Fresh Vegetable Recipes - For Vegetarians: How much of an impact in the world are you really making by not eating animals?

For Vegetarians: How much of an impact in the world are you really making by not eating animals?

Personally, I think vegetarians shouldn't be denying themselves protein and good food, and that their efforts should be towards preventing animal cruelty. There are many veges who do both and I respect that, but what about the ones who only vege out and don't support any other organization? Those are the ones I dont agree with.

Public Comments

you are taking food from animals that need plants to live
They say that a vegetarian saves 90 animal lives per year! That seems like alot to me. And I KNOW all vegetarians would agree with me when I say that we do not feel like we are denying ourselves good food and protein. Vegetarian foods taste amazing and contain loads of protein. I do agree that vegetarians should also work towards ending animal cruelty - but in fairness lots of vegetarians do it for lots of reasons - and although I truly believe the best reason is because animals are not property I appreciate everyone who choses a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle!
What the hell are you talking about? I get plenty of protein, (which btw isnt as imparative as you are led to believe), and I eat plenty of good food. Not everyone thinks meat from animals is good food. By "denying" myself the lousy food you deem good, my efforts are going towards preventing animal cruelty. Boy you sure are a genius. Think before you type, please. to the person below: "The fact of the matter is that you're really not saving animals by not eating them since we use their products in so many of our day to day lives" Thats why vegans avoid those products to the best of their ability. Though its not always possible we do what we can. By not eating meat, we are lessening the market for it. Even if its a small percentage, it means that much less will be produced in the following years. Its simply supply and demand. I am quite sure you know how that concept works.
The fact of the matter is that you're really not saving animals by not eating them since we use their products in so many of our day to day lives. Perfumes/scents, car tires and medications, just to name a few, are products that we use every day that contain, or use animal products in their production.
To me its more of a moral/spiritual thing, i dont care that im not saving many lives atleast im TRYING. i see your point that many veggies dont join other organizations but surely atleast there doing something?! as we dont all have enough spare time on our hands as it is. and as for "denying ourselves nutritous food" if i were to find a scientific list of the top 20 nutrious foods, meat would be knowehre on there! thats coming from a chef.
How could vegetarians put their efforts towards preventing animal cruelty by supporting the cruel acts of factory farming by buying meat products?
I am a Veggie (but I do eat seafood) and I don't eat meat because I choose not too. I am an animal lover. And to hear how the animals are killed is disgusting. I do not try to make a impact on anyones way of eatting. Thats their choice. Just as its my choice to not eat it. People who try to tell others not to eat meat are just stupid. I know its the circle of life and food chain and all but I just don't like eatting it cuz I don't. And they way that most animals are butchered is the most unhumane thing I have ever heard in my life. I would recommend to anyone who does eat meat too eat Kosher meat.
I don't eat meat because I think it's a more healthy alternative, I also don't really like the taste of meat.
I am not vegetarian, but I found your question interesting because it indulges in a form of logic that satisfies people and allows them to make no efforts at improving life for others. The same logic that says. 'Why not throw this cup out of the car window? Why pick up someone else's garbage? I didn't do it, and besides what difference will one cup make in the amount of garbage that makes this world filthy? Why donate a dollar to this cause? What possibly could a dollar do in the overall need? Why vote? What difference does one vote make? I could go on and on....even down to Why be friendly...everybody else treats me bad and if I don't act that way what good would it do for me? My question is: Why is it all or nothing at all? Cannot I just be vegetarian....and not have to do 'everything for animal cruelty' without being somehow a hippocrit? Can I just pick up a piece of trash without being active in 'tree hugging'? And an even bigger question to me: How in the world is what someone eats or don't eat become some kind of societal issue to others? It's a meal, for God's sake.....take up another cause.
If you think meat is the only source of protein,then you obviously know nothing about nutrition.There are plenty of vegan foods that taste great,I don't live off of salads like alot of meat eaters think.Our effots are going towards ending animal cruelty, have you ever heard of supply and demand?
Which is responsible for more global warming: your BMW or your Big Mac? Believe it or not, it's the burger. The international meat industry generates roughly 18% of the world's greenhouse-gas emissions—even more than transportation—according to a report last year from the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. Much of that comes from the nitrous oxide in manure and the methane that is, as the New York Times delicately put it, "the natural result of bovine digestion." Methane has a warming effect that is 23 times as great as that of carbon, while nitrous oxide is 296 times as great. There are 1.5 billion cattle and buffalo on the planet, along with 1.7 billion sheep and goats. Their populations are rising fast, especially in the developing world. Global meat production is expected to double between 2001 and 2050. Given the amount of energy consumed raising, shipping and selling livestock, a 16-oz.T-bone is like a Hummer on a plate. If you switch to vegetarianism, you can shrink your carbon footprint by up to 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to research by the University of Chicago. Trading a standard car for a hybrid cuts only about one ton—and isn't as tasty.
You know, we all do our best - some of us have time to support a variety of causes, some of us don't. Remember that a lot of animal right activists get a lot of flak for not supporting enough causes that help people - they sneer that we care more about animals than people. The bottom line is that the cause of animal rights IS being supported by a person becoming a vegetarian or vegan whether they are ready, are able, or can support an animal rights organization or not.
Denying myself protein? I don't think so. I get mine from beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, tempeh, chickpeas, peas,... I'm eating a lot more healthy and the food tastes great. Vegetarians have a lower incidence of heart disease than the general population and generally have a lower incidence of high blood pressure and a lower rate of Type 2 diabetes. Buy yourself a copy of "Diet for a Small Planet" by Frances Moore Lappe. You'll learn a lot. ☺ And I am helping to prevent cruelty to animals. Have you seen kfccruelty.com? Enjoy your chicken.
I hope more people become vegetarian... Because although I appreciate the supply theory that eating less animals reduces the amount of animals being raised for food, the real result of decreasing demand would not decrease supply, but instead shift the curve to result in lower prices. GO VEGETARIAN!!!! I'm hungry!
Who gives a flying pig about any of your personal issues or beliefs, The girl wants to know where she can get a bottle of store brought veggie BBQ sauce. Just answer the damn question & stop judging her lifestyle for crying-out-loud. Lets focus a lil bit more on how we can bring our troops home & stop making the gas stations so damn rich.........A real issue!!
I don't know that any vegetarians really care what you think of them or why you spend your days evaluating what THEY do instead of focusing on what you do. I am not making an impact by being vegan. I'm just not causing the harm that other people choose to partake in causing.
It always amazes me how we look to those who are actually doing something and working toward their beliefs and ask "Why aren't YOU doing more. You only do this ONE thing, so you must be a hypocrite." Maybe it's time people started looking at themselves and at those who are doing nothing to be a part of a solution and ask, "Why aren't you/I doing SOMEthing?" In the end, pointing at those who are doing something and calling them hypocrites and saying that we do not respect them because they aren't doing more is the easiest way in the world to never have to look at ourselves and the decisions we make. I don't eat animals so I am then judged because I don't adopt animals. I adopt animals as well, but then I am judged because I don't donate to animal charities... I do that, so then I am judged for not donating to human charities... I do so, and then I am judged for not volunteering ...and on and on and on. If each person who judged others for not doing enough looked inside him/herself and found ONE real thing s/he could do to to be a part of a solution she believed in, the world would be in a lot better shape right now. But again, that's just me. :)
Denying ourselves of protein? Are you kidding? Protein is the easiest thing to get. It's practically in everything. By not eating meat I am denying myself a larger risk of some cancers and heart disease though. You speak foolishly. You really think there are no other good foods besides meat?
Believe or Not! Not all vegetarians are animal rights activists, and not not all animal rights activists are vegetarians. Just like not everyone who enjoys a steak and wears boots is not a cowboy. It takes the right drive and motivation to be an activist. Saving animals isn't the only reason to become a vegetarian, it's the most exciting for TV, and the cruelity done to animals in the name of filling American plates is appalling, but by far not the only reason to adopt a vegetarian diet. There are lots of books and videos that have been written by some very well educated medical doctors who have went out of their way learn nurtrition and now suggest not just vegetartian diets, but strict vegan diets. They do this because animals fats are bad for us. The only animals that have good fat in their meat are fish, and not all fish. Only deep sea cold water fish like salmon and cod are rich in the good omega fatty acids we need, but these fatty acids are found in many many plant products. Everyone needs to think about what the eat, instead of letting McDonald, Buger King, or Subway tell them how to eat. Or letting no time or no money dicate what's for dinner tonight. By making wisely thought out meals, you save, time, money and if you do it right lots of medical expenses. What we eat is very personal, it's a fundmental part of who we are in many cases, and you don't have to agree with how anyone else eats. Just like you don't have agree with every culture out there. I wish everyone would eat a healthy diet, and get enough food to eat everyday. I wish anyone with an eating disorder would learn how to be healthy, but ultimately it's a very personal choice you have to make everytime you put something in your mouth. The healthest food have always been plant products, and most unhealthy food has always come from animals. That's not to say all plant products are great and all animal products are bad, just that in the broad spectrum of things plant productions are high in vitamins, minerals, natural healthy sugars, fiber, and meats are often high fat, take a long time to pass thru the body, and are often covered with high fat, high sugar gravies and sauces. Meat can be part of a very healthy diet, but a diet without vegetables at all isn't anyone idea of a healthy diet, but a diet without meat has been proven time and time again to be healthy. As an Adult, unless you are a bodybuilder, your body only needs a little protien and simply eating a wide variety of healthy foods everyday will provide that. If you are a bodybuilder, there are lots of ways to get that extra protein without eating meat. There are religious and spiritual reason not to eat meat, there many health reason, and some people actually just don't like the taste or texture of meat. Everyone has their own reason for what they eat and don't eat. You paint with too broad a brush when you disagree with someone simply because they aren't both a vegetarian and an activist. Live and Let Live, or Judge and be Judged, you decide.
Vegans have basically come to a consensus that as long as THEY do not directly eat meat or kill an animal to eat it they are doing good for the world of animals. How do we definition "animal", then? I find it hard to believe that vegans can actually find food the production of which has not harmed bugs, birds, insects, critters, rodents, et.al. How can you tell? The question seems to imply that the only way a vegan can be truly be acknowledged as one is to be an activist or support an activist organization. Can't one be a vegan without having to get involved in the politics of it all? Hmmm, maybe it is all about the politics and probably has little to with a "clean and healthy" life.
A strictly vegetarian diet only consumes 300 gallons of water a year, whereas a mixed diet uses about 4,000. About half of all water consumed in the U.S. goes towards animals in the farming industry. Btw, you can get plenty of protein from things other than meat and it has been proven to be much better for your health.
A lot of people are vegetarians for health reasons, you know. I don't eat meat, dairy, or egg, because *I* believe it to be the healthiest and purest lifestyle. Not everyone has the time to go out and support a big cause, so every little bit helps. Peace of mind. And why do you have a problem with anyone if it's not hurting you?
i understand your point, but being a vegetarian is not all about making an impact in the world. it is really just about following your beliefs, just like practicing your religion or being part of a political party. and as for your second point if someone is eating meat but belongs to some sort of organization that helps out animals, that is pretty hypocritical because by eating meat you are contributing to animal cruelty. i believe that if you really want to help you should both be a vegetarian and belong to an organization, but at the VERY least being a vegetarian is a step in the right direction. however, like i said, a lot of people become veggies because they personally disagree with animal cruelty, not because they want to (or believe they can) make a huge impact on the world.
some where, i don't know where, there must be a group of vegetarians, or vegans, maybe a small village of them, selfsufficent and all, maybe a city, a whole city full of vegetarians, or vegans, very er, peaceful. in all these places, if anyone know where i can find any of these things i just mentioned, please let me know,