Vegetarians and Vegans...?

Question

I have alot of questions regarding Vegetarians/Vegans. First of all, it seems like they hate ppl who arent Vegentarians/Vegans... Do they reallly and why??? I mean everyone makes mistakes...noone is truly perfect. Second of all... I heard Vegies only dont eat the meat of an animal...but they do eat eggs, milk, cheese,etc. I heard only Vegans are against that stuff. Is this true?? Also, do Vegetarians were leather?? I know Vegans dont. Also, why exactly do they not eat meat(or animal products dor Vegans)??? I mean if ur saying that its a living creature and ur killing it...then how about plants. Plants are living creatures. Also, is it healthy to be Vegan. I mean where are they supposed to get protien and all those nutriants that plants dont have??
I guess those are all my questions. By the way, I was not trying to offend anyone. I just wanna know because I am thinking of becoming Vegetarian.

Answer 1

1. Yes, vegetarians eat milk and/or eggs. Vegans don't.

2. Yes, some vegetarians wear leather. Vegans don't.

3. No, we are not against killing living creatures. We're against killing sentient creatures. Animals feel pain. Plants do not. Bacteria do not. Fungi do not.

4. What do you mean plants don't have protein? Every living thing has protein. Even a virus is made of protein and DNA. How do you think a cow gets protein? Animals don't make protein magically from thin air; they manufacture it from the plants they eat, just like us vegetarians. Please don't believe the people who go off on the protein tirade. Tell them to take a biology class.

The most abundant single protein on earth is RuBP carboxylase, an enzyme present in green plants and vital to photosynthesis (RuBP-ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate).

Humans, like any other animal, make our own proteins from amino acids, and it doesn't matter where these amino acids come from. Humans are lucky because all the A.A's we need are in various plants. Some carnivores like cats require A.A's that are only found in animals. You can combine beans and rice/pasta to get protein that is just as good as meat.

Answer 2

1. "it seems like they hate ppl who arent Vegentarians/Vegans... Do they reallly and why???"

>> No, vegetarians don't dislike meat eaters. Some vegetarians may get defensive when they are in a certain situation, but that is only because we are constantly lectured about how to live our lives. It gets annoying after a while :] I'm sure you can understand.
Most of us are around meat-eaters all the time. My family and friends eat meat, basically everyone that I love is a meat-eater and I have no problem with them.
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2. "I heard Vegies only dont eat the meat of an animal...but they do eat eggs, milk, cheese,etc. I heard only Vegans are against that stuff. Is this true??"

>>Yes, some vegetarians choose to consume eggs and dairy (as well as some other non-meat, animal derived products).
But some vegetarians do not consume those things.
Vegans try to exclude EVERYthing from an animal (that includes honey).
The definition of a vegetarian diet (according to the IVU) is:
"Vegetarianism includes veganism and is defined as the practice of not eating meat, poultry or fish or their by-products, with or without the use of dairy products or eggs."
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3. "Also, do Vegetarians were leather??"

>>Some do I guess... : \
I personally wouldn't consider leather to be vegetarian. The reason is because if a vegetarian bought leather, they may not be eating it, but they would still be supporting the meat industry by buying it.
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4. "Also, why exactly do they not eat meat(or animal products dor Vegans)??? I mean if ur saying that its a living creature and ur killing it...then how about plants. Plants are living creatures."

>> Ok, there are plenty of reason why a person would choose not to eat meat.
It's not that it is a living organism, it's that it is a living animal that can feel pain, fear, and suffering.
Plants do not have brains, they do not have nervous systems or nerves. Some will disagree but I don't think that a plant can feel "pain", anyone who does should have paid attention in biology class.
Animals have brains, nerves, and a central nervous system and CAN feel pain.
For more reasons why someone might choose not to eat meat, you can check out a few of these links:
http://www.veganwolf.com/reasons_to_be_vegan.htm
http://www.justeatveggies.com/reasons.htm
http://www.vegsoc.org/news/1999/wvd2.html
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5. "Also, is it healthy to be Vegan. I mean where are they supposed to get protien and all those nutriants that plants dont have??"

>> Yes, it is healthy to be a vegan. As long as you eat a wide variety of foods, and make sure you get enough calories.
A vegan diet is mainly whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Remember that ANY diet is as healthy or unhealthy as you make it.
There are no nutrients in meat that you can't find in vegan foods.
For information about vegetarian nutrition, here are a couple of sites:
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/index.htm
http://www.ivu.org/science/
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Here are some other sites for you to look at, since you are thinking of becoming a vegetarian...
http://www.vrg.org/
http://www.ivu.org/archives.html
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/
http://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/
http://www.veganwolf.com/
http://www.vegsoc.org/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/health.html
http://www.goveg.com/

Good luck :]

Answer 3

Being vegetarian doesn't mean following a guideline. There isn't a strict set of rules that you can't break, and if you accidentally take a bite of somebody's hamburger, the vegetarian gods won't punish you.

To clear your questions up.

1. There are different types of vegetarians, I think its disgusting to classify yourself while being vegetarian. It's about saving animals, not being classified. They have fancy names, which classifies them in what they eat.
Example : a pescatarian will not eat meat, or any animal flesh but will eat fish.

A vegetarian will normally not eat chicken, pork, beef, fish, turkey, or any animal meat. However, they will eat eggs, cheese, milk, and dairy products.

A vegan will not eat any meat products, and they will not eat any eggs, cheese, milk, or dairy products. Some vegans also choose not to eat honey.

2. Vegans/Vegetarians don't hate other people for eating meat. I have friends who eat meat, and I wish they would stop supporting the cruelty, but I won't ever hate them for it. It's their own choice.

3. Vegetarians/Vegans usually shy away from leather, for obvious reasons. It's still cruelty to animals and the leather only comes from the cows that were slaughtered to make a steak. However, if i'm walking past a dumpster and this leather coat is hanging on the side of it. I would take it and wear it, only because it was going to be wasted anyways.

4. The vegan diet is probably one of the healthiest things you can do. Vegetarians and Vegans don't walk around eating grass, they have vegetables with alot of protein in it. Some vegans/vegetarians take vitamins just to make up for it. Soy milk is a great provider of protein. All of the protein myths that say you don't get enough of things are riduculous.

5. The difference between a plant and an animal is, an animal has a heart, feelings. It can see, breathe, walk, talk and is aware of situations. Vegetables do not have a heart, or blood. You can become a vegetarian for many reasons.
a. you are disgusted by how the animal industry is torture
b. you have health problems which makes you not eat meat, or dairy.
c. you just don't like the taste of it.

Answer 4

I don't hate omnivores, I just hate the trolls who come on asking idiotic questions designed to rile us up and marginalize us. Most veg*ans were omnivores at one time, you know.

Vegetarians, not vegans, will eat dairy products. I refuse to consume dairy because the sons of dairy cows become veal, a cruel product I objected to long before I went vegetarian.

Some vegetarians wear leather. I don't know why. I stopped wearing leather when I went vegetarian.

There aren't many questions that irritate vegetarians more than the plant question. It takes between 3 and 17 pounds of plant matter to create a pound of plant matter, so a meat-eater kills even more plants. But I know the meat-eater doesn't care about the plants, they just want justification for eating meat.

Have you ever heard of kwashiorkor? You haven't? Phew. Then there isn't an epidemic of protein deficiency in the United States or any other industrialized nation. I'm also tempted to ask omnivores where they get their fiber, folic acid and vitamin C.

No, what folks in industrialized nations suffer from is EXCESS protein, which causes you to lose calcium and causes kidney problems. Even vegans get more protein than they need. As long as someone eats a balanced diet, protein is not a problem.

Answer 5

1) I have been vegetarian for over 20 years and vegan for about a month and most of the people in my life are omnivores. I do not hate them and they do not hate me. The hostility you sometimes see here is not due to hatred of all omnivores, but is due to the fact that some meat-eaters come here with deliberatly disrespectful, rude questions and that sometimes makes us angry because we're being attacked simply for a lifestyle choice.

2) Vegetarians do not eat the flesh of any dead animal, nor to they eat slaughter by-products (things animals had to die for, like gelatin and rennet.) They may choose to keep eating things animals did not die for like dairy and eggs. Veganism seeks to minimize animal exploitation by excluding ALL products that come from animals, including dairy, eggs, honey, leather, wool and silk. Vegetarians make their own call on leather.

3) Why is a harder question as everyone has their own reasons. They usually fall into four major categories: simple taste preference (some people just don't like meat,) animal rights, health and environment. My personal reasons include the latter three, health probably being the primary reason. I just don't feel that consuming animal foods is in any way the healthy route. Plant-based, whole foods diets have been proven to prevent heart disease, diabetes and certain kinds of cancer.

4) Surely you have noticed the difference between plants and animals. If you snip a bud off a rose bush, does it scream or try to get away? No, of course not, because it can't think and does not feel pain. If you've ever had a pet you know that it CAN feel pain, that it CAN feel fear and that it will try to protect itself from feeling both.

5) Yes, it's very healthy to be vegetarian or vegan. The American Dietitic Assocation has come out in favor of it and, statistically, veg*ns live longer (remember that part about less heart disease, diabetes and cancer?)

6) Where on God's green Earth did you get the notion that plants don't have protein?!? Where do you think large herbivores like cows and elephants get the protein they need to grow so large? There is protein in practically everything: legumes (soybeans, beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, peanuts,) fresh fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, whole grains, even mushrooms. And what other nutrients do you think meat has, anyway? It's got some iron and a few b vitamins, but nothing else. No fiber, no vitamin c, no calcium. There is nothing in meat (except cholesterol) that you cannot get in a plant-based diet.

Edit to add to cope acetic: I did give you a thumbs down, but not because I'm self-righteous and judgemental. I did it because you are lumping millions of people together in one fell swoop and assuming we're all a certain way. You don't know me and you have no earthly way of knowing if I'm self-righteous or judgemental (and it's judgemental of you to think you do.)

Answer 6

1. All valid questions.
2. Veg*ns don't "hate" non veg*n's, they may disagree on certain things.
3. Correct, Vegetarians eat dairy, Vegans don't, not even Honey for some, and they don't buy leather. etc.
4. Veg*ns don't eat meat for various reasons. I don't because it it not necessary, it is selfish, it is cruel to animals the way animal flesh is processed these days, it pollutes the planet and it makes others starve to death, and finally for my health.
5. Plants do not have a nervous system. No feelings, no pain, no nothing. There is no brain matter.
6. Do you know what protein really is? Probably your knowledge of protein stems from conditioning from when you were young, compliments of the Meat and Dairy Industry...
The protein found in plant based foods far exceeds animal based protein in quality! Where do you think animals get their protein from?
Anyway good luck with your choice!

Answer 7

It's a moral/ethical issue for many, and likewise, everyone's different. I'm vegetarian, and will eat eggs, dairy, honey, etc... but only if they come from humanely treated animals. Vegans don't eat anything that comes from an animal... absolutely nothing. This includes by-products, too (ie: gelatin, non-plant based lecithin, rennet, casein, etc...)... which many vegetarians (myself included) also avoid.

Some vegetarians wear leather, some don't. It's a personal choice. I don't, and I personally think it's very hypocritical of someone who's vegetarian for ethical reasons to wear leather. However, many people are vegetarians for health reasons, thus leather isn't a problem for them. The same goes for other animal-based materials, too... fur, silk, wool, etc... Vegans don't wear any such things. Some vegetarians do, some don't. I personally won't wear leather, fur, etc... but will wear wool and other things that don't require the killing of an animal if they're a) sourced from a supplier that treats the animals humanely and/or b) is old/used.

As far as why people don't eat meat... because animals are killed for meat. Unlike plants, animals have central nervous systems and are "sentient beings". Plants aren't "alive" in that sense. That said, there are also Fruitarians who don't eat anything alive... they only eat fruit, nuts, legumes, grains, etc... ie: anything harvested from a living plant without killing the plant (for example... apples trees produce apples... the tree is "alive" but the apple is merely the "fruit", and by eating the apple, you're not hurting the tree).

There's also the issue of animal cruelty... many corporate farms where a good portion of the food you find in most grocery stores comes from abuse, torture, etc... the animals. Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UatauItkek
Chickens have their beaks cut off so they can't peck and are stacked one on top of each other in large crates, the dead mixed with the living. Pigs have their ears cut off and legs broken. Cows are locked into metal contraptions preventing them from moving, pumped full of growth hormones so they grow quickly. Etc...

Plants do have protein and nutrients. All plants have the array of amino acids that people need. Some actually have more than meat. Soy, nuts, legumes, etc... have tons of protein... more than most people need. Many avid meat eaters in the United States actually suffer from eating too much protein, most of which can't be metabolized. Plant protein is easier for humans to metabolize. Many fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, etc... have a very complete array of amino acids. Protein and amino acids aren't strictly meat-based... EVERYTHING has protein. Consider this... many of the largest/strongest animals on earth (elephants, cows, etc...) don't eat any meat. As long as you balance your diet and don't just eat lettuce, you'll get all the nutrients you need. So yes, being vegan is very healthy if you balance your diet properly. And if you eat eggs, well... eggs are the most complete animal source for nutrients, and it doesn't involve killing anything (even if you believe that life starts at conception, and that fetus is a "baby", it doesn't matter... because eggs as food aren't fertilized, and thus they aren't actually a fetus).

As for why vegetarians/vegans hate non vegetarians/vegans... that's not entirely true. Some do, some don't. Those who do hate them because of the animal cruelty/murder that they perpetuate (ie: they hate vegetarians/vegans because they're murderers, just as you'd probably hate someone if they murdered humans). And I somewhat agree, and ideally everyone would be vegetarian/vegan, but at the same time, it's a complicated issue, people are raised to think certain ways, there are many factors going into it, etc... and it seems counterproductive to hate someone for not being vegan/vegetarian. I'd like them to become vegan/vegetarian, yes, but I don't necessarily think they're bad people if they don't. It's more a matter of general consciousness (and wide recognition of animals as sentient beings), and we're not quite to that point yet.

Humans aren't carnivores. We're omnivores. Our digestive systems more akin to herbivores (ie: non sharp teeth, long digestive track, etc...). We're actually most adept to eating vegetarian diets, with meat *if needed* (ie: if nothing else is available). A human can easily thrive on just eating vegetables, but would die if they only ate meat (just look at all the people with liver and kidney failure from the Atkins fad a few years back).

Answer 8

Vegitarianism is certainly a strange beast. Basically it breaks down like this:

vegitarianism is the refusal to eat meat products. Lax vegitarians (particularly those who are because of animal treatment) will eat fish because fish are not farmed and mistreated like cows, pigs, etc. They may or may not wear leather, may or may not eat cheese or eggs.

Vegans refuse all products made with animals. Animal fats for cooking, leather, eggs, cheese, milk, everything. Traditionally this is a choice not made for health, but for personal and moral reasons.

The argument is that animals appear to have some degree of intelligence and should be treated as such, while plants lack a neurological system sophisticated enough to register pain in the known sense.

Personally, I can see their side of the story because animals are mistreated, but at the same time the human body is built around an omnivorous diet. We are SUPPOSED to eat meat as well as grains, vegetables, etc to maintain our optimum health. Can you survive without it? Of course, but for the best health possible, a moderate amount of meat is necessary.

Hope this covers everything.

Answer 9

vegetarians are like......derived from vegans, except their rules are more loose, like some vegetarians eat fish. Vegans are quite strict, and don't even eat eggs.

Answer 10

Personally, I never met one that wasn't very self-righteous about their food choices, and they all look down on meat-eaters.

I consider some of the more radical vegans to be terrorists, because they damage property with their protests--throwing paint on fur coats, or releasing helpless animals into the wild.

Now, sit back and watch all the thumbs down I get....which will prove me right! They are judgemental to the extreme, and can't take criticism.