being veggie

want2bmortgage3

what is the point in being veggie?

if still consuming dairy and eggs means that you are contributing to an industry where male calves are shot at birth, and male chicks are gassed or shredded at birth, then surely its a bit hypocritical?

how many veggies realise this i wonder?

i ask because im still sitting on the fence and dont know whether to avoid animal products altogether or eat them and buy only organic well looked after meat.

MUMMYTO2BOYS

My eldest son (5) asks questions about where his food comes from and we find it very hard to explain, never mind justify eating meat.

If we were veggies we'd have to be vegans and, as you say, avoid ALL animal products.

I wonder how many veggies wear leather shoes etc

misskool

Some people can't stand the taste of meat and therefore, aren't ethical veggies, so for them it doesn't matter.

clutterydrawer

I do wonder this when my vegetarian friends carry on like they're god's gift to the earth because they don't eat meat. Then I ask them how they justify eating dairy and they go very quiet.

brazilianwax

misskool wrote: »

Some people can't stand the taste of meat and therefore, aren't ethical veggies, so for them it doesn't matter.

that's me

yes i eat eggs and dairy (i don't eat carbs so i have to really) but you need a hell of a lot fewer animals to feed me than my meat loving sister

ceebeeby

.... I guess it's just down to each individual's choice, whether they want to eat meat, fish, dairy produce etc.

The word "veggie / vegetarian" is often the easiest one for a non-meat eater to use, rather than going into a lengthy story of what they actually will or won't eat and the reasons for their choice.

For example I won't (can't) eat animal flesh, but can eat fish and any derivative of animal (for example gelatine). I have no moral principals relating to animals and would and have killed animals to feed my family. However, if I was in a restaurant or going to a casual acquaintances or to a works event, I would always ask for the vegetarian option, or if someone at work offers to get me a sandwich from the cafe, I'd always ask for a 'veggie one' - it's so much easier than trying to give a convoluted (sp?) explanation!

want2bmortgage3

for me its not that i dont like the taste/texture of meat. i realise my body actually seems to want to eat meat. to substitute for not eating it i've been eating quite a lot of fish lately.

i dont think there is any way i could give up milk or cheese as i drink tea every day and i eat cheese in sandwiches, pizza, pasta bakes, etc. i know some vegans would use vegan cheese and soya milk instead but this sort of thing doesnt seem natural to me.

i just dont like the thought of an animal being killed.it seems cruel. maybe this is coz i've grown up being disconnected from my food. i find it hard to see a difference between an animal bred for food and a pet animal. but without animal products and without using processed soya derived substitutes there wouldnt be a lot of choice and it would be hard to get all the nutrients our bodies are used to.

i am pretty close to eating some meat again. i want to learn to cook, but all the decent cook books aimed at beginners seem to have lots of meat recipes such as jamie olivers ministry of food. i feel maybe i should settle for buying good quality meat and thinking im doing my bit that way. maybe i need to get over my problem with animals bein killed, maybe its not so bad that its for food, survival. its not like its for no reason.maybe thats life?

clutterydrawer

for me the problem is not with eating animals as such, but the way they are farmed and slaughtered, even free range practises etc are not 100% acceptable to me.

I would happily eat a wild shot animal, better than it getting old and infirm and chased to its death by a predator.

After my earlier post i've realised I am a hypocrite too, I went vegan but was using soya milk and margarine, I stopped using these as their packaging is non recyclable whereas the dairy equivalent, is. I dislike putting tons of stuff into landfill as much as I dislike poor treatment of animals. but for some reason i never started eating meat again.

*zippy*

misskool wrote: »

Some people can't stand the taste of meat and therefore, aren't ethical veggies, so for them it doesn't matter.

Yes thats me too, I don't eat meat or fish, but I don't read packets looking for hidden animal products. We keep a few chickens as pets to have our own eggs and for the rest of the family I buy organic meat & dairy. At the moment I do the best I can, I have asked the family if we can go vegetarian, but they can't all agree, so we compromise, we have a few vegetarian meals a week and the other days I have what they are having without the meat.

flutterbyuk25

I'm veggie, no fish but do eat dairy and eggs. I was brought up veggie by rather hippie parents and have never tried meat.

I have had no desire to try meat (and I'm 27 now) and my doctor thinks if I did eat it now it may not sit well with my digestive system as I've never tried it.

I don't object to anyone eating meat at all, and I'm always very grateful when I have dinner at someone's when they make the effort to make me a nice veggie meal, yet I'm just as happy to have what they are having but without the meat e.g veg and potatoes.

x

Doom_and_Gloom

Being vegan does not mean you have to consume soya at all. There are many vegans who do not consume soya due to many different reasons and still obtain all of their needed vitamins and minerals. As it is I'd rather eat soya than hormonal and antibiotic filled dairy and/or captive animals that produce more milk than biologicaly possible naturally . Although I don't eat loads of it (soya that is). I don't see how eating anything from another living moving being is natural but I realise people have different veiws at the end of the day which while being is a shame is how life is.

As for vegetarians (no animal flesh or derivatives including fish!) I believe that they are at least trying to make a difference in the world by consuming less animals. That in turn means that they cause less damage to the environment, the eco-system, the water supply etc. Anything that means the eco-system of the world is more balanced is better for everything surely . As you say want2bmortgage3 they do cause some contribution to the death of some animals which yes is rather hypocritical I agree (one of the reasons I became vegan), but does still help more than being an omni. I believe omnis that eat animals and their products that couldn't kill animals/obtain their by products and/or have ethical issues about animal products to be more hypocritical but that is my personal veiw really.