Vegetarianism

Question: vegetarianism? i am a vegetarian and tried vegan but i just could'nt do it. im really little 95 pounds... is it good for me to be vegan because i want to try again

Answer: try again.... vegan is always the heathiest.... If you can't do it all at once, try one thing at a time.... go slow....

Question: VEGETARIANISM!............................? ok i'm pescatarian and i reallllllly want to go full vegetarian. problem is my dad is huge in fish, and i'm 13 (14 next month) and i need protein and he makes me fish for special dinner. and i reallllllllllllllllly reallly like fish. and shrimp and all seafood. :/ should i set a date where i'll just give it up? like 15th birthday? i don't know what to do. help

Answer: im a full vegetarian, and it's really up to u. if u love fish, eat it. it's your body, so you have to decide what's right for it. good luck! and never doubt what you think is right for your body.

Question: How can libs claim that vegetarianism is peaceful when Hitler himself was a vegetarian? Doesn't that cancel out the theory put forth by the libs that vegetarianism is a peaceful alternative. The sickest mass murderer of all time was a vegetarian, so much for your theories about vegetarianism and a more peaceful world. Now excuse me while I enjoy my steak and don't go out and kill six million Jews. Once again, libs caught in a lie!

Answer: Hitler also NEVER drank or smoked and was highly against any of them and wanted them all banned. So wouldnt it be a good idea to START SMOKING AND DRINKING!!

Question: How do you respond to derogatory comments about vegetarianism? Obviously mostly coming from people who know nothing about the diet and its benefits. These are comments I hear on a daily basis from friends and family: "Vegetarianism is bad for the environment because it leads to overpopulation of animals." "How can you not eat meat? I could never give up meat, it tastes too good. You're probably going to get sick from lack of protein." "Vegetarianism is stupid and unnatural, we have canine teeth for a reason." How would you respond to any of these? I've tried the just leaving it go, but after awhile I just get sick of the comments.

Answer: It is best to ignore people who are rude.

Question: When Vegetarianism started in the Western countries? I am from India living in the UK at the moment. Vegetarianism was prevalent in India for more than 2500 years and generations together people were vegetarians may be because of many religions born in India advocated vegetarianism. I am wondering how long ago people in the West started to follow vegetarianism and why?

Answer: I think for as long as the West has been populated there have been people that didn't eat meat at all (for whatever reasons - not liking taste, didn't like seeing animals die, etc). There's really not too many statistics of vegetarianism that go back thousands of years, but more recently in the history of mankind (primarily in the last 2,000 years or so) there's been concrete evidence of it's existence. There's been evidence of Native Americans (not all, some) that ate a vegetarian diet and many famous historical figures - Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein and more. There just aren't very many statistics until the 1800's. Also, there hasn't been any completely concrete word or definition of vegetarian or any way to organize and to see how many vegetarians there were until the 1800's. A quote I found online for you: "On September 30, 1847, a group in England had the inaugural meeting of the Vegetarian Society. This original group of 140 free-thinking individuals publicly supported meatless eating. Their publication, Vegetarian Messenger, urged people to live and let live." There's a lot more about vegetarianism and it's history here: http://www.vegsoc.org/info/developm.html

Question: What are the pros and cons of vegetarianism? I read a lot of mixed information on vegetarianism. Studies showing it's healthy, studies showing it's not. What actually are the pros and cons?

Answer: You can be healthy on a veggie diet and you can get all the same proteins from plants and grains as you can from meat. There is no "special" protein that only meat has. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and dairy (unless vegan) and you will be very healthy. People do not need meat in their diet. Meat is unhealthy, IMO and you are better off without it. Of course not everyone will agree. Protein is found in many things, and actually plant protein is better for you. How do animals stay so healthy being vegetarians? You don't see gorillas eating meat and look how big and strong they are. You know

Question: What is the best way to break vegetarianism? I have been vegetarian all throughout high school, but i am planning on taking a few years off from it for college, which means i would have to start incorporating meat into my diet pretty soon. What are some good ways to break vegetarianism without pain? Are there any risks? Thanks.

Answer: If your college serves nothing that is vegetarian then you could get out for a while and drive to some food store or restaurant.

Question: Why is vegetarianism generally considered a diet, while veganism is considered a lifestyle? I noticed that not only does wikipedia have them marked like that, but most people consider veganism a lifestyle choice and vegetarianism just a dietary choice. Is there any distinction, or is this a matter of diction?

Answer: From what I've learned here, vegans are vegetarians whose views about human-animal relationship involve more than the former eating (or not eating) the latter "Vegetarian" is a simple word description of someone who does not eat meat (including poultry and fish/seafood) and slaughter by products such as gelatin etc. A vegan is a lifestyle that includes vegetarianism PLUS some other principles involving, as I've said, the human-animal relationship. For example, a butcher who kills and processes hundreds of animals a day is still a vegetarian if he/she does not eat any of his own product. A vegan (probably) won't even consider working in a slaughterhouse much less kill the animals her/himself. Personal reasons, moral, health, religion etc, as to why people are vegetarians, are not part of that description.

Question: Do you think vegetarianism is bad for the enviorment? Ever since I told my friend that I was a vegetarian, she makes up weird comments about it. IShe told me the other day that vegetarians are really HURTING the enviorment because we eat all the plants and leaves, which decreases the World's Oxygen. Do you think that is true? Why do you think Vegetarianism is Good/Bad for the enviorment?

Answer: It is DEFINITELY better for the environment to be a vegetarian. Yes, you're eating plants. But, before a cow gets eaten, what does it eat? Plants. And it has to eat plants all its life to convert them into the muscle tissue that people eat. I've read the statistic that a cow must eat 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of flesh. So, you can actually SAVE 16 times as many plants by just eating plants in the first place. Also, eating meat wastes more water. You must water and raise the veggies to eat them, yes. But, to raise a cow, you must water and raise veggies to feed them before you can eat them, while watering the cow itself. It takes 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef, but only 14 gallons to produce a pound of tomatos. There are enormous patches in the Gulf of Mexico where no life grows because animal wastes (from factory farms) are being dumped there. You might think animal wastes are good for the environment (like manure), but not in such mass amounts. In mass amounts, they're deadly. This really isn't a debateable issue. Eating vegetables is less detrimental to the environment than eating meat.

Question: Is there a correlation between vegetarianism and atheism? I've heard from some sources that there is a correlation between vegetarianism and high IQ levels. I've also heard that historically, some of our most brilliant minds have labeled themselves as agnostic or atheistic. Does anyone know if these two seemingly unrelated personal lifestyles have any correlation? I think it would make for an interesting study, so cite sources if you know the answer. Thanks!

Answer: I know plenty of vegetarians and plenty of atheists. I'm an atheist omnivore. The vegetarians are mostly veggie for religious reasons (E.G. Indians). The atheists (the openly atheist ones) I know are all omnivore. None of the atheists subscribe to the 'Fluffy animals shouldn't be eaten' point of view since it doesn't stand up to rational analysis, and people who are atheist are people who are great at rational analysis. That's why they're atheist. It is however an interesting question. It would be interesting to see a serious quantitative study on the numbers and qualitative study on peoples motivations for being atheist, vegetarian and any combination of the two to gain an insight into causation. This is where the magic combination of a 'grounded theory' study and a quantative study should be applied. It's a shame the journals pass on grounded theory studies a lot of the time, because they don't understand it. Since it is great at eliciting causation and quantitative studies establish the truth.

Question: What was the most weirdest question someone asked you about your vegetarianism? The weirdest questiono someone asked me was how i could get protein in my body. I was thinking for a whille and thought, all these unintelligent people! What was the weirdest question anyone ever asked you about your vegetarianism? Thanks for answering and have a nice day! Question? Let's make it an action too!

Answer: you don't look like a vegan.(i guess that means they think vegans are sickly and pale) My dad thinks I'm trying to lose weight(My BMI is 21 and I already have a really low bodyfat %,so I can't lose much weight,I'm not even chubby or fat.) What do you eat? Do you eat fish? My teacher pronounces it Vay-gun instead of Vee-Gun. Some people think I'm a hippie because I have kind of long hair and I'm vegan and I skateboard. What are you gonna do on Thanksgiving?(turkeys not the only thing there is to eat,they didn't even have turkey at the first thanksgiving. I usually bring my own lunch and my friends will always look at my food and be all curious and ask me what it is like they've never eaten rice or beans or vegetables or whatever. Do you work for PETA? Vegetables have feelings TOO! They assume everything I eat is organic,most don't even know what that is.I was drinking a capri-sun and they asked me if it was organic.There is no such thing as organic capri-suns. When they find out they get all suprised,they'll say "you're a vegan?" What do you eat for dinner,celery sticks? That actually came from a girl.

Question: What is a mean metaphor for vegetarianism? When I say "mean", I mean a metaphor which disagrees with vegetarianism. Saying how it is bad. Showing that the person disagrees with it. I'm not saying I think vegetarianism is bad. I'm writing an article for college where I have to show two views, good and bad. I was just having trouble thinking of a metaphor for the bad side.

Answer: You could call them weed-eaters. But why be mean? If you prefer flushing flesh, just do your thing and avoid the name calling. Health and well-being to you.

Question: What are some ways I can promote vegetarianism in my community? I've been a vegetarian for 2 1/2 years, and lately I have been thinking about promoting vegetarianism in my community. However, I'm not sure how I should go about doing this. I live in an extremely small town and go to a very small school. What are some good ideas? Thanks in advance. :)

Answer: Try not to be to preachy about it, but if the opportunity arises, definitely go for it. You could ask your local library if you could host a seminar on vegetarian nutrition for interested teens and their parents, or you could hold an all-veg bake sale. You may want to search the web for positive ideas, but stay away from PETA. There's nothing positive about protesting your local KFC.

Question: What about vegetarianism is better for the environment? Why do I keep hearing that vegetarianism/veganism is better for the environment. Can someone give some examples? Thanks!

Answer: It's probably repetitive, but I'll add it here anyway. "Not everyone realizes the impact that raising animals for food has on the environment. In the United States, more than one third of all fossil fuel and raw material consumption is used to raise livestock. - It can take up to 15 times as much water to produce animal protein as it does to produce protein from plants. According to author John Robbins in his book The Food Revolution, you could save more water by not eating a pound of California beef than you could by not showering for an entire year. - Animal agriculture contributes significantly to global warming by producing more than 100 million tons of methane annually. A single pound of methane has the same greenhouse effect as approximately 50 pounds of carbon dioxide. - Livestock operations generate roughly 130 times as much bodily waste as the entire human population of the United States, which makes its way into the environment without going through the sewage treatment systems found in our cities and towns. This untreated waste pollutes American waterways more than all other industrial sources combined. - It takes up to 10 pounds of grain to produce just one pound of meat. In the US, we feed more than 70 percent of the grains and cereals we grow to farmed animals, only a fraction of which is actually converted into the meat that people eat. The world's cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people - more than the entire human population on Earth. - More than 260 million acres of US forests have been cleared to grow grain for livestock. In the Amazon, more than 2.9 million acres of rainforest were destroyed in the 2004-2005 growing season to raise crops that were used to feed animals in factory farms. Up to 220 square feet of rainforest are sacrificed to produce just one pound of hamburger. - Due to the amount of land required to raise animals for food and the destructive effect livestock has on the land, animal farming is the leading threat to endangered species and the number one cause of species extinction in the US and around the world. - According to the Worldwatch Institute, the meat industry is directly responsible for 85 percent of all soil erosion in the US. So whether you decide to go vegetarian or simply cut down on the amount of animal products you consume, eating more plant-based foods is a powerful action you can take to help protect the environment. Finding delicious and healthy meatless alternatives has never been easier with the variety of options that are now available in supermarkets, health food stores and restaurants. In addition to saving vital chunks of rainforest, consuming less raw materials, saving water and generating less pollution, eating less meat can also provide significant benefits to you and your family. Leading health organizations agree that a balanced plant-based diet can support a lifetime of good health and can help protect against diseases such as cancer and heart disease. So the next time you go food shopping, think about the planet and buy green! Trying to buy as local as possible also helps. “We say that however close you can be to a vegan diet and further from the mean American diet, the better you are for the planet. It doesn’t have to be all the way to the extreme end of vegan. If you simply cut down from two burgers a week to one, you’ve already made a substantial difference.” - Eshel, an Assistant Professor in Geophysical Sciences"

Question: What are the health benefits between the different types of "vegetarianism"? Like lacto versus ovo versus pescaterian versus any others.... Is there one form of vegetarianism that's any better than any other? Is it better to go raw foodies, all natural (which may or may not include some "meats" like insects and wild-caughts). I am guessing it is best to go all veganism over all types of vegetarianism, and all-natural or vegan over most other diets.

Answer: Flexitarianism A flexitarian is a person who largely follows a vegetarian diet, but allows oneself to sometimes make exceptions for certain situations, such as for social occasions, pragmatic reasons or nutrition reasons. Semi-vegetarianism A semi-vegetarian is, in some ways, a person who is ‘almost vegetarian’ and can refer to: - a person who does not eat certain meats (usually red meat) but eats limited amounts of some other meats- a person who does not eat red meat- a person who is a flexitarian i.e. the 2 terms are sometimes used interchangeably This diet is sometimes used by those who wish to reduce the amount of animal food they consume, without totally being vegetarian, or sometimes as a transition to a full vegetarian diet. Lessetarianism A lessetarian is a person who focuses on reducing the proportion of animal flesh eaten, without fully eliminating it from his diet. Ovo-vegetarianism An ovo-vegetarian is a vegetarian who also eats eggs; the prefix “ovo” refers to eggs. Lacto-vegetarianism A lacto-vegetarian is a vegetarian who also eats dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese; the prefix “lacto” refers to dairy products. He is sometimes also called a lactarian. Ovo-lacto-vegetarianism or Lacto-ovo-vegetarianism An ovo-lacto-vegetarian or a lacto-ovo-vegetarian is a vegetarian who also eats eggs and dairy products such as milk and cheese. The basic rationale for this diet, I gather, is that animal food which is produced without causing death or suffering to the animals can be eaten. Another example of such foods would be honey. Some would disagree, however, as they feel that milking cows or making use of bees to produce honey would in fact be causing them suffering. Pesco-vegetarianism or Pescetarianism A pesco-vegetarian is a vegetarian who also eats seafood or sea animals, excluding sea mammals. They may also eat eggs or dairy products. He is sometimes also called a pescetarian. Pollotarianism A pollotarian is a person who does not eat all meat except poultry and fowl. Macrobiotic Diet The macrobiotic diet is a diet with many followers who believe in its health-promoting qualities. It contains mainly of unprocessed vegetarian foods such as whole grains, vegetables and beans. However, it is not a fully vegetarian diet as it sometimes contains fish. Sugar is avoided, and fruits are often also excluded or consumed in limited amounts. The macrobiotic diet stands out due to its extensive inclusion of sea vegetables, such as seaweeds. Su Vegetarianism A su vegetarian is a vegetarian who also does not eat the fetid vegetables, i.e. garlic, leeks, onions, scallions, shallots. Su vegetarianism originates from Hinduism. Fruitarianism A fruitarian is a person who eats plant foods which can be gathered or harvested without harming or killing the plant e.g. apples and pears can be eaten without the apple or pear tree dying. This includes fruits, nuts, seeds and some other parts. On the other hand, a carrot cannot be harvested without killing the plant. This is probably one of the strictest types of vegetarian diets around. Veganism Vegans do not eat any animal products at all, including eggs, dairy products, as well as processed foods which contain substances derived from animals, such as gelatin. Even honey is excluded. To a large extent, veganism is more than just a diet, but also a lifestyle – some vegans do not use any animal products at all, not even for clothing or other purposes. They would often also be against practices such as animal testing in laboratories and modern commercial livestock farming methods. A dietary vegan only adheres to the diet portion of veganism. Raw Veganism A raw vegan is a vegan who only eats raw foods. Some define a raw vegan diet as one which consists of unprocessed foods which have not been heated above 46 degrees Celsius or 115 degrees Fahrenheit. The rationale is that foods which are heated above this temperature lose a significant portion of their nutrients, and can even become harmful to the human body when consumed.

Question: Any good sources of unbiased information about vegetarianism? So, nothing from Peta or anything like that. I need concrete sources that are not biased but discuss about vegetarianism in length. I've been looking and I haven't found much. Anything will be appreciated!

Answer: Read the china study. It's clearly not biased because the guy who conducted the study ate meat and dairy his whole life.