Which is better: Vegetarians or Meat Eaters?
- Thread starter FriendlyShadow
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Prestonator
Well-known member
This is an interesting question......
I used to be a vegetarian for 7 years until a year ago when i decided to start eating meat again. I made this decision because not eating meat was causing me to have a few health problems, like anaemia and others which I wont go into.
I think being a vegetarian it is very difficult to get all of the nutrients you need to stay healthy but this isnt to say that you shouldnt be a vegetarian. Its completely personal choice, and when i was veggie i wasn't into the whole forcing my opinion down peoples throats because i respect that everyone can have their own opinion.
But what i don't like about eating meat is the mass production of animals for slaughter. Just because it reduces companies costs by mass producing meat doesn't mean to say that its right. I don't like eating the cheap meat because well it is probably mass produced. Though sometimes it can't be avoided unfortunately. :/ especially when you are a student and are tight for money.
Anyway to sum up i have been more healthy since eating meat again, and even though i eat meat, i still try to keep my values as being a veggie!
I used to be a vegetarian for 7 years until a year ago when i decided to start eating meat again. I made this decision because not eating meat was causing me to have a few health problems, like anaemia and others which I wont go into.
I think being a vegetarian it is very difficult to get all of the nutrients you need to stay healthy but this isnt to say that you shouldnt be a vegetarian. Its completely personal choice, and when i was veggie i wasn't into the whole forcing my opinion down peoples throats because i respect that everyone can have their own opinion.
But what i don't like about eating meat is the mass production of animals for slaughter. Just because it reduces companies costs by mass producing meat doesn't mean to say that its right. I don't like eating the cheap meat because well it is probably mass produced. Though sometimes it can't be avoided unfortunately. :/ especially when you are a student and are tight for money.
Anyway to sum up i have been more healthy since eating meat again, and even though i eat meat, i still try to keep my values as being a veggie!
LadyWench
Well-known member
I don't think either one is "better". Everyone is entitled to have their own diet and eat how they see fit for themselves. I, for one, was a vegetarian for years. I had to go back to eating meat once things started getting bad for us financially. I couldn't afford vegetarian-based foods anymore (such as soy), and aside from that, I would have a very limited diet. I didn't want to eat meat again, but I felt like I had no choice. It'd be irrational to NOT eat based on my feelings. I would love to become a vegetarian again, but I'm still too poor, unfortunately. I think it's human nature to consume meat, just like it is for most animals. However, I HATE hunting and am completely against it. I also hate the way animals are slaughtered to get to humans and am also completely against that. Even though it's in a human's nature to be a carnivore (for the most part), we know better than to abuse and torture animals just to get what we want. Other animals usually don't know this, they just go on instinct and survival, so I believe there's a big difference.
vegetarian
i eat meat but i was a vegetarian for a year til my grandparents beat it out of me...
i like the taste of meat, but i don't feel good if i eat too much of it. a lot of times i prefer vegetarian dishes, but love a good steak now and then.
i do feel guilty eating meat though. i don't like hurting living things.
if i could afford it I'd buy 100% grass-fed, humanely raised meat. Sometimes I do but it's hard to always buy it.
Also, being vegetarian is expensive too if you wanna buy those fake-meat thingies. and tofu is kind of expensive. unless you wanna live off beans rice and milk and peanut butter 24/7
but it's actually healthier
vegetarians have nonexistent rates of colon cancer
it's not about eating meat, but in america the problem is that we eat TOO much meat. (from a health perspective)
i eat meat but i was a vegetarian for a year til my grandparents beat it out of me...
i like the taste of meat, but i don't feel good if i eat too much of it. a lot of times i prefer vegetarian dishes, but love a good steak now and then.
i do feel guilty eating meat though. i don't like hurting living things.
if i could afford it I'd buy 100% grass-fed, humanely raised meat. Sometimes I do but it's hard to always buy it.
Also, being vegetarian is expensive too if you wanna buy those fake-meat thingies. and tofu is kind of expensive. unless you wanna live off beans rice and milk and peanut butter 24/7
but it's actually healthier
vegetarians have nonexistent rates of colon cancer
it's not about eating meat, but in america the problem is that we eat TOO much meat. (from a health perspective)
MikeyC
Well-known member
Shyangel
Well-known member
Your very knowledgeable about this, Sastrn.
How these people treat those animals is sick and wrong beyond explanation. I don't know how as a race, we can have any respect for ourselves when we abuse things so senselessly. How did we get so arrogant?
lonely_drummer
Well-known member
I try and live my life to this one rule, enjoy everything, but in moderation(beer and other things of this nature are not included on this list of everything hehe).
Lea
Banned
Pride is never good, the less for something which doesn´t cost you any effort. And to be proud of KILLING which you don´t even have to do yourself, but others do it while you´re enjoying yourself seems to me rather as ignorance.
I hate reading about these horrible things that go on in some factory farms. While I'm sure there are facilities that treat the animals well enough and have professional workers, I know that there are <too many> cases where this isn't the case. I wish there wasn't such a price disparity between grass fed or humanely raised meat and regular meat. I do know there is a difference in quality and nutrition though. If cows or chickens are raised on NATURAL diets (no grain or meat) then they are healthier and their digestive systems aren't in havoc. For those who don't care about animal welfare, they should know that the risk of contamination is far less with meat from these sources, because animals were less likely sick when slaughtered (remember the video of the worker pushing a cow that couldn't walk because of mad cow disease to slaughter with a forklift? Biggest recall of meat in the country's history).
I ALWAYS drink grass fed, organic milk and at least cage free eggs. I strongly believe they are more nutritious and taste way better. I also like to know that I am supporting farmers who care about how they interact with animals and the environment (another thing about factory farms is that they are big polluters. I live in Maryland which is famous for its Chesapeake Bay, almost half of which is dead zones because of the runoff from big agriculture in Maryland).
You don't necessarily have to buy organic, but buying from sustainable, small farms is better than buying meat from some nameless factory because you are supporting people who care about their animals and their environment. Also , you have a better idea about WHERE your food came from. That's a problem in this country--we are so disconnected from the source of our food. You would think that if you're putting something in your body, you'd care about where it came from. It can be hard to do this, but if you go to health store's like Mom's or Whole foods often you're given a better idea about the exact source of your food.
I agree with you Lea. This guy sounds really arrogant and kind of ignorant of the facts. Vegans don't HAVE to take pills; if they carefully plan their diet with complete proteins and research accordingly, it is possible to be a healthy vegan. Yes, humans are naturally omnivores but it is possible to cut meat from the diet and still be healthy (or healthier), depending on what you choose to eat in replacement. For example, if you're a vegetarian who downs sodas and pizza everyday, that's obviously not going to be a healthy choice. Meat in moderation is healthy, but in America we eat it in extreme excess, which is part of the reason many of us are overweight or unhealthy. It is not necessary to eat a pound of meat in ONE sitting, as people often do.
And really it doesn't have anything to do with evolution, so I don't know where that came from. As a biologist I can't stand it when people misquote or mis-define evolution. Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine.