Vegetarians and vegans?!


Question: 1. If you are vegan: are you a vegan for a reason that has nothing at all to do with feeling sorry for the abused animals?
2. If you grew up eating meat but became a vegetarian or vegan later in life did your family accept the change?
3. Was it hard?
4. Vegetarians is cheese the hardest thing to give up if you are trying to be a vegan?
5. Are any of you vegetarian or vegan because your Seventh Day Adventist?


Answers: 1. If you are vegan: are you a vegan for a reason that has nothing at all to do with feeling sorry for the abused animals?
2. If you grew up eating meat but became a vegetarian or vegan later in life did your family accept the change?
3. Was it hard?
4. Vegetarians is cheese the hardest thing to give up if you are trying to be a vegan?
5. Are any of you vegetarian or vegan because your Seventh Day Adventist?

1) No, as I am a Buddhist, I personally believe that all beings have a right to life- it doesn't matter the species. It really bothered me that I was consuming something that once had a face. Plus all the crap in milk grosses me out. And eggs? Chicken's vaginal secretions. Yum. *sarcasm*

2) Yes. I live with my mom, and she was very supportive. She cannot go vegan- she is anemic and has a calcium defficiency, but she loves cooking vegan for me. My dad, also being Buddhist, supported me fully. He became a vegetarian about a month after I went vegan, and neither of us have looked back.

3) Define "hard". It can get expensive, I suppose, with all the organics and what-not. But the lessening of the guilt I felt for eating defenseless animals was worth it. Like I said before, my parents did not object. You're always going to encounter a stubborn omnivore, who refuses to back down on eating flesh simply because they enjoy the taste, but it's a personal preferance.

4) Cheese, eh? I've never really liked cheese, so it wasn't that hard to give up.

5) Nope! I'm a Buddhist, as stated before.

=)

1. I did it cause I care about animals.
2. They accepted it.
3. Not at all, it's something I care about, and if it was hard, it means I wouldn't feel strongly enough about it.
4. nahh, I'm just a vegetarian, but after a while, I just stopped liking it.
5. no

1. I'm vegetarian and I do it mainly for the animals.
2. Yes, they did, but I was already a grown up when I changed, I don't know what would have happened otherwise...
3. No, but I was not very fond of meat anyway ...
4. I'm not trying to be a vegan.
5. No.

1. I became vegan to minimise my contribution to animal suffering, but also because I felt it was healthier

2. Went vegetarian at 16; my family were ok, they thought it was a phase but 39 years later they know it wasn't

3. No

4. No, Baileys was

5. No

1. Reason, ethical, health.
2. vegan married to a meat eater
3. Never
4. Feta cheese, but I am over it now.
5. No.

1. n/a

2. My family had a hard time accepting, but now they don't really care.

3. Not at all.

4. No, I find the hidden dairy ingredients in A LOT of the food I eat hard to give up. Im not a big cheese fan.

5. I dont know wht that is LOL, but I guess not.

The only reason I became a vegan was because of the suffering of animals. My family has been very supportive of what I'm doing and it's influencing them in positive ways. I didn't find it hard, but I took my time and didn't try to change overnight. For me cheese was the most difficult thing to give up and I haven't found a vegan cheese that I can stand eating, yet. I'm not a SDA.

I am vegan and I started out when I was younger feeling sorry for animals and wanting to help. I can remember always having that thought in the back of my head. When I became a teen and had a weight problem, I was able to cut down my intake of meat because I had a dietary issue with the calories that it had. I remember my family agreeing for health reasons but not for animal issues.

Now I have a family of my own, and I am vegan and my husband and family are transitioning to veganism. My first and formost reasons are the deaths of the animals that become food or are used to produce items that we use. Coupled with this are the environmental issues that raising animals for food cause. Lastly, any benefit to my health that I gain from helping decrease the production of animal products is considered a perk.

When I was able to limit my intake of meat because of "health" issues, I found that I went back to eating meat if I had any sort of urge to do so. What was hard was sticking to my beliefs when "I" was the main focus. Since putting the animals and the ethics of eating them as my primary focus, I have not had a moment where I regret my decision. I have not craved meat or dairy or eggs. I feel that my mind is correctly focused on the dynamic harmlessness that I want to live by.

I am not seventh day adventist.

I'm a vegetarian not because I love animals, but because I hate vegetables.

1. I'm a vegan because I felt that there aren't really a whole lot of health benefits in meat that I could just get from vegetables and be healthier.

2. Yes, my family actually encourages me. They wouldn't do it of course lol.

3. Yes it was hard. It's hard to constantly check labels but I got used to it.

4. I think steak was the hardest to give up lol.

5. Nope, I'm Catholic.

1) Yes. The environmental damage caused by modern farming methods is pretty extensive. Land, air and sea, from what I understand. Now, animal farming causes a lot of it, but so does using pesticides and chemical fertilizers on food plant crops (and a lot of other reasons as well).

There's also my health. I need random hormones, antibiotics and pesticides like I need a hole in my head. I also don't need all that cholesterol and saturated fat.

2) Back in high school when I first went vegetarian, my parents were accepting, but not accomodating. They basically told me I could do what I wanted if I was willing to do it myself. So I did, but cooking all my own food all the time got pretty old after a while. I was a busy teenager, and I just wasn't into it with everything else I had going on. I was able to stick it out for two years, though.

Sadly I went back to eating meat...for decade or so. I was in a very poor state from it, until I became vegan two years ago. My switch was largely in response to my diabetic mother literally going legally blind one day. It scared me, and I vowed not to let myself be a victim of diabetes, too. Now I'm in the best health of my life, making me about the healthiest person in my family. They have been a lot more supportive this time around, but I'm 32 and don't live at home anymore, so there's not a lot they can say anyway.

3) Heck yes, it was difficult in many ways. But it quickly became very rewarding in terms of my health. I lost a whole bunch of weight, which was awesome. I started to really feel good, a new experience, really. No doubt about it that it takes some serious will and discipline in the beginning. I don't even remember how many times I said, "Ooops, no, I don't eat that anymore" to myself in those early days, but it was a LOT. After a while, though, it becomes second nature. I felt so much better so soon afterward that it actually ended up being easier than I thought it would be. Of course, having seen a few ugly factory farming videos did not hurt. I still can't get some of those images out of my head...and most are NOT appetizing, believe me.

4) Cheese is a toughie for sure since there aren't really any good substitutes (in my opinion). I also miss milk chocolate, but at least there's dairy-free dark chocolate available. Like I need chocolate anyway, lol.

5) Not a Seventh Day Adventist here.

1. I'm not a vegan.

2. I've only been a vegetarian for about 4 months, and i'm still living with my parents, (i'm only 13.). i grew up eating meat almost every single day of my life, and when i became a vegetarian january 1st, my parents got a little peeved because it became harder to feed me. they've been very tolerant, actually, it's just that when we go out to dinner, i sometimes have to make full meals out of sidedishes when we go to steakhouses, etc.

3. It's been kinda hard, but I've learned to be less picky in the foods that I eat, and the only time I've 'slipped' was in the first week. I don't believe that I have since. :]

4. Like I said, I'm not a vegan, and cheese would definately be one of the reasons why. I don't think my parents would totally support me being a vegan, because that would eliminate almost all of what I eat now. Cheese pizza....lasagna (meatless) at my favorite food joint, and so much more. It would be far too hard and my parents would probably kick me out! Hahahah! (kidding, of course.)

5. I am a christian....but I did it mainly for the animals.

Those animal rights ethics have a part in why I am vegan the issue of the environment is almost even more important.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007...

According to a report prepared by U.S. Senate researchers, animals raised for food in the U.S. produce 86,000 pounds of excrement per second — that’s 130 times more than the amount of excrement that the entire human population of the U.S. produces! Farmed animals’ excrement is more concentrated than human excrement, and is often contaminated with herbicides, pesticides, toxic chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, and other harmful substances. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the runoff from factory farms pollutes our rivers and lakes more than all other industrial sources combined."

Couple this information that methane from animal waste has over 20 times the heat trapping abilities that C02 has.

http://www.epa.gov/methane/

And this is only but one aspect of the environmental impact that raising animals for consumption has.

Yes, there are also huge health benefits. I have maintained a healthy weight since high school which compared to many of my meat eating friends that have ballooned out. I also use to have chronic fatigue, hypoglycemia, and angina, all of which I am free of. I also use to get chronically ill but rarely got ill since going vegan (though I had one spat when I moved in with my girlfriend and her children).

As for my family being sportive, yes and no. My sister has gone vegetarian several times herself and even raw food vegan for a while. A lot of it really depends on who she is hanging out with but she is general is supportive. My mother is also somewhat supportive saying things like those poor animals but still eats meat but not as much as most meat eaters. Maybe she'd be in the flexitarian class.

My brother went vegetarian for a while but got caught up in this fundamental church so now eats meat again. He however eats vegetarian most of the time when in my company and loves the vegetarian restaurant we frequent.

My father probably thinks it any other one of my idealistic ventures and will eventually fall out of it. In the mean time he frequently test me by asking if I want cheese of fish and says all innocent like he forgot. Yeah right, not when it has been years. But for the most part they do not give me heavy flack. I guess I should be grateful for that much.

As for it being hard, at times it was very hard, especially traveling, and going out to eat with non vegetarians, dinning with my father, etc. But really what makes it hard or not is your commitment. In the past I had waiver but now and more solid than ever.

Speaking of hard giving up cheese the first time I attempted veganism was one of the most difficult dietary things I have ever done. I slipped back into being an omnivore and back to being vegetarian and then vegan. The second time was much easier and now I do not miss it at all. For the first time in my life I can breathe out of both nostrils. Diary is a huge mucus creating product.

As for being a seventh day adventist no I am not. I do attend a Quaker Meeting from time to time but have not specific religious affliation. I do however believe in a higher being but not in eternal punishments of rewards. I believe spirituality is a progress that can span lifetimes.

Becoming vegan was the most spiritual act I have ever done because I can show strong compassion ever day. Each meal I know I am not greatly contributing to the destruction of the environment. Each meal I know I have lessened the demand for meat which translates into alleviating the suffering of the animals as well as the workers who process them and those of human kind who chose to eat them.

1.that wasn't the reason in the first place
2..
3.No
4. I hate cheese..
5.No?

I do not eat meat because I don't want to contribute to the death of and eat creatures that have feelings. I went Vegan because of the cruelty in modern farming practices, but unlike giving up meat I noticed a health benefit when I gave up dairy. Some of the PETA videos on youtube were decisive for me.

I became a vegetarian when I was 45 yrs old. I couldn't care a less whether anyone supports that or not. They only need to accept it, they don't have to like it.

It is sometimes hard because I am a bit of a sugar addict and so I create withdrawel cravings which keeps my body unsettled and I don't relax into a non-hyper vegetarian diet.

Not only Mozzarella and Feta, but things like mayonaise and products with egg have been difficult. Vegan food is, for me, a lot plainer. Any form of sugar, salt, or fat addiction keeps me wanting rich foods..

I'm agnostic, not religious.

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