Vegetarian food/meat

[ninjanurse]

Just out of curiosity, why does one become a vegetarian/vegan?

Why does one eat meat or animal products?

There are many reasons why people choose a vegetarian/vegan diet. The health benefits are tremendous provided you do it right. It is great to feel good everyday-no highfat hangovers or sugar crashes!

[UseoForce]

Just out of curiosity, why does one become a vegetarian/vegan?

Why does one eat meat or animal products?

There are many reasons why people choose a vegetarian/vegan diet. The health benefits are tremendous provided you do it right. It is great to feel good everyday-no highfat hangovers or sugar crashes!

People eat meat because it is full of important nutrients. I don't understand the question.

It you are following any good diet-vegetarian or not-you shouldn't have "high fat hangovers" or "sugar crashes."

So what makes people want to exclude meat from their diets?

[fosforlu]

There are so many different reasons, political, religious, personal. For me, personally, it comes down to this: I identify with animals a bit more than most meat-eaters. It disturbs me to eat them, if I don't absolutely have to. The same way most people would feel about eating animals that aren't traditionally consumed as food. I've felt this way since I was very young, so as soon as I started cooking for myself I switched to a vegetarian diet. I don't see the point of doing something that doesn't feel right, just to fit in.

And I must say that it's a healthier diet if only because it forces you to think about what you eat.

[ninjanurse]

People eat meat because it is full of important nutrients. I don't understand the question.

People eat vegetables because they are full of important nutrients. The question was rhetorical in nature...how people chose to get their nutirition doesn't really matter as long as they are taking in well balanced calories that correspond to their fitness level and goals. You don't have to eat meat to be healthy, run marathons, or be an olympic athlete.

fosforlu has the right idea. There are many reasons why people choose their diet-vegetarian or not. I chose not to eat animals for health reasons and for ethical reasons.

[Aodhan]

Thanks, Sohan. I knew it was either complete or very close to it for the kidneys.

As far as why, some people feel that a vegetarian diet is better, others do it for philosophical reasons. The owner of my company is a vegetarian because he hates how they treat the animals.

Do a search on the web for "cow downers", and you'd be surprised at what the meat industry does with their animals.

Aodhan

[Sohan]

As far as why, some people feel that a vegetarian diet is better, others do it for philosophical reasons. The owner of my company is a vegetarian because he hates how they treat the animals.

Do a search on the web for "cow downers", and you'd be surprised at what the meat industry does with their animals.

Aodhan

If I ever went vegetarian, I would do it for this reason primarily. I'm not too concerned about the health effects of a modest and balanced consumption of red meat, fish and chicken, but I am appalled at the way we treat most of these animals over the course of their lives. I wouldn't expect them to be given the same status as my domestic dog or cat, but the conditions they spend their short lives in is, IMO, reprehensible.

With respect,

Sohan

[jay46]

Just out of curiosity, why does one become a vegetarian/vegan?

I've been a vegetarian for 16 years. Some are vegans for ethical reasons. I orginally stopped eating meat and cheese to reduce my blood cholesterol levels which were in the high 300s. I still need to take statins to reduce it even further. But one side effect from my diet is that I eat way too many simple carbohydrates. This, in turn, raised my triglycerides to borderline unhealthy levels. It's been so long that I have lost the taste for meat. In fact, some times the smell of cooking meat (especially chicken) turns my stomach.

[lei95]

I have been vegan for almost a year now and practicing karate for a bit over a year, and I suffered a mayor improvement in my performance and fitness a couple months after turning to a vegan lifestyle. I swear by it when it comes to being healthy and training. One of the guys in my class is vegetarian and he told me giving up meat and milk was the best he could have done regarding his fitness. You just have to eat enough and clean, that's all, really.

[sensei8]

I have been vegan for almost a year now and practicing karate for a bit over a year, and I suffered a mayor improvement in my performance and fitness a couple months after turning to a vegan lifestyle. I swear by it when it comes to being healthy and training. One of the guys in my class is vegetarian and he told me giving up meat and milk was the best he could have done regarding his fitness. You just have to eat enough and clean, that's all, really.

Solid post!!

Welcome to KF!!

[Harkon72]

In many indigenous tribes; only the warriors ate meat.