Vegetarians And Vegans

[wetbuns]

Born and raised vegetarian; Hippie parents, so I tended to rebel a bit against that by trying to be "normal" - but then try measuring that with any yardstick, lol! Anyways, here I am... Oh yeah, I eat eggs milk and cheese, but not fish / chicken or any other "I'm vegetarian but..." foods.

[Incontinent Jennifer]

Just for a show of hands, are there any ABs and DLs who are also vegetarian or vegan?

For almost three years, I have been a lactoovo-vegetarian (sometimes including dairy or eggs). At times I could be considered semi-vegan. When I first started, it was mainly for the sake of curiousity and health reasons, which soon grew onto me. (At that time, cooking became one of my favorite hobbies.)

Don't worry, I'm not a militant eco-preacher who spray-paints fur coats or bombs laboratories that use animal testing. Frankly, I don't really care about what other people eat, and wouldn't bat an eyelash even if you "served mankind."

I'm vegan, as is my boyfriend! I love him so much!

[Incontinent Jennifer]

Whoa, Witches, Cool!

[getinMyboxfox]

Indeed, there is evidence of all vertebrate species (from fish to mammals) experiencing pain. I don't know if there are any studies involving invertebrates feeling pain. I'm betting my money that many species could, though I have some doubts about the phylum Porifera (e.i. sponges).

Not only do these animals suffer from physical pain, but also mentally/emotionally. They are often stifled in enviroments that hinder their movement, isolated from their mothers and herd/flock companions; and severely lacking in mental stimulation. All species of livestock are social animals. In fact, sociablity is one of the major prerequisites for domestication. The lack of mental stimulation results in behavioral disturbances like cribbing, weaving, pacing, self-inflicting wounds, and even cannibalism.

This is one of the reasons why I've been cutting down on the use of dairy and egg whites. The consumption of these products has decreased over the years. But when I do need them for recipes, I buy only the ones that are organic, free-ranged, not pumped with drugs like disperate athelete, and whenever possible, from locally raised farms.

As for Diapered_Witch comparing the amount of plant consumption, she does have a point. It takes more resourses to produce a single pound of meat versus a pound of grain. Not only does 70% of the US grain production (and over half of the global grain production) is used to feed livestock, but it takes 2500 gallons of water and about sixteen pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef. In ecology, this process can be expressed in a model called the trophic pyramid of energy or biomass, where between only 5-20% of one level of the food chain/web is passed on to the higher level.

hes sounding more and more like doctor dill

hes sounding more and more like doctor dill

oh and bring on the meat.

[Tuxedo Oryx]

hes sounding more and more like doctor dill

Pardon my ignorance, but who is Doctor Dill? And by "he," do you mean me? (If so, look at my profile on the left side of this message for my true gender. *Nudge, nudge. *)

[littleone]

Vegetarian here, with the hope to eventually become entirely vegan. In other words, I'm taking things slowly - have been vegetarian (ie no meats - beef, fowl, fish, nothing) for about half a year, and am slowly giving up on animal products, based on what my body feels. There are times that my body craves, and I mean CRAVES, dairy. Rather than fight it, I go with it, and have a little. Overall, though, the amount of dairy I've had in the last six months is extremely minimal as compared to what I would regularly consume before choosing to eliminate meat from my diet. It's a good feeling - my body feels magnificent compared to before, and I'm happy to be gradually backing away from reliance on animals for food (clothing, as well).

[Guest]

Vegetarian here, with the hope to eventually become entirely vegan. In other words, I'm taking things slowly - have been vegetarian (ie no meats - beef, fowl, fish, nothing) for about half a year, and am slowly giving up on animal products, based on what my body feels. There are times that my body craves, and I mean CRAVES, dairy. Rather than fight it, I go with it, and have a little. Overall, though, the amount of dairy I've had in the last six months is extremely minimal as compared to what I would regularly consume before choosing to eliminate meat from my diet. It's a good feeling - my body feels magnificent compared to before, and I'm happy to be gradually backing away from reliance on animals for food (clothing, as well).

At little advice, when your body craves dairy, give it one of the dairy substitutes!

NOTE: Soy Yogurt is a tough substitute to get used to, but the rest are just fine!

[Guest]

Hey I'm vegetarian....

ANd I'm pagan too