Vegetarians

[Anonymous]

I've been a vegetarian since I was 18 (now 40). I echo the same reasons that others have mentioned. My husband, who is not a vegetarian, and I are raising our children as vegetarians. I've told them that at some point, they will need to make a decision for themselves whether to remain veg. Both kids claim they want to stay vegetarian, but if anyone folds, I bet it's my son

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is one. She went on a trip through camp to a farm where there were chickens and she was upset at how they were treated. She thought about it for a good 8 or 9 months before announcing her vegetarianism.

I am not one. It's a huge pain in the ass for me.

right? It shouldn't be though. If we all went vegetarian at once, the options in this country would be amazing and all the vegetarian food would be amazing and available. Like in India. Ok everyone, go.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a total vegetarian - I eat meat (any flesh from an animal) maybe 2x a month.

I would feel more comfortable about eating meat if the animals were treated well, lived good lives before being killed. But I know that is not par the course for most animals being bred as food.

Also, it doesn't keep my digestive system happy. Plants move through my system more smoothly, which I love.

I do like the taste of meat occasionally - and while I admit I can't give it up entirely, I do not make it a regular part of my diet.

I run, I lift weights, I've lost fat and built muscle on a mostly plant-based diet. I feel energized, healthy, and strong - there's no reason I need to eat more meat.

[Anonymous]

I'm vegetarian because meat doesn't taste good.

[Anonymous]

My H is vegetarian because he was raised Hindu. He is a much, much better cook than I, so my diet pretty much is vegetarian too. He wanted our son to be vegetarian, which is fine with me. I occasionally eat chicken and seafood if we are out, but I don't miss it. There is so much delicious veggie food...especially Indian food!

[Anonymous]

I'm a vegetarian bc I'm an animal lover and meat is very resource intensive to grow - a PP has posted a graphic on page 1 to illustrate.

[Anonymous]

1. Animal compassion. I don't think it's "wrong" per se to eat meat, but the way "we" do it is usually factory farming, and that is appalling on every level. Complete cruelty, a horrible life from start to finish for the animals. I have friends who are up in arms about the Chinese eating dogs, or any case of pet cruelty, but through willful ignorance they consume factory farmed meat left and right. I don't distinguish between pets and farm animals.

2. Ecologically unsustainable. The consequences of meat production on the current scale are significant. Pretty terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you eat?

I find this question odd, but I'll bite. I've been veg for 20 years (half my life). I do eat some dairy and eggs, though I try to limit it for health and ethical reasons--so cheese, eggs, yogurt a few times a week. I eat a lot of produce. Proteins/fats like beans, nuts and seeds (chia, hemp, sunflower) and resulting products (butters), tofu here and there. High protein "grains" like amaranth, quinoa. Mostly a "whole" or "clean" diet, but I also eat some limited processed foods like bread, baked goods, etc.

[Anonymous]

I'm vegetarian because it's so inexpensive to be one. I can feed my family excellently for peanuts, so it's just not worth it for me to start spending on meat. The money saved is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you eat?

Pastas, bread, rice, vegetables, beans, lentils, cookies, fruit, salads, nuts, brownies, oatmeal, soups, stews, etc.

Is it really that hard to come up with food ideas that don't include meat??

[Anonymous]

Ethical concerns, environmental concerns, and health reasons. (It does appear that eating fish or poultry once in a while can be healthy, but I choose not to do so for the first two reasons).

Our whole family is vegetarian. Our kids are teenagers (and one is a serious athlete). Although no one cooks meat in the house, they are free to eat whatever they want when they're out. So far they are both still completely vegetarian.

Given how hard it is to avoid the gory details about US factory farming, I think a more interesting question is why so many people haven't cut back on meat consumption at all.

[Anonymous]

I'm a vegetarian because I'm vain and don't want to get fat.

Also, I read the book Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz, which was disgusting and horrifying, and remembering the hideous facts about how the animals are treated on factory farms and in the slaughter process has been enough to keep me properly veggie for over a decade. So, I'm healthy and pretty, AND I am not contributing to an industry that is abusive to animals. Win/win!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why? Because I want to be.

My reasons for not eating meat? Why do I need a reason? Why do you eat meat?

I have been a vegetarian since I was 16 years old. This is my response every time someone asks me why I don't eat meat. I ask them why they CHOOSE to eat meat. 98% of the time, the person struggles to come up with an answer. The other 2%? "Because it tastes good". (eye roll). My vegetarian cooking is better tasting than any meat! Try again.

because when I became a vegetarian at 16 I became extremely anemic and was horribly horribly tired ALL THE TIME and gained a lot of weight as a result. Plant based iron is much harder for humans to absorb in adequate quantities than heme iron. There are certain vitamins and minerals only found in meat. My naturopath encourages me to eat quality and responsibly sourced meat so I can get adequate protein that isn't full of starch and simple sugars as well as iron because even at 43 I'm still fighting the weight and anemia that started when I became a vegetarian at 16. It ruined my metabolism permanently. I went to a nutritionist at that time but she knew almost nothing about vegetarianism. Luckily a 16 yr old now would have access to better info than I did. Still rolling your eyes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you eat?

Pastas, bread, rice, vegetables, beans, lentils, cookies, fruit, salads, nuts, brownies, oatmeal, soups, stews, etc.

Is it really that hard to come up with food ideas that don't include meat??

anyone can stop eating meat but maintaining adequate nutrition is much easier said than done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why? Because I want to be.

My reasons for not eating meat? Why do I need a reason? Why do you eat meat?

I have been a vegetarian since I was 16 years old. This is my response every time someone asks me why I don't eat meat. I ask them why they CHOOSE to eat meat. 98% of the time, the person struggles to come up with an answer. The other 2%? "Because it tastes good". (eye roll). My vegetarian cooking is better tasting than any meat! Try again.

because when I became a vegetarian at 16 I became extremely anemic and was horribly horribly tired ALL THE TIME and gained a lot of weight as a result. Plant based iron is much harder for humans to absorb in adequate quantities than heme iron. There are certain vitamins and minerals only found in meat. My naturopath encourages me to eat quality and responsibly sourced meat so I can get adequate protein that isn't full of starch and simple sugars as well as iron because even at 43 I'm still fighting the weight and anemia that started when I became a vegetarian at 16. It ruined my metabolism permanently. I went to a nutritionist at that time but she knew almost nothing about vegetarianism. Luckily a 16 yr old now would have access to better info than I did. Still rolling your eyes?

I'm rolling my eyes because there is no scientific literature to prove what you're saying about plant based iron. There is no scientific or health-based reason to eat animal products.