Are you a Vegetarian?

[moonlightshadow]

[COLOR=SeaGreen][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I'm Vegetarian. Lots of people wonder why? But i ask them 'how could you possibly eat another living creature?!' An animal is a living creature like us! Most people try to put the bible into it but before the great flood animals were never eaten! They were worshiped and loved. But when the great flood struck we were forced to live off of the animals...Which seems highly unlikely, but thats what my friend said. (what-ever) I don't think the story is true i don't think that animals were put on this earth to be eaten either.

I Love being a vegetarian! You feel so healthy knowing you don't hava a dead animal floating in your stomach. I feel so healthy! Plus with me working out everyday i feel great! I actually watched a video in one of my classes showing how some slotter houses tortured there animals before killing them, then stuffing them in unsanutary pins/cages. How can you eat that? Knowing has been tortured and dirty.

If your interested in any of this go to [url]http://www.peta.org[/url] it is the site to go to if you would consider vegetarianism or veganism! I feel great and i suggest people doing it. Think about when eating a hamburger it's probably the cute little cow in that petting farm at the fair you fell in love. Poor Besey :( [/FONT][/COLOR]

[James]

[color=#334366]Nothin' like a good piece o' meat, I say.

Ahem.

On a more serious note, I suppose I'm like most people: omnivorious. That is to say, I can eat both vegetables and meat.

My belief is that human beings are naturally omnivorous. We have canine teeth, which are designed for eating meat, for instance. And it is considered healthy (and important) to have various meat in one's diet. This is why many vegetarians have supplements that make up for the lack of meat in their diet.

Having said that, I don't support torture of animals or keeping animals in harsh conditions. I don't think it's necessary or desirable to treat animals in that way -- I think animals definitely deserve to live in clean, healthy conditions.[/color]

[DoctorCox]

[QUOTE=moonlightshadow][COLOR=SeaGreen][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I'm Vegetarian. Lots of people wonder why? But i ask them 'how could you possibly eat another living creature?!' An animal is a living creature like us! Most people try to put the bible into it but before the great flood animals were never eaten! They were worshiped and loved. But when the great flood struck we were forced to live off of the animals...Which seems highly unlikely, but thats what my friend said. (what-ever) I don't think the story is true i don't think that animals were put on this earth to be eaten either.

I Love being a vegetarian! You feel so healthy knowing you don't hava a dead animal floating in your stomach. I feel so healthy! Plus with me working out everyday i feel great! I actually watched a video in one of my classes showing how some slotter houses tortured there animals before killing them, then stuffing them in unsanutary pins/cages. How can you eat that? Knowing has been tortured and dirty.

If your interested in any of this go to [url]http://www.peta.org[/url] it is the site to go to if you would consider vegetarianism or veganism! I feel great and i suggest people doing it. Think about when eating a hamburger it's probably the cute little cow in that petting farm at the fair you fell in love. Poor Besey :( [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Hi MoonLightShadow. I am not Vegetarian, but my girlfriend of three months is. I'm interested - are you a vegan or a vegetarian?

I used to think Vegetarians were weird, until I met her. She also exercises every day (well, 5-6 times a week).

I'm not feeling urged to become vegetarian because I like the taste of lots of meats. I might possibly at one point become vegetarian for a month or two, because I know she would like it and it isn't too much of a hassle, but I don't have the zeal for animal rights that a lot of vegetarians have.

It is awful the conditions that some feed animals are forced to live in. My g/f showed me an article from PETA about turkeys last Thanksgiving. Awful stuff.

Sidenote: She's actually writing stuff for PETA this summer. Just an interesting tidbit :)

[future girl]

[size=1]I am a picky omnivore. I eat meat, but it's not like I inject ground beef through my veins. I like to think I have a nice and healthy balance of all the food groups in my diet. However, just because I do eat animals doesn't mean I condone animal abuse. I'm very adamantly against that and for the most part I am aware of the conditions my food goes through before eating it.[/size]

[wrist cutter]

I am sure at least three cows/pigs/any other edible animals die for my sake every day. If I don't meet this quota (ie: I'm too full to eat all three), I'll just kill them as a sacrifice to myself. Their bodies will decompose and become food for other animals and the great cycle goes on.

"'how could you possibly eat another living creature?!'"
Ask that grizzly bear who just devoured a hiker. Ask what was going through his mind.

Anyhow, vegetarians can think of me as barbaric or whatever they want. I criticize them too.

[Corey]

[quote name='moonlightshadow']An animal is a living creature like us.[/quote]
[size=1]So are plants. And some of them eat meat. Not only that, but organic farmers fetilize their plants with animal, and in some case human, droppings and composte. So even inadvertantly you're probably eating some remanant of meat.[/size]

[quote name='moonlightshadow']I actually watched a video in one of my classes showing how some slotter houses tortured there animals before killing them, then stuffing them in unsanutary pins/cages.[/quote]
[size=1]I talked this issue over with my best friend. He said that in his opinion "It's just another way of tenderizing. I mean, who would want to eat those animals that are all stringy from startvation anyway. They have to be tender. Those people are just saving expensive chemicals by tossing em against a walll or two."
Even though I don't agree, and I'm pretty sure he was just trying to be funny, I laughed for about an hour. Though I'm sure you dont' find it funny.
As for slaughter hourses mistreating animals, it doesn't particularly matter to me. They all taste the same anyway. It's not ethical, but it's not me doing the mistreatment either.[/size]

[quote name='moonlightshadow']Knowing has been tortured and dirty.[/quote]
[size=1]May I remind you that vegetables are showered in ****, ripped from their homes, wrapped in plastic or shoved in boxes, taken hundreds of miles away, put on display, fondeled by dozens of people, bought, and eventually cut up and digested. I'd call that tourturous and dirty any day of the week.

And if animals weren't made to be eaten, then why are they just so damn easy to domesticate and kill?
If they would have evolved faster than us then we'd be in this predicament instead of them.[/size]

[EVA Unit 100]

I love eating meat. Animals eat other animals in nature, so it is fine for humans to eat meat. However, I you need to eat it responsibly. I eat beef, chicken, lamb, and some seafood, but I would never eat an endangered animal or an animal with high intelligence. Besides, most of the stuff I don't eat probably tastes yucky and isn't healthy. I keep Kosher at home and try to eat Kosher species at resturaunts (though I can't resist a good soft-shell crab), so I think I do a good job keeping my boundaries. So IMO being humane is less about if you eat meat, and more about how you eat it.

[Panda]

I eat meat. I went for many, many years without eating beef after seeing a video on a few of the methods used to slaughter the cattle. Even today I rarely have a hamburger and I can't even remember the last time I ate steak! Pretty much a chicken and fish eater. I am totally against cruelty to animals and believe there are humane ways of processing livestock. But animal cruelty is best left for a different discussion.

I would have to agree with James about teeth. Look at our dentition. We have teeth made for processing certain types of food. We are made to eat a mix of things, including meats and vegetables. For instance cats have teeth made specifically for eating meat. Cats need taurine which is found in meat and they need that essential part of their diet. We have teeth to eat a variety of different things, so I eat both meat and veggies.

[Gravy Train]

Wow, that Bible thing is way off. Even Cain and Abel made animal sacrifices and ate meat. I have no clue where that Noah story about having to survive off of animals came from. They were doing that way before. As for vegeterians, I don't care. However, it really pisses me off when vegeterians or eco-terrorists protest in front of restaurants. This one freak was protesting against cruelty to fish outside of a Red Lobster once. I cannot stand stuff like that. It's fine if you are vegeterian or like animals, just don't bother the rest of us with it.

[Morpheus]

I love meat. Just to feel dominant, a minimum of four animals die each day for my eating pleasure :devil:

Seriously, PETA is retarded. Some of the members have worthy opinions, but for the most part, they are fighting a lost cause. I don't care what video they show me, I'll still enjoy a hamburger while I watch. I like meat, and, unless you cut off my tongue and take away my bodies need for protein, I will eat whatever I want. I really should go to a peta convention, ask a good question to the speaker that he/she has to think about, and then start eating a Big Mac. Right there.

'how could you possibly eat another living creature?!'
Plants being the lifeless things they are ;)

'Most people try to put the bible into it but before the great flood animals were never eaten!'
We have an instinct to eat meat. There never was a great flood.

On a side note, I doubt any cows used for meat will be named Besey. They only process MALE cows.

I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to eat carrots,
Ryan

[Onix]

[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]I have no problem with vegetarianism or veganism. I have eaten entire vegetarian on a few occasions. But I am a carnivore. I can't survive without a stead influx of beef in my diet. Heck, I wouldn't mind a burger right about now. I'm not going to stop eating meat, but I'm not about to stop you either.

Like Gravy Train said, the only vegetarians/vegans I have a problem with are the aggresive ones. You can eat tofu to your heart's content, but I'm not gonna touch the stuff, so stop trying. If I decide I want to eat vegan, I'm going to make that decision on my own. Not with your "help".

Humans are designed to eat meat, grains, veggies, and all the rest. True, you can get your proten from vegetables and soy, but there are a lot more of the essential amino acids in meat than in a bean. We need protein, we need dairy, we need fat, we need carbohydrates. No getting around it. But if you want to take the initiative and cut out meat in favor of tofu, power to you. More work in the long run, really.

-ULX[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[moonlightshadow]

I'm Glad your interested :love: I'm vegetarian, being vegan takes a lot of dedication. You can't have anything meat or dairy. Vegetarianism lets you eat eggs and dairy. On Peta.org though realize that not all of the slaughter houses are like that. Just some. You should watch the KFCruelty video. Ask you girlfriend about it she may know if not go back to peta.org and look it up. I'm glad your interested if you have any other questions just ask i'm happy to answer.
Thanks.

[Morpheus]

Answer me this:
What is the point of being a Vegan/Vegetarian?

[Juu]

[QUOTE=Morpheus]Answer me this:
What is the point of being a Vegan/Vegetarian?[/QUOTE]

[size=1]I didn't realize there was a difference. Would somebody mind explaining? x.x;[/size]

[Panda]

Here is some information from the International Vegetarian Union (IVU):

[u]Vegan:[/u] excludes animal flesh (meat, poultry, fish and seafood), animal products (eggs and dairy), and usually excludes honey and the wearing and use of animal products (leather, silk, wool, lanolin, gelatin...).

The major vegan societies all disallow honey, but some "vegans" still use it. Some "vegans" also refuse to eat yeast products.

[u]Dietary Vegan: [/u]follows a vegan diet, but doesn't necessarily try and exclude non-food uses of animals.

[u]Vegetarian:[/u] For the purpose of membership of IVU, vegetarianism includes veganism and is defined as the practice of not eating meat, poultry or fish or their by-products, with or without the use of dairy products or eggs.

Often broken down further into OVO-LACTO, and LACTO. Vegetarians may or may not try and minimize their non food use of animals like vegans.

[u]Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian:[/u] same as VEGAN, but also eats eggs and milk products. This is the most 'popular' form of Vegetarianism.

[u]Lacto Vegetarian:[/u] Same as VEGAN, but also eats milk products.

[u]Veggie[/u] -- Shortened nick-name for a VEGETARIAN; often includes VEGANs.

[u]Strict vegetarian:[/u] originally meant vegan, now can mean vegan or vegetarian.

[u]Semi-Vegetarian:[/u] Eats less meat than average person. See also PSEUDO-VEGETARIAN.

[u]Pseudo-Vegetarian:[/u] Claims to be vegetarian, but isn't. Often used by VEGETARIANS to describe SEMI-VEGETARIANs, and PESCETARIANs.

[u]Pescetarian:[/u] Similar to VEGETARIAN, but also consumes fish. (often is a person avoiding factory-farming techniques...) See also PSEUDO-VEGETARIAN.

[u]Fruitarian:[/u] Same as VEGAN, but only eats foods that don't kill the plant (apples can be picked without killing plant, carrots cannot).

[u]Vegetable Consumer:[/u] Means anyone who consumes vegetables. Not necessarily a VEGETARIAN.

[u]Herbivore:[/u] Mainly eats grass or plants. Not necessarily a VEGETARIAN.

[u]Plant-Eater:[/u] Mainly eats plants. Not necessarily a VEGETARIAN.

[u]Nonmeat-Eater:[/u] Does not eat meat. Most definitions do not consider fish, fowl or seafood to be meat. Animal fats and oils, bonemeal and skin are not considered meat.

[u]Kosher:[/u] Made according to a complex set of Jewish dietary laws. Does not imply VEGAN in any case. Does not imply OVO-LACTO VEGETARIAN in any case. Even KOSHER products containing milk products may contain some types of animals which are not considered 'meat'.

[u]Pareve/Parve:[/u] One category in KOSHER dietary laws. Made without meat or milk products or their derivatives. Eggs and true fish are pareve, shellfish are not.

[u]Nondairy:[/u] Does not have enough percentage of milkfat to be called dairy. May actually contain milk or milk derivatives.

[u]Nonmeat:[/u] Made without meat. May include eggs, milk, cheese. Sometimes even included animal fats, seafood, fish, fowl.

Hope that helps give more information about all the groups, subgroups and definitions. I am sure there are probably more groups but at least you have a list to start looking at.

[Box Hoy]

Alot of people in this thread have said things about eating meat is part of our instincts and I agree. We are omnivores by nature. You may have taken the role of a vegetarian but we were created as omnivores. So basiclly the only reason you're a vegetarian is becuase we are a unique animal with the ability to reason. Otherwise you would be eating meat like most of us now.
[quote name='moonlightshadow'] i don't think that animals were put on this earth to be eaten either.[/quote]
Alright, let's take a predator like the lion for instance. It's a carnivore and eats animals. Without meat some speices would starve. Do you realize that you're saying that carnivores on this planet were put here intentionally to starve. I doubt it.

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]Before I start, apologies for covering any points that have already been made. I am just popping in quickly here ~_^

Iron [Fe] is what carries the Oxygen in your blood, which as you all should know, is the most vital component of life blah blah blah. And Iron is found in meat. Sure you can take vitamin supplements, and I'm sure that there are a few vegetables which may have some Iron in them...but to be quite blunt, Iron exists primarily in meat. So it should be eaten. Humans also have two types of teeth...the front kind being canines, which are designed primarily for ripping and tearing that delicious meat into swallowable chunks. The other kind, molars, are designed for grinding up them stringy vegetable innards.

As for animals not being eaten before the Great Flood, assuming such an event ever actually occurred, I think thats unlikely, lol. But hey, if you prefer to believe in the Bible, thats your choice. But if they were forced to eat animals on the Ark, how could two of everything survive, and [b]what did the herbivorous animals eat to survive[/b], lol. Come on, expand your mind.

And as an Aussie, there is nothing like lamb chops on the 'barbie', mate.

Does anyone else find it shocking how the animals are killed in them vile 'slotter' houses, before being jammed into 'unsanutary' cages? I mean, the poor dead creatures!

Peta people are completely rational by the way, for any detractors on that front ;)[/size]

[satan665]

[quote name='EVA Unit 100']I love eating meat. Animals eat other animals in nature, so it is fine for humans to eat meat. However, I you need to eat it responsibly. I eat beef, chicken, lamb, and some seafood, but I would never eat an endangered animal or an animal with high intelligence. Besides, most of the stuff I don't eat probably tastes yucky and isn't healthy. I keep Kosher at home and try to eat Kosher species at resturaunts (though I can't resist a good soft-shell crab), so I think I do a good job keeping my boundaries. So IMO being humane is less about if you eat meat, and more about how you eat it.[/quote]

Wow you are totally in the dark about this sort of thing.

I try not to get too mixed up in Vegetarian debates, but obviously I'm not very successful. The biggest issues really are vegetarians who don't think animals are supposed to be eaten. Philosophically that can be true depending on the person, but naturally we are pretty much designed to eat meat and plants.

Why do vegetarians eat thing that look/taste like meat?

Well we usually grew up eating meat and miss the taste of things. If you just want to avoid contributing to abuse of animals in slaughterhouses, then it totally makes sense to eat meat substitutes.

What the hell, your wearing leather shoes!

Well, you look at how hard vegans have to live in order to avoid animal products and have to make some choices. If you totally avoid all animal products you ave to pretty much devote yourself to veganism and worry about it 24/7. Since converting to vegetarian isn't truly going to affect the world much, its more of a personal thing where it makes you feel better about what you're doing. In a way its a selfish cause, even if its a just one.

My biggest problem is vegetarians who are really preachy. Based on what I just said, it makes little sense to me to try and convert people, at the most share a little information if someones interested. I used to respect PETA, but they've gotten really weird lately and extreme in a not so effective or useful way.


"the point" of being vegetarian for me is to make me feel better about myself. I know a lot about messed up things that go on in many places across the world where animals are raised for food. I don't want to contribute to it, so avoid eating meat altogether. Hunting for food is fine, and free range well treated animals are fine, but I still don't eat them cause I've gotten used to no meat.

Also I think that the dumb dumb I eat meat every second and touch myself in the mirror while the juice drips down my chest people can be more defensive than most vegetarians. (Sorry, I felt I was being too nice)

[Pumpkin]

[QUOTE=Panda]I eat meat. I went for many, many years without eating beef after seeing a video on a few of the methods used to slaughter the cattle. Even today I rarely have a hamburger and I can't even remember the last time I ate steak! Pretty much a chicken and fish eater. I am totally against cruelty to animals and believe there are humane ways of processing livestock. But animal cruelty is best left for a different discussion.

I would have to agree with James about teeth. Look at our dentition. We have teeth made for processing certain types of food. We are made to eat a mix of things, including meats and vegetables. For instance cats have teeth made specifically for eating meat. Cats need taurine which is found in meat and they need that essential part of their diet. We have teeth to eat a variety of different things, so I eat both meat and veggies.[/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1] I use to be a vegetarian. My friend got me into it. I know plenty of them. But I started eating meat again this year. Only thing I will not touch is Cow and Pig? why? I don't know, I got sick eating beef one time and haven't touched it since. Plus I feel bad but I don't feel sorry for chickens and turkeys all too much. So that is the only meat I'll eat. What does that make me exactly? Have no idea. Anyways I don't think its right when vegetarians try and force their opinions on other people, yeah you can tell people about it, but you can't change everyones mind. And no I didn't feel any healthier not eating meat. Sorry, but really I didn't. I feel the same as I do now. I feel healthier now that I'm not eating hotdogs all the time. That is always not healthy. But like stated before, vegetables are dirty too. If your referring to the bible, what do you think adam and eve ate after he took the bite of that apple? Meat. Animals. Thats how god made us. So that part I really don't understand. enlighten me. [/SIZE]

[Morpheus]

I know everyone will call me cold, but I really don't care what happens to my meat before I eat it. I'm not for torturing animals, but I don't care. THEY ARE GOING TO DIE. We kill them fast. Who cares what happens in between as long as my meat isn't affected?

On the subject of things that look like meat, Why in the hell do Vegetarians eat tofu that looks like meat? Just eat the frickin meat. Do you actually think you not buying the 25 pounds of beef a year families eat will do any good? The market always changes, so they slaghter every available cow for market. You are just depriving yourself.

[DBZgirl88]

[COLOR=#004a6f][QUOTE=James][COLOR=#334366]I suppose I'm like most people: omnivorious. That is to say, I can eat both vegetables and meat.

My belief is that human beings are naturally omnivorous. We have canine teeth, which are designed for eating meat, for instance. And it is considered healthy (and important) to have various meat in one's diet. This is why many vegetarians have supplements that make up for the lack of meat in their diet.

Having said that, I don't support torture of animals or keeping animals in harsh conditions. I don't think it's necessary or desirable to treat animals in that way -- I think animals definitely deserve to live in clean, healthy conditions.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]I pretty much agree with this statement. Humans are omnivores, so it's natural and healthy for us to eat meat. Animals in the wild eat other animals, why should we be an exception?

But, because we are intelligent beings, we can try to make it less painful for the animal being killed. Muslims and Jews eat Halal and Kosher meat only, meaning the animals was slaughtered properly; its throat cut quickly with a sharp knife, bringing on almost instant unconciousness. Meanwhile, Lions can eat Zebras while they're still alive?

My brother and I were once discussing vegetarianism, and noticed something. You don't see it occuring in regions where poverty and famine occur (unless maybe it's for some religious reason). It's funny how people in privledged countries can take the healthy and important food (like meat) that's available to them for granted, choose not to eat it, and simply replace it with "supplements".[/COLOR]

[satan665]

[QUOTE=Morpheus]I know everyone will call me cold, but I really don't care what happens to my meat before I eat it. I'm not for torturing animals, but I don't care. THEY ARE GOING TO DIE. We kill them fast. Who cares what happens in between as long as my meat isn't affected?

On the subject of things that look like meat, Why in the hell do Vegetarians eat tofu that looks like meat? Just eat the frickin meat. Do you actually think you not buying the 25 pounds of beef a year families eat will do any good? The market always changes, so they slaghter every available cow for market. You are just depriving yourself.[/QUOTE]


Read my post two up from yours and you will find that I predicted your oh so intelligent question and pre-answered it for you. Next time I'll try to include some smaller words if that will help.

[Morpheus]

[quote name='satan665']Read my post two up from yours and you will find that I predicted your oh so intelligent question and pre-answered it for you. Next time I'll try to include some smaller words if that will help.[/quote]
I know why that they eat something that looks like meat. I want to know why they eat tofu instead of a better substitute like Mushrooms.

Edit: That did get a little out of hand.

[Panda]

satan665 and Morpheus, let's keep this discussion civil. There is no need to insult the intellegence of the other. I would hate to see this interesting discussion turn into a flame war.

Now back on topic: I find many vegetarian receipes very tasty. I enjoy eatting tofu and see nothing wrong with it. Tofu is yummy in my opinion! Gardenburgers and Boca Burgers are good as well. I don't think I could ever go vegan since I enjoy eating fish and poultry.

I am not sure why Pumpkin quoted my other post since I never said anything about the Bible. I only agreed with James about our teeth. We have teeth for both meat and veggies. That can easily be see by looking in the mirror and smiling. I am also not vegetarian as I stated in that quoted post. I guess I need clarification on if that post was directed at me or not.

[Pumpkin]

[QUOTE=Panda]satan665 and Morpheus, let's keep this discussion civil. There is no need to insult the intellegence of the other. I would hate to see this interesting discussion turn into a flame war.

Now back on topic: I find many vegetarian receipes very tasty. I enjoy eatting tofu and see nothing wrong with it. Tofu is yummy in my opinion! Gardenburgers and Boca Burgers are good as well. I don't think I could ever go vegan since I enjoy eating fish and poultry.

I am not sure why Pumpkin quoted my other post since I never said anything about the Bible. I only agreed with James about our teeth. We have teeth for both meat and veggies. That can easily be see by looking in the mirror and smiling. I am also not vegetarian as I stated in that quoted post. I guess I need clarification on if that post was directed at me or not.[/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1] Bah! no way it wasn't directed at you. I only said the thing about the bible because in the original post it stated "If you read the bible, it says not to eat meat" so it was directed to the original person who created this thread. About mentioning your post, It was the one with all the definitions of different kinds of vegetarians. I was curious what I would be considered since I only eat Turkey and Chicken. hehe. A "Light-meat" eater. I suppose. [/SIZE]