Any Vegetarians/Vegans here?

[bennyboy]

ethically speaking we all have a responsibility to ensure we are eating healthy in our lives and this comes before any other dietary concerns.

This is an unsupported assertion-- you haven't established an ethical basis for self-treatment of any kind or category. It's also a false dilemma-- there's no reason why eating healthily cannot also include a serious effort to reduce the consumption and suffering of animals.

I want to point out that Kichi is right - obsessing over food is disastrous and is well known to lead to anorexia and other ED's. It's also anti-social. It's also disrespectful at times to your friends and family.

Strawman. Vegetarianism isn't a food obsession-- it's a health and moral decision. If you choose not to rape underage girls, should I accuse you of obsessing about sex?

I mentioned before that you have to take your own food to parties, BBQ's, etc - well this is exactly what anorexics do, and what if at that party there is someone there suffering from an ED? You'd be providing positive reinforcement for their ED by replicating their behaviour, and that should not be understated.

I just smacked down enrico for using made-up horseshit arguments, so it would be disingenuous not to take aim at your made-up horseshit argument. I also could use drummed-up hypothetical scenarios, combined with completely speculative consequences, to generate rhetorical outrage based on a fart. "What if a compulsive overeater is at the party? Your steak eating would be providing positive reinforcement for his desire to eat, putting him at increased risk of a heart attack."

You'd also be providing positive reinforcement for those who purge as well since the sight of the "grossly unhealthy food" makes you feel sick. You would not be setting a stable example for someone suffering from Bulimia!!

Dude, up until a couple posts ago, people were making an attempt to use actual observable fact, and scientifically-collected data, to argue their points. What the hell happened?

What if a sex-addicted person is at the party, and someone shows up in high heels? How dare they not anticipate the extremely unlikely scenario in which their manner of dress pushes a mentally ill person over the edge? What an outrage!

You talk about not being wasteful; but how is it not being wasteful if you have to bring food to a party because you won't eat what's provided? That's the very definition of wasteful!

When grown-ups plan a party, they generally plan to have a little extra. At the end of the night, they will give some of the extras away to guests for family members who couldn't make it, or they will put it in Tupperware for leftovers. Generally speaking, if they've invited a vegetarian, they will know about it, and may make sure that one or two dishes will be okay for them. At any rate, I don't think I've met a person in my LIFE who will host a party, and then throw perfectly good unused food into the garbage when it's done. But I appreciate the rage you feel for the nonexistent hypothetical hosts you've imagined who are wasting food in this way. You're a swell guy!

Now yes, a very well balanced vegan diet can be healthy, but this is well beyond the point. The fact is that most vegans people are not eating healthy!

FIFY.

We've already looked at reputable studies showing that vegetarians had better mortality rates and lower rates of some cancers and other diseases than meat eaters. We saw that even vegans didn't fare any worse than regular meat-eaters.

Yes, it's hard to maximize one's health on a vegan diet-- or at least it was, 10 or 20 years ago before reliable medical and dietary advice became available on teh interwebs. But open the window and look at the majority of people walking around. You won't see a bunch of healthy meat-eaters running circles around sickly vegans. You'll see SOME exceptionally healthy people, of a variety of diets but not much red meat, running circles around those less disciplined than themselves.

They often indulge on processed foods that are bad for them!! for vegans to eat healthy (and get all the nutrients you require), as I've repeatedly stated, it requires that you plan each and every single meal ever day of your lives!! You think that most vegans do this? Like hell they do.

I think most vegans these days probably ARE quite aware of their dietary needs, and are taking steps to ensure their health. Google vegan health, and you'll find literally hundreds of sites about how to be healthy and vegan. There are also vegan body-builders, fighters and marathon runners, and they are much healthier than you (I'm guessing) and I.

Some of you seem to believe a whole bunch of lies even when the truth is presented. Why is it cruel to raise animals on farms? How is it any more cruel then farming produce which requires killing pests and predators that dare enter the land (these animals are not used for anything)?

False dilemma again. The goal of most vegetarians would be to reduce meat production, and also to improve farming techniques to minimize the effect on the ecosystem, including the organisms living in it.

My point on wool has not been refuted by anyone, so I'll leave you with that point. Wool is an absolutely necessary fibre. A woollen jumper will keep you warm even when wet, and a synthetic one will not.

Gore Tex