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

When I first became vegetarian years ago, I recall an inveterate meat eater telling me they they never eat that "vegetarian rubbish." "Nothing wrong with a bit of meat".

Do you eat beans on toast? I asked.

Margarita pizza?

Macaroni cheese?

Corn Flakes?

So having something labelled "vegetarian" or "vegan" or even "gluten free" isn't claiming ownership of it. Its just telling you that these things are suitable for people who are looking for that kind of thing.

vegansrock There are very few carnivores (human) in this world, although many carnivore animals. I think some of the native groups in the far north my be close to carnivores,

Most people are omnivores and, animal protein apart, we get all get our protein from much the same sources. Beans and lentils, tofu, nuts and seeds. I think some grains are also rich in protein.

Many of these products can be mixed with meat to make more expensive, environmentally supportive meat feed more. the spaghetti bolognaise we had for supper last night included lentils as well as meat. In fact it is rare for me to serve meat without beans or lentils or other plant based protein.

I find these virtuous vegan versus the rest arguments very silly.

We all have an omnivore's digestion and can choose to eat what combination of food we choose from the range available to us. The factors influencing our choice are many and various, philosophical, religious, governed by allergies, personal likes anddislikes and many more.

My choices are governed by care for the environment and the welfare of the animals I eat. You, veganstuff, have decided not to eat animal products. Fine and good, but do not think that makes you superior to any one else. You have made your choices I and others have made ours, others still eat differently to both of us. We all make, or do not make, our decisions on our own grounds.

The one thing that does irritate me is any dish that does not contain animal products being described as vegan. For almost everyone the bulk of the food they consume in a day is plant-base. I see no reason why one group can claim ownership of food that is open and freely consumed by everybody, and noot exclusive to them.

Where did this great divide ‘in everything’ start ? I don’t remember ever questioning, poking fun or being hostile about differences until the last 20 years or so, now everything has to be them or us why can’t we all be accepted for our various beliefs and reasons without snide put downs why does it even have to be discussed why not just accept
Vegans get all preachy because they are poked, some of course think their way will save the world and become evangelical about it Meat eaters get all defensive and poke fun at vegans or make jokes about pretend meat

I can see so many similarities to Dr Susses s story of the Sneetchers clever man and very clever story and so relevant to today

One wonders where carnivores think herbivores get their protein from?

I don’t think you’ll get your dreamKartush since plants do not have brains or central nervous systems they do not feel pain or terror - those who would like to believe that are maybe only trying to justify killing and eating creatures that do. No one is perfect and all our choices have an impact on the environment, but surely we should try to do the least harm?

Accept that this is someone explaining why they are Vegan, but like a few others, also find it just a bit preachy. Each to their own, and I would never extoll being an omnivore to a Vegan.. in fact I've hardly ever seen that. Can't say the same applies the other way around.

What a strange thing to live for Kartush.

Do I think about the animals I eat. simple answer NO.
I am not a great meat eater but when I do eat meat I just eat it, no thought process no guilt trip just a meal.
Does that make me a terrible person, who knows.
Do I like the idea of mass slaughter houses, no, in a perfect world animals would be slaughtered humanely but this is not a perfect world.
I have killed animals, or at least been part of the process. I have skinned them plucked them scaled them and then eaten them. Did I cry over any of them, no not at all but I did make sure that they suffered as little as possible.
Personally I live for the day when scientists discover that plants are sentient beings too

Full on meat eater here. DH only eats fish/fowl. As therecl r only the two of us now I rarely eat red meat at home, I always have meat when we eat out.

I'm vegan - but not hostile to anyone. We get 'Why can't you just eat normal food? Why have a different takeaway? Why's Mum cooking so many things? Why are you so picky? etc. from the carnivores. I just find it all amusing. One grandchild has finally grown out of her milk protein allergy, thank Heavens. I often label things to avoid all the questions about what is vegan or vegetarian!

Some vegans on GN are hostile to omnivores Hetty58. In your family. How does the hostility manifest itself? Most of what I hear is lecturing from vegans rather than lecturing from omnivores.

Yes - life in the wild and nature are certainly 'red in tooth and claw'. That has nothing to do with human cruelty, though. The animals we farm are hardly natural creatures, either. They've been selectively bred to produce extreme amounts of meat, milk or wool.

Farming is either very cruel - or less cruel - but never cruelty free. The 'making the best use of land' argument falls flat on it's face - as soon as you realise how much less land is needed for vegan diets. That land could be rewilded instead.

Non vegans are angry simply because they suffer from cognitive dissonance (that upset inner conflict, uneasiness and troubling guilt) arising from loving animals - yet loving eating them too.

I see it in my own family, too - the carnivores are hostile towards the vegans, yet I cook for them all, they can eat what they like, to each their own.

dogsmother

Keeleklogger
For a minute there I misunderstood your post.
Well done.

In the UK we do not eat animals that eat other animals. This is why we do not eat cat or dog. Every country, every culture, every person has their own food shiboleths.

Our digestions have developed to digest almost everything leaving each to choose what they will.

Life in the wild is not a bed of roses for an animal. They can slowly starve to death or die of thirst, be attacked and eaten by other animals, die a slow agonising death from the pain of accidental damage oe illness.

NightOwl……
Yes of course hahahaha. How slow am I!

GOING vegetarian is good for the planet and does wonders for your sense of self-righteousness. Here’s what you’ll receive when you make the switch.

Abuse from meat eaters

Your new lifestyle will be taken personally by people who still graze on cows and pigs, so be prepared for some light-hearted jibes to come your way. Instead of letting their words roll off your ethically superior back, fight fire with fire and call them murderers. This will definitely make them change their cruel opinions.

A thank-you note from the animal kingdom

Once the last chunk of meat vacates your body, a note of thanks from the animal kingdom will drop through your letterbox. It’ll be indecipherable of course because they can’t hold a pencil and don’t know how to write, but it’s the thought that counts.

Permission to live however you want

Ditching meat is the best way a person can reduce their carbon footprint, meaning you can do whatever the f**k you want now, completely guilt-free. Nine long-haul flights a year? Knock yourself out. Don’t want to rinse plates before you put them in the dishwasher? You’ve earned that privilege. Greta Thunberg probably has a poster of you on her wall.

Chronic flatulence

Your new diet of beans and more beans will leave you bent double with trapped gas. Before long you’ll be letting rip constantly and creating a horrendous stink, which will take the shine off your high and mighty attitude somewhat. Much to the relief of everyone you know.

A packet of bacon rashers

Everyone says bacon is the food that will make you fall off the veggie wagon, so keep some in the fridge to build up your self-discipline. You could even try frying some in a pan to test your endurance, and maybe take a little nibble just to check that you definitely don’t miss it. How else are you supposed to know?

So I’m neither vegan nor veggie and I respect those who are for their choices. I try to always purchase meat and animal products ethically, use local butchers and have cut back on red meat.

No I wouldn’t eat my dog or cat ! And yes I feed them raw meat products.

I wish (some) vegans and veggies would respect my choices and I’ve been called a murdered more than once for my stance on eating and using animal products (I wear leather, wouldn’t dream of wearing real fur)

I genuinely believe that all things in moderation and actually have female veggie friends who’ve started eating small amounts of meat as they were missing out on some essential nutrients however my hospital consultant cousin, his wife and their two children are all vegans and all extremely fit and healthy as gave taken care to eat a very controlled , balanced well thought out diet, cycle everywhere and drink litres of water.

Its great that you looked after your animals in a moral way.

How do we make sure all farming is done that way so that all 8 billion people on earth get to have animal-based food raised under good farming practices?

I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian although I do eat meat free meals on a regular basis as I like the taste - the same reason I eat meat. As a former farmer, I find the sweeping generalisations of the "disgusting" way farm animals are treated quite abhorrent , as I'm sure any caring member of the agricultural industry would. We are not all meat/milk barons with thousands of animals, there are still plenty who lovingly tend their animals from birth to death, giving them names and caring for them as well as they possibly can. I realise it's cool & trendy to be vegan and the industry is doing its best to promote the lifestyle - of course it is, it's in its own interests. It does make me laugh to see vegan food pretending to be meat though - why?? If it6s that good, it shouldn't need to pretend to be something it's not. I'm afraid I can appreciate a lamb in the field or on the plate, I love milk and there's nothing to beat a good steak.

Nan99 It is the animals and the suffering they go through on Factory Farms.

There is an easy solution to that problem eat meat that isn't factory farmed. You can eat organic or Pasture for Life meat. Both come from systems that respect the animal and its natural habits, feed them only their natural foods and ensure that death comes as quickly and easily as possible.

^ When you think of the billions of animals on this planet that are raised and killed for food each year, you may scratch your head and wonder why we have this inefficient system of producing food.^

There is a very simple explanation. Over a third of the land surface in the UK is unsuitable for growing crops, itis too wet, too dry, too steep, too infertile. A host of reasons - and ths applies world wide. However almost all this land will grow grass and animal rearing is actually the best and most efficient way out of turning grass into food edible by humans.

Become a Jain. Been around for significantly longer than Christianity.

Jains don’t eat root vegetables such as potatoes, onions, roots and tubers, because tiny life forms are injured when the plant is pulled up and because the bulb is seen as a living being, as it is able to sprout. Also, consumption of most root vegetables involves uprooting & killing the entire plant.

Jain adherents walk with a broom to sweep clear the ground before they tread on it. This is done to avoid treading on insects and other small organisms, as this is seen as "treading on souls". Also wear a mask to inadvertently inhaling small creatures.

DO NO HARM.

The plants, obviously. Not the vegans!

They don't have brains.

Next?

How do you know that plants don't have a different nervous system to animals and can't feel.itvwhen they are pulled from their roots. Science is discovering new things every day. Its nature for species to eat other species. If anyone esnt to be a vegetarian or vegan it's their choice but don't try and put the guilt on others.