why be a vegetarian, seriously?!

Meat contains really good protein and red meat has great iron. However red meat does contain a lot of fat and many people dieting will cut it out for the soul reason of trying to lose weight. However the people who don't eat meat because they feel bad for the animals is completely ridiculous. The things we use animals for are not just meat. Did you know that there are cow brains in anti-aging cream? That there pig skin and hormones are used regularly in hospitals? Diabetics use pig insulin to stay alive. Livestock animals are on this earth for the soul purpose to serve us. And we need to show them respect, and we do. (Temple Grandin, wonderful movie highly recommend it!) Farmers treat their animals with respect, if they were treating them disrespectfully, they would get no profit and no joy in raising them. Farmers love what they do--it's incredibly stupid for people to accuse them of mistreating their animals. I know this first hand. As for the person who said cows are abused before slaughter, no, steers are not abused before slaughter. If they get stressed, they release a chemical that renders the meat worthless. It is bitter and completely ruins your product. Slaughter houses are run quickly, cleanly, and effectively with as little stress on the animals as possible.

Work on a dairy; raise livestock for meat

People are vegetarians because they either don't like the idea of eating meat-they get grossed out. Also, people may choose to be a vegetarian for the sake of animals. For example, cows get abused before they are killed. Being vegetarian usually has nothing to do with being healthy, it's usually just a choice. My sister is a vegan, so that's how I'm aware of this.

Your question speaks volumes about your character and your personality. Thank you. The answer is that vegetarians don't like meat - what's so wrong with that? I mean, your way is the only way? You are the supreme being and everything you say is true and correct? That must be awesome.

Hey,
here is all the information you need to make a well informed decision:
http://onision.net/index.php?/topic/4143…
http://onision.net/index.php?/topic/2086…

Good luck on making your decision :)
And congrats for being a thoughtful, open-minded person and asking this in the first place!!

there are many ways of looking at this. i can't see anyone giving up meat for health reasons although cutting down on red meats can be beneficial. i think that a lot of people give up meat because they are against animal cruelty. i am not a vegetarian although i simpathise with their outlook.

There are several reasons. Many already listed. But some people don't like the idea of putting rotting flesh in their mouth. Because that's what meat is. You can't stop something that's dead from decomposing on some kind of level....and that's just sick (to me).

Vegan

I am not a vegetarian and don't intend to be, but something did make me stop eating meat for a few days, it was learning how the animals are treated in abattoirs. It was pretty awful and did put me off but you know.

I'm a 29 year old female, 6'1"-6'2", and 165 pounds. I never get sick, and yet, I've been a vegetarian since birth. So, what's your point?

They could be vegetarians for religious, ethical, or health reasons. Some people just don't like meat.

It's just not the case.

I've met hundreds of vegetarians.

It is a badge of honor to wear their sackcloth and ashes. It makes them feel superior to us mere mortals.

Religous Purposes

Vegaterians don't eat meat.

I do though

my mum became vegetarian after i touched the pig innapropriately

Some people love animals, others see meat as a health risk and others just don't like it!
If we were all the same, we'd all be driving red Chevy's.
There isn't even an argument here.
You don't want to be a vegetarian ( for whatever reason) and they don't want to eat meat( for whatever reason).
Freedom is a wonderful thing.

I agree.
I feed 20 or so stray cats every night and in order to feed them I have to feed 15 or so raccoons so they leave the cats alone.
But I also eat meat.
As long as it's legal, it's my( and your) option.
Hypocritical by me, somewhat, but a hard habit to stop when you came from a family of meat market owners.

There are lots of different reasons for being vegetarian and not all vegetarian ascribe to the same reasons. Some of them are:

Dissatisfaction with they way that we produce our mass-produced livestock. Not eating meat can be considered a boycott against the current regulations of livestock farming and may not necessarily mean the person is unwilling or doesn't want to eat meat, they just refuse to eat meat that supports an industry which has questionable regulations.

Concern for the environment. There is a lot of research on the amount of environmental degradation caused by livestock farming compared to that of plant farming. Many people who are concerned for the future of our environment choose to eat vegetarian not because they refuse to eat meat, but because they want to do everything they can to help preserve our environment.

Health reasons. Some people believe that eating meat is not good for you. While it's true that eating a lot of animal products (especially fats) is quite bad for you, and that you can replace most of what you would get from meat with alternative plants or plant-based products, it's not 100% worked out. Our food pyramid changes basically every year. Nutrition is a huge field of study with a lot of different opinions.

Animal rights. Some people don't want to eat animals because they have genuine empathy and respect for the life of other creatures.

Also religious reasons, dietary reasons (such as allergies, diabetes etc.), and I'm sure there are many other examples, but these are some of the main ones you will come across. When you add them up they actually become a very reasonable argument for vegetarianism.

EDIT: Vegetarianism is a lifestyle choice. People who choose to become vegetarian due to ethical concerns take the use of animal products into concern in areas of their lives that have nothing to do with their diets. For instance, they will avoid fur, leather, and anything made from shells or tested on animals, or anything that likely involved farming and raising and animal to be killed. Some go as far as to avoid things such as honey and eggs and milk, but that's going further into veganism.

Different people do it for different reasons. I tried it once, and it actually caused me to eat healthier (started eating more fruits and vegetables, still got iron from spinach, and protein from eggs since I wasn't vegan).
Some people do it for health reasons and actually do get sick from eating meat, or certain types of meats. There are actually studies that show that diet should be based on blood-type, and certain blood types should avoid red meat (for the most part).
Some people don't like the taste of meat, or the thought of eating an animal (which can actually make you lose your appetite, it's not a choice).
Others don't like how animals are treated for companies/restaurants that mass produce meat (although in this case you could argue that they should be okay eating "free range" chicken).
And again others do it to lose weight or because they think it's healthier (it CAN be, or it can be LESS healthy, depending on how you do it).
Lastly, there are some who do it for religious reasons (probably not the people you're referring to). A lot of eastern religions prohibit the killing of animals, or certain animals. If you're a Jain monk, you don't even want to risk killing a fly.

Also, you might perceive the people you know as being "more sick than you" from being vegetarian, but perhaps they were even MORE sick before they took up being vegetarian.

have you tried asking your friends why they do it? and those questions your asking they well tell you but everyone does it for different reasons i peorsoanlly do not like eating meat because of the poor animals they kill and it sometimes discusessing me knowing where they got the food from and it doesnt make me hungry anymore.Also people do it so they can be fit and they are probably in a diet meat can cause you fat too and overwaieght and can also come in other risks like overweight and getting sick it just depends on the peorson

Without getting into all the arguments, there are basically three reasons why someone might choose to become vegetarian. First reason would be ethical. Some people feel that since we can get all the nutrients we need from plants and grains that it is unethical to kill animals for food and leads to cruel and inhumane treatment. Second reason would be aesthetic. Some people are either disgusted by the idea of eating meat or simply don't like the taste. The third reason would be health. Some people choose it because they feel it is a healthier diet than one that includes meat.

Lol, your analysis is based on things you simply think with no proof and your own little personal anecdotes. That's funny, because it seems everyone is sick this past month, yet I'm not at all. I hardly get sick, and people in my house are even sick often, so I am actually exposed to them. I'd assume genetics has a lot more to do with it, anyway. You don't talk with any clear understanding of the issue and seem like you're not that informed, so what makes you think you would know about it? What are these nutrients and proteins exactly, if you are such a critic on these lifestyles? "It just doesn't seem like it." Well, I don't care what you THINK if you don't have any facts to back it up.

**You're categorizing me as an elitist vegetarian. I didn't put down meat eaters. Secondly, I would get worked up over ANY other issue that I cared about, but when it comes to vegetarianism, you just have to put a label on me.

Secondly, there were other vegetarians answering this. They might have been more tame, but you only addressed me because I'm the one who criticized you. I'm just a person who got mad over an assumption and putting down something I know about, not an elitist vegetarian. Stop labeling. I have a right to get mad if I want, and don't have to avoid it just to not seem like a superior non-meat eater.

I bet you wouldn't label me as an elitist for other issues.

And don't act like your question was purely an inquiry. You obviously have some negative tones in your question. Your statements don't sound questionable, but rather rhetorical, as if you are positive that you're right. "It looks to me like your punishing yourself for something you're not even doing wrong." You came here with that statement. Obviously you had a biased opinion and didn't just come with an open mind.

*Actually, I'm looking down on you, someone who acts like they know all about nutrition and what is right, when they don't. Yes, a lot of people are uneducated on nutrition, but I'm not going to look down on them as long as they don't state their assumptions as facts with an authoritative tone and use these wrong assumptions to criticize a whole group. And I WOULDN'T go to a section (which doesn't even exist, as food and cooking suffices since most people are meat eaters), but if I did do that, you'd have a right to be mad if I phrased it in a superior way, just like I did to you.

Why should I have a nice respectful post when yours wasn't that great respectful in the first place either?

well, you've been hanging around with the wrong vegetarians lol but no, look, i haven't eaten meat since i were 15-16, and i'm reeeeeally healthy too. and congrats for being healthy on an omnivore diet, that's cool. you see, you can be sick on one too. as well as i can be sick on a vegetarian diet. most people don't eat right. and i work in manual labour as well, and ok, i'm kinda skinny but i'm goddamn strong. and from 12-16 i had horrible periods (hey you wanna know) but just saying, and i see meat-eating chick have harder times when they're on the period then i do. meat is hard to digest, and slows the digestive system alot, so imaging having a hard period cuz you ain't getting the nutrients in a proper way, and you're trying to digest the meat. and they say digestion is harder on women too. since i were 16, my periods usually ain't that bad. and i also mentioned i work in a psychical demanding job, so that helps too.
i'm not biting at you or anything either, i respect open-mindedness, but you say you need to load up on protein cuz of your work. the thing is meat has too much protein. it's way beyond what we need as an intake. sure you need more, but the body isn't really built to take in that much protein in one shot. it's like protein shakes...why??? overrated man. and yeah there are things that meat has to fight off some germs, but i can do that as well in a (no offense) cleaner way. not only cleaner but crulety-free as well. and, there are just as many bugs in meat that can give you food poisoning too.
but really, i see meat-eaters have a harder time then i do. and i ain't punishing myself, like, really not. i don't have that guilty-consious i used to have when i looked down at my plate when i used to eat meat, amongst other things. i feel more free now.

Being vegetarian or pure vegetarian is awful.
it has already proven that red and white meats are necessary for body metabolism.
they only stand on some unreasonable excuse to be vegetarian.
check this out...
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~mgtatum/Veg.ht…