Meat Eater / Vegetarian / Vegan

[All Seeing Eye]

Just a general poll to see what we got around here.

So are you a Meat Eater, Vegetarian or Vegan?

What made you become Vegetarian/Vegan? or if not either of those why do you choose to eat meat knowing what has to be done to provide you with it?

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Meat eater. I don't do well trying to get a lot of fruits and vegetables down (many fruits are too overwhelming in their sweetness, and for vegetables I can't get them down unless they're cooked), so I don't think I could ever have an adequate diet if I tried to go vegetarian or vegan. Acid reflux disease complicates the issue further...too much fruit would set me off badly, or an excess of bitter vegetables, whereas something like chicken or fish doesn't affect me as badly. (Steak...it depends on what's put on it.)

I think that animals need to be treated much more humanely than they are--but for me, it's a choice between eating meat or getting sick from a nutritionally insufficient diet.

EDIT: To sum up--Obligate Omnivore.

 

[Amaris]

I am currently a meat eater, but I want to be Vegetarian again.
I have cut back my carnivorous activity significantly, and would rather eat veggies, fruits, grains, dairy and soy.

 

[Kestra]

Meat eater. My brother and sister turned pescetarian on me a few years back which I could never do because I haven't learned to love seafood.

I tried to go without beef once and only lasted a few months. Still, I try to moderate the amount of meat I eat. It's mainly chicken and beef, as I don't like pork and several other forms of meat. When I'm in India I have no problem going vegetarian, but I'm sure after several months I'd want meat again.

 

[1001001]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, why did He make them out of meat???

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals. I'm a vegetarian because I hate vegetables.

But anyway, I only eat certain meats (mostly white meat and fish to be on the safe side ), and all the rest is vegetable-based food. Plus fruit and cereal-based food too. Occasionally cardboard.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

I am a meat eater. However, meat is not the majority of what I eat and I don't necessarily eat meat, fowl, or fish for every meal or every day.

 

[Cornholio]

why do you choose to eat meat knowing what has to be done to provide you with it?

umm, I firmly believe that humans are, in fact, carnivores. to attempt to survive on a vegetarian diet is IMNSHO to deny the truth.

as much as I love cheeseburgers, I do try to limit the amount of red meat that I eat. I eat a lot of turkey, and turkey products.

I do like vegetables though.

Meat eater. I don't do well trying to get a lot of fruits and vegetables down (many fruits are too overwhelming in their sweetness, and for vegetables I can't get them down unless they're cooked), so I don't think I could ever have an adequate diet if I tried to go vegetarian or vegan.

I also find many fruits to be too sweet. I do eat bananas on a daily basis. they're high in fiber and vitamin C without the excessive sweetness and acidity of citrus fruit.

I tend to like my vegetables raw. green beans and bell peppers especially. they have much more flavor and vegetables are more nutritious that way as well.

 

[thestrangequark]

why do you choose to eat meat knowing what has to be done to provide you with it?

umm, I firmly believe that humans are, in fact, carnivores. to attempt to survive on a vegetarian diet is IMNSHO to deny the truth.

No, humans are omnivores, we naturally consume both meat and vegetables. We can survive healthily and happily on not only a meat-free, but entirely animal product-free diet. Many cultures have been doing so for centuries.

As for me, I am a meat eater, though only seafood and poultry, for health reasons. I could be perfectly happy as a vegetarian, though, and often go months without meat. Both my sisters are vegans, and I could live off a vegan diet too, though I'd really miss lobster!

 

[Mallory]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, why did He make them out of meat???

Exactly! I'll will admit to trying to balance my diet just a bit over the past two or three years with more fruit and vegetables along with cheese and eggs. Of course my bacon consumption level has remained unchanged. Bacon just makes everything better.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

I couldn't see myself becoming a Vegetarian, as I love poultry and seafood the most. At the moment it's probably 4 days of white meat, and 3 days of red meat per week.

 

[Count Zero]

I'm a vegetarian and have been for several years now. Actually, I have a hard time now believing that I've ever been a meat eater because being vegetarian feels so natural to me. But before I became one I was convinced I could never do it because I loved meat so much.
I became a vegetarian because I think it's wrong to kill sentient beings for what, basically, is just our pleasure. I had a sort of revelation one night but I really had been in a moral dilemma about this for years.
Originally, I only decided to radically cut back my meat consumption and only eat meat when I really wanted it or on special occasions. Well, those occasions never really came. After a few weeks, I decided I might just as well be a vegetarian. It turned out to be surprisingly easy. I only regret not having done it sooner.

 

[gturner]

I've eaten pig, cow, buffalo, elk, deer, rabbit, ostrich, chicken, turkey, pheasant, goose, duck, partridge, lamb, goat, turtle, fish, shellfish, octopus, squid, shark, eel, earthworm, and grasshopper. They were all tasty.

So I'm probably not vegan or vegetarian.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, why did He make them out of meat???

And make them taste so good

 

[Kira's Mom]

Meat-eater, but I don't eat a lot of meat. I could be a vegetarian if I had to, but I could never be a vegan. I like eggs and cheese too much.

 

[Chaos Descending]

...why do you choose to eat meat knowing what has to be done to provide you with it?

Because it tastes so very good.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I am a meat-eater. I am diabetic and on the Atkins diet. Low-carb is the only kind of diet that keeps my blood sugar even and doesn't cause me to crave sugary foods. Although after meat the thing I eat most is vegetables so the meat or vegetable thing is kind of a false dichotomy. I mostly stay away from fruit and too much grains.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

why do you choose to eat meat knowing what has to be done to provide you with it?

umm, I firmly believe that humans are, in fact, carnivores. to attempt to survive on a vegetarian diet is IMNSHO to deny the truth.

No, humans are omnivores, we naturally consume both meat and vegetables. We can survive healthily and happily on not only a meat-free, but entirely animal product-free diet. Many cultures have been doing so for centuries.

I think that while many people can, I do think we have to respect the fact that some may have conditions that prevent it. As I said before...I truly believe it would be medically inadvisable for me to attempt a diet that didn't involve some sort of meat or animal products. In my case there are a lot of fruits and vegetables I cannot eat, or not in sufficient quantities, without getting sick. That's even with medication. It would be either that or take tons and TONS of supplements to make up what I couldn't get the normal way.

Even if we as a culture reduced our meat-eating habits, I think there are some people who will not be able to cut it from their diets, and telling them not to eat meat would be like trying to force a lion to live off of leaves.

 

[Angela 0077]

I love my meat

But my favourie meat to eat would be chicken

I also like my vegies with my meat

 

[thestrangequark]

umm, I firmly believe that humans are, in fact, carnivores. to attempt to survive on a vegetarian diet is IMNSHO to deny the truth.

No, humans are omnivores, we naturally consume both meat and vegetables. We can survive healthily and happily on not only a meat-free, but entirely animal product-free diet. Many cultures have been doing so for centuries.

I think that while many people can, I do think we have to respect the fact that some may have conditions that prevent it. As I said before...I truly believe it would be medically inadvisable for me to attempt a diet that didn't involve some sort of meat or animal products. In my case there are a lot of fruits and vegetables I cannot eat, or not in sufficient quantities, without getting sick. That's even with medication. It would be either that or take tons and TONS of supplements to make up what I couldn't get the normal way.

Even if we as a culture reduced our meat-eating habits, I think there are some people who will not be able to cut it from their diets, and telling them not to eat meat would be like trying to force a lion to live off of leaves.

Oh, I agree entirely. As a type 1 diabetic, I also find it easier to control my blood sugars when I eat meat and seafood. There are also many people who need to hunt for financial reasons, and those rare peoples for whom meat is the staple (like the Inupiat), and I don't believe there is anything wrong with that. I just find it obnoxious when people refer to humans as "carnivores" and say that vegetarian/vegan diets are unnatural or unhealthy.

My sister is raising my nephew vegan and you couldn't find a healthier baby around!