I've read a couple of thoughtful posts about vegetarianism this week. One by @trevor.george and another by @trafalgar. I wanted to write some of my own thoughts.
I stopped eating meat in my 20s. I'd considered it for a while and had been cutting down. My own reasons were a mix of health, reducing animal cruelty and saving the planet. I think each of us has our own reasons for changing our diet, but it's going to be because we have thought about it. I believe a lot of people eat what they do out of habit. It's what they were fed as a child and they carry on like that. It may also be influenced by marketing from the massive food industry. I'm not a religious person who needs some old book to tell me what to do. I make my own decisions based on what I think is right for me and the planet.
There are some who argue that we evolved to eat meat and became what we are because we did. When humans had to hunt and gather food it was critical to get the maximum benefit, but now you can get all the nutrition you need for a week in a visit to the supermarket. Meat eaters do not have an evolutionary advantage any more.
If you are a top sports athlete then it may be hard to get the right nutrition without meat, but some do it. For most of us that is not an issue and we're actually seeing massive obesity everywhere as people just eat too much. Food is relatively cheap. We pay a premium for the vegetarian options, e.g. Quorn, and also for some organic produce. I should mention that I do choose to eat some fish. My kids have never had meat and my son stopped eating fish for a couple of years, but now says he may try meat. That's his choice. I just hope he thinks about his actions.
Unless you grow it all yourself that food comes from a massive industry that has a huge impact. Of course feeding billions of humans has to have an impact, but we can try to minimise it. Raising animals for food is very intensive on resources compared with crops. Some plant crops are causing big issues too, e.g. palm oil.
There's also the hypocrisy in our culture of raising kids with books about talking farm animals and then feeding them on those same animals. Our relationship with animals is very strange. I do keep some chickens, but they are not going to be eaten and I'll give them the best life I can. Eggs are part of our protein intake and we know exactly where they come from. Many people will ignore that their eggs come from caged chickens that probably never see the sun.
I don't expect everyone to give up meat, but do hope that they will think about their diet and other aspects of their lives in a larger context. We are the only animal on this planet that can do that, so it's a waste not to.
Bon appetit.
We are making crab legs and chicken today.
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Hi steve ,
Amazing post ! You have something different from others
Upvoted and followed
Keep it up happy steeming
God bless you
Glad to read you still eat fish. I just did a deep dive on the types of Omega 3 fats, would love your opinion on that if you get a chance to read it.
I have cut down a lot on meat, but will still eat poultry most of the time and once a month or so some red meat. For the most part I think the key is also avoiding industrialized or processed foods.
I think we need some variety, but it doesn't have to include much, if any, meat. Grow it yourself if you can
By reading your thoughts makes me wanna turn vegetarian! Nicely written ! Upvoted
I'm happy if I made you think about it. It's your own choice
Being a chef is quite difficult but on the other hand to be veg has a deep positive impact on ones health ! Hmmmm
meep
I said cut the meat, not the meep!
MEEP!!!
meep
I have been contemplating being a vegetarian for some time now like you i have cut down on meat and someday will be either vegetarian or pescatarian like yourself thanks for sharing. Upvoted and followed ;)
I think more people are considering it. It should be good for your health and the planet
I absolutely agree, at our current rate it is no where near sustainable.
Interesting thoughts. I just came across this article titled
The #1 Killer In The US: The Heart Disease Rates of Meat-Eaters Versus Vegetarians
which is pertinent to this discussion from a health perspective.
Personally, I still add meat but at greatly reduced amounts compared to previous years. A non carnivore diet is also advertised as an example for healthy living in the Book of Daniel, where young Hebrews in Babylonian captivity are refusing the kings meat diet in favor of vegetarian cuisine. As a result, they thrived and were much healthier than those who consumed the royal wine and meat diet.
ch @globocop
Veggies may live longer because they have a better diet generally.
You mean live...longer :) ?
Oops. I guess you eat longer if you live longer. Corrected. My brain and fingers work at different speeds
Wow - a reward for getting out of this one.... 😋
I haven't eaten meat in a few years now(4 or 5) and since 2 years vegan. I do it for the animals. I had a dog (BullTerrier) from puppy till he died at 14 years old and he made me think about the whole thing. I loved him very much and then i started thinking about the other animals, how hypocrite I was by loving him, eating those others and in the mean time calling myself an "animal lover". So i first became vegetarian and later on tsu @ileniagen convinced me to go vegan and I love it. But people must do what they think is right and good for them, but also face the consequences... A lot of people don't understand the impact of their actions and blame others for the stuff they pay for.
Good for you! Some of my meals are vegan, but I'm not sure I can go all the way.
That is what i thought as well, but Ilenia convinced me and on tsu there were some vegan bloggers with amazing recipes. I never ate no eggs anyway(allergic) and also fish was never on the menu here, I only had to quit cheese and other dairyproducts. Was hard in the beginning, but after a few weeks I was used to it.
I hope you feel better on it. I do like cheese, eggs and fish, so it's hard to give them up.
I feel great. I always bought at local organic farmers my cheese and milk, those were very good products and I think that is the second best thing to do, I really don't trust those multinationals anymore with my food. My mom always had vegetables in the garden, so I am used to real food and I feel crappy when I eat supermarket food for a longer period. I do eat crappy stuff every now and then, but most products are chemical kits these days, I don't like it. No taste and no nutrition.
Bang on Steve! I've been vegetarian all my life and completely agree with the logical points you make in this post. All the counter arguments I've heard against vegetarianism could be described as clutching at straws at best. I think people like to bury their heads in the sand and pretend they aren't making immoral lifestyle choices.
That's great. Even my parents are cutting down on meat now. It seems some people just want to be contrary and will go on about how great meat is. I'm more concerned with reaching those who have not even thought about it
@cataincanary -
This is one of the point i was trying to make in [my post'(https://steemit.com/vegan/@trevor.george/on-veganism-vegetarianism-and-that-whole-meat-thing) - why does there need to be a counter argument?
Why does being a vegetarian have to be wrong?
It's like arguing that wearing shorts is wrong. Trousers or shorts, it's your choice. Both are valid means of keeping your bum warm. but you don't see short wearing people telling trouser wearing people that they are wrong.
A thought provoking post, Resteemed!
Cheers. I aim to provoke thoughts
Nice post. Most of my family members have become vegetarian :D. But i couldn't .I think i should slowly cut down the amount.
I think most people could cut down on meat. There's lots of tasty alternatives
I was thinkin about it couple of month ago. To lessen the impact on the nature but it's still very controversial..
Giving the best life to chickens at the same time eating their eggs..
Being in a restaurant ordering a vegetarian meal and having great conversation with a friend who enjoyes tasty ribs..
It can't be helped anyway..
There's some great veggie food out there. I do eat some 'fake' meat products, but they are just part of my diet. I'm not much of a cook.
I tried being a vegetarian for 1 full month but couldn't carry on the plan 🙈 😁
But your post is just tempting me already to join the vegetarian bandwagon again.
You can at least cut down on meat. There's really no rules, so do what feels right and enjoy your food
I am doing that already! Many thanks for your gestures and kind words! Much appreciated!
Im upvoting you and following, nice post. Thank you.
Meat eaters do not have an evolutionary advantage any more - damn, so true! I also heard an argument - look at human-like apes, they have big teeth, so they eat meat! OMG... Impressive knowledge in biology:(
About chicks, by the way. My mother (@animal-shelter) has the same vision as you do. She has a goat, she takes care of her - so the goat gives her milk and they're both happy. She has chicks, she takes care of them - and they give eggs. Fair enough:)
That's a well-reasoned way to look at it. Food is so tied to how many people identify themselves and how they identify 'others'. It can be such a sensitive subject!
I'll start by saying that am not going to give up meat, but it is something I though a lot about mostly because I love to cook. I live a bit further North than you (Denmark is about at the same latitudes as Scotland) and an industrial tomato grown in Denmark takes more energy than a Spanish tomato even if you include the transport. For homegrown tomatoes and most other fine vegetables we only have them in June and July - cabbages, apples and potatoes come in the beginning of the autumn and are obviously good to store. Kale is a special favourite as it can be in the ground even though the temperature is below zero. It's used for Christmas lunch served together with yes... pork.
I know that it is a philosophical fallacy to say that something is natural (because when you think of it everything is) but you can have a feeling of what is natural. To me it is to fell that I belong in the landscape where I live, and the further North you go the more important meat-eating is. I have been to Greenland a couple of times and cooking there was very interesting and hard because all plant-food has to be imported (except once a year where they eat a kind of grass or reed that tastes of ... well basically nothing). But to them it is a delicacy maybe becasue it gives them a second way of obtaining vitamin C :)
But I do use a lot of vegetables, and out of the short season only things that is grown here and can be stored. Potatoes, meat and gravy is simply to boring (and unhealthy). Only sometimes in the spring I use imported greens as this season is the most barren. It is first in June that we have the first edible plants that are not grown inside...
I appreciate that it's not so easy to grow food in some regions. Some cultures in the far north don't have much other than meat and fish to eat. We can grow a lot where we are.
However, for many people what they eat has little to do with where they live and their food comes from a massive industry. They can get any food they choose, so they should use that choice wisely.
Sure, I think that that is exactly why I have thought about it at all. We can buy Peruvian plums in February - perfectly reasonable our technological level taken into consideration - but I still fell that there is something amiss. It's not a rational way of thinking but more an intuitive - I have let my children see animals slaughtered, and they know how to kill and gut a fish even though they are big-city girls. We also grow some tomatoes and chili and other things on the balcony so they can see themselves how plants evolve. (And to be honest it is soothing and fascinating for me too :) It is part of the way I view the world and the basics that I want to bring to my children - but meat is still one of them... I mean nobody would have survived here without the pig :)
We are making crab legs and chicken today.