Why are you vegetarian?

[PurpleRain]

So, obviously, this is aimed at vegetarians on the site, however anyone can discuss. I'm curious to know why you have given up meat?

I find it to be a trend for a lot of people who think it's cool then eat canned vegetables for a week and get sick. This is not vegetarianism.

Was it for political or health reasons? Was it environmental or for fair treatment purposes? They are all valued reasons.

I myself started to turn because I can't agree with the meat industry, turning a profit over killing animals. Eventually I saw how harming supporting these industries are, not to your own health but to the environment. The amount of damage it is producing on the Earth stops at no end. Then I saw the health reasons lastly and found how it really is so much better for me not to eat meat and take care of my body.

Now for fasting on meat for so long, I no long find it appealing. I never thought it would have this effect on me. The smell of bacon actually no longer is enticing. People complain how vegetarians rear back at the smell of meat and I finally understand why.

EDIT

I find a lot of people are bringing up the whole: 'People are silly if they stop eating meat only to save the fluffy animals' and all I have to say to that is:
'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!' There is a lot more harming and ongoing effects that are damaging to the world of which we live in. We can stop and change this for the better.

 

[El Poncho]

My friend said it was healthier but then I said but you eat alot of junk food so it kind of contradicts itself. She obviously had other reasons but that one wasn't much on her side.(she has never had meat in her life, her parents raised her a vege)

 

[Radeonx]

Actually, eating meat isn't THAT much unhealthier than being a vegetarian. If you exercise a decent amount, you can eat some meat, and if you still eat vegetables, live a fairly healthy lifestyle.
That's what I do, at least.

Anyways, one of my friends became a vegetarian because she didn't like the fact that animals died for her food. Eventually, she realized that her logic didn't particularly make sense, and became a meat eater again.

 

[PurpleRain]

My friend said it was healthier but then I said but you eat alot of junk food so it kind of contradicts itself. She obviously had other reasons but that one wasn't much on her side.(she has never had meat in her life, her parents raised her a vege)

It does seem odd that someone looking after their health is so destructive to themselves. People only need a spoonful of salt a day but most companies (I'm looking at you fast food) put more then that in one sitting. Point is, I would like to fast without sugar in my diet and see if it produces the same results, that being I get turned off it for good.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

i could never be a vegatarian. I don't understand them, I love meat. "We hate eating living beings!" Is a terrible argument, we don't know if plants are sentient. Maybe the copper in their structure has memory storing/sorting capacity. So I don't understand the logic of being a vegatarian, unless it has to do with a medical condition.

 

[PurpleRain]

Actually, eating meat isn't THAT much unhealthier than being a vegetarian. If you exercise a decent amount, you can eat some meat, and if you still eat vegetables, live a fairly healthy lifestyle.
That's what I do, at least.

Anyways, one of my friends became a vegetarian because she didn't like the fact that animals died for her food. Eventually, she realized that her logic didn't particularly make sense, and became a meat eater again.

Sort of like the vege for a week claim. People don't turn vegetarian for a single reason. The meat thing is true though. But in all fact, you only need a very small amount if you want to maintain a balanced and healthy diet. Most people do cram down more meat then they need.

 

[PurpleRain]

i could never be a vegatarian. I don't understand them, I love meat. "We hate eating living beings!" Is a terrible argument, we don't know if plants are sentient. Maybe the copper in their structure has memory storing/sorting capacity. So I don't understand the logic of being a vegatarian, unless it has to do with a medical condition.

Political
Environmental (is a major major one here)
Health

 

[atol]

Plants are living things too.
You know what is destructive to the environment? Farm lands. More vegetarians causes people to eat more to compensate, causing the need for more farm land, and causes indirect hurting of the wildlife.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

i could never be a vegatarian. I don't understand them, I love meat. "We hate eating living beings!" Is a terrible argument, we don't know if plants are sentient. Maybe the copper in their structure has memory storing/sorting capacity. So I don't understand the logic of being a vegatarian, unless it has to do with a medical condition.

Political
Environmental (is a major major one here)
Health

I can understand political and health, but environmental? Eating excess plants is worse for the environment, those plants are heliping to filter carbon dioxide into oxygen, why would you increase the consumption of that resource? To increase its production rates and thus have us grow more? That's basically the only sense I can get out of it...

 

[SimpleChimp]

My buddy is a vegetarian out of principle. He doesn't think its right that they have to take a life for his food (and in such a harsh way) but if he orders something and it has meat in it (like he didn't know the meat was in it) he will eat the meat instead of throwing it away, because he believes that it would be worse to knowingly throw away that meat and thus waste it.

I dono, he explains it better.

 

[PrinceoN]

I myself started to turn because I can't agree with the meat industry, turning a profit over killing animals. Eventually I saw how harming supporting these industries are, not to your own health but to the environment. The amount of damage it is producing on the Earth stops at no end. Then I saw the health reasons lastly and found how it really is so much better for me not to eat meat and take care of my body.

but your fine with companies turning a profit over killing living plants? And killing plants that provide us with Oxygen (as well as other things like shade) that take in Carbon Dioxide isnt bad as well? I'd say it would be better to kill off the CO2 producing animals then it would be to kill of the O2 producing plants.

Also, if it was bad for us to eat meat, why do we have teeth that are specifically designed for the tearing of meat?

I would get it if people just didn't like the taste of meat, I would get it if being a vegetarian was cheaper, but humans are omnivores, as well as plants being living things as well. We are designed to eat both meats and plants. And life can only be sustained by the taking of other life, be it plants or animals.

EDIT: Also, someone else posted about the circle of life. And it's true. Animals eat other animals, just like animals eat plants (and in rare cases, plants eat animals). Are you going to teach a captivated lion to eat tofu just because the meat it was fed was brought in from a cow farm?

 

[andrat]

Personally, I love my meat. I don't understand it, I don't try to.

But my buddy had to give something up for Lent, as a requirement for some retreat he was going on. So he decided to give up meat. He said he didn't miss meat that much, and was debating going Veg. To this day he still eats meat, so all is well.

 

[Lord George]

I respect those who are vegetarian truly because they believe in its principles even if I don't agree with it.

But those people who do it just to be cool and eco exasperate and annoy me greatly.

 

[El Poncho]

I know a few vegetarian chicks, and they're both relatively healthy and happy, so whatever.

I myself am mostly carnivore, and I would rather eat human flesh than give up dead animals.

Spoiler

I guess this would be your motto then?

 

[cleverlymadeup]

well as someone who's worked in the "meat industry" as it were, they aren't that evil. yes they do kill the animals but well it's natural cause we'd kill it anyways. and for the most part it's not the local farmer where most of your meat comes from that is tearing down huge forests, it's companies like mcdonald's

as for being a vegetarian, i never could be one of those cause i like meat too much it's way to tasty

my mom is one but it's because she has issues digesting meat, it gives her a headache and makes her sick. so she eats only vegetables.

the thing about most vegetarians is they don't eat correctly, they eat lots of crap cause "they aren't having meat" or they don't get the protein and other such stuff they need. the funny part is a bunch of vegetarians i know are fat and over weight

 

[badgersprite]

Human rights reasons. Something like 90% of grain produced goes to feeding livestock for meat, which I think is a wasteful cycle, because all that excess could be given to the poor peoples of the world to solve global hunger. Also, because I live in Australia, I think that the damage done to the environment and native animals by irrigation and grazing land is especially pertinent.