Vegetarians and vegans

[Comrade Buka]

Besides the obvious moral reason to become a vegetarian, why should we become vegetarians? What are the benefits, and what are the negatives?

 

[pominoz]

I was diagnosed with Diverticulitis and have a family history of stomach cancer, so was told to reduce or cut out meat from my diet.

It is really not that bad once you get used to it and makes you more inventive in the kitchen.

 

[BlueTony]

Only really eat chicken, cut most red meat out of my diet (apart from bacon and the {very} occasional steak). however the one thing that pisses me off about vegetarians is that they always expect there to be a veggie option in a "normal" resteraunt but when did you ever see a meat option in a veggie place?

 

[Banned Tosspot]

I cut red meat out a few years back and feel so much healthier. Still love chicken and fish though.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Only really eat chicken, cut most red meat out of my diet (apart from bacon and the {very} occasional steak). however the one thing that pisses me off about vegetarians is that they always expect there to be a veggie option in a "normal" resteraunt but when did you ever see a meat option in a veggie place?

Come on, not the old ''why can't we get a meat dish in a veggie restaurant'' argument. Since when has a ''normal'' restaurant been instructed to serve 100% meat dishes? ''Normal'' restaurants cater for all tastes and current trends.
Would you go to an exclusively fish restaurant and ask for steak? Would a veggie go to a fish restaurant and ask for a mushroom risotto? Would you go to a Greek restaurant and ask for chicken chow mien? Or chiken tikka? No.
Personally I wouldn't go to Sam's Chop House in Manchester and demand a veggie lasagne (they may do it, to attract more custom, I wouldn't know), but I would expect to go to a Mediterranean restaurant and expect a Greek Salad with no meat or a Goats cheese dish with a vegetable accompaniment.
So I have to ask why would you willingly go to a veggie restaurant and expect to be served meat?

As for benefits.... I don't have the exact figures (and I've had a few beers so not going to find them!) but it takes a good number of lbs of grain to produce one lb of steak. More humans could eat the lbs of grain than can eat the one lb of steak. Why feed a cow to eat excessive amounts of grain to fatten it, when the grain the cow is eating can feed far more humans?

Of course this opens the argument that there would then be no farm animals as no one would eat them and cows would go extinct - which is where the distinction between veggies and vegans comes to the fore.

To me, it is finding a balance in abuse of animals / finding a humane solution. So I eat eggs but only free range. I drink milk but only milk from a farm that has a compassionate ethos to raising it's young. I eat cheese, but only those products not containing 'rennet' (the fat from a cows stomach).
I'm not ''perfect'' and don't profess to be, but just try my best where I can. I do not wear meat by products in my clothing, so no leather belt, shoes / trainers / watch strap etc. Online ordering makes it pretty simple to buy non leather / animal by product items at an affordable price.

It can be done - there are not many ''normal'' restaurants that do not cater for non meat eaters these days. Economics has shifted the power into the hands of veggie consumers who demand to be catered for. Veggies (and to a lesser extent vegans) are accommodated in school menus / cafes / chippies / and airlines etc.

My only surprise in people being a veggie in 2012 is people are still surprised..... though accept there is a huge difference in going veggie and being vegan.

 

[johnny on the spot]

I know a lot of veggies. Most object to the way in which we treat and kill animals and casually use their body parts. Fair enough.

Vegans, however, are weird. I recently met one who objected to beekeeping on account that 'we should never intrude on other species'. Bees account for at least one third of all pollination in the UK. We simply cannot live without them. We'd starve to death. Inter-special intrusion? Ha.

 

[The_mace]

I try and eat 3 meats when I can to re-dress the balance of a veggie and make sure that one more animal got eaten that wouldn't have if they weren't veggie.

 

[BoyBlue_1985]

What is the moral reason not to eat meat?

 

[Challenger1978]

I know a lot of veggies. Most object to the way in which we treat and kill animals and casually use their body parts. Fair enough.

Vegans, however, are weird. I recently met one who objected to beekeeping on account that 'we should never intrude on other species'. Bees account for at least one third of all pollination in the UK. We simply cannot live without them. We'd starve to death. Inter-special intrusion? Ha.

That is the most stupid and pig ignorant point of view any veggie can ever come up with. If everyone took up their views and stopped eating meat on moral grounds there would be a wide spread mass extinction of all animals used in the meat industries. Think about it why would farmers keep cattle, swine or poultry or any other animal used as a food source if there's no money in it for them.

 

[johnny on the spot]

I know a lot of veggies. Most object to the way in which we treat and kill animals and casually use their body parts. Fair enough.

Vegans, however, are weird. I recently met one who objected to beekeeping on account that 'we should never intrude on other species'. Bees account for at least one third of all pollination in the UK. We simply cannot live without them. We'd starve to death. Inter-special intrusion? Ha.

That is the most stupid and pig ignorant point of view any veggie can ever come up with. If everyone took up their views and stopped eating meat on moral grounds there would be a wide spread mass extinction of all animals used in the meat industries. Think about it why would farmers keep cattle, swine or poultry or any other animal used as a food source if there's no money in it for them.

If McDonalds did a McPanda, cue shitloads of pandas. Plus, bamboo plantations everywhere to feed the cunts. Like saying wars help medical science.

People don't have a clue about the fine line we're walking as a species. The sooner we get offed the better. And space exploration? Fucking forget it.