I invite you to share your reasons for and against going vegan

Why go vegan?

• Act in alignment with my belief that animals have the right not to be exploited for none-essential products
• Limit as much as practically possible my contribution to cruelty to animals
• Reduce my carbon footprint by not paying for products which are driving the leading cause of deforestation (which is land for growing crops such as soy, which is mostly used for cattle feed)
• Not consume dairy and meat which is increasingly being shown to be carcinogenic, as well as high in protein, cholesterol and fat, which is associated with most diseases seen today, including heart disease and diabetes


Why eat a cow but not a dog?

Why not go vegan?

• Keep traditions which are socially acceptable, so as not to become different to everyone else, potentially leading to awkward situations with family and friends
• Continue enjoying foods which I was born eating, and don't want to give up, because they taste good to me
• Because animals are below humans, they shouldn't have rights like us, and should be used as a product, as long as their life is taken in a way which is fast and they live a good life
• I think its healthy, despite the contrary evidence, I still can find other scientific evidence to support my view, which I trust.

sorry bro im gonna stick to eating dogs

Lark wrote on 7th January 2022, 12:18 PM:

sorry bro im gonna stick to eating dogs

It'd be nice to see your opinion on for and/or against, if you'd take the time

I like to eat meat. Though there are many issues with the whole animal farming industry like inhuman living conditions for animals. The animals definitely deserve better so it pays to buy locally sourced products even if they’re more expensive, though you should still do some research on the brand to make sure the animals have good living conditions. I have the biggest issue with how the chickens live in those factory egg farms, a lot of them don’t have enough room to even turn around and some of the stuff they do to those birds is just disgusting. So instead of buying eggs in a grocery store we get them from someone we know who has chickens that free range. Not all of farming is cruel and evil. There are a lot of farmers out there who try their best so their animals can have good lives but there are also many that give the industry a black eye and just see their animals as dollar signs.

A lot of ethically raised meat and eggs can be found at farmers markets, along with organic fruits and vegetables.

Damen wrote on 7th January 2022, 12:19 PM:

Quote:

Lark wrote on 7th January 2022, 12:18 PM:
sorry bro im gonna stick to eating dogs

It'd be nice to see your opinion on for and/or against, if you'd take the time

Very well.

Why I think meat eating is good

1. Contains lots of protein, and nutrients.
This one is obvious, but according to meatpoultrynutrition, protein occurs naturally in meats like steak and chicken, while it is found in beans as well and some other vegetables, meat is a broad avalible source, which is easy to purchase and produce and tastes great.

2. Bone Protein
Meatless diets have been shown to give off less calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B-12, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. Most of these are abundant in animals like fish, but since going vegan stops you from eating those products, your bones will have less strength.

Only meat I actually like to eat is chicken but I could see why someone would be against eating meat. The animals feel pain while dying and it's cruelty.

Some of the reasons I do eat meat though are that I like to work out and for that, I need to gain some weight if I wanna put on more muscle. For this, I need meat because that will help me achieve the calorie and protein intake I need for the day. (which is a lot) I don't think I would be able to reach the goal if I wasn't eating meat.

Also it tastes mad good so yeah

As for animal cruelty, this is why I only eat halal meat. Meat is halal when a ritual is performed before killing the animal. It also must be killed in a way that it does not feel any pain while dying. This obviously still means animals are dying for humans to consume but it is much better than killing them very gruesomely and torturing them in factories before they end up on our plates. The thought of eating something that was tortured for us to eat just doesn't sit with me right.

I'm not against Veganism, I don't have a problem with people dedicating themselves by going through a very healthy lifestyle that not only is good for them, but good for the environment and whatever mother nature produces.

And to be fair, growing up, my dad made sure I ate the right fruit and veg (obviously not that well because i got fat)

As of now, Since I work at a very physically demanding job, my body requires any type of nutrients with a lot of energy to keep me going. Eating Vegan food doesn't usually supply me with the right energy because I'm constantly burning calories through lifting heavy things and shifting them back and forth

But on conclusion, I'm not against veganism, only the type where people storm into KFC's and pretend to be a chicken in a slaughter house or something like that if you catch my drift.

God Dammit, I want to use my scientific knowledge BUT I CANT.

@damen I eat kosher, We don't put bullets when we kill our animals and eat them, it's easy and painless when we kill them

i don't eat red meat, pork or anything else of that sort because i don't like how it tastes
chicken is addicting
i don't like messy food
vegetables / fruits / etc. are my go-to for eating, sofritas tastes like fajita mixture to me but without the meat

i understand your point and i agree with some of it. animal abuse is disgusting and i believe that anyone who practices it should be charged to the fullest extent of the law where they live for harming animals that can't defend themselves properly.

here are my thoughts though-

i don't think everyone is cruel to animals, i live surrounded by tons of farms and they treat animals as well as they possibly can. my grandparent's patio has its own insulation and is full of cat beds / mattresses and stuff and there's tons of food and water bowls and heaters for wild animals. my grandmother didn't want to see them suffer in the cold or without a place to stay so she did that, i've gotten to see tons of creatures up close like wolves, coyotes, foxes, possums, etc. while staying completely safe. they also know there won't be any harm, one of the cats we took in used to come all the time and one day she brought other cats with her so they definitely communicate in some way like ''hey, this is the place to go'' or something.

I think people should be allowed to make their own decisions on what they eat / what they put in their body. it may not be agreed with but you can't exactly dictate what a person eats or how they eat it, it's up to them to make that choice. if they want to eat meat, alright. if they want to go vegan/vegetarian, cool. i don't like when i see people going off on others for what they eat, they automatically label them as supporters of animal abuse and that's a horrible thing to say, especially when its not true.

not saying that dog / cat are good things to be eating but cuisine is different everywhere. what you eat in one country may not exist in another, or it may be entirely different. just as they eat burgers in america, snails in france, spider in cambodia and melitzana in greece. i think it's a good thing that everyone has such a unique taste because even if you don't agree with some of what they eat, it's normal to them and you can't really change that or force them to eat like you. not saying that you're trying to do that, i just mean that people should be able to eat what they want.

when im older i want to grow my own herbs and stuff and buy fresh. i don't want to go into a store unless i absolutely have to. i feel like things that come from nature taste way better than things that come from the store. i want to have my own cafe where the food is completely fresh and organic, and i want to open a hospital that feeds its patients correctly and doesn't add onto their poor health. hospital food sucks, that's a globally known fact. and i want to change that. and i think the only way to do that is to change what kind of food they're providing for the patients.

i want to say something because you made really good points-

Because animals are below humans, they shouldn't have rights like us, and should be used as a product, as long as their life is taken in a way which is fast and they live a good life - whoever truly feels this way clearly has never met an animal before because there are TONS of animals who are just as smart, if not smarter, than humans. most species of primates use rocks and other objects to open tough nuts. octopus can open jars, have extremely great long-term memories and can learn how to do things the minute they're born. dolphins are extremely self-aware and can understand abstract situations. when i was in bermuda a few years ago we went swimming with dolphins and there was a lady in our group who was pregnant. one of the dolphins wouldn't leave her side; he would constantly boop his nose on her stomach and would get aggressive if another dolphin came too close to her. they had to separate him from her because he wouldn't leave her alone.

I think its healthy, despite the contrary evidence, I still can find other scientific evidence to support my view, which I trust. - meat is rich in protein and vitamins which play a crucial role our anatomical structure. the plethora of minerals it gives you support your cells and bodily tissue. eating meat will supply you with the essential acids that are needed for good health. dairy is full of calcium which help strengthen our bones. you say that meat is a carcinogen and is associated with a high percentage of cholesterol and fat, but that's only in red meat. red meat has been proven to be high in saturated fat. there isn't enough research to prove that meat is a carcinogen, the only cancer they've determined it can cause is colorectal cancer which is extremely rare considering the risk is about 4.4% for men and 4.1% for women. obesity is mainly the cause for it, but you can get obese from way more than just meat so its unfair to blame it on something which helps much more than it does harm.


but yeah. just my opinion.

sources:

https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/wellbeing/healthy-eating/nutrition-facts/is-meat-good-for-you
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/meat-important-7213.html

Great responses guys. I've read them all so far. It's a really good topic to debate, since everyone has to take a side of their own since we all eat food.

I'm very passionate about the health side of things. I've found that there's countless articles on both ends of the argument, to support either side.

What convinced me that I can be healthy without dairy/meat are the doctors (especially Dr. John McDougall) who've really brought out the scientific research over the past decades as well as archeological evidence from thousands of years ago to back up a starch based diet. If you're interested: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/feb/starch.htm & also Plant Based News on youtube is good if you want to try a vegan diet out.

But yeah... because Im convinced that, as the American Dietetic Association said in a peer reviewed statement: a well-planned vegan diet can “support healthy living in people of all ages”, I don't see any necessity to eat animals. Therefore, I can't morally justify taking their life for something I don't need, regardless of how they die or the quality of life before death. So thats my choice.

Ofc, let each one make their own choice. I think its healthy to talk about the issue, since we should all be able to defend why we are either vegan or not.

I'm personally against it because the diet starves out necessary proteins and vitamins found in meat products, as Kace has listed down here and also because I think the animal morality argument is taken a bit too literal when it comes to slaughtering them for the meat.

At the end of the day, we have to accept that we humans are on top of the food ladder for a good reason, there's nothing that we can't kill for consumption (even if there are predators that can take us down, we can do vice versa). We shouldn't think like animals, because that's going against our nature as humans: over all these years we've survived on hunting and gathering animals.

If you want to decrease the carbon footprint of meat consumption, the correct way is to localize production within your country's borders, at the cost of paying more. One contributor to climate change in that department is transportation, it's less about eating meat itself. This accounts for other livestock, fruits, and vegetables too.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/7-dangerous-side-effects-of-vegan-diet/photostory/77717097.cms?picid=77717111

As much as I want to be vegan I kinda grew up being a picky eater and I'm not keen on too many vegetables/fruits but it's getting a lot better than what I used to be and I do enjoy salads now. I have always had issues with weight/being underweight and I don't think being vegan right now would really help me gain what I need to gain but maybe if one point in the future I can get to that I would love to have a healthier lifestyle and maybe avoid meat more as well due to the issues with inhumane killing of animals. I do prefer products that are cruelty free though if I can get it because why not.

Lark wrote on 7th January 2022, 12:18 PM:

sorry bro im gonna stick to eating dogs

Golden Retriever >>>>>> Pitbull anyday bro

I’m replying to this cuz I have no friends and nothing better to do.

I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, which means I don't eat meat, poultry (chicken or any type of bird), seafood (fish included), but I allow myself to eat eggs and products that contain dairy. I went vegetarian because of my morals. Before I changed my eating habits, I would sit down at the dinner table staring at my plate that contained the leg of a chicken and started to think about a video I have seen before about the conditions these chickens were raised in and the process it went to before arriving on my plate.. So in short, I became a vegetarian because of my morals and I couldn't/can't stand the thought of the process this meat went through to get where it was that day. I won't lie, the food tasted great, but only until I became aware.

But, with that being said, everyone is different and everyone has different morals and beliefs. I'll list the pro's and con's for being a vegetarian (I'll get to the vegan part later).

Pros:
~ I feel cleaner now that I cut off all those meats.
~ Depending on your specific diet, you may choose to eat some foods over other foods. As long as you meet nutrient needs, you will be healthy.
~ You can find protein in anything, not just meat! This includes legumes, soya beans (or any type of beans), quinoa, nuts, seeds & grains, dairy!, eggs (if you eat 3 eggs a day), and fish (if you're a pescatarian).
~ Lowers blood pressure. This is because plant based foods are low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol, all of which can increase blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables also contribute to lowering blood pressure as they contain potassium, which is known to help lower blood pressure. The lower your blood pressure, the lower the risk is for heart disease and strokes.
!! But it is important to maintain and fuel your bodies with the right nutrients, because without it, your blood pressure will drop to a point where you can faint !!

---

Cons:
~ I noticed that when I first became a vegetarian, my body craved carbs. So I was eating junk food (chips, pasta...., pasta...) like crazy. It's common with vegetarians to deal with this. That's why people can gain weight when on the vegetarian diet, instead of lose weight (some people think vegetarian diets help you lose weight). But this can be easily fixed with a routine that would soon turn into a habit.
~ Vitamin deficiencies. A lot of vegetarians lack vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids, that can only be found (naturally) in meat. But this can be easily fixed with supplements!

With all of that being said, here is my opinion on being a vegan.

I don't like it.

If someone comes up to me and says they're a vegan, I take that as a red flag. This is mainly due to the stereotype built around being vegan. A lot of vegans that I know tend to be pushy people and try to force their lifestyle onto others (a perfect example: that vegan teacher..). Obviously, not all vegans are pushy, but because of unpleasant experiences, I would rather not surround myself by them.

Another stereotype for vegans is that they're healthy people... which is a complete 180 from the truth. Most, if not all, the vegans I know have poor health. They have hair falling out, pale skin compared from the color they had before, and did I mention.. hair falling out? That's a big no for me. When you're vegan, you completely eliminate your options. Eggs? No. Dairy? No. Well, there goes two major products that contain protein. Cheese? No. What? You're fricking crazy.

I understand vegans when it comes to morals, but we’re human and it’s natural to want to eat meat (just like a wolf would eat a deer), and other products that come from animals (milk, eggs; human’s have been eating that way for hundreds of years).