Darth Howie said: I don't judge dogs or cats for eating meat, so I won't judge people for it. We are omnivores by design. Without supplements, one can't have a balanced diet and be a vegetarian. Are our current methods of farming meat ineffecient? Yes. They absolutely are. But it's possible to find meat that was farmed more ethically if you are willing to put in the money (it's always more expensive) and effort in.
Zophycakes said: I have a really awful aversion to a lot of leafy greens and find the texture to be repulsive beyond my control. Being a vegetarian would be really difficult for me, but I wish it wasn't like that. I'm pretty concerned about my long-term health and try to make up for it where I can. My goal over the next couple years is to shift to pescetarian, or near to that.
Atma Weapon said: The question is, "on balance, does my preference for juicy meat taste outweigh the the other consequences that made this food available to me?". It seems the answer is clearly no. I value intellectual honesty above a slightly more preferable taste.
kjonez said: I have a wheat and rye allergy, somehing very similar to celiac disease in that I can't eat many of the foods that have gluten in it. My girlfriend has allergic reactions to nuts and some fruits and vegetables. With much of the basic food groups inaccessible to us meat is a very nice option. When i shop for my meat products I go to a local butcher who I know is good about buying his inventory from more humane farms. I know that sound off to most vegatarians/vegans but there are meat lovers out there who like to cause as little stress to the animal as posssible. My uncle is a hunter and I get much of my other meat from him. The deer/turkey population in northern CT is very high and the fraction of a percentage that he takes out of the wild each year won't affect the balance of nature. It's tough to explain to people that I like to eat venison without them claiming me to be a Bambi killer. I invite them to drive around the area for a day and count the amount of deer they see that have been hit in the road and then tell me there isn't an overpopulation of animals in the area. This area is mostly woods too, so there isn't a huge amount of roads all over the place. The way I see it, even without the food allergies I would still be eating meat. It's a great source of nutrition and I balance it out with the vegetables and fruits to maintain a healthy diet. It's also delicious, and it would be very hard to persude me otherwise. But I don't knock anyone else who feels differently and I let them eat whatever they'd like to based on either nutrition or ideas for animals.
