Why veganism/vegetarianism?
OK, I understand that not everyone does it for the animals, so why did you all turn to veg*nism?
Myself, I simply became old enough (15) to become aware of what I was eating instead of just eating what was made for me, and after one or two failed attempts (thwarted by my father), I first cut out red meat, then poultry, then fish, etc.
In the past 5 years I've tried veganism two or three times seriously, but things (whining boyfriends/poor health) always got in the way. Just before this summer, I began to get more involved in animal rights activism, like I had always wanted to. Thats when I realised that you (meaning I) can't both support and protest animal abuse, if you get what I'm saying.
So I progressed to veganism and its been pretty easy. Definitely some bumps along the way....weakness of will and what not, but still going strong.
You?
To be quite honest, I HATE meat. Always hated it. When I was a little kid, I used to pick it out of my food. When I was in 7th grade, I made the decision to officially become a vegetarian. This happened almost overnight. I was having dinner at a girl's house, and her mom was serving these cutlets of something or other that looked completely disgusting to me. So, when she came around to offer me some, I said "No thanks, I'm trying to go vegetarian."
And then I never ate meat again. Hooray!
Health and the environment.
I want to avoid the bioamplification/bioaccumulation of industrial byproducts higher up in the food chain. :) Persistent organic pollutants (polychlorinated biphenyls, chlordane, etc.) hang out in your body and do bad stuff to you. They can cause 'flu like symptoms... and some can function as an agonist for many hormone receptors. Sure some will be in the vegetables you eat... but you get significantly less than you would eating as an omnivore.
It's also environmentally more sustainable and responsible to be a vegetarian.
i initially went vegan about six months ago mostly for the environmental reasons. since then i have become enamored with animal rights. as i continue to learn more about how certain things affect our bodies, i am turning into a serious health food vegan too!
This should be a poll, AmandaBrooke!
I went vegan for the big three, all of 'em. Probably the biggest emphasis for me was on cruelty, though.
i first went vegetarian in 8th grade for AR, then that petered off (hey, it was hard in high school living with my parents). then, i went back to vegetarianism in college for sustainability reasons (mostly), shortly after went vegan because i realized i could not be there was no reason to be vegetarian and not vegan (unless you just don't like meat, which is also true of me) so i went vegan. i do it for every reason there is, really. but my primary was sustainability.
i first started my vegetarian kick because i stumbled across a pbs special showing cows being slaughtered at age 14 - it was the first time i'd ever made the connection between the meat on my plate and the animal it came from. it completely disgusted me. despite that, my parents wound up convincing a doctor to essentially "force" me to eat meat again - he told me that i'd stunted my growth and would never develop into a healthy woman - what a load of bs! um, maybe i just wasn't one of those chicks who'd "bloomed" at that point? and that's okay - hello?
anyway, years passed and i began to become much more interested in educating myself, on my own...i wound up watching "fast food nation" and pulled up the "meet your meat" video from peta on the same day - i felt nauseous. i'd only been eating a little bit of meat, on rare occasions, throughout my adult life, but the entire thought of the factory farming industry made me wanna :-X. (sort of like an "ew, i ain't puttin any of that crap in my mouth")
i actually had a brief stint with veganism several years ago after learning about dairy cow nastiness but for some reason never quit the cheese. i've actually been doing a stellar job as of the last several months; all i have to do is think about the word 'pus' and i can't do it. however, i'm not hardcore yet; i still eat out and don't ask what the ingredient list is for every item...
god this is such a blah-blah post. sorry. anyway, for me it is a combo of recognition of animal cruelty and caring about what goes into my body. plus, factory farming is sooooo gross, wrong, uneconomical, environmentally unfriendly, etc. - but, the majority of people don't seem to really know what goes on to give them their steaks! wth??
I went vegan 7 years ago for the sex drive, and it hasn't let me down yet! ZING!
No, I originally went from omni to vegan purely for environmental reason, though obviously the animal and health reason grew on me very quickly.
I went vegetarian for health reasons. It's served me well. I'm well into middle age and rarely get sick, am on no medications, am a little overweight but working on it, have cholestorol levels as low as 106 to 130, and I have energy to spare.
I have since learned how it impacts the environment and animal welfare.
I've yet to go vegan and over the last 15 years have eaten meat. I do however go long stretches eating vegan, and I've got about 10 vegan cookbooks, but don't cross the line and call myself vegan for several reasons that I decline to discuss on a primarily vegan board.
Animal welfare here! ::) Or I sorta like to see it being for philosophical reasons. I'm a big fan of peter singer and just philosophy in general <3
To be quite honest, I HATE meat. Always hated it. When I was a little kid, I used to pick it out of my food. When I was in 7th grade, I made the decision to officially become a vegetarian. This happened almost overnight. I was having dinner at a girl's house, and her mom was serving these cutlets of something or other that looked completely disgusting to me. So, when she came around to offer me some, I said "No thanks, I'm trying to go vegetarian."
And then I never ate meat again. Hooray!
This is great! :D I sorta did it spontaneously too. I have no clue when the last meaty meal I had was, but I'm sure if I went back in time and told myself that it was going to be my last my past-self wouldn't have believed it. :) I think it was better that way as opposed to sitting around pining over things whilst eating meat.
This should be a poll, AmandaBrooke!
I went vegan for the big three, all of 'em. Probably the biggest emphasis for me was on cruelty, though.
Would the big three be personal health, enviornmental/sustainability and animal welfare? Religion should be included too, maybe! ;D
This should be a poll, AmandaBrooke!
I went vegan for the big three, all of 'em. Probably the biggest emphasis for me was on cruelty, though.
Would the big three be personal health, enviornmental/sustainability and animal welfare? Religion should be included too, maybe! ;D
We talked about it here, in case you missed it:
I went vegetarian for health and ecological reasons. I went vegan for health and ecological reasons, lol.
Not contributing to animal cruelty is a side bonus for me. Obviously, I think it should stop. But, ecology and health are the primary reasons for me. Since, I see nothing inherently wrong with eating meat, nor do I have a problem with small, sustainable, humane farms. In fact, my S/O eats meat out of the latter.
I must say, I surprised everyone when I made the change. Because I used to LOVE a good filet mignon. Honestly, I still miss it and crave it. But, 6 years as a vegetarian and 1.5 of those as a vegan has not made me give in to temptation yet.
I'm also of the camp that went veg for health and environmental reasons and then the issue of cruelty became more important to me.
Veganism is a more compassionate lifestyle for my health, for the environment and for the animals.
We talked about it here, in case you missed it:
Thanks :) Thats very cool.
I think in all honesty, I'm a vegetarian for the chicks. 8)
I prefer vegetables and fruit to meat. It's that simple.
It's also cheaper, here in Europe. That used to be a secondary consideration, but now that we're on a fixed income, it's moving up.
every major reason but taste and health... i always loved the taste of meat, and the smell is still wonderful to me, even though the thought of eating flesh now grosses me out, and i don't crave it any more. also still don't think veganism's healthier than well-planned omnivorism. but even if veganism were positively less healthy than omnivorism, it would still be the only moral choice.
every major reason but taste and health... i always loved the taste of meat, and the smell is still wonderful to me, even though the thought of eating flesh now grosses me out, and i don't crave it any more. also still don't think veganism's healthier than well-planned omnivorism. but even if veganism were positively less healthy than omnivorism, it would still be the only moral choice.
ha ha, i agree. sometimes i think "maybe it would be healthier if i were eating NF yogurt or lean meats?" but then i am think "who am i kidding, could i really bring myself to eat an omni diet (for reasons X, Y, and Z)?" uhmm... no way! buuut, right now i am finally getting around to reading the china study by t. colin campbell and i am doing my 'senior project' (which is basically a bachelors level thesis) on vegan diets and cardiovascular disease (which i still haven't narrowed down from that, curse vegweb, you time sucking website) so it is fun to read real research on why the vegan diet is superior ;D. who knows if it is valid (i tend to hate the nutritional field for its tendency to abstain from looking at things from the holistic POV), but it is fun anyway.
I went vegetarian first for health reasons. But I was eating mostly vegan anyway, except milk, cheese and eggs. And, because of a skin allergy, I can't wear dead animal. So I decided to take the plunge last year to vegan with the help of my best friend (also vegan).
My primary reason for veganism is still health, but the cruelty to animals is playing a big part in KEEPING me vegan.
Animal rights and factory farms did it for me....I just feel lucky that I get all the added environmental and health benefits from my choice of lifestyle (though to be honest....they alone probably would not have been enough to drive me to being vegan). :)
The more I read about farm animal abuse...the more the "yuk factor" of eating meat and consuming dairy became so gross that it was never ever hard for me. Actually, it was quite the opposite. I do hate when I meet people that tell me they "used" to me vegetarians (mostly for health benefits)....but for whatever reason....they went back to continue consuming dead rotting flesh.....I just think that when you care do "friggin' much" about the animals....it makes it that much easier....or should I say....it's NOT as easy to slip back into eating meat or dairy....it just repulses you so much that there's no way you would ever eat it. If ever I found myself in a position where I had no other food to eat but meat.....I'd starve...really I would...starve right to my death before I'd take a bite of meat, a bite of cheese, or a sip of milk. I can honestly say that without any doubt in my mind. ;)
Went vegan from omni for health reasons after reading The China Study. Animal welfare has become a huge reason for me since then, too and the environmental benefits. It's such an awesome feeling to know my (our) choices are win-win all around for everyone and everything!!!
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