Why would you want to be Vegan?

Question

See I understand the whole veggie thing with cruelty to animals etc (although I'm not one myself), but why vegan? Is it for the same reasons? Are you not concerned for your own health? After all, we were designed to eat meat, that's why we have incisors, and as far as I'm aware, vegans have to take supplements to ensure they get enough vitamins and minerals. This is a genuine question btw, not a lame excuse to start an argument!

Answer 1

the banter about malnourished vegans is actually a bit of an urban myth - i'm a vegetarian who never gets ill and ceratinly doesn't look underfed (i wish!) and my dad is a vegan who is the picture of health - these days there are so many different products that make dairy produce unnecessary, if that's your choice. and there are many sources of protein other than dairy - nuts, seeds, soya, tofu etc.
if you've always eaten meat and dairy i understand that it must seem that taking them away leaves nothing but vegetables, but actually it opens you up to a whole world of other foods - meat, fish and dairy are a teeny percentage of the foods available to us to eat.
as for the 'we're meant to eat meat' thing - as it happens, our teeth are not really not true meat-eaters teeth - if you compare them to a true carnivore - a dog or cat, for instance, you'll see that our teeth are nowhere near as sharp and are better designed for tearing and grinding of vegetable matter. also, in nature, carnivores have a very short intestinal tract so the meat doesn't have time to rot inside - herbivores have a long tract to break down the vegetable matter - we have a long tract..
finally - for lots of people it's about health and about the way dairy animals are treated - ultimately it's just personal choice - you're free to be a meatie and i'm free to be a veggie - it's a good question.

Answer 2

It is a matter of choice, everyone has a right to choose how they want to live! There are many people who would rather not eat meat, but still use eggs, milk, and cheeses. I myself am vegetarian, I hate all kinds of meat and prefer not to eat it if I can avoid it at all costs. There are some who would rather not eat any animal product as in vegan due to the cruel ways that the product is gathered, for example honey, vegans do not eat it because the bees are held captive and forced to produce honey! The milk is taken by machines from cows and they are in pain and agony from the machines drying their nipples. There are some religions that do not allow certain types of foods, so there are many reasons why they can be vegan, but that is the point, they CAN be a vegan. That is the way they CHOOSE to live their life and no one can say that they are wrong, though it takes a lot of label reading, they are quite healthy. I hope that this helps you understand a little better!

Answer 3

"Are you not concerned for your own health? After all, we were designed to eat meat, that's why we have incisors"
we only have 2 inscisors so there not good for eating meat they're nothing compared to a maeteaters like a cats
if you eat a balanced diet and eat all the right food groups being vegan is actually really healthy and you dont need to take vitamins if you eat right

the reasons im trying to go vegan are that its really cruel to cows they are pregnant like evry year artifically and they dont get to keep thier babie for more than a day and they are forced to produce lots more milk than they normally would

but its a lot better for the world "Ten hectares of land will provide enough meat to feed only two people compared to providing enough maize for 10 people, grain for 24 people or soya for 61 people " viva website

goldfish person animals in the wild dont lock other animals in cages and feed them chemicals nor do they rip up the earth and make other animals starve to feed them
we do

we knopw youre not trying to start an argument thanx nor am i

Answer 4

i'm veggie, and don't use any products that require the animal to die. So I don't wear leather etc. (I mention this because people often cite this as being a diference between veggies an vegans. Personally I don't see any moral difference in eating or wearing meat.)

We have vegans that stay in our veggie B&B and I often ask this question, because, being veggie, I'm genuinely interested. However, I don't think I've had a real reply yet.

The last person I asked why he didn't eat eggs, thinking he was going to say something about battery farms. But he said " I don't consider eggs to be part of the food chain". So that doesn't really tell me anything other than he doesn't eat eggs, which I already know.

Its not obvious to me that vegans take suppliments, i don't think they need to and its just an insult spread by some narrowminded people.

I guess because we use eggs from our own chickens and milk from our own cow, the cruelty arguement is less applicable to me. Although drinking supermarket milk or eating eggs would bother me. Have you seen a carousel milking machine ?, have you seen the farms where Sainsbury's "Free Range Hens" are kept. It staggeringly cruel

Answer 5

best for you :-) As for eating out.. i've got no longer 'ate out' in years, lol. So no suggestion for you there. Snacks? Nature Valley Peanut Butter Bars or some thing.. nuts, rice tarts, any fruit or vegetable, Triscuits, Wheat Thins... I devour a great form of cereal. With almond milk of direction. Thomas Cinnamon Swirl bagels are truly good. Earth stability is tremendously plenty a staple for any vegan. i'm too lazy to think of of extra, :-P you will desire to inspect Peta's by twist of destiny Vegan record. And continuously Google something you're uncertain approximately... tremendously organic flavors! i develop into eating Chex mixture for the longest time earlier i found out it ought to no longer be vegan :-( i'm hoping a number of this permits.

Answer 6

I don't really understand why it's so "extreme" to want to respect all life. We are not required to use animal products for proper health Vegans do not have to take supplements (although it is recommended). B12 is the only thing Vegans cant get but it's fortified in many Vegan foods.
Your incisors are a joke, look at a dogs teeth, compare them to yours. It's no contest.
Eating a low-fat, whole-foods, plant based diet is healthy as any diet known to man. This is proven in a great many scientific studies.

Answer 7

When have you used those incisors to rip open a raw dead animal and eat it hair, bones, and all? Cats, dogs, skunks and genuine meat eaters eat half rotten stuff that would kill you or I. We aren't designed as true carnivores. I am aware of health issues and am ongoing in my efforts to eat as best as I can. Are you concerned enough about your health to cut out sugar, white flour and caffiene? It's an ongoing process. Read, read, read.

Answer 8

I knew a vegan once, amazingly enough she was quite large and didn't look like thinning out any time soon. Really I think it's a sort of extremism, like vegetarianism gone nuts; there's no reason not to eat honey, the bees don't care (even remote tribes in the jungle eat honey, don't think any of them are gonna be stupid enough to refuse an easy bit of energy), and to not eat sugar simply because of some part of the manufacturing process is scraping the bottom of the barrel. What's more, I heard that some of the meat alternatives can be bad for you if eaten in excess, things such as tofu. Yup, doesn't matter what you eat these days you're still gonna die! Might as well enjoy every meal because you won't be enjoying anything once you're dead. :-)

Answer 9

i am a veggie , and would like to become a vegan. people believe that the milk cows produce is for there baby's , not for us humans , and of course cheese and other dairy products mostly come from milk. so that's why vegans think it is cruel and don't see the point as there is substitute options !

Answer 10

I'm not vegan, but I don't eat dairy products as they make me snotty and give me sore throats and stomach ache and lots of other symptoms I'ld really rather aviod. So I do! But I like chocolate and ice cream sometimes, though I usually regret it.