What benefits do you get from being Vegetarian?

[Matthew Dunn]

I don't think there is an 'Advantage' to not eating meat in the diet.

I am a meat eating student just entering his 20's
I have a few friends who are Veggies and others with just picky diets
I will not Eat Halal (because its in humane and illegal but people get away with it in the UK over a religious pretext :/ No offense intended but its the truth) I do not smoke and recently have quit alcohol
(off topic for a bit)
I did smoke once on and off over 2 years but had to quit before i became truly addicted (Didnt help that most of the cigs were actually splifs including the first one) And that ive never really had strong lungs since
Alcohol left me really really depressed thats all you need to know
(back on topic)

Tbh I dont care what you eat
I dont mind Veggies some of the meals that they eat are delicious (Potato and leek soup tastes like Bacon somehow)
I can get along with them
but i cannot personally stand the idea of Veganism... its just a stupid word for being picky and a need to grow the hell up

 

[Matthew Dunn]

I don't think there is an 'Advantage' to not eating meat in the diet.

I am a meat eating student just entering his 20's
I have a few friends who are Veggies and others with just picky diets
I will not Eat Halal (because its in humane and illegal but people get away with it in the UK over a religious pretext :/ No offense intended but its the truth) I do not smoke and recently have quit alcohol
(off topic for a bit)
I did smoke once on and off over 2 years but had to quit before i became truly addicted (Didnt help that most of the cigs were actually splifs including the first one) And that ive never really had strong lungs since
Alcohol left me really really depressed thats all you need to know
(back on topic)

Tbh I dont care what you eat
I dont mind Veggies some of the meals that they eat are delicious (Potato and leek soup tastes like Bacon somehow)
I can get along with them
but i cannot personally stand the idea of Veganism... its just a stupid word for being picky and a need to grow the hell up

 

[Matthew Dunn]

Sorry Double Post
Internet hates me -_-

 

[CrystalShadow]

Whatever benefits it has are, to my knowledge nothing to do with the health of the person.

The biggest reasons seem to be either animal cruelty, or environmental concerns.

I won't get into animal cruelty, apart from to say that anyone that is vegetarian for these reasons has to be pretty careful, because animal products can be found in everything from sweets, to clothing (leather, obviously), to cosmetics, soap and washing powder.
Animal products are literally everywhere, and quite a few non-food products don't bother to mention this fact.

Environmental concerns arise from calculating the energy and resources needed to produce meat. It tends to show that to get say, 1000 calories from a piece of meat, you have to feed an animal something like 10 times that amount (don't quote me on that; The exact amount could be more or less, but it's not trivial), and that it would be far more efficient to simply feed plants directly to human beings instead.

That seems to more or less cover it. Though I'm not a vegetarian, so if I've missed anything, please let me know.

 

[lRookiel]

The feeeling of superiority and being able to talk down to people and have them think it's perfectly normal behaviour?

Even though you pointed out it was a joke, its still pretty accurate based on every vegetarian I know. Most go to great pains to tell me how horrible it is how meat is prepared or the issues around how animals are killed and so on.

Only nice vegetarian I knew later switched back to eating meat (the call of bacon was too much).

Quorn bacon for life yo! xD

Edit: Whoops I gotta make this post longer (Lest the mods strike down on me with their never ending wrath!)

Oh and as I mentioned earlier I get pestered by meat eaters questioning me as well and "Oh go on try a bit of bacon!" So in essence your not alone in the whole being pestered about your eating thing.

 

[A Free Man]

Well, I am not a vegetarian/vegan but if you don't eat meat you have to eat more fruits/veggies, so yay?

Proven by science: People who mostly eat meat have lots of stamina in short bursts while those who have a more balanced diet will have stamina all day ((Or at least for a few hours))

But by that logic people who never eat meat don't have a balanced diet so it is probably even worse than those who eat both. As of now I am not aware of any significant health benefits of being vegan or vegetarian, I honestly never thought there was any benefits aside from the obvious, of not adding to the detainment and slaughter of millions of animals.

 

[efAston]

Psychic powers (cf Scott Pilgrim).

It's easier to have a wider variety in your diet and keep your fat and salt levels low, that is, assuming you don't just eat chips for every meal. It's also cheaper and a good way to discover some new things (like Chinese grocers), if you get curious, though you can do that without being a vegetarian as well.

 

[Diplodocus462]

Many people are vegetarians because they believe that it is unethical to kill animals for meat. A mini-summary might be proposed as follows: Yes, meat is tasty to eat. But is it really ethically acceptable that an animal should have to suffer throughout most of its life and then be killed merely because a person wants something tasty to eat?

Personally, I eat meat myself, but I feel guilty about it and don't have any moral defense for doing so.

If you have 15 minutes to spare, I dare you to watch the following video, which I think gives a pretty good introductory argument on the ethics of vegetarianism, by a very famous philosopher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nch3NQ-wN8&feature=related


There are, of course, vegan foods that you can substitute for meat which together will give you all the nutrients you can get from meat. They are less convenient to get, and often do not taste quite as nice, but these protests do actually fall flat in my view if you carefully consider the ethical arguments surrounding vegetarianism.

 

[Ellen of Kitten]

Expand my mind people, expand away!

Just to add more knowledge; Veggies process through your body easier. Eating RAW diets (if you've ever heard of vegan raw, for example) yields you the maximum nutritional beneficent from your food, as a significant portion of those nutrients are lost during cooking. Can't do that with meat.

Also, easier digestion, which leads to more energy. A steak you ate for dinner may well leave your body by lunch time the next day. That's just in your system, rotting. Your body is spending loads of energy processing this meal until it leaves your system. If you remove meat from the equation, the same person will probably be rid of their dinner before bed time (assuming they eat at a respectable time ^_^). And your body will have saved energy processing food, and put it to use like keeping you active.

When people talk vegetarian/vegan VS meat, I often hear about nutritional benefits, problems or concerns, etc. I thought you might want to hear something outside the usual rhetoric.

 

[thylasos]

I get... freedom from guilt about eating animals, I suppose. And I've had to think a great deal more about my diet, which has led to adopting a healthier one and becoming a fairly good cook.

I'd say it was worth it. 9 years, now, and going strong.

 

[Diplodocus462]

@ The guy talking about tofu: Tofu has a very high protein content, can be cooked like meat, and its production does not result in the death or suffering of any animals.

but i cannot personally stand the idea of Veganism... its just a stupid word for being picky and a need to grow the hell up

Veganism is an extension of the ethical ideas underlying vegetarianism. For instance, hens in factory farms suffer terribly throughout their whole lives as they lay eggs. In reality, more suffering probably goes into an egg than a steak.

 

[Al-Bundy-da-G]

Food's cheap and you consume less saturated fat.

I'm not vegetarian but those are the obvious pros that I can appreciate.

Problem is that's it's cheaper and you have to eat alot more since protein has a higher caloric value than fruits or vegetables.

There's no real advantage either way but full vegans need to supplement their diet with extra calcium and vitamin D to keep their bones and teeth healthy.

Still don't understand the cruel part of the modern slaughter. They kill the animals in less than a second and with no evident suffering.

 

[Soxafloppin]

I love meat, but I'm not a Carnivore, just to clarify.

I don't think there is any Benefits to being a vegetarian, Neither are there drawbacks (apart from social eating in fast food places) Its just an Alternative lifestyle choice, At least to me any way.

 

[Disgruntled_peasant]

To be fair most vegetarians do it for moral reasons rather than health reasons, and honestly there are studies both ways regarding the health benefits of vegetarianism, there are up sides and downsides.

The biggest problem is when someone decides to go veggie/vegan but knows jack shit about nutrition, then they get ill and believe its the veggie diet that caused it, rather than their not eating properly. (for example: a lot of people get pretty much all their protien from meat, they cut that meat out and dont replace it with anything)

 

[jam.on.the.toasts]

So firstly, halal and kosher slaughter is not inhumane it's fairly quick (that 20 minutes claim is nonsense at best and hateful bigotry at worst) if done correctly the animal suffers very little (as in no more than other methods) just wanted to clear that up for you chaps (halal and kosher slaughter is the slitting of the carotid artery jugular veins and windpipe but leaving the spinal chord intact)

as far as adopting a vegetarian diet being healthy generally it does tend to be a little healthier than quite a lot of peoples regular diet since most people have a much lower vegetable intake than they should have but it is easier to balance a diet of both plant matter and non-plant matter.

(this part is just for funsies) that being said all vegetables are to some degree poisonous the people have adapted to be able to eat quite a lot of them but really plants gain no benefit from us eating them and often have measures to avoid being eaten (try feeding a cat or some other carnivore vegetables actually don't try that it'd kill it pretty quick that's what I'm getting at here) fruits are fine though you're supposed to eat that.

 

[similar.squirrel]

Meat is really f-cking expensive. And it makes you feel greasy after eating it.

Try steamed poultry or fish. Or anything gamey (Kangaroo, Rabbit, Deer).

I eat a lot of fish, actually. The main deterrent when it comes to terrestrial meat is the cost. Otherwise, I'd be feasting on venison all the time.

 

[Phisi]

well it is generally healthier provided you eat the necessary protein which is harder to get and people may not like it but I also think it is healthier because if you can follow a vegetarian diet or vegan diet then you can certainly stop yourself from snacking throughout the day. It also has less environmental impact. Personally, I enjoy steak too much

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

I heard they have the most beautiful pearly white skin and are very slender.

I wouldn't know, I'm skinny as a stick, but I eat my meat. Love steak too much to ever be a vegetarian.