Why are you vegetarian?

[curlygirl82]

That's a truly sincere question. I went straight to Raw from complete omnivory (is that a word?), eating meat a couple times a day. Raw completely makes sense to me, intellectually and I feel so great on it - so I'll be vegetarian and vegan just by default because I'm raw -- yet my mind hasn't caught up to my practice, and I don't understand reasons for being vegetarian. Isn't that weird? I'm still imagining cavemen, every once in a while hunting and having a great feast - and it seems like it wouldn't be too bad of a thing to have meat once in awhile.
I'm not saying I WANT to eat meat - or even prove that it's ok. Quite the oppositite - I want to have intellectual reasons for why meat's not the answer. So I'd love to hear why you're vegetarian. Any information showing that we're truly NOT designed to eat meat would really help me, too.

Thanks!!!

[J A]

For me, it's purely environmental reasons. Meat, especially conventionally produced, puts a huge strain on the planet. Something like 14% of the world's green house gas emissions come from meat production. You cut more emissions by omitting meat than by, say, not flying.

I have nothing against meat per se, provided it's "raw" (not heated above 110 F). Cold smoking is probably the easiest way to achieve that. If a friend shoots an elk or catches some fish from the river nearby, I may eat it if it's cold smoked and I feel like having it. There's no environmental strain in that type of meat.

I'm very Darwinian in my ethics, which I've noticed differs quite a lot from most vegans/vegetarians. The way I see it, evolution provides a very good answer to most questions. Evolution is all about attack/defense, whether that be animals or plants. Those who need to attack will develop means to do so as effectively as possible, those who do not attack will try to defend themselves by every means available to them. Plants defend themselves by, among other things, developing plant poisons. Soy beans for example have hormons that quite a lot resemble the human estrogene - likely to hit plant eaters' fertility.

If, for example, the aquatic ape theory holds true (I'm one of the aficionados), then sea food played a major role in propelling our primate ancestors into the intellectual development that resulted in our unique intelligence, a brain that's miles ahead all other living beings and notably our cousins, the great apes. If food began the development of our brains, then we would still be chimpanzees had we stuck to their raw diet. Now I'm not saying that would have been a bad idea, seeing where the world is going... [humor warning]. On the other hand, if non-food elements were prevalent (no one quite knows why we did develop our intelligence), then of course that argument falls. But it does not change the fact that there exist entire populations on the earth that eat quite a lot of meat (and other cooked foods) yet enjoy perfect health.

So my take is... our ancestors ate meat because it served their purposes and they needed it. Tthey could thrive on it and of course they (most of the time) ate a lot of plants, too. We shouldn't, because our planet can't take it. Better stick to raw, for health reasons (the kind of meat our ancestors could eat simply doesn't exist anymore, the world's too polluted) and for the better of our planet.

[RawPaw]

First of all for my health. Secondly, while I'm not a huge animal lover, I do feel sorry for those that are in factory farms and such; especially since we're omnivores and don't have to eat that way. I think hunting (not for sport) is way more humane and dignifying. And lastly, I can't afford to waste my money on foods that aren't healthy.

[Green_Woman]

A friend who is vegetarian (not RAW, just veggie-head ;)) told me that he does not eat meat because when he eats meat, he feels as if he is cosuming the suffering and pain of the dead animal with the meat...

Why I'm a Vegetarian

* For my health - I have long suffered reactions to ALL kinds of meat and dairy products, and since I was 16 years old, I have been gradually transitioning away from eating any animal products... today, I am 85-100% RAW daily, and if I cheat, it's always and ONLY with fish!

* For my beautiful, stressed-out "Mother Earth" whose burden from humanity's waste/user-stamp is growing daily... consider how much waste and energy is expended on producing feed cattle, on harvesting the open sea, etc.? And think about the healthful benefits of farms and gardens in contrast to the meat industry? Also, think about the synthetic hormones and chemicals used to make cattle grow faster, plumper, etc.

Are humans not made to eat meat??

Honestly, I've seen convincing arguments for both sides of this equation. I believe it boils down to personal choice. Some people's blood types support their need for at least occasional meat. Others (like me) should avoid animal products at all costs because our health depends on NOT eating meat!

The following passage from the historic book of Acts is an interesting glimpse into the historic/religious viewpoint, as well:

Acts 10:9-23 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain



9On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

10And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

11And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

12Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

13And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

14But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

15And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

16This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

17Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,

18And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.

19While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

20Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

21Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?

22And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.

23Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

[Veganforlife]

I have been Vegetarian for 28 plus years, then Vegan for 3, now Raw.

To me there is no other way...to live...

[RawHeaven]

I became a vegetarian when I was 8 and wasn't really able to actualize it until I was in my late teens. For me I loved animals and had a pet turtle at one point among other beloved pets. I really bonded with this turtle. I was obsessed with it. I remember watching something with my Dad on TV - a documentary about turtles and how some cultures ate turtle soup. I was eight years old and I still remember the horror at the thought of my pet turtle in soup! I didn't really understand what I was proclaiming, but I knew I could never eat an animal or living thing that was killed again. I still had to eat meat because hey I was eight, but for me it was a basic instinct thing. I do remember telling my Mom I didn't want to eat "flesh" anymore and I stopped eating red meat. Being a vegan to me is coming from a fundamental place of love and respect for the other animals & reptiles on the planet. I don't want to eat anything with a beating heart or a brain. I'm also vegan for environmental reasons - less of a carbon footprint. :)

[RawKnitster]

The best argument I've read for not eating meat, or any cooked food is in "Natures's First Law:The Raw-Food Diet" - Arlin, Dini, Wolfe.

"In reality, the physiological demand for cooked food is not casused by hunger. It is caused by the movement of poisons which are suddenly in "danger" of being purged out of the system. It is the body's cry to remain clogged. It is the cry of disease and addiction which lies sprawled like a demon and demands new poisons with which to continue the erosion of the Life-Force. So long as there are any diseased cells in the human organism, there exists a strong craving for cooked food. Cooked food is addictive. Cooked food is poison."

"Death cannot feed life." - Jay Kordich, "The Juiceman"

Lately, I have found meat to be offensive. If the animals were wild or even treated well it wouldn't be so bad, but that's not the case.

[RawSun]

I became vegetarian when I was 11 and made the connection between the steak on my plate and a living, breathing animal. When I was 18 I went vegan after reading diet for a new America. Now I've been raw for 2.5 years. I am a vegan to my core, I will never go back no matter what the circumstances.

In my opinion if you care about your health, the planet, and other living beings you would consider veganism. It may take a while for some to transition, diet is not the easiest thing to change, but even taking steps to end suffering and improve your own health and the health of the planet, is admirable.

[solarliving]

Well it was a gradual process for me, but in the end it has to do with the way animals are treated.

I stopped eating beef after I saw, "fast food nation."

I stopped eating all animals after I saw, "Earthlings."

After I became informed, I could not in good concious eat animals anymore. I do feel better too. I had constant back pain that went away after becoming vegetarian.

[rawmom2006]

I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years.I am a vegetarian because I care about animals. I will never eat animal flesh ever again. I notice people who are vegetarians because of animals usually stay vegetarians and the ones who do it for other reasons evetually start eating meat again. I think everyone who eats animal flesh should have to kill the animal themselves. I also think children should see exactly where there meat comes from.

[rawstrength]

I've wanted to go vegetarian ever since I was a little kid (meat always grossed me out, especially after I learned it came from an animal) but I didn't have the resources (could cook my own food, etc). I went vegan when I turned 15. The horrible conditions on factory farms really convinced me.
Vegetarians have been found to have a higher IQ than meat-eaters, if that's convincing enough for you.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Call me weird, but i never like meat. My first memory as a child eating meat, i vomit. Also the thought of eating flesh just grost me out. I was raise to eat meat three time a day. They even made me eat blood pudding, liver and you name it. I came from a very strong family that believe that you need meat in order to survive. When l left home to earn my life, i cut down my meat consumption to once a day, then once a week and at the end it was once a month. When i started to socialize with you new culture and saw that they religion was for them to be vegetarian and saw that they give birth, work in the field and are strong, i told to myself. Wait a minute, i don't like meat and i have just quited in January 2000. Of course my family all thought i was crazy and would probably become weak.

The dairy was a different story, this i liked and was scare to have bad teeth, etc...

When i became vegan by default with this raw diet, i saw two dvd couple months after that will keep me on this path of vegan. "The diet" and "A diet for all reason". Highly recommended

I can promise you the diet for all reason, you will never be tempted again to have any animal flesh once you understand what is going on inside your body.

I feel that man started to eat meat because of the ice age and it was the only way for them to survive the winter. You cannot growth much veggies on winter. But you get your nutriment second hand. The wild animal, eat nice rich plant food, the animal raise in a corporation farm, have a very poor diet and are even given flesh and fish. They get sick and are also loaded of anti-biotic, growth hormone etc... You just don't want that in your body.

We have adapted to eat cook food and animal flesh, but our body was never designed to do so. Just the length of our intestine, are designed to digest plant food. An animal that eat flesh, their intestine are much shorter and their digestive enzyme are way beyond more acid then us which lead to a quicker digestion.

If we could eat raw meat like carnivore do, it may be a different thing but really, can you eat raw meat?

I understand that not every body can quit their meat and it could be a long process for them but as you do this gradually, you health will boost.

[klomasius]

There is so much evidence indicating that a vegetarian diet is far superior healthwise than an omnivorous one. Just type vegetarian into google and you'll come up with heaps of helpful websites.

For me it was a little different to most people, I did it for humans.

I was a pretty tough kid, but one of the things that could really get me crying was thinking of all the starving kids in the world that didn't get enough to eat. I couldn't help asking the questions 'where are the people that love them' 'why do adults let this horrible thing happen?' 'aren't we special?' 'what if that were me?'.

As I got older and found out how many resources (water, energy, land, food) it took to make meat I realised that I could never call myself a citizen of that compassionate future world I desperately wanted to be a part of until I cultivated some respect for my fellow human beings in the form of my actions.

As I ate my last steak one day with my family (cooked for me by my sister who owned a restaurant back then), I realised how nightmarish we were all being, sitting down all civilised and eating vast amounts of resources while people literally died because they didn't have food. We were not civilised at all, and I felt so ashamed.

That was the beginning of my path to a vegetarian diet, to try and be that civilised person I aspired to be. To incorporate actions that respect those that don't have the very basics they need into my life, my very diet.

All the other benefits, respect for the environment, animals, my health, etc. flowed on from there and helped me to reach further down that pathway toward the truly civilised people I know we can all be.

[SuzyQ]

I was trying to lose weight and the more veggies/fruit I ate, the faster I lost & it stayed off. In the meantime, I read "Skinny Bitch" because my daughter was reading it and I cried all the way home after reading about the pig in the slaughter house. I had heard bad things before, but for some reason this time was too much. I can't justify eating the stuff. I feel better physically as well; no more stomach aches.

I love not purchasing/handling/preparing raw meat. I love that I don't have to give my $$ to an industry that has so much suffering/abuse associated with it.

[michigan roman]

ethical reasons . 15 years ago i decided that all other creature types feel pain just like i do and that supierior human intelligence doesnt justify me doing whatever i want to them .

[RawYorkCity]

Like many wise members who posted before me I stopped consuming meat for the environment, my health, and for the poor animals. I read somewhere that one cow (unnaturally fed with large amounts of food and injected with hormones) produces the same amount of methane gas as five cars. Alarming! Also, I do not believe humans are fit for meat consumption (the length of our digestive systems, hours of sleep we average, size of teeth and nails, and so on). Finally, I think of the poor animals that are slaughtered in an era where humans can survive without eating such animals.

[Andre]

- living in crowded conditions
- breathing in your own waste
- having your body parts chopped off
- being taken away from your parents
- never seeing the sun


even criminals have it better off.

[Blazin'Jane]

3 basic reasons from which all other reasons mentioned flow:
1- It's healthier for our bodies, minds, and spirits.
2 It save wear, tear, and lots of pain to the animals, which we tthen absorb into our beings.
3- It is much kinder to the planet, which cannot continue to sustain itself in the very out of balance state it's in now. The earth suffers, and people who should be eating all the grain that's grown, die of starvation while the animals eat lots more grain, so that they can become food for the wealthy on the planet. Crazy.

[Nani]

I became a Vegetarian for "all" the reasons. :D

For my health, for the Earth, for the animals, for my spiritual health. I honestly cannot find any reason to eat meat.

Also...something I always find interesting and have "used" in my conversations with those non-vegetarians whom always seem to ask those pesky why, where and what questions....is that all carnivores sweat through their tongues...birds, dogs, cats etc... they also have a shorter intestinal tracts that humans, made to digest meat. Ours is longer, similar to all other herbivores, such as apes etc... Carnivores also have large fangs and claws to kill their prey....We, on the other hand do not.

Its funny how most meat eaters say they were born to eat meat...however they cant stand to look at raw flesh, so they have someone else kill their "food", package it up in a nice little plastic wrapped container so as to hide what it really is and then finally season the hell out of it and COOK it!......IF you were a true meat eater....you would grab that live chicken with your bare hands and bite its head off and eat it raw. :eek:

Biologically, We are NOT made to eat meat...SIMPLE. ;)

[jacsam]

You asked for information that shows we're TRULY not designed to eat meat....Alissa's book....has great information. Not only that but it talks about the calcium/protien issues that you can get asked. One thing, our GI track is very long and a carnivore's GI track is very short....so the meat doesn't take as long to digest foods. The stomach also of a carnivore is able to digest even bones where ours is not like that. Even our teeth are diffent.

I personally started eating vegetarian for health reasons only eating maybe a bite or two of meat every 3 months or longer and then one day it just hit me....by eating only one bite a whole animal has to die and I just thought one or two bites was not worth that for me.

[goobygirl]

Actually, prior to cavemen our ancestors were living in the tropical forest of what is now east africa. They were eating a tropical fruit, greens, bugs and bark. When they overpopulated the area and had to move on, they were forced to make choices for raw survival. Doesn't mean it was the optimum diet to hunt down a mastadon, just means it kept them alive.

So, the caveman diet isn't really the best one, it's the one that supports health to the greatest extent, and to me, that's vegetarian, vegan, and raw.

My reason for being vegetarian, vegan, or raw is that I can't stand the idea of hurting animals to support my appetite. Now that I've done raw, my sense of smell is even greater (and hubby said I could smell a mosquito pass gas prior to raw) and the smell of flesh is quite sickening.

The other reason for vegetarianism is back to the first reason: it's natural. I could no more run down a rabbit and tear it open with my bare teeth and hands than I could go pick up a chicken, chop off its head with an ax, and eat it right then and there. It's unnatural to eat meat. It's violent. And it's killing billions of people who do eat it. Just slowly.

[goobygirl]

" But it does not change the fact that there exist entire populations on the earth that eat quite a lot of meat (and other cooked foods) yet enjoy perfect health."

I also like the aquatic ape theory, but not sure where these entire populations of healthy meat eaters exist (that eat quite a lot, which again, I'm not sure of the measurement of "a lot").

Also, I tend to believe as Victoria Boutenko that our ancestors were also tree living mammals who ate fruit, leaves, bark, and insects to survive and were pushed out of that habitat to other less hospitable areas. While eating meat may have enabled their survival, it does not follow that a meat diet was optimal.

[J A]

" But it does not change the fact that there exist entire populations on the earth that eat quite a lot of meat (and other cooked foods) yet enjoy perfect health."

I also like the aquatic ape theory, but not sure where these entire populations of healthy meat eaters exist (that eat quite a lot, which again, I'm not sure of the measurement of "a lot").

Also, I tend to believe as Victoria Boutenko that our ancestors were also tree living mammals who ate fruit, leaves, bark, and insects to survive and were pushed out of that habitat to other less hospitable areas. While eating meat may have enabled their survival, it does not follow that a meat diet was optimal.

Goobygirl,

The populations I refer to are the hunter-gatherers still living in various parts of the world (notably around Papua-New Guinea, Oceania, the Amazon jungle and a few other places). There are historical records of hunter-gatherer populations that nowadays eat a modern Western diet (such as eskimos and a lot of southern populations, especially in Africa). These records suggest that these hunter-gatherers enjoyed perfect health (when compared to modern health - no cardiovascular diseases, basically no illnesses) until they were introduced to modern foods, which quickly turned them sick.

Now, it's difficult to study existing hunter-gatherers as they generally prefer to be left on their own. However, there are populations that are open to studying and one of them, the Trobrianders of the Kiriwina islands, have been studied in depth by, among others, the Swedish doctor and scientist Staffan Lindeberg. He and others have concluded that the Trobrianders lack all the Western attributes of poor health (high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, high body fat, bad teeth etc. etc.) and instead enjoy perfect health, often attaining remarkably high age with no health issues - although no one keeps records of the islanders' age, the scientists have observed men who are known to be over 90 to squat down for hours to talk and then effortlessly walk or even run away on some errand. Basically, unless a Trobriander is killed by an accident (accidents, such as being hit by falling coconuts, falling from a coconut tree etc. are the most common death factor on the Kiriwina islands), he or she is likely to live very long with absolutely no health issues. The Trobriand diet consists of a lot of fruits and vegetables, but is also very high on cooked roots (especially the yam) and does contain quite a bit of fish and other sea foods. Meat is more seldom present, mainly on festive occasions. By the way, most of them smoke a lot, yet enjoy perfect health!

Now, the Trobrianders are just one example of a hunter-gatherer (they do quite a bit of cultivation, too, especially when it comes to roots) population enjoying perfect health with quite a bit of cooked food and fish (raw food likely makes up 50-70 % of their energy intake). Historical records suggest that Northern populations having a very high intake of meat and/or sea foods enjoyed similarly perfect health. This only shows that our primal ancestors did indeed find ways to incorporate meat and sea food into their diet in a way which allowed them to remain perfectly healthy, which in the end enabled them to leave Africa and to populate the rest of the world. This of course does not mean they could not have continued eating 100 % plant based food had they wanted to. The human body is beyond doubt still able to thrive on a 100% raw diet. Our ancestors had no choice as they had to leave the tropical jungle of their time. During the millions of years that our ancestors ate meat and sea food (primarily raw), their bodies were adapted to that kind of food. That's the way evolution works - the individuals who couldn't adapt to the diet either died or had fewer children, which after millions of years resulted in a race of primates that could thrive on meat/sea food.

Now, as to which diet is optimal - in the current context (the modern society), the raw diet likely is, as it puts a lot less strain on the planet while maintaining perfect health. Whether or not our brains require sea food in order to continue to develop (if, as suggested by the aquatic ape theory, our brains started evolving due to the introduction of sea food) is a question no one today is able to answer.

[kaybee]

My original and primary reason for going vegetarian, then vegan, is for reasons of compassion. I cannot bear the thought of another creature being killed for me to eat it. Honestly, if it was a choice between killing another sentient creature to feed myself or dying myself, I think I would just have to wait around and see if a third option presented itself....I just dont think I could do it. it absolutely kills me to be surrounded by animals in the fields near my house, and to see that they are conscious, sentient creatures that play and kick up their heels and enjoy life, and often seek attention from humans, and to know that soon they will all be on a truck headed for the "factory." It is inconceivable to me that we are regularly taking away their lives, lives of these beautiful, mysterious creatures.

Now, Ive added other reasons to why Im vegan--health, health of the earth, sustainable use of resources and creating situations where there can be enough food to feed everyone, etc, though my primary reason will always remain compassion. I think that a raw-vegan diet, particularly one with a focus on local foods, leaves the least negative impact, both in terms of health of the earth, use of resources, and animal suffering.

[curlygirl82]

It's really fascinating to hear all of your responses. I'm just soaking it all in, and hyperlinking it in my brain... :) Keep 'em comin'! Thanks, everybody!

[annavon]

I have been on and off eating a vegetarian diet since college.

The main reason I became interested in a vegetarian diet is that I had a biology professor in college that didn't believe that humans were meant to eat meat on a daily basis and that our diet should be mostly vegetarian with occaisional dairy and on rare occaisions meat and then from smaller animals like chicken or fish. I got the book called Diet for a Small Planet and I was convinced to try this way of eating not only for health but for environmental reasons. I unfortunatly went back to a more meat based diet when I got married.

After I got divorced in 1995 I resumed my semi-vegetarian ways and in 2000 I change religons. I discovered that the monastic community in my religon eats a mostly vegetarian diet with an occaisional fish thrown in. They also eat a vegan diet about half of the time. I decided to follow this program for several years and I leaned toward the vegan diet as I found it better spiritually as well as healthwise.

Around 2005 I visited a raw food restaurant I heard about. I was amazed how good I felt eating raw. I didn't really commit to eating raw until this past year when I had some health issues arise.

So I guess my long answer boils down to this:

1. Environment
2. Spiritual
3. Health

[curlygirl82]

JA and Gooby -
I'd never heard of the aquatic ape theory before (and that's with a year and a half of premed under my belt!). It's absolutely fascinating, thanks for turning me onto it.

In that context, though, what are your thoughts on eating fish? Seems like we might be hardwired for that, right? (Even if doing so in our polluted world would currently be unsafe.) Also - all the anatomical/physiological evidence that we're not designed to eat meat - does it hold water (pun unintended) when applied to fish? (IE, rots in the colon, etc.)

I'm loving learning from you all!

[J A]

In that context, though, what are your thoughts on eating fish? Seems like we might be hardwired for that, right? (Even if doing so in our polluted world would currently be unsafe.) Also - all the anatomical/physiological evidence that we're not designed to eat meat - does it hold water (pun unintended) when applied to fish? (IE, rots in the colon, etc.)

I'm loving learning from you all!

I believe our ancestors did eat sea food for (5-7) millions of years, and of course raw for most of that time (heating probably became common around 500,000-700,000 years ago, possibly as much as 1,5 million years ago). 5-7 millions of years will have eliminated any genetic traits in the homo species that would not have been able to tolerate sea food (the same probably goes for meat).

The homo species have, of course, never been purely carnivorous. Thus we physically differ a lot from carnivores. We do, however, seem to be one of the most omnivorous species this planet has ever seen and humans are known to have thrived (not only survived) on a huge variety of foods. This said, our "first" and earliest diet is the raw food diet, followed later by (raw) sea food, meat and so on. The Trobriand studies, among others, seem to suggest that we can even thrive on a diet reasonably rich in cooked roots and fish.

To answer your question: I couldn't possibly answer any detailed questions as to what happens in the colon once you swallow a bit of fish. My take on health issues is purely evolutionary (or Darwinian, if you wish). The reasoning is simple: If evolution forced our ancestors to adapt to sea food, then sea food is suitable for us. Evolution will have eliminated any elements within the homo species that would not have been able to cope with sea food.

The big question, in my opinion, is whether or not our intelligence evolved thanks to sea food. Would we still be apes if we hadn't begun eating sea food? We must understand that the human brain is truly unique. It is very difficult to measure (or even define!) intelligence; however, measures such as the brain weight to body weight ratio do seem to correlate with intelligence, by and large. This ratio for reptiles, for example, is around 1:1500, for most mammals 1:180 and for humans, around 1:50. Our brain is much larger and above all way more complex than that of our cousins, the great apes.

Did we accomplish this through sea food? The only other brains even remotely comparable to ours are those of the dolphins (and, for example, orcas) who obviously eat loads of fish and other sea food. The aquatic ape hypothesis (note that the theory is basically totally ignored by the scientific community which thinks it's a stupid joke, there being little or no evidence in its favor) seems to suggest that sea food might have been one the key factors in our intellectual development. In that case, do we still need sea food in order for our brains to continue to develop? Can the same positive effects be had through other food sources rich in, say, Omega fats? Or is there something else in sea food that our brains need? I'm afraid no one knows. I'm sure you won't, on an individual level, have any negative effects from not eating fish. In the long run however (after a few generations), what will happen with the evolution of our brains if we stop eating sea food?

I don't know. I'd love to find out.

[ShantiLove]

I dont eat my friends.
My mother has told me that when I was a baby and todler I couldent digest meat. It came out in one or the other end in a not so plesent way. So I was living out of bananas and carrots for the first couple of year of my life :D. I ended up eating meat but I never requred at taste for it. When I became a teenager and I could decide myself, at age 14 I became a vegetarian. I have always had a strong bond with animals and it never made sence to me why we eat them.
I have been a vegetarian for 18+ years now and a vegan for 3-4 years. After feeling really compeled to become a vegan I have never felt better; Physicaly, mentaly, emotionaly and spiritualy. It dosent get any better than that. And like Rawsun I could never go back.

The biggest plus of all of this is, it is fantastic for the environment and my health aswell :D Things that I care about a great deal too.

My daughter now 6, has by herself decided to first become a vegetarian but now also a vegan. I have never put preshure on her to do so, and always let it up to her to decide what she wantet to eat. It is her body. A while a go while she took a few sips of a glass of milk she looked discusted. I ask what was wrong and she told me it tastet like she had just liked a cow LOL that was it for milk and dairy products for her.
I think, also after reading your replys, that even children know what is right, and what is good for their body. They just need the room to be aloud to listen to their own body and heart. Really fasinating :D

Here is a few links to challange the comon belif that humans are natural hunters and meat eaters. The last one is how we treat our production animals. If you are not a vegetarian before you watch this, you most likely will be ;)

http://www.ivu.org/history/early/archaeology.html

http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/hunter_gatherer.htm

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=chew_on_this

A great book I would highly recomend is The world peace diet by Will Tuttle. Why it is important for our world and future generations that we get away from a agressive lifestyle towards a more peacefull one. If we do our world will be a peacefull one aswell :-)

[magglepie]

I quit eating meat from cows and pigs when I was 15 because I don't like it. But when I was older and started actually doing more reading about the vegetarian and vegan diet, I cut all meat and dairy products out, for purely ethical reasons. I think about it now as: if humans can feel pain, anger, happiness, sadness, etc, etc, etc, what is to stop me from believing that other animals can? And if other animals can feel as humans can, then why is it ok for me to eat them? I have come to firmly believe that they deserve to have a life, just as humans do.

[Christiana]

I don't eat meat & dairy because they are the root of many health problems.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3881515735687284929

[rawstrength]

Regardless of whether the aquatic ape theory is true or not, I still believe that foods that come from the sea and lakes (like seaweeds and algae) are awesome for us. But we definitely don't need to be eating fish and clams, now do we?!

[RawYorkCity]

I'm so fascinated by the Aquatic Ape Theory now! I did some google searching and all the claims make sense. When I was eating meat the only raw meat I could digest without discomfort was raw fish. Interesting stuff...

[michigan roman]

though ive zero recall of past lives ive a hypothosis that were forever old , and that our bodies keep wearing out life after life til we master the physical laws of the universe and attain complete eternal control of our body states and exist evermore as exactly what we honorably choose . and as we travel thru time , by the way we are existing , we are developing unseeable to us at our current awareness levels ' roots ' on our souls which determine our futures . develop the wrong roots on your soul and itll take you longer to master the physical laws of the universe . develop more proper ones and youll make it to eternity sooner . everyones on their own to decide what they want to evolve into . everyones making themselves , it just takes alot of body spans / time . but once you master the physical laws of the universe your free to play :D . so with my hypothosis im focused on becoming a perfect citizen of the universe amongst all creature types , not just ones that are as intelligent as me while preying upon all the rest :rolleyes:
and i dont care if at an earlier stage in my evolution i in previous bodies or my ancestors existed as meat eaters i'll be damned if i'll go any further into the future devolving into a lower life predator / parasite . i am a plant eater that treats all other creatures as if me :cool:

and ide like to take the damn bible that says something called a god made all the other creatures of the universe for mankinds purpose and burn everyone of them because its the main cause of the humans of this planet still behaving as low life jacka**es :mad:

[Christiana]

and ide like to take the damn bible that says something called a god made all the other creatures of the universe for mankinds purpose and burn everyone of them because its the main cause of the humans of this planet still behaving as low life jacka**es :mad:

I really hate to spam, but what you just said is not entirely correct. God created other animals and said that us as humans are to "...have dominion over the fish in the sea, over the birds in the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Now, if you looked up the word "dominion," you'd notice that is means; "supreme authority." There is nothing there that says that they were created for "mankind's purpose."

So, forgive me, but I think you're being rather irrational.

[coco]

that statement always meant to me that we have stewardship over the planet and other creatures, not dominion. that's a poor translation of what i believe was actually written. it has been changed so many times by so many people with their own agenda that hardly one word of that book is valid anymore. i prefer the essene gospel of peace myself.

why else don't i eat meat? i just can't get past the idea of putting my lips to carcass, i imagine the dead, stinking body full of organs, having released it's bowels as many things do when they pass away, stiff with rigor, ugh. that isn't the least bit appealing to me.

that and my 7 year old has been veg by choice since he realized what people where actually eating when they sat down to bacon and eggs (he was barely 5). he was appalled, and rightly so. even if i wasn't veg i would do it to support him. i think it's amazing that he's made that choice.

[toofy]

The day that I am walking down the street, spot a squirrel and think about how hungry I am - fantasize about killing it and sucking the blood off the still twitching muscles - then I will eat meat again.

Hasn't happened yet!

[Inca_faerie]

The day that I am walking down the street, spot a squirrel and think about how hungry I am - fantasize about killing it and sucking the blood off the still twitching muscles - then I will eat meat again.

Hasn't happened yet!

lol thanks for the visual.

[gritsnla]

coco - you're second paragraph has burned a great visual image for me as a meat-eating deterrent. Now to share it with others who need that extra push.

[chilove]

Hi there,

I haven't had the time to read all the responses in this thread, so forgive if some of this has already been pointed out.

Besides the ethical and environmental reasons for going vegan, which are very compelling in themselves; I believe that by looking at our anatomy it is very clear that we are not natural meat eaters. We don't have long claws and sharp teeth that enable us to tear into tough hides. Imagine trying to run down a deer, hold onto it and tear into its throat without any weapons. It would be impossible. Also, I feel that your instincts prove that we aren't naturally carnivorous. If you came across a cute little baby animal in the forest would your first impulse be to stop and admire it and say 'oh, how cute" or would it be to pounce on it, shake it to death in your teeth and tear into its abdomen to eat its entrails? :-) Sorry, that is pretty graphic, but those are carnivorous impulses.

Also, if you look our hands, they seem perfectly formed to grasp and pick ripe fruit. We see in color which enables to differentiate ripe fruit from other plants. We naturally have a sweet tooth, which encourages us to seek out delicious ripe fruits.

To me, it is very apparent. Nevermind all the studies that have shown that meat and dairy cause cancer in humans. (read "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell).

Blessings,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[Figgy]

Humans are omnivores: our hunter gatherer background supports this as we are opportunistic feeders. If it's there and we are hungry enough, we will eat it. Pigs and crows are the same - not terribly fickle when it comes to filling the gut. Survival is the name of the game.

All nutrition comes from plant life - either plants themselves or by eating animals that eat plants.

For me, it was a process. Ethically I knew it was wrong to eat meat but my brain and gut never matched. I craved animal flesh. It was a serious struggle. It didn't matter that I saw footage of livestock in deplorable conditions, diseased and/or subjected to cruelty - I wanted meat on my plate.
What finally got me was emotions.
I realized that livestock animals experience pain, fear, anger, desperation and despair - just like humans do. I stopped eating all animal flesh immediately. Finally my gut caught up with my mind and they were in sync. No more struggle with cravings or ethics. It was like a light going off. We are very lucky in that we have reliable, varied food sources and we can *choose* not to eat any animal flesh.

A vegetarian/vegan diet is far healthier not only for humans but for the whole planet.

Figgy