Why are you a vego/vegan?

[Pobie]

Ok, I am seriously not looking for a fight here, I am really just interested. I dont have any friends IRL that are vegie to ask.

Is it the taste, the ethical reasons or for health?

I have heard all of the above before raised.

[tikki]

I'm not anymore but my main concern was for environmental reasons. Not just the greenhouse gas emissions produced by farming animals and the relative space to produce a said amount of product versus that needed for crops, but also the damage and erosion caused to our environment by farming hoofed herds that aren't suited to this landscape.

oh, health too, I don't digest meal well either.

I'm not vego anymore, but do try to choose meat that is more environmentally sound be it organic, free range or kangaroo. These choices also extend to my choice of seafood, which is actually in a far more critical state than most people would know

[johT]

firstly taste (never liked meat) and health - i believe we dont need to eat meat and its healthier not too
and i cant ignore the other bonuses - the ethics and environmental reasons

[Pobie]

I hadn't thought of environmental, makes sense though

[bamboogal]

firstly for me its a toss up between ethical and environmental for my number one motivator.

ethically i don't want another animal to die unnecessarily when there are so many other food options out there. ethically also, you can feed more people worldwide on a vego diet due to the amount of land used.

Environmentally there are a lot of websites that will tell you why meat is a eco baddy. i think there are a few threads in this forum too.

number 3 for me would have to be health. Just think of all the bad fats and toxins you're cutting out in one foul swoop, and vegetarian recipes are fantastic.

You're forgetting the 4th reason though which is money. this isn't really a consideration for us but vegetables are cheaper than meat i'm pretty sure.

[Kat-Pati]

was originally the hunger arguement, but now I use the 'taste' arguement (red meat doesn't have a good taste and mince is fattening and has a high HI) and the fact that many chickens sold in australian shops etc are abused in broilerhouses...

I like how vegetarian foods have no gristle. I know a few vegos and one day I may become 100% vegetarian (ie no fish) but I'd like to not eat gelatine food (because gelatine comes from cow bones...)

[Pobie]

See, I am glad I asked. I had never though of the cost sayings. We eat vego meals probably 4 or 5 nights out of the week due to cost and we dont honestly miss the meat.

Whilst we were away we cooked our favorite meal for 2 of the couples we were staying with, which happened to be a vego meal (roasted pumpkin, pine nuts, baby spinach leaves, olive oil, garlic, chilli and pasta). Whilst cooking it they both said, on separate occasions, "What meat are you adding?". I honestly have never thought it would be an issue for people not to have meat every now and then. So, on the 1 night we were doing our best to be nice and cook for them they both went and cooked their own meat cause we weren't adding any.

[bamboogal]

meat can be a really difficult thing to do without for some people. and it can be very odd to think of dinner without it. its why people wonder what vegetarians eat. simple answer is any dish minus the meat. extended answer is any dish minus the meat, plus a million and one other dishes.

your meal sounds very yummy.

[*~Melinda~*]

Originally Posted by Pobie

Whilst cooking it they both said, on separate occasions, "What meat are you adding?". I honestly have never thought it would be an issue for people not to have meat every now and then. So, on the 1 night we were doing our best to be nice and cook for them they both went and cooked their own meat cause we weren't adding any.

My DH used to ask about the meat, now he's used to not having meat a couple of nights a week. At the moment we have red meat roughly three times a week, chicken once and vego the other nights. I never eat much meat, I don't like the taste that much plus every time I think of the slaughterhouse I feel like throwing up...

DH's rellies freak if I don't cook meat, for them it's not a meal unless it's at least 50% meat! Yuck!!!

[cloud_skye]

I was veg and now I just don't cook it, buy it, keep it and avoid it. Sustainability was my motivation, crops versus raising animals for meat.....