eat meat, but they don?t preach it. They tend not to mind if you do, and are more open as to why. One type one vegetarian I knew was a hunter. Their husband ate the meat, and they loved shooting the animal

Type two: ?MEAT IS MURDURRRR? will typically be yelled at you if you are munching on beef jerky anywhere within a mile of their ire. They have the sense of humor of a brick, and hate any people who like meat. They are annoying, and I dislike them.

I like the Type 1's, I know a few and they don't mind others eating meat. The Type 2's on the other hand, I will do whatever I can to get a rise out them.