Vegetarian (long)?

I read a long time ago about how animals are treated cruelly in factory farms and it bothered me so I stopped eating meat. I still, however ate cheese and drank milk. My mom convinced me to eat free range chicken and I guess I don't have a huge problem with fish. However I always find myself grappling over whether or not I should eat meat at all. I think that some vegetarians overlook the reality that we are a part of nature and, in nature animals eat other animals. Even if we don't eat meat, we are eating plants and probably traces of insects. When we die, in some way our decomposing bodies give back to the system. We end up nourishing the soil that allows the plants to grow that other animals eat. But, I do have a problem with the fact that I would emotionally have a hard time tracing back the origins of the meat I eat even if it is "free range" or "cage free." What do you guys make of this? Also, does a vegetarian diet give your body enough nutrients to grow?

Vegetarian (long)?
"Free range" pretty much means nothing,it's simply for labeling purposes.It basically just makes more money because people who actually care about animal welfare believe that animals are treated better.When it comes to free range,all it means that they have to have access to outdoors,they don't even have to be raised outdoors,that is the only guideline set forth for free range animals.Humans are so far part from nature,so that isn't really valid arguement to eat meat.Animals in the wild eat meat out of neccesity,if they didn't they wouldn't survive.





Free range:


http://www.upc-online.org/freerange.html





http://www.cok.net/lit/freerange.php





“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”





“Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.“





-ADA’s and Dietitians of Canada position on Vegetarian and Vegan diets
Reply:I became vegetarian for the same reasons, and for environmental issues- but I am not against eating meat per se. I just won't eat animals that have been abused because it does affect my own body. This is not a question in my mind. Free range or eating meat from farms that are ethical in their treatment of animals should be ok.





Primates eat proteins (10% or so of their diet) and they are physically close to us - they get it from insects and the like.





The Jains in India do not eat meat and are a strong people. The protein recommendations are excessive. We do not need that much protein!
Reply:i have been a vegitarian for 3 years and i just stopped cuz i got health problems its no good to be that way ur body cant take it well yea im eating animals but its not like if i was not eating them it would change ne thing they will still kill them and people will eat them theres no way of stopping it its a way of life get over it
Reply:Well, I would say eating free range is better than eating from factory farms, however, ethically I personally still have a problem with free range. 1) There are no goverment regulations on what constitutes free range. Mostly I've found that it's a gimmick. 2) Even the chickens that are truly free range still die. I think most vegetarians are with me when I say there is no reason to make an animal die peacefully or non-peacefully for food or taste. 3) With free range a lot of people say, "but they're life was put to a good use and they lived well before then." To that I say so if a happy 70 year old man is shot dead (pretty humane if you ask me) does that mean it was ok to shoot him?


It is true that in small ways it is impossible to be 100% vegan. I'll use another analogy: If humans are killed anyway through accidents and other unfortunate things of life, does that mean we should quicken the process and start killing everyone? It is best to make the concious choice to save as many animal lives as possible.


Life and the earth is a circle, however certain animals are designed to eat meat and humans are not carnivores. We have molars that are good for chewing and grazing. We also don't have the enzyme that allows us to eat meat raw, which a vital charateristic of a true carnivore.


And finally, yes, a vegetarian diet has all the nutrients you need to grow. Be sure to eat a variety of grains, legumes, vegatable, and fruit, and you will be much healthier.


Hope this helped.
Reply:If you eat cheese, you may want to choose rennetless cheese. Rennet is an enzyme from the stomach of a cow. A dead cow.
Reply:same here i was wonder the same thing


when i was 6 yrs old, i stop eating meat same season i feel sorry for the animals %26amp; became vegetarian, and yes don't had any trouble growing up
Reply:If you're worried about health, then don't. I've been vegetarian since birth and I'm 5'7 and an ideal weight. Never had any problems with overeating or anorexia like most of the other girls my age. You can get plenty of protein from eggs and dairy (if you eat these...I would reccomend you get organic because the horomones are bad for you), beans, whole grains, nuts, etc. Most people in America get far too much protein which is hard on your kidneys. If you eat eggs and milk and make sure you get plenty of leafy greens for iron you won't even need to take vitamins. If you do take a vitamin, however, be sure to get a vegetarian formula, not only to be sure there are no animal ingredients in there but because regular multi's are formulated for the typical American diet and you will get overdoses of vitamins like A and C.
Reply:the fact that other animals eat animals is null when you apply it to humans, unless you're running around the forest killing your own food. we are so far removed from "nature." getting a plucked and wrapped chicken from a grocery store is extremely different than a lioness chasing down a gazelle.
Reply:Yes, it is natural for animals to hunt one another. Yes, humans are animals and we are capable of eating meat.


However, we are omnivores trying as hard as we can to be carnivores. Many people eat too much meat, and it's horrible for our bodies. The health risks of eating meat outweight the benefits--I'm healthier as a vegetarian than I ever would have been as an omnivore, and I'm much happier.


There's also the fact that we are very intelligent animals. We are capable of thriving on a vegetarian, or even vegan, diet. We are perfectly capable of ending the immense suffering in slaughterhouses, but we don't. We're too selfish...meat tastes good, why should we care if other beings are tortured to get it? We can stop the violence, and I think we should. Since we don't need meat to survive, unlike most animals, killing for it is unjustified. Sure, certain people may need to hunt in order to survive, but how many people in our modern society actually need it instead of just wanting it?


And a vegetarian diet will give you all the nutrients you need if you plan it properly. My doctor was very happy when I told her that I was a vegetarian, and when she tested my blood, she told me that I don't need any kind of supplement because everything was at a good level. If you do take a vitamin supplement, find a vegetarian one. Most of the "swallowable" ones contain gelatin, and all of the chewable ones that I've found have carmine/cochineal extract in them (It comes from insects!).
Reply:wait is this a question?..well uhh the animals who "eat us" when we die we did not eat them! The vegies that we eat..we wash the bugs off! Speaking off nourishing the soil when we die,if we eat all of that bad meat all the time think what we would do to the plants! Meat is very hard on our system..OMG do you know what diary does to me? lol. When you are a veghead you need viatimins,and if you are done growing it will not do nothing to your growth*
Reply:I became a vegetarian for different reasons, i honestly don't like the taste of meat. I haven't had any problems growing.
Reply:This is a smart question you're asking.





My arguments for vegetarianism are that we don't have the teeth of meat eaters, for the most part our teeth are REALLY dull and in every other mammal that means that they mostly thrive on vegetation. Also, eating meat, especially the way most Americans do, can be awful for your health. It affects your cholesterol, you can get too much protein which is no good, and it SITS in your intestines and colon because it's difficult to digest! Rotting! Gross! Also, think of the antibiotics and medications given to the animals that you could be eating. You don't need those, you're not sick now, don't make yourself be.





HOWEVER. If you really think you need meat (%26amp;fish = meat..) free range is a great option IF you know where these "free range" animals are coming from. There are no regulations as to what free range means currently.





Whoever said that since we're not hunting our own food it makes our need to eat animals from the grocery store void made a great point. Picking up a pound of ground beef at Shop n Stop (or in contrast - Whole Foods Market) isn't hunting.





As long as you are smart about what you eat as a veggie, your body will be fine. It really takes research to understand how to maintain your health, you can't just wing it. Don't be a junk food vegetarian, eating a diet of potatoes and other heavy carbs to fill up! Good luck!!
Reply:i say get over it and go eat a steak