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Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
#1
Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
What is everyone's opinions on these diet choices? I've heard the argument that morality, taken to it's logical extreme makes it the only food choice. I wholeheartedly disagree. I see nothing wrong with eating animals, it's how we evolved.

However, I recently made the switch to pescatarianism, which means I eat fish and eggs. The decision boiled down to ethical and health reasons. My ethical reasons have to do more with farming animals than eating animals. I don't agree with the conditions they are kept in, and the high calorie feed that goes toward fattening these animals could feed many more humans. My health reasons, which is the bigger reason, are because I want to lose a little bit of weight. I'm not fat, but I could stand to lose a little weight. Furthermore, fish is the leanest source of protein and Vitamin B12. So overtime it's substantially healthier for my heart, which I have to take care of given my asthma.

Yes eggs come from farmed chickens, and fish are sometimes farmed. But due to allergies and intolerances with various foods, I could never go Vegan/Vegetarian. In order to successfully adhere to those diets I also need to learn how to cook, and I'm horrible.

I do have a very close friend who is a vegan, but she loves to cook and is successful with it. I love eating her food when she makes it. She's also not in your face about being a vegan, though she

So what do you all think of this debate? Are there a lot of atheists who are vegan/vegetarian? Do you think there's a trend there?
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." Benjamin Franklin

::Blogs:: Boston Atheism Examiner - Boston Atheists Blog | :Tongueodcast:: Boston Atheists Report
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#2
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
I think we should all eat salad!

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Properly prepared of course (by which I mean fed to a cow and served up as steak) ... LOL.

Kyu
Angry Atheism
Where those who are hacked off with the stupidity of irrational belief can vent their feelings!
Come over to the dark side, we have cookies!

Kyuuketsuki, AngryAtheism Owner & Administrator
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#3
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
Vegetarianism is a choice you can make in western societies where food is abundant and you have a choice and not risk your health in doing so. I do not agree that that vegetarianism or vegan is a morally superiour lifestyle, but I have nothing against people choosing to regulate their diet that way.

I think you will be hard pressed to find a statistic showing a correlation between vegan/vegetarians and atheists. That doesn't mean there is or isn't one, but finding evidence for it is problematic.
Best regards,
Leo van Miert
Horsepower is how hard you hit the wall --Torque is how far you take the wall with you
Pastafarian
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#4
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
(July 22, 2009 at 10:00 am)leo-rcc Wrote: Vegetarianism is a choice you can make in western societies where food is abundant and you have a choice and not risk your health in doing so. I do not agree that that vegetarianism or vegan is a morally superiour lifestyle, but I have nothing against people choosing to regulate their diet that way.

Absolutely. It is a choice, and I can't stand it when people are against things like genetically modified food when it allows us to feed more people than we possibly can with organic food.
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." Benjamin Franklin

::Blogs:: Boston Atheism Examiner - Boston Atheists Blog | :Tongueodcast:: Boston Atheists Report
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#5
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
I'd love to be invited to a strict vegetarian's house so I can tell them I don't eat vegetables, LOL!

Funniest thing I ever experienced on this subject was my late brother's girlfriend was telling us how she had gone vegetarian on principle some months back ... it was hilarious when we pointed out to her that her crocodile skin shoes and ultra expensive leather handbag (she was a bit of London fashion victim) rather made a mockery of her new ideals.

Kyu
Angry Atheism
Where those who are hacked off with the stupidity of irrational belief can vent their feelings!
Come over to the dark side, we have cookies!

Kyuuketsuki, AngryAtheism Owner & Administrator
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#6
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
Hmm. I was researching this a few weeks ago, and honestly, the vegan thing is full of a whole lot of propaganda. Sure, at first it'll be good for you, but after a while, it makes you very, very, VERY sick. As far as the ethical treatment of animals, yes, I wholeheartedly agree that it's just plain wrong to treat them that way--but there aren't a whole lot of places that do that. There's a process to farming animals for meat--namely beef--and it doesn't involve brutalizing them.

http://www.beeffrompasturetoplate.org/st...ocess.aspx

I don't think these animals are being mistreated.

Also, the reason why at FIRST you get really healthy and lose a whole bunch of weight is because you're focusing on a whole lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts--things that we don't usually have in our diet. But, we need to eat meat, just not so much of it that you explode, lol.
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#7
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
(July 22, 2009 at 10:05 am)Eilonnwy Wrote: I can't stand it when people are against things like genetically modified food when it allows us to feed more people than we possibly can with organic food.

Most commercial vegetables are 'genetically modified' in the sense that they wouldn't ever grow in the wild. All have been selectively bred to produce an unnaturally large yield.


I eat meat, although I agree with the ethical objections. I get free range eggs because they're readily available and cheap here. I also love veggie food but am too crap at cooking to make it for myself, and the local cafe's are extortionate.

Lol WITH Kyu Smile Excellent timing! My wife's also a meatitarian.
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#8
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
Vegetarian is one thing, but Vegans have always seemed a bit more PETA....Tongue

Pescatarian is a great healthy way to eat....Still get all the B12 needed from the meat side and nothing but healthy food on the other....Smile

I love fish too much to stop eating meat all together... I can do without steak, pork and chicken, but not fish...mmmmmm Lemon seasoned with a dash of salt and pepper........Smoked Salmon, sauteed with mushrooms and onions................Cod, Halibut, Tuna...... Holy shit I'm hungry now.....
Intelligence is the only true moral guide...
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#9
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
I am the other way around. I love meat, but don't care much for fish. I like squid, and swordfish, but salmon, tuna, not for me.
Best regards,
Leo van Miert
Horsepower is how hard you hit the wall --Torque is how far you take the wall with you
Pastafarian
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#10
RE: Vegetarians, Vegans, and Pescatarians
It's always fascinated me that countries in which people eat little or no meat tend to be very poor. Most people in such countries [traditionally] could not afford to eat meat if they wanted to.Eg India and China and much of SE Asia. The moral prohibitions came later,to justify the fact. A common feature of moral absolutes.

Before the Industrial revolution,peasants throughout much of Europe ate meat perhaps once or twice a year. A YEAR.

The gradual inclusion of regular amounts meat into our diets has had a survival value,in terms of making us bigger,smarter and stronger. Being omnivorous is better for the species than being vegetarian.

My honest ,biased opinion, based on vegetarians I've actually met and the drivel many spout: In an affluent society,I think a decision not to eat meat is precious.


Vegetarianism on pragmatic grounds is another matter entirely EG Comparing the energy cost of grain and meat to produce. BUT,that argument doesn't work for free range animals in areas where no crops can be grown,such as most of Australia. We use our dry areas for sheep and cattle.

I reject any moral argument against eating other animals. My position is that we humans are only animals too, and efficient predators.That's why we're at the top of the food chain.
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