Any Vegetarians or Vegans?

[Bracket]

I know this is kind of a long shot...but are there any other vegetarians or vegans here? It's kind of fun to find some "of your own kind". :D

I have been vegetarian since I was 10 {so going on 17 years now} and vegan for just over a year. My son has been vegetarian since conception. My husband might as well be vegan, as he's too lazy to cook for himself or pack his own lunch, but he maintains that he's a "devout carnivore". :p

If you're veg*n, come make yourself known.

{P.S. Voracious meat-eaters, please be respectful. Vegetarians have heard every single joke you can think to make, and those jokes are not nearly as funny as you might think. They make you sound like an idiot. Friendly meat-eaters are welcome in the thread, of course. Questions of any sort also welcome.}

[Sycoo]

okay i dont know this because i am not a vegiatarian or vegan nor do i plan to be. but dont kids need some nutrients that are in meat, fish, and poultry that are necessary for growth and development and what not. i mean you said your kid is a vegatarian so i only assume youve done your research.

[Bracket]

Vegetarianism is totally healthy for kids. If the child eats a varied diet, it's healthier than what most kids eat.

I mean, think about it. My kid eats all multitude of vegetables, including leafy greens. He eats beans, grains, nuts, faux meats etc. Those things provide all of the nutrients, fat, and protein he needs. Most two-year-olds live on a steady diet of peanut butter & jelly and chicken nuggets -- how healthy is that?

There's been a lot of fear mongering by the meat and dairy industry about how "vegetarian diets aren't healthy". It's all crap. I've done a ton of research, read a lot of books, and vegetarianism is extremely healthy.

[Sycoo]

oh totally gotcha, i was just wondering. I mean all ive heard is how its unhealthy but then again ive never researched it like you have. by faux meat do you mean tofu type stuff?

[Vulcan2422]

Tried it for a week and that was it. I need my steak, lobster, and chicken. I don't know how anybody eats Tofu, that stuff is just horrid IMHO.

[Bracket]

Tofu, seitan, tempeh, that kind of stuff. They make all sorts of great-tasting pre-packaged stuff nowadays too. 10 years ago it was really hard to be vegetarian because all vegetarian convenience foods tasted awful, lol. Now it's much easier.

The main thing you have to watch in a child's vegetarian diet is that they get enough fats. My son is vegan except for 2 cups of cow's milk a day. He could easily be vegan, but I don't have enough faith in myself to get him enough fat otherwise. I know plenty of vegan parents that do it just fine, though. Nuts, avocado, tofu, nut milks, hummus, flax oil...all those things have great healthy fats in them.

Anyways...now I'm rambling. This is just something I'm super passionate about -- I'd hate for anyone to think I was starving my kid! heh

[Bracket]

I don't know how anybody eats Tofu, that stuff is just horrid IMHO.

Sounds like you just haven't had it prepared properly. My husband thought the same. :)

[Green Eggs and Death]

My Mother-in-Law isn't a vegetarian, but she does eat like that sometimes. I do often make a point of ordering a nice, juicy steak or hamburger whenever I'm with her. :p

Of course, I do have to add that, at 55, she looks terrific, while at 42, I do not. :eek:


But I'm with Vulcan, Tofu does suck.:p

[Pumpkin King]

I enjoy meat, but not a lot of red meat cause it is bad for ya.

But, I DO however love Boca burgers! Thems is tasty!

[elizabethlestat]

Omg Eggs you finally posted your age!

[flashtestmanalive]

Wow Eggs you did!

Also, looks like you're alone so far Bracket...

well until someone who IS of "your" kind sees this. But so far only people with STRONG EYES FROM EATING MEAT AND METALS AND BRAWN have responded.

Of course, I kid.

[Kire von Banhammer]

I love me a good steak. I cant imagine not eating meat

[dashrndar23]

Can't say that I'm a vegetarian, however, I do know a lot of them. In fact I dated one once! And well truth be told... all the vegetarians I know, I have been attracted to at one time or another ^_^;

[Green Eggs and Death]

Omg Eggs you finally posted your age!

I posted my age a few times in the "How Old Are You?" thread. You and Flashie just ain't payin' attention. :p ;)

[Bracket]

\And well truth be told... all the vegetarians I know, I have been attracted to at one time or another ^_^;

I'm not saying this just because I AM one, but I find the same thing to be true, lol. I am inexplicably attracted to vegetarians/vegans. There is something so freaking hot about someone who has strong convictions and the willpower to follow through with them. Also, vegetarians taste better...take that how you will. :p

[Green Eggs and Death]

... Also, vegetarians taste better...take that how you will. :p :eek::o



I could be converted ...

[Ninja Mugg]

I am a meatatarian. summer = Grillin' season! :)

[flashtestmanalive]

I posted my age a few times in the "How Old Are You?" thread. You and Flashie just ain't payin' attention. :p ;)

it's the hormones.

[elizabethlestat]

I posted my age a few times in the "How Old Are You?" thread. You and Flashie just ain't payin' attention. :p ;)

You didn't actually post your age though. You said you were 3 years older than the oldest age you'd seen posted, so :p

[Pumpkin King]

I'm not saying this just because I AM one, but I find the same thing to be true, lol. I am inexplicably attracted to vegetarians/vegans. There is something so freaking hot about someone who has strong convictions and the willpower to follow through with them. Also, vegetarians taste better...take that how you will. :p

Um..... I hate meat?

[flashtestmanalive]

You didn't actually post your age though. You said you were 3 years older than the oldest age you'd seen posted, so :p

this is true... and I tried to find the oldest person at one time and calculate... :o

[Green Eggs and Death]

You didn't actually post your age though. You said you were 3 years older than the oldest age you'd seen posted, so :p


this is true... and I tried to find the oldest person at one time and calculate... :o

Yes, originally I posted that I was four years older than the oldest person's age I'd seen (PK), but then PK and I did almost a whole page on him turning 39 and me bein' three years older than that, and hittin' the big 4-0 and, ... heck, Elestat, you even COMMENTED on me bein' close to fifty (which I'm not, BTW :p)! :eek: ROFL :D

And I just wanted to add (to sorta stay on-topic) that I am COMMITTED to eating meat. Just so that it's clear that I stand by my convictions. ;) (well, I mean except for that "I could be converted" post I made earlier ... special case, that)

[Pumpkin King]

yeah, I hate 39

[flashtestmanalive]

ok ok! let's all stop peein' all over each other now

[Green Eggs and Death]

ok ok! let's all stop peein' all over each other now

What does that even mean? Do we want to know? :eek:

[flashtestmanalive]

it means, let's all stop talking smack. You said it in your own way, we didn't get it the way you meant it. that's all. So no more derailing this thread in a fashion that is neither hilarious or non-informative.

[Green Eggs and Death]

... So no more derailing this thread in a fashion that is neither hilarious or non-informative.

And you ARE an expert on that.

[Pumpkin King]

ok ok! let's all stop peein' all over each other now

The peeing has just begun my friend...:)

[Colt]

http://xs538.xs.to/xs538/09144/picture2159.gifflashtestmanalive

[Colt]

Questions of any sort also welcome.

So what made you become a vegetarian? I know for some, it is because they don't like the taste of meat/killing of animals and for others because of the health aspect.

That aside, why did you switch from vegetarian to vegan? They aren't accusatory questions by any means either, just curiosity.

[Bracket]

So what made you become a vegetarian? I know for some, it is because they don't like the taste of meat/killing of animals and for others because of the health aspect.

That aside, why did you switch from vegetarian to vegan? They aren't accusatory questions by any means either, just curiosity.

When I was 10, we lived on my grandparents' farm. They didn't keep animals, they just grew grain and whatnot. There were some cows that lived across the street, and I would go talk to them and pet them every day. One day it dawned on me that the cows that were my friends were the same as the other animals that were on my plate. I decided I didn't want to eat them anymore, and I never looked back.

Then last February I was rocking my son to sleep. He was just a little baby, not even 1-year-old yet. I had recently learned that cows don't just given their milk to us happily. We enslave them, take their babies away, and treat them horribly in order to get their milk. It broke my heart to look down at my baby and think of someone taking him away from me. I decided to go vegan then, because I didn't want to support an industry that was so cruel.

I've done research since then, and I'd consider my stance to be that of an abolitionist vegan: I don't believe that animals are ours to use in any way. Just because we don't understand their social structures or their desires doesn't make them invalid. They exist for their own purposes, and it's selfish and egocentric of us to assume that we can use them just because we can dominate them.

I don't want to argue with anyone here, and I won't. If you're reading this, and if what I've said offends you, I apologize -- but ask yourself WHY you are offended.

</soapbox>

[Pumpkin King]

Without starting a war of words...

We eat animals because we are top of the food chain. And, animals eat other animals so...not sure how that is wrong.

[Bracket]

Ah, there is the fallacy. We are NOT top of the food chain. If we put you and a lion in a cage, who would eat whom? We just THINK we are top of the food chain.

We aren't natural carnivores. We don't have the ability to digest raw meat. We don't have fangs and claws for ripping. We don't run fast enough to catch our own food.

What we do have is the higher brain functioning necessary for compassion, and the ability to live on an entirely plant-based diet.

:D

[Pumpkin King]

Ah, there is the fallacy. We are NOT top of the food chain. If we put you and a lion in a cage, who would eat whom? We just THINK we are top of the food chain.

So, if a lion can eat us, why can we not eat him? If so desired?

We aren't natural carnivores. We don't have the ability to digest raw meat. We don't have fangs and claws for ripping. We don't run fast enough to catch our own food.

We do have canine teeth. And, we do not need claws for we have hands with thumbs used to handle tools...like cleavers and knives!

What we do have is the higher brain functioning necessary for compassion, and the ability to live on an entirely plant-based diet.

Touche'

:D

See above for comments

[drivein1745]

there are many different cultures that raw meat is consume. i respect the fact that you don't eat meat. but you should respect the fact that some do eat meat. as for me i do eat meat. we are all animals and animals kill animals not just for food but others reasons too and sometime with no reasons at all. and plant are living beings too. so we can not live without killingl another being. so one view is not much different than the other. So live and let live

[Bracket]

Like I said, I'm not going to argue, but I can't "respect a choice" that hurts someone else. We could get into lots of logic here, but really I didn't want to turn this thread into an argument. I just wanted to find out if there were any other vegetarians or vegans here. Clearly I am addressing the wrong population, lol.

{Although I do find it hilariously ironic that you used the term "live and let live" in defense of your killing. :D Come on, that's funny...}

[drivein1745]

^didn't mean to start a fight. kill and let kill.

[Bracket]

Kill and let kill, you should copyright that. ;)

You didn't start a fight, I just wanted to head one off before it began.

[elizabethlestat]

Something I've always been curious about...I'm sure it's different for everyone, but it seems like you're the only vegan around.
You're raising your son on a vegetarian diet, so what would your reaction be if when he got older he decided he wanted to try meat or start eating it regularly?

[obroham]

Sorry im not a vegetarian, but I do think it's great that you have the control that you do to be a vegan. It's always awesome to see someone stand up for what they believe in, even if I don't agree. So way to be. My sis-in-law can't stand meat it's not really a choice as a preference though so it's a little different. However let me applaud you in your convictions, it is refreshing to see every once in a while. If I wasn't addicted to meat and did research on animal cruelty I could join, however, i am hopelessly addicted, and ignorance is bliss as they say.

[flashtestmanalive]

you know, what PK said it pretty true. We ARE the top of the food chain even though your logic dictates that we aren't. When would you ever be thrown in a situation like a lion in a cage? Probably never. Face it, when was the last time humans actually had to go by "survival of the fittest"? Those rules don't apply to this world, not civilized countries at least. So we can think on a higher level, so what? If lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) had invented guns before we did THAT would have changed things for sure.


Also, I know it's a personal choice and this seems like an attack but it's really not, just trying to make a point:

but why keep doing it when it doesn't REALLY make a difference to how those animals are treated? Why not join an organization and go fight the way animals are treated rather than just not eat them and say you're doing your part?


just sayin'

[flashtestmanalive]

http://xs538.xs.to/xs538/09144/picture2159.gifflashtestmanalive

and Colt! Nice to see you again! But please don't post anymore pictures of yourself ^, it bothers everyone and they even created a committee and voted for me to ask you to stop.

;)

[Vulcan2422]

So are you against people eating other people flashtestmanalive?

Also, we go by Survival of the fittest every day of our life when it comes down to it.

[flashtestmanalive]

So are you against people eating other people flashtestmanalive?

Also, we go by Survival of the fittest every day of our life when it comes down to it.

psh, no we don't. Example: Fat people get fatter and live on the couch. How is that survival of the fittest?

We have crosswalks to safeguard children against the "wilds" of the city. Airbags in our cars to keep up from smashing into our steering wheels, and if it was survival of the fittest we wouldn't have these things and we wouldn't need them and we'd let nature sort em out.

Also, people eating people? How is this a valid point? Cows don't devour cows (at least not on purpose).

But as long as I haven't been eaten yet, I'm alright with it. ;)

[Vulcan2422]

Just a little FYI. I use to be fat. I use to be 460 lbs. Just in a year I lost 100lbs and I'm down to 360 and I keep losing. So your theory of Fatter people getting Fatter isn't valid.

Survival of the Fittest doesn't really mean the food chain. Interesting read really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_fittest

Just remember, when the Zombies do come, Only a few of us will be ready for the invasion. I, my self, being one of them. :D

[flashtestmanalive]

Just a little FYI. I use to be fat. I use to be 460 lbs. Just in a year I lost 100lbs and I'm down to 360 and I keep losing. So your theory of Fatter people getting Fatter isn't valid.

Survival of the Fittest doesn't really mean the food chain. Interesting read really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_fittest

Just remember, when the Zombies do come, Only a few of us will be ready for the invasion. I, my self, being one of them. :D

I was generalizing of course, I don't think ALL fat people do is sit on the couch all day. And again, my reference wasn't necessarily about the food chain, I even made some examples of how we DON'T compete to survive.

[flashtestmanalive]

It's not like we fight each other in the aisles of grocery stores for food (unless it's the holidays) or find creative and innovative ways to catch prey or survive in the wild. No, instead we have our food sitting neatly on shelves and being served to us through windows on the sides of buildings. So where's the competition to survive?

But the way the economy is, who knows, maybe we will get a taste of it. ;)

[Bracket]

Something I've always been curious about...I'm sure it's different for everyone, but it seems like you're the only vegan around.
You're raising your son on a vegetarian diet, so what would your reaction be if when he got older he decided he wanted to try meat or start eating it regularly?

I just hope he doesn't make that choice. Children make all sorts of choices their parents don't like. All you can do is hope that you teach them well enough to make good choices. I'd still love him of course, but I would be disappointed. I definitely wouldn't enable his choice. If he wanted to eat meat, he'd have to do it out of the house and pay for it himself.


Sorry im not a vegetarian, but I do think it's great that you have the control that you do to be a vegan. It's always awesome to see someone stand up for what they believe in, even if I don't agree. So way to be. My sis-in-law can't stand meat it's not really a choice as a preference though so it's a little different. However let me applaud you in your convictions, it is refreshing to see every once in a while. If I wasn't addicted to meat and did research on animal cruelty I could join, however, i am hopelessly addicted, and ignorance is bliss as they say.

Thanks for the compliment, that's very nice. :)


but why keep doing it when it doesn't REALLY make a difference to how those animals are treated? Why not join an organization and go fight the way animals are treated rather than just not eat them and say you're doing your part?


just sayin'

I actually am working with a group of other abolitionist vegans to get a wide-spread informational program off the ground. Similar to PETA {*shudders*} but not full of sexist extremist douchy logically-inconsistent buttheads. :D I also volunteer at the local animal sanctuary, provide a temporary foster home for bottle-feeding kittens that have lost their mother, table at local AR events, and attend networking meetings to provide my support to others in the AR movement.

Veganism is the baseline of the animal rights movement. It is the bare minimum I can do, and I would never say that through veganism I am "doing my part". I feel like I do as much AR work as my schedule allows, though, and that IS doing my part.

In regards to why I do anything if I can't do EVERYTHING -- if not me, then who? If not now, then when? I have to believe that the world can change. I don't want to live in it if it can't.

[Vulcan2422]

It's all good Flash. I thought it was an interesting read none the less though.

But I can see us fighting for food soon enough if our economy keeps going south. Maybe I should start stocking up on some good Angus Beef :D

[flashtestmanalive]

I just hope he doesn't make that choice. Children make all sorts of choices their parents don't like. All you can do is hope that you teach them well enough to make good choices. I'd still love him of course, but I would be disappointed. I definitely wouldn't enable his choice. If he wanted to eat meat, he'd have to do it out of the house and pay for it himself.

as bad a drugs huh? :p

[QUOTE]
I actually am working with a group of other abolitionist vegans to get a wide-spread informational program off the ground./QUOTE]

Then nuff said! You're doing your part! :D

[flashtestmanalive]

It's all good Flash. I thought it was an interesting read none the less though.

But I can see us fighting for food soon enough if our economy keeps going south. Maybe I should start stocking up on some good Angus Beef :D

yeah, I know it's all good :D nothing like a friendly debate though! Finally something to stimulate the brain!

And I will be stocking up on non-perishables! :p

[Colt]

It's occasionally nice to have a friendly debate. I know you asked for vegans, but so far none have popped up, so we might as well share views from both sides.

Now before I start on my small tirade (I'll attempt to not make it too long) let it be known, I am in fact, a hypocrite. I would not eat meat if I had to kill it myself (with the exception of fish). I don't know why, maybe because I fished when I was a little girl? And maybe if I was trapped out in the forest and it was between me and the little bunny, I might change my mind. But I'm not, so my side still stands I couldn't kill my own food.

Anyway...


Ah, there is the fallacy. We are NOT top of the food chain. If we put you and a lion in a cage, who would eat whom? We just THINK we are top of the food chain.

We aren't natural carnivores. We don't have the ability to digest raw meat. We don't have fangs and claws for ripping. We don't run fast enough to catch our own food.

Very nicely put, Bracket. However, what does put us higher in the food chain is our ability to create weapons, hunt, and protect ourselves. Apes learned and adapted to put sticks and long grasses into termite mounds to get out the food, same concept.


and Colt! Nice to see you again! But please don't post anymore pictures of yourself ^, it bothers everyone and they even created a committee and voted for me to ask you to stop.

http://nyenoona.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/internet-serious-business-by-life-conquest-at-flickr.jpg


So are you against people eating other people flashtestmanalive?

Also, we go by Survival of the fittest every day of our life when it comes down to it.

It is different for people because we rationalize and can think on higher levels than your average dog. That is why we don't eat our own kind (well, most of us). In nature though, it is a common occurrence: the praying mantis (eat their mates), piranhas (certain species only eat other piranhas), hamsters cannibalize their young and have even eaten other hamsters, lions will kill cubs to be able to mate again.


Just a little FYI. I use to be fat. I use to be 460 lbs. Just in a year I lost 100lbs and I'm down to 360 and I keep losing. So your theory of Fatter people getting Fatter isn't valid.


As much as it pains me to agree with flash (cringes inside) he is right. 64.5% of American adults, or more than 120 million people, are overweight or obese.

"We want to emphasize that the problem of obesity and being overweight for adults and kids is getting worse. We have to start programs to fight this obesity epidemic. If something doesn't happen, the next time the statistics will be even worse."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-10-08-weight-usat_x.htm

That article was written in 2002, and yes, they were correct, because in later studies the statistics have gone up.

Your attempt to disprove a theory based on personal experience isn't valid.

On a side note: Congrats, Vulcan! Keep up the good work and let us know if you lose more. I know how hard it is to lose weight and a hundred pounds is nothing to bat an eye at. You should make a thread of your weight loss journey, sometimes things like that can be motivational and support from fellow members might help you out!

[flashtestmanalive]

http://nyenoona.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/internet-serious-business-by-life-conquest-at-flickr.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/karmapolicex51/emperor_catkind.jpg

[flashtestmanalive]

AND YOU AGREED WITH ME!

AHHHHHH!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/karmapolicex51/bc42b4135dde01af09fdeaea9792b9da.gif

YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

[Fugu]

I love meat. And, as Colt already pointed out, people are on top of the foodchain. Maybe not through strength, but certainly through intelligence and creativity.

That said, the way some animals get treated is atrocious, which is why they invented free-range products. I don't think there's anything wrong with killing an animal to feed another animal, but there is also no need to be unecessarily cruel either. Give them a happy life and a quick death, I say.

Also, I just noticed this thread is really old. Carry on... :S