Hi guys, I am always interested in the psychology behind the choices people make. There are no right or wrong answers I am simply curious about why you chose to be a Vegan or Veggie? Why some are raw. Why some are pesco or Octos and why some of have gone back to eating meat after years without it... Was your choice based around an idea/belief? Weightloss? Health? Energy? Spirituality? Will-power? Global warming? High Starvation rates? Mind Control? etc etc
The reason I ask is that I have friends in EVERY category! LOL
I have friends that are against meat for feminist politics reason, friends who want to lose weight, friends who want to try something new, friends who do it for overall health and of course friends who do it because of something inside of them telling them to stop.
I ask because while I am against global warming and I am against cruelty of animals and warehouse workers and believe in equal rights for all, that is not what keeps me a vegetarian.
I have chose to be a vegetarian out of strictly spiritual purposes for myself. To help myself grow and become a better person through what I put into my body. Sure, I have a long way to go, but that is my main reason. Also, I hate being controlled! I hate the idea that we/the people, don't know where our food is coming from or know what it is being injected with. For me, it's all in one, but my hardcore beliefs about it is what keeps me "not into it."
I also ask these questions, because most of my friends how have tried going Veg for "Weightloss" usually cave in around the 3-6 month mark. I try to explain to them that eating Frito Lay products is not going to help with weight loss... LOL But haven't we all been on the "pasta/boca" diet when we started?
Anyway, just felt like venting or talking or whatever you call this post. I just want to know your reasons/ideas so I can share them with my friends who are struggling and or on the fence! Going Veggie or really, going against any societal norm is hard.
I switched to veg because I had extraordinarily high cholesterol for my age. Plant matter doesn't have cholesterol, so I'm not introducing any into my body when I eat veg/fruits. I eat a little bit of cheese, but not enough to make a difference in my health (I don't think). Anyway, I'm scared of my arteries hardening before I reach 30, so I decided giving up meat is a small sacrifice.
I have been lacto-ovo vegetarian for 12 years. When I started as a teenager, my views were stereotypically strong and animal rights oriented. Since then, quality of life on industrial farms, environmental concerns about the inherent protein inefficiency in raising meat (related: the ridiculous U.S. subsidies and food distribution inequity) and the harm caused by commercial fishing, and discomfort/unfamiliarity with eating meat have persisted among my primary reasons for this diet.
I think the last reason is the most relevant, now. I have one main rule about not discussing vegetarianism over meals. People often ask me at that time why I'm veggie, though, and I usually answer "out of habit!" not just to be light-hearted and polite but because it's so true. Eggs and dairy are not exempt from my objections but I continue to eat them (albeit I've added conditions recently, especially eggs). Also, I've come to consider some meat ethically "acceptable" if it's raised/killed with a sense of respect for the animal as well as possibly beneficial for my personal health in moderation. So, if I'm not changing my behavior in light of changing these opinions, it's due partly to inertia.
It's also partly due to not wanting to construct my own peculiar form of vegetarianism when lacto-ovo is so easily recognized. I am practiced at smoothing out that "oh, I'm vegetarian" moment, but it would be so much more awkward to explain why I ate whitefish at my uncle's house but won't eat my aunt's Butterball turkey or why I'll need special accommodation as a flexitarian. I've noticed a lot of talk lately (online, at least) about this switch growing in popularity, however.
The latest stage in my vegetarianism is trying to moderate my carbohydrate intake and cut out the Morningstar and other GMO soy "foods." A new challenge! I'm up for it but I do think about at least trying fish ONCE again because there's no saying I can't act like it never happened if I hate it. But...ew!
Drummergrl- Good for you! One of my Bikram instructors quit eating meat for the same reason at the age of 35. His doctor's were amazed at the drop in his cholesterol after only 3 months. You can do it! GOOD FOR YOU! And you are so right, A SMALL SACRIFICE if it means getting healthy!!!!
ZIZANIA- WORD to everything you said! Morningstar... LOL Hear you on that one. It is a special treat around here. I love their Black bean chipotle burgers for a quick fix in a salad, but no sausages or bacon or anything like that for me. I think I had a couple boxes of them over the last year? LOL
I am also a lacto-ovo. Eggs. Near every morning. I know it's horrible, I know the statistics, I know about the farms, etc etc, but I'm working on it. I hope to go completely Vegan one day, and actually sometime this year, but for now, one thing at a time.... Oh and cheese... nuff said.
I agree with humane ways of meat slaughtering. I am from the midwest originally and know many farmers. However after not eating meat for so long, it actually makes me get sick and throw up, so I don't think i will ever go back.
The hardest thing to give up was SUSHI! O. M. G. I love it. I always say it's okay to get it, but once I get there, I never can. LOL
I have also been on and off for a good decade or more and then as I got older, my views changed and progressed and then I just decided to give it up completely as I found no point in eating meat once every month or two.
In fact, we have lived in our house for a year and we have never had meat in it. Minus for the cats. LOL Go figure. I LOVE MY CATS
I think of being vegan as having a triad of reasons - health, animals and environment.
I initially started giving up meat because I lost the taste for it. I was down to eating meat once or twice a week when I figured I should actually look into vegetarianism.
Health - This was initially it for me. I read a few books on being healthy and giving up animal products. I learned about all the hormones that go into our meat, dairy and eggs. Fish come from polluted waters. Also generally, people eat too much meat and at least limiting it is a good thing. I think dairy seems to be one of the least healthful things to eat. In terms of eggs, if you get pasture raised eggs, they don't seem that bad but I gave them up because I didn't really care for them anyway.
Animals - now I'll admit that I really didn't think a lot about this because I grew up seeing animals slaughtered for food. It seems that dairy cows and egg laying hens seem to get the worst of it though. Livestock, in general, doesn't seem to be treated very well. Pigs have their tails cut off, chickens have their beaks sawed off but overall commercial livestock seems to be full of highly stressed animals. Also, I can't imagine eating meat and other animal products from highly stressed animals can be very good for us either. Cows are mammals like us and form close bonds with their offspring. For dairy cows to have to be continually pregnant only to have their calves taken away to become veal cows seems pretty painful. Even for the most ethical egg producers, the male chicks are still killed and the egg laying hens are also killed after their usefulness is up. And then there are lots of issues with labeling eggs in that 'cage free' really means nothing at least not in the US or Canada. Although I'd admit if I ever felt a need to eat any animal product, it'd probably be eggs and we do have some options here for pasture raised eggs.
Environment - This is one thing I think really has the most benefit of eating closer to a plant based diet. Livestock production pollutes our environment. Fish production contaminates our environment and/or messes with the ecological balance. Most of our crops go to feed livestock. The GMO Corn/Soy production is mostly to sustain the high level of livestock production. Corn and soy are fed to livestock but even then, corn couldn't be grown at high levels without also growing soy. It would seem if we could grow crops to feed people rather than animals then we'd be in a much better place. Less land would be required, organic crops could be subsidized, etc. I don't care about people giving up eating animal products but going to organic, pasture raised, etc would do a lot in terms of lessening the amount of pollution and also reducing the amount of GMO corn/soy grown.
Nelie: yes to everything you said, and said so well!
My short answer to people who ask why veg*n, is that any eating/living philosophy that benefits human health, animal health and welfare, and environmental health all at the same time needs no further explanation.
Nelie: yes to everything you said, and said so well!
My short answer to people who ask why veg*n, is that any eating/living philosophy that benefits human health, animal health and welfare, and environmental health all at the same time needs no further explanation.
Where is the facebook "like" button? Well said to both of you!
To reduce hormone load on my body. I have PCOS, and I don't need extra hormone wacky from my food. I was vegetarian, and then in my pregnancy and shortly after, vegan. Then back to vegetarian and then in 2010, flexitarian (chicken and fish back in) because my endoc said my iron and some other things were weak. I am now moving it back toward the veggie end.
But I'm aware of the other benefits to the environment and so on. I value them, but I'm human too. The main benefit for me is still better quality food and reduction in hormone load!
Reasons Why...
Morningstar... LOL Hear you on that one. It is a special treat around here. I love their Black bean chipotle burgers for a quick fix in a salad, but no sausages or bacon or anything like that for me. I think I had a couple boxes of them over the last year? LOL
