Vegeterians, can you tell me why you are vegetarians?

Answer 1

My reasons are compassion, respect for nature and health. My heart and gratitude go out to veg*ns, etc., and to anyone who is even considering a single meal without animal products. Of course vegetarians get plenty of protein from plant sources. It is unfortunate in this country we (myself included) have been taught otherwise. I have had some support. I started mostly because of the overwhelming scientific evidence that repeatedly supports a veg diet to reduce or prevent so many common diseases. My story is more common than most realize: My father died of a heart attack when he was 48. I was 13 with 2 younger siblings and my mom had to do it all. I have also heard insults and ridicule. I have heard many religion-based and other types of comments that say animals don't suffer and/or that animals are here for whatever we humans want to do with them. To me, that seems over-simplified, pro-human and without compassion. Although I am human, I try to practice compassion and respect for all nature. Of course I still impact nature, but I try everyday to remind myself of my values and my commitment to them. I am 45 and have been a vegetarian for about 25 years, and a vegan for about 15 or so (And of course I eat flavorful food, get plenty of high quality plant protein, and have a cholesterol level of 136! They are not guarantees, of course, just benefits along the way.) I send you the best of wishes!!

Answer 2

This is pretty much what I tell everyone:


1) The thought of eating a corpse makes me nauseous.
2) I don't enjoy raping Mother Nature.
3) I love my dogs.
4) Factory farming conditions are appalling.
5) Karma.
6) Every 3 seconds a child dies of starvation.
7) An acre of land yields 165 lbs of beef or 20,000 lbs of potatoes.
8) Vegetarians have a 20% lower mortality rate than the rest of the population (i.e. live longer, get sick less often).
9) It takes a small person to beat a defenseless animal, and an even smaller person to eat one.
10) And... because vegetarians make better lovers.

Answer 3

I went vegetarian when I learned that if America alone cut it's alcohol and beef (just beef not all animals) consumption in half we could end world hunger with the remaining grain.

It takes 22 pounds of grain to produce one pound of edible beef. 5000 gallons of water.

Tell me, how stupid is that? We deprive an entire village of food and water so we can have one lousy burger.

The factory farm industry treats God's beloved creatures as if they can't feel. I read an interview with a former factory farm worker where he said some of these terrified and turtured animals are still live when their hides are torn off and their bellies ripped open.

How can anyone accept such a thing as normal?

Factory farms are the number one thing destroying this planet. Each year America kills 1 and 2/3s the population of the entire planet in cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys.

There are huge restrictions on human waste dumped back into our rivers and oceans. But no such restrictions on the billions of tons of animal waste which is destroying eco-systems and killing off entire species of animals.

Americans consume about 110 pounds of beef a year. But close to 600 pounds of dairy a year. Milk and cheese. There are 10 cows out there suffering every day for people who consume milk and cheese. And at the end of their 6 year lives they are sold for beef. So vegetarians who say they are vegetarians because they reject animal cruelty - are still contributing to the cruelty. The real "happy cow" will live for 20 or so years. Dairy cows must be repeatedly impregnated to continue milk production. Female calves become like their mothers. Male calves become veal. So if you're a milk drinker or a cheese eater who protests veal, you're still contributing.

Vegan living is the healthiest way of living. Vegans have less diabetes, less heart disease, less cancer and live an average of 6 to 10 years longer than their meat eating counter parts.

Answer 4

I'd be glad too, with everything going on with the meat today i'm not exactly sure how healthy it is even if it does say grade a or grade b. The way they slaughter them too! I can't go to a fair and look in a cow's eyes and then that night sit down to a steak dinner that's hypocrisy. While we have teeth that allow us to eat meat i choose not to because of the way the animals are killed and well it's been proven to be healthier on a veggie-veg diet. But for you meat eaters that's your thang you do it.

Answer 5

From the very childhood days I have been habituated with the vegeterian food habits. I tried many times to take non-veg items. But I just don't like them......live long my vegetables..!!

Answer 6

I am Buddhist, believe in Karma, believe in respect for other creatures (eating vegetables for me is compromise, I can't live of pure light and air, but I still believe they deserve respect as living species).
In time I developed an allergy to red meat, and I took it as a great chance to become vegetarian.

Answer 7

I am the top most animal lover there ever was.Plus I even watch the Animal Planet.I can't stand people eat meat

Answer 8

I want to do my best to not contribute to the suffering of the world, therefor I've chosen a vegan lifestyle.

To get an idea of just some of the suffering animals endure, please glance at this site;

http://www.meat.org.uk/slaught.html

I also recommend everyone read "Slaughterhouse" by Gail Eisnitz.

Answer 9

I am a raw Vegan,, and I feel super great,, i only need like 5 hours of sleep now,, i feel i have a lot of energy now,, but im not like bored,, plus im not supporting animal neglect,,

Answer 10

@ Max Marie, that's utter rubbish, all of it.

"I went vegetarian when I learned that if America alone cut it's alcohol and beef (just beef not all animals) consumption in half we could end world hunger with the remaining grain."

Untrue, sompletely untrue, and I'll explain why later.

"It takes 22 pounds of grain to produce one pound of edible beef. 5000 gallons of water."

What about cows which are grass fed, they don't use any grain?

I quote anyway

"This estimate is based on the false assumption that beef cattle are fed grain diets from birth to market weight. According to the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) 1999 Animal Agriculture and Global Food Supply Report, an average of 2.6 pounds of grain is used to produce a pound of beef in developed countries and 0.3 lb. in developing countries. Animals don’t steal grains destined for the world’s hungry; instead they consume large amounts of feedstuffs not suitable for human consumption. This includes forage from marginal land that can’t be cultivated for human foods and food processors’ byproducts such as citrus pulp brewers’ grains, almond hulls and tomato pomace. The soybean product fed to cattle is a meal made of the bean flakes, which remain after the soy oil is extracted for human consumption. In addition, corn fed to cattle is feed corn grown specifically for use as livestock feed and of lower quality than corn grown for human consumption."

Now, not eating animals wouldn't be able to solve world hunger, even though more food could be grown on that land.
The thing is there is already enough food to feed the world several times over, and huge amounts go to waste every day. The reason world hunger exists is that the people in famine struck countries can't afford to buy the food.
Of course, I hear you say, that's rubbish because it food were going to waste we would just give it to them on the cheap at no loss to ourselves! But no, because giving a country free food would destroy their economy. You have to understand that in LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries) the food industry is the major industry, employing the most people.
If there was suddenly loads of free food around, yea there'd be no hunger, but people would stop buying food from their own food industry, which would lose a lot of money, many jobs would be lost if people didn't buy from their native industry, and the worlds poorest countries would promptly get poorer with the loss of their biggest employer and money maker.

" I read an interview with a former factory farm worker where he said some of these terrified and turtured animals are still live when their hides are torn off and their bellies ripped open."

I'm going to guess that was on veggie website/magasine, etc. These places aren't exactly known for their balanced arguments.
Some places treat animals very badly, but the vast majority don't.

"Factory farms are the number one thing destroying this planet. Each year America kills 1 and 2/3s the population of the entire planet in cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys."

How's that destroying the planet?

"Vegan living is the healthiest way of living. Vegans have less diabetes, less heart disease, less cancer and live an average of 6 to 10 years longer than their meat eating counter parts."


The problem with the classic vegetarians are healtheir statistics is that they aren't very reliable. For example look at longevity.

Yes, veggies are more likely to live longer, but their not eating meat isn't the only variable: veggies are less likely to smoke, eat junk food, binge drink and generally take more care of their diet and health; this makes it very hard to show the relationship meat has on longevity. No study as yet has managed to properly eliminate all the variables, but the ones that have taken this into account have shown little difference between meat eaters and vegetarians.
Also don't forget vegetarians are mostly women, who have a life expectancy which is quite a few years longer than men anyway.
It also depends how the data is measured; if done by death rate veggies get the upper hand as they are, on average, younger, and thus will have a lower death rate than the average of the rest of the pop. regardless of diet.
These things can all easily be countered to make data reliable, but many studies saying veggies live longer ignore at least one of these things, making them flawed and worthless, not that that'll bother some people.

Similar things can be said of cancer and other disease meat is supposed to cause. When these factors are taken into account there is generally very little difference if any.