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Thread: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

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    Default Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    So I've always avoided the whole PETA scene. I love steak, chicken, fish, eggs....you name it. But I've been reading a book called The Food Revolution, and it's talking about stuff that scares the shit out of me. I seriously can't go on eating certain meats.

    I'm reading about how companies producing eggs will starve the chickens for 10-14 days, deprive them of water for 3 days at a time, just to force a laying cycle in the chickens that survive. How up to 10% of cows aren't properly stunned before they're skinned/gutted alive. How eating a pound of beef is the equivalent of wasting 2500-5400 gallons of water (for grain irrigation costs). How small the cages are that these animals spend their entire lives in. Baby cows raised in filth, deprived of everything, just to produce veal. It's repulsive.

    I can't be an environmentalist/animal-lover and continue eating meat. I just can't!! I mean, if I knew the animals were being killed humanely, I might still continue. But it's seriously insane what these industries have turned into just to provide millions of people with their meat quota.

    So from now on, I'm completely staying away from beef and chicken and pork. I'm buying all of my eggs cage-free (if the label says 'free range,' that doesn't mean anything).

    Anyone else out there feel this way? Vegetarians? Vegans?

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    ^ Food Inc. was very enlightening, yes.

    I'm keeping fish in my diet for the protein and B12 goodness. I'm not drinking milk (dairy cows are treated horribly, and I can just drink soy milk) anymore either.

    I'm just freaked out. I feel like I've been living in the dark for so long. Had no idea where any of my food was coming from.

    I'd highly encourage anyone interested to check out the book I mentioned in the OP. It doesn't just talk about animal cruelty. It talks about how unhealthy animal products are, how many diseases live in meat, etc. etc. Very interesting.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Considering I don't have the know-how or patience to go out and hunt and kill my own food, I'll continue to buy meat off the shelves. It's too tasty.

    If we weren't meant to eat animals, then they shouldn't have been made out of food.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    ^ I think cruelty/diseased meat/unhealthiness is an entirely different issue than "Humans can eat meat."

    Anyway, ancestrally, we'd be eating raw meat that isn't tainted by modern practices. A totally different issue.

    If this thread bothers anyone, please feel free to not provide imput. I'm not trying to argue with anyone. I'm just revelling in the fact that we are so ignorant (to no fault of our own--companies are deceptive!) about the meat industry.
    Last edited by charlie61; 02-13-2010 at 10:25 PM. Reason: grammarrrzzz

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Oh! And also, I realize I'm not 100% vegetarian since I still eat fish and cage-free eggs. But I like the conciseness of the thread title. I don't intend to offend any real vegetarians here.

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    Featured Member K Sweet's Avatar
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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    I became vegan after I read some stuff like that, it was from PETA (who now I HATE). That stuff is scary and I love animals so it really wasn't an option for me to eat that stuff anymore because I just got an awful mental image. I think its good for people to read that stuff because we should know where our food comes from, but don't try to read all of it. It really never ends, there are horror stories about the most torturous things I've ever heard of, and there's always another story about something even worse.

    When I made the jump I cut my dairy consumption in half (I was already vegetarian and I don't like eggs) and things just naturally became easier and easier. It took me six months but going slow was a great way to get my body used to a new diet.
    I've been vegan for four years and I find it helpful to take a multi-vitamin and joint supplements (but that's more because of sports injuries).

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    Featured Member K Sweet's Avatar
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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Also, for eggs, try to find a local farmer (which can be hard depending on your location), but that's the closest to happy chickens you can find. A farmer's market might be a good place to look.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    I was a vegetarian for a long time, I couldn't cope with the guilt of eating meat. I grew up in the countryside and saw first hand how they treat the animals. A few years ago I became very sick with numerous health problems, eventually I pin pointed it down to having loads of food allergies that includes most grains. I do eat some meat now as a Palaeolithic diet is the only one that suits me, I try my very best to eat free range and organic. I have been struggling with the guilt again though and have been actually having nightmares about the animals. I think I might try to go vegan again as this feels horrible. If I could hunt for my own food I would as I have no problem with eating something that has lived a stress free, natural life before a quick death.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    What they do to animals to produce leather and fur is just as bad if not worse. Check it out; it'll gross you out so bad you'll never give the leather or fur industry a dime ever again.
    Just for the record, no I'm not a peta fan.
    Last edited by daniella_maria; 02-14-2010 at 05:08 AM. Reason: stupid droid phone

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    I've been veg for 5 yrs and just switched to allorganic aswell I highly suggest doing the same I'm much healthier than I've ever been and lost 15 lbs in 4 months.

    If ur switching to cage free eggs please consider farmfree fish it's disgusting what they let those fish live in and then try to feed it to u.

    Congrats on the switch I hope u stay.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    I feel similarly and was a vegan at one point after I read about what happens on factory farms. But after six months, I became B12 deficient and very ill and had to go back to my old omnivorous ways.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Autumn Lily View Post
    Considering I don't have the know-how or patience to go out and hunt and kill my own food, I'll continue to buy meat off the shelves. It's too tasty.

    If we weren't meant to eat animals, then they shouldn't have been made out of food.
    I know the OP doesn't appreciate this answer, but I thought it was funny.

    I don't know anything about that book, but I'm always wary of things that sound propaganda-ish. I've visited a dairy farm and the cows seemed pretty...ok to me. I'm sure there are places where they're not treated well but it's easy to take one or two places that poor practices are used and then paint a whole industry with a small brush. I use organic stuff as much as I can anyway, but I also wouldn't stop eating a food because of what I read in one book.

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    Veteran Member AngelKing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    It is virtually impossible to live in modern urbanized society without causing distress to the environment and to other life forms in one way or another. The key is to mitigate the damage. My body chemistry would not allow me to be vegetarian and to be healthy (I've tried), so I now eat only wild game (bison, ostrich, venison, etc.), and free range grass fed meat from a local ethical farm (Top Meadows) with operational transparency. Beyond how a lifeform dies, I think it's quality of life is more important, and so I have refused to eat industrially farmed products for a long time.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Well, I was vegan for all of three months, but honestly, it was soooo much work and my husband despised it, so I gave up most of the habits.

    However, i now eat many more vegetables than I used to eat. Wider variety, too.

    I just can't give up my seafood! And chicken is so versatile to eat. But now I buy brands that I know are good and treat their animals humanely.
    "You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories -Stainslaw J. Lec

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Hyde View Post
    I know the OP doesn't appreciate this answer, but I thought it was funny.

    I don't know anything about that book, but I'm always wary of things that sound propaganda-ish. I've visited a dairy farm and the cows seemed pretty...ok to me. I'm sure there are places where they're not treated well but it's easy to take one or two places that poor practices are used and then paint a whole industry with a small brush. I use organic stuff as much as I can anyway, but I also wouldn't stop eating a food because of what I read in one book.
    Agreed. However, I don't really see that people are gaining much by pointing fingers at these industries. Maybe they're slightly exaggerated...but seriously, the more I learn, the more freaked out I am. It's hard to watch a documentary that interviews people in these industries and see it as just being propaganda: it seems pretty damn factual.

    Trust me--as a university student, I'm one of the more skeptical people out there. I always thought PETA was just an extremist group (and I still do think they're too radical). So I am definitely reading these sources while keeping that in mind. But, that being said, I'm still freaked out by what I'm learning.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by papillonluvr View Post
    Well, I was vegan for all of three months, but honestly, it was soooo much work and my husband despised it, so I gave up most of the habits.

    However, i now eat many more vegetables than I used to eat. Wider variety, too.

    I just can't give up my seafood! And chicken is so versatile to eat. But now I buy brands that I know are good and treat their animals humanely.
    I went vegetarian for 2 years when I was about 17 - it was a trendy thing to do then......anyway - I started dating a biker and stayed overnight at his Parent's farm - and woke up one morning to the smell of farm fresh fried eggs and bacon......instant Will-Power and Moral Conscience failure!
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    If you buy meat from a supermarket..it is factory farmed and I guarentee the animals lived a miserable abused life before being inhumanely butchered. I could go into this for hrs, but yes...I dont eat this shit because of it. No fur either and I havent bought leather in yrs.

    IMO you cant call yourself an animal lover and then joke about how they are made of food. Humans actually arent meant to eat meat. We adapted to be able to. If you compare our digestive systems and teeth, we are NOT carnivores. If we were, we wouldnt have to cook meat to be able to eat it and some of us (like me for example) wouldnt have systems that cant digest it.

    If you CAN get meat from small farms that treat their animals well and REALLY kill humanely..then I have no issue with it. But 99.9% of people dont. They get it from a market aka factory farmed.

    Whether you like PETA or not (and no Im not a member)...their videos from inside slaughterhouses are life changing. You cant ignore whats right there on film from inside the biggest meat producers in the world.

    Quote Originally Posted by lexilou View Post
    "I'll picklepunch you in your twatwaffle!"

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    I think with PETA I'm grateful they have so much accessible information, but I really hate some of their politics. For example, one ad that said "no one likes fur" and shows a naked woman with a bush. Or a naked woman packaged up like chicken breast. Haha, actually just looking up "PETA ad" in google is pretty ridiculous.
    I became vegan for animals and health, not for naked ladies!

    Ooh also has anyone heard of "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch"??? It's recipes inspired by "Skinny Bitch". I really want it.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    I've been a vegetarian for 14 years. Well, mostly; I fall off of the wagon for seafood delicacies once every few years ( like last night- olympia oysters with caviar in vinigrette, hamachi sashimi with blood orange and scallops... I'm not saying no to that.) but I am sick to death of people saying it isn't healthy. Sure, you have to be more aware. In the fourteen years I have been vegetarian I have NEVER taken supplements or vitamins, and every time I get a checkup, there's nothing wrong with my iron or B12 etc levels.

    A lot of it is hype.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lexi_Girl View Post
    Humans used to eat raw meat, and we still can and many cultures do, though it'll likely make us sick at first (as our body adjusts to the new diet).
    We also used to die before we were 30. And NO culture subsists on raw meat. If they eat it, it is not a large part of their diet. Theres a reason for that.

    Quote Originally Posted by K Sweet View Post
    I think with PETA I'm grateful they have so much accessible information, but I really hate some of their politics. For example, one ad that said "no one likes fur" and shows a naked woman with a bush. Or a naked woman packaged up like chicken breast. Haha, actually just looking up "PETA ad" in google is pretty ridiculous.
    I became vegan for animals and health, not for naked ladies!

    .
    I do agree that PETA goes too far a lot of the time....but they DO get attention for these issues. If it makes even ONE more person aware enough to stop supporting horrible useless industries like fur..I cant fault them for it. They have done things in the past I did not like that were too extreme, but their hearts are in the right place at least.

    Quote Originally Posted by lexilou View Post
    "I'll picklepunch you in your twatwaffle!"

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    It now makes me sick seeing all of those "Happy cows make happy milk/cheese" ads. Wool over our eyes.

    And as someone else mentioned...once you see those PETA videos (and videos from other sources!), it's hard to deny that something is wrong. It's really sickening...

    I think a big part of it is the enormous gap between consumers, the heads of the companies, and their workers. Consumers want. Heads of companies give orders. And the workers, the people getting paid minimum wage (and the majority of whom desperately need jobs) are the only ones who have to actually do these things. The gaps create distances that lead to inhumane acts. As long as the consumers and CEO's don't have to witness what's going on, we can go on pretending it's all okay in the name of capitalism.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    We should all be conscientious consumers regardless of what product we choose to consume. What I find hypocritical is when people get on a high horse about one area of consumption, but do not apply the same moral criteria to other areas of their own consumerism. The very act of buying something in modern society is an almost guaranteed support of suffering and distress somewhere in the chain of production, whether to animals, other humans, or to the earth itself.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    ^ Very true. It's all based on ignorance. The more I learn, the more I realize how ignorant I am! Incredible how everything in the food industry is connected to money. It sounds obvious...but it really helps explain how a well-meaning industry can become morally bankrupt in this culture.

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    ^ Yes!! Food Inc. talks about that. Scary!

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    Default Re: Aaaah vegetarianism!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lexi_Girl View Post
    Inuits still mostly exist off of raw animal for a large part of their diet...

    They have lifespans about 15 years shorter than other Canadians, but that also has a lot to do with the fact that there's less hospitals and what not. Infant mortality rate also skews those stats.
    Im betting most of it is fish, which makes a difference. And ALL of it is freshly killed. Right?

    I dont expect the whole world to be veg. Thats unrealistic. What I DO want is the end of factory farming and for animals meant for slaughter to be raised in a healthy happy environment and killed humanely. Not a lot to ask.

    The problem is, factory farming started because of demand. Doing it RIGHT wouldnt put a McDonalds on every corner.

    If every meat eater cut down and ate veg just twice a week...the demand for meat from the industry would be significantly less. Which would make it much more feasible to do things slower and not abuse and torture animals for that burger. People dont need meat. They certainly dont need it every day or every meal. People eat WAY more meat then their bodies can ever need or process. And that causes problems of its own..cholesterol, triglicerides, blood pressure, obesity, etc...etc..

    I eat vegetarian 99% of the time. Occassionaly I will have a little fish. So technically I am a pescetarian.

    Fake meats to me, taste just as good. Morningstar veggie dogs and chicken patties/nuggests, Boca Burgers, Quorn products... I dont ever miss out when it comes time to BBQ. I have my hot dog or burger like everyone else. Mine just has no meat in it!

    And you can get the same vitamins in other places. Protein from nuts or beans....B12 is in seaweed and Spirulina, as well as soy milk and soy beans(so enjoy that edamame!) and fortified cereals. In fact,recent research has also found out that the absorption of B12 from dairy and meat is much poorer than it was thought to be. As a result, a large part of the population is suffering from a B12 deficiency, even though they include plenty of animal-based foods in their diet.

    Everything you can get from meat, you can get elsewhere even without supplements. And it will actually digest better then getting it from meat and wont come with the fat and cholesterol!

    Quote Originally Posted by lexilou View Post
    "I'll picklepunch you in your twatwaffle!"

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