vegetarians and seafood

I believe we were meant to be grass eating animals, I think if we were meant to eat meat we wouldn't have to cook it to get the texture to eat it...plus I read first people were born with an appendics which they say is for grass eating animals only but evolution this is shrinking...don't know how true all that is...I don't wear leather, I but my shows and bags from cheaper retailers and I also read that they can make such great imitation leather and fur these days some people who pay big money for leather items may be taken in...

Most vegetarians wear leather shoes or use leather bags... Did you conduct a survey with all vegetarians in the world? Lol...

Anyway, even if most vegetarians do wear leather, consider the good they are doing just by not eating meat. It is better to do SOMETHING than nothing at all, in my opinion.

What's not to understand about vegetarians, anyway? There are so many reasons people have for being vegetarian. Health, ethics, environment, taste preferences... I think they are fairly easy to understand.

wooitsmolly, I was with you, until I got to the part where you said at least they do something by not eating meat. If its unethical to eat meat, its hyprocritical to use the skin but discard the meat.

Otherwise, I'm with you.

Eating meat isn't natural, our bodies are optimized to a vegetarian diet. Meat is toxic to our bodies, especially with all the hormones and anti-biotics in them. Most scientists believe early humans were herbivores, not carnivores, further, our bodies more closely resemble that of herbivore not carnivore. We're capable of it, but we're capable of eating styro foam too. Or worm soup.

You may picture caveman hunting big game, but the truth is, if you look at the ENTIRE history of humans, meat eating is a relatively new past time.

Anyway to each his own.

I agree that it is hypocritical, but that doesn't change the fact that I still think something is better than nothing. I wouldn't rather they just eat meat too since they are already wearing leather, you know?

artemis; some sources for your info? Because I really do have to disagree (mostly because of your generalisations... I agree with the multi-regional hypothesis for human evolution). But hey, I haven't really studied human evolution for a couple of years... much may have changed in the field in those 24 months.

I haven't either and don't know where my school books are! But I dug up some articles....


http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/myths.html
http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html
http://www.podcastalley.c...

Basically though, we need to do what feels right for us. There are very very healthy vegetarian and - like my ex - a Thlinket - a native Alaskan - he is a very healthy meath eater - and his favourite food is grease - as he will readily tell you - but his cholesterol, blood pressure - everything always comes up roses. He's one lean muscle.

Here's a quote from the following article: "... meat eating began only in the last one-and-a-half million years. Contrasted with the life of an 80-year-old human being it means that only in the last 15 years would meat have been eaten. For 65 years we were vegetarian...

http://www.viva.org.uk/guides/fruitsofthepast.htm

I love how natives believe there is energy or life force in everything, animal and plant and honor that which they eat.

"I don't eat meat but I eat seafood"

You do eat meat. Just saying.

Ugh the look in an animals eye before it gets killed... so sad. I can't imagine what it would be like to be the person slaughtering these animals. I think you really have to be crazy or desperate for the job to go into something like that. Perhaps heartless, as well. I can't even imagine:\

Oh wow, I couldn't imagine that profession either. lilaclady - what a story!

A local vicar, Father Brendan, gives a talk at the town's Food Festival every year (or he did... till they decided they preferred having a celebrity chef talk instead... bah).

One of the ones I attended he talked about the 'sanctuary' he used to run. His first love was food and he trained as a chef in London... then religion called to him. He ran this 'sanctuary' in the countryside for people that just needed a break from the rat-race.

It was a small holding, with an orchard and vegetable garden... and chickens, pigs etc.

He loved his animals, just as, he believes, God wants us to love and cherish the beasts He put into our care. He even named them. However, they were not pets or companion animals. They were bred and reared with one purpose in mind; to provide sustenance for himself, his family and anyone else that happened to be at his home come dinner time.

Father Brendan was quite capable of looking his animals in the eye as he slaughtered them. Their deaths were quick, sudden and as painless as he could make them.

So you see, you do not have to be heartless to slaughter an animal for food.

I was referencing those who work in large-scale slaughterhouses, which is why I said they may be desperate for the job, etc. I should have made that clearer.

I'd agree with you there; desperate for the money and/or heartless.

There's a massive slaughterhouse (read: factory) near here (that primarily deals with sheep... I live in Wales). My friend's son worked there for a VERY short while and found that the local employees were horrible people; nasty to the animals and to other human beings.

Another friend is learning to teach English as a foreign language. She did her work experience there as the company employs a lot of Polish workers (cheap labour, easy to manipulate). One of the lessons she put together was an "I like, I dislike, I love, I hate" plan.

One of the first things they all learnt to say was "I hate my job." One them went so far as to learn how to say "I like sheep."

Poor guys...

shardaerliss, I agree about not all those who kill their own meat being heartless - many native american tribes used to - many still do, thank and honour the animals that they eat. They were sustainable in their hunting as well. If you read that last link I give in answer to your question, please read the part about Native Americans and how the author imagines early man to be similiar to this, and closer to the mysteries of life and death.

I think its silly too, I mean come on.

I'm glad you do it for ethical reasons. There are unhealthy vegetarians too, those who actually just want starch. That's it. I'm glad you're healthy.

I take it your family aren't vegetarian/vegans?

My mother is a "vegetarian" now that she has learned about it from me. I put it in quotes because I think she eats meat here and there, but doesn't tell me. My father basically eats nothing but meat ... he thinks vegetarians are "ridiculous" but yet he has heart, colon, sleep, and weight problems.... hmmm wonder why . I wish he wasn't so closed minded.. he doesn't eat any fruit or vegetables at all. Maybe one salad a month...

I think the problem some vegetarians have is that they don't want to cook. I believe that in order to be healthy you really need to start cooking your own food. Eating strictly processed from boxes and bags is not going to do much for your health.*ahem* that's how my boyfriend is. He won't eat what I cook, either, so he just makes a lot of pasta-roni and eats a lot of faux meat...

I don't like to cook - I have a toddler - but have to for him - plus I get migraines and there are too many things in processed foods that effect that. Although also have a lot of scent and visual triggers.

Also, the digestive system, as we learned in school, is the foundation to the immune system doesn't deal with processed food well. I personally think that's why a lot of people have digestive problems. Not all of course.

'Course I also think nutrition plays a role in many ills, including ADD. The research that carbs and fats aren't metabolized the same with those with ADD resonates with me personally.

I don't know, thanks for contributing and for your honesty.

Oh and my husband eats that way too. I set out to get him to eat like me; a rainbow, five times a day. Soon, we were eating more alike - only I'd gone over to his side! He's the food devil! When I was pregnant, although I ate all the pregnancy power foods - he also would bring me home fries and Phad Thai and all kinds of yummy things.

I'm just getting back to normal habits.

Eee... I get migraines a lot. Have you ever tried ginger? A friend recommended it to me recently as a curative measure. About half an inch of fresh stem ginger sliced up nice and thin (or grated) in a mug of hot water, steep and sip.

It usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes to kick in, but it has killed dead 90% of my migraines.

I'll try that and feverfew (when I'm done nursing). I used ginger when I was nursing and know its good for nausea so it should help with that part of the migraine episode.

I can see how that might be difficult information to obtain or information to explain.

I also feel the same about local vegetables. I guess you go through places that don't abuse the animals or feed pack them chock full of anti-biotics and hormones.

This is random, but I'm overtired from travel and I think I'll go around for a little while this evening saying "pft".:)--

I'm not going to become a breathatarian. Plants may have lives but its not quite the same as taking the lives of a living breathing thinking feeling reasoning creature. Scientists have proven that they do think and reason, like pigs do for instance. Pigs are way up there in intelligence and, scientists feel it goes, humans, apes, dolphins/whales/, pigs then dogs.

Thanks for saying that about my mom, she is okay, its just kind of silly.

I like what I've heard some native american tribes used to do, they would thank the animal before killing it - or maybe after. I like that.

Yet they do not have a nervous system or brain.

When I say they I mean animals and pigs

Speaking of brains... I wonder how many people know that squids and octupi have 'brains' in their tentacles? That's right... all that lovely calamari, those yummy squid rings... brains.

Wow I totally didn't know that. What an interesting fact!

I take an awesome omega supplement that I started when I was pregnant. Have you tried seaweed for your cholesterol - they have supplements and tasty snacks too. And if we ever get hit by a nucleur bomb - snort - the stored up seaweed in our system will protect against radiation.