vegans and vegetarians--why did you become one?

[bare_trees]

I'm asking because I'm a vegetarian, but it's 99% due to the fact that I just can't stand the taste, texture, smell, and everything else about eating meat.  I've felt this way for as long as I can remember, though I did eat meat (at least a few bites) as a kid when it was put in front of me and I didn't think I had much of a choice.  I was wondering how many non-meat eaters feel the same way, not that they're coming from a place of moral conviction but just an aversion to the food.

[J. van Deijck]

I'm not fully vegetarian if that makes sense (still accept chicken, fish and dairy in my diet), but the main reason for me is more or less the same as yours - I dislike everything about red meat. The smell,the texture, the taste, it's all unappealing to me.

[AavaMeri]

I'm not truly vegetarian but more like vegetarian-leaning; I eat vegetarian food whenever possible, but, for example, if I'm visiting someone, I don't want to bother them with an extra dish, so I eat what everyone else eats. I do also eat an occasional meat dish on my own, because there are some meat dishes that are that good. I keep them sparse though. When I eat meat, I favor poultry and fish.

My main reason is environmental impact, as I see that diet is a significant way to affect it. I've also grown away from liking meat - not the texture or taste actually, but rather how my stomach feels after I eat meat. It feels heavy and makes me feel drowsy. Eating a vegetarian dish makes me feel full but not heavy. I've also realized that eating a large amount of red meat (like a steak) makes me feel nauseous, probably because my body isn't accustomed to it.

 

For reference, I was on my 20s when I started to lean to vegetarian food, and I ate meat frequently before that.

[J. van Deijck]

8 minutes ago, AavaMeri said:

poultry

Yeah, that's the word it describes my answer better, too.

[Luftschlosseule]

I got into it because I had a friend in highschool I spend basically every day with. She was a vegetarian and her mom and brother vegans.

While Germany has some laws to protect animals, they don't go far enough for my taste and I found I can live on a vegetarian diet. Buying meat where I know the animals come from good homes has not become and option for budget reasons later on, and I did not regret it.

 

I make expections for lab (don't know the englisch term and if I google now I'll fall into a rabbit hole, the enzymes found in many cheeses) and gelatin as I take meds and it's hard enough already to find meds that work without having to look out for them not having gelatin.

 

The plan was to switch to veganism later down the road when my eating disorder is more stable, but as it turns out I have a fructose intolerance and many vegetables and fruit are off the table, that's not an option anymore. I try to buy eggs from freerange chickens and once my budget is better than it is now, I'll switch to better milk. Honey is not an issue as it is basically poison to me, but I like leather. It's durable and compostable. I have leather things I got second hand, mostly handed down from my parents, and since those animals died long ago I'd find it more disrespectful to chuck them.

 

In the same vein, I am not altogether against wearing pelts. My mom has some. Where did she get them? My grandparents.

I am against killing animals just for getting their fur, but if they die of natural causes, why not use their remains responsibly?

[Lilibulero]

I've never liked the smell of meats, so I don't eat any, the best thing is the side effect of better health and less environmental impact, so it's all good.

[LosslessExist6]

I am one at the moment, but it's rather on and off. Just coincidence

[HappilyEverafter]

Because veganism is the only humanist/kind, rational/practical lifestyle, where nobody hurts anybody, and everyone's happy in the end. 

[Phalena]

Does being too poor to buy meat count?

[EvaLynn]

I chose:

 

wanted to adopt a healthier diet

 

environmental impact

 

coincides with belief in animal rights

 

dislike the taste and/or texture of meat

 

As you can see, a dislike of the texture of meat is part of it. The texture always made it so obvious that it was from an animal.

[ben8884]

I am not a vegetarian but I have tried to cut back on meat and adopting meat free and reduced meat days. I do this in an attempt to lower my carbon footprint.

[AspieAlly613]

Both my parents were vegetarians, so the only meat we had around the house was cat food.

[applecore.]

I'm a vegetarian. I chose environmental impact, coincides with belief in animal rights, and dislike the taste and/or texture of meat. I don't have an issue with the taste or smell of most meat though. It's texture and appearance that I dislike.

[babesgottaeat]

im a vegetarian because... well, i've always been vegetarian, since i was born. my parents are vegetarian and my entire family is vegetarian. i've never tried meat and i've never really had the desire to do so. lowkey glad i've never tried it so i won't know what i'm missing and it's probably better that way.

[Osiyo_Waya]

I never really cared for beef. The texture is off-putting and I never understood the hype. IMHO it's overrated.

 

I was a very picky eater as a child. But my mother always encouraged me to try different things, including plant-based, even if she had to make something separate for herself. As a result, I'm willing to be adventuous with food, but I'm still quite picky.

 

My diet is poultry, fish, plant-based, and dairy free.

[bare_trees]

I went ahead and added an additional option about finances.  Since I haven't eaten meat in such a long time, it slipped my mind that buying meat all the time is quite costly.

[Guest]

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[Still]

I became a vegetarian and then a vegan for both ethical and environmental reasons. Carnists always act like the taste of meat is something magical that they couldn't live without, but...I just don't get it, meat just never tasted that good to me 🤷‍♂️Especially pork, imagine torturing and killing all those pigs for something that tastes and feels so terrible.

[Naali]

All besides non-veg. Animals first, environment second, found health benefits last. My best friend growing up messaged me a few weeks ago actually; it was about an epiphany - he actually doesn't 'like' taste of meat, he likes the seasonings and herbs.

[Gloomy]

I’ve tried being vegetarian and vegan at a few points in my life for teh animals, and when I went vegan I also kinda just wanted to see how long I could do it. It wasn’t for finances because I was still living with my dad when I was vegetarian, and when I was vegan my grocery costs definitely went up a bit. It wasn’t for health or environmental impact either because I was still eating stuff that was supposedly “unhealthy” or not exactly environmentally friendly. In fact when I was vegetarian I was hungry all the time. For some reason I found being vegan being easier than being vegetarian, maybe because when I was vegan I actually made sure to substitute protein and healthy fats with stuff like tofu and Beyond Meat.

[J. van Deijck]

14 minutes ago, Gloomy said:

. For some reason I found being vegan being easier than being vegetarian, maybe because when I was vegan I actually made sure to substitute protein and healthy fats with stuff like tofu and Beyond Meat.

That's actually pretty interesting. Might be that it was the reason indeed.

[Tree snake]

I really dislike the taste and texture! And meat gives me stomach cramps so staying away from it isn't hard.
Fish is ok and seafood but it's too expensive to have regularly. So I usally end up having a vegetarian diet, even though I don't call myself vegetarian.  

[everywhere and nowhere]

For me it's first of all about ethical convictions, but aversion also plays a role. I've always felt repulsed by raw meat, I don't think I ever touched it. This feeling intensified as I stopped eating meat altogether.

I've also always felt extremely repulsed by seafood and lakefood , so much that I've never eaten any. It's a good thing, considering my allergy and the fame of crustaceans as strong allergens. A downside is that I don't know for sure if I'm allergic to them, but anyway I don't want to eat any, even in medicines. Too bad that vegetarian/vegan medicines for joint degeneration are not easy to get, that is, not available in ordinary drugstores...

[Barbio]

I originally became one mostly for environmental & animal welfare reasons, but now it's all of the above, really. A few months ago, I tried eating some chicken for the first time in over a decade (because somebody at a restaurant goof'd up my order, but I didn't want to just waste it), and I had to spit it out because I couldn't stand the texture anymore. And I used to love eating chicken as a kid!

[Libellule]

Started out as an experiment if I could go for a month without eating meat, ended up realising I felt a lot better and actually ate more diverse food than when I ate meat so stuck to it. 9 years and counting 😄

[Tetus]

I’ve been vegetarian for a little over a year now. My partner and I realized we were really only adding meat to most of our dishes as an afterthought: often throwing in some chicken to a pasta or stir fry. 
 

Since we didn’t eat much meat anyway, it felt easy enough to just stop altogether - the main motivator being reducing environmental impact.

[Dreamer23]

Became vegetarian for ethical reasons 12 years ago.

Only about 9-10 years later decided to go full vegan for the additional environmental benefits (and it was a small jump for me; didn't consume a lot of non-vegan products by the time I made the change).

Can't say I ever disliked the taste of meat, though I certainly also don't crave it in any way (and I can't eat the realistic meat-like substitutes unless I see the package it came in - otherwise my brain shouts "it's meat!" and me and makes me gag)

 

Also interesting to see that two others mentioned an eating disorder as part of their response. I did have one when becoming vegetarian, though never thought those two facts were connected, but now I'm wondering if it contributed 🤔.

[Guest]

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[Luftschlosseule]

I find that when I crave meat, it's not about the taste but about the texture. Or when I am really hungry and my body is like "I don't care, whatever is here first".

[Still]

5 hours ago, Decaying Vegetables said:

Had that experience with the impossible burger. I completely avoid that brand now but would obviously recommend it for meat eaters and vegans who miss meat.

Impossible did animal testing, so it's not vegan anyway.