vegetarian or vegan?

Question

i am going to try to become a vegetarian....or vegan. i cant decide which one, and i dont really know if it is cruel for cows and chickens the way they collect milk and eggs....im leaning more towards vegan, but is it cruel?

Answer 1

Yes, all animals that are USED for food (or to produce something like milk and eggs) are treated as objects. The people that "care" for them are just concerned with profits.
Animals used to produce milk and eggs are suffer more and are kept alive longer than those raised for flesh.
http://meat.org
Cows are bred to produce unnatural volumes of milk, so whether they are treated well or not, they are trapped in bodies that are deformed with teats that swell beyond reason and may drag on the ground and lead to infection. Chickens? Chickens are the most abused animals on the planet.

A path towards veganism is the complete path. Vegetarianism should always just be a part of that transition, whether it lasts a few months or a few years.

There have been vegan Olympic gold medalists and a vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Lewis
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML_(Draft).htm

Here are some more veg people:
http://www.mikemahler.com/index.html
http://www.vegetarianbodybuilder.com/index2.html
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bios
http://www.andreascahling.com/andreas-about
http://www.billpearl.com/career.asp
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-23-27/Salim-Stoudamire-Runs-on-Broccoli.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Danzig
http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php
http://www.nfl.com/players/rickywilliams/profile?id=WIL271115
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/raceresults/index.html

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If you want to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, the transition should be quite simple. Almost all meats have widely available commercial replacements. All that you have to do is replace any flesh in your diet (beef, pork, poultry, seafood) with meat analogs or just leave it out altogether.

You should keep in mind that a journey such as this can be quite short but should just be the beginning of a longer one to a plant-based diet with no animal products. This is because of the reality of factory farming in which animals that are kept alive to produce milk, eggs, etc suffer much more and longer than animals that are raised to a certain weight and then slaughtered.http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://meat.org
Some people use the word "vegan" in reference to this idea, but be aware that applying that label to yourself should always come with the inclusion of wise activism and advocacy.http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/index.html
Two extremely important examples of this are that you should never speak to someone about vegetarianism/veganism without their consent and genuine interest or as a comment on what they are eating AND your dietary beliefs should never be used as an introduction or explanation of who you are as a person. Veg*ism should be something that comes up AFTER people get to know you and they offer you a situation that makes it confusing to withhold the information/discussion. Also, if you are presented something that you choose not to eat or you are
ordering food/eating together somewhere/picking the best place to eat.

When you you hold off on the subject until it's necessary and then act like it isn't a big deal at all, people are usually surprised and WAY more interested and curious than if you were to bring it up when someone's eating or just using it as a conversation starter.

A responsible vegan ALWAYS studies the subject of their own health and how to keep their body completely provided for in every sense. http://www.veganhealth.org/sh
To neglect their body is to define a plant-based diet as unhealthy and is the opposite of helping the animals.

Just to clear things up, the vegetarian/vegan diet is not composed of salads, vegetables, fruit and fake meat. Fruits and vegetables are always important but they DO NOT make up the largest portion of any healthy diet.
A balanced plant-based diet includes grains(breads, pasta, rice,cereal), legumes(soy, beans, peas, lentils), fruit and vegetables.
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_groups.html
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/eating.html
Being vegan can be an art, one whose challenge is to take things that involve the suffering of the innocent and change them into something free of cruelty.

A vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.

Technically the term "vegetarian" does imply that you don't consume anything that comes from the body of an animal that requires killing it. Many ingredients such as gelatin and glycerin are found in many candies, Fig-Newtons, and many of other foods as well as rennet found in many cheeses.
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html
The best thing to remember is to take your time so that for example: when you are comfortable not eating beef and pork you can then give up chicken when you are sure you can make the commitment permanently.
Depending on your age or reliance on parents or regional options, it may not be best to give yourself a label. The important thing is to do your best to make progress and be committed to your compassion towards animals. Never put your focus onto what you or other people use to describe yourself.

If you meet someone that talks down to people for eating meat, dairy, etc or to you because they think they are "more veg" than you, laugh in their face and tell them they are a disgrace to the entire philosophy. People like this only hurt the idea of veg*ism AND the animals. The point of all of this is to live compassionately and and as free from cruelty as you can, all the while maintaining your health and a positive attitude. People who don't maintain either, need not open their mouths and represent our beliefs.

If you actually choose to read all of this, I hope it helps. If not, feel free to e-mail me if you have questions.

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I'm vegan and these are some of my favorite things to eat:

Breakfast: bananas, cream of wheat with brown sugar and soy butter, cereal, pancakes or french toast with real maple syrup, vegan "sausage" patties, smoothies.

Snack: BRUSSEL SPROUTS =) no joke

Lunch: vegan "sausage" sandwiches, sandwiches with vegan deli slices(Tofurkey is the only one that's kinda funky), fruit, dinner leftovers, couscous salad, vegan sushi, potato or pasta salad.

Dinner: sloppy joes, "sausage" and gravy with homemade biscuits, Spaghetti and Trader Joe's "meatballs" or TVP, lasagna, Thai pad see ew, pad khi mao(drunkard's noodles), pad prig king, tofu+eggplant with basil sauce, yellow thai curry with tofu or vegan chikn and veggies and jasmine rice, Indian dal with homemade roti or dosai, channa masala, aloo gobi, vegetable or minestrone soup, pizza, STEAMED "PORK" BUNS with potstickers or spring rolls, sweet&sour/orange/lemon chikn, vegan pho or wonton soup, baked tofu, BBQ homemade seitan (tastes like BBQ'd ribs), kabobs

I use these sites to find recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com
http://vegweb.com
http://www.recipezaar.com

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There is a Japanese analogy/proverb that goes like this, "The nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down". People are like this everywhere. When you tell your family that it is your personal belief that animals should not be eaten, they take a look at themselves and it can be subconsciously translated into, "What you do is wrong and I choose to be right."

Your parents have probably been taught a huge amount of misinformation by their parents and their teachers while growing up. You really need to research vegetarian diets and health before you even think about saying the "V-word" in front of your parents or anyone else.

When you have gathered enough information and feel confident in a vegetarian diet's ability to maintain or even improve health, you may mention to them that you have made the decision. They may be shocked, angry, worried, curious or many other things, but you must NEVER react to their behavior and always stay calm. If they are able to speak to you and respect your choice, please tell them everything and answer all questions. If they are rude, inconsiderate, judgmental, violent, or verbally abusive, refuse to continue any conversation until they can speak to you with respect.

The best advice is to study everything that you can about a healthy vegetarian diet and keep yourself in good shape (better than most people your age or than your friends/family if possible). If nobody that you know shows a genuine, positive interest in your choice, don't give them the privilege of the knowledge that you have gathered. Work your way around any attempts they make to trivialize your beliefs and if possible, go shopping with your parents and buy things that aren't obvious veggie fare. Instead of trying to sneak fake meat into the cart, toss in lentil soup, peanut butter, pasta, fruits & veggies or anything else that you have learned is needed to fill any gaps in your diet.

Answer 2

Like some of the others have stated go slow with becoming a veggie so you'll have more of a success at it. If your are a vegetarian who also eats dairy products including eggs then you are an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Dairy only would make you a lacto vegetarian, which is what I am at this point. I tried eating the free range eggs thinking this would be fine because I believed these chickens were treated better, not so. If I can get use to the taste of soy milk and other vegan dairy products I will use those as well. I truly do not want anything to have to suffer for my existence. Is the abuse and inhumane treatment really necessary, come on!

Answer 3

I would't jump head first into either choice immediately if you are currently eating meat. Start slow and cut out the animal products little by little. When I became a vegetarian the first thing I got rid of was red meat. When I got used to that, then I stopped eating chicken and pork. A week later I stopped eating seafood and was completely meat free. Now that I am a vegetarian I have cut eggs out of my diet, and now I'm replacing cow's milk with rice milk.

Just take it slow and change your diet at your own pace.

Most importantly, do lots of research and find out which nutrients may be lacking in your new diet. Drink a vitamin fortified rice, soy, or almond milk once or twice a day for B12, Calcium, and Vitamin D. Sometimes Vegetarians/vegans have low iodine levels (if you live in the U.S. then salt is iodized and this is no problem) which can be fixed by eating kelp, or low iron levels (if you eat spinach you should be fine). I would also recommend taking a multi-vitamin supplement if you're not sure how to create a balanced veggie meal plan.

As for eggs and milk being cruel, yes, laying hens suffer some of the worst abuses of factory farming (milk cows don't have it easy, either). Buying free-range cage-free eggs is a step in the right direction until you decide to stop eating eggs alltogether.

Good luck, and I hope this helps you.

Answer 4

I say none of the above. Milk does a body good. Try to bake w/out eggs and you have a disaster. Meat is yummy, and I only hate lima and butter beans. I have a balance diet. That is the way to go...In my opinion, I have nothing against vegans or vegetarians.
P.S. What is up w/ all the 'recruiting' that people do in this section. Some of you are giving dissertations on why meat is murder. Easy, guys. Put down the celery stalk, and back away slowly...

Answer 5

Being a vegan is a very difficult thing to do. milk and egg products are in almost every baked good, and soy foods are very expensive. If your willing to give up alot of foods, go for it! Certain brands of milk and eggs arn't cruel to animals.
Try Born Free eggs because the chickens arn't caged. Make sure the milk you buy has no artifiial growth horomones. I was almost a vegan, but i decided it'd much easier to be vegeterian.

Answer 6

Well, trust me. The way they treat cows and chickens who produce milk and eggs, is entirely disgusting.

Just watch this video:
http://www.chooseveg.com/animal-cruelty.asp

Eventually, it'll come to show you how they truly are cruel to those animals.

Vegan is smart, as long as you're healthy about it, and prepared to completely watch what you eat, and make sure you know the orgin of which products you are eating.

Basically, you're going to have to consume organic foods.

But to be honest, with the whole cruelty thing, I don't even know how the meat industry gets away with this stuff. It's so unhealthy the way they force those animals to grow so quickly, and produce so much...and so many animals lose their lives because of it.

Answer 7

Since I consume milk and eggs myself I personally don't think it's cruel but, if the guidelines for being a vegan or vegetarian (vegan is just an abbreviation) are followed as I know them, then any products of animals would be considered taboo. This would include cheeses. You also can't eat any kind of breads that include milk or eggs in their content. I hope this doesn't discourage you from your goal. A vegetarian diet is a very healthy lifestyle and I encourage you to continue to pursue it. God bless and healthy eating!!

Answer 8

The way they collect eggs is to cage the chickens above a trough and when the eggs are laid, they fall into the trough and get funneled to the processing plant. The caging is cruel, but the collection is not. So that would have to be your decision. Also, a lot of stores sell free-range eggs now, so you could still do that. Milking is done almost exclusively by machines now. The cows are herded into the milking barn twice a day and the tubes are attached to their teats. I have observed this being done and none of the cows looked at all uncomfortable. But with cheese you would have to be sure to buy kosher because most cheese contains rennet, which is made from beef.

Answer 9

yes it's cruel. but milk in it's pure form is filled with neccesary nutrients for good health. i know there is a lot of propaganda against this idea because it's very difficult to get milk without alot of garbage in it. but, i think the best thing would be if we had farms where the cows were protected and treated nicely. after all the cow gives us milk when we are babies so in one sense she is like our mother. she takes grass and makes it into milk and then we make so many nice things from it, butter, ice cream, cheese etc. and then we kill her when she can't produce any more milk.

Answer 10

Cows and Chickens are treated very cruelly when it comes to the collection of their milk and eggs.

Cows are artificially inseminated (raped) to make a baby cow so they will produce milk.

Then their calf is taken away (kidnapping)

And if the calf is male, they send him off to become veal (murder)

Meanwhile, the mama cow is being pumped full of growth hormones to make her produce more milk than her body is designed to. Because of this WAAAY excess of milk, she is routinely pumped with antibiotics to try to control the numerous breast infections (mastitis) she will get.

By the way I think there's a 5 ounce ratio of pus per every gallon of milk.



Chickens are "sorted" at birth, they kill off the male chickens right away (sometimes ground alive or thrown in bags alive to suffocate). The female chickens get their beaks "trimmed" or chopped off to prevent them from pecking each other in their close confines and unnatural surroundings... Then they are placed in cages too small for them to move around in, usually so small they can't even open their wings... they withhold food and water to force them to lay more eggs. When they can't lay any more, they are used for dog and cat food or soups because they are too bruised and battered to be used as meat.

Veganism is more about a lifestyle than a diet. However, I'm not one to say "you're not vegan enough if you don't ___" as I believe any bit of awareness helps. And I commend anyone who sees the plight of exploited animals and takes action. Thank you for your concern, and best wishes choosing the path that's right for you.

Answer 11

I don't know, I used to hear a lot of things that were pretty ignorant or stupid, but I can't think of anything that made me angry. Sometimes it made me laugh, though. "You don't eat meat? Not even bologna?" "Go ahead and eat it. It won't kill you." (from the same guy who said the first one) "My daughter used to be a vegetarian, but she gave it up because she went on a camping trip and got hepatitis from drinking bad water." (I never did understand how being vegetarian had anything to do with getting hepatitis from "bad water.") "I thought vegetarians were skinny." (I get that one a lot.) "You'll be anemic, and your muscles will atrophy." (my mother said that, she was a nurse) "Who do you think you are? Gandhi?" (also my mother) I work in medical records and one time a doctor wrote "vegetarian diet" on a patient's diagnosis list as if it was a disease. Vegetarianism is not recognized as an illness by World Health Organization, AMA or any other professional health care organization.