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That’s the question we’re asking in our current IEET reader poll.
Yesterday I posted an article about the moral/ethical implications of being a vegan or a vegetarian as opposed to an omnivore—which is what humans are naturally evolved to be. So, what are you?
Vegan (no meat, fish, eggs, or dairy)
Strict vegetarian (no meat or fish)
Mild vegetarian (will eat fish)
Mostly vegetarian (meat occasionally)
Omnivore (I eat everything)
Please answer our new reader poll (see sidebar), and I’d also like your comments here on why you’ve chosen your present diet.
If you are a vegetarian, is it mainly for health reasons, or do moral considerations come into play as well? If you’re an omnivore, feel free to explain why, and I promise we’ll moderate the comments so you aren’t personally castigated for making your choice.
Mike Treder is the Managing Director of the IEET, and former Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Responsible Nanotechnology.
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COMMENTS
I am mostly Vegetarian, I eat meat 1-2 times per week max. I do it for health reasons, I follow an alkaline eating regiment (aka food combining). I don't combine protein and starch, also no processed food, so skipping meat just makes it easier. I also really limit my intake of all animal bi-products, I only use non-dairy milk, don't eat eggs, use olive oil, limit cheese to goat or sheep milk, no yogurt or sour cream....because of the acidic effects on my body. I began this a year ago and have lost 40 lbs and went from daily meds to none. I try to tell everyone I know.
I'm an omnivore; I try to stay in the habit of buying meat that as closely reflects the real price of the meat as is available (e.g.: grass-fed beef) and going for quality rather than quantity. (I only use half a pound of roast beast per week in the lunches I pack.)
I'm a vegan for animal rights reasons. I don't believe that any being should have to suffer or be enslaved just for momentary gustatory pleasure. The environmental reasons are very compelling as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism#Resources_and_the_environment
I'm also very pleased with some of the health benefits that come along with a vegan diet. My food is much easier to digest, and I'm never tempted by fast food places anymore. I hope more people try veganism. It's way easier than I ever imagined it to be, and I live in one of the BBQ capitals of the world.
Vegan. Primarily for animal rights. Even if animals were treated "well", I would not eat them. Breeding and raising sentient beings to systematically kill them for pleasure is morally unjustifiable and somewhat sociopathic.
I say for pleasure because we don't need animal products for survival, and therefore meat, milk and egg eating is for pleasure. Treatment of animals does not play a large role in my opinion on this, because killing a feeling being for any reason other than absolute necessity is unethical, period.
Environmental and global hunger issues play a role in my beliefs as well (i wrote about it here: http://animalrights.change.org/blog/view/will_eating_less_meat_help_stop_climate_change_yes ), but those arguments lend more towards large reductions in animal products, not full abstinence from them.
The reason to be vegan is because forcing beings to come into this earth so we can torture and kill them is always wrong.
I am a vegan for socio-politcial and ethical reasons.
I vehemently disagree with your statement that humans have naturally evolved to be omnivores. That is absolutely not true. We as a species have grown a great liking for animal products, but our bodies are not equipped to handle them.
For proof of this, look at heart disease, cancer, and the other myriad human ailments that can be correlated to the consumption of animal products. In fact, many of our largest health problems (heart disease, diabetes, etc) can be completely reversed by eliminating animal products from our diets.
If we have evolved to become omnivores, why does being an omnivore so negatively affect our health.
Also, for anyone trying to go the "happy meat/dairy" route, that's a myth - http://www.humanemyth.org/.
Veganism is not hard. I live in one of the most vegan-unfriendly cities in the U.S. if not the world, and I have no problem being 100% vegan. With the internet, there is truly no excuse.
I'm an ASPIRING VEGAN because I've yet to give up cod liver oil and other fish oil supplements. For years I was a semi-vegetarian; then I gave up beef completely, followed by factory farmed chicken and eggs. I cheated once in a while, though, in the midst of cold, damp winters when a meaty stew proved too tempting. Last winter was the turning point--I ate meat and felt filthy, mentally and physically. I decided to even give up plain organic yogurt and kefir, which I had always "abused." I have only recently sworn off salmon, and that has been my greatest victory. Why go through this self-denial? Knowing what I now know about factory farming makes it impossible to support that cruel and environmentally deadly industry in any way. Knowing what I now know about diet and health makes it foolish to consume animal flesh when more healthful alternatives exist. I haven't gotten rid of all of my leather shoes and silk clothes yet, but when they're worn out I will not replace them with animal products.
Hmmm, I guess I didn't answer the poll's question.
It's hard to tell the difference between answers 4 and 5, but I guess I'd answer one of those. Like Lindsay, I don't believe that any cow should have to suffer, but I have no problem enslaving them on my spacious farm.
I raise and sell grass fed beef. Yes, I am Omnivore. Or more accurately, I eat grass fed beef and other low glycemic index/load foods. I have lost 30 pound on this way of eating and haven't felt so go in 20 years. My brother ate about 5-6 pounds of grass fed beef a day this winter. He lost 60 pound and his blood work really improved. He no longer has to take Lipitor.
@veronica: Yes, our bodies would be equipped to handle a vegan diet without supplements, but the way that we have to farm the land to sustain animal agriculture has raped the earth of the nutrients for which vegans take supplements.
B12 is the most significant deficiency in a vegan diet. It naturally occurs in soil and, in turn, is absorbed into plants. However, with the way that we continually farm the same land in the same way year after year has depleted the B12 from the soil that is used to grow vegetables. Therefore, there is a minimal amount of B12 in those vegetables.
Anyone who claims to have become "sick" from eating a vegan diet is confused about the source of said sickness. It does not come from the fact that they're eating a vegan diet; it comes from the incorrect planning of that diet.
I'm probably coming across as negative with my comments, and I apologize for that. I don't mean any of my comments as a direct attack on anyone.
However, I am very passionate about the non-need for animal products, especially due to our moral schizophrenia with respect to the treatment of animals. How many people would be outraged if dogs or cats were being farmed for food? Why are there laws that protect "pets" from the kind of life that cows, pigs, and chickens have?
Why do we eat pigs and pet cats?
These are serious questions that people should ask themselves, but unfortunately, most people are too set in their conventional ways to even consider these questions.
I could go on forever. I just hope (for anyone reading this) you take a step back and question why you do the things you do (all things you do - vegans included). Rational, critical thinking is the only hope that can pull us out of any negative situation.
@Veronica
Every nutrient that humans need is available from a non-animal source. Protein, fat, carbohydrates and calcium are no problem. Obviously, fruits and vegetables supply a myriad of vitamins and minerals as well.
The only one that vegans have to monitor is B12 (a bacterial product, not produced by an animal), and actually many omnivores are short of this vitamin too. I see tons of them lining up for their B12 shot every month. B12 used to be readily available from the bacteria in soil, but our food system is so sanitary and our soil possibly contaminated in places now that no one eats vegetables with some bits of dirt on them. B12 now usually only exists in meat because of the bacterial growth on the meat itself (it's rotting flesh, after all) and from the bacteria in an animal's intestines which somehow gets mixed in with the meat.
Actually, I did just come across a study where B12 was found in mushrooms. I do believe that it is naturally found in brewer's yeast as well.
The essential fatty acid DHA is the only other nutrient where there may be issues. People think the only source is fish, but where do the fish get it from? Plants. DHA is manufactured by algae, and vegans get it from there.
Any other issues with nutrients that vegans may have are just as likely for any nonvegan to have.
Vegan does not automatically equal health, but if done right, it does. Check out The China Study and books by Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. Barnard.
I am a vegan. I believe that inflicting unnecessary suffering is morally wrong, and I try to act in accordance to this belief. Hence, confining and killing animals merely to satisfy my palate is not an option. I used to be an ovo-lacto vegetarian for several years, but then realized that the production of milk and eggs is in no way less cruel than the production of flesh. Any use of animals (human or non-human) as a resource is bound to cause harm, and we have vegan alternatives for every aspect of living readily available. It's a no-brainer, isn't it?
Going vegan has changed my life in such an incredibly positive way, I will never go back to feeling guilty or doubtful about what I eat or wear.
I don't care if the human body has slightly adapted to cope with (heated) animal flesh. I wouldn't care if I had to take 25 pills every day to supplement my diet. What a minor annoyance would that be compared to the horrible lives and deaths of the billions of innocents that we bring into this world for the sake of our own pleasure, amusement, or convenience.
I am no longer part of this system, and I am thankful to those who bothered to educate me about it. I politely ask everyone to give veganism a try. It's easy, it's good for the planet, it's good for you, and most importantly, it's the morally right thing to do.
And there is so much yummy vegan food I hadn't even dreamed of before!
I am a vegan for ethical reasons. I didn't have much of a choice in going vegan though. It was more of a moral conviction that I simply couldn't bring myself to support people who kill for a living.
It all came about when I was watching an episode of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel and saw the host go to a hog farm. They were castrating them, tail-docking them, cutting their teeth, and putting notches in their ears all without anaesthetic. I was mortified at their screams.
Upon doing further research, I found that even more cruel practices were taking place and passed off as "standard", thereby making it legal in the eyes of the USDA. Standard abuse and cruelty is still cruelty and I couldn't support such an industry after reviewing the material.
Don't take me for an overly-sensitive individual...I wouldn't exactly call myself an animal lover. But I would say that I am against abusing living, feeling, breathing beings, as it's simply unfair.
It's pretty biased and revealing the way that you boost eating meat ("which is what humans are naturally evolved to be" -- as if natural meant anything -- we're also natural rapists), and post a comic mocking veganism. Not even vaguely trying to be objective, here?
@Michael -- I guess you must not have read where I wrote this: "As intelligent, thinking animals, we can reject the tendency toward belief in superstition and we can also amend our natural eating habits, if we choose. And given the the three reasons for becoming vegan/vegetarian, it's probably the moral choice."
I started as a vegetarian thinking that this was the ethical choice. But I didn't think things through about how dairy and eggs were sourced. Once I did, I eliminated those from my diet as well, along with all leather and other animal products.
It's clear as one investigates industries deliberately keep their practices hidden - few people would condone these cruelties to animals.
As a side benefit I've found myself to be healthier now, than as a dairy/egg eating "vegetarian"... Dairy products, are meant to transform a 300 pound calf into an 800 pound cow in just a few months. Surely ingesting this makes no sense on the human scale?
But at this point my ethics are so entrenched in the belief of causing as little suffering as possible that even if a meat eating diet and a vegan diet were similiar in health benefits and environmental impact I would still remain a vegan.
Killing animals for pleasure just cannot be morally justified.
Mike, I think it is great that you are conducting this poll, but I think the way you posed the question reveals your own bias and may influence the responses from your readers.
For example, you make the claim that humans are naturally evolved to be omnivores. The word omnivore is a very broad term and is often misused. An obligate carnivore is an animal who needs to eat meat in order to survive. An obligate omnivore is an animal who needs to eat both meat and plants in order to survive. According to the American Dietetic Association, 100% plant-based diets are suitable for humans during every stage of life, including pregnancy, infancy and childhood. So, although humans are behaviorally omnivorous, we are not obligate omnivores. For humans, omnivorism is a choice. But by suggesting that omnivorism is the natural diet for humans you have injected bias into your reader poll and therefore unfairly influenced the outcome of the poll.
Next, you adulterated the definitions of the words vegan, vegetarian and omnivore, albeit probably unintentionally.
Veganism is not a diet. It is a philosophy. According to Donald Watson, the man who invented the term, veganism is a "philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude : as far as is possible and practical : all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment." Vegans don't just not eat meat, dairy or eggs. Vegans seek to live in such a way that they reduce the harm they cause others as much as possible.
By definition, vegetarians do not eat the flesh of any animal. Fish are animals. Their flesh is made from meat, not broccoli. Vegetarians do not eat fish. People who eat meat are called omnivores. By excluding fish from the animal kingdom you have injected undue confusion about the true meaning of the words vegetarian and omnivore into your poll.
Next, omnivores do not eat "everything." They do not eat ear wax, batteries, cotton swabs, urine, feces or human infants. Like vegans and vegetarians, omnivores make conscious decisions about what is and what isn't appropriate to eat. But by defining vegans and vegetarians as having restricted diets and omnivores as having unrestricted diets you have injected unfair bias into your poll. For many people, veganism isn't about restricting their diets or lifestyles, it is about being consistent with the restrictions they place on their diets or lifestyles.
You mention that you will moderate comments so that omnivores are not personally castigated for their choices as if omnivores are the only ones who are ever unfairly criticized for their dietary choices. Vegans and vegetarians are often mocked, castigated and scorned for their choices too. But by saying that omnivores will be defended against personal attacks you imply that vegans and vegetarians are more likely to be rude and unreasonable, thereby unfairly influencing your poll results.
Lastly, you posted a cartoon that could easily be taken as poking fun at vegans. Don't get me wrong. I think the cartoon is funny. But is it appropriate to poke fun at one group of people and not another when trying to conduct an unbiased poll?
Perhaps, if you truly want accurate poll responses, you should reframe your question to remove the pro-omnivorism bias.
I've been vegan for almost 10 years (vegetarian for 2 years prior to that) and I did so because I found out that animals used for dairy and egg production suffer the same, if not more (because they live longer) as animals that are raised to be slaughtered for their flesh.
Male chicks and male calves are also killed because they are "non-productive" in the egg-laying and dairy-producing industries, so vegetarianism for ethical reasons is flawed because it fails to prevent these animals from suffering and being killed.
It's true that veganism can be as healthy and more eco-friendly than an ominvorous diet, but those are just bonuses to living a non-violent and compassionate lifestyle.
I would also like to add that our body's ability to digest animal products is no more "natural" than our body's ability to ingest tobacco products or absorb cocaine. Yes, the body can take it (in moderation) but that doesn't mean we should do it.
I think it is my God-given right as an American to buy anything that is offered in the stores, even if that happens to be shrink-wrapped Afghani child brains.
Yeah, it is, but you can use your God-given free will and conscience to say no to products of cruelty and exploitation.
Giulio, many vegans and vegetarians used to love the taste of meat too. If that's your only reason for eating meat, have you thought about trying any mock meats? There are some incredible products out there - most notably those by Gardein, Vegetarian Plus, Field Roast and Tofurky. Some are so good that they fool meat eaters. I remember watching some Hell's Kitchen show where Gordon Ramsey (I think that's his name?) served the student chefs these mock meats, and he told them to figure out what was wrong with the meat. None of the students figured out that it wasn't actual animal flesh.
Do any of our blog readers live in Brooklyn? If so, try an order of Mango Chicken from the Vegetarian Palate Restaurant (258 Flatbush Ave) -- it's actually tofu, but I swear you'll never be able to tell the difference.
FYI, vegan is not a "diet." It's a lifestyle. The accepted definition of vegan (from those who coined the word, The Vegan Society) is essentially: "person who seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose." Thus, abstaining from eating meat, eggs, dairy, etc. isn't necessarily about health.
There are, however, health benefits to a plant-based diet. Vegans and vegetarians are much less likely to get heart disease, diabetes, many cancers, obesity, and other illnesses. You can read The China Study for more info on that.
Back to ethics: Animal rights are self evident. Every child - who hasn't been desensitized to violence and killing - understands this intrinsically. Animals are children's friends, not their food. There is no good reason to cause an animal needless suffering or death. A desire for a hamburger is trivial compared to a cow's desire for life and liberty. And the harm caused to the animal, the planet, and the consumer's health is all the more reason to ditch the SAD (Standard American Diet) and go vegan today!
If you need help, please visit www.vegkit.org , tryveg.com, or goveg.com
Three and a half years ago my doctor wanted me to try some cholesterol reducing pills after my cholesterol test results. In a letter with my results, he asked if I would try them and retake my test in thirty days. He never mentioned lifestlye or diet changes. I knew this was the slippery slope, and that after the retest he would recommend that I take them FOREVER. Well I decied to go on a diet for thirty days and be done with him and his pills. So after searching on the internet about cholesterol I came upon a vegan diet. I'm already lactose intolerant like 75% of the world population, and although I enjoyed chesse pizza, it was a temporary thing as it was soon followed by cramps and a trip to the men's room. So comparing a vegetarian diet to a vegan diet and seeing the major difference is dairy and eggs I went on a vegan diet. My cholesterol went from 246 to 167 in 31 days after going on the diet. I learned much about nutrition, animal cruelty, and the enviornmental crisises caused by such actions in the industrialized world, that after the results of my test I never went back. It's illogical, and makes no sense to do so. My health has always been good, and I have always been fairly active, and at 55 years of age I feel great. As a side note my PSA test (Prostate-specific antigen) before going vegan was 5.0, it should be 0.0 to 4.0, Every year after (test given annually) my score went down. My last score was 3.6. So go figure.
Reading the book THE CHINA STUDY was a real eye opener.
i have always been an omnivore and will always continue to be one; there has never been nor is there now any reason to change! maintaining this has kept me off meds, maintained my body, in all considerations, at the ideal, combined with healthy physical activities. my diet focuses on natural, organic food sources, appropriate eating habits, and physical exercise, and only natural sources of supplements. there is absolutely no dilemma here!
Hi marc... Good for you for staying so fit! Just wondering though... If you knew you could be as healthy or more so on a vegan diet - would you consider this option?
I have friends who know how to slaughter animals, and they do it as painlessly as possible. I'm sure much less painful than the cow dying at the hands of coyotes, which I feel I'm saving them from.
This is not to deny that most slaughterers are not like this. I won't eat the meat they produce.
I hope that when super intelligent creatures can look upon us as so inferior, like many of us look at other species, that the super intelligent will be as compassionate as vegans are today.
Throwing another behavior into the mix: if you're avoiding meat, dairy, eggs, and leather & silk, what about wool? And what does cotton farming on the scale it's done today do to the Earth?
We can (obviously) take things too far. If you can afford to buy clothing that's entirely based on ethical treatment of animals, land, and _employees_, and you have the time to research everything you eat & wear, that's great. The majority of people cannot manage that lifestyle.
In the meantime, how about spending our energy helping organizations that work toward better technologies, humane conditions, & so forth?
Back to eating: no one has mentioned insects yet. Is it inhumane to eat grasshoppers or ants? (a bit tongue-in-cheek, if people can stand the levity)
And, pigs vs. cats: different animals for different cultures. Cats, dogs, & horses are eaten in other countries. People in the US are usually horrified by that, even the omnivores.
No one has the right answer yet. Give people some room, evaluate arguments based on the logic & facts, and keep passing information along.
Strict vegetarian for strong environmental/economic and mild ethical reasons. Primarily with regards to rampant over-fishing and mercury problems with fish and inhumane living conditions for most livestock and the general inefficiencies inherit with getting your nutrition and calories from meat (compared to vegetarianism). I have no real problem with domestication for collection of eggs or diary (or work loading for that matter) if its done humanely and with sustainability in mind, although I think over-time, as a species, this will need to be phased out as it is ultimately difficult to maintain sustainable production for such a massive human population as we have now.
Just as a side note to Bea: I think you vastly under-estimate our capacity to put on blinders or just not give a crap about other species, let alone ours, when it comes to feeding our desires (no pun intended).
Veronica - If we stopped breeding these animals - through artificial insemination... And confinement. And stopped using them as a commodity - there would be no worry about the big, bad coyotes and wolves. The truth is man is the most fierce predator of them all. He not only kills for pleasure - but actually "makes" the animals for this purpose. You are not "saving" animals by eating them - this I assure you.
Barb... You are right - wool is another of those unnecessary and cruel animal products - That we don't need.
And can we really take ethics "too far"? We can without doing any research at all know that animals used for their bodies are treated in unacceptable ways. It takes the simple act of looking on the labels of products - within a few short shopping trips you will have all the information you need regarding animal products.
On a more complicated level you can also research your purchases to see how they align with your values of treatment to humans and planet. Surely everyone has a half an hour and a computer to do such?
Nothing is going to be 100% "pure" - but getting it as close to that goal seems to be what an evolved society should do. The idea is to reduce the overall suffering in the world and to do as little harm as possible - A vegan lifestyle works towards that end. It's easy, healthy, thrifty and kind... I don't know what more motivations there could be?
Gregory - I am very aware of our speciesism - But things are changing... As we realize there is no "humane" use of sentient beings, the practice is becoming less acceptable all the time. Sorry.
I still argue that it takes much more than a few shopping trips and half an hour to research purchases. Anyone who can "should," but I don't think we should impose this standard on everyone (& clearly we "can't" at this point in time). There are plenty of people who don't have the resources (e.g., time, money, awareness). Giving people information and encouraging them to change a small part of their lives will get us closer to our goals.
"Nothing is going to be 100% 'pure' " is in line with my "too far" comment. I should have been clearer. (I'm usually more precise, & kicking myself for not being more careful here.) I do agree that we should work toward a better world, in many ways.
Barb... You're correct too - especially about "awareness"... Which thankfully I think will be increasing in leaps and bounds as we progress. Just the idea of this conversation about this subject would have been absurd 10 or so years ago. Enough people were not ready to hear the message then.
And some changes and new habits inspire more awareness to other issues. Such as concern for fair trade, the environment and so forth. Suddenly awareness becomes this intricate web of new knowledge. But no one learns it all at once (or ever) that's for sure.
Yes, change happens in incremental ways. And if we all strive to do the best we can with what we know - it will make a better world.
Many are gradually easing into a vegan diet by first eliminating animal products from breakfast... Then after a month or so, adding lunch - and so forth. This gives plenty of time to do research each step along the way.
And keeping in mind if there's an accidental slip along the way - it's not the end of the world. "Perfectionism is the enemy of change".
"Mostly vegetarian", according to the classification in this article. I don't cook and don't have much time for food preparation, so I can't really be very strict about it, but I try to avoid eating a lot of meat for both health and ethical reasons.
The way I see it, if everyone ate as little meat as I do (practically no fish or beef, and minimizing the fowl), the lack of demand would radically reduce production of all those - and with it a complementary reduction in feed grain production. Nevertheless, when I'm visiting the folks for the holidays I'm also not going to be the one guy asking for the "special" diet, and will content myself with eating mom's stroganoff with the rest of the family.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/dining/30come.html
An Unlikely Way to Save a Species: Serve It for Dinner
excerpt:
Gary Paul Nabhan ... has spent most of the past four years compiling a list of endangered plants and animals that were once fairly commonplace in American kitchens but are now threatened, endangered or essentially extinct in the marketplace. He has set out to save them, which often involves urging people to eat them.
That's only so those animals will become a commodity and people will start breeding them for profit. It has nothing to do with benevolence for the species. A conservation program that breeds endangered animals and then doesn't kill them would save their lives more than breeding to kill them for food.
What is so bad about a species naturally becoming extinct anyway?
In my opinion, I would think that animals would want their species to go extinct rather than suffer through the horrors of meat production. I know I'd want that for humans if the only hope for our future was another species enslaving us for our entire lives, only to end them in a bloody death for no good reason.
I am a vegetarian. This essay discusses why. I wrote this more for myself than for anybody else. If you don't care, I don't blame you.
I have two related reasons for being a vegetarian. The first is the horrifying practices of the meat industry in the United States. The second is the ethical principle that no sentient being should be treated merely as a means rather than as an end in itself.
In this essay I'll use the word "animal" to refer to non-human animals, for simplicity and in agreement with common usage. However, always remember that humans are animals too. karaciger yaglanmasi
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