Why do people become vegans?

Question

Being a vegetarian, i stopped eating meat because i think its
mean and slightly revolting. but i dont see why some pple choose to go the extra mile and stop eating dairy products all together i mean why have such a strict diet? i would be so hungry w/o PIZZA!!

In response to sobrien's answer: you are obviously a very ignorant and absent minded person for choosing to call me 'retarded'. just because we are at the so called 'top of the food chain' doesn't mean that we need meat to survive. and I'm NOT anemic..thank you very much! I am actually a rather intelligent person who finds other ways to properly consume protein. And you didn't even answer my quesion in any way, shape or form.

In response to 'outlaw2737': that was "really cute" what you added at the end....real cute. NOT. =)

Answer 1

I am not a vegan... but I understand why people are. It's not that producing milk hurts a cow, or that laying an egg hurts a chicken. Instead... it's that the INDUSTRIES that create these products are so horrendously cruel to the animals in their care. For example... the dairy industry is closely linked to the veal industry. For those unfamiliar... veal is produced by placing a newborn calf in a 22" box for some ungodly length of time... MONTHS... until it is slaughtered. It is fed nothing but milk. It cannot turn around or even stand up. If it did... it would develop too much muscle, making the meat not so tender. Veal is a direct byproduct of the dairy industry. To keep cows producing milk, they need to be occasionally pregnant or their milk would dry up (or dry up to a point it wasn't producing enough to meet industry standards). So these cows are impregnated, then their calves taken away and put into veal crates. That is why vegans (or at least a lot of vegans) don't eat dairy.

As for eggs, have you SEEN how egg farms house their chickens? Shoulder to shoulder, standing room only, standing on wires all day with 4ft piles of crap underneath them. You can smell a chicken farm from a mile away. Once the hens have outlived their usefulness, before age two generally, they are shipped off to the slaughterhouse to be turned into someone's next meal. They live their entire lives unable to turn around without running into another chicken, unable to roost in any natural way and often pecked to death by other birds. I used to live near an egg farm and I remember EVERY day, seeing the huge PILE of dead birds outside the buildings. It was disgusting.

Anyway... I do eat dairy and eggs. But I hate the industries I'm supporting by doing so. SO... I got a couple of laying hens. :) Now I have my own eggs from chickens that have free run of my huge backyard. There are also "cage-free" eggs sold in most supermarkets these days. They're more expensive than "regular" eggs, but they're getting cheaper. Safeway in my area has a brand called Naturally Nested that is only 2.59/dozen... that's over a dollar cheaper than some of the others. As for milk... if I could find a respectable family farm who did not sell their calves into the veal industry, I'd buy all my milk from them. Until then... I don't have much choice... I can't fit a cow in my backyard. :(

Answer 2

People become vegans because of Health issues or Animal rights. I am against Factory Farming however, I do eat meats from a Natural and Organic Farmer and local farmer. I have one two towns away. I have doctors orders to eat meats for the Iron. I am anemic so I need to listen to my doctor Plus, I eat more fruits and veggies and whole grains and Organic dairy.

Answer 3

Because,i don't feel the need to eat dairy products.It is crazy how much animal by-products are used in food.There are so many processed foods that contain animal by-products,its disgusting to me,I want to know what i'm eating. Before I was vegan I didn't know that when I was eating skittles and starburst I was eating part of an animal.
frosted mini wheats have gelatin also.So many processed foods have animal by-products in them,i just stay away from processed foods because they have ingredients that I cant even pronounce,I like to know what I am eating.The other day I bought these little juice drinks.I thought they were vegan friendly but they had D3.here are some hidden animal ingredients i bet you didn't know what you are eating

L'cysteine hydrochloride (E920): manufactured from animal hair and chicken feathers, or synthetically from coal tar. Use/s: shampoo, improving agent for white flour

rennet: extract of calf stomach. Contains the enzyme renin which clots milk. Use/s: cheese making, junkets

sodium 5'-inosinate: occurs naturally in muscle. Prepared from fish waste. Use/s: flavor enhancer

vitamin A (retinol): derived from fish liver oil or egg yolk. Use/s: cosmetics, food supplement

D3 (cholecalciferol): vitamin derived from lanolin or fish oil. Use/s: vitamin and food supplements

gelatin: jelly obtained by boiling animal tissues (skin, tendons, ligaments etc) or bones. Use/s: confectionery, biscuits, capsules, jellies, photographic film, match heads

glycerin/glycerol (E422): clear, colourless liquid which may be derived from animal fats, synthesised from propylene or from fermentation of sugars. Use/s: solvent for flavours, texture improver, humectant

isinglass: very pure form of gelatin obtained from the air bladders of some freshwater fishes, especially the sturgeon. Use/s: clarifying alcoholic drinks, jellies

oleoic oil: liquid obtained from pressed tallow. Use/s: margarines

pepsin: enzyme found in gastric juices. Use/s: cheese making

its not hard to find vegan shoes or cosmetics either.It may seem a little "extreme" to be vegan but its not.it can be difficult at times i guess though. If I liked milk and cheese and eggs i would probably only buy organic dairy anyways,I wouldn't want milk from cows that have been given hormones to make them fatter and produce more milk.I didn't become vegan because of animal rights,but now I am against factory farming.that is something I definetly can't support.unless you buy organic dairy you are still supporting factory farms.

Answer 4

I think some people are becoming vegans because it's the "cool" thing to do right now. I totally agree that not eating dairy products is too strict. It doesn't harm the animals in any way (cows are actually uncomfortable with a full udder) .

Answer 5

Well, they think that eating any type of product from an animal is wrong. This includes dairy. I used to be a vegetarian but now the only meat I eat is chicken, fish, and turkey.

Answer 6

I don't know either I've been a vegetarian for the past 4 years (since i was 11)

Answer 7

some people dont believe in preganting cows just for our luxury. Also, milk creates mucus and phlem in the body. As far as eggs goes, there are many different reasons. Nothing in the way of health

Answer 8

Allot of negative responses to being a vegan. First of all, I don't like drinking breast milk from a cow. Cow's breast milk is intended for a "COW" not a human. If you want to drink breast milk, drink human breast milk. Probably better for you since we are "HUMANS". Now onto the chicken embryos. When a chicken has it's period, it passes an egg, sound familiar? Human women do this, except with chickens, we gather up there periods, and fry them up for breakfast. Not very appetizing for me. But if you like it, well just don't mention it either way.

Answer 9

well i am vegan, and i would recommend you to search the internet for websites that explain why , for example, milk is bad ; or how terrible the life of chikens is before the are actually beaten to death.
And ofcoarse check out peta2.com- there is a lot of discussions on this subject.

Answer 10

they just feel good about not eating meat, and if they are not going to eat meat why eat meat products, and most vegans are animal rights activist, if you don't want animals to get hurt you must stay from from animal products