Vegetarianism/ Veganism

[Hypnos]

I'm vegetarian since late Semptember and I feel pretty good with it. Since my country is pretty backwater being vegetarian or vegan isn't very welcome, but I don't really care. It's hard to be vegetarian where I live, because you can forget about things like tofu or soy-meat.

But I like it anyway, even though I'll probably have to give up soon. (A culinary student can't be picky...)

Also, my aunt recently turned "vegetarian" (she's still hesitating) and I can't help but cringe when she tells me what was for dinner at her house.

[Bex]

I am an omnivore for both moral and medical reasons. If I attempted a meat-free diet I would slowly die and call me selfish, but I prefer to live.

 

I 100% support people who choose to be vegan, but I am 100% against organized anti-animal hate groups such as PETA and ALF and the lies, terrorism, and anti-animal messages they actively support.

 

I also 100% agree that factory-farming is inhumane and support local sources of animal products as much as possible.

 

I love animals more than anyone else I know, but I still eat meat.

[DustyBelle]

I am not into veganism. I have nothing against it, but I really don't like most of the substitutes I have tried for meat protein, dairy, eggs and cheeses.

 

Chocolate is not allowed in a vegan diet? Why?

[Tazzay]

Chocolate is not allowed in a vegan diet?  Why?

Because chocolate has milk and eggs in it.

Edited March 9, 2014 by Tazzay

[Fuzzbucket]

I am an omnivore for both moral and medical reasons. If I attempted a meat-free diet I would slowly die and call me selfish, but I prefer to live.

Why would you say that ? Unless you have a rare medical condition, it is simply not true. Unless you just mean that every last person on this earth is dying slowly - well, that's part of living and includen you whatever you eat !

 

I am not vegetarian for bacon and steak reasons, but the rest of my family are, and all are perfectly healthy. In better health than most people. That includes my grandchildren, veggie from birth, who are growing up wonderfully well - one is a teenager already. (And yes, they are allowed to decide for themselves and yes their mother - veggie for 35 years now - would cook meat for them and so on. They both prefer to stay veggie.)

[MoonShark]

Because chocolate has milk and eggs in it.

Chocolate, in its most basic form, does not have eggs in it (and as far as I know, most other chocolates also don't have eggs, at least not the kind I eat), but it does have sugar and milk, with the latter being the problem. Or, if it is made with honey instead of milk, that's an issue too. However, there is vegan chocolate available in many stores, especially all-natural ones, and it's good.

 

 

My philosophy regarding food is organic is better, local is awesome, and if you would kill it yourself, eat it. Which is why I am a pescatarian, rather than vegetarian - fish (in moderation) is a good way to get protein, and I am more than willing to catch and prepare a fish if necessary.

 

A cow, on the other hand, or a pig... I couldn't kill it. So I don't eat it. And if I ever reached a point where I could go back to eating meat, I would eat local, farm-raised meat.

 

That said, I don't get into major arguments with people who do or don't eat meat. A lot of people at my school are vegetarians or vegans, and we've had some terrible email wars surrounding the vegetarian club, the presence of meat in the dining hall, and the carnivore club, which someone suggested half as a joke and resulted in probably the worst argument I've seen here. In my opinion, if you have specific reasons for eating or not eating meat, then that is your business, not someone else's. You can explain it to them, but don't try to force it on them.

[ShinyTomato]

Why would you say that ? Unless you have a rare medical condition, it is simply not true. Unless you just mean that every last person on this earth is dying slowly - well, that's part of living and includen you whatever you eat !

 

I am not vegetarian for bacon and steak reasons, but the rest of my family are, and all are perfectly healthy. In better health than most people. That includes my grandchildren, veggie from birth, who are growing up wonderfully well - one is a teenager already. (And yes, they are allowed to decide for themselves and yes their mother - veggie for 35 years now - would cook meat for them and so on. They both prefer to stay veggie.)

There are people who are unable to be vegetarian due to inabilities to process various things.

[Fuzzbucket]

There are people who are unable to be vegetarian due to inabilities to process various things.

I'm only aware of cats, but coming from you - fair enough !

[ShinyTomato]

I'm only aware of cats, but coming from you - fair enough !

Anyone on dialysis, for example. More rarely, some people have extreme difficulty digesting vegetables and fruits in anything above a minuscule amount, leading to vomiting, sweating, and laxitive use, or in rare cases, surgery. Personally, I'm allergic to most main vegetarian sources of protein

[sparkle10184]

Anyone on dialysis, for example. More rarely, some people have extreme difficulty digesting vegetables and fruits in anything above a minuscule amount, leading to vomiting, sweating, and laxitive use, or in rare cases, surgery. Personally, I'm allergic to most main vegetarian sources of protein

Not sure how true it is, but I read an article online that it is possible for someone with a chronic kidney disease/dialysis patient to be a vegetarian.

here it is: http://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/diet-...-disease/e/5346

I honestly don't know much about kidney disease though, so the info might be incorrect.

[pudding]

Why would you say that ? Unless you have a rare medical condition, it is simply not true. Unless you just mean that every last person on this earth is dying slowly - well, that's part of living and includen you whatever you eat !

 

I am not vegetarian for bacon and steak reasons, but the rest of my family are, and all are perfectly healthy. In better health than most people. That includes my grandchildren, veggie from birth, who are growing up wonderfully well - one is a teenager already. (And yes, they are allowed to decide for themselves and yes their mother - veggie for 35 years now - would cook meat for them and so on. They both prefer to stay veggie.)

Well, actually, I have a blood disease that prevents me from becoming vegetarian or vegan. Not that I want to in the first place but I need to consume a lot of iron from red meat and iron supplements make me nauseous and throw up. There is iron in vegetables but the amount that I need is more easily satisfied with liver and oysters. Trying to fit my blood disease into a vegetarian diet would be a waste of money and, considering I tried it before and passed out, not very helpful. I'd rather eat meat than have my organs fail and wind up in the ER again.

[AnanoKimi]

I'm alright with people being vegeterian as long as they respect the ones that aren't. I have heard so many stories of different vegetarian groups that have disrespected and insulted my friends. It's been quite annoying.

 

I've had a vegan friend and he was extremely nice and we got along so well. My ex on the other hand once got his tray of food get knocked out of his hand by some rowdy vegetarians. I do not agree with some of the ideology behind it, but if it makes you happy and you respect others then do as you like. :3 Just don't make faces or try to change my mind about not eating my meat.

[Tazzay]

Honestly, no one should care what other people eat, and nor should anyone insult or shout at those that eat something different from them.

 

It's like tearing someone's shirt off because you don't wear it or don't like it.

[AnanoKimi]

Honestly, no one should care what other people eat, and nor should anyone insult or shout at those that eat something different from them.

 

It's like tearing someone's shirt off because you don't wear it or don't like it.

Exactly. I dilike vegetarians/vegans that go out of their way to impose their belief that eating meat is wrong or what not to the point where they can even get agressive and harmful. They make people who are vegetarian for the health benefits, medical benefits, or simply for the choice of it look bad.

 

Be respectful of others and do not insult them for their life choices. If I like meat, I like meat. Knocking my food to the ground will only get you severely bruised and a sobbing mess on the ground. I won't knock your veggies off the table and shout "Meat FOREVER!" so don't knock my food to the ground and shout "meat is MURDER!"

 

I can't eat just veggies though. I mean I love my celery, but hold a piece of bacon infront of me and that celery does not exist. Too good to resist. I try to have a balance but I find it hard to prepare vegetable in a tasty way. I like flavor but Ihate strong flavors that overwhelm things. I would love tips on preparing vegetables in a tasty way because I need to add more veggies to my diet before I blow up like a balloon and end up having to roll to places rather than walk.

[Tazzay]

I'm semi-vegetarian because of health reasons. I can't eat red meat, or I become ill and unable to keep anything down until it is out of my system....white meat (like chicken and fish) I can eat, since it is lighter and not as tough.

 

Although if I could I would most definitely eat red meat, it tastes great and is high in protein. However i'm not, so I have to satisfy my meat cravings with what I can eat. I've always loved vegetables and fruit, and I will agree AnanoKimi, it is sometimes hard to find ways to eat more veggies rather than the fattening stuff

 

I find vegetarian lasagne to be the easiest way to get in a decent amount of veggies, as the cheese, pasta and sauce drowns out the flavour of them (but you'd have to put up with the texture), and I can put it down without turning my nose up at it.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Tazzay

[Infinis]

I am genuinely curious about something.

 

Veganism, as I understand it, is a way to avoid harming or killing animals, so vegans remove all animal products from their diets. However, not all animal products involved the death of an animal. Milking animals doesn't hurt them. Taking the eggs from a hen doesn't hurt the hen (and iirc those eggs aren't fertilized, either).

 

So why do vegans remove /all/ animal products from their diets, even the ones where animals aren't harmed? I'm having a hard time understanding that.

 

Honestly, no one should care what other people eat, and nor should anyone insult or shout at those that eat something different from them.

 

It's like tearing someone's shirt off because you don't wear it or don't like it.

 

This attitude could actually solve a lot of problems. If people would get their abnormally large noses out of everyone's private choices like what they eat the world would be a much less problematic place.

 

For the record, I don't actually care what people eat. I'll have my chickens and salmons and you all can have your spinach and synthetic chocolate. Just don't make me suffer your spinach and I won't make you suffer salmon fillets. v:

[Shienvien]

Veganism, as I understand it, is a way to avoid harming or killing animals, so vegans remove all animal products from their diets. However, not all animal products involved the death of an animal. Milking animals doesn't hurt them. Taking the eggs from a hen doesn't hurt the hen (and iirc those eggs aren't fertilized, either).

 

Avoiding harming animals would mean cutting out most vegetarian food, too... Anything grown in a field? Innumerable little critters die every year from that, just because the machinery hacks them to pieces. That is leaving out pesticides and the fact that monocultures make poor living conditions.

 

 

I think milk and eggs are largely removed due to battery-farms being not the best for the animals involved, and because chicken stop laying eggs / cows milking reliably long, long before the ends of their natural lives.

[TikindiDragon]

So why do vegans remove /all/ animal products from their diets, even the ones where animals aren't harmed? I'm having a hard time understanding that.

Not Vegan (or even vegetarian) but I can explain this one a little:

 

While the basic theory of things like eggs are not inherantly harmful to the animal, many vegans take issue with modern intensive farming practises - such as battery hens. Intensive farming practices often *are* harmful to the animals, and the vegan chooses to remove all producs with the potential to have been produced that way from the diet.

 

FYI milk is a bit of a borderline one. Cows only produce milk in large quantities if they've had a calf. Buuuut, if the calf is drinking the milk the people aren't. So the calves are often removed from the cows at very young ages (and depending on the particular farm may simply be culled, or reared seperately for beef). Vegans, again, find this cruel. Which is why dairy is excluded.

 

Personally I think most of the ethical issues can be avoided by being careful about where you scource your animal products from - in my case it is often the local farm shop (which reminds me, I need to go get some stuff for dinner) where I *know* nothing is kept in a battery fashion, and also what happens to the calves when they're taken from their mothers.

 

Unfortunately the reason peple do keep sticking their noses into what other people are doing is ethics. To people that feel strongly enough there is no difference between preventing animal cruelty and preventing child cruelty. So in very much the same way people have campaigned against smacking because they feel it's ethically wrong people campaign against killing animals for food. The people that *don't* have an ehtical problem with it are, of course, merely confused but the people that do.

[RadiantSunsets]

I'm not a vegetarian myself, but there are people at my school who are and I am respectful of their choices. It's kinda irritating when they don't respect me back and make rude comments about anybody who eats meat.

[MURDERcomplexx]

Anyone on dialysis, for example. More rarely, some people have extreme difficulty digesting vegetables and fruits in anything above a minuscule amount, leading to vomiting, sweating, and laxitive use, or in rare cases, surgery. Personally, I'm allergic to most main vegetarian sources of protein

People who are anemic can also have the issue with not eating meat. Red meat especially is really important in the diet of anyone who is anemic, or borderline anemic, because they get sick without enough protein.

 

Unrelated, but a lot of vegan diets are also super expensive, and idk about anybody else, but my broke self can't afford that stuff lmao.

[dragongrrl]

I spent about 20 years as a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and finally have returned to eating some meat in the last 5 years, but I do consider the source. I raise my own chickens for eggs, and look for local organic and humane sources when I buy meat. Apart from my beloved Tillamook cheese, all my dairy is local organics.

 

However, when I was vegetarian, I ended up working for a couple of years with one group of generally ignorant clods who treated me as though I was some rabid vegan looking down on them for their choices. They heard the word vegetarian and made so many wrong assumptions about it - well, I didn't miss them when they moved on. (The people who replaced them were much nicer, great to work with too, carnivores, omnivores, vegetarians and vegans, without any issues around the meals! <3) The old group was never nice about it, actually extremely insulting, and never bothered to find out what I actually did eat when planning group meals. There was always a veggie tray, but with the one food I'm severely allergic to mixed with everything else, and a meat and cheese platter with all the preservative-riddled meat jumbled over the cheese. I usually just ate the bread, then went home and cooked a big spaghetti dinner, or Mexican food or stir-fry with rice, or whatever. There wasn't anything I could say to any of them about it, so I didn't even try.

 

A vegetarian diet is as rich and varied as any omnivore diet, and I never had issues with anemia in the vegetarian years, like I did when I was a child eating an omnivore diet. I never had any problems balancing proteins, but some of the hardcore vegan theories didn't take food history or genetic backgrounds into account, and these things do make a difference in how well some of us adapt to certain foods. Beans or lentils combined with grains are at the core of most classic world cuisines, and if you keep that in view, it is easy to eat inexpensive healthy and balanced meals. However, GMOs are doing really nasty things to people and our source foods, animal and vegetable alike.

 

I guess I did look down on the clods past a point, not because of their food choices, but because of their generally arrogant and ignorant behavior.

[AnanoKimi]

People who are anemic can also have the issue with not eating meat. Red meat especially is really important in the diet of anyone who is anemic, or borderline anemic, because they get sick without enough protein.

 

Unrelated, but a lot of vegan diets are also super expensive, and idk about anybody else, but my broke self can't afford that stuff lmao.

That too I know some super markets where veggies and produce are over all cheap but they seem... kinda nasty. Growing your own is a hassle if you have little time, and going somewhere specifically for the freshest produce is expensive as heck.

[KoalaNoob]

For a while, I considered switching to vegetarian, but ultimately decided not to. I still eat mostly fruit and veggies, though.

[sparkle10184]

People who are anemic can also have the issue with not eating meat. Red meat especially is really important in the diet of anyone who is anemic, or borderline anemic, because they get sick without enough protein.

But not always! I know someone who is anemic and she is a vegan <3 She takes supplements and eats lots of dark, leafy greens.

[JavaTigress]

I am an Omnivore, I guess. I admit, I like my fruits and veggies, but i certainly don't think i could be a vegetarian... like my meat a little too well... much less a vegan ( Would be VERY hard to give up the milk and cheese). Don't get me wrong, i am not judging those who do go veggie, I just couldn't do it, myself.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Silverswift