h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What do people see as being the points in favour or against going vegetarian, whether you are vegetarian yourself or not?

But try not to sink to attacking others whose views you don't agree with please.

Sus, on behalf of HVS

I think the greatest advantage of being a vegetarian is not eating meat, because I don't like it.

disadvantage:

difficulty in getting variation of food. there are lots of great veggie reciepes out there, but many of them are based on common ingredients and unless you have the TIME to devote to changng your diet it is difficult to be creative.

FABT

What sort of pros and cons are you after? I am not a veggie and will probably never be one, I like the taste of meat and have no ideological objection to farming animals for food.

I often eat veggie meals as I am dieting and want to keep meals as low fat/calorie as possible, but do have at least one meat meal a week.

I have no problem with other people wanting to be veggie on either taste or ideological grounds, it is their choice, but I expect the same level of respect in making my own choice.

Or are you looking for health pros and cons - meat is high in cholesterol, veggies don't get enough protein etc etc?

Not really...instead of having, for example, steak and chips and peas, you have veggie burger, chips and peas. It's just as easy. I think people get put off by pictures of weird looking food on vegetarian cookbook covers, but there are so many veggie staples around now you can eat simply, but well.

(Not that veggie buger, chips and peas is necessarily a completely balanced meal, but I don't think most non-veggies eat a more balanced diet anyway).

I find the wide variety of food (rather than the staid 'meat and two veg') one of the positive aspects. What do others think?

Thanks for your comments.

Sus

pros - healthier, nicer to animals.
cons - I really like Big Macs and ham sandwiches.

I eat veggie a lot, but I can't give up meat.

Giving up dairy products is something I have done in the past. But there isn't a name for a meat eating Vegan.

Any pros and cons at all please Kelli. From what you just said, eating more healthily would seem to be a pro. Giving up meat if you like eating it however would obviously be a con.

I'm a vegetarian (naturally!) and I agree that people have the right to make their own choice. I wouldn't tell a meat-eater that they shouldn't eat meat, but equally I find it annoying when I have to suffer the third degree or various remarks about my choice of vegetarianism.

Sus

One big disadvantage to being a veggie is the defensive attitude one occasionally encounters from non-veggies. I realise that it's unpleasant (and frankly, rude) to accuse someone of being evil or not caring about animals because they eat meat. I would never base my opinion of someone on whether or not they ate meat (some of my best friends are carnivores ). But this attitude should work both ways. People are most insulting when they find out that I've brought my children up to be veggies, too. I get accused of imposing my 'freakish' attitudes on my children, sometimes of downright cruelty. Most people suggest that I am 'denying' my children something, because they don't eat meat. Well, of course I am! Doesn't every parent do that? It's my right as a parent to bring them up as I see fit. Besides, I only deny my children foodstuffs which are products of animal slaughter - nevertheless, I think I allow them a greater variety of different foods than most non-veggies.

It was great getting that off my chest!

Pro: Eating too much meat is bad for you
Con: Eating too little meat is bad for you


Salad is murder!

i love veggie burgers, melted cheese, etc. but after taht i get a bit stuck. no immagination me

FABT

Man although once probably largely a herbivore, is now naturally an omnivore and has been for many thousands of years, as such we are no longer equipped to deal with a solely vegetarian diet without some form of supplements. So why worry about it?

A balanced diet (according to dieticians that is) comprises about 75% to 80% of fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates (potatoes, bread, pasta etc.). The remainder is a mixture of meat and fish. The ideal diet is low in fat and uses only a limited amount of dairy products however these are also seen as important.

There are all sorts of vitamins and minerals spread throughout the components of such a diet that are important for good health. Some of the stuff found in meat can also be found in some vegetables and vice versa, however the human digestive system and metabolism operates best if supplied with a mix of all these food groups.

Dietary supplements are an option which allow some choice to be exercised over what people eat, according to their tastes, ensuring that an individual gets their daily dose of everything.

If you have some conscientious objection to meat, then fine. It's harder to manage a balanced diet but still possible.

However all that said, it is far better for children to eat a balanced diet while growing up and they should not be encouraged to adopt a vegetarian diet until they are well past puberty and able to make the decision for themselves.

Why do people think that vegetarianism is more healthy? Humans have evolved as carnivores. They get energy very efficiently by eating meat. Vegetarians have problems getting enough protein. While including beans and nuts in the diet can provide protein, many so-called vegetarians supplement their diet by eating fish. There's nothing inherently bad for you in eating small amounts of meat.

So a con would be being asked annoying questions by non veggies

And another con would be causing inconvenience at dinner parties where the host is non-veggie, requiring them to cook two different meals to accomodate you or cook an entirely veggie menu which might upset some of the carnivores amoung the guests It is really hard to persuade my boyf he has had a 'propper' meal if there is no meat in it. He likes my veggie risotto, but always says that my veggie chilli or stirfry or curry or whatever would be 'even better if' they had a bit of chicken in them.

con: I disagree with the comment that veggies have a wider range because they aren't limited to meat-and-two-veg. As a non-veggie I think I have a much wider choice of meals to choose from and wouldn't dream of only being 'allowed' steak-chips-peas type meals. Plus I have all of the lovely vegetable-only meals to choose from as well

Con: Some veggie friends complain (and quite rightly so) that the choice for them in restaurants is apalling. For work we tend to stay away from home, often in hotels and if there are only two veggie options that makes for a very dull culinary week.

Not a pro or a con: I am not sure that a vegetarian diet is necessarily 'healthier' automatically. Meals tend to be lower in fat and calories which is great while losing weight, but in reality balance is the key. I remember a veggie friend asking 'Did you ever meet a fat vegetarian?' to demonstrate how healthy a diet it is, but thin does not necessarily equal healthy!

Oh dear, I seem to have mostly cons . Pro: if you disagree with eating animals it is better that you don't! Pro: Good for weight loss.


k

I don't think vegetarianism is more healthy than any other diet. Being a veggie, depending on your definition, means you don't eat the products, or by-products, of animal slaughter (in my case, this includes fish as well). I could, as a vegetarian, eat nothing but chips for every meal and not compromise my ethics. I would not, however, be a healthy individual. Those who have suggested that it's healthier to eat meat have missed the point, which is one of balance. My children are NOT unhealthy because they are vegetarians, nor would they be healthier if they ate meat. They eat balanced meals, and are happy and healthy. They get everything they need from the diet I give them. Why should I compromise my principals and give them meat? They can choose to eat it when they grow up if they want to.

I didn't say you have to eat meat to be healthy. But I think that a vegetarian has to work harder to get a well-balanced diet than a meat eater does. I am not a vegetarian yet, but I am tending in that direction.

One of the cons is definitely having to justify yourself all the time. I could understand it if I went round preaching about to everyone but I don't. Some people just seem to be uncomfortable with the fact that I've made this choice but if I don't begrudge them their decision to eat meat I don't see why they shouldn't accept my decision not to.
I'm living in Italy at the moment and the lack of vegetarian options is sometimes a problem - most dishes include some kind of meat. Britain has a far wider range of vegetarian options which don't break the bank either.
As to the health issue it can be healthier being a vegetarian provided you make sure your diet is balanced, it's just as easy to be unhealthy and not eat meat although I do think red meat in large quantities is known to be bad for you. With all the recent scares about BSE etc I don't think I'd want to eat much red meat, even if I wasn't veggie.

D'accordo alla Ragazza.



Con - use by meat-eaters of naturalistic arguments. Being omnivorous: natural; raising animals in horrendous conditions then slaughtering them: not natural.



Pro - overall, the health benefits over a typical meat-eating diet. It's a lot easier to take supplements than have (possible) colonic irrigation.
Pro - ease of finding variation, at least in Britain, rather than somewhere like Italy. If a restaurant serves only the token vegetarian option, I won't go there.
Pro - I don't like meat. I used to, but now I don't think I'd like it even if I reversed my opinions.

Con - getting picked on. I was having breakfast with four Jewish friends. They were all having bacon, it was toast and mushrooms for me. I rebutted their constant sniping with 'I'm the only kosher one here'. Things were quiet after that.

Pro - you are instantly kosher, halal, and can also apply for Buddhism.

Con - that you're somehow not a proper bloke if you're a veggie. I tend to avoid people who think like that, though.

Sometimes I cannot bear to eat meat, it makes me sick and upset. However as a Druid, who often crys when she sees a tree being cut down, what am I supposed to do!?

A lot of people say that they cannot bear to eat meat because it is a living being, well I view plants in the same way.

Its a nightmare for me, sometimes I wish I could be vege ( I nearly am) but why pick on plants, when we all know they also respond to pain. If you don't like the last comment then read New Scientist or something like that and read the latest research.

I would quite happily be a veggie, my only problem is that I don't like vegetables As a small child I ate only veggies according to my mum, and I didn't even like spuds, so chips etc. were rarely seen on my plate. I had an older brother however, who taught me the words 'I don't like', and from there on in it's been a psychological problem. So the con for me would be overcoming the rampant sickness I get when I try to eat veggies. It'd also be difficult to give up meat (like Linda, I am apartial to a good ham sandwich) but not I think impossible.

On the note of variety, I find that if you stick to a staple of pasta, rice and potato dishes, you can add either meat or veggies to them depending on need. This is great for me, my best friend is a veggie, and my other half wil eat anything you put in front of him, so I find it a doddle to cook for both of them and myself without coming to blows Example.. A potato bake... garlic and herb and spuds... in the oven for an hour (or more, depending on is I remember it's there).... with mixed veggies for one lot, and a chop or bit of chicken for me... same time, just one extra oven tray, and three happy well fed persons of varying eating habits.