How many vegetarians?

[x_Dani_x]

How many people on here are vegetarian/vegan? I was a vegetarian for seven years then went vegan (and have been for about two years). I think that if this world is going to improve at all then everyone has to learn to appreciate animals for what they are - not how much money we can make from their suffering. If more people went vegetarian (or even better, vegan) so many animals would be saved! :) So, how many veggies are there????....

[John Olexa]

I'm Vegan, been so for over 10 years.
Being vegan to me means one thing: an attempt to reduce the intense suffering of non-human animals. To me, saying "I'm vegan" is synonymous with saying, "I have decided to live a lifestyle that does not support animal exploitation."

The great majority of animal suffering in the U.S. is a direct result of people buying animal products for food. I think it is important that vegans make the meaning of the word "vegan" to focus on avoiding the products that obviously/reasonably lead to animal suffering so that people will understand that it is not about personal purity but rather reducing suffering. If we could eliminate the animal agriculture industry, billions of beings would be spared miserable lives of suffering, pain, and slaughter.

Slaughterhouses are perhaps the most violent places on the planet. Animals are routinely sent kicking and screaming through the skinning and dismemberment process, every one bleeding and dying exactly like they would if they were human beings. Farms today treat animals like so many boxes in a warehouse, chopping off beaks and tails and genitals with no painkillers at all, inflicting third degree burns (branding), ripping out teeth, and hunks of flesh. Animals transported to slaughter routinely die from the heat or the cold, or freeze to the sides of the transport trucks or to the bottom in their own excrement. Dairy cows and egg laying hens endure the same living nightmare as their brethren who are raised for their flesh, except that their time on the "farm" is longer. They are still shipped to the slaughterhouse and killed, at a fraction of their natural life span.

and before some one says "plants are a living things"
There is currently no reason to believe that plants experience pain, devoid as they are of central nervous systems, nerve endings, and brains. It is theorized that the main reason animals have the ability to experience pain is as a form of self-protection. If you touch something that hurts and could possibly injure you, you will learn from the pain it produces to leave it alone in the future. Since plants cannot locomote and do not have the need to learn to avoid certain things, this ability would be superfluous and evolutionarily illogical. Furthermore, the fact that plants may or may not be able to suffer doesn't justify causing pain and distress to animals like dogs, cows, rats, or chickens who we know are capable of suffering a great deal.
It would be hypocritical IF the same criteria or morally relevant attributes that are used to justify animal rights also applied to plants. The criteria cited by the AR movement are "pain and suffering" and being "subjects-of-a-life". An assessment of how plants measure up to these criteria leads to the following conclusions.
First, our best science to date shows that plants lack any semblance of a central nervous system or any other system design for such complex capacities as that of conscious suffering from felt pain.
Second, plants simply have no evolutionary need to feel pain. Animals being mobile would benefit from the ability to sense pain; plants would not. Nature does not gratuitously create such complex capacities as that of feeling pain unless there is some benefit for the organism's survival.
If I can't watch it happening, I want no part of it. I enjoy watching fields tilled and love picking apples and tomatoes and carrots and other vegetarian products. If slaughterhouses had glass walls, as Linda McCartney was so fond of saying, we would all be vegetarians.

Every time I sit down to eat, I make a decision about who I am in the world: Do I want to add to the level of violence, misery, and bloodshed in the world? Or, do I want to make a compassionate and merciful choice? There is so much violence in the world, from war torn regions of Africa and Europe, to our own inner cities. Most of this violence is difficult to understand, let alone influence. Veganism is one area where each and every one of us can make a difference, every time we sit down to eat. I find it empowering that I can make an option for peace and compassion every time I eat, simply by not encouraging violence and misery against animals.
A friend of mine (and long-time vegan) once wrote to a member of the vegan police: "I grow weary of the term 'vegan.' It seems to become just a label for moral superiority."

This may sound odd coming from a co-founder of Vegan Outreach, but it doesn't matter what label anyone places on me, or what label anyone places on themselves. For example, if Peter Singer (author of Animal Liberation) were to eat a dish that contains hidden dairy when at a colleague's house, or if Carole Morton (who runs Green Acres Farm Sanctuary and is a humane agent in a rural PA county) were to eat the eggs laid by the hens she has rescued ... do I want to cut them off, shun them from our vegan club?

Being vegan, for me, is about lessening suffering and working for animal liberation as efficiently as possible. It has nothing to do with personal purity or my ego. If, by some bizarre twist, eating a burger (or, better yet, a triple-cheese Uno's pizza :-) ) were to advance animal liberation significantly, then I would do it.

I understand that different people have different views of things. That is fine. I understand that the world is a pretty crappy place in many respects, and that is not OK, but allowing this to make me depressed, angry, or judgemental accomplishes nothing, or even less than nothing.


Ok, I'm done! :D

[PentePenguin]

I've attemped to become vegetarian many times, but I most of the food offered is so disgusting that I end up just going back to my regular diet of chicken, fish, occasional beef (like once a month or less) and veggies. Recently I learned about how a lot of farmers were forced to GAS thousands of chickens because of the avaian flu and for some reason Russia had a shipment ready to go in days. Hmm, sounds pretty funny, huh?

Not all farmers do this, my grandfather (who raised some of his own food, it wasn't for commercial purposes) treated his chickens very well and loved each of them. He ate the eggs, but always bought Tyson chicken.:confused: When he was younger he also raised pigs and cows for his own meals, but he treated them with kindness all the way to the end. I don't agree with the sharp knife they use for castrating without using anesthesia. *shudders* I do think that if they need to be fixed the rubberband idea is not as bad since it's done when they're very young and it falls off painlessly (from what my husband has told me, it wouldn't be me doing it. *shudders*).

Anyways, now that I'm married it's even more difficult for me to eat a vegetarian diet due to the fact my husband shys away from veggies and primarily eats beef (Yuck!). I think if I could find some good recipes I'd be alright (especially if he didn't know. :) ), but it just seems so hard to find good stuff.

Enough rambling from me now. Ya'll take care,
Dawn

[JustJo]

Guilty! About the best I can say is that I don't eat mammals. I know...not good enough. I still eat poultry, eggs, and fish.

According to my dog's food ingredients they don't eat mammals either. I also don't feed them pig ears, rawhide, or any of those things.

I would like to do better but I just can't seem to give up on chicken and fish. Maybe someday I can make that step.

[John Olexa]

Guilty! About the best I can say is that I don't eat mammals. I know...not good enough. I still eat poultry, eggs, and fish.

According to my dog's food ingredients they don't eat mammals either. I also don't feed them pig ears, rawhide, or any of those things.

I would like to do better but I just can't seem to give up on chicken and fish. Maybe someday I can make that step.

LOL it's not easy! Athough it was not hard for me. I'm not a big eater to start with, gave up pork LONG ago, just nothing healthy about pork! Eggs were easy to just didn't like eggs.Just keep going from there one by one.

[x_Dani_x]

Not only do fish and chickens feel pain (with fish probably suffering more as they asphyxiate) but neither one is very healthy! Those who raise livestock feed their animals with complete crap & fill lots of them with antibiotics just to keep them alive long enough to gain weight... and then they kill them :confused: . But other than that, only eating chicken and fish is a huge step, and is more than most people do. Hopefully you'll soon see chicken and fish in the same way you see 'mammals'. Good luck! :)

[Millimi]

I'm a vegetarian but not a vegan. I don't think my mom could handle that. :D

[jonesy zoo]

Well Im neither...Yes we eat red meat....in our family we all seem to like the pasta meals...so we dont have a huge amount in the freezer but I feel I dont need to justify eating it...

but I was thinking when I read this...our bodies ae designed to eat mainly fruit and vegies...not sure how many of you beleive in God but all they ate in the garden of Eden was fruit and vegies and it wasnt until "sin" enter that God himself had to kill for Adam and Eve to cloth them...and after that is when meat become part of their diet..but if I recall correctly God clearly stated what parts should and shouldnt be eaten....well enough of the Bible lesson...just went on a ramble there sorry...I think this is a personal choice and no one should be judge for eating or not eating meat...like anything in life we make our own choices some good and some bad...but at the end of a day if you can snuggle down into your bed knowing that you havent hurt someone or something and helped to make the world a better place ...to me you have had a good day

[John Olexa]

I'm a vegetarian but not a vegan. I don't think my mom could handle that. :D

LOL you know what. If I was forced to be one or the other I would be a vegan.

I'd rather see someone eating a steak than drinking a glass of milk,
I would have to say that dairy is worse IMO.

The beef cattle eats, gets plump and then gets killed. It gets put out of its misery.
The dairy cow eats, fed more hormones, forced milked, (not talking about farmer John)but factory farming, babies stolen and is drained of its life till it is no longer of use then it is killed.

Both suffer....one suffers longer before they reach the same end.....slaughter

[bisquik]

Just a first thought to the God response -- if He did not want us to eat meat, then why did He give us teeth and bodies equipped for it? Just a little devil's advocate there.

OK, back to present-day reality. I am not veggie or vegan, but like a couple others, I do not eat red meat. John has a very good point about slaughterhouses. They are flippin disgusting. Read "Fast Food Nation." It's disturbing.

As a Catholic, I am a Friday vegetarian. And I must admit, it's a pain in my rear end, but it's a sacrifice I enjoy making.

I do not eat beef because it is absolutely disgusting, by far the worst of all in terms of slaughterhouse and packinghouse conditions, and also because I just plain don't like the way it tastes. OK, so I do eat eggs, poultry and fish, and sometimes pork.

But as much as I can, I buy organic, cage-free, antibiotic-free and hormone-free meats. Because it is a disgusting life for an animal to be stuffed into a cage, injected with antibiotics and fed 'hormones,' which are just the adult bits (bones and blood) of their own (vegetarian) species. No thanks. My dogs' food even contains only antibiotic-free, hormone-free, organic meat. This is another reason I support hunting. The elk and grouse in the freezers of hunters lived full, happy, natural, cage-free, antibiotic-free, hormone-free lives. Not only am I not putting that trash into my own body, but these animals were never subjected to the practices of ultra-corporate farming and government-subsidized and unregulated slaughterhouses. If I'm gonna eat meat, I may as well do it the right way, instead of supporting the disgusting practices of this country's meat producers. I also patronize the stores and restaurants in my area that are part of the Sustainable Seafood Project, in other words, they buy only fresh local seafood from local fishermen, nothing farmed and nothing caught by corporate fishermen who are absolutely draining the waters by catching more fish than they could ever hope to sell. I also prefer the restaurants who buy their meats from local organic farmers.

These are my answers to the corruption (on so many levels), cruelty and lack of hygiene offered by the corporate meat industry.

I think one last good point is that it is true that many vegans (especially) and vegetarians (to a lesser degree) do indeed have a holier-than-thou attitude of moral superiority toward meat-eaters. It is good to have a cause, and to believe strongly in that cause. But one must contribute to the cause for its own sake, not for their own reputation or how they wish to make themselves feel by being a part of that cause.

One last thing -- I could never be vegan because Dansko makes the only shoes I can wear to work, where I am walking and on my feet all day!!!!

[John Olexa]

bisquik, check this site out and see what they have to offer
all animal free
http://www.mooshoes.com/index.html

I will say one thing... I have never preached to anybody here about not eating meat. I'm the one who hears about it... (not by people here) but others like "really, well can you just take the meat off" or my favorite " eat around the meat" :rolleyes:

[bisquik]

Uhh, John? Yoo hoo?? I was agreeing with you.

Pigs do fly, it appears.

[John Olexa]

Uhh, John? Yoo hoo?? I was agreeing with you.

Pigs do fly, it appears.

oh I know, was just saying in case anyone else might have thought I did.
no, your cool :)

Check out the site a see what you can fine. A little price though

[Magnum]

No meat consumption here. Out of eight kids in my family, I was the only one that didn't care for meat. Up until a few months ago I did eat chicken, but I finally decided I was really forcing myself to eat it because it was just easier to fix. I thought hubby was going to balk at dropping chicken from the menu, but he said he only ate it because I fixed it.....lol. I can not stand the taste of milk....Ack that is one discusting after-taste. I am allergic to dairy products, so that is one item I am glad I am allergic to.

[PentePenguin]

Just a first thought to the God response -- if He did not want us to eat meat, then why did He give us teeth and bodies equipped for it? Just a little devil's advocate there.

Actually, we weren't. If I can get a hold of a vegetarian book I have (remember I said I was contemplating? :) ) I will post the name and some info here. The way I look at it, whoever heard of getting food poisoning from veggies? :confused: I'm sure it happens rarely, but not as often as with meat.
JMO,
Dawn

[jonesy zoo]

I was wondering what kind due to the fact on the forum at the moment there is a thread about being vegetiarian or not...So I thought it would also be interesting to find out if you use animal friendly bedding?

[jonesy zoo]

Sorry I was meant to put this question as a new thread...but I have been to one to many parties this week end and welll...that is my excuse lol

[bisquik]

The way I look at it, whoever heard of getting food poisoning from veggies?

It's not the meat per se, it's the bacteria that may have accumulated on the meat. You won't get food poisoning from fresh meat, only from processed meat. That's why you can eat elk or fresh pork as rare as you want it. I've never heard of anyone getting salmonella poisoning from a fresh pheasant or quail. It's the meat industry, which has very low standards for preventing bacteria, not the meat itself.

Besides, look at your teeth. If we were meant to be vegetarians, we'd have teeth like rabbits, all flat and dull for grinding, and no teeth for shredding and tearing.

[x_Dani_x]

Most of our teeth are flat and the most pointed ones are hardly sharp. Also our digestive system is more similar to a herbivore than a carnivore. And our fingernails are flat, not sharp like a natural carnivore's claws.

[Mandy]

I just looked at the videos on the PETA site, and I'm no longer going to eat anything that is from an animal, or let my pets eat anything that is from an animal. Disgusting treatment. First of all, no animal should be born to be killed. It's wrong to say that the only purpose of one living thing is to be food for another. And second of all, if you're going to take the life of something, torturing it to death is not the way to do it...

[John Olexa]

Mandy,
If thats what you want to do, thats great! but take your time drop meat products slowly. It can be somewhat of a shock to switch all at once. Soy milk is great! there many products out there that are meatless meals like veggie burgers. veggie chicken, mama mock meat-less loaf ect, ect.
Just get yourself a good game plan and it will be a little easier.

If I can be any help just ask!

[Magnum]

Mandy,
If thats what you want to do, thats great! but take your time drop meat products slowly. It can be somewhat of a shock to switch all at once. Soy milk is great! there many products out there that are meatless meals like veggie burgers. veggie chicken, mama mock meat-less loaf ect, ect.
Just get yourself a good game plan and it will be a little easier.

If I can be any help just ask!

Asking here. :o I am allergic to Soy...any other suggestions for a replacement? I am not a burger, sandwich, ground, or pressed anything eater....I know...picky...but I think it is because I hate the taste of processed products and they seem to be the only thing these type foods are made with. Maybe if I had something different I would eat them. Soy is definitely out and makes it hard enough with all the foods out there with it in the ingredients. Any ideas?

[Mandy]

Thanks John for the help. I'm not much of a meat eater anyway except for fish and chicken every once in awhile. Milk, eggs, and butter will be the hardest to cut out. You put them in everything!!! Goodbye icecream...hello soy milk!!! LOL

[Python]

Sence im geting into body building i gotta eat my meats.. I dont eat pork

[Sasami]

I've been vegetarian for a year now. I can't go vegan because I'm 14 with no car or job and therefore I can't purchase my own food...it was hard enough going veggie. Another problem is that I get alot of my protein from eggs and cheese...=/. However, we only buy organic dairy products from local farms...farms that we pass while driving and know they treat their animals well. For a while, my mom got eggs from her friend who had chickens (for eggs, not meat) but now they don't speak as much so we just buy the eggs from free-range chicken farms.

[John Olexa]

Sence im geting into body building i gotta eat my meats.. I dont eat pork

I understand, but theres plenty of Protein Powders out there that pack on the muscle! I use GNC 100% Whey Protein.

1 scoop with 8 oz water or soil milk ( ;) ) = 20 g of protein & only 2g fat
And all the Amino Acids you need. 50 scoops to a can

[MsLaLa]

For about 8 months now I have been pork free. I do NOT eat pork or beef EVER. I think it is the most disgusting tasting - and I do not want to participate in the horrible manslaughter... My favorite animals are pigs....I absolutely love them! They are beautiful! :p

Although chickens and fish probably do feel pain - I do eat chicken and fish only - and eggs. I would like to go full vegetarian - but I think I have to try a lot harder!

[Kaye]

I'm not a veggie or a vegan. I could easily drop meat.. if I was living on my own. Parents like meat, I have to eat what they serve. Sucks. I hate meat though.. but there are some exceptions of course..

I could never be vegan. I need my milk. I tried soymilk once since I have a bit of a lactose intolerance problem and it about made me gag. x_x Soo.. I just bear with it and drinks my milks.

[MsLaLa]

Maybe you haven't tried the right one? I drink SILK Soymilk and think it tastes great - and their chocolate Soymilk is just as delicious!

I drink Soymilk because it is ALOT healthier and because I did a little research over a year ago, and found out what could really be in Moo Juice, and it disgusted me!

[Lano]

I'm not a veggie or a vegan. I could easily drop meat.. if I was living on my own. Parents like meat, I have to eat what they serve. Sucks. I hate meat though.. but there are some exceptions of course..

I agree with you here...

[Kaye]

Maybe you haven't tried the right one? I drink SILK Soymilk and think it tastes great - and their chocolate Soymilk is just as delicious!

I drink Soymilk because it is ALOT healthier and because I did a little research over a year ago, and found out what could really be in Moo Juice, and it disgusted me!

I tried the Silk brand.. Oy I duno. I just couldn't drink it. :(