Vegetarian?

try alot of different substitute protein foods.

i really love tofu and alot of my friends wont touch it.

 

I live in Canada, and I agree overpopulation is a problem. Thats all your really proving.

We have no real fresh water shortages around here. Canada has more fresh water than ant other country. Anyway again I agree overpopulation is a problem.

My addiction? Eating meat is not an addiction. Please look up the definition of an addiction.

Study evolution. Or even look at your teeth. People were made to eat meat. When our species started to eat meat this (specifically the protein) is what aloud our brains to develop to the level they are at now.

Wow I eat meat so you assume im a Christian? No I mean the God I believe created us through evolution. The God who put canine teeth inside my mouth. It doesn't matter if this God exists or not as long as you believe in science.

You dont know my situation.

Addiction? Again study addiction please. Eating something our species has evolved to eat is not an addiction.


I have respect for those who choose not to eat meat. However dont tell my me eating meat is an addiction, or isnt natural. The way Animals are treated in some situations is appauling and I am against abuse on animals. I will admit I have supported these situations in the past and will probally end up doing it again. I would love to get involved in making sure that animals raised for food are not caused any unnecessary pain or discomfort. I am also willing to boycott those who are the worst offenders.

Also I would like to clarrify you dont need meat for proper brain development. You need protein and omega 3 fatty acids. My point is hundreds of years ago it wasnt really possible to consume enough protein and omega 3 fatty acids in many areas around the world to have proper brain development without eating meat. Of course its possible now in our modern era to be raised vegitarian from birth (other than milk being needed).

 

I don't mean to judge or anything, but your use of capitalization makes your posts seem hysterical, and there's no need for that. I apoligize if that is not the case.

Anyway.. you said it yourself, the best thing is to think for yourself and make a choice. That's the most beautiful thing about humans.. our power of choice. We are at a point where knowledge is globalized and making an informed decision is easier than ever. With all the facts laid out at your finger tips... it then becomes your choice whether or not to accept new ideas or something that challenges a learned or traditional belief. It seems to me that you are stuck in a practiced cycle that you are afraid to break away from. I'm sure you heard allll about raw food diets the first time they came around back in 70blah blah blah... and I'm sure you showed the same disdain then. We all have the power to make the right choice and evolve out of this rut, and I think the answer is clear that the only way to make decisions is with sustainability in mind. Raising beef, while it may be working for you and yours, is not a sustainable option. I'm sorry if that doesn't fit into your plans.

-Mike

 

Please stop pretending you're an expert on human evolution. And your revisionist history is not welcome. You say look at our flat teeth, designed to eat plants, try again... how about taking a look at your intestines and then look at the intestines of a true carnivore. You guessed it buddy, nothing alike. Then look at those same intestines of yours and look at those of a true herbivore (vegan). Shockingly... they're the same design.

Of course you wouldn't know that eating meat is an addiction... it's a new idea, and you're obviously not into those. Stop feeling so threatened and try to inform yourself.

-Mike

 

I never said I was an expert and if you read my post you can see I only used very simple points. Things which are quiet easy for a person who knows very little about evolution to understand. My revisionist history? Please explain.

Our flat teeth are for plants of course, but you should also have carnivore teeth. Of course my intestines wont look like a true carnivore. I never said humans are true carnivores. I never once said people are meant to eat only meat. Meat is only supposed to be a small part of the human diet.

Just cause you have an idea does not mean its true. Explain how eating meat could be an addiction? Will I have withdrawal symptoms if I stop? I think I would only have physical withdrawal symptoms IF (and only if I am not saying without meat you will not get the right nutrients) I was no longer getting the nutrition I needed.

Feeling threatened? I feel attacked not threatened. Imagine I came in here saying it was wrong to be a vegetarian. I would never do that. I wish you people telling me how to live could be more open minded and realize there is not only one way to live in this world. I find it strange on a hippie forum you wouldn't find more openness to different life styles.

 

You are right, and that is why I try to educate others about vegetarianism. They have to make the choice to change, though. If I come off as too pushy or arrogant, I'll only have the opposite effect.

About the carnivorous teeth: I only have two sharp teeth, and they are quite small and not nearly as efficient for biting through flesh as those of a tiger's or wolf's. When I used to eat meat, I would have to chew it over and over and over before I could finally swallow it. I know that could just be me, but I noticed other people having the same problem before. We have many features of our ancestors that are not as needed anymore (body hair, wisdom teeth--you get the idea).

I don't think anyone's trying to tell others how to live. They're just trying to have a friendly debate (at least that's what I am doing ).

 

I use capitol letters for emphasis, as if we were conversing face to face, I ain't yelling, just typing in something other than monotone.

Never can be sure of anything. I was a "strict" vegetarian for 4 years. I did the health food diet thing, no white flower or white rice etc. Which I went back to after doing the "convenience" thing for a while. I did raw food diet for months at a time, still do sometimes. Mainly I am very perceptive of what my body needs and I eat accordingly. I get "cravings" at times, but they are NEVER for junk food. But I figure if I have gone for months without eating meat and one day I have a craving for liver, I'll eat it. It works for me and I'm ridiculously healthy. I don't HAVE to support any meat industry, and so I don't...

 

True. But with the average American, the mere fact that you are different
is grounds for war. We attack people areund the world, all the time, just
because they don't want to live like us.

Americans don't like to examine their lifestyle, and if you are different,
they are forced to do so.

And if they are involved in the animal products industry and you are
not only refusing to do business with them, but encouraging others to
do so, then you are an enemy.

Our teeth and digestive tracts are much more like those of herbivores than
they are of carnivores.

I'd kill every domestic food animal in the world if I could. They are,
literally, trashing this planet. But I would also provide everyone
with seeds and hand tools and gardening instructors at the same
time.

That's a crime of historical proprortions that makes what the Nazis did
to the Jews look like shoplifting by comparison.

Already, the death toll is in the hundreds of millions, and it's going to
get worse.

Littlefoot

"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." REM

 

"I'd kill every domestic food animal in the world if I could. They are,
literally, trashing this planet."

I WAS gonna stay away from the "foot" but I can't just let this one pass, it's priceless.

Wow, such extreme honesty! From someone who does not kill or believe in guns...
And think of the WASTE. Think of the smell and flies... Think of the farmers who will go out of business. They'd go bankrupt, they wouldn't know what to do. They would need to get all new and different equipment and the equipment they are STILL paying the banks for would become worthless. Then the government would come along and foreclose on their farms and the land could be DEVELOPED or sold to the Chinese.... And then there would be all those species of animals FORCIBLY made to go extinct, by someone who would be the "herby dictator" of the world. Lots more folks would starve too, until they got things figured out. And with the climate changing, it would be an even more difficult change.

Why not just kill the FARMERS who are raising the meat animals? It's not the animals fault is it? A farmer with "X" amount of land can use GOOD farming practices and not harm the land at all. Perhaps the animals are smarter than the farmer and they could do it better. Remember the book "Animal Farm" by George Orwell?........................

 

i dont even get whos arguing with who but meh.... Im a vegetarian and i have been for all my life.

 

Yes, you will. And you won't know until you try. Unless you decide to go raw with a close group of friends or family, it is very hard to resist a small chunk of meat here or there, if someone offers it to you.

I believe that the addiction has more to do with the feeling that eating a large cooked meal gives you. Some call it 'stick to your ribs', and others just describe it as 'being full'. It is due to eating too much too fast, and the body does indeed get addicted to this sensation. If you're raised your entire life with the belief that a "square meal" needs to have a nice hearty serving of some kind of meat... it takes a lof of will power and determination to break away from that. Many people are just too lazy to make any drastic changes to their life style. They tell themselves that it's too hard, and it creates perpetual cycles of negativity.

If you don't want to believe, then just try it for yourself. Stop eating all meat for a week or two and see how easy it is. If it's not for you and you wish to continue bad habits, you can at least say you tried. That's more than most people are willing to do.

-Mike

 

I am pretty sure I have gone a week without meat. I live in a pretty poor family and we can not always affoard meat. However I have always had milk around cause my mom drinks coffee.

I am assuming you are vegan. If not... you should see how egg farms are ran. Its appauling. I dont know I think the milk industry is a lot better to the animals but I am no expert.

I think I might take your challenge once I get out of the poor house. Right now I live off food people give me. I also HATE nuts and peanuts but I am sure I can get over that. Sure nobody is holding a gun to my head and forcing me to eat meat. However if you fully understood my situation you would understand it would be extremly hard for me right now.


Just curious. This one is to littlefoot since he/she thought I should quit eating meat because there are to many people and the world cant handle it. Do you own a car? Is all your electricity from renewable energy? ect. I think Global Warming is the biggest threat to the world right and I think the vast majority of people are very guilty of this one. I dont want to derail the topic but I never ever heard vegitarianism argued as a save the world campain. However we all know about global warming and it looks like the majority of citizens are taking some steps to combate global warming.

I hope we can keep this friendly, I dont want any enemys here. If I am ever getting out of line PM me and tell me about it please.

 

I must say I agree with you here. It is not the animals' fault they are being raised in such a way. If they had a choice, they'd be free. People are to blame, not the animals.

Honestly, making a statement about wanting to killing domestic food animals?! Why, pray tell, are you a vegetarian then? I couldn't help but ask this, and I am sorry if I sound rude, Littlefoot.

 

Whiskers, I agree with your commentary regarding global warming being the paramount moral issue for humans to undertake. It has currently ravaged our environment, and will continue to do so if we do not take efforts to reduce our collective emissions. That being said, Physics World, a well-regarded source for such information, recently stated that "The animals we eat emit 21 percent of all the CO2 that can be attributed to human activity." Also, the UN council has recently released a report stating that the combined CO2 emissions resulting from animal-agriculture trumped those of the entire transportation sector (trains, planes and cars). Vegetarianism is not just a moral issue in the sense that it prevents the inhumane and unnecessary slaughter of animals for human consumption, but also in the sense that it is a massive contributor to climate change.

 

The issue of producing and eating meat, I mean, is the major contributor...

 

Global Warming is a green herring being used by the corporate-sponsored
psuedo-environmental movement to take our minds off the real causes of
damage to the planet.

Which are:

converting forests into tree farms
outright deforestation
pollution of the soil and groundwater and oceans
depletion of freshwater sources by agriculture and industry and towns
turning grasslands into grazing lands and industrial farms
outright destruction of ecosystems by construction
destruction of arable land by development and industry and agriculture
depletion of non-renewable resources

Mining, Industrial farming and ranching, refining, manufacturing,
logging, roading, construction....

And so on. There's no wiggle room there. The land is either healthy
or it is not.

Global Warming is the perfect green herring: You can find credible
scientists to argue both sides of the issue and they'll happily do it
from now until forever.

While the Eath is being destroyed.

If all greenhous gas emissions were eliminated, it wouldn't make
the slightest difference. We'd still be in big, big trouble.

The only way to save the planet is to leave it alone. That means
telling everyone to radically reduce their consumption.

That's what the so-called 'environmental movement' would be telling
us if they weren't funded by the corporations, who can't leave the
planet alone because they have to grow and they are always using
up resources and have to find more.

That's what the scientists would be telling us if they weren't owned
by the corporations.

But the real problem is us: No corporation can last a week without
customers. We have absolute control.

If you buy what a corporation is selling, you are a part of that
corporation. It can't exist without you.


Littlefoot

"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." REM

 

"Turning grass lands into grazing lands"

Now I've never been out west. So I have not experienced large cattle ranches. But, I know with certainty that if someone has "grassland" and wishes to KEEP it that way, without a lot of brush, thorns, and whatnot eventually taking over or without having to mow it twice every summer, you WANT cows on that land. It's really hilly here and the hills are steep. Too steep to mow. Cattle will walk along the hillsides creating terraces which help keep erosion from taking place, as opposed to horses which will make paths straight up and down thus creating bad erosion. Cattle, especially beef cows, will eat MANY things that other stock won't and the result of cattle grazing on hillsides or brushy land will be something that looks like a grassy park. If you put cattle, especially beef cows, on land that is marginal and poor, after just a couple years the land will begin to green and natural grasses will grow everywhere. Grass seed goes straight thru a cows digestive tract and comes out the other end complete with fertilizer. ALSO, cattle, as opposed to many other common farm animals, only have BOTTOM teeth, making it less easy for them to graze all the way to the dirt. The key is only having what the land can truley support and not overgrazing. Cattle are the farmers best helper as far as keeping the land in GOOD shape. Which is one reason I like to keep a few. Beef cows work better for this than dairy cows. Yes, even beef cows have a purpose in the greater scheme of things. They are part of the natural balance when kept correctly.

 

Well I found out today my GFs mom is going vegan. She did 3 weeks ago. I asked if there are any negative side effects and she said "You fart a lot". I asked about anything else and she looked at me like I was weird and said you fart cause your eating lots of beans and thats it.

Nobody else in the family had any other side effects other than farting.

Anyway I ate supper with them and it was pretty good. We had vegan burgers I dont know what was all in them but I know it had tofu in it. I am pretty sure its my first time eating tofu but I dont know for sure. They were kinda mushy and the texture was not to nice to eat but they tasted alright... nothing like meat though.

We also had mash potato's with some kind of special powder butter, and soy milk and they tasted great.

I really think when I get my own place, and am on my feet I may try going vegan. At least for a while. I could see me going on a low meat diet more likely though.

Man I am farting a lot already.


I live in the praries and I know what earthmother is talking about. Lots of people who live out of town have a few cows just to keep the land nice. Its not hilly here but its still easier than mowing and cow poop is better for your land then plain grass cuttings.

 

Whiskers123,

I know lots and lots of herbies ('vegans'). None of us fart a lot. I think that
has something to do with animal products in your system, and it will pass.

Regarding tofu: Most of the stuff at the stores is slimy crap. Find a local
or regional organic tofu maker. The difference is astounding.

Here's something about one such enterprise in my area:

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/producers/islandspring.html

There are a million recipes for "vegeburgers". I have fooled many
dedicated meateaters back when I cared about such things.

The need for the amount of protein and oil that you get with such
foods will pass.

Meanwhile, happy tooting,

Litlefoot

 

I've been veggie 4 3 weeks now.
I went through Thanksgiving w/o any meat, and it's hard!!!
I still don't really know what the fuck i'm doing, so if snyone here who is veggie, could help me out, that would be great.

It's hard going w/o meat. I've been only eating rice & salads mostly, and I'm sick of it!!!! I dunno what i'm doing, but i'm trying...