Vegetarianism - silly idea or moral obligation?

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In some regions (principally the arctic circle) eating meat is the ONLY sustainable option. Narwhal blubber/meat is the primary source of vitamins for the Inuit (and presumably other indigenous peoples) during Winter months. Subject to the rest of the world not destroying this otherwise renewable source, it is more sustainable than having to fly food up from sunnier climes.

The last dietary guidance I remember being propounded was a weekly diet should not include more meat than the physical volume of your palm.

I don't believe this is actually the case. Exotic Fruit and Veg may have become the prefered method of getting particular vitamins and minerals, but (at least in the UK) I believe you can live quite healthily off commonly grown plants.

Primary vitamins/minerals found in Meat are Vitamin B types, iron, selenium and zinc.

Vitamin B12 is the most often stated as missing from a vegetarian diet, but is available in eggs and dairy products (vegetarians are OK, but Vegans may suffer) B12 is commonly a "diet supplement" by being added to breakfast cereals.
Other B-vitamins are available in grains and potatoes, but most importantly in nutritional yeast (Beer!, Bread, or vegemite if you're weird/Australian)

Iron is found in bread, green leafy vegetables and peas.

Selenium is found in vegetables, but depends upon it's amount in the soil. (The only reason it is in meat is because the animals eat the plants containing it!)

Zinc is also found in legumes, whole grain cereals, wheat germ and nuts.

Protein is also found in dairy/eggs, as well as nuts.

Nothing particularly exotic there.

 

Susipaisti: Genesis 1:28 is where man is given dominion over the earth. The "not abused" part is part of wise dominion over the earth.

 

Being wise is not the same as being nice and caring.

 

i was under the impresion that vegetariens didn't eat meat, dosnt that exclude eggs? or do vegetariens turn a blind eye to hens getting kept in tight cages, breed to ley eggs which are possible chickens.
i mean if your a vegetarien because you dont like harming animals then eating dairy products and eggs is out of the way.

secondly nuts are one of the fattest form of fruits, so its not particular healthy to eat.
better to eat beans then.

 

Vegans do not eat form of animal product.

Check This link for information on nuts.

Nuts are on the diabetic diet. Calories may be a problem. Just like anything else check with your doctor and use common sense.

 

Vegetarians probably eat dairy and eggs, but Vegans wouldn't.

I eat meat, and I don't turn a blind eye!
You don't HAVE to harm animals to get milk and eggs. You just have to be a little picky as to your source. "Free Range" and "Barn Laid" mean that chickens aren't Battery farmed, although the respective definitions aren't exactly what you'd expect. However, it is still reasonably easy to buy milk and eggs from a source that keeps it's animals in good conditions. In fact this is a significantly growing farm industry in the UK as it is being promoted by the celebrity chefs as producing better quality food.

 

A balanced diet usually includes meat (it ALWAYS does for me). There are some people who eat a vegetarian diet for health reasons and some people who are just nutcases that want to impose a ridiculous ideology on others.

A great parody of such nutcases was in Notting Hill...

Keziah: No thanks, I'm a fruitarian.
Max: I didn't realize that.
William: And, ahm: what exactly is a fruitarian?
Keziah: We believe that fruits and vegetables have feeling so we think cooking is cruel. We only eat things that have actually fallen off a tree or bush - that are, in fact, dead already.
William: Right. Right. Interesting stuff. So, these carrots...
Keziah: Have been murdered, yes.
William: Murdered? Poor carrots. How beastly!

 

Not entirely untrue though. I think I first heard of "Fruitarianism" over 20 years ago with some bloke (a Germany I believe) who wouldn't eat anything that hadn't dropped to the ground. Complete nutcase, particularly as in reality fruits dropping to the ground will create life, whereas most root vegetables won't - the plant dies after seeding.

 

I'm not trying to be sarcastic here, but how do you measure the volume of your palm? It's nearly a perfectly flat surface. Does it mean the quantity of meat you can hold in one hand without the meat extending off the edges of your hand? That seems kind of strange, as one chicken breast is easily larger than your palm, and I imagine most people have healthy diets that include much more meat than that.

It can't possibly mean the amount of meat you can hold in one hand either, as that would be ridiculous. I can hold an entire turkey in one hand, and yet, I doubt it's OK to each a whole turkey each week!

 

particularly as in reality fruits dropping to the ground will create life, whereas most root vegetables won't - the plant dies after seeding.

So, in theory one could argue that eating any fruit bearing internal seeds could be seen as committing abortion. Carrying this to extremes there is no way to live as drinking water could technically be seen as murdering the Millions of micro-organisms living in it. Its Silly to think of vegetarianism as a moral obligation as merely breathing is killing millions of airborne spores and bacteria.

 

I believe that everybody would have to make that choice themselves. It shouldn't be imposed, unless there's a severe crisis (for exemple, no fish left).

The fluorite (is that it in English?) that toothpaste contains has similar effects as acid. It burns throught tha tart of the teeth. If you were to put large quantities of fluorite on you teeth before going to bed, you would find your teeth damaged the following day.

When your a vegetarian, you don't eat grass and tree leaves. You have a diet of fruit, of vegetables (unless you consider carrots plants) and other meat substitutes (such as tofu). It's all things the stomach can take. Were omnivores after all, not carnivores. Since the apport of meat can be found elsewhere, vegetarianism is perfectly sustainable.

 

@ Aldeth,

Area of your palm muliplied by the depth of your hand. i.e. the volume of your total hand minus fingers and thumb.

If you eat seeds directly, true it is difficult to get the necessary energy out. That's why they are processed by grinding and cooking.

 

I was a vegetarian for a couple months; I'm not sure why I did it, but I did. I still ate eggs and fish, so I am not sure if it still counts.

But having gone a couple months without eating chicken or beef, I am not so impressed by vegetarians anymore. I used to think they were some sort of paragon of self-restraint...ehh, not so much anymore. It is really not that big of a deal.

 

Hey,
3 year vegan here. The people that said it is a personal choice are completely right. I have no urge to force my personal beliefs on another person because I know how annoying it is. Like when people try to trick me into eating meat. I would want someone to be vegan only because they choose it so they would keep doing it. I converted my girlfriend but I think she'll keep doing it even if we break-up.
And for my fellow Americans who grew up on a farm and know how their food is made, consider this: the majority of America's meat does not come from small farms, but large factory farms, that are very different of course. That's a whole other discussion right there, though...
My reasons for being vegan are political and moral. It's simple enough really that a cow takes a lot more resources (and space) then a grown vegetable or fruit. Especially water. It's just not efficient.
Being a middle-class American with enough financial freedom to live off a diet completely free of animal products, I just went for it, and it's going great. I try to avoid buying as many products with animal stuff in it as I can, or shampoos that have been tested on animals. Vegan condoms... there are animal products in some weird things... I'm as healthy as I've ever been. And yes, I get enough protein.
I simply think the world would be a better place if even a small percent of people from well-developed countries chose to live this kind of lifestyle. Even if I was a lot poorer, I think I could still live this kind of lifestyle if I purchased wisely. For the people that can't, that's fine, I don't judge them. Of course I know there are some parts of the world where people must rely completely on animals.
Religous people (there are Christian vegans) call me ungodly for not partaking in gods creatures. I have no argument for that since I don't believe in their god anyways. But the ones that do believe have some good arguments I hear, but I don't know them.

 

Regarding the "fruitarian" lampooned in the post above, that actually sounds rather like a religion called Jainism which is quite ancient. They take vegetarianism to an extreme in that they won't eat anything that involves killing the plant or animal, thus only fruit, nuts and dairy products.

 

Fish is meat, eggs are not, so IMO, it doesn't count.

Still, to me, it's better than nothing.

 

you are aware that you dont diggest most of a salat right? thats practically one of the reasons why its healthy for loosing wieght, minimum fat and i you choose the righ vegestables minimum sugar and you dont obtain a large part of it, so it gives you the feeling of being full without actually getting diggested.

secondly yes flouride in a pure form on your teeth aint healthy, but thats not what toothpaste does, allthough overly use of it can cause harm, mainly by killing the mouth natural bacterias though.

but as you nicely points out, we are omnivours, meaning we eat both plants and meat, not just one of them.
oh and you need meat for the 8 importent amino acids and fish gives you omega 3.

 

Actually, the main advantage of meat is that animal muscle (that's what you're eating whether you are talking about a steak, chicken breast, or pork chop) contains all 20 amino acids. There are no known fruits, grains, or vegetables out there than can offer all 20 amino acids when consumed exclusively. However, the missing amino acids in whole wheat bread are different than the missing amino acids in beans for example. Therefore, with smart choices it is possible to consume all 20 amino acids without eating meat.

 

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I don't think it is amino acids which we need to consume; we need to consume the vitamins which are the necessary precursors to those amino acids.

Also...

If I may give a little insight into a most-likely unspoken benefit of vegetarianism: when the kids get dropped off at the pool, they hit the water like cannon-bombs.

 

I have no problem with people choosing to not eat meat, I just figure it's their loss. As my name suggests I do enjoy meat, but I'm certainly not a carnivore.

I'm pretty sure what Aldeth said is the main 'practical reason' for eating meat.