How did you become a veggie, and how old were you? I know it's a decision that is influenced by many things, but what made that turning point for you?
I used to be the biggest meat-eater on the planet. Then one of my friends bet me I couldn't go meatless for a week. Just to put him to shame, I decided to go 2 weeks... and then I just kept going, 4 years so far. I think I won the bet.
age 13. became interested in East Indian philosphies, followed the dietary in hopes of enlightenment, spiritual or physical, and got some of both, in the end. that was...oh... 1980?
Peta made me a veggie. I always loved animals...I love them more than people actually. Anyway, while looking through some animal lover sites, I saw some nasty videos about factory farms on Peta.com and at that moment I was a vegetarian. That was it-changed me forever. Then I looked through the internet to find out more. I never knew there were so many reasons to go veggie, and I always thought vegans were extreme but now I see that eating meat when you know the facts is extreme. That was last week and I don't plan to go back. Peace and Love Twila Red
I've been veg for over a year and a half and vegan for over a year. I first went veg when I got to college and started seeing Action for Animals posters arround the dorm bathrooms saying how many resources are wasted to produce meat. So I first went veg for environmental reasons then I went vegan for animal rights reasons.
I was sixteen (nearly three years ago, now). I had just started listening to the Beatles, and though Paul wasn't my favorite, it interested me that he was a vegetarian. I decided to find out what I could about it, and eventually, for my own beliefs, not Paul's, decided to make the switch. A lot of websites inflluenced my decision--Peta, Mercy For Animals, Viva!, etcetera. I stopped eating meat on January 1, 2003. It's the only "New Year's Resolution" that I've ever kept! xoxo, Seashell
I was 13 and entering 9th grade. It was early in the year, I think September. I'm a vegetarian for a lot of reasons. They change. There's a difference between when I started the vegetarian thing and now. Before, it was soley an animal rights thing. But it's more of a philisophical thing that's keeping me there. Unless I were starving to death or something very extreme, I could never kill an animal. I just don't have it in me. When I was a kid, I cried when we went to the Musium of Natural History and my parents said the animals in the exhibits where all stuffed dead animals (thanks, Dad). I've grown up since then, but I still couldn't kill an animal. I make sure not to step on caterpillers when I'm walking on the sidewalk! And my feeling is that if I would be so upset with the idea of killing it myself, what right do I have to eat it? It just feels hypocritical to me to not want to see an animal die, but eat it's flesh. That's me, and it's weird sounding, I know. If I were starving to death, I'd eat meat. But I'm not starving to death, and I have options. This is one I choose to take.
when:16 howvernight why: why NOT??? its so easy and it does so many good things in one shot, the environment, suffering, good health and well-being, its what its all about. i actually forget my actual reason for going veg, but going vegan happened right after i truely informed myself about the meat and animal industries and the terrible stuff that com efrom them...
I beacme a vegetarian when iwas twelve, alomst three years ago. i just think killing animals is truly wrong and disgusting!!! I despise hunters, and meat is so gross! i mean, ur eating meat and flesh !! BLAAHH!! no thank u! SAVE THE ANIMALS!!
I was 16 and heard moby talking about why he was a vegan. He said something like i would not eat my dog so i will not eat any animal. I guess at the time it sortof just hit me. Also I could not kill an animal and i don't think you should eat anything you could not prepare.
I was 16 and at that time I was entralled by a 16 year old long haired musician. He was one of my friends' older brothers and he offered to give me guitar lessons. At our first lesson, we put down the guitars after a couple of hours and just talked and he wrote "Save the cows!" on his boot and I asked him if he didn't eat beef (because at that point in time, I didn't eat it) and he told me he didn't eat any sort of "carcass." We talked about it and I told him that I had sort of wanted to become vegetarian anyway and he said there was no reason I shouldn't. That night we had fried chicken and I could barely touch it. I kept hearing "greasy carcass" over and over. And that was the last time I touched meat. He and I ended up dating and once we broke up, I remained veggie because I liked it. Now it's been over two years and I'm still meat free and happy. I don't eat it, mainly because I don't want to. And the idea of eating an animal disgusts me.
My dad would go deer hunting. Then he would leave the gutted carcas, with the fur and face attached, hanging in the garage all winter. I would have to move past the deer every day in order to drive myself and my sisters to school. From the driver's seat I could look right into it's empty chest cavity. Then it would disappear, and a week later we had sausage for supper. And then, while living in Southeast Asia, I accidently ate dog. Spit roasted, alley grown, dog. Spent some time vomiting, and then swore off meat for the rest of my time in Asia. That was in '96, and just never started eating it again.
thats really funny cuz i did that on the exact same day, cept i was only 13. i had been researching animal abuse in factory farms for a while before and when it turned midnight i just stopped and :H thought its time....havent eaten meat since....and im definitely looking into becoming vegan
Hmm well I'd pretty much known about vegetarianism since late childhood, and always liked animals and agreed with animal welfare/rights. Never really considered being veggie though, well tried for a week but failed. Didn't have the knowledge or motivation (I was about 9) Eventually I started hanging out here. Then really began seeing and understanding the facts and that indeed it could be so easily done. Came to realise there was no reason what so ever for me to eat meat, so I just quit. Today is my two year anniversary. Oh and I'm one of the moderators at another animal rights forum, running the vegetarian boards no less. The address is animalsuffering.com/forum/index.php if you want to stop by (do, it's a great crowd) Am very slowly edging towards veganism, but it's proving harder than expected.
I went vegitarian January 1, 2005... it wasn't a New Years resolution thing... I had just been considering going veg for a while, but while browsing around online I found this: http://www.alternet.org/story/12162 I read it and decided to go vegitarian... immediately! I havn't eaten a bit of meat since Dec. 31.
orginally 10 again at 16 and haven't ate meat since, it just isn't a choice for me anymore. i think it was instinct, but i just researched it and found out how horrible the meat industry is and since i stopped and i can't go back. yuck!
........hehe, same here. I had one last roast dinner on the 31st then gave up, now 6 months on, I feel so ashamed that I ever ate meat at all, now the thought of it makes me feel ill......(b.t.w this is me first message on these forums YIPEEE!....and many more will come I hope)
