Vegetarians or Vegans here?

[bigsleepj]

I'm not a vegetarian but I don't mind vegetariansism - we all have our point of views. I also dislike animal abuse as well. But I think organization like PETA who like to court controversy in their campaigns animal rights campaigns are belittling the cause for vegetarians everwhere. PETA comes of as insane yahoos detached from reality who seem to value human life below those of animals (I'm thinking specifically in the president of PETA's letter to Yassar Arafat a few years - to say more would get too political).

[blue elf]

I eat meat, but I usually prefer chicken to beef, unless it's a steak. ^^

[The Grammarian]

I'll eat about anything that once moved on its own. Color me carnivorous.

[Yumie]

I think that we maybe need to step back a little bit with the anti-vegetarian-vegan bashing. For example.. sure God gave us cows to eat, but does that mean that he wants us to eat red meat every meal? Definatly not..

I don't really think that we're bashing vegetarians at all. If someone wants to spend their whole life avoiding eating meat that really is fine, I just am not one of those people. And the Bible doesn't say that God definitely does not want us to eat meat at every meal, so I would be careful about stating that so definitively.

but look at the health difference between people to eat tons of red meat and people who eat tons of vegetables? See my point? I think moderation of everything is the key, but I am pretty sure that the vegetarians are closer to the right ammounts of moderation than the rest of burger-happy America. Everybody knows how great American diets are....

Actually the health difference all depends on the WAY we eat our meat really. My mom is a health nut and she serves us different meats with the right variety of nutrients, and I rarely have to go to the doctors office more than perhaps once a year. And counting bacon, I often DO eat meat at every meal. On the other hand, I knew a guy before he went vegetarian and he was quite healthy, but then when he made the switch he got absolutely scrawny and looked. . . let's just say less than healthy. To say that health depends on how often you eat meat seems to me to be a bit off. It all depends on the balance of your diet and knowing enough about nutrition to eat healthily, vegetarian or non.

[shooraijin]

Well put. The presence or absence of meat in one's diet (or, for that matter, dairy or egg products) is only a contributor to one's overall health picture. You can eat nutritiously either way, and you can eat badly either way. Everything in moderation, as they always put it.

[termyt]

Well stated, Yumie. I have nothing else useful to contribute above that statement but it was well written and I thought a statement saying such was worthwhile.

[mitsuki lover]

My point about Hitler was mainly the fact that too often vegeterians and vegans
come across a bit self rigtheous at times.Just because a person refrains from eating
certain foods doesn't mean they're good people.Well I do recognize that most
vegeterians and vegans are relatively good people(unlike Hitler)they could for the
most part tone down the preaching of anti-meat in some cases.
Like anything else we,as Christians and Religious People in general,need to respect each other's taste in food.
Personally being someone who has lived on a cattle ranch I would never give up
being a meat eater.

[Maverick]

I didn't say anything was wrong with eating meat.. I simply said that sometimes in America we indulge in meat.. a lot. I mean, seriously... look at the fast food industry. I don't recall anybody going to McDonalds for their awesome salads... I know at least one or two people will say "Well I do" but y'all are a rarity.

As far as the civility of some of the previous posts.. a few were a little edgy. I mean, "I find vegans a little pushy... etc..." Seems to me just as offensive as saying "I find meat eaters pudgy and gross..." Thats all I was trying to get across.

[Michael]

I eat meat, but if I had a choice between a steak or a salad, I'd probably choose the salad. I like salad. A lot.

Meat has complete proteins, whereas produce doesn't, (certain plants might have complete proteins, but I can't remember.) You'd have to be very careful to watch what you eat if your a vegetarian, but I commend them for their hard work.

[Yumie]

I didn't say anything was wrong with eating meat.. I simply said that sometimes in America we indulge in meat.. a lot. I mean, seriously... look at the fast food industry. I don't recall anybody going to McDonalds for their awesome salads... I know at least one or two people will say "Well I do" but y'all are a rarity.

Well, I think that the reason that people go to a fast food place is to, well, obviously get food fast, but also to get food that you can't make as easily at home. I mean, a salad is pretty easy to whip up, so you don't really need to go out some place to get one. Whereas a burger is just time consuming to make, especially if you're only making one. That's not really worth turning the grill on over. But you are right that a lot of Americans come to a point where they choose to over-indulge themselves instead of trying to take care of the bodies God gave them. Basically it can all be boiled down to what Shooby said-- Everything in moderation.

As far as the civility of some of the previous posts.. a few were a little edgy. I mean, "I find vegans a little pushy... etc..." Seems to me just as offensive as saying "I find meat eaters pudgy and gross..." Thats all I was trying to get across.

We should indeed be careful in the way we convey our ideas, obviously while some vegans may be a little pushy some aren't and some meat-eaters can be equally pushy. So we should watch what we say and how we say it to avoid offending anyone. I'm sorry if I've said anything that offended you in any way Maverick!

[Shao Feng-Li]

"How can vegetarians love the enviroment if they keep eating it?" Nah just kidding.

I'm a meat eater here. Yeah, like I'm gonna eat a tofu burger instead of my dad's BBQ. XD

As long as Veggies aren't saying it's wrong to eat meat, to each his own.

[Maledicte]

I'm on a seafood diet. I see food and I eat it.

That's pretty much it...I love both my veggies and my meat. (Actually I loved my veggies so much that I became anemic as a child.) I've been eating less meat lately, not entirely out of choice but out of availability and time constraints. But just don't make me eat any veggie burgers or tofu sausages. If it ain't meat it ain't meat.

[Yojimbo]

Noriega was a vegetarian. But then he was afraid of goats too.

I like my meat. But we eat very healthy here at my house. My dad always makes a well balanced meal, with veggies, etc. And our meat is never undercooked.

Like others said I have no problem with vegetarians you guys can suck down asparagus shakes your whole life it's fine with me. Vegans though tend to go on the extreme and I have yet to meet a vegan that didn't try to make me feel guilty for eating meat.

And my junior year history teacher lived on a cattle farm and so did my veternarian boss. And they both told me that the cows were never abused and they even numbed them before injecting them.

[mitsuki lover]

It should be pointed out that the reason Daniel and his friends requested
a vegeterian diet in the book of Daniel is because there was no way that
they would have gotten fed a proper kosher diet by the Babylonians.

In any case meat is good.

[agasfas]

I eat a lot of meat! Ground beef or chicken mostly because it's the cheapest thing. But that aside, I also eat a lot of vegetable and fruits. A lot!

Though I see nothing wrong with being a vegetarian. God created Adam and Eve along with the garden of eden. They would eat nothing but fruit and veggies.

Genesis 1:29-30
I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be food for you. And to the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food. And it was so."

Then after the world flood God told Noah that it's okay to eat meat. So I don't have a problem with eating meat or being a vegetarian. Like people have already stated, "moderation" is key. And to blame health issues solely on meat is not really truth. I don't eat fast food because of it's grease and preservatives.

[Starfire1]

i was talking w/ a friend of mine, who has one parent who is a vegetarian and one not. and she considers herself a flexitarian-someone who eats meat, just not with every meal. ive found my place. i think i fit in well there and i wanted to know if anyone else had ever heard of such a thing as being a "flexitarian".

[shooraijin]

No, but it sounds like a good idea to get the best of both worlds.

[termyt]

After almost five pages of responses, I'm going to have to go with "no" as an answer to the original question. I think this thread is more about not being a vegetarian then about being one.

[~Natsumi Lam~]

Couldnt do it... id just die. Born in TX , favorite meal -> big fat steak and baked potato with butter, sour cream, cheese and corn on the cob. Like i said .... id just die.

But i can understand that point of view!!!

~Natsumi Lam~