Oh, and one more thing... *skip this post if you don't want to be grossed out*

I was out to lunch with my cousin. She ordered some kind of chicken breast, and when she cut into it, this stuff came oozing out of it. It looked like she had cut into a tumor or some kind of pustule or something. It was so disgusting I almost puked (so did she). Never again after that! Sorry to be so disgusting.:cool:

I was looking for a way to lower cholesterol and blood sugar so I wouldn't have to take pills the rest of my life when I read about the book "Engine 2 Diet". I went to the bookstore to buy it but I saw "Eat To Live" in paperback and since it was cheaper, I bought it! Am I glad I did. My cholesterol dropped by over 100 pts and my blood sugar is normal now. I'm losing my excess weight and I love the food I eat. I can't stand the thought of eating meat, cheese, eggs or milk anymore.

I went vegetarian because I think it's wrong to end a life to satisfy your taste buds when it's very well possible (as millions prove everyday) to live without doing that.
Then I went vegan, because I decided it isn't right to take things from animals that are theirs. Plus, I just love saying "I'm vegan" :3

Health benefits are reasons too- plus they were what finally got me motivated to lose weight and exerise

Originally Posted by My Body in Motion:
I started eating locally when I became aware of the environmental impact of shipping food from all over the country (and other countries). To find local, humainly-raised meat is sometimes hard to find. So most of the time, my husband and I just do without. BUT, when we do find a good deal on free-range, organic, local chicken at our farmer's market, we do indulge. :-)

I am in the same boat as Motion. I have been reading Mark Bittman's "Food Matters"

“Lose Weight, Heal the Planet.” The losing-weight part is a classic dieting saga — in this case, Bittman’s own personal journey of slimming by cutting back on animal products and junk food and embracing more whole grains and produce. The healing-the-planet part is the book’s political angle — in this case, Bittman’s call to readers to follow his dietary example and thereby reduce the damage caused to the planet by our current system of intensive animal husbandry.

Well I suppose I should just consider myself a strict vegetarian of some sort for fear that I would be completely wrong by calling myself a vegan. I don't eat any meat or milk based products nor do I eat honey, I try my best to only use organic hair/hygiene products that aren't tested on animals though sometimes I find myself using things that don't fit that catagory.

I have decided to become a vegetarian as of recently due to my strong feelings towards ethical treatment of the animals. (:

Yesterday was my first day vegetarian :)

I have wanted to go vegetarian for so long but I just kept making excuses and feeling guilty but no more. It started out about animals but the more I read about it and learned it was a good decision for my health and the environment too.

:carrot:

Sorry to barge in on this thread, but I've been wondering—what's with the * in Veg*n? I've seen a few people do this lately.

Originally Posted by ParadiseFalls:
Sorry to barge in on this thread, but I've been wondering—what's with the * in Veg*n? I've seen a few people do this lately.

It is like the way of saying vegan or vegetarian together :)

Instead of typing out Why are you Vegan or Vegetarian you can just put Why are you Veg*n

:carrot:

Originally Posted by moonkissed:
It is like the way of saying vegan or vegetarian together :)

Instead of typing out Why are you Vegan or Vegetarian you can just put Why are you Veg*n

:carrot:

Ohhh! So good to know! I've always skipped over those threads because I'm vegetarian.

And in that case, I'm vegetarian (almost 2 years) because I just realized one day how horribly hypocritical it was to say I love animals and submit them to the tortures of the meat industry.

Shamefully, I still eat eggs and dairy. I gave them up for 6 months but then I got too lazy to keep up with it when I did a study abroad program in Germany (I stayed vegetarian, but not vegan). My tentative plan is to try vegan again next summer when (hopefully) not as much of my diet will revolve around meal-replacement bars and shakes and frozen diet foods.

As soon as I am in college (and away from my meat-guzzling family), I'm going vegan. Why vegan? Or even just vegetarian?

Well... vegetarian because I don't like meat. Chicken I can stand... and I can eat all the others... but whenever I go without... not once do I miss it. I am all for animal rights, but I'm not against people eating meat. If they want to eat meat... fine... as long as the animal was not abused or mistreated and the death was as painless and stress-less as possible. I just personally don't like the taste of meat. Anytime my mom makes pork... I won't eat it. And whenever steak or any kind of beef dish is made, I'll eat far less of it than anyone else in my family.

Why totally vegan?

I don't like cheese, eggs, or fish... and from what I can tell right now... I'm probably lactose intolerant... so might as well give that up too... ;) Then again... I don't think of it as "giving it up", just... eating things I like instead of things I'm told I should like because it's "normal". ;)

I'm not a crazy person... I'm not going to starve myself... I'm not doing it to gain attention to any one cause or another... I'm doing it because it seems more natural to me than anything else.


BUT... I have to wait a year... My grandparents are EXTREME meat eaters (like, meat is for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, no exceptions), so... yeah. No way I can just not eat it... until I move out that is. ;)

Originally Posted by OnAndOn:
Oh, and one more thing... *skip this post if you don't want to be grossed out*

I was out to lunch with my cousin. She ordered some kind of chicken breast, and when she cut into it, this stuff came oozing out of it. It looked like she had cut into a tumor or some kind of pustule or something. It was so disgusting I almost puked (so did she). Never again after that! Sorry to be so disgusting.:cool:

Similarly, I had a friend who opened her chicken nuggets from McDonalds and in place of one of the nuggets was a breaded and fried chicken foot. Yuck!


I originally became a vegetarian because it's an extremely healthy way to live. Two years ago I had a kitten who I loved more than anything and he unfortunately passed away, and that day I decided that I would improve something about myself in his honor.

After that, I read Skinny *****, Diet for a New America and this week I've been reading The Food Revolution. All of this literature reinforces my choices and has made it just as much about being healthy as it is about ethical treatment of animals!

Originally Posted by Serbrider:


BUT... I have to wait a year... My grandparents are EXTREME meat eaters (like, meat is for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, no exceptions), so... yeah. No way I can just not eat it... until I move out that is. ;)

i went to a friend's house for a sleepover a couple of years ago and he grandparents were really similar to yours. her grandma served me steak for breakfast! and it was like two portions. I'm not vegetarian right now (aspiring) nor was one back then, but i was so grossed out. Of course i felt obligated to eat everything on the plate, but i was so turned off to steak since then.

Because my body isn't a graveyard.

Not intended to be a judgment of/or against the choice of others. Just my personal perspective. It's cruel and un-necessary for me to eat meat when my body (mind and spirit) thrive on non-animal foods. It's taken a process of over 40 years back-and-forth eating to land me in a healthy place -- physically and emotionally. My body feels vibrant, and my relationship with food is now peaceful and centered.
:flow1:

I'm not really big on animals rights but the 10,000 meat recalls scared the crap out of me

i am a vegetarian because i am lucky enough to have a choice not to eat meat for survival. i simply cant abide by modern farming practices and the inherent cruelty that accompanies it. i hate the idea of knowing a creature died for my food, when i myself am so scared of death and unsure of what comes after it. i went vegetarian ten years ago and i haven't ever thought of turning back. its just part of who i am now, i cant ever see myself not being a vegetarian.