Vegan/Plant Based Do you ever wonder about the animals you eat eat.

If we’re not intended to eat plants, it’s very odd that wheat, rice, maize and potatoes are staple foods for so many millions of people around the world. Or probably ‘billions’ would be more accurate.

Witzend

If we’re not intended to eat plants, it’s very odd that wheat, rice, maize and potatoes are staple foods for so many millions of people around the world. Or probably ‘billions’ would be more accurate.

Indeed.

Tweedle24

I am an omnivore, but very careful of origin of the meat I eat.

My sister has been a vegetarian for decades, mainly because she does not like meat. Her current complaint is that it seems to be a trend in a lot of restaurants to take vegetarian choices off the menu and replace with vegan alternatives. Whilst we can appreciate that there are some economic reasons for this, she, like many other vegetarians, often does not like the vegan options.

What do other vegetarians on here think about this?

I'm veggie, and have noticed that vegan appears more frequently on a menu. Vegan food is undoubtedly done best by a vegan chef, but most chefs are meat & fish eaters, and not much interested in the 'minorities'. Restaurant veggie food used to grim, but it improved. I expect the same will be true of vegan food.

Personally I'm fairly happy to eat vegan food.

Tweedle24

I am an omnivore, but very careful of origin of the meat I eat.

My sister has been a vegetarian for decades, mainly because she does not like meat. Her current complaint is that it seems to be a trend in a lot of restaurants to take vegetarian choices off the menu and replace with vegan alternatives. Whilst we can appreciate that there are some economic reasons for this, she, like many other vegetarians, often does not like the vegan options.

What do other vegetarians on here think about this?

I think it's fine. Vegan is so close to vegetarian - I assume a good chef can do either, and vegan covers both.

I easily cook extraordinarily tasty vegan food, I'm not sure what the issue between the two - apart leaving out obvious animal/fat?

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Reported

Nan99

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, not animals or plants. As such, animals, including humans, must obtain it directly or indirectly from bacteria. It can be found in bacteria-laden manure and unsanitized water, though we obviously should not be consuming either of those things.

And yet for humans the easiest and most absorbable Vitamin B12 comes from eggs, milk, cheese, meat and fish.

Wittering on about bacteria-laden manure is just silly.

Visgir1

MerylStreep

Nan99
Could you give it a rest with your preachy plant based advice
We are all adults here and very aware of how our food is produced. We can make up our own minds.

Agree.

Agree. We are descended from primates a lot of which eat each other chimps for instance. I don't advocate cannibalism except in extreme circumstances. Neither would I preach to the Vegans and vegetarians in the family how my ways are better.
Each to their own. Leave it alone.

Most primates eat meat very rarely if at all, although they will eat invertebrates. Chimps eat more meat than other primates but still rarely, and less than African Hunter gatherers. Please do not use other primates to support the human rates of meat eating, humans are an anomaly.

That was just a quick example . Humans eat meat because of evolution .. Darwin's theory", instead of trying to make us feel guilty ask the vegetarians and vegans what they feed their pets,
As I said before each to their own, live and let live.

I feed my rescue cat meat as she is an obligate carnivore . I feed my rescue dog an omnivorous diet. Animals are not killed to be put into pet food. It’s slaughter house and meat factory by products.
I’m a bit baffled by the live and let live comments. Each to their own but if a human is eating meat then they’re hardly letting others live. I think it’s more appropriate to say ‘each to their own’ and leave it at that!

Each to his own. Just that.

By others do you mean animals or do you think I have a freezer full of dead bodies. You make me sound like Birk and Hare.

As a cancer survivor I get fed up of ill-informed claims that particular foods or diets will reverse or cure cancer. Peach pips, coffee enemas, broccoli - no doubt there’ll be another one along shortly.

I’m afraid most freezers are full of bits of dead bodies, my own included (though not for me). We are including animals in our choices but they have none.

I still say that a heavily meat based diet is neither natural nor healthy for humans. Our digestive system and dentition have not evolved significantly differently away from other primates or from the Hunter gatherers we used to be.

You can say I’m preaching but who defines preaching? All I’m doing is expressing a view that is still a minority view.

Nan99

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, not animals or plants. As such, animals, including humans, must obtain it directly or indirectly from bacteria. It can be found in bacteria-laden manure and unsanitized water, though we obviously should not be consuming either of those things.

Thanks for that. Off to have lunch now.😏

Blossoming

As a cancer survivor I get fed up of ill-informed claims that particular foods or diets will reverse or cure cancer. Peach pips, coffee enemas, broccoli - no doubt there’ll be another one along shortly.

I bet you are Blossoming what will they come up with next I have a friend who is in the same position as you.
If we don't eat meat where do we get our vitamin B12 and iron that we need from? I personally don't like offal or pate with liver in them and got awful lectures from the Dieticians at anti-Natal classes.

It is clear than some diets require pill supplements to maintain enough iron and other needs. We moved to wild venison and other wild game a few years ago and now eat much less farmed meat than we did. But I think there are a lot of loose ends in the vegan and veg approach. Leather is not easily replaced for its hard wearing qualities - faux leather is a poor substitute in my experience - and plastic shoes generate a lot of waste in production and difficult to process when discarded. Wool is a far better insulator than much artificial material.

Thanks for raising awareness for the suffering of animals.

I haven’t eaten meat for years, I was raised a meat eater, growing up I was never comfortable eating a dead animal.

I do eat eggs, only certified organic, because the chicken feed doesn’t include animal by products that the non organic eggs include.

I think it’s great to raise awareness there are many benefits to not eating meat and so many more choices now.

Yes, there are many benefits to not eating meat - but not so many if you only eat ultra processed foods!

So true, I never eat processed foods, too many carcinogenics.

You can get vitamin b12 from Vegemite and nutritional yeast.

It was preachy. Also I would asked any vegetarian/vegan, if we don't eat meat, what happens to the climate, methane, if animals are to carry on producing offspring ad infinitum, with no interference from humans, we'll be overrun. Processed foods in abundance, plant based, and Nutrients lacking, B12 and omega fatty acids, in vegan foods causing concern.
Animal Farm anyone.

I’m vegan for the animals. Couldn’t go on in my life contributing to the horrendous suffering animals in agriculture go through. The main thing for me was the dairy cows. Having baby after baby stolen, crying out for weeks, coupled with mastitis pain & being dragged off to slaughter when she no longer produced milk. But male chicks shredded alive on their first day of life was another massive factor as were the sows in the tiny crates. I’m not preachy at all, but like all vegans if there is ever a chance of a conversation where I can put over the animals side of the story, then it’s obvious I will take it, as it may help many more animals. I so wish someone had given me the facts earlier.

I’ve never felt healthier with plant based & only take a B12 supplement.