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NobodysHeroine
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Is anyone here a vegetarian? new_thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

 

I have seriously considered becoming one, which I will start on immediately. This choice is based on both ethical and health reasons: I do not approve of the slaughter of animals, and there is a history of heart disease and diabetes in my family. eh.gif

 

I won't be a very strict vegetarian; I will still have some meat once in a while to keep getting my protein, but my diet will be much healthier. I have no problem with dairy and eggs. Of course, I am aware that this is a pretty large commitment, but it's one that I am willing to make. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. tongue.gif

 

Is there any advice and/or feedback that you can offer? biggrin.gif

Edited by NobodysHeroine
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I've been a vegetarian on and off, mostly because I don't like the idea of how animals are raised for food. I suppose part of the reason I gave up on it was finding out that the egg and dairy industry are guilty of just as much (or more) cruelty as the meat industry, so since I wasn't vegan, I wasn't really doing any animals a favor. I wish I had what it took to be vegan, but the replacement ingredients are prohibitively expensive on my budget. And sadly, I like meat...but what I'm eating is always in the back of my mind.

 

I can still give you ideas for meal planning; feel free to ask! I used a lot of Morningstar Farms' products when I was vegetarian - they have a lot of items like veggie burgers, plus a number of meat replacements. It isn't cheap, but a lot of other brands are even more expensive.

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A good way to start, or at least see what your meal options are, is to go to a few local vegetarian restaurants. Also, there are a lot of good cookbooks out there too.

 

I love veggie patties. They are a great alternative! I always have some on hand.

 

There are a lot of options for you if you truly want to follow a vegetarian diet. A lot of foods are high in protein: tofu, beans, lentils, legumes, peanuts, cashews, almonds and walnuts. Also, there are a lot of good protein supplements out there.

 

As a heavy runner, my protein intake is extemely limited. Honestly, I don't think people need as much protein as they think. IMO. I drink a protein shake every morning.

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QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Jan 10 2012, 12:13 AM)
I don't get the point. The animals are going to be killed wether you eat them or not. Might as well enjoy the benefits.

Supply and demand...the hope is, if there's less demand for meat, there will be less animals bred for meat (you're only going to make what you can sell).

 

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QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Jan 10 2012, 10:04 PM)
QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Jan 10 2012, 12:13 AM)
I don't get the point. The animals are going to be killed wether you eat them or not. Might as well enjoy the benefits.

Supply and demand...the hope is, if there's less demand for meat, there will be less animals bred for meat (you're only going to make what you can sell).

I find nothing wrong, morally and ethically, with eating meat or animal products. If the argument is HOW animals are raised and slaughtered, I see the point. Eating animal products is not BAD, it's eating TOO MUCH animal products that's bad. Anyway, a person can only benefit from eating less meat or animal products.

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QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Jan 10 2012, 09:04 PM)
QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Jan 10 2012, 12:13 AM)
I don't get the point. The animals are going to be killed wether you eat them or not. Might as well enjoy the benefits.

Supply and demand...the hope is, if there's less demand for meat, there will be less animals bred for meat (you're only going to make what you can sell).

If its about animal treatment, being a vegetarian wouldn't do that much. What would really send a message would be if a bunch of people started buying meat only from companies that treated their animals well.

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As far as I know, many animals are euthanized now, so there is no suffering. When it comes to meat, I'm very selective. I tend to favor beef and poultry. On occasion I eat pork products but not very often.
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QUOTE (ReRushed @ Jan 10 2012, 10:17 PM)
If the argument is HOW animals are raised and slaughtered, I see the point.

Yes - the point of animal advocates being that any business that processes a large amount of animals and aims to maximize profit is not going to take the time to treat the animals well. That's the good thing about hunting; until death, the animal was living a free-range, natural diet, life.

 

I wish I had the funds for free-range, etc. meat.

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i have tried and failed to be a vegetarian, its hard to do it right but IMO its superior.

 

read the omnivores dilemma. best book about food ever. super thought provoking.

 

watch out for the veggie patties! i ate them for years but read in the book above how hexane is used to get the soy protein.

 

as far as i know only tofurky products don't use the hexane, unlike boca, morningstar etc.

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We have these sharp, pointy teeth for a reason, and it's not for eating grass.

 

People choose to go vegetarian, that's fine... but there is nothing unhealthy (or unnatural, I've heard it called that) about eating meat.

 

For men, eating large amounts of soy is actually worse.

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I'm more in tune with eating ethically-raised meats. My husband and I raise our own beef cattle, grass fed, free range etc. But, many don't have that opportunity and for that I feel very fortunate.

 

 

As for the argument that being vegetarian is healthier, it depends. If you are substituting meat with frozen fake meats, you are not doing your body any justice. Read the ingredient label and if you see things in there that sound too sciency, or you can't pronounce, it's all chemicals to preserve the food and make it taste better. Totally unnatural, foreign substances our bodies were not made to process. Better off choosing real, natural substitutes than anything processed.

 

 

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QUOTE (iluvgeddy05 @ Jan 25 2012, 11:38 AM)
I'm more in tune with eating ethically-raised meats. My husband and I raise our own beef cattle, grass fed, free range etc. But, many don't have that opportunity and for that I feel very fortunate.

My family usually buys a cow from accross the street that grows up in the same conditions. It tastes much better too. I rarely eat mass produced meat.

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QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Jan 11 2012, 09:24 PM)
As far as I know, many animals are euthanized now, so there is no suffering. When it comes to meat, I'm very selective. I tend to favor beef and poultry. On occasion I eat pork products but not very often.

Ya... I wouldn't wanna eat something that had those kinds of chemicals running through it's system when it was killed. Who knows the effects it has on humans... not to mention all the growth hormones they inject into cattle so they can kill them faster from birth.

 

 

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QUOTE (Ya_Big_Tree @ Jan 25 2012, 01:16 PM)
QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Jan 11 2012, 09:24 PM)
As far as I know, many animals are euthanized now, so there is no suffering. When it comes to meat, I'm very selective. I tend to favor beef and poultry. On occasion I eat pork products but not very often.

Ya... I wouldn't wanna eat something that had those kinds of chemicals running through it's system when it was killed. Who knows the effects it has on humans... not to mention all the growth hormones they inject into cattle so they can kill them faster from birth.

They're never "euthanized", if by that you mean a massive injection of a barbiturate overdose. That can't be in the system of an animal meant for human consumption. For the most part, the killing is done with a captive bolt.

 

Bear in mind that "organic" does not equal "humane", necessarily. No antibiotics means that the animals may suffer through disease processes that would normally be quickly resolved with a couple of doses of antibiotics.

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QUOTE (Mara @ Jan 25 2012, 11:22 AM)
QUOTE (Ya_Big_Tree @ Jan 25 2012, 01:16 PM)
QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Jan 11 2012, 09:24 PM)
As far as I know, many animals are euthanized now, so there is no suffering. When it comes to meat, I'm very selective. I tend to favor beef and poultry. On occasion I eat pork products but not very often.

Ya... I wouldn't wanna eat something that had those kinds of chemicals running through it's system when it was killed. Who knows the effects it has on humans... not to mention all the growth hormones they inject into cattle so they can kill them faster from birth.

They're never "euthanized", if by that you mean a massive injection of a barbiturate overdose. That can't be in the system of an animal meant for human consumption. For the most part, the killing is done with a captive bolt.

 

Bear in mind that "organic" does not equal "humane", necessarily. No antibiotics means that the animals may suffer through disease processes that would normally be quickly resolved with a couple of doses of antibiotics.

Well they don't have any antibiotics in the wild. confused13.gif

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QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Jan 28 2012, 11:08 AM)
QUOTE (Mara @ Jan 25 2012, 11:22 AM)
QUOTE (Ya_Big_Tree @ Jan 25 2012, 01:16 PM)
QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Jan 11 2012, 09:24 PM)
As far as I know, many animals are euthanized now, so there is no suffering. When it comes to meat, I'm very selective. I tend to favor beef and poultry. On occasion I eat pork products but not very often.

Ya... I wouldn't wanna eat something that had those kinds of chemicals running through it's system when it was killed. Who knows the effects it has on humans... not to mention all the growth hormones they inject into cattle so they can kill them faster from birth.

They're never "euthanized", if by that you mean a massive injection of a barbiturate overdose. That can't be in the system of an animal meant for human consumption. For the most part, the killing is done with a captive bolt.

 

Bear in mind that "organic" does not equal "humane", necessarily. No antibiotics means that the animals may suffer through disease processes that would normally be quickly resolved with a couple of doses of antibiotics.

Well they don't have any antibiotics in the wild. confused13.gif

And wild animals tend to not live as long as their domestic counterparts. (Loosely speaking; I realize that you're not likely to find big herds of wild dairy cows, for example).

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I adopt vegan eating habits for about two to four weeks each year. The best advice I can give you is that the internet is your best friend. There are so many recipes online just waiting to be discovered via google search.
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QUOTE (Mara @ Jan 25 2012, 12:22 PM)
QUOTE (Ya_Big_Tree @ Jan 25 2012, 01:16 PM)
QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Jan 11 2012, 09:24 PM)
As far as I know, many animals are euthanized now, so there is no suffering. When it comes to meat, I'm very selective. I tend to favor beef and poultry. On occasion I eat pork products but not very often.

Ya... I wouldn't wanna eat something that had those kinds of chemicals running through it's system when it was killed. Who knows the effects it has on humans... not to mention all the growth hormones they inject into cattle so they can kill them faster from birth.

They're never "euthanized", if by that you mean a massive injection of a barbiturate overdose. That can't be in the system of an animal meant for human consumption. For the most part, the killing is done with a captive bolt.

 

Bear in mind that "organic" does not equal "humane", necessarily. No antibiotics means that the animals may suffer through disease processes that would normally be quickly resolved with a couple of doses of antibiotics.

Just think of all the pesticides that are used in agriculture though. Sticking to fruits and vegetables you are still exposing yourself to chemicals.

 

Unless you grow your own (which is preferable anyway), just because it's labeled "organic" in the grocery store does not mean it's necessarily true.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that plants are living creatures too with a nervous system all their own.

Edited by circumstantial tree
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QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Jan 28 2012, 10:08 AM)
QUOTE (Mara @ Jan 25 2012, 11:22 AM)
QUOTE (Ya_Big_Tree @ Jan 25 2012, 01:16 PM)
QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Jan 11 2012, 09:24 PM)
As far as I know, many animals are euthanized now, so there is no suffering. When it comes to meat, I'm very selective. I tend to favor beef and poultry. On occasion I eat pork products but not very often.

Ya... I wouldn't wanna eat something that had those kinds of chemicals running through it's system when it was killed. Who knows the effects it has on humans... not to mention all the growth hormones they inject into cattle so they can kill them faster from birth.

They're never "euthanized", if by that you mean a massive injection of a barbiturate overdose. That can't be in the system of an animal meant for human consumption. For the most part, the killing is done with a captive bolt.

 

Bear in mind that "organic" does not equal "humane", necessarily. No antibiotics means that the animals may suffer through disease processes that would normally be quickly resolved with a couple of doses of antibiotics.

Well they don't have any antibiotics in the wild. confused13.gif

Yeah...what do the animals do in the wild when they get a raging case of syphilis? unsure.gif

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QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ Jan 28 2012, 06:20 PM)
QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Jan 28 2012, 10:08 AM)
QUOTE (Mara @ Jan 25 2012, 11:22 AM)
QUOTE (Ya_Big_Tree @ Jan 25 2012, 01:16 PM)
QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Jan 11 2012, 09:24 PM)
As far as I know, many animals are euthanized now, so there is no suffering. When it comes to meat, I'm very selective. I tend to favor beef and poultry. On occasion I eat pork products but not very often.

Ya... I wouldn't wanna eat something that had those kinds of chemicals running through it's system when it was killed. Who knows the effects it has on humans... not to mention all the growth hormones they inject into cattle so they can kill them faster from birth.

They're never "euthanized", if by that you mean a massive injection of a barbiturate overdose. That can't be in the system of an animal meant for human consumption. For the most part, the killing is done with a captive bolt.

 

Bear in mind that "organic" does not equal "humane", necessarily. No antibiotics means that the animals may suffer through disease processes that would normally be quickly resolved with a couple of doses of antibiotics.

Well they don't have any antibiotics in the wild. confused13.gif

Yeah...what do the animals do in the wild when they get a raging case of syphilis? unsure.gif

I don't imagine they're wearing condoms to keep from spreading it, sure.

 

But seriously, if we're going to domesticize animals for any reason, including providing our food sources, I think they need to be given proper care. Which means treating them for any uncomfortable medical issues as needed. It's not really fair to say "well, that's how they live in the wild." We assumed custody of them for our purposes; thus I think we owe it to Ms. Dairy Cow to not let her suffer through a bout of mastitis, for example.

 

And yes, I eat the hell out of meat.

 

*Off soapbox*

Edited by Mara
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QUOTE (Lost In Xanadu @ Jan 25 2012, 11:42 AM)
I'd rather the animals I am eating be treated poorly. Hate to think I am eating something that was taken away from a happy life laugh.gif

rofl3.gif rofl3.gif rofl3.gif I'm a vegetarian and I just spit my Guinness all over my computer...too funny!!! rofl3.gif rofl3.gif rofl3.gif

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QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Jan 11 2012, 01:18 AM)
QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Jan 10 2012, 09:04 PM)
QUOTE (An Enemy Without @ Jan 10 2012, 12:13 AM)
I don't get the point. The animals are going to be killed wether you eat them or not. Might as well enjoy the benefits.

Supply and demand...the hope is, if there's less demand for meat, there will be less animals bred for meat (you're only going to make what you can sell).

If its about animal treatment, being a vegetarian wouldn't do that much. What would really send a message would be if a bunch of people started buying meat only from companies that treated their animals well.

That's the only problem with meat eating, is not knowing who treats the animals well. But either way, vegetarians are wimps, meat all the way! 1022.gif 1287.gif

I do really believe the animal should be treated well, i hate the idea of not honoring the animal, not thanking it for giving us food. Sure we're at the top of the food chain but I hate disrespect and disrespect in all forms, be it to other humans, animals, the land, or whatever.

 

I cannot become a vegetarian, I love meats too much, and I was just joking about them being wimps. It's a strong commitment and I respect it, I just think it's a little silly tongue.gif plus, if you really wanna send an ethical message, buy from companies that treat the animals right. Because either way, animals are gonna be killed and in a way, not eating them after so much slaughter is disrespectful to the animal. I don't know if that makes sense.

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