Is Vegetarianism/Veganism The New Religion in N.A.

Cannuck

Time Out
Feb 2, 2006
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There is no scientific reason to give up meat in ones diet. There is a lot of misinformation put out by the proponents of vegetarianism/veganism. The only real reason to embrace this eating choice is on a philosophical level. Therefore, is this a type of cult or religion?
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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You'd almost think with the way that some bang their drum about everyone else going to hell 'cause they eat red meat.

Yep, it can get to be a bit much, while I believe plenty of vegetables is a vitally important part of every diet, the other five food groups are ALL important too. Meat is an excellent source of strength and dairy foods (the skimmed variety) are an excellent source of calcium. Eat lots of vegetables but don't let it turn into a sickness.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
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There is no scientific reason to give up meat in ones diet. There is a lot of misinformation put out by the proponents of vegetarianism/veganism. The only real reason to embrace this eating choice is on a philosophical level. Therefore, is this a type of cult or religion?


I have a friend with Celiac disease and some other weird disorder,
and she just can't digest meat from mammals. For her, eating meat
and actually digesting it would be like the rest of us eating a log of
firewood and expecting to be able to draw nutrition from the
cellulose. Luckily, she can eat fish and fowl....

Oh yeah, and no potatoes and cereal grains and a whole shopping
list of things she can't touch....and none of this is by choice.

Oh yeah. She didn't always have these problems, but they've been
developing since her teen years, and she will still drool over BBQ
just like the rest of us, but she knows she just can't touch it. Same
with Potato Chips and French Fries and most root vegetables and
so on and so forth.
_________________
 
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karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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A religion? Yeah... I can see the comparison.

I know that it's definitely a pov that I don't welcome in my home... if I want a blue rare t bone the size of my head, I'm gonna have it damn it!
 

Said1

Hubba Hubba
Apr 18, 2005
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I generally don't like meat. I eat curried haddock once in a while and once in a blue moon, some kind of chicken - no bone and almost unrecognizable in sauce. To be honest, since I was little, I've had the 'I like them, I don't want to eat them' attitude. No one FORCED this on me.

On the other had, if people want to eat it, I don't really care.

So, what right do people have to act in a derogatory manner towards me? Like my food choices are a religious cult? Get a grip.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
547
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Vernon, B.C.
I have a friend with Celiac disease and some other weird disorder,
and she just can't digest meat from mammals. For her, eating meat
and actually digesting it would be like the rest of us eating a log of
firewood and expecting to be able to draw nutrition from the
cellulose. Luckily, she can eat fish and fowl....

Oh yeah, and no potatoes and cereal grains and a whole shopping
list of things she can't touch....and none of this is by choice.

Oh yeah. She didn't always have these problems, but they've been
developing since her teen years, and she will still drool over BBQ
just like the rest of us, but she knows she just can't touch it. Same
with Potato Chips and French Fries and most root vegetables and
so on and so forth.
_________________

Yep, while there is condemnation of certain diets, we have to remember there are people due to disease or otherwise who just can't eat certain foods. If you happen to have Wilson's disease (quite rare) you can't eat mushrooms due to the copper content.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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To be honest, since I was little, I've had the 'I like them, I don't want to eat them' attitude. No one FORCED this on me.

My daughter is only 9, and tends to turn down red meats, favoring chicken, fish, beans and lentils, tofu. Processed meats she regularly turns her nose up at. Every year she leans more and more toward vegetarianism. It's totally a matter of taste with her. My sister was the same way (only of the preachy and judgy to top it off variety). Some people just don't like it.

And so long as they don't mind their salmon or eggplant bbq'ing next to my half dead cow... that's fine by me. LOL.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
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I generally don't like meat. I eat curried haddock once in a while and once in a blue moon, some kind of chicken - no bone and almost unrecognizable in sauce. To be honest, since I was little, I've had the 'I like them, I don't want to eat them' attitude. No one FORCED this on me.

On the other had, if people want to eat it, I don't really care.

So, what right do people have to act in a derogatory manner towards me? Like my food choices are a religious cult? Get a grip.

What a person eats is a personal choice, but a lot of people avoid some foods like the plague because of misconceptions. There is nothing on grocery shelves normal people can't eat once a month or so that will do harm. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION is my motto.
 

dumpthemonarchy

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Jan 18, 2005
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I just had a steak, it tasted great. Becoming a vegetarian would be cruel and unusual punshiment to me. My parents would eat meat three meals a day, now I only eat one. I don't feel like I'm suffering.

We're very sensitive these days. I remember a fifteen year old girl telling me she can smell milk and cucumbers. I was a little stunned, not even realizing these foods had any smell at all.

I remember her saying, "Whenever someone has a cucumber, I can smell it right away."
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
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Years ago I worked with a guy who was alergic to pork and said if he ate it his nose twitched- he was an odd bugger in other ways so who knows?
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
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You will notice that just about all the meat we eat comes from animals that are vegetarians. If there was a breakdown in the social structure, humans will revert back to the lowest common denominator, like in Lord of the Flies. That is why I keep a map of where all the vegetarians I know of who live in my area. You can never be too prepared.
 

VanIsle

Always thinking
Nov 12, 2008
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My daughter is only 9, and tends to turn down red meats, favoring chicken, fish, beans and lentils, tofu. Processed meats she regularly turns her nose up at. Every year she leans more and more toward vegetarianism. It's totally a matter of taste with her. My sister was the same way (only of the preachy and judgy to top it off variety). Some people just don't like it.

And so long as they don't mind their salmon or eggplant bbq'ing next to my half dead cow... that's fine by me. LOL.
I sometimes think it's the quality of the meat that turns kids off. I knew a radio announcer who (during the last recession) said "We used to eat lettuce and hamburger because we were broke. Now we're broke because we eat lettuce and hamburger". My daughter in law will not eat hamburger. Her daughter does not like hamburger and neither does another one of my grand kids - different family. However, he eats dinner at his cousins house once a week. I asked my grand-daughter - almost 7yrs. - why she did not like hamburger. She said she didn't like the little pieces of fat taste to it. Her Mom buys regular hamburger and since she is not really a meat eater, she doesn't recognize that there is a vast difference to the taste. Even an almost 7yr. old told me that when she ate the higher quality, she liked the taste. I didn't go into the major explanations but enough to know what was bugging her. The same may have happened to her Mom when she was very young. I think most of us buy lean or extra lean now. Things like that do make a difference. I have two nieces and a nephew who will not eat meat.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
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Vernon, B.C.
I sometimes think it's the quality of the meat that turns kids off. I knew a radio announcer who (during the last recession) said "We used to eat lettuce and hamburger because we were broke. Now we're broke because we eat lettuce and hamburger". My daughter in law will not eat hamburger. Her daughter does not like hamburger and neither does another one of my grand kids - different family. However, he eats dinner at his cousins house once a week. I asked my grand-daughter - almost 7yrs. - why she did not like hamburger. She said she didn't like the little pieces of fat taste to it. Her Mom buys regular hamburger and since she is not really a meat eater, she doesn't recognize that there is a vast difference to the taste. Even an almost 7yr. old told me that when she ate the higher quality, she liked the taste. I didn't go into the major explanations but enough to know what was bugging her. The same may have happened to her Mom when she was very young. I think most of us buy lean or extra lean now. Things like that do make a difference. I have two nieces and a nephew who will not eat meat.

There is absolutely no advantage to buying regular hamburger, we buy the lean in quantity when it comes on sale and it's only a few cents a lb. more than the regular. When I was a kid they used to call that lean hamburger ground round and we were happier than pigs in sh*t to think we were eating steak.
 

mabudon

Metal King
Mar 15, 2006
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Golden Horseshoe, Ontario
I'm vegetarian. I second the "get a grip" comment posted above. I am really surprised reading some of the comments above, I didn't know what I choose to put in my mouth offended people on such a level. A lot of my friends couldn't give up eating red meats etc if they tried and I don't see a problem with it, but none of them feel threatened if I eat a falafel, none of them try to somehow make me feel like I have a mental illness or an eating disorder or am part of a "cult" based on my friggin diet...

Unless their diet consists of humans, judging a person based on their choice of edibles is funny and pathetic, and anyone doing so has way more serious problems than what I might be having for dinner hahaha

Seems like "condeming people who aren't exactly like you" is the new "religion" HAHAHA (and I don't mind condeming truly stupid people, they richly deserve it)
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
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Nakusp, BC
I'm vegetarian. I second the "get a grip" comment posted above. I am really surprised reading some of the comments above, I didn't know what I choose to put in my mouth offended people on such a level. A lot of my friends couldn't give up eating red meats etc if they tried and I don't see a problem with it, but none of them feel threatened if I eat a falafel, none of them try to somehow make me feel like I have a mental illness or an eating disorder or am part of a "cult" based on my friggin diet...

Unless their diet consists of humans, judging a person based on their choice of edibles is funny and pathetic, and anyone doing so has way more serious problems than what I might be having for dinner hahaha

Seems like "condeming people who aren't exactly like you" is the new "religion" HAHAHA (and I don't mind condeming truly stupid people, they richly deserve it)

Can I ad you to my map? ;-)
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
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Unless their diet consists of humans, judging a person based on their choice of edibles is funny and pathetic, and anyone doing so has way more serious problems than what I might be having for dinner hahaha

Seems like "condeming people who aren't exactly like you" is the new "religion" HAHAHA (and I don't mind condeming truly stupid people, they richly deserve it)

Here I thought he was just being funny and kind of taking a jab at the preachy vegans who judge and lecture 'meat eaters'. You vegetarians took it all a lot more seriously than I did. lol.
 

mabudon

Metal King
Mar 15, 2006
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Golden Horseshoe, Ontario
Cliffy-If ya like- I must warn you tho I eat a lot of questionable stuff and I am probably high in sodium and most likely capsaicin (sp?) :)

Karrie- I just don't like the tone of a few posts in the thread. The first post in particular is utter nonsense and I didn't feel like debunking it since the ignorance on display therein leads me to believe that if someone can base their "understanding" on nonsense the facts wouldn't mean anything to them- I also tend to shoot from the hip, I don't like wasting time with eloquence when blunt instruments will suffice :)