What are your reasons for being vegetarian/vegan?
Soon after I got married, my (then) husband and I decided that we were going to cook and eat mostly vegetarian. We had two primary reasons that had nothing to do with health benefits, animal rights, etc. -- not that we would necessarily be hostile to these reasons, mind you. The minor reason was to avoid possibly invidious comparisons with anyone's mother's cooking. The major reason can be boiled down (so to speak) into a simple sentence: Beans Are Cheaper Than Meat. We were living on one salary (his), and though that was quite adequate, he also had a considerable amount of credit card debt that needed to be paid down.We ended up successfully rearing two children on this diet, and now that I'm on my own, I've pretty much gone back to it.
Why do people choose to be vegans instead of being vegetarians?
Personally, if you are a vegetarian for health, environmental or animal ethics reasons, I don’t see why you would not become a vegan. Vegetarianism, for me, was a stepping stone towards veganism. I became vegetarian for around 8 months, and then I eventually ditched the dairy and eggs, as well as other animal products such as leather, wool, fur, and honey.The dairy industry still exploits cows, still leads to the slaughter of cows, and still causes huge emotional trauma to cows and their calves. [1]The egg industry is horrific (in most cases) in its treatment of chickens. [2]Most industries that farm and exploit animals for human benefit are not ethical. How can killing another animal unnecessarily (we do not need animal product to survive, and we certainly don’t need leather or wool to live either) be ethical?[3] How can there exist humane slaughter? Please tell me, if you were in the position of one of these animals, would you like the fact that instead of slitting your throat they shoot you in the head? Completely ridiculous.I think most vegetarians who are so for health, environmental or ethical reasons will eventually become vegan because it is just the right thing to do. You soon realise you need to go even further in order to live out your beliefs in practice, which is why a lot of people choose to be vegans instead of vegetarians.Footnotes[1] The Truth behind Milk Production - Horrors in Dairy Industry - Lets prevent sufferings of animals[2] The disturbing conveyor belt of death where male chicks are picked off and killed so you can have fresh eggs[3] A Closer Look at the Claim 'Some People Just Need Meat'
Why would someone choose veganism after being a vegetarian?
Because they finally realized that they were still responsible for the deaths of thousands of animals when vegetarian. (Male chicks are ground up alive at birth since they don’t lay eggs. Vegetarians eat eggs. Newborn calves are violently removed from their mothers because vegetarians eat dairy.) I’d like to believe that vegetarians are still vegetarians because they haven’t researched the egg and dairy industry. Or vivisection. Or clothing. Or the exploitation of animals in venues such as circuses and zoos. But in reality, it’s because vegetarians think they love animals and are doing all they need to do to show their compassion. Therefore they don’t bother to learn that they are responsible for those babies’ deaths.Finally, it’s because vegetarians suck.
What are some of the reasons vegetarians choose not to eat meat?
There are many many reasons why someone may choose to be vegetarian, with a few of the most commonly cited ones being:Ethical reasonsEnvironmental reasonsPersonal preference or tasteHealth reasonsTo answer your additional questions, yes, plants are living things, but they do not have the mental capacity to feel pain or suffering. When you kill an animal, it suffers. Animals have families and get attached to their parents much in the same way that humans do. When they are hurt, mistreated, or neglected, they suffer as well. Plants cannot suffer, and therefore eating plants does not cause suffering.A vegetarian diet can be very healthy. Iron is available from many plant sources, and vitamin B12 can be found in dairy and eggs. You can also supplement either of these nutrients if you find it difficult to get enough of them in your diet (this applies to omnivores too!). There are a multitude of sources of plant protein as well.
Why are you vegan/vegetarian?
I guess its an underlying will to ultimately save the planet from poor choices. I always want to do the good thing and veganism is the good thing. In the beginning it was for animal rights. Now I have realized all the great things about it and am very thankful. People have to change for themselves though and become the majority or we are screwed. Simple as that, really. The animals suffer in the short term and the poor impoverishe. Then the rest of us. I like to do things positive and forward, not backwards when its about to break. Of course I didn't even think about these things before going vegan. If people want to learn though the info is right there, you know. Peace. Cliff, so the people who go out of their way to do the right thing also like to do the wrong thing and look down their nose at everybody??? I think its quite the opposite, really. Most people think they are twice the people they really are. I would look to those who make good choices and personal sacrifices to be the more conscienscious (spelling?). If somebody adopts a child or donates to the Haiti victims, do they do it to snub their neighbors?? I don't think so. People who give up eating animal foods do it because they care, man. That is all.
Why did you become a vegetarian or vegan?
What are your reasons for being a vegan or vegetarian? To not cause harm to animals? To become healthier? To live longer? List your reasons, and whether you are vegan or vegetarian.
I have heard that people respect vegetarians over vegans. Why do you think that is?
My observation is that vegetarians choose to be vegetarians for reasons more varied than vegans. Vegetarians may choose a meatless diet style for their health, for spiritual reasons, to do some small part in protecting the environment (meat production accounts for 18 percent of greenhouse gases) and, of course, some choose to become vegetarians to support animal rights. My experience has been that for the most part, after the first ten years of my 45 years as a vegetarian, I have been treated with meaningful respect. I think people know in their hearts that meat is bad for them.But Vegans choose to become vegans predominately for one single reason— to protect animals. Unfortunately, their passionate outrage over animal abuse reaches religious proportions so, as a group, they are always campaigning to change the way the world works.This is certainly not to say that animals are not horrendously abused or that their mission isn’t laudable. But sometimes their approach can sometimes be so intense it is off-putting. Many behave like pro-lifers on a crusade to save the lives of what they believe are sacred human life, with the seeming righteousness of the mission creating a dire necessity to force change at any cost, including using criticism, scorn, ridicule, and other negative approaches. Most people react negatively to such approaches, so this is essentially why vegans are less respected.