Fresh Vegetable Recipes - Why have you vegetarians not chosen to be vegan?

Why have you vegetarians not chosen to be vegan?

I am not having a dig, it's just a query. After many years contemplating being vegan and reading vast amount of information I don't understand why Vegetarians (non meat eaters) don't become fully Vegan as the dairy industry is much worse for animal welfare standards ! Surely it's better not to eat dairy than meat? Dairy produce also have more health risks than eating meat! I am just curious so no nasty comments please. Thank you.

Public Comments

This question seems to me to be a tad elitist. People do many things for many reasons. Who are you to question their motives.
I guess that there is concern over the complete obsoleting of animals in industry, which would result in mass culls of them.
The thing is, where does one stop? If you live in a city, do you grow your own veggies? Delivering even organic products to shops far from farms is bad for environment, due to gas emissions. Generally I don't eat a hell of a lot of dairy, but there is nothing wrong with eating organic meat, as in my country (Germany) bio animals have space to roam and are reared naturally.
Because humans need complete proteins and nobody is up for developing thyroid issues etc because of the over consumption of soy products. Also, who wants tons of gas all day living off beans and rice? We are omniovores and meant to eat meat unfortunately...but some people don't want to eat animal flesh and I'm one of them. Your health is far worse off without adequate protein that contains all the essential amino acids in which dairy products provide. Organic is the way to go.
I like cheese :o) I grew up on a farm and i know where all MY dairy products come from. Not all dairy farms are bad ones
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A lot of veggies just don't like the thought of eating dead things.
have you tried being vegan? it is ridiculously hard. you can never find anything that doesn't have gelatin or milk or eggs. and you would never get enough proteins or irons
i am not here to criticize anyone, but i think humans were design to eat meat. I LOVE MEAT! and i will never be a vegan.. vegans are freaks.. LOL :)
I've got three words for you: "chicken" "fried" "steak".
Because I love honey. And you can't eat honey if you're vegan D:
I am most definitely a carnivore, but I think that vegetarians who don't want to take that extra step into veganism do so because of the severe restrictions place on them with such a diet, these restrictions also extend into the vegans choice of clothing, footwear, toiletries and cosmetics also.
ummm well you would have to kill an animal to eat it and to eat dairy like milk or cheese it is not killing anything only milking it?? and its not healthy for your body to not get some of the things in dairy and meat
fair question! I hope some day I might be vegan or at the very least eat free range dairy products as I do think the dairy industry can be bad for animal welfare (and my bloke is a dairy farmer so I know what I'm on about). At the moment it comes down to convenience, quality and cost of alternative products basically. It took a while to transition between demi-vegetarian (when someone will eat white meat but not red) to full vegetarian because I didn't have enough knowledge of alternatives. This transition is taking longer though as alternative to cheese and milk in particular aren't all that good which is why I may compromise and just eat free range (which I already do with eggs) but you never know they may improve the quality and availability some day. Hope this helps xxx
It takes more motivation and more of a commitment to be vegan. It is easier to eat out and be accepted by society as a vegetarian. Also, most people are just ignorant when it comes to dairy, vegetarians included. People feel it is necessary for protein/calcium/vitamin D or whatever else they try and say. If they fully understood how unnecessary cow milk is for humans then they wouldn't eat it. Prime example of people thinking the only source of calcium is cow milk: Taylllaaaahhhh down below.
I am a vegetarian due to my beliefs & thoughts against animal cruelty, I don't eat eggs though and rarely eat cheese. But the reason I'm not a vegan is because animals aren't killed for their milk, which is what makes dairy products. I don't eat eggs because that egg could have had the chance to come alive if someone didn't decide to cook it, which is basically the same as eating meat. Another reason is because I personally don't think my body would be able to cope without calcium.
FIrst I like cheese and I like eggs, I don't use milk cause I am allergic to it.and I know some vegans and vegetarians that contract weird blood diseases one who makes to much iron and another who produces to much. As well I get sick from eating tofu I'm allergic to it so I need protein from somewhere. I can't stand the texture of tofu or the taste so I don't eat it. I have also see recently eating tofu is bad for you, you can build up a toxicity Level to it and mess's with something in your Body.
Because some of us are vegetarian for reasons of personal taste, not social morals. These are two of the top reasons people choose to eat vegetarian. Concern for one's health is the third "big" reason people choose it. The human body is well adapted to eating of animal-derived foods. We know that. We also know that a certain amount of protein is a necessity for maintaining health. Eating meat is -- like it or not -- the easiest and fastest way of processing protein in the human body. Animal welfare standards in the food-production industries vary widely -- even just from farm to farm. And what's "better" or "worse" for a given set of animals is highly subjective. We each get the right to make up our own minds about what seems better to us, and what we want to do about the worse stuff. But that's no reason for anyone to start little wars with the folks who disagree with us, who make other choices than we have made. The people who get all het up about this are snobs. And I, for one, am thoroughly bored by all the snobs on ALL sides of this question. You are just asking the question, and that's OK -- so no, you *don't* get written off automatically as a "Snob." :-D You do show signs, though, of assuming that all good people are thinking the same thoughts you are, as evidenced by the "Why can't sensible people see what's so very obvious?" tone in your following-questions. Sensible people will have looked at much of the same info you have, and drawn *different* conclusions than you did. They're allowed! Be very, very careful of declaring absolutes, and then "judging down" other people who don't conform to *your* absolutes. That's one way that wars get started. It's also the one and only way that wars get continued. Think hard. Stay well. Good question!
Cannot live without Milk, cheese and dairy products.
Firstly you are assuming people only go vegetarian due to the ethical reasons. There are many reasons, some of which have nothing to do with animal treatment. Yes. There are vegetarians out there who don't give a toss about animals. For those who do go vegetarian for the animal rights reason, it's a simple fact that it's to inconvenient to go vegan. Being a vegetarian is simply as far as most are willing to go, and it's generally accepted as being far enough. Vegans are thought extreme in most cases, and by today's standard, are. wahoo100... Your statement is ridiculous. Most vegetarians are that way because of ethical reasons, mainly due to the way animals are treated. They have made a point of changing their lives according to their motives, which most advocate as the morally correct choice. I say that any group/collective of people that claim a moral standpoint (elitist standpoint) must be open to questioning of their motives. If I claim what I do is right and what you do is wrong, you should have the opportunity to question my motives. Detective C : Not really, the question is directed at vegetarians who already don't eat meat (most meat). If they changed to vegan there would be less people drinking milk and such, but there wouldn't be a mass culling. Taylahhh...: The eggs people eat are unfertilized so no, the eggs that are eaten could not come alive if they were left alone.
Honestly the only reason is because I love cheese. I don't drink regular milk because it hurts my tummy and I don't really eat ice cream for the same reason. Also, I'm not really educated on all of the things that vegans don't eat. For example, sugar. There are so many different names for sugar and it's so hard to be a vegan if you don't know all of the vocabulary. I'm working on the cheese thing. I stopped eating cheese with rennet. That's still hard because now I have to give up delivery pizza and eating cheese at restaurants. I'm working on the restaurant thing though - I stopped ordering cheese on salads and stuff like that. That's really the only reason that I'm not. I think that it's so restrictive and I just don't have the willpower yet. Some people it just takes them awhile to get there.
Because we're not all in it for animal welfare. I don't eat things that are in the animal kingdom, and dairy, eggs, and honey are not in the animal kingdom. Yeah, they come from it, but none of those things are dead. Regardless of how any animal was treated in life, I won't eat it because i think it's creepy to eat the flesh of something that is in the animal kingdom. And that's all there is to it.
Being 15 and of small build, giving up dairy would have made me dangerously underweight, plus I prefer to have the vitamins and minerals found in dairy products than take tablets. My mum tried being a Vegan and she did for a few years, but it became so hard and awkward, eating out, parties, even day to day life finding interesting meals. Vegan is a lot harder than vegetarian and should not be rushed into, however if i had the will power and I was in a position where it didn't affect my health, i would at least try vegan.
Because I think meat tastes disgusting, but I do not feel the same about dairy products and cheese.
People become vegetarian/vegan for all different reasons. Some vegetarians might also buy dairy products at a family farm, or somewhere that animals are treated as good as possible, and preservatives and many of the things added to your food do not exist at those places. There are many different reasons for your questions depending on the person and their reasons for being vegetarian/vegan.
This is a good question. I know what you're saying cos I've read a lot of info on the dairy industry too and how cruel it is to the animals. I would guess that maybe some vegetarians don't eat meat partly because they know more about what goes on with the animals and there's quite a lot of controversy over it, cos the animals actually get killed. However, there's not as much of an outcry about the dairy industry and how they get treated so maybe not as many people know about what goes on. Or they think that just cos they don't get killed (even though they do eventually - when they can't produce any more milk), it's not as cruel. That's all I can think of really. Some veggies just don't like the idea that the animals get killed or they may not know about what goes on in the dairy industry. I'm trying to be vegan as much as I can, although I do occasionally still has things with milk and cheese in - it's hard finding vegan options at restaurants. When I'm older I hope to maybe be vegan though. Hope this helped.
Good question! I think everyone comes to Veganism in different ways. I was veggie from being 8, but didn't go Vegan until I was 20. Because milk wasn't a piece of flesh it took me ages to realise that it was a part of the same process; that dairy cows are often living far worse lives than beef stock, that the calf's often go to veal sheds and that regardless, they'll all end up terrified in a slaughter house. I realised there was an ethical inconsistency in not eating meat for ethical reasons, while continuing to contribute to exploitative industries through dairy or honey. Once I'd learned that vegans are less likely to get some cancers, have no cholesterol issues and that my body is more able to absorb calcium from leafy greens than from dairy, there was no looking back! (leafy green calcium is easily absorbed, where as the body needs extra vitamin D to absorb calcium from milk.) but it took me 12 years to get there!
In my understanding it is because they are doing it for different reasons that us vegans, or they just don't understand that no matter how free range something is it is still treated like it is a thing, a product. And the fact that they think they will die some horrible deficent death by not eating animals. And they probably don't realize how bad the dairy/egg industry is for the animals. And they think it is hard, which it is not. They also don't understand what a hypocrite they are being by echewing meat because it kills animals, which is kind of ironic to those who know about the inherent death in the dairy and egg industry. Information is the key!
I seriously could not live without cheese!
because i love cheese. i've open to finding rennetless cheeses though. maybe i'll start my hunt now.
i'm only vegetarian because i'm hindu, and me mam raised me not to eat meat or eggs. but even given a choice i wouldn't eat meat. i only eat eggs that are already in something like cake. i've thought about being vegan, as you're right, the conditions for milking are bad, but it's just too difficult. you cant eat cake, cookies, ice cream, cheese chips, soooooooooooooo much. being vegetarian is much much much easier than being vegan, because you can eat practically eat anything, except meat that is. veganism is for the committed and i admire them, it seems very difficult.
When i was still vegetarian and not vegan, i think it was because i was unaware of how badly treated the animals were to get the products.
Once I fully leave my mom's house I will go fully vegan, but until I can afford a lifestyle on my own I shall not let my mum fund what I eat. Milk, is the last one to go, though it's organic, I do still understand it's not enough. No leather, no honey, no furs, no tested products... but that damn milk. Arrr... I will do this. I also have this odd disease that makes it harder for my body to absorb the food I eat, so I retrieve less nutrients and the like, but I think when I'm on my own I'll be able to figure it all out. I already take supplements and stuff... so I guess I'll just have to buy more.
Because I like icecreams and cheese, and I would rather have a shorter more enjoyable life, than a long tedious healthy life. Like my ridiculous brother who has just turned vegan!!! I mean why???? Plus I eat free range, from local farms, where I know the animals are treated well, and not killed :)
Personally I choose to be vegetarian for two reasons. The first is animal welfare, I still eat cheese and dairy products because a diet is too restricted with out these and I buy free range and normally organic products. The main reason I chose not to eat meat is because I believe that if you can't kill the animal then you shouldn't eat it and I personally could not kill an animal to eat. Also animals aren't killed or hurt to produce cheese and dairy products etc. Oh and I don't have a problem with other people eating meat, it's just a lifestyle choice. Hope I helped!
umm.. like i don't eat meat or fish but i wouldn't consider becoming vegan, perhaps when i am older or when i learn more about being vegan. i became vegetarian over a year ago, for the simple fact that i loved animals and did not want to eat them. also, we did about animal rights, animal welfare, ect in geography 2 years ago and i saw some pretty heart breaking videos of animals in slaughter houses. but i like the fact that i'm not stopping the suffering off all the animals in the world, but by not eating them, i'm doing my little bit XD and more people should do there little bit? ;)