What benefits do you get from being Vegetarian?

[SneeringCanuck]

The ability to feel morally superior over people with normal diets.

 

[Robert Ewing]

Can I just come up with a nice revolutionary theory here?

Humans are Omnivores. There's no denying it... If we weren't we wouldn't be able to even digest fruit and veg if we were carnivores or meat if we were herbivores...

We are supposed to eat both to get the best results that evolution has set us up for.

Being a vegetarian is bad for you all things considered, as you need meat one way or another... Don't get me confused with the vegetarian life being bad... I'm just saying it can be healthier with meat included. And vegans... Don't even get me started.

I like vegetarians, they are cool guiz, but Vegans... Oh.. I hate everything about them. I hate their ideals, their vegan popular culture, their figureheads, their misplaced 'self righteousness.' Everything about them makes me so mad.

I know a hell of a lot of vegans, as I went to college, and it seems to be a fad there, and all of them are constantly ill, and weak, and find that they cannot perform tasks that they used to be able to do easily. And they seriously have no idea why... NEWS FLASH, LEAFS ALONE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SHIT THE BODY NEEDS. THE BODY NEEDS CALCIUM, PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES, WHATEVER. Look up a food diagram! That!

 

[Nooh]

Can I just come up with a nice revolutionary theory here?

Humans are Omnivores. There's no denying it... If we weren't we wouldn't be able to even digest fruit and veg if we were carnivores or meat if we were herbivores...

We are supposed to eat both to get the best results that evolution has set us up for.

Being a vegetarian is bad for you all things considered, as you need meat one way or another... Don't get me confused with the vegetarian life being bad... I'm just saying it can be healthier with meat included. And vegans... Don't even get me started.

I like vegetarians, they are cool guiz, but Vegans... Oh.. I hate everything about them. I hate their ideals, their vegan popular culture, their figureheads, their misplaced 'self righteousness.' Everything about them makes me so mad.

I know a hell of a lot of vegans, as I went to college, and it seems to be a fad there, and all of them are constantly ill, and weak, and find that they cannot perform tasks that they used to be able to do easily. And they seriously have no idea why... NEWS FLASH, LEAFS ALONE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SHIT THE BODY NEEDS. THE BODY NEEDS CALCIUM, PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATES, WHATEVER. Look up a food diagram! That!

Actually, humans are omnivores because it increases our chance of survival to be able to have several food sources, not because it provides us with the optimal balance or something like that. Being able to have several different food sources makes us able to survive in most environments, provided we can gather some food.

The only substance they thought we needed meat for, until recently, was meat. But there is protein in some forms of vegetables too. It is completely viable, completely humane (if you go under the general idea that plants are unable to think and/or feel pain) to be a vegetarian.

That being said, I am not a vegetarian myself, I am allergic to a lot of vegetables and I absolute hate the rest, but it's still a viable form of life.

 

[icaritos]

vegetarians smell better, sweat from meat eaters stinks. no rotting meat in the stomach for days/weeks. no heart attacks at a young or basically any age. no chemical waste in your food: animals get to eat food with chemicals in them, they get sedated when slaughtered, lots of meat you eat comes from sick, disabled and dying animals getting all kinds of drugs.

a low fat, zero cholesterol vegetarian diet has a high chance of preventing cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, strokes, osteoporosis, heart attacks, chrons disease, allergies, impotence and that's not even all, i suggest you look into this more yourself if you are interested. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has done extensive reseach on this.

-Sweat smell depends on proteins and many different factors. Some specific food will cause more intense smells than others, and "meat" is to general a term to apply here. Onions and garlic are just as likely to produce bad smell.

-Digestion for most foods takes between 8-12 hours. Dairy products have the longest digestion periods and meat tends to be between 3-4 hours. Pork takes 5 hours. Weeks...lol

-You do not understand what chemical waste is. It depends entirely on how the food is produced. Or do you not understand the concept of pesticides, and soil contamination? Or the fact that fruits and vegetables have much smaller shelf lives and need more preservatives in order to remain fresh?

-The assumption that meat comes from diseased animals is as valid as an assumption that fruits and vegetables are harvested from infected vegetables or contaminated soil. That is pointless without backing evidence, and specific to the cattle/farm.


The health concerns aren't meat specific but diet specific. High calorie and fat diets are what cause most of those problems, and a balanced vegetarian or meat based diet will decrease (key word here, since there are many factors involved) your chance of being affected by any of those ailments.




Any more bullshit you would like to spew?

 

[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.

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was supposed to be contemplating the philosophical merits of my cheeseburger like all other meat-eating mammals clearly do.

Yeah, right. My ancestors didn't get to the top of the food chain by loving their prey to death. If animals wanted freedom so bad, they'd grow thumbs and take the steak knife from my greedy, meat-eating hands.

EDIT: On topic, certain diets work better for certain people. I would not be able to maintain the lifestyle I do now as a vegetarian, while other people (maybe) could. It's all about making an informed decision based on your personal nutritional needs.

Keep in mind though, humans are omnivores, and share a large amount of predatory characteristics with other animals.

I can only assume that you did not watch the video I suggested, so I hope that you will at least read to the end of this response.

Whether something is ethical or not is completely independent of whether it is a natural behaviour. How is it at all relevant how your 'ancestors' 'got to the top of the food chain'?

We are the only animals that *can* consider ethical issues, so it is a pretty poor excuse to claim that because all other meat eating animals *can't* contemplate ethics that that means *you* don't have to. Is it OK for you to rape, kill and steal as well? Because I can assure you that all other carnivores do those things too.


Here's a video of a pack of chimpanzees hunting, killing, and eating a fellow chimpanzee. I guess that means that murder and cannibalism are OK too. If you do not think those things are OK, perhaps you can explain how my analogy does not map *exactly* to your argument.

The entirety of your argument seems to be that it is alright to do whatever you like to those who are less powerful than you. Are you really claiming that unless a creature personally has the power to sieze rights by force, it doesn't deserve them? If someone beats you up, is that OK, because if you had *wanted* to not be beaten up, you should have 'been stronger' or 'had special powers'? Animals don't 'want freedom', they want to *not suffer*.

'Might is right' is indeed how the animal kingdom works. Ethics is one of the things that sets humans above fucking *lions*. Yes, you are supposed to be considering the ethical consequences of your actions, if you want to consider yourself an ethical person.

Thanks for not even addressing anything of what you quoted from me.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

IIRC there is no scientific evidence that being a vegetarian has any health benefits what so ever. While it is true that a vegetarian diet would make it easier to get dietary fibre which most 'meatatarians' (see what I did there *nudge nudge* eh eh?) find it harder to do without a balanced diet. However vegetarians have to work harder to get the essential fats that are needed for proper nutrition as relatively few plants produce it.

 

[s0p0g]

save the whales

blah de blah de blah

snip

yadda yadda yadda

snip

blah

That's not the situation we're talking about, it's irrelevant here.

You can tell you're loosing the debate when you retreat to cholera and nihilism.

nope, as it only shows what's by far closer to the very material and "real" world/life when you remove artificial constructs like moral values, or human rights of animals (just because they have brains), or the assumption that processing data or life as in simply being has any inherent and natural as in a priori value.


or in short, what quite obviously was the case from the beginning: i don't think it's cruel or bad or whatever to eat meat.

and exactly that's the problem: opinions. as they are the result of some more or less intuitive process, one cannot debate opinions away. that's why you cannot reason with theists or vegetarians or vegans or windfall vegans, for example.
you decided for yourself that your limit of food or no food is the existence of nervous tissue in the organism you consider eating. it's as arbitrary as not eating anything that does not "wish" to be eaten and thus becoming a windfall vegan, and as arbitrary as saying killing animals for food is ok, but halal or kosher slaughter isn't.
i chose to eat meat because when prepared properly it's very tasty and nutrient, and not to eat humans (so far), or rather: was raised and taught not to (don't know what will happen when i crashland on some chilly mountain with not much to eat, except fellow crash-landed. i put this into brackets because that's not the situation we are talking about).

 

[Zantos]

There is no advantage to any specific diet, all that matters is that it's healthy and balanced. As long as you're getting all your essentials in the right quantity it makes no difference if there's meat in it or not.

 

[idodo35]

well from being a vegetarian you get nothing its about ideals if you belive in it thats it you dont get anything but its worth it!
from being vegan on the other hand...

 

[royohz]

Meat is an unhealthy protein source. The meat is dirty, it's full of bad fats and cholesterol (especially red meat) and the protein, compared to that from plants, is not as usable for your body's needs. A handful of e.g. tofu contains the same amount of usable protein as an entire serving of meat. It's bad for your heart, and increases the chance of developing cancer, cardiovascular and blood vessel diseases dramatically.

The amount of water used for harbouring a pound of meat is roughly twenty-five times the water needed for a pound of tofu. That water could be used to feed those in need. The same area of grain used for feeding a cow and then a man's caloric need for one meal, could provide sufficient carbohydrates for ten times the people for an entire day.

So that's something at least.
[small]...If I added "go hemp", you'd all think I was a hippie, wouldn't you?[/small]

Tell that to every single land predator in existence.

No. Several evolutionary signs indicate that a vegetarian diet is the ideal diet for humans. ACTUAL predators are evolutionary fit to digest meat. We, however, are not. Hence all the health-oriented points above. Read.

 

[meepop]

Humanity evolved eating meat. Even different races have varied digestive systems based upon diet. To simply forsake a vast chunk of your dietary evolutionary history seems somewhat shallow to me ... but then again, obviously, I'm not vegetarian. But that being said, I eat far less meat than most people who, like me, don't give a damn for the animals.

As an adult white male in my 30s, I am well beyond any kind of biological need for eating meat (I don't have the demands for appropriate proteins that a growing child's brain has, for example).

I have to agree with Ickorus' tongue-in-cheek response. Anecdotally, and through my own experience, almost every single vegan/vegetarian from a culture that is not typically vegetarian (ie non-Buddhist, for example) is .. well .. likely to skew towards the 'pretentious' end of the spectrum.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very arrogant. My nickname in one of my prior workplaces was 'Pretentio' (a nickname I came up with myself actually to describe my superiority issues). But someone who tells me they are against animal cruelty, yet wears leather shoes or belts, is a tool. Someone who tells me they think killing cows for meat is sick, yet has no problems squishing a cockroach underfoot, is a tool. It's all moral relativism, a flawed and, frankly, unscientific process.

I was vegetarian, actually, for a period of about 2 yrs. I'd just moved to university. New life, new surroundings. The girl I was interested in (who became my girlfriend and dare I say it almost wife!) was vegetarian. She said 'look, kissing a guy who eats meat makes me heave'. I could respect that. She also didn't like guys who smoked. So I stopped smoking.

As a curious side note, I found stopping smoking much easier than giving up meat. I felt lethargic, weak, and I actually *gained* weight (despite muscle mass reducing) during that period. Whether that is merely coincidence I don't know. I was also having a LOT MORE SEX ... that could explain the lack of sleep and preference for being in bed.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I know nicotine is an appetite suppressant hence many people gaining weight when they stop smoking. But I'm talking over 2 yrs. Nicotine leaves your body in a matter of days.

This. This times 1000. Anyone who uses anything needed by animals should just stop being vegan. Also, to add to your list: Anyone who uses beauty or hygiene products and is also vegan/vegetarian, did you make sure that the products weren't tested on animals? Because that is worse than being slaughtered. It's downright torture.

Also, if you (Vegans) are for animals, then what do you propose we do about animal populations which occasionally rise, such as deer here in Maryland of the U.S. and probably other states and countries? We can't just take them elsewhere. The point of not slaughtering animals is moot when you support it. Taxes go towards paying for animal problems taken care of, because they can be a detriment to the region.

And what about those poor termites living in your house? You think it's humane for them to die by being poisoned? It's not their fault they eat wood and your house is made of wood. Are you going to make friends with them, or move out?

I'm sorry if it seems like I'm coming off as blunt or insensitive, but to me it seems like people become veggies for the wrong reason(s).

 

[DeathByCoconut]

I feel this is definitely appropriate.

 

[Mr.PlanetEater]

Not a lot, but then again you also don't get a lot of benefits from eating meat only. We're meant to be Omnivores dammit. Still, you do end up getting some very essential vitamins. The trade off is there's little Fruit or Vegetables that give you the amino acids you need, and are complete proteins (In fact I'm pretty sure nuts, and soy beans are the only ones). Hence why you need to eat meat as well.

 

[thylasos]

There is no advantage to any specific diet, all that matters is that it's healthy and balanced. As long as you're getting all your essentials in the right quantity it makes no difference if there's meat in it or not.

Thank you, sir. Nice to have some sanity in the thread.

 

[Giftfromme]

These are the benefits of being a vegetarian, explained in picture form!

[http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/thumbshornoxecompicdumpge.jpg/]

 

[Geekosaurus]

I suppose they have peace of mind.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

This. This times 1000. Anyone who uses anything needed by animals should just stop being vegan. Also, to add to your list: Anyone who uses beauty or hygiene products and is also vegan/vegetarian, did you make sure that the products weren't tested on animals? Because that is worse than being slaughtered. It's downright torture.

Wait. You're saying if someone is complicit in *something* they disapprove of they might as well do whatever they disapprove of? That's pretty flimsy reasoning right there.

It's like, "You should be pedophile if you wear Nike shoes. Child sweatshop labor is worse than non-consensual touching."

The better solution is to get cosmetics from sources that don't torture animals. They exist.
http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/search.aspx?Product=5

Don't let what you can't do get in the way of what you can do.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

These are the benefits of being a vegetarian, explained in picture form!

[http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/thumbshornoxecompicdumpge.jpg/]

You see the words "holistic" and "colon cleansing" and you think this is representative of vegans?

Couple 50 year old vegans I've Googled.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Hannah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_MacKaye (25 years.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Baldwin

We can both cherrypick all we want but there are plenty of vegans who look good and plenty of butter-eating smokers who age poorly.