What arguments are against being vegetarian?

i became vegitarian because of this statment Every minute of every working day, thousands of animals are killed in slaughter-houses. Pain and misery are common. In the US alone, 500,000 animals are killed for meat every hour. i think it is cruel and unkid but still people love meat its a strugle for them but same for vegitarians :-)

Again, this was a topic about the difference in diets.
And AGAIN, i see vegetarians whining about how animals are killed.
You know what, I'm all against cruelty to animals, but to kill an animal for food, is nowhere as unjust as you people shoving your beliefs down others throats.....
Exactly why must people look down on vegetarians, because they think they are "know-it-all's"
Let people eat what they wanna eat, and make their own choices for themselves.
How complicated is that?

I think that people should definitely try to live this way. What other people eat is none of your business. And there are arguments against a vegetarian diet just like there are arguments against an omnivorous diet. The point is to respect the choices others have made. Thanks for this post!

I am not actually a vegetarian...but I see no problem with an individuals choice to eat meat or Not to....I personally only eat chicken or turkey....because my family raise our own so I know what it has eaten and how it has been treated.....I recently did a project on how a vegetarian diet is more morally correct....and someone in the class actually argued that if We didnt eat animals than they would eat us........I don't know about you guys but I don't think I have ever seen a cow or salmon viciously take a bit out of a human being....

Bit of info for the woman who claims eating meat improves your sex life:

The #1 cause of impotence is cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and hypertension, specifically. It's no different in women- if blood flow is restricted, arteries can't dilate, etc, you are going to have some problems in bed, to say the least. And we all know that if is a scientifically proven fact that being vegetarian reduces your risk of heart disease by up to 40%.

Another huge issue is the fact that animals are treated with growth hormones, which are passed on to people when eaten. These just absolutely wreak havoc on our delicate hormonal balance. Unless you are buying local/organic meats, they ARE full of synthetic hormones.


I am vegetarian. When I had my cholesterol checked last year, my doctor said my LDL/HDL levels are so phenominal that at this point I had no chance of developing cardiovascular disease (which I plan on keeping up the good work as I get older!). I am of an ideal BMI and fat percentage, and have yet to have a health issue of any kind.

Oh, and... MY HUSBAND CAN'T KEEP UP WITH ME IN BED!! :-)

alright, so there's plenty of people out there saying "be a vegan! eating animals is like eating babies!" (i exaggerate, but its not too far off) i say, "why should we not eat animals when they are provided for us?" its not like those animals are going to DO anything except for live, die, and provide sustenance for many other creatures. essentially, that's all anything is for: providing sustenance for others.

i had seen that someone (i forgot who) had posted a comment saying something to the extent that "cats and dogs aren't eaten, so why should we eat other animals?" i counter with the fact that in a great many number of societies worldwide, eating 'family pets' was very common! such as in japan, where they ate cats before they were 'westernized'; and in mexico, the chihuahua was bred to be eaten, like a chicken is today. so i say: if you really want to eat your dog, go ahead!

i would argue more, but i'm at school right now, supposed to be doing research :P

There really are none.
Ive debated this with myself.
There is NO true justification for eating meat.
If there was one, I'd be eating it. Thats the 'promise' I made to myself..

As for the comment about vegans whining about animal cruelty or eating animals for food, im sorry if our compassion is a nuisance to you. Im sorry you dont give a damn. I dont get it. You're basically arguing for more hearts to stop beating..HOW can you possibly be right?!
Whether or not you find animals 'cute' or you love them, logically speaking theres something extremely unethical with the way these animals are treated, the way we exploit them. THATS the truth. No going around it. You eat meat, you condone animal cruelty.

As for the health arguement Iam a vegetarian, who recently turned vegan, and I have yet to see anything wrong with my health. AND Iam involved in a physically straining sport *high school wrestling*
My protein, iron, calcium, everything is fine, if not better. So for those of you who claim that a vegetarian OR vegan diet is unhealthy, PLEASE show sources of where you got this information.
It takes a stong willed person to control what they eat. Which is why a vegetarian or let alone a vegan diet is NOT for the weak. By that I mean the people who dont do reasearch before making a change in their diet, or those who say "oh but its so tasty!" *the same could be said about the feeling of rape, murder,...etc.*

With all that said, I ask for anyone to refute my points, or give me a JUSTIFIABLE reason to consume meat.
Just saying. Im not one to push my 'beliefs', or facts *as they are* but when people constantly argue against it, and live in denial, its kinf of a problem when they try to debate with those who already made their choice..

i think if "Mother Nature" would like to us be a vegetarian we would be created like that. I have some friends that are long term vegetarians and now what, they are getting their joints damaged (in age 30ish) they are having illness that old people have. Plant fat is not used by our organism like animal fat. Vegetarian diet can be danger.

If your vegetarian friends are experiencing joint problems, it is in no way a direct result of their diet.

Vegetarians have a remarkably lower incidences of the typical "aging illnesses" than non-vegetarians, including heart disease, osteoporosis, and arthritis.

If you do some real research, you will find that "plants fats" are called Essential Fatty Acids (omegas), because they are essential to nearly every bodily function. Animal fat serves no essential purpose in the human body, and while small amounts will not kill you, it will also not benefit you either.

Fats that come from animals are typically high in cholesterol and saturated fats, which lead to cardiovascular disease when consumed regularly.

the few arguments i've read against vegetarianism on here can easily be counteracted.

as someone who has both been a meat eater and vegetarian, i will confidently say there are almost no good arguments against vegetarian. sure, you can make justifications to yourself why you should meat, but any vegetarian can find a stronger argument out of it.

for example, the human body does not need animal meat for protein AT ALL. there are abundant sources of protein in more natural forms of food. and it has been shown that vegetarians live an average of 10 years longer than meat eaters. there are also direct links in red meats to many cancers, particularly colon cancer.

at this point, my knowledge of the cruelty that goes on in slaughterhouse's makes me not even want to touch meat. i have no desire. it might seem like it's hard at first, but you soon get very used to it and prefer it. i can never imagine myself eating meat again. it goes against any sense of conscientious living in my opinion.

there's absolutely no need to kill animals for our food. we're intelligent beings, who have evolved enough to the point that we should be able to recognize injustice in a lifestyle we once saw as the only way.

just look at gandhi, george bernard shaw, abraham lincoln, michelangelo, da vinci, einstein, the children of MLK, and other famous figures from history.

The idea that a vegetarian diet is better for the environment, a common reason for the vegetarian religion, is completely false. Do vegetarians have any idea how their beloved brown rice and soybeans are produced? From mile upon mile of land that was used before to sustain wild plants and animals, leading to desertification of previously arable land, pushing indigenous people off their land, and the extinction of millions of species. When I eat a chicken, yes I am responsible for one death, but when I eat a soybean patty (most of those beans produced by Monsanto, a company which plays its part in destroying our planet) I am responsible for hundreds of deaths of animals and plants. Vegetarians are basically members of a religion - they love to criticize you for the deaths of that sentient cow (and I am not denying its sentience, but also honoring the morality of nature over the hypocritical morality of humans), but they don't want to take responsibility for the enormous damage wrought to the planet from what is on their plate - this is called the confirmation bias by psychologists, only using evidence that supports your point of view. Also, vegetarianism is based on so many other false assumptions. For example, they love to criticize the waste in grain that goes to cows raised in factory farms. But the truth is that cows are supposed to be eating grasses not grains, so the argument is specious. Yes, factory farms feed them grains to fatten them up but it is totally possible and preferably not to. The idea that those grains fed to cows would be better spent on humans (e.g., starving humans) is just as specious. Humans have only been eating grains for the past few millenia since the advent of the agricultural revolution, so they were obviously not meant by evolutionary design to be eaten, compared to the past million years of eating animals, plants, nuts, seeds. The brain is 70% saturated fat and we need that fat. It is far more efficient to get that fat from animal tissue (and all those vitamins, etc). You get more of everything from meat, which is not to say we should not be eating a varied diet (of course we should). Vegetarians (in fact, vegans) will say we can get sufficient fats from chocolate and palm oil. That is ridiculous. You can't grow cocoa beans or palms in more than a small strip of land in semi-equatorial climes, so flying in those items to the rest of the world is not sustainable. However, all parts of the world do naturally have sources of birds, fish and land-based animals that we could eat assuming we found ways to inhabit the planet in a less destructive manner (which is a related, but different, matter). In short, the arguments for the vegetarian diet are specious and false. It is religion, nothing more, which makes them feel good while they are trashing the planet with their beloved diet. Bisons have gone down from tens of millions to literally 1500. Is that ethically justifiable in order to grow the monocultural crops that vegetarians love to eat?

There are many different types of diets, vegetarian being only one, and no one diet is good for everyone. My fiancee for example does much better on his organic chicken and turkey, whereas I do much better on a plant-based diet. However, when it comes to a meat-based diet vs a plant-based, the evidence is more than conclusive that a vegetarian diet is much more beneficial for health. Like stated earlier, vegetarians on average live much longer than non-vegetarians (about 7 years according to my textbooks and research.)

Now the KINDS of fats make a world of difference. Omega fatty acids are the kinds of fats necessary for good health, and the best sources are plants and fish. The saturated fats found in animal products, specifically red meats, are the kind of fats that have a disastrous effect on our cardiovascular system when consumed regularly.

You're right, Danny, chocolate and palm oil are some pretty goofy things to rely on for good fats. Soybean, canola, flax oils, etc. are major sources of omegas for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. As a matter of fact, the typical American diet is abundant in vegetable oils. Many people I know, including myself, take additional flax oil supplements to get higher omega 3 fatty acids.

Unfortunately the meat industry is a disastrous, ungodly mess in America, with most of our meat from abused animals pumped full of synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics. There truly is good organic meat out there, however it's hard to come across and expensive. I believe until this major problem is remedied, there will be many vegetarians who find they have to eat that way in order to lead a life full of health and vitality, and to avoid the common degenerative diseases caused by meat consumption.

I think there is not much difference between veg and non-veg as far as you have control over your diet, any food is great. So Eat healthy and Be healthy.

Enjoy your Life.
Cheers!!!!

I think that people should not care about being a vegetarian and can be who or what they want to be. People get bullied because of it. I find that sad. People should care about who you are and not care about weather you are a vege!

Hello,
I'm actually a 15 year old girl so
Please correct me if I am wrong...
I think that the idea of being vegetarian is good, it shows morals and ethics.
I think that if people would like to be vegetarian it is good, they should persue their views and opinions to try and make sure that people understand their views - that killing animals is wrong.
As for the nutritional aspect, vegetarians can lead just as healthy lifestyles, if not more, than average meat eaters.
However, by becoming vegetarians, the amount of meat that is produced and sold in supermarkets will not have a large effect on others and will not prevent the industry from killing animals.
Animals will still be killed no matter how many vegetarians there are. In places where there are slaughterhouses like poorer countries, this is the only way they are able to feed themselves.
Also, the leather and meat industry is far too big to destroy. If everyone was to suddenly become vegetarian, the leather industry would still probably keep going strong, the amount of diaries, shoes, wallets, bags etc that are made out of leather is unbelievable.
I also think that the slaughterhouses and the leather industry is such a large business that it employs many unlucky, poor people in need of a basic wage or salary to keep themselves and their families fed, clothed and sheltered. As most of the slaughterhouses are in poorer countries, they employ as many people that need money. If the industry would end up being destroyed, many people around the world would be out of work and the amount of poverty would increase along with the mortality rate, deaths of children and starvation.
In conclusion, I feel that people should always think about the consequences of their actions and I think that vegetarianism is great, people can honestly live happy lives without meat, knowing that they do not have any animals within their body. Although, I think that if people think that by becoming vegetarian, the meat industry will fall through, then they are wrong and if this is the only reason for their new lifestyle choices I do not see the reasoning behind it.

Does that make sense? Or was I just babbling on:?
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