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I'm on the fence on this. Probably always will be. I eat various kinds of meat, mostly fish, chicken, and lamb. But I lonly eat meat about once a week, if that. Part of me feels compassion for animals and I'm sickened by the thought of butchering them. But at the same time when we use the whole animal and there is no waste (seen more in Chinese cooking), it shows the utmost respect for the deceased animal. Also watching other animals in the wild devour each other in grizzly ways makes me feel like we are biologically drawn towards killing to survive.
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I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian". That's crass but for me it's also true. I go many days sometimes without meat so you could say I'm conservative and try to keep my 'imprint' to a minimum. But I must admit that I love some good ol' meat. Especially raw or close to. I love my veggies too tho and there's not much I won't eat. I subscribe to the belief that you should learn to really be in touch with your body, listen to what it needs, eat what you want but only when you are hungry and only the amount it takes to satisfy the hunger. I have been practicing this philosophy now for two years and have dramatically reduced the amount of food I consume in general. I have lost 15 pounds. I have made it a way of life. Because it is not a 'diet' there is a great chance for me to maintain this routine though the rest of my life. Aside from my personal beliefs, I read an article a few days ago that outlined a study which shows that people who are strictly vegetarians have a less bone density and are more prone to osteoporosis.
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I think they're really healthy choices. Personally, I'm Pescetarian (I can't help loving sushi), and I believe with my family's line of heart problems that it will be better for me in the long run. As for the PETA stuff, I'm down with hating animal cruelty, but I do believe God put certain animals on earth for a reason, not just to be mindless creatures roaming about eating grass all day.
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I'm going to take a wild guess here and bet that the majority of vegetarians never worked on any farms so really don't have any first hand knowledge of how livestock animals are rasied apart from PETA pamphlets that only display the minortity of farm conditions. I'm also going to guess that since the majority of vegetarians never worked on farms they've probably never had any close personal contact with the animals they don't eat and most likely assume that farm animals are cute and cuddly like giant puppies. Correct me if i'm wrong.
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Neither are for me, but that's life. Vegetarianism I can manage. Sure. Whatever you like. Vegans... they're another story. It's just unhealthy, it's too time consuming, and I dislike the sort of people that it attracts.
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one problem a lot of people have with trying vegetarianism is substituting meat product with not meat copycats. they will not taste like meat. they will not taste good. people choose to use meat substitutes in meat dishes then quit the whole job when it tastes like crap. for a more successful attempt, make a all veggie meal. cut out meat and don't try to replace it. fill in the gaps with more vegetables, beans, grains and fruits. it's working well for me so far, and I don't miss meat after two and a half months.
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I am a vegetarian, and I encourag those who are considering it, to try it. Its much easier than it sounds. I had been considering making the switch for awhile, but never set a date, then one day i told my parents to make my dinner without meat and ever since then I have been a vegetarian. I encourage everyone to look into the background of their food, because meat eating has huge economic, environmental, ethical, and political effects.
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i think it's a matter of awareness...like if people knew the reality of how food gets to their tables, there might be a lot more veggies out there.. knowing what i do know---it feels right to me- it's not hard, and doesn't feel like a sacrifice.. i'm not judgmental- it's not for everyone..and realistically i think worldwide vegetarianism is just about as likely as world peace..but that doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for it. respect for animals and for the environment is happening on a larger scale and more people are spreading the knowledge.
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LOVE being vegetarian... won't bore y'all with the details, as this has been a topic much discussed. Tried being vegan for a year. Didn't work so well on a few different levels, so I stopped. Lacto-occasional ovo works perfectly well. Bottom line: follow your conscience. Do what you have to do. And respect your food, where(who)ever it comes from.
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I was a loose vegetarian for about 12 years; meaning that I occasionally ate some seafood or some chicken. I recently started eating everything, but for the most part I still consume a lot of veggies and fruit. Being a vegetarian was fine, but man did I miss honey baked ham!
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Lately I have been thinking about going vegetarian. I don't know if it's because I'm an animal lover, because I definitely am not. People have tried to convert me with videos of chicken butchers and feed lot horrors, and I'm left without an emotional response. Does this make me a bad person? Maybe so, but it's not something I can really help. I find that as I approach college, it will be much easier for me to avoid meats at school than it is while I'm at home. I know a lot of people warn of the horrors of the Freshman15, but I think I have the willpower to stay away from gaining weight. If I were to avoid meats, it would be much easier for me. My mom enjoys cooking huge dinners of pot roasts and prime ribs, and frankly, I love eating them. But it won't be the same while I'm away; whatever food is being served in the dining hall will not be served with the love my mother has baked/sauteed/broiled/stewed/sprinkled into everything she's made for me. If I really were to take the steps of becoming vegetarian, could I still eat what my mother serves me at home? Is there a such thing as semi-vegetarianism? Perhaps I'm too vain, and all of the real vegans and vegetarians out there reading this are becoming upset. After all, I wouldn't be doing this for anyone but myself and my own body image.
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I love it! I am vegetarian and I have no complaints! I have a very bad heart and weighed about 20 pounds over weight and I lost the weight and it helped my heart a little. I turned vegetarian because of my heart and because of my religious beliefs and am still loving it.
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I used to think it was cool, until I dated two veggies in a row-3 years of my life... Was quite a challenge admittedly- And I was bored stiff, from pasta, pizza an celery... Think it would be easier on both people if both are veggies...
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There are plenty of good reasonably priced options for me to eat. I'd rather not contribute to the maltreatment of animals for the sake of ease. This has come to include milk that is not organic since seeing a programme on milk production and how the cows are couped up like battery hens just to get as much milk out of them as we can. I do think we have a responsibility as individuals to animal welfare and to respect the earth.Why eat anything that has been disrespected? Personally I don't see any good reason. It also makes shopping much more pleasant and returning home there is nothing cruel in my shopping bags! It all works really well. Not only am I slimmer and fitter and have more energy but I think I am less cruel myself as a direct result of not eating cruel foods. It's all gone way out of line for the sake of laziness and society meanwhile is falling apart. There is a link between what we eat and how we live.
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I've been mostly vegetarian for 2 years now. I eat seafood occasionally at restaurants, but I don't eat any chicken, beef, or pork. The overall effect is that I feel better and I've lost a good amount of weight. It's also forced me to try a lot of new foods that I love now.
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I've been a vegetarian for over 6 years now but I continue to debate with myself over the same issue. I started out on a whim and continued with the idea of health in my mind. However, I don't think I could say that I'm any healthier than I was. I do support the concept of reducing CO2 emissions through reducing meat consumption, but in such a growing population, I feel like 3.2% of the population in the US doesn't make too much of a difference. In response to @Griz , I think the idea behind the "processed texturized vegetable proteins" is to make it easier for people trying to become vegetarian. It's also there for already established veggies to "blend in," so to speak, at BBQs, burger joints, etc where their carnivore friends like to enjoy their meat. All in all, I think that vegetarianism is a good way to go, but you have to work at it.
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Some of my best friends are vegetarians. I admire their strength and patience in view of the fact that we go to school in Rome GA and there isn't the best food selection for them. It does bother me though when hard-assed vegetarians try to make me feel bad for eating meat. I wouldn't judge the for not eating meat, but I have to imagine that some people would.
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