The Biggest Change in my Life: Vegetarianism
You may not know this about me, but I don’t eat an ounce of meat — though this hasn’t always been the case. In fact, growing up, like most kids I’d assume, I paid little – if any – attention to my diet. When you’re that young, you tend to feel that you’re invincible. I drank coke (sugar + aspartame) like crazy, and never thought twice about the meat I put into my body, whether home cooked, restaurant ordered, or crap fast food — where they can charge you $1 for a sandwich…and still make money!
Maybe it’s just a product of getting older, but, in the last few years, I’ve begun reconsidering a lot of things. We accept so many things at face value, without ever thinking twice. Have you ever really asked yourself, “Why do we eat meat? Why do we drink another animal’s milk?” The answer – at least for me – was a simple one: “Because that’s just the way things are.” Chances are, you eat meat because your parents do, and that’s all you’ve ever known…but that’s a terrible reason to do something. Mark Twain once said:
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.”
Milk is not for Adults
Did you know that we are the only species on the planet who drinks milk beyond infancy? Think about it: how strange that we drink milk from cows! What the hell? Cow’s milk has one purpose: to drastically and quickly increase a calf’s weight. So why are we drinking it as adults? I never asked myself this question until recently.
While we’re on the subject, what is even remotely enticing about eating processed decomposing murdered animal? Sure, it tastes good, but at what cost? Centuries ago, meat was a luxury. Today, it’s not uncommon to eat some form of meat three times a day! It’s no wonder why we’re so damn fat; our bodies simply weren’t made for this kind of consumption. We’re not lions…
- We don’t sit around all day digesting our meat
- We don’t have sharp fangs
- We can’t chase down our food
- In fact, our bodies are perfectly tuned for eating fruits and vegetables..so why don’t we?
While, granted, it’s my blog, and I can say what I want, this is a considerably sensitive issue. Much like politics and parenting, this discussion seems to bring out the worst in people. It’s only natural that, when something you’ve done your whole life is questioned, you should lash out and attack. I’m not asking you to quit eating meat — I have enough trouble doing so on my own! However, what’s more interesting to me is the fact that we genuinely don’t discuss it much.
It’s Evil
Hardcore vegans and meat-eaters could argue for years, while both making excellent points for their teams. But truthfully, I’m not concerned with how healthy or unhealthy vegetarianism is. My issue is with the horrible, horrible treatment of these farm animals. Videos like this one deeply effect me:
When I watch a video like that, every part of my body tells me that this is evil. Your first instinct might be to assume that these are isolated incidences. From what I’ve read unfortunately, this is far from the case. Further, let’s assume that the farmers aren’t beating the animals. The lifestyle that is forced upon them is still incredibly cruel.
I think, to a certain extent, it has to be this way. I can only imagine just how much meat our world consumes each day. How these farmers can possibly satiate our insane appetites is beyond me. As such, they probably have no choice but to force chickens to live their entire lives in darkness, and within inches of each other. Did you know that they pump chickens full of so many hormones, in order to pump up their breasts, that they can’t even walk three feet without falling over? And when they do fall, they fall into their own feces. Does that not make you cry? And, you know what? That growth hormone that the farmers inject into the animals…well you consume it as well with every bite (unless your food is organic…which it should be).
Participation
As I learned more about this, I kept coming back to the same question: “Why do I want to participate in this?” The answer I came to was a resounding “I don’t.” I haven’t touched it since.
Quitting
The biggest struggle for me during the first few months was peer pressure. It’s not an easy task to visit an in-law’s home for dinner, and inform them that you won’t be eating their prepared dinner. I can only imagine how obnoxious that comes across to them. Even more so, I’m afraid that it sometimes comes across as “I’m better than you…and I don’t eat such things.” I’d wager that many people view vegetarians this way. But the fact is, I’m not concerned with anyone else’s choices, other than my own, and perhaps my immediate family’s.
After the first few months, the meat cravings go away almost entirely, and, in fact, it honestly disgusts me at this point. That’s the goal, right? …To get to the point where you don’t have to crave and deny?
In Good Company
One of the things that really helped me to focus and push forward was finding out that some of the best minds in our history are/were vegetarian, including:
- Albert Einstein
- Isaac Newton
- Ben Franklin
- Paul McCartney
- Leonardo Da Vinci
- Gandhi
If arguably the greatest thinker in our history chose to be a vegetarian…well that alone is enough for me to do the same.
If we can establish that that the industry is corrupt, and that animals live their existences in darkness and serve no other purpose than to be our food, why do you want to participate? I sure don’t.
Thanks for reading! I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I was merely stating my own views.
The bit I disagree with is the
‘In fact, our bodies are perfectly tuned for eating fruits and vegetables..so why don’t we?’
That’s just untrue, we are omnivorous. We eat what’s available. In fact, meat is the source of a lot of essential vitamins etc that isn’t usually present in vegetables.
Oh, and isn’t a plant living too? There’s been studies done that suggest significant levels of environmental awareness in plants, perhaps even animal level sentience…
Hey Dom,
I’d compare us eating steak to the way, for example, a wolf does. We don’t have sharp teeth. We don’t lay around all day digesting our food. We can’t run down our food. Our bodies really aren’t made for this purpose anymore.
About vitamins — which ones are you referring to? Are you referring to B12? If so, B12 pills are super cheap. Are you talking about protein? If true, it’s completely untrue that vegetarians don’t get enough protein.
About plants being alive as well…this is just a matter of how far you want to take things.
I don’t know if I should say thanks to this post, but we must discut it much for sure even if this offending someone. Personally I eat meat, but I completely respect you choice and every vegetarian. Thanks to share this with us
This is a nice introduction to vegetarianism… Maybe the video isn’t for “everyone”. But… It’s kind of you convinced me to be one veg more.
The only problem is… I love Burger King. :/ that’s ilogic if i want to be veg.
You got some real great points and proved them well. After reading I think I may follow your foot steps soon. Cheers Mate, for alerting me.
This is terrible, after watching I do not want to eat meat, but this is our real life, unfortunately…
As a person, who eats everything including meat I want to say that I really extremely appreciate your approach to discussing the human diets. I really enjoyed reading your questioning of eating meat and going into the history of it. It is true that when at the dinner table or other event that if you don’t accept food, because you are a “vegetarian” you are viewed as disrespectful and smug(like i’m too good for your food.) I am guilty and have been for a while of that same feeling until now. You have open my eyes to view it differently. While I appreciate and respect your eating habits a lot more I still will continue eating meat. You probably don’t care, but I still see a lot of benefits to it.
And one big thing comes to mind is when I was speaking with a scientist, he brought up evolution and how eating meat provided the proper protein for their brains to grow into what we have now.
Also, Bruce Lee of I believe to be part of those best minds category, was a meat eater and believed that it was the proper and educated way to live.
Thanks anyway for this blog. I really enjoyed reading it and I hope you keep living the way you have. I think everyone should question things and choose their own path.
Keep up the good work =)
I was writing really fast, because I am at work LOL so there are a lot of grammar issues in the last post. Please ignore them. Thanks! =)
Hey Enrique,
Whether it’s beneficial or not to not eat meat is a topic all on its own.
And I’m perfectly happy to admit that I’m not smart of enough to make any arguments in that area. If I did, I’d be spouting what one or two books I’ve read say…and neglecting all of the other information speaking of the opposite.
My primary issue is that, because the farms have an insane amount of meat to produce, it creates an unbelievably cruel environment for the farm animals. I’ve heard stories of these guys shoving poles up a cow’s anus…all for the fun of it, or because the cow wouldn’t do something. There are countless stories like this. The sad thing is that, excluding smaller organic farms, this is far too common.
That’s why I refuse to participate and give these people my hard-earned money.
Jeffrey and I have noticed such positive changes in our life since we have switched. It was mega hard for me to do! I grew up eating meat everyday. My mother cooked a large dinner every night–usually pot roast or something similar. I also LOVED eating lamb! I really had to wean myself gradually. But, if you don’t treat meat like a vice and really think before you eat, it helps… Don’t think: “Oh, that burger smells really good.” Do think: “How can they charge $1.00 for that and still turn a profit?” They discovered last year that our desire for burger meat was so great, that they couldn’t keep up with the demand. The solution was to begin adding meat to burgers that was previously processed for dog food. If you have a craving for meat, go stand in the meat department at a grocery store. Stare at a package of chicken legs and say to yourself, “These are legs. These are animal LEGS.” Then, go cut open a ripe pomegranate and look at it. Smell it. Which is more appetizing? Lifeless, fatty chicken legs or something so fresh and juicy ripened fruit?
But, I stuck with it. Jeffrey was my support system. We said we would stop this lifestyle if the pros were outweighed by the cons. So far–no cons!
We don’t eat fast food anymore, and don’t miss it. We have the desire to work out more often. We are enjoying food more. My skin and hair are healthier. We have more energy. We are eating more of the foods that you always hear that you should be eating. I have a kale recipe that will knock your socks off and it is cooked in less than five minutes. The only thing you must have from meat that you can not get anywhere else is vitamin B12. And you can pick up B12 vitamins in stores everywhere.
It is not for us to say that everyone should go vegetarian. That would be like us saying who you can marry and what religion you should practice. But, you should read into how food is prepared. How are these animals being slaughtered? What is high fructose corn syrup and why is it in EVERYTHING? Then make logical changes to your eating habits. It is soooo much easier than you would ever believe. Eating organic can be expensive, but buy one less pair of jeans or video game this month. You only get one body. If cutting out meat is just not an option, maybe just having meatless Mondays and Fridays could be beneficial. Also, it is cheaper eating out when you are vegetarian. =)
Diet soda was another hard one to give up. But once you find that Aspartame, one of the ingredients in Diet Coke, is also used in rat poison, it becomes much easier to cut it out.
I understand where your coming from, but a little quote that makes so much sense and there is no argument to it.
“Eat healthy, stay fit, die anyway”
Its a quote i find hard to shake, so i eat what i want, and not care. If it tastes nice why not?
Some people might argue “But if you eat healthy, youll live longer” thats also a lie, sorta.. I could walk out and get hit by a bus right now.
Enjoy the little things.
For that matter, we should all smoke, drink, and do drugs as well…because, hey, we’re going to die anyways.
haha Jeffrey, if you are not Mormon you should be.
I should have mentioned why I said that. Latter-day Saints (Mormons) believe in something called the Word of Wisdom which is like a health code. They teach you shouldn’t eat a lot of meat and you should eat fruits, vegetables and grains instead. They also teach you shouldn’t smoke, drink or do drugs because our bodies are a temple and we shouldn’t defile sacred things (1 Cor. 3:16–17).
Which basically goes along with everything you just said.
Like Jeffrey said ,we all should smoke drink take drugs
and we also should steel ,kill ,and do every bad thing you can imagine because we are going to die anyway isn’t that right!!
Awful, made me want to cry
Don’t eat much meat and the little amount I do just isn’t worth it after seeing the film.
No more bacon butties……….feel better already:)
I don’t agree with most of the things.
We are omnivorous, we eat MEAT and fruit/vegetables.
Most of the stuff we buy in stores are mass production meat.
Even if we stop, these animals still will get killed and sold.
And if you let the animals free they won’t be able to survive anyway because they
don’t know anything of the outside world.
It’s just the way it happens.
Look at animals, snakes eat mice because it’s nature.
Tough in the modern states you can stay alive with vegetables and fruit. In other countries where the ground isn’t rich they eat animals. Because it’s the only way to survive.
I want to be a vegetarian… I’m going to start next year!
The funny thing about any discussion concerning vegetarianism is it always turns into a who is right and who is wrong argument. I just can not be compared to a snake. They have to eat mice–that is what they are built to eat. They can not live on leafy substance. I have more options. I eat whatever I can/want to survive.
I know that even if I, alone, stop eating meat, animals will continue to be killed. But, I don’t want to participate. I think it is cruel and unhealthy. I know if we shut down the slaughter houses and set the animals free, they wouldn’t survive. They are so pumped up on hormones and most of them have never seen the light of day. They couldn’t survive and it would probably spur mass hunger and disease. I couldn’t stop all people from eating meat. I don’t want to. But, changes must be made. Supply is struggling to meet demand and that is why the animals are being pumped full of hormones, they are being tortured, and there is so much waste. Studies have shown the adverse affects of this on people already. (Example- Young girls having their periods at super young ages due to the hormones.)And there are significant changes happening! Organic products are popping up on grocery shelves everywhere. (At least in the United States–I haven’t traveled out of the country in a while.)Some cities are encouraging “Meatless Mondays.” A growing number of people are pushing for changes. I think we may be on the brink of a food revolution…people are demanding to know where their food comes from and how it is being prepared.
If you look back through history, meat was a luxury. You slaughtered animals for a celebration and it was a treat. You killed what you needed. Only what you needed. Now we eat meat 3+ times a day. We also have more health problems and we are overweight. You don’t see fat snakes.
“Eat healthy, stay fit, die anyway” That is faulty logic for me. If I load up on bacon, cake and beer now because I may die tomorrow…My life would be so different. I would probably not exercise. I would become overweight and begin to have health problems. I knew someone who was like this. He is quite old now. He has lived a long life. But for the past several years he has been in a wheelchair. He has severe diabetes and they had to amputate both of his legs. He is wasting away and on tons of medication.
I read an interesting book recently. In one of the chapters, it discusses the health problems of King Henry VIII. One theory states that royals rarely ate vegetables on a regular basis. Veggies were for livestock and the poor. King Henry’s condition always worsened in the winter–when they had no means of eating fruits/veggies. Importing them was expensive. In the summer, his health improved. He had fruit/veggies more readily available. They summarize that he probably had a severe Vitamin C deficiency. (Granted–he probably had a few STD’s mixed in there.) He ate primarily meats, rich foods, and no veggies. The once robust king who loved dancing, became fat and unhealthy. I guess Henry can’t be compared to a snake either. =)
Vegetarianism is my choice. And I feel great about it. I am not here to change anyone’s mind. I can not tell the Maasai people that they are doing it wrong. Obviously they are doing what is keeping THEM healthy and alive. I look at what is going on in the meat industry. I look at the ingredients on a frozen meal–all that salt, sugar and high fructose corn syrup. I don’t want that in my body. The simplicity of enjoying a bowl of fresh black berries makes me happy and I feel good. bacon tastes great, but I don’t feel good afterward. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is becoming relevant again.
While I agree with some of your points I disagree with others. It is true that we grow up eating what our parents have us eat usually, and many times don’t think about it much afterwards.
My parents did pretty well with food though. We didn’t eat fast food, or restaurant food for that matter, hardly ever. We also didn’t have pre-cooked meals, or much for processed foods, or soda. My mom was part of a Co-op and we got lots of good food, organic and not, from there. They also pushed us to eat fruits and vegetables. As far as meat goes we got some from the regular store but my dad also got a 1/4 or 1/2 of a cow from local farmers every once in a while. That was always the best deal and the best meat. Much leaner and better for you I think.
Anyway, now that I’m older and on my own I don’t really eat much crap. Sure everyone has stuff every so often, I’ll have a soda, or candy bar a couple times a month, but my main drink is water. I love fruit and veggies and usually have them everyday. But I also love meat. I know that some farms aren’t so great with animals and I am working on getting meat from local farmers. Meat however is a part of my diet and one I won’t be giving up because some farms mistreat animals. I prefer meat from local farmers as it is just plain better meat and I like supporting local places. Plus I don’t worry about their practices.
Anyway, enough about me, just wanted to give a overview so you know where I’m coming from.
Like a above person said, we are onmivores and as such we can process meat and plants. I think a balanced diet has some of both. I would venture that you shouldn’t have meat 3 times a day, but I think once a day is reasonable. Some people don’t like/want meat and that is their decision. Can’t say I blame them. I mean if you have a problem eating a dead animal then don’t. I personally don’t have a problem with it and, in the right amounts, meat is very healthy for you. You’d be much better looking at other processed foods that you are eating.
My wife and I are part of a co-op that offers great prices on bulk (and non bulk) organic and non-organic food stuffs. We get great prices and very healthy food. As part of that we are in a produce share where every two weeks we get a big box of fresh fruit and vegetables. Its only $20 and its enough to feed my wife and I till the next delivery. I recommend checking to see if there is anything like this in your area.
A lot of people don’t eat well and have a lot of the crappy bad for you foods, processed, fast food, soda, etc. I don’t think that quality meat is one of those, but the other areas are things that people need to look at. So many health problems people have are because of the crap they put into their bodies.
I completely agree with everything you said. I also grew up with parents that did not get fast food or processed meals. We had home cooked meals every night. When I did start eating out as a teenager, I always got food poisoning. It was actually a joke between people who knew me– I always got sick when I ate out. I also grew up drinking whole milk. I was always super thin and was maybe 98 pounds my senior year of high school. After reading about milk and giving it up for a period of time, I am happy that I don’t drink it any longer. I think people began drinking milk because they didn’t have many nutritional options and it tasted good. Life is different today. But, I really don’t feel it is inhumane to drink it, but I just prefer to get that same nutrition from quinoa or kale. And I know we are the only species to do a lot of things that others don’t– we drink the milk from another species, we drive cars, and many of us worship a deity. But we also do cocaine, commit suicide, and hunt for sport. So I can’t agree with you about drinking milk not being odd because we do other weird things. Just because we do lots of weird things that you don’t see in the animal kingdom doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question why we do it. We are just resourceful and are pleasure seekers. =) But, hey! I still eat cheese and even eggs on occasion.
I could never expect everyone to stop eating meat. It is my choice to do so and I have seen too many positive changes to stop. (Although, I will have a meal with meat once or twice a year.) But, I respect you for going the extra step to buy from farmers and buy meat from places where they have humane practices. I feel like we should put the power back into the farmers’ hands the best we can. It scares me to think that legislation was passed allowing companies to use “vague language” when describing what is added to foods. I like to think we only eat products with ingredient names we can pronounce. I don’t want to wonder what chemicals are in my foods and if one meal will heighten my risk for cancer.
I think our society needs to get back in the kitchen and read the labeling on food packaging. I think we need to drastically cut back on meat, salt, and sugar. I think we need to encourage fruit and vegetables. I agree that our eating habits have spurred these health issues.
I saw this today:
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/25/a-tale-of-2-nuggets/?hpt=C2
Opps, forgot to mention the milk part.
It is a bit odd that we drink milk. We are the only species on earth to drink another species’ milk. But we are the only species to do a lot of things so in that sense it isn’t that odd. Milk is a good nutritious drink. In large amounts its not so great for you, but a few cups a week is cool. I prefer to get the milk that doesn’t have hormone left overs in it, but other than that milk is great!
You’re right, that video shows evil. Cruelty is evil.
‘Your first instinct might be to assume that these are isolated incidences. From what I’ve read unfortunately, this is far from the case.’
How many farmers do you know? What specifically have you read? My father-in-law is a dairy farmer, and has spent his whole life in the world of animal husbandry. Perhaps you should start by asking someone like him how common this behavior is in HIS world.
Your first instinct might be to assume that he is an isolated example. From what I know, fortunately, this is far from the case.
The video you embedded is one man, at one farm, showing off his cruelty to a camera. Give me a camera and a week and I’ll show you hundreds of counterexamples of midwestern dairy farmers who will make you proud to be an american.
Also,
You could make several arguments for vegetarianism that I would have no beef with. However, focusing on the animal cruelty argument is short-sighted. Firstly, because it’s not as common as you make out. Secondly, because there are parts of this big world we live in that are filled with much more cruel people who do these things (and worse) to other *humans*.
I think many people say “Meat is Murder” in one breath and denounce the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the next. Say what you want about our motives for being there, our forces are bringing a level of peace to areas that have known worse cruelty than shown in your video above. We, as a country, have had the resolve to end this cruelty many times in the past. I worry about the day when we are no longer deeply affected to see the suffering of other people at the hands of cruel rulers.
I made no comments regarding the war in Iraq. That’s an entirely different subject.
In reference to farmer cruelty, of course it’s not every farm. If your father-in-law doesn’t doesn’t participate in that kind of evil, then good for him. That’s amazing. I’d imagine smaller farms don’t suffer from this.
My primary point was that things like this do occur — and often. I see it reported on the news, and on various blogs at least once a month.
As I see it, if I can afford to live without meat, then why wouldn’t I? People focus so much on the meat eaters vs. vegetarians that they forget that there are numerous smaller advantages to not eating meat. For example, once meat has been cut out, the chances of going to a fast food place like McDonalds reduces to 0…..or any fast food restaurant for that matter. It forces you to cut out the terrible eating habits that we’ve developed.
“Today, it’s not uncommon to eat some form of meat three times a day! It’s no wonder why we’re so damn fat; our bodies simply weren’t made for this kind of consumption.”
I disagree. I think we’re fat because:
A) We eat more than we’re supposed to in one sitting.
B) We don’t exercise.
I don’t think it has anything to do with how much meat you eat in a day. It comes down to how many calories you put into your body and how much (or little) of those calories are burned in activity.
Also, I have to disagree with your comparison of human behavior/ability vs. other carnivore behavior/ability.
- We sit around all day digesting our food. It usually takes 24 hours to completely digest a meal.
- We don’t have the fangs most carnivores have, but our teeth are that of an omnivore. We have teeth for grinding fruits/veggies and teeth for tearing meat.
- Humans are vastly different from every other species on the planet because of our brain. We don’t have to chase down, stalk, or surprise our prey because we have the ability to build tools to aid us in hunting.
- Our bodies can process meat and dairy products. Combined with our teeth, we are the perfect plant/meat processing machine. Granted, there are some foods we process poorly, but those foods can be found growing naturally from the soil or picked off a slaughtered animal.
I think those are all valid points. But it still comes back to the fact that we eat such massive quantities of meat every day to the point that the factories/farms can’t keep up with the demand….which is why we always see those “mad cow disease” and such reports a handful of times each year. Unless you eat local, organic meats, I think it’s become too risky to eat regular foods….especially when you start reading that, in order to keep up with fast-food demand, meat that was once set aside for things like dog food is now being mixed in with the ground beef that we buy.
I’m not a flaming liberal vegetarian or anything like that. I ate meat for 25 years. But, I strongly believe that, if I were to continue eating meat, it would absolutely have to be local and organic. It’s worth the 2x cost.
Fast food meat, on most occasions, have always been highly suspect. Whether it’s a burger from Burger King or chicken nuggets from McDonalds, something has never been right. A few fast food restaurants, such as Chick-fil-A, do use good meat, but they’re few and far between.
I think if anyone listens to enough news, they’ll hear equal stories regarding bad meat and plant-based foods. I remember the e-coli or whatever infestation of peanuts a few years ago, and there have still been problems with it. I vaguely remember some produce being tainted with something. Nothing is 100% safe.
Anyhow, if your convictions compel you to steer clear of meat, there’s nothing I can say about that. To each their own. I also didn’t mean to imply you were a flaming liberal vegetarian. I apologize if my reply came off that way.
There are also health concerns in vegetarianism. The first one that is directly connected with the lifestyle includes health effects like Osteoporosis, Iron-Anemia, and Macrocytic Anemia. Extend the lifestyle to children and they are susceptible to Rickets, Emaciation, and very low growth rates. We are omnivores; our bodies crave meat. It isn’t just a lifestyle our parents taught us, it is necessary for our survival. Meat provides us with nutrients that plants cannot offer.
Then we get into the commercial effects. I hear way too many vegetarians refuse engineered vegetables (which has an effect I won’t discuss here, it’s out of context) and/or refuse non-organic foods. On the subject of organic foods, I’ve had friends become ill from “organic” foods. By organic, they meant they used natural pesticides. By “natural”, they meant a substance that was unprocessed but incredibly harmful for humans to consume. Turns out she had just a bit too much on this one tomato and ended up with a nasty case of food poisoning. Non-organic foods are much healthier, since the chemicals used on them have been tested to be safe for human consumption.
Matt – that simply isn’t true.
But humans were not born vegetarians either..they have been eating meat since they we’re living in caverns and had animal skins on them. i don’t think the humans that lived 5000 years ago or more we’re thinking hmm neah no mammoth meat today im going to go all veggy xD.
sorry that’s just my opinion . not saying it’s a bad thing, i watch my diet don’t drink much soda at all no kfc/mcdlnd/bk or anything but that doesn’t mean i don’t like my milk and cereal and stake no sir i eat them like there’s no tomorrow !
Well sure. But just because we did it 5000 years ago doesn’t mean we necessarily should now. I think the whole discussion comes down to personal preference. The most important thing is that people think about what they’re actually eating when they stuff one of those $.99 McDonalds sandwiches down their throat. As they say….if you can’t pronounce all of the ingredients, don’t eat it.
“if you can’t pronounce all of the ingredients, don’t eat it” funny and so true ! i like to generalize and go for
if(strlen($ingredient)>10) dont eat !
Of course I do. But I also feel better than I ever have before.
Good for you…in that case…load up on them steaks….the more the merrier….
I think that when you mention the cruelty of animals and going vegetarian, those that oppose it are just weak minded, look for excuses and are afraid to acknowledge it is right to not participate in the mass slaughter of animals..
If you told a five year old that they take a cow and slice his throat until he bleeds to death in pain, I would bet that they would never want anything to with meat…ever..
Maybe these videos should be aired on TV..but that is way too harsh for the public….
Instead, in our marketing world…Happy cows come from California….
I am 100% behind you Jeffrey….have been Veg…for over 4 years now…
Jeffrey, You made a small mistake……you mis-spelled “Gandhi” as “Ghandi”. I hope you correct it soon enough..
Otherwise, I agree with the whole article. I am a vegetarian too even though my parents, near relatives and close friends aren’t {non-veggies!} and understand the pressure that comes from people around you…..They get shocked when they learn that you are a Vegetarian!!
While I don’t agree with you, I respect your decision. However, why the jab @ Milk, in your ‘Im a new vegetarian’ post?
“What the hell? Cow’s milk has one purpose: to drastically and quickly increase a calf’s weight.”
Are you implying that adults who drink milk are doing so without thinking? And that it will only lead to weight gain?
Fat Free, 1% and 2% milk is readily available. Not to mention the fact that studies show that milk drinkers weigh less than people who do not usually drink milk. It is high in protein, calcium and vitamin D.
well vegetable are also a living creature ,so is eating vegetable is wrong ??!
meat have thing’s that vegetable’s doesn’t have!!
like protein that is necessary to live healthy
also milk is so necessary to be healthy
and maybe that you haven’t noticed but we have fangs and i don’t think that they are for vegetable
i don’t say that you are 100% wrong
but you are not 100% right too!!
i mean that eating meat is not bad ,but doing what is in the video is wrong
as a Muslim i (and all of muslim’s) we have a lot’s of thing’s to be on the animal meat and who the animal have died.
because we have a Certain way to kill animal’s (fish’s are eaten in any way and doesn’t have a certain way ) witch is mercy and healthy.
and we eat certain kinds of
“you eat meat because your parents do, and that’s all you’ve ever known.”
well you know something that is the biggest reason for me hating human’s ,like you see just a little bit of people using there mind’s and not just “copy past” from their parent’s.
you must likely think that i am a meat eater because my parent’s are ,well my parent’s are meat eater
but a few years ago i thought about being vegetarian
but after thinking i realized that every thing we eat is a living creature ,just because vegetable doesn’t have eye’s or make noise doesn’t make theme living creature’s
(and i even thinked to be a Cristian or a Jewish or even godless or to have no religion but after days i make my decide “Islam”)
know something Jeffrey (i should say Mister because i am only 15 old (:)i like people like you who uses their mind’s
Hey Ahmed – The idea that vegetarians don’t get enough protein is 100% wrong. In fact, we all get *way* more than is necessary.
And from were do get the protein ???
if eating meat is wrong so eating plant is wrong too !!!
because both of meat and plant are living creature’s
so if eating meat is bad and eating plant is bad ,what are we going we eat!!??
it’s right that’s a lot of people have “way” to much of protein ,but they are sure not vegetarianism (else if they eat a lot’s and lot’s of broad bean and Beans (that’s mean’s a lot of gases XD)and that is a second class protein (the human body can make these class of protein by he’s self)
and who have told you that human body is not prepared for eating meat ,well we have fangs and i am sure that they are not for eating plant ^_^
and just for knowing meat have the 8 primary protein type (first class protein) and that is the protein that human body can’t make D , so from can we get these proteins ,we can’t get it from plant and human body can’t make it , and these first class protein are top necessary for human body (growing up and a lot of other thing’s (and having kids “not sure”))
and that’s all
i hope you use your mind like you ever do and think about what i have said
Greetings
Edit: as a Muslim i (and all of muslim’s) have a lot’s of thing’s that have to be on the animal meat ,and how the animal have died.
Hey Jeff!
A really good post! And I certainly can relate to yourself having given up meat nearly 4 years ago! I also found myself asking the same questions, why do we drink milk from another animal?! It seems rather strange once you step back and think about it.
There is another strong argument for cutting down or eradicating meat from your diet. And that’s the environmental impact; vast amounts of the Amazon are being cut down to grow food to feed animals. Also producing beef requires a great deal of water compared with producing fruit and vegetables.
In this overpopulated world, in which more developing communities are demanding more meat, the planet simply cannot sustain an increase in meat consumption. I wouldn’t be surprised if the price of meat / dairy (also dairy farmers in the UK don’t get paid enough to break even) shoots up in the not too distant future!
Very true. Thanks, Kristian. I generally get attacked for this posting…so it’s nice to have someone on my side.
Well i am not really against you
but i am not with neither
i mean that i am with in :
1- that eating a lot’s of meat is a bad thing
2- am with you that conditions of the animals are super bad in 60%(or more ,i guess) of animal farms
And i am not(Absolutely not) with you in one thing which is about you saying that eating meat is a bad thing
so you can consider that i am 50% with you and 50% against you XD
waiting your reply on my previous comment…..
sorry about all the spelling and grammatical mistakes :S
i really do apologize
seems like i should have reviewed it before posting it
try to expand your imagination to understand it(lol)
Jeff – I have been a big fan of yours and I have been a vegetarian all my life born and raised! So welcome to the new world.
Thanks, Harry! I must admit — it feels very good…not to mention the fact that I’m thinner than I’ve been since I was 19.
Hi Jeffrey !
I was reading the Jquery training course, and with two or three clicks I’m here reading a real positive post !
Congratulations for this change, you’re right, one of the most important in a human’s life !
Not to do things by habbit, a #1 rule isn’t it ?
Thanks a lot !
(-forgive my french-styled-english…)
I learn quite a lot from your publications and tutorials and this is a real pleasure to see such a post. I am a vegetarian my self currently living in UK as a programmer and I wish there are people as such like you living in countries like these as well. All these people talk about loving animals and caring about them and all but at the same time cant live without their meat. If we talk about eating dog meat these people will say it as cruel and all and whats the difference about all these animals, who gave humans the right to control lives of these animals, no one actually. There is no point of arguing about these with majority of people around the world. People talk about world getting destroyed from disasters and from other sources but the main source is the people who lives in it. We cant stop this, only thing we can do is to try to understand what real life is and live accordingly my friend. This is all about Buddhism and I am not trying to spread a Religion over here which Buddhism is not. Buddhism says all about these and about what’s truth about life and when you think about it Buddhism doesn’t say anything new but the only thing it says is the correct way of living and the truth about life and truth about each and everything. Thank you so much my friend.
Hi,
First of all, I am not seeing being vegetarian like a diet, it is a natural lifestyle. Milk of other animals are never made for other things than the animal itself, that’s logical because billions of years ago they where only animals.
Since we came on earth we’ve had to develop ourselves, at that point we where ‘stupid’, but now we are starting to think about the effects of our habits etc.
And there’s something very, very irritating about it, if you are a vegetarian the most people don’t understand why, and they start to laugh about it.
Our vegetables are more misused than a animal, because we have to protect them with insecticide what is mostly very dangerous for humans also, and even if we washed our vegetables carefully, it still can have an effect on our body.
With vegetables we can be so creative as we want to, but meat is meat, and the most meat is loaded with fat, and vegetables aren’t.
Another point I’ve didn’t see is, why we only start speaking of meat? Fish is also a kind of animal, and they’re more cruelty on the sea than you know about, do you know that while they are fishing for example salmon, they also catch other animals like dolphin’s, sharks,.. and mostly for the illegal fish catch those sea creatures are in dangerous, because they will killed for other reasons. And maybe you just served a fish that was bought from illegal fishing boats,.. consider that!
I am also vegetarian since I’m was 7 years old, that’s from now almost 11 years are clean of meat or fish. And the fact is I am happy with it!