Any Vegetarians/Vegans here?

[Clueless Morgan]

I love eating like a vegetarian, but I do need meat every so often.

No, you don't.


This is my main argument for vegetarianism: given the richness of substitutes in the developed world, there's really no real need to eat meat at all.

Except that it tastes good...

Just sayin'.

[KichigaiNeko]

It would seem that "animal welfare / activism" has become a cult.... Just an observation la ban.

[missbuffyspears]

Me! I went veg 7 years ago for the animals and it was one of the best things I have ever done. Wish I had done it sooner.

[KichigaiNeko]

To clarify, I "went vegetarian" over 15 years ago. I became very ill and am still suffering the effects. So, it is not for me.

If you can do it, great. Me? No it creates more harm than good.

[c172]

Yeah, different bodies are definitely different. And, yes indeed, I like meat.

[rexbeccarox]

I'll reply with a reply I made almost a year ago in this thread:

This thread upset me a little... enough for me to actually post, apparently

As someone who has a very hard time eating much of anything, I really wish I could live on fruit and rice alone. I'm 36, and, yes, I'm physically young for my age, but I'm also too skinny. I try to eat healthy, but eating during the day makes me sick more often than not.

I'm a former vegetarian who has a nut allergy and a rare eating disorder. Now, I'm not allergic to peanuts (they're not nuts, they're legumes), but most of the time, peanuts are processed in factories with tree nuts, so I can't have them. When I was a veggie, I was grey and frail, which had nothing to do with the vegetarianism, but everything to do with a lack of protein. As a person with the kind of allergy I have (let alone the weird eating disorder), vegetarianism is a verrrrrry bad idea. Now, I've learned that when I am craving meat, it's probably because I'm deficient in iron or protein, so I have spinach or steak. Spinach is good for the iron, but not so much the protein.

The point is, until you talk to your doctor, and then possibly a nutritionist, no "diet" is safe unless you're actually balancing it and finding out what the unique YOU needs. This guy, who is now banned, has no authority on veganism, therefore, no one should even be asking him questions for any kind of advice. Just my opinion, but it is what it's worth, and I think Brian37 is right: this guy was just trying to bring attention to himself.

[là bạn điên]

It would seem that "animal welfare / activism" has become a cult.... Just an observation la ban.

Its a pretty bad one. I am an activist and I m certainly no member of a cult. Perhaps you can define what a cult is and how we all qualify as cult members.

If we are a cult then I am definitely missing out as none of the teenage female activists seem to make themselves available for the gratification of the 'dear leader' ie me.

---

No, you don't.


This is my main argument for vegetarianism: given the richness of substitutes in the developed world, there's really no real need to eat meat at all.

Except that it tastes good...

Just sayin'.

So anything is acceptable if it brings pleasure to you?

[KichigaiNeko]

you are not a leader là bạn điên. Just an uninformed unquestioning minion. Like I said..."cult like activities"

[rexbeccarox]

Huh. La ban, are you going to answer my post?

[bennyboy]

Huh. La ban, are you going to answer my post?

I will.

There are two problems with a vegetarian (especially vegan) diet. Getting all your nutrients is not one of them: it is that some nutrients require a lot of extra work to get, and possibly extra money as well. Protein can be completely covered in a civilized country with dairy, soy products, beans, nutritional yeast, and gluten. Getting certain nutrients is hard, and may involve eating yucky stuff (like flax or hemp seed for Omega-3).

The other problem is that it's hard to know whether vegetarian foods actually lead to a net reduction in animal suffering or death. (This came up in a similar thread a few months ago). Massive ploughing and harvesting machines are likely to cause very many injuries or death to field mice and voles, to birds, etc. So to really walk the walk, I'd say a self-sufficient commune is really only the way to go, since it's really the only way you can have control over how your food is grown and processed.


As for anecdotes about people "trying" to be vegetarian: any attempt to suddenly alter your health regimen, from diet to running a lot or to lifting weights, is likely to end disastrously. Unless you are allergic to beans and vegetables, it should be a matter of motivation and education, and added discipline. I recommend anybody who's interested in what goes into their body at least study vegetarian options-- the knowledge will give you one more level of control over what you take in, or what you are putting into your family members' bodies.