How can one consider themselves an animal lover and eat steaks and hamburgers for dinner?

Question

It can't be for health reasons because it's proven that a vegetarian lifestyle is healthier. Is it ignorance? By ignorance I mean being unaware of the abuse and suffering animals go thru before they go on your plate? I'm really curious.

and just because we have been eating meat since the beginning of time does not mean that it was an intelligent decision

I did not mean to offend anyone which I can see from some of your answers.. It was a question I was curious about.. I am very healthy and believe in non-violence:)

Answer 1

what a great question. it is actually impossible to love animals and eat meat; but meat eaters just don't want to acknowledge that so they make up excuses. if meat tasted bad then everyone would think it was inhumane.

Answer 2

Haha, I find it so funny how you think that if we don't agree with your opinion we must be ignorant or hate animals.

I find it especially ironic that you call us ignorant when you blatantly believe not eating meat saves animals from the chop. Bugger off, and get a life.

For one thing, it is not proven that a veggie diet is healthier. That PETA and affiliated propaganda sites say so doesn't make it true. Most of what they say is untrue and it ignores all the plentiful evidence to the contrary of their point of view.
All the 'veggies live longer' studies cannot be trusted as there has not yet been one where meat eating was the only variable. Veggies are far less likely to smoke, drink and are usually more health conscious, and that will obviously affect the results.

Secondly, it is perfectly possible to be an animal lover AND eat meat, all it requires is to not be stupidly over sensitised. Animals die, fact of life, get over it like most of the world has. There are many naturalists who eat meat. In my view a animal lover would always oppose the unnecessary killing of animals, that doesn't mean they should irrationally oppose anything which can cause an animal harm, needed or not. It's a matter of opinion whether you consider food a necessity.

That humans have done it for ever is a VERY good reason. It's evolution. Humans evolved to eat meat in the same way other omnivores and carnivores did. Would you begrudge them the right to eat meat? If you are you're more screwed up than you already appear. Humans bodies have adapted over millions of years to eat meat. There are consequently many more advantages than disadvantages to eating it. Evolution wouldn't create an animal unsuited to it's natural diet.

And one could say that by eating meat, you are respecting nature, as it is much more natural than a veggie diet (of course, they would hate to be a complete git to say it, but hell, they could).

As for the abuse and torment, I quote: "We should, however, consider the animal's fate in the wild. Fish, fowl, mammals and insects in their natural state do not die of old age or go peacefully in their sleep with the family around the bedside; they are generally killed and eaten (not necessarily in that order) by other fish, fowl, mammals or insects. We might assume that such deaths are, on average, more frightening and painful than the swift dispatch they will experience in the slaughterhouse (I will offer no defence here for the slow ritual killings prescribed by certain religious traditions, which can be cruel in the extreme). For a wild animal, to be killed and eaten is natural; for a farm animal, to be slaughtered by humans might be a privilege."

That doesn't quite show my view, but they undoubtedly lead healthier, safer, less stressful lives in captivity than they do in the wild (with the exception of battery farmed chickens).

Again: "As to the quality of life of farm animals, we might compare the relatively stress-free existence of a dairy or beef herd in the field with, say, that of fellow-ruminants the wildebeest browsing the plains of the Serengeti. The former will be well-fed, watered and sheltered from harsh weather; they will also have access to veterinary treatment. The latter will live under constant threat of attack from predators and suffer the hardships of pestilence or drought. The natural death of a wildebeest is invariably savage."

And let's not forget, should everyone stop eating meat, no farmers would keep their stock, and releasing then into the wild would be impossible, so they'd all have to be slaughtered. Is this the final goal of vegetarianism?

Answer 3

Because man has been eating meat since the beginning of man. With today's laws cracking down on inhumane treatment of animals that are provided for consumption no longer are cramped in pens or fields. I love animals but I can separate love from what I need to eat. Growing up on a farm, my grandfather would slaughter one cow and one pig. My grandmother would keep the meats in the chest freezer and that was dinner for the year along with the fruits and vegetables that she canned from the garden. I think that is where city people and small town/country people differ. City people see just about everything as mistreatment to animals. Small town/country/rural people see that as a way of living and meals provided.


Human beings have been programed to eat meat. Only until the last 50 years have vegetarians been telling us meat is bad because the animals got hurt. Go watch the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet and watch a wild animal tear into its dinner.

Here's a question for you....Why do lions, tigers, snakes, bears, dogs, cats, etc eat the meat of other animals? Why aren't they vegetarians? Yes there are some animals out there in this world that eat plants and fruit material, but why do most animals eat meat? The answer....SURVIVAL.

Answer 4

I'm an animal lover and this is the sole reason i became a vegan, i couldn't in my own mind justify eating animals and being an animal lover at the same time, i felt hypocritical, i have nothing against people who eat meat though, it's their decision.

Answer 5

I am an animal lover also. And I eat meat. I was raised in the city like many of us. But if I had a farm, believe you me - I'd have cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese - all on my list for dinner. My in-laws are vegetarians - if that is the case how come they eat turkey, fish and chicken all of the time - hypocritical - I think. Anyway, I love my meat. Your body is MADE of meat - not vegetables.

Answer 6

I am an animal lover and i eat meat. Man has been eating meat since the dawn of civilization. My boyfriend says eat them before they eat you. You can still have great respect for what you are eating even tho you are eating it if that makes any sense. That cow is still going to be raised for dinner no matter if I am a vegetarian or not - you gotta do you best to make sure it has a somewhat decent life while it's here.

Answer 7

I truly doubt anyone has proven that a vegetarian diet is healthier than a balanced diet that includes meat, and as a weight lifter, it almost becomes impossible to eat the proper amount of protein with a purely vegetarian diet... unless all you eat is soy and tofu all day.

Besides, I love to eat...I especially love to eat animals... therefore I am an animal lover.

Answer 8

You may not like eating meat, which is perfectly fine, but animals all over the world have and will till the end of time! Its called the circle of life.

While the vegetarian lifestyle isn't practical for everyone, i think people should eat only meat that was killed humanly. I also think that the Natives had it right... you should use every part of the animal once you have killed it.

Answer 9

It is because humans are omnivore. We as a people eat both meat and vegitation.

Also I refute your clain that vegitarian lifestyle is healthier. I have see a few too many veggies or vegans who are in pathetic health because of the lack of protein in their diet. If you have any real questions and not just pushing your beliefs on others i'd suggest going to a Nurtion class at a local university and learning what all those faces you are not eatting are not doing for you.

Answer 10

I don't think that the people who utter such open statements like that really think before they speak. Do you suppose that they include carnivores? Perhaps the next time you hear someone say they are an animal lover ask them if what they really mean is that they love pets or tame, domesticated animals instead. As for eating only vegetation-- try it yourself next time when you go camping and ask yourself what it is you are feeling when you smell meat cooking on an open fire. Hmm?

Answer 11

I quit eating meat when I saw how animals were treated. Then it made me think about how I rescue animals and what a hypocrite I was for eating meat....I haven't missed eating meat at all. I don't think enough people have seen this:

http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-aninsidelook.html