I've recenly been giving a lot of thought to my diet, and have finally decided that I wish to become a vegetarian. There are just a couple of concerns I have about it, and I was hoping for some advice. 1) How easy is it to refrain from eating meat, but still remain healthy? 2) I was considering becoming a vegan, because of the way that animals are so badly kept and treated in order to obtain their milk and eggs; does that mean that it's just as morally sound to be a lacto-veggie, but only eat free range dairy products? 3) I own leather shoes and several leather garments, surely it would be hypercritical to become a veggie for moral reasons and to continue wearing these? What do you good people think? Thanks a lot.
1) its very easy to refrain from eating mean and remain very healthy. meat isnt all that good for you but you can get the iron it provides from green vegetables and pumpkin seeds and all sorts. and there are so many nutritional guids available to help you. 2) people have different ideas about whats morally sound or not. in theory eating free range dariy should be nicer than eating non free range dairy but in reality its just the same old industry. you gotta make up your own mind. im a vegetarian for personal moral reasons and a vegan for political reasons. i decided that i had to become a vegan because even if i was to buy nice free range milk and eggs when i eat ice cream or chocolate or anything with dairy or eggs as a part of the igredients i dont actually know how the cows were milked or anything like that so i decided to cut it out. its been wonderful so far. 3) really depends what your moral reasoning is. i dont eat meat for moral reasons but would buy second hand leather or wool or silk etc because i think when things are second hand they become comodities because they loose their capital identities. when i buy a leather belt from oxfam ( a charity shop ), impoverished people get my £1.99 and i get a pretty belt. not too bad all round. and just because youve decided to become a veggie now doesnt mean you throw all your past away neccesarily, ie your leather shoes, that would be wastage. but i guess you gotta see how you feel. innit
easy, but you need to listen to your body and be reasonable. Woman and Man do not live on vegan chocolate truffles and tofu sloppy joes alone although they are good in a pinch! depends on from where your morals spring. I dislike heartily the treatment of chickens, so I don't consume eggs. It's not absolute, but I don't bother. Buying consciously is good no matter what your diet. We used to really know that Besie was our milk cow and we sold her son to the butcher. Now we know Elsie is a spokes-cow and her mate Elmer wants us to buy glue. I will support the ecologically-friendly dairy, for whatever my six gallons a year are worth... I make my own yogurt from it. My guess is in three years I will not bother with dairy anymore. I do seek vegan treats. I believe if an omni buys freerange critter, it is better than battery critter or feedlot beef. (note, most beef is feedlot finished. Look for "grass finished") I won't take away you badge or secret decoder ring ;P No problem with second-hand or previous life leather. I will buy second hand wool-silk, too. I think leather smells funny and own one pair of custom made boots (buffalo and elk) from a time when my then-friends hunted. I faced this again when I bought my djembe. I found the drum that spoke to me, goatskin hide. Quandary for me. I sat and thought for days about it, I had thought as a hypotyhetical issue, but now it was real (kinda like first dinner at in-law's for steak....um, how 'bout a potato?) My requirements were that" I would not settle for less than "my drum," the one the Drum Spirit wanted to speak through to me. I would endeavor to seek a synthetic head drum. I would not limit the Universe's decisions. I haltingly played this one for a few minutes and the world hummed around me. THis was IT. this was my drum. Now my choice was to obey the Universe or walk away, a decision I could not have lived with as drums are part of my spiritual path. I decided to get this drum. The clerk, not knowing my quandry, began telling me about the village that made the drums (as a warm up to care and feeding). The men make drums (it is unlucky for women to play in most of Africa) from the trees in the nearby forest, The goats are the dairy and meat animals for the tribe. The forest makes the area unsuitable for agriculture on any great scale, beyond substinance farming, and gathering and the goat meat heavily supplements that. Housing and schooling must be paid for. The village must make money. Did I "participate in the deaths of the goats?" Indirectly, and I have made some time and money commitments to help US animals. Do I contribute to more drummers wanting skin heads? maybe, but most drummers make their own choices. It's not always easy to live with that decision. I wish a synthetic head had spoken. But it didn't and I don't control everything. Good luck on your journey.
1) How easy is it to refrain from eating meat, but still remain healthy? Very easy, I must confess to eating a less than perfect veggie diet with no suppliements and have yet to drop dead or otherwise suffer ill effects. (It will be 18 months as of boxing day) 2) I was considering becoming a vegan, because of the way that animals are so badly kept and treated in order to obtain their milk and eggs; does that mean that it's just as morally sound to be a lacto-veggie, but only eat free range dairy products? Well that all dependends on where you wish to draw the line. If that how you want to live and can justify it (to yourself mainly) then that's fine. My personal choice is not to, mainly for health reasons, but there you go. 3) I own leather shoes and several leather garments, surely it would be hypercritical to become a veggie for moral reasons and to continue wearing these? Perhaps I still have leather items, because I'm abhor the waste of getting rid of perfectly good items then replacing them. It doesn't bode well with my eco-warrior tendencies eithier. I generally say it was a gift (totally true) and that I wouldn't want to be wasteful. All items will of course be replaced with compassionate subsitutes. Same goes for wool, down and silk (I don't do things by halves ) What do you good people think? Thanks a lot. You're welcome
1) very very easy. i take supplements like once a year if i remember to... and i'm just fine! 2) depends on your own morals really. that and how much you can handle at one time. i was vegetarian for about 3.5 years before i started thinking of becoming a vegan, and becoming vegan is a process for me; i know i can't just do it in a week and a half like i did with vegetarianism. 3) i wouldn't throw the stuff away if you got it before you started thinking about veggi-dom. the money has already been spent and thats the important part; you arent harming animals just by wearing it. if you really don't want it any more because it grosses you out then just donate it. there's tons of people who could do with it, and it's christmas time so there's donation boxes -everywhere- good luck with the veggi-ness!!
You know, I wrote a hugely long response to this post, but here's the real deal (and I'm a hard core Vegan): The best thing you can do for animals is to not eat them. The overwhelming majority of animals tortured and killed for human use in the world are animals slaughtered for food. Animal by-product industries, by and large, would not exist if people did not eat meat. Our attitudes and beliefs about animals are formed largely by the fact that humans eat meat. Our ethics are colored by the fact that we consume animal flesh. With a little common sense and research, you can live at least as healthy as a vegetarian or Vegan than as a meat eater. If you decide to become vegetarian, just make sure you are eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains, and don't replace too much of your diet with eggs and dairy because those products are still high in fat, calories and cholesterol. If you decide to go Vegan, ditto on the wide variety part, and make sure you are getting a reliable source of B12 (like sublingual B12 dots), and make sure you are getting enough food in general (you need to eat a lot more to equal the same amount of calories found in a meat-eater's diet). There are good books out there on vegetarian and Vegan nutrition. So my advice for now is to just not eat meat and not sweat the other stuff. If you want to add dairy and eggs to what you don't eat, great. But too many people fail as Vegans because they become discouraged by the plethora of hidden animal ingredients and all the little "sub-rules" of Veganism like not eating honey and not wearing silk. Just don't eat meat. You'll feel better for it, the planet will be better for it, and the animals will thank you.
(1) I was a meat-eater one day and a vegan the next. I've only been vegan for a few months now, but it has not been a problem so far. In fact, I was suprised by how easy it was -- although I still crave a steak or a bucket of fried chicken evey now and again, there are plenty of delicious things to keep me satisfied. And you (almost) can't help but eating healthier, so that's an added plus. (2) I personally disagree with some of the other posters and think, yes -- it's just morally as bad. In fact, if you are really just concerned with cruelty, eggs should be perhaps the very first thing you cut out of your diet (not meat), since battery hens are probably the most abused animals in our agricultural system. And dairy cows aren't far behind. In fact, apart from eventually being slaughtered (no picnic, granted), beef cattle generally live pretty good lives (especially organic beef cattle). So yes, from a cruelty perspective, dairy/eggs are just as bad and vegan is the way to go. Of course, do what you can do -- anything is better than nothing, and you have to make your own moral decisions. [Edit: oh sorry I misread your question - you asked about free-range. That is at least one step (much better than battery cage), and if that's what you are comfortable with then do that. But note that "free range" is an unregulated industry term that doesn't always mean very much. Investigate and you'll discover that many free range animals often still live terrible lives in atrocious conditions. Which is why I won't eat them. But every step helps, so just do what you can do. You don't have to be perfect (in fact none of us can be). This isn't religion (at least for me); it's about the reduction of suffering.] (3) I totally agree with other posters -- there is no (moral) reason to throw out second-hand items; it is just wasteful. Some vegs feel personally uncomfortable wearing leather, etc., so they don't, but I don't think that's a real moral concern so much as an aesthetic one. Good luck.
1) How easy is it to refrain from eating meat, but still remain healthy? Easy as pumpkin pie I consider myself healthy and last ate meat about 26 years ago plus i dont take any suppliments just get all my nutrients from my food 2) I was considering becoming a vegan, because of the way that animals are so badly kept and treated in order to obtain their milk and eggs; does that mean that it's just as morally sound to be a lacto-veggie, but only eat free range dairy products? check out http://www.vegansociety.com/html/ 3) I own leather shoes and several leather garments, surely it would be hypercritical to become a veggie for moral reasons and to continue wearing these? Where I do agree with others in some ways , personally I would give all my leather wool silk (if i had any) to the aforementioned charity shops therefore not filling up landsites with waste and buy vegan alternatives from the same shop
1) It's easy to refrain from eating meat. I don't miss it at all. There are a lot of great alternatives out there. As for healthiness, eat a wide variety of food. Remember that one serving is half a banana. So eating a variety doesn't mean eating more (although you can - that's up to you). Educate yourself. Read everything you can. Talk to people. Find a doctor that is understanding and knowledgable of being a vegetarian. 2) That's a tough one. Some people say that dairy animals are treated worse than meat animals. Some don't agree. Personally, I wouldn't go "cold turkey" off all animal products. You need time to adapt to your new diet and learn about the new kinds of foods that you'll be eating. You don't need to be a full vegan to help animals. I wouldn't label myself a vegan although I tend to eat that way. It's been quite awhile since I've had dairy. This is a decision you need to make for yourself. There is no right or wrong answer. 3) Some people may tell you that. Some people believe that it would be wasteful to throw away good leather products. You could use them until they wear out and then buy vegan alternatives. You could donate them. You could buy leather products from thrift shops and then the industry wouldn't benefit. It's really up to you. I think there is a "vegan diet" and a "vegan lifestyle." People who practise a vegan lifestyle won't wear, eat or promote animal products. Whereas people who follow a vegan diet see more grey areas. We can't tell you what to do. You have to decide what is right for you. And probably throughout your life that will change several times. I just hope that you read a lot about veg. nutrition, recipes, life.... so that you can take care of yourself. Good luck and good for you. Saje
it is extremely easy to switch from meat to vegetaian. there arevegetarin products made to taste like meat, to make this easier for people. i eat dairy products because im not vegan, although i should be, and i wish the animals that were for dairy werent then killed, but somtimes that's true. i'm slowly making the transition. it's hard to escape from leather. i try very hard to not wear it. i love my leather things, and they are irreplaceable and no vegan things look like them, but i must stop wearing them. i do not buy any leather, not since i became vegetarian, so now i still have my olod leather things. it's some-what hypocrytical, yes, but a little bit is better than none. free range is definetely better. jailed and then killed is horrible. being outside must be better. hm... i'm not a strict vegetarin yet. im slowly changing. soonil be vegan, i think
