Do you eat meat?

[WinterWanderer]

Hey everyone!

I've been thinking about going vegetarian for several months now. I'm weighing the pros and cons, and am curious to see how many of my fellow AVENites are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian... or omnivores, like me. :p

My main reason for considering vegetarianism is so that I won't be feeding money to companies that treat their animals inhumanely. Before now, my solution has been to try to limit my meat products to only certified humane products. But there are hardly any retailers around me that sell these products. So I think my only option is to go vegetarian/vegan.

(I had thought about going pescatarian, but the seafood prices here are so high that it's not worth it. The only thing that I'd be able to afford is canned tuna - but most tuna companies use inhumane fishing practices, anyway. So what would be the point?)

So yeah! Any and all feedback is welcome, even if you're an omnivore like I currently am. :p

If you're a vegetarian/vegan/pescetarian, could you also tell me why you chose it? And if you have any tips or advice for people who are new to this, that would be much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I've already looked into the nutritional aspects of a vegetarian diet, and I've planned meals that would give me enough protein and other nutrients that I would otherwise get from meat. So I've done my research and know what I would be getting into, health-wise. :)

[deltaX]

I'm an omnivore. Recently though I've been limiting my meat consumption - from almost everyday to about once a week. Because of health issues I don't think I'll ever be able to go completely vegetarian (and I can't stand the taste of seafood so pescatarian was never an option for me), but I'm doing my best not to eat an excess amount of meat and to cut back on animal products when I can.

[Philip027]

I don't just eat meat, that's almost all I eat.

[Maiflower]

I try to eat as little meat as I can. But, I'm so picky (and just found out I'm underweight again), I can't limit my diet any more. But, the only meats I even eat are chicken and beef. Sometimes pork if I have to.

[Kuebiko]

I'm a carnivore!

No, joking, i indicated omnivore on the poll.

[Grumpy Alien]

I've been a vegetarian for about 13 years.

I don't like meat - the texture or taste. I don't like the idea of killing animals for food or animal cruelty. We don't need meat. It's healthy. I easily get the same nutrients elsewhere. It helps me maintain my weight. If I had the willpower, I'd go vegan for ethical reasons.

[WinterWanderer]

I try to eat as little meat as I can. But, I'm so picky (and just found out I'm underweight again), I can't limit my diet any more. But, the only meats I even eat are chicken and beef. Sometimes pork if I have to.

Eww yeah, I don't like pork so much. I eat mostly chicken, when I eat meat. And ground beef, if I'm making meatloaf.

[Jeena]

I'm on a sea food diet. I see food, I eat it.

I probably should follow some kind of diet, but for now I'm not.

[NerotheReaper]

I mean I don't wrap everything in bacon, man that would be heavy on the heart. I do eat meat in fair amounts, and I have no issue with someone being vegan or vegetarian. I do have an issue if someone shoves it down my throat, and tells me how terrible I am.

You eat what you want to eat, and I will eat what I want to. At least that's how I look at this whole dietary debate.

[Splatacus]

I eat most things, definitely an omnivore. I'm really fussy about which fruit and veg I like, and I think I'd struggle to have a proper diet if I didn't ever eat meat.

I've said this before a few times, but it often seems like there's a disproportionate number of vegetarians on AVEN (not that there's anything wrong with vegetarianism). It'll be interesting to see the results of the poll :)

[God of the Forest]

I'm vegan with 1 exception, I dont mind honey being in some things I eat.

[Gloomy]

I tried being a vegetarian for a couple of months for ethical reasons. It was kind of a pain because I had to give up so much of the food I liked, even foods that aren't classified as "meat" but still aren't technically vegetarian since they have ingredients from dead animals, like gelatin. One day when my dad and I went out to eat and I couldn't find any vegetarian options I wanted to eat I was just like "Screw it" and ordered some chicken. When a vegetarian or vegan can pull it off I admire their willpower though.

[Naali]

*raises hand* 8+ year vegan here. Went veggie for the animals and then like 4 months latter went vegan. I can't really even remember being vegetarian; it was such an easy and rapid switch. It's second nature to me what I can have and what to use when I'm veganizing a recipe. And to be honest, I cook what I want. I don't pay any attention to my protein and whatnot most of the time.

I guess my only tip is even if you think it's hard, it's not. People just think it is because "Omg, all you eat is salads!". Nah, I had some bomb nachos and pizza today.

(Also, I really respect those that are veggie/vegan unless something is going to go to waste/thrown away)

[Finn.]

I eat meat but not that much really. I don't eat any seafood or fish or anything like that, never liked it.

My skin is prone to acne and I have to limit my dairy intake even without doing so for moral reasons.

I have to stick to a glutenfree diet, so most meat alternatives are a no go for me, glutenfree alternatives of bread etc are expensive enough as it is, adding vegan alternatives to it would be too expensive, and veganism would restrict the food I could still eat too much.

Plus I am afraid of not getting enough iron with my diet, I had severe iron deficiency as a child and need to have an eye on my iron intake anyways.

But overall I think going vegetarian/vegan is a great thing.

[Perissodactyla]

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[torriT]

I'm a vegetarian ... (I think for like 4 years now). I decided becoming a vegetarian after writing a school essay (as cliché as it may sound) about how eating meat can or cannot be justified from different philosophical view points.. I just wrote it because I had to and suddenly I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't eat meat anymore and after some weeks of thinking/procrastination I spoke to my mother about it and she was like 'If you want to, just try it for a while.' And then I just stopped eating meat.

It honestly wasn't as difficult as I've imagined it would be. (But I've been always rather picky when it came to meat, because I wasn't a big fan of red meat or sea food).

My main reason - then and now - is, that for me eating is no longer about pure survival ... I'm certainly not in danger of starvation. If I choose to eat something I do so because I enjoy eating it and not because I have to do so to survive. And I decided for myself that this kind of freedom comes with a certain responsibility to think about the things you're eating ... to think about where it came from. If you do so and decide that you still want to eat meat than that is totally fine with me. I came to the conclusion that I no longer think that it is ethically right to eat animals (especially regarding the horrendous circumstances of intensive livestock farming).

I don't miss eating meat anymore ... on the contrary, there are some vegetarian or vegan "meat" products that taste so authentic that I don't really enjoy eating them because I no longer like the taste and texture of meat.

[Anthracite_Impreza]

I eat meat but I have cut down a bit lately. I'm just such a fussy eater and crave meat/products so bad...

[FerlynnGoldbeard]

I decided to become a vegetarian when I was 11 on my own. Over the years, I've become stricter with my diet, removing eggs and diary. I guess I'm technically a vegan, but I usually say vegetarian. I've found that most people are more accepting of vegetarians than vegans and less likely to make a fuss over it. <_<

[Perissodactyla]

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[Hobbes∞]

Being British means that every year on one of our four or five sunny days, we brush off the barbecue, buy absurd amounts of food and alcohol, and proceed to eat as much overcooked meat as is feasibly possible and beyond. It's more than enough meat for a year. Everyone has to nap and that's not even from the Pimms and lager. That's what meat looks like in my life~

[Kerfluffle]

Currently I'm an omnivore, but I have been interested in trying out a vegetarian or vegan diet. Lately I haven't been too wild about meat anyways. Specifically, if I were to give up red meat for the rest of my days I'd have no problem with it. Giving up poultry would be a bit harder.

[Amedot]

I'm currently an omnivore. I was a vegetarian for 5 years. I'm currently phasing out dairy, and once I've successfully gone dairy free longterm I want to begin phasing out meat (I already don't buy a lot of meat bc it's sooo expensive). I typically cook a vegan meal at least once a day.

[Perissodactyla]

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[Larkaloke]

I'm an ominvore in terms of habit as well as biology, although apparently I eat far less than the usual amount of meat nonetheless -- it always surprises me when I see a recommendation of "try to eat one meal a week without meat", because the usual thing for me is more like one meal a week with meat. There are some dishes that involve meat that I really like, but even so, for whatever reason I just don't like having meat that often, and our family ends up using meat substitues in meals (where they work out). It's an understatement to say I dislike most modern farming practices, but I figure that choosing more reasonable sources of meat is good enough on that score.

I don't eat seafood at all, but that's because I can't stand the stuff. I'm also kind of picky about the meat I do eat, because I have a horror of undercooked meat which generally extends to lunchmeat that hasn't been recently cooked as well (although I realise that's perfectly safe), so I don't very often eat meat in public... which has apparently led to most people I know assuming that I'm a vegetarian and then becoming surprised when they find out I'm not.

Vegan I couldn't do. I love cheese and icecream way too much for that. It's bad enough that I have to cut back on those every now and again due to allergy; I wouldn't want to stop eating them entirely.

[Hobbes∞]

The human body is like a torus:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torus

Food goes in.

Poo goes out.

You become what you consume, obviously... to some extent.

if you eat cow... you eventually start looking like a cow... as you age.

if you eat pig! LOL!

yeah...

so think about how you want to look! and EAT THAT!

:D

Again... you're like a doughnut. A torus!

How do you want to appear to Others?

that's the question.

But...being a mammal, I'd rather look like a mammal than a carrot...I do not know what relationship you have with carrots but they are not generally considered physically attractive to human beings, with, I'm sure, a few exceptions.

If I could look like a pizza I would and then everyone would love me~

[Truth and Lies]

I don't eat meat (nor do I eat fish) because I don't like the texture/taste/smell of most of it. I've never taken to beef and I refuse to touch fish. I stopped eating chicken a long time ago. I despise turkey. I do like bacon, but I stopped eating it on a whim a few years ago and don't feel like going back to it. Any other sorts of meats there are: lamb, venison, and whatnot, I have no desire to try. I'm content with eating no meat.

Maybe you could technically saying I'm a vegetarian, but I don't really eat vegetables either.

My family calls me a starchitarian.

[Perissodactyla]

.

[Perissodactyla]

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[Perissodactyla]

The human body is like a torus:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torus

Food goes in.

Poo goes out.

You become what you consume, obviously... to some extent.

if you eat cow... you eventually start looking like a cow... as you age.

if you eat pig! LOL!

yeah...

so think about how you want to look! and EAT THAT!

:D

Again... you're like a doughnut. A torus!

How do you want to appear to Others?

that's the question.

But...being a mammal, I'd rather look like a mammal than a carrot...I do not know what relationship you have with carrots but they are not generally considered physically attractive to human beings, with, I'm sure, a few exceptions.

If I could look like a pizza I would and then everyone would love me~

what?

lol

You. Would. Rather. Look. Like. A. Cow. Than. A. Carrot.

So be it.

Now... Say... MOO! :D

:P

[Hobbes∞]

I don't know what oval has been eating tonight but I want some.