being vegetarian

[,Lexiilu]

so i've been trying really hard for about a year and a half now to become a vegetarian and my family has been accepting it more and more, but my mom just won't. i don't know what to do anymore honestly, she'll make meals and purposefully make the main food a meat and basically forces me to eat it or else i have to cook something for myself. i'm not a very good cook so this really isn't an option yet, but i don't want to eat her stupid meats :P i've had talk after talk with her and my family members so they understand, and she seems to be one of the only ones that just doesn't get it! for example, today she decided since my brother is coming home, she's going to make pork and potatoes. i just went to talk to her and she was like, 'you need to eat some meat', and i said 'no mom, i don't eat meat except fish. pork is not fish.' and she continued to tell me i was going to eat some :S she also did it on christmas and said 'you need to pick one piece of meat to eat or else you're not going to your grandmother's later.' i stuck it out for awhile but then i had a bite of sausage so she'd leave me alone and i immediately felt disgusting :P my other families even made me vegetarian meals so i wouldn't have to eat ham, sausage, etc. but of course that morning my grandparents forgot. i'm sick of it and yes she's my mother, but its my lifestyle choice. is there anything i can do about it, or do i just have to live with it?

also i want to find out how many vegetarians are at hxf woooooo so answer the poll please

+rep to good answers :)

[Eoin247]

I'm not a vegetarian although i know a lot of people who are. Most of them aren't full veggies and eat at least one type of meat like chicken. In fact the only ones that i know that are full vegetarians are the ones that do it solely because they hate the idea of killing animals.

Do you just not like meat or do you dislike the idea of killing animals/both?

[Samantha]

I think really any choice you make when you're young will have an effect on your Mother, you are her little girl and she wants you to have proper diet. It may have even been the same if you were bisexual as such.

Has she raised you to make your own choices? If so she is going back on what she said, she should realise that you are growing up and you are doing your bit to save animals etc. If she can't understand that then fine, you may not be able to change her but you may be able to change the attitude she has towards eating meat. Meat is a valuable part of a diet, but maybe comprimise with her, tell her the nutrients in meat that you would consume can be consumed in other foods and try eating that etc.

[,Lexiilu]

I'm not a vegetarian although i know a lot of people who are. Most of them aren't full veggies and eat at least one type of meat like chicken. In fact the only ones that i know that are full vegetarians are the ones that do it solely because they hate the idea of killing animals.

Do you just not like meat or do you dislike the idea of killing animals/both?
it's both :P it started as not liking meat and then it turned to animals on top of that. i do eat fish and chicken sometimes, but red meat is off limits for me

@ sam -- i've always been independent and she knows that. she knows she will not change my mind no matter how hard she tries. its not as if i'm not eating any sorts of meat, i just won't eat red meat! i do eat fish and chicken but for some reason she still continues to make red meat foods. i told her i would also eat them if she bought vegetable based ones or turkey made products, like turkey burgers and such, but she hasn't done that either.

[Inseriousity.]

I love burgers too much so I don't think I'd be a vegetarian. I know Alex3213 is though.

You say that your mum says "eat or cook for yourself." Well, to prove you're serious about it, why don't you learn? I mean, the moment you say "okay I will" is the moment your mum no longer has that control over what you eat.

[Mathew]

Most of them aren't full veggies and eat at least one type of meat like chicken.
This is where vegeterianism doesn't quite hit off too well with me. It's silly; you either want to eat meat, or you don't. What's the point in only eating one type of meat? The whole vegetarian / vegan palava is just rather misty in my eyes.

Way I see it, is that the animal is going to be killed whether you eat it or not so it doesn't really make much difference. I find it quite weird that people eat quorn too, which is using artificial flavourings to make the taste of a meat. If you want to taste some meat, just eat it! :P

[HotelUser]

As sweet as it is that some people don't eat meats because they care about the animals, do you realize that by living your life as normal anyway it's at the expense of millions of starving people in Africa and Asia anyway :P

[,Lexiilu]

I love burgers too much so I don't think I'd be a vegetarian. I know Alex3213 is though.

You say that your mum says "eat or cook for yourself." Well, to prove you're serious about it, why don't you learn? I mean, the moment you say "okay I will" is the moment your mum no longer has that control over what you eat.

you have a point there. i've been trying to learn although it is quite difficult to do. i'm going to take your advice though and get serious about it! thanks :)


This is where vegeterianism doesn't quite hit off too well with me. It's silly; you either want to eat meat, or you don't. What's the point in only eating one type of meat? The whole vegetarian / vegan palava is just rather misty in my eyes.

Way I see it, is that the animal is going to be killed whether you eat it or not so it doesn't really make much difference. I find it quite weird that people eat quorn too, which is using artificial flavourings to make the taste of a meat. If you want to taste some meat, just eat it! :P

the type of vegetarian i am is called pesco-ovo vegetarian, which means they'll eat fish and chicken. fish mass produce, as do chickens. cows and such only have one calf at a time, or two at most usually. it's a lot harder to replace the cow population and what not compared to fish, which can have a hundred eggs easily at one time.

[buttons]

well then, learn to cook. what else can you do? you have to PROVE you're serious. don't eat any meat she makes you. i'm sure she'd rather have you eating something than not at all. as selfish as it is, if i was really serious about becoming a vegetarian i would refuse to eat it and cook for myself. also, can i ask why you don't eat ONLY read meat but will eat chicken and fish? i'm not a vegetarian btw....


oh ok just seen your other comment

[Mathew]

the type of vegetarian i am is called pesco-ovo vegetarian, which means they'll eat fish and chicken. fish mass produce, as do chickens. cows and such only have one calf at a time, or two at most usually. it's a lot harder to replace the cow population and what not compared to fish, which can have a hundred eggs easily at one time.
Surely there's too many cows anyway? Methane produced from cow's farting is supposedly one of the largest contributors to global warming! :P

In all seriousness though, the cows would be killed anyway for consumption by other people. Unless you seriously hate the taste of the meat, then I think it's a rather lost cause :(
I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree! :P

[Eoin247]

This is where vegeterianism doesn't quite hit off too well with me. It's silly; you either want to eat meat, or you don't. What's the point in only eating one type of meat?

I agree, i've asked freinds who do this ''why?''. Their answers were for the most part unsatisfactory to me, but essentially they eat one meat type to stay healthy. Kinda takes away the point of not eating meat unless of course you don't like a particular type of meat. A lot of people are just red meat vegetarians and so eat chicken and fish.

[,Lexiilu]

well then, learn to cook. what else can you do? you have to PROVE you're serious. don't eat any meat she makes you. i'm sure she'd rather have you eating something than not at all. as selfish as it is, if i was really serious about becoming a vegetarian i would refuse to eat it and cook for myself. also, can i ask why you don't eat ONLY read meat but will eat chicken and fish? i'm not a vegetarian btw....

read my last post :P


Surely there's too many cows anyway? Methane produced from cow's farting is supposedly one of the largest contributors to global warming! :P

In all seriousness though, the cows would be killed anyway for consumption by other people. Unless you seriously hate the taste of the meat, then I think it's a rather lost cause :(
I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree! :P

yes, you do have a point. i'm definitely not going to sit here and argue and say OMG THEY WON'T BE KILLED IF I DON'T EAT THEM!!!! because yes, they probably will, but it makes me feel better knowing I could have just prevented the death of one cow or other animal. it probably sounds ridiculous honestly, but think about how many vegetarians there are in the world. i'm sure a good amount could be saved as compared to how many more would be killed if all those vegetarians ate meat :P

[FlyingJesus]

the type of vegetarian i am is called pesco-ovo vegetarian, which means they'll eat fish and chicken. fish mass produce, as do chickens. cows and such only have one calf at a time, or two at most usually. it's a lot harder to replace the cow population and what not compared to fish, which can have a hundred eggs easily at one time.

Fairly certain humans have been farming long enough to know how to keep the population steady if not on the increase lol, cattle herding isn't quite the same as poaching tigers


it makes me feel better knowing I could have just prevented the death of one cow or other animal

But you said you don't mind eating fish and poultry because of how many they breed out, so really for each cow you're "saving" you're still fine with the deaths of multiple other creatures. Is it really a preservation of species problem for you or an ethical killing one?

[,Lexiilu]

But you said you don't mind eating fish and poultry because of how many they breed out, so really for each cow you're "saving" you're still fine with the deaths of multiple other creatures. Is it really a preservation of species problem for you or an ethical killing one?

I'm not for the unnecessary killing of any animals, but think about it...if you've got two cows and 100 fish, which would you choose to eat if you needed them to stay alive? now you don't really have to have them to stay alive in today's society as there are supplements, but they're pretty expensive around here and i just don't have the money. if i could have my way, i wouldn't eat any meat. but i can't have it like that. plus living under my mother's roof means eating her cooking at least once in awhile, and she NEVER makes all vegetable dishes. i'm still young, so i'm doing the best i can living under someone else's roof with someone else's rules :P

[buttons]

I'm not for the unnecessary killing of any animals, but think about it...if you've got two cows and 100 fish, which would you choose to eat if you needed them to stay alive? now you don't really have to have them to stay alive in today's society as there are supplements, but they're pretty expensive around here and i just don't have the money. if i could have my way, i wouldn't eat any meat. but i can't have it like that. plus living under my mother's roof means eating her cooking at least once in awhile, and she NEVER makes all vegetable dishes. i'm still young, so i'm doing the best i can living under someone else's roof with someone else's rules :P
er yes we DO need animals and not just for food, supplements are ********. you can not replace them with real meat.
i tried to be a vegetarian once was prob doing it wrong coz i fainted 3 times during the 2 weeks

[.x.miss.angel.x]

Hmm. Me myself could not be a veggie, but as said before, prove her wrong! Go buy a good vegetarian cookbook and cook some simple tasty meals. She may give in when she sees you are passionate and will do your own thing.

Here are a few books that look good;
http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Vegetarian-Meatless/dp/0764524836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293991230&sr=8-1
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/phil+taylor/amanda+powley/terre+a+terre/6511235/
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/delia+smith/delia27s+vegetarian+collection/5412295/
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/good+housekeeping+institute/22good+housekeeping22+step+by+step+vegetarian+cook book/5416291/

[dirrty]

could never be a veggie. love meat too much

[wixard]

to me this isn't about her reasons behind wanting to be a vegetarian or not, it's about her mum... and wow at her making you go against something you feel strongly about

what jen said you're gonna just have to learn to cook to show her that you're entirely serious about this, she can't bribe you by telling you if you don't eat meat you can't go to your grandmas later.. that's just wrong. sucks to be in a position where your parents can't accept what you think is right for yourself

[Suspective]

Like others have said, I couldn't be a vegitarian.

Surely, it is more healthy to eat meat seeing it contains supplements and vitamins etc. Anyway, I wouldn't want to be fussy.

Good luck however ;)

[triston220]

My Mum is a vegetarian. Anyway, you need to tell your Mum that she needs to accept it. Tell her there isn't anything wrong with being vegetarian.

[GommeInc]

I'd learn to cook if I were you and tell her to grow up :P Why are you a pescetarian anyway? What makes fish more desirable than meat? Just wondering :)

[,Lexiilu]

to me this isn't about her reasons behind wanting to be a vegetarian or not, it's about her mum... and wow at her making you go against something you feel strongly about

what jen said you're gonna just have to learn to cook to show her that you're entirely serious about this, she can't bribe you by telling you if you don't eat meat you can't go to your grandmas later.. that's just wrong. sucks to be in a position where your parents can't accept what you think is right for yourself

at the bold part, you're completely right :P it was meant to be about my mom, not my reasons, but i don't mind talking about them.
she told me yesterday that she wants to be here for me and my brother completely but she won't accept that i'm a vegetarian. i wouldn't actually tell her if i was lesbian or bisexual, if she can't accept my being a vegetarian then i highly doubt she'd be able to accept me being anything but straight! anyways, i'm going to crack down and get serious. i want her to see that she can't get her way this time. thanks :)


@gommeinc -- " the type of vegetarian i am is called pesco-ovo vegetarian, which means they'll eat fish and chicken. fish mass produce, as do chickens. cows and such only have one calf at a time, or two at most usually. it's a lot harder to replace the cow population and what not compared to fish, which can have a hundred eggs easily at one time."

[flatface]

Not really related to this thread but people who claim to be a vegetarian but still eat chicken etc are not vegetarians lol.

Here are some reasons I can think off the top of my head why some people choose to be veggies hehe

For health reasons -
Excessive meat eating is linked to cancer and circulatory system diseases.
Meat is high in cholesterol and can be bad for you, especially in the quantities eaten in the US.
Most cases of food poisoning are from animal products; factory farms, slaughterhouses, and meat packing plants are extremely unsanitary places.
Vegetarians usually have less weight problems, lower rates of cancer, and live longer. The Ornish diet (low fat vegetarian) is proven to reverse heart disease.
Meat takes a very long time to be digested.

For ethical/ philosophical reasons -
The cruelty of the meat industry is inexcusable.
Animals are not ours to eat, and should not be raised for slaughter.
We deny animals their natural rights.
Some people believe it is wrong to kill and eat animals
They object to the way animals are treated in factory farms and in the slaughterhouses.
The animals are often given drugs to make them grow bigger and produce more meat; this is not healthy to animals or humans.
Animals have feelings and a personality just like us!!
They think eating meat is morally wrong.

For environmental reasons -
Meat production destroys endangered rain forests, produces lots of methane (a greenhouse gas) and water pollution in the form of sewage.
Livestock raising produces more greenhouse gases than all the cars in the world. Raising vegetarian food uses much less water.
Half of all water used in the US is used to raise livestock.
It takes many pounds of vegetarian food to produce one pound of meat.
In the US over half of all the food grown goes to livestock production.
Meat eating creates around half of the world's pollution, traffic only causes 11%.
Meat production is wasteful to water resources, land resources, and food itself.

For political reasons -
If resources were diverted from meat production; there could be enough food to feed everyone on the earth.
Meat production is wasteful; it takes many pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat.
A fairer distribution of food and resources in the world is possible if the food fed to farm animals was used to feed people instead. Much of the food grown in the world goes to feeding livestock.

For religious reasons -
Some religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and the Seventh Day Adventists encourage people to become vegetarian.
Eating meat creates bad karma.
Seventh Day Adventists are among the healthiest people in the world today.

For psychological reasons -
Some people find meat unappealing.
Because they become aware of what they are eating and what disease it could hold. Also, they realize how messed up it is to eat a living thing.

Peer pressured to (not common, it usually pushes the person to go the other way)


To moral of the story is probably learn to cook Lexi, stand your ground and don't eat the meat your mother gives you, she's bound to accept it sooner or later.

[Suspective]

I'm not being rude or anything here, but why are you worried about the cow population? Farmers are aware of farming patterns and will ensure there is a decent amount of cows, before they slaughter more. Even if you stop eating meat, that cow is still going to be used for food. The farmer isn't just going to keep it there for the sake of it. S/he's running a business not a holiday camp for cows :P

Secondly, why is your Mom actually that worried about you being a vegetarian? I don't really see it as a big problem. Its not morally wrong or anything.

Good luck again ;)

[Nemo]

I'm not for the unnecessary killing of any animals, but think about it...if you've got two cows and 100 fish, which would you choose to eat if you needed them to stay alive? now you don't really have to have them to stay alive in today's society as there are supplements, but they're pretty expensive around here and i just don't have the money. if i could have my way, i wouldn't eat any meat. but i can't have it like that. plus living under my mother's roof means eating her cooking at least once in awhile, and she NEVER makes all vegetable dishes. i'm still young, so i'm doing the best i can living under someone else's roof with someone else's rules :P
But one cow will feed a bunch of people, whilst you'd have to kill multiple fish. Surely killing less is better? For example, if someone gave you the choice of killing 1 person or 10 people to save your family, which would you choose? I couldnt care really about the animal population because afaik, we've got that covered, but it seems to me you have your ideals mixed up.

But i don't think your mum is being selfish, i think you are. Mums have a lot to do and a lot to worry about, if you can't even be bothered to learn to make one meal, why should she be bothered to learn and make 2 different meals everytime breakfast/lunch/dinner time? Kids go through phases all the time and she probably realises that (especially since you obviously havent got your ideals straightened out) and so is simply trying to help you out of it, and in this case shes doing it by being a tad forceful.

So basically, either realise why you're doing this or learn to cook.


I myself however could never become a vegetarian, love meat far too much and hate most vegetables. I'd simply starve and die D:

[,Lexiilu]

I'm not being rude or anything here, but why are you worried about the cow population? Farmers are aware of farming patterns and will ensure there is a decent amount of cows, before they slaughter more. Even if you stop eating meat, that cow is still going to be used for food. The farmer isn't just going to keep it there for the sake of it. S/he's running a business not a holiday camp for cows :P

Secondly, why is your Mom actually that worried about you being a vegetarian? I don't really see it as a big problem. Its not morally wrong or anything.

Good luck again ;)

it's complicated as to why i'm so concerned and could take hours for me to think of a decent response -- i'll let you know when i know how to put it into words :P

anyways I HAVE NO IDEA :'( she's just so psycho that i'm going to die or something. i'm not. just because i'm not getting nutrients from meat doesn't mean i won't get them other places. she's a freak about this nutrients thing :P

@josh -- thanks :) xx

@naughtynemo -- she doesn't make me lunch or breakfast. and she only makes dinner like 3 nights a week, as i have dance twice a week and usually make my own meals or bring frozen ones, and we order pizza on fridays :P

[Nemo]

it's complicated as to why i'm so concerned and could take hours for me to think of a decent response -- i'll let you know when i know how to put it into words :P

anyways I HAVE NO IDEA :'( she's just so psycho that i'm going to die or something. i'm not. just because i'm not getting nutrients from meat doesn't mean i won't get them other places. she's a freak about this nutrients thing :P

@josh -- thanks :) xx

@naughtynemo -- she doesn't make me lunch or breakfast. and she only makes dinner like 3 nights a week, as i have dance twice a week and usually make my own meals or bring frozen ones, and we order pizza on fridays :P
Completely ignored me questioning your thoughts but okay then.

Well there we go, you're capable of making your own meals so do that then, im not seeing the issue if she only makes them 3 out of...(3*7)...21 meals a week. Just make those aswell.

[,Lexiilu]

Completely ignored me questioning your thoughts but okay then.

Well there we go, you're capable of making your own meals so do that then, im not seeing the issue if she only makes them 3 out of...(3*7)...21 meals a week. Just make those aswell.

I will, as soon as I can cook decently :P that's my current problem seeing as I burn nearly everything I touch. but I have been working on it a bit (although not as much as I should). I'll be working on it more in the near future thanks to everyone's advice.

as to your questioning of my thoughts, yes you do have a point that killing less is better and i do see your point. i don't eat much, so i could live off of a fish for a day. for me it wouldn't be a problem. however i do see that other people may need more. guess it depends on the person :P

[Nemo]

I will, as soon as I can cook decently :P that's my current problem seeing as I burn nearly everything I touch. but I have been working on it a bit (although not as much as I should). I'll be working on it more in the near future thanks to everyone's advice.

as to your questioning of my thoughts, yes you do have a point that killing less is better and i do see your point. i don't eat much, so i could live off of a fish for a day. for me it wouldn't be a problem. however i do see that other people may need more. guess it depends on the person :P
You're not quite understanding my point though, im not saying that one person will eat a cow or 5 fish, and another will eat just 1 fish, im saying that the slaughter of 1 cow is equal to a load of fish (thus saving those fishes lives... well not really, which brings me onto my next point). Ive never really understood the whole vegetarian thing (with your views atleast). You aren't exactly saving any lives as it isnt as though they kill them as you walk into the supermarket, they're already dead, and in a lot of cases they'll just grow old and get thrown out, thus being killed in vein, surely that's worse?

Idk ill never understand it. Whatever

[,Lexiilu]

it isnt as though they kill them as you walk into the supermarket, they're already dead, and in a lot of cases they'll just grow old and get thrown out, thus being killed in vein, surely that's worse?

they do the same with cows don't they? :P

[Nemo]

they do the same with cows don't they? :P
That's my point, so it doesnt really matter if you dont eat them or not because they're being killed anyway, pretty much defeating the point of you not eating them.

Just forget it.

[Wig44.]

Not really related to this thread but people who claim to be a vegetarian but still eat chicken etc are not vegetarians lol.

Here are some reasons I can think off the top of my head why some people choose to be veggies hehe

For health reasons -
Excessive meat eating is linked to cancer and circulatory system diseases. Give me some studies to prove this. If you look at the methodology you will not find a single fair study proving a link.
Meat is high in cholesterol and can be bad for you, especially in the quantities eaten in the US. Cholesterol eaten doesn't affect blood serum cholesterol levels.
Most cases of food poisoning are from animal products; factory farms, slaughterhouses, and meat packing plants are extremely unsanitary places. Cook your food.
Vegetarians usually have less weight problems, lower rates of cancer, and live longer. The Ornish diet (low fat vegetarian) is proven to reverse heart disease. No, this isn't true. Weight is dictated mostly by calories in/calories out anyway.
Meat takes a very long time to be digested. This is a good thing? You know, satiety to stop people grazing on lots of small meals per day like herbivores, or over eating.

For ethical/ philosophical reasons -
The cruelty of the meat industry is inexcusable. There are isolated cases of cruelty. Buy free range like most people for peace of mind.
Animals are not ours to eat, and should not be raised for slaughter. Go tell the other predators on earth.
We deny animals their natural rights. ...I believe in animals having good lives, but killing them for food is not denying them natural rights. The rights that vegetarians talk about are completely unnatural and man made, natural rights don't exist. But I understand what they mean :P
Some people believe it is wrong to kill and eat animals Their opinion, more meat for me.
They object to the way animals are treated in factory farms and in the slaughterhouses. UK livestock is treated well.
The animals are often given drugs to make them grow bigger and produce more meat; this is not healthy to animals or humans. Not in the UK.
Animals have feelings and a personality just like us!! So we should be the only predator on the planet to not kill prey.
They think eating meat is morally wrong. Their opinion.

For environmental reasons -
Meat production destroys endangered rain forests, produces lots of methane (a greenhouse gas) and water pollution in the form of sewage. The greenhouse effect is overstated. We are not warming up. Water vapour is far, far more prevalent as a 'greenhouse gas' in the atmosphere anyway.
Livestock raising produces more greenhouse gases than all the cars in the world. Raising vegetarian food uses much less water. See above for the GHG. Agriculture erodes topsoil. Eating only vegetables will not make you healty either and grains are one of the major factors in disease today..Also check the picture below
Half of all water used in the US is used to raise livestock. Check the picture below
It takes many pounds of vegetarian food to produce one pound of meat. Check the picture below
In the US over half of all the food grown goes to livestock production. Picture below
Meat eating creates around half of the world's pollution, traffic only causes 11%. Pollution isn't affecting global temperatures.
Meat production is wasteful to water resources, land resources, and food itself. Lol. Check the picture below.

For political reasons -
If resources were diverted from meat production; there could be enough food to feed everyone on the earth. No there wouldn't be. Read the vegetarian myth.
Meat production is wasteful; it takes many pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat. Just lol again. The picture below.
A fairer distribution of food and resources in the world is possible if the food fed to farm animals was used to feed people instead. Much of the food grown in the world goes to feeding livestock. Sigh.

For religious reasons -
Some religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and the Seventh Day Adventists encourage people to become vegetarian. Their choice.
Eating meat creates bad karma. What the **** is this? Why did you put this point on here?
Seventh Day Adventists are among the healthiest people in the world today. No. They. Aren't.

For psychological reasons -
Some people find meat unappealing. Fair enough.
Because they become aware of what they are eating and what disease it could hold. Also, they realize how messed up it is to eat a living thing. This one is ridiculous. Meat is sterile. The animal would die if it was not so! Any contamination after it is dead are easily killed by cooking. It isn't messed up to eat a living thing, go look at nature..?

Peer pressured to (not common, it usually pushes the person to go the other way)


To moral of the story is probably learn to cook Lexi, stand your ground and don't eat the meat your mother gives you, she's bound to accept it sooner or later.

A load of ********. Especially the bit about seventh day adventists! I've edited my opinion into the quote.
As for you saying that raising livestock is wasteful... look at what a cow alone is used for (This is the picture I mentioned about 7 times):
http://bit.ly/bCLnH7
As you can see, livestock is not wasted. Do you drink milk/consume dairy products?

[Special]

i like kfc too much

[Marbian]

I'll never kill to eat, but i'll shop to eat. i wouldnt pay for someoen to kill something for me, i'll only buy stuff that's already dead.

I love animals to bits, i wanted to be a vet but i couldn't, i would never put a animal down, even if it's for the best.

[Shoe]

But one cow will feed a bunch of people, whilst you'd have to kill multiple fish. Surely killing less is better? For example, if someone gave you the choice of killing 1 person or 10 people to save your family, which would you choose? I couldnt care really about the animal population because afaik, we've got that covered, but it seems to me you have your ideals mixed up.

But i don't think your mum is being selfish, i think you are. Mums have a lot to do and a lot to worry about, if you can't even be bothered to learn to make one meal, why should she be bothered to learn and make 2 different meals everytime breakfast/lunch/dinner time? Kids go through phases all the time and she probably realises that (especially since you obviously havent got your ideals straightened out) and so is simply trying to help you out of it, and in this case shes doing it by being a tad forceful.

So basically, either realise why you're doing this or learn to cook.


I myself however could never become a vegetarian, love meat far too much and hate most vegetables. I'd simply starve and die D:

NaughtyNemo i completely agree with everything you have said here.

Cows will be killed no matter how many people refuse to eat them.

Just a few questions:
Do you eat Pork?
Do you eat Bacon?
Do you eat Quarn?

I think you need to figure out why you are really doing this as the fact of feeling bad for killing a cow doesnt really sit well with me tbh. I just think its the circle of life and has been like that for as long as anyone knows. Its not as if the animals are killed inhumanely and they do not suffer. Also when they get old as everything does... they will die, rather than this and them have to be 'disposed' of why not kill them early to eat them and they will be used for a purpose... I also think you need meet to get these nutrients your mum talks about as you cannot get some from anywhere else and if you can you cannot get a sufficient amount of them.

I think your sticking with being a vegi a lot to prove something to your mum as (from what i have read) you do not tend to put up much of a fight about not eating the meat and you also have not made much of an attempt to cook for yourself. You need to sit down with your mum and explain all the facts and reasons which support why you decided to become a vegi, you should also try and find meals plans for what you can eat to sufficiently replace what you now do not eat as meat.

As you can see i could never be a vegi and tbh i do not agree with it either but that is just my opinion.

[flatface]

A load of ********. Especially the bit about seventh day adventists! I've edited my opinion into the quote.
As for you saying that raising livestock is wasteful... look at what a cow alone is used for (This is the picture I mentioned about 7 times):
http://bit.ly/bCLnH7
As you can see, livestock is not wasted. Do you drink milk/consume dairy products?

i'm going be totally honest and say I don't really care about your opinion (not meaning to be rude), I didn't write that so if you want studies or research evidence you're gonna have to find it yourself... i'm sure theres lots of it though

[Eoin247]

With regards to that picture. Yes it's possible to make that stuff from cows, but since the demand for meat is far greater than most of these products, a lot of the cow is indeed in the end wasted.

How often have you used your beef bones for something else for example?

That's a very interesting picture though. :) Never knew pasta had blood in it and most vegitarians eat loads of pasta.

[RedStratocas]

its a shame a lot of the vegetarians on this thread are failing their argument. cause there really are some really legitimate reasons to be a vegetarian, as i am one myself. i think the problem with lots of vegetarians is they take the pretentious route of their argument and talk about why eating meat is wrong instead of logic.

now i grew up eating meat but stopped in college. i still eat meat on occasion, mostly at family gatherings and whatnot but i never eat meat by my own free will. my problem with meat isnt humanity, i really dont care about the animals so much as i do how they are raised nowadays. the western diet has changed significantly in the past 100 years, people aren't eating real food anymore, we eat mostly stuff like corn syrup. and because of that, we even feed animals differently. instead of pigs and cows eating grass, which would make their meat healthy, when they are raised for mass production they are fed grains and corn, which makes them fat and incredibly unhealthy. the health of the food we consume has an effect on our own health. on top of that, the preservatives and chemicals we have to put in meat to ship them just lessens their nutritional value. farm animals raised 100 years ago were far healthier to eat than the farm animals we raise today. also, the mass production of meat is killing us. meat is supposed to make up only a fraction of our diet, around a quarter. even that is a charitable ratio for what we were eating before meat was mass-produced; meat used to be a luxury. evolution had gotten used to our diet of mostly veggies and grains, but it hasnt come close to catching up with the radical change in the way we eat over the past century. its not a coincidence that the rise of consumption-related diseases rose with the rise of mass produce.


anyway, i wont go through every argument on this thread but ill point out the one argument thats really irking me: the whole "the animal is already dead you're not saving it from being killed" argument. people who don't eat meat DO make a dent in the meat industry's business, and the amount of animals they kill. even if only 1% of the population is veggie, that's 1% that arent buying any meat at all, thus the meat isnt being produced. maybe one person by his or herself deciding not to eat meat wont stop an animal from being killed, but collectively it certainly does. this argument is like saying "since the odds of an election coming down to a single vote are almost non-existent, there's no point in voting because it wont make a difference." yet people still vote? everyone knows they cant make a difference by themselves, its the idea of a collective goal.

[Wig44.]

With regards to that picture. Yes it's possible to make that stuff from cows, but since the demand for meat is far greater than most of these products, a lot of the cow is indeed in the end wasted.

How often have you used your beef bones for something else for example?

That's a very interesting picture though. :) Never knew pasta had blood in it and most vegitarians eat loads of pasta.

No the cow is not 'indeed wasted'. Demand for meat does not top demand for everything else a cow can be used for. And the bones usually go to a broth.

@Flatface: Well don't copy and paste crap about how MORALLY WRONG it is to eat meat (it's subjective), or post how unhealthy it is when you obviously don't have any understanding of biochemistry at all..

@RedStratocas: Actually I think you'll find we are on the carnivorous side of omnivorous. Just look at the human digestive system, we have small guts and huge energy requirements. We evolved on meat - the nutrients in meat (and by this I mean the fat and organs too) are what caused the massive growth in brain size and intelligence. Digsites older than 20,000 years ago (pre-neolithic) show we ate a mostly animal diet and the inuit, plains indian, masaai and various other tribes are living testaments to being the healthiest people in the world on a 90%-100% animal food diet. The japanese consume lots of pork and are even told they should continue increasing fat intake because of rates of ischaemic stroke in the japanese people.

I don't mind if people don't want to be a vegetarian because they don't like the idea of killing for food, but when claims are made that meat eating is unhealthy and that it is wrong when other people kill animals I do mind.

[flatface]

No the cow is not 'indeed wasted'. Demand for meat does not top demand for everything else a cow can be used for. And the bones usually go to a broth.

@Flatface: Well don't copy and paste crap about how MORALLY WRONG it is to eat meat (it's subjective), or post how unhealthy it is when you obviously don't have any understanding of biochemistry at all..

@RedStratocas: Actually I think you'll find we are on the carnivorous side of omnivorous. Just look at the human digestive system, we have small guts and huge energy requirements. We evolved on meat - the nutrients in meat (and by this I mean the fat and organs too) are what caused the massive growth in brain size and intelligence. Digsites older than 20,000 years ago (pre-neolithic) show we ate a mostly animal diet and the inuit, plains indian, masaai and various other tribes are living testaments to being the healthiest people in the world on a 90%-100% animal food diet. The japanese consume lots of pork and are even told they should continue increasing fat intake because of rates of ischaemic stroke in the japanese people.

I don't mind if people don't want to be a vegetarian because they don't like the idea of killing for food, but when claims are made that meat eating is unhealthy and that it is wrong when other people kill animals I do mind.

I'll post what I want thanks :S what give you the right to say what I can and can't post. I never said what I posted was true, I said that some people choose to to become vegetarians because that's what they believe, you don't need a true understanding of a certain subjects (e.g. biochemistry :S lol) to form believe on it, whether those believes are right or wrong is another story :)

[ifuseekamy]

Diets are like religions, with people (literally) shoving their view down your throat. Do what you want, meat is probably the least important staple food, you aren't going to die without it.

[Chris]

A lot of people are vegetarian and it's really their choice. Your mum should learn to respect your decisions.

[Wig44.]

Diets are like religions, with people (literally) shoving their view down your throat. Do what you want, meat is probably the least important staple food, you aren't going to die without it.

I'm not forcing anyone to eat a certain way if you were referring to me, I'm just refuting misconceptions in posts. Whilst it's true that you won't die without meat you cannot say it is the least important staple food.

[RedStratocas]

No the cow is not 'indeed wasted'. Demand for meat does not top demand for everything else a cow can be used for. And the bones usually go to a broth.

@Flatface: Well don't copy and paste crap about how MORALLY WRONG it is to eat meat (it's subjective), or post how unhealthy it is when you obviously don't have any understanding of biochemistry at all..

@RedStratocas: Actually I think you'll find we are on the carnivorous side of omnivorous. Just look at the human digestive system, we have small guts and huge energy requirements. We evolved on meat - the nutrients in meat (and by this I mean the fat and organs too) are what caused the massive growth in brain size and intelligence. Digsites older than 20,000 years ago (pre-neolithic) show we ate a mostly animal diet and the inuit, plains indian, masaai and various other tribes are living testaments to being the healthiest people in the world on a 90%-100% animal food diet. The japanese consume lots of pork and are even told they should continue increasing fat intake because of rates of ischaemic stroke in the japanese people.

I don't mind if people don't want to be a vegetarian because they don't like the idea of killing for food, but when claims are made that meat eating is unhealthy and that it is wrong when other people kill animals I do mind.

you're talking about the hunting and gathering stage of human existance, after which for the next couple dozen thousand years depending on where you look, humans didnt eat much meat. but my point wasnt even that eating meat in general is bad for you. an optimal healthy diet would include a fair share of meat. my point was, however, that today we feed our livestock such garbage that our meat is no less artificial than a bag of cheetos.

[Shar]

A lot of people are vegetarian and it's really their choice. Your mum should learn to respect your decisions.

I agree with this but parents worry nonetheless. Even if I were to become a vegetarian my mum would have a fit and it wouldn't last an hour.

[Ajthedragon]

I used to be, I hated the idea of eating animals.

I still do really, however I love Chicken and Minced beef. ;)

[Circadia]

No I'm not vegetarian but my cousin is. I don't want to be a vegetarian since I get iron deficiency anaemia a lot (it comes and goes) and if i became a vegetarian it would make my anaemia more frequent. A lot of vegetarians are (or were) anaemic from the lack of iron they intake and I hate the dizziness feeling I have sometimes its absolutely horrible and to have a lot more by being a vegetarian would be hell! But yeah i don't mind vegetarians/vegans its just that I wouldn't personally want to be one.

[Wig44.]

you're talking about the hunting and gathering stage of human existance, after which for the next couple dozen thousand years depending on where you look, humans didnt eat much meat. but my point wasnt even that eating meat in general is bad for you. an optimal healthy diet would include a fair share of meat. my point was, however, that today we feed our livestock such garbage that our meat is no less artificial than a bag of cheetos.

Only about 10-12000 years, in which time we have not changed at all, with the one exception of producing lactase beyond the age of 2. 12000 years is nothing in evolutionary terms. I don't agree with feeding livestock grains instead of grass but the only difference in the meat is that there is a bit more fat on it, even the omega3:6 ratio isn't bad (which was once thought). Now I'm not sure about America but I know that meat produced in the UK comes from animals fed grains or (thanks to subsidaries) their natural diet of grass. I have heard horror stories about animals being fed pulped newspapers, raw soy etc, but this has been cut out of the uk (though some imported meat may still be from animals treated horribly). Though, who could forget BSE? Thankfully that was the kick up the arse that the industry needed to sort out their standards and supermarkets had to work to win people over to eat meat again, which included giving decent diets to livestock.

[FlyingJesus]

I just ate a leg of lamb which was so tender and non-fatty that it literally fell off the bone and was so fresh that I could it was trying to bound away over the hills while it cooked. If my children try to become vegetarians I will eat them and live to 100 just to prove that good meat is good for you - of course the cheapest cuts fed on toxic waste and arsenic won't be of much quality, but that's like saying you shouldn't eat salad in case it was farmed in Chernobyl and then spat on

[qaxzsw]

I couldn't be bothered to read all the posts so this has probably already been said, but if you eat chicken and fish you're not a vegetarian. They are meat, vegetarian's don't eat meat, therefore you are not a vegetarian because you are eating meat.

Also, these animals often eat over animals, it's part of the food chain.

[Shoe]

A fairer distribution of food and resources in the world is possible if the food fed to farm animals was used to feed people instead. Much of the food grown in the world goes to feeding livestock.



A lot of this i read i thought was complete tosh... esp this ^^

I mean really are you being serious... i know first hand this is a load of rubbish as i live on a farm. Yes we do keep cows which go off the the slaughter house when they are big and fat.

They get fed on grass, potatos which are classed not to be of a high enough standard for the supermarkets and bread with is out of date. They also get fed a sort of powder which is just vitamins such as us taking a vitamin tablet. So no actually no food is grow especially to feed farm animals at all.

---------- Post added 04-01-2011 at 01:12 AM ----------



the type of vegetarian i am is called pesco-ovo vegetarian, which means they'll eat fish and chicken. fish mass produce, as do chickens. cows and such only have one calf at a time, or two at most usually. it's a lot harder to replace the cow population and what not compared to fish, which can have a hundred eggs easily at one time.

Just one more thing... you know this type of vegi you are... do you eat pork or do some of them eat pork at all ??

[flatface]

A lot of this i read i thought was complete tosh... esp this ^^

I mean really are you being serious... i know first hand this is a load of rubbish as i live on a farm. Yes we do keep cows which go off the the slaughter house when they are big and fat.

They get fed on grass, potatos which are classed not to be of a high enough standard for the supermarkets and bread with is out of date. They also get fed a sort of powder which is just vitamins such as us taking a vitamin tablet. So no actually no food is grow especially to feed farm animals at all.

---------- Post added 04-01-2011 at 01:12 AM ----------



Just one more thing... you know this type of vegi you are... do you eat pork or do some of them eat pork at all ??

What type of farm do you live on? I take it a small/medium sized farm opposed to an intensive factory farm?

[Shoe]

Yes i do live on a small/medium farm although i do know that even intensive factory farms look after the cows(well animals) really well, in most cases better conditions and in a more hygenic way than smaller farms.

Its the fact that it is all put into one thing when actually noone knows all of the facts.