Going Vegetarian

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ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

I'm in the middle of watching the documentary, Food Inc. I knew it would be en eye-opener and very likely horrifying, but I had no idea. The absolute size of industrialized food processing is...astounding.

There was one clip showing an assembly line of baby chickens. One of the workers grabbed them like nothing, shoved their head up against a piece of metal to snap their neck and kill them. I'm man enough to admit I kinda shrieked a little seeing it happen so coldly.

Then there's the amount of chemicals and corn fed to animals (cows evolved to eat grass, but eating corn is part of what brought about E-Coli, along with standing in knee-deep manure). The amount of land used to raise animals is insane. Then there's the waste run-off.

So...yeah, I've been on the fence about going full vegetarian for awhile, but I think it's time. Don't think I'll be able to go straight vegan (no dairy), but we'll see. Certainly cut down on my egg and cheese intake, for sure.

And...cue the usual "for every burger you don't eat, I'll eat five" or "BACON!" comments.
 
Officer_Charon

Officer_Charon

You know who else was a vegetarian?

Hitler.

In all seriousness, it's your decision, so more power to ya, man. I respect that you're doing this for ethical reasons as much as personal preference.

But I'll not be joining you, I think. Where you go, I cannot follow.
 
J

Jiarn

If you're doing it to "put a dent in the food industry" or "to help against it" or anything "noble" then you're doing it for the wrong reasons.
 
M

makare

I think corn is a kind of grass related to wheat. Also, of course meat production is done "coldly" how else could anyone do the job? It would be a hell of a lot more fucked up watching someone crying while shakily shooting a cow in the head.

I've often thought of going vegetarian because I'm not all that fond of meat in the first place. But I don't have the discipline to make sure my diet is well rounded without it.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
makare said:
I think corn is a kind of grass related to wheat.
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The difference between grain-fed and grass-fed is what part of the plant is being eaten. Corn-fed cattle are fed off the corn kernels. Grass-fed eat the whole plant stalk. This causes a major difference in digestion, leading to corn-fed animals having higher bacteria counts in their gut, leading to e-coli contamination problems. This also leads to metabolic changes, where corn-fed beef has lower amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids, and higher amounts of Omega-6s. This means that grass-fed beef and dairy have numerous health benefits, while corn-fed is neutral at best.

I'm firmly opposed to vegetarian diets, because I don't believe they're as healthy as those that contain meat and fish. "Lacto-ovo" vegetarian is better, since milk and eggs can provide many of the same nutrients as meat, but trying to balance a purely vegetarian (or worse, vegan) diet to get the essential fatty acids found in meat is difficult, if not impossible (depending on your existing health).

Nick, while I support you wanting to do this for moral reasons, I don't think it's a wise choice from a health perspective. Just my advice.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Jiarn said:
If you're doing it to "put a dent in the food industry" or "to help against it" or anything "noble" then you're doing it for the wrong reasons.
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It's not entirely like that. I think, as a society, the sheer amount of meat consumption should be lowered. Not entirely taken out, since that might be impossible for some. But at the very least, a lower consumption. It's the amount of resources used to process this stuff. Either the acres of land just to maintain the animals or the resources to ship the meat, etc.

At the very least, if I do buy meat, it'll be something made on farms that treat the animals better.

It's less about "screwing the man" and more about the fact that processed food and the way it's handled is harmful to society. Because of processed food, people might be eating meat, sure, but it's processed to no end. I used to eat a lot of processed crap. Now, I look at the health information on those and see how bad they are. Ridiculously fatty and greatly high on sodium (for long-distance shipping and keeping it on the shelves longer).
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Well, good luck with it. I've never really watched anything like that or accepted a food-related pamphlet waved at me by a college student yet, because I really don't care to know. If people don't want to support the industry, I can understand. I hope that you continue to get enough protein and whatnot.

My only piece of advice is to "knock with your feet" at parties; i.e., bring something of your own. It's helpful to a host or hostess who might not have thought to accommodate you, and you get to share a bit of your own lifestyle with everybody. Enjoy playing with new recipes. :)
 
Espy

Espy

ThatNickGuy said:
At the very least, if I do buy meat, it'll be something made on farms that treat the animals better.
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We've been buying smaller farm meats lately and holy crap is the chicken and steak 10x better. It's a little more expensive but it's so worth it.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Ya know, I didn't think Eggland's Best eggs would taste any better than the regular eggs I usually buy, but they actually do. The yolks taste a little better, and the whites are a little more firm. Much easier to poach, even when I've had them in my fridge for a week. When I can afford them, I get them, because they're very good.
 
Espy

Espy

Yup. Plus, since it's a little costlier it helps to cut down on how much meat one takes in. So sure, I could have a really cheap, crappy steak every night or once a week I could spend more and have a freaking awesome piece of meat.
 
J

Jiarn

ThatNickGuy said:
At the very least, if I do buy meat, it'll be something made on farms that treat the animals better.

It's less about "screwing the man" and more about the fact that processed food and the way it's handled is harmful to society. Because of processed food, people might be eating meat, sure, but it's processed to no end. I used to eat a lot of processed crap. Now, I look at the health information on those and see how bad they are. Ridiculously fatty and greatly high on sodium (for long-distance shipping and keeping it on the shelves longer).
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Again, if you're doing it for the health reasons? Then good on you. If you're doing it otherwise, I would just facepalm. You sound like you're doing it for the right reasons but it does sound a bit like the other.
 
Espy

Espy

Well, theres nothing wrong with wanting to avoid something you find reprehensible Nick. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, even if they think it's stupid.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Espy said:
We've been buying smaller farm meats lately and holy crap is the chicken and steak 10x better. It's a little more expensive but it's so worth it.
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My sister has been getting us grass-fed beef by mail order and at a local farmers market. It's so much tastier. She gets good chickens as well, and we buy our eggs from a local place just a mile or so away. We buy raw milk from a farm near here, and used to get goat milk kefir from another farm, until they became so popular it was difficult to get some before they ran out.

Food tastes so much better. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Hamburgers on fresh baked buns. Mac & cheese made from some good quality cheddar and gruyere. Oooh, and a sour cream & blueberry pie for dessert.
 
J

Jiarn

Espy said:
Well, theres nothing wrong with wanting to avoid something you find reprehensible Nick. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, even if they think it's stupid.
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Absoultely not, just don't think it's accomplishing anything more than you feeling good about yourself.
 
Charlie Don't Surf

Charlie Don't Surf

I was vegetarian for the month of June successfully without really much trouble. I've fallen off the wagon hard for this holiday weekend, and I haven't decided how much I'm going to go back to it later/afterwards.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Instead of becoming a full vegetarian, why not limit your diet to meat that's raised in a more humane way? This will of course be more expensive, but you'll be eating a lot less of it than you would normal meat, so it should help to equal out.

Meat is an important part of the diet, but it doesn't have to be as big a part as we usually make it. And this way, you can still have free-range BACON!
 
Dei

Dei

Speaking of things being more expensive but way better, we started getting milk deliveries from our local dairy, and omg yum.
 
C

Chibibar

It is pretty tough being a vegetarian (depending on the type and friends you hang out)

I was one for about 15 years.

You have to eat a balance diet. This means taking in fruits, veggies and nuts (it is possible to do all this without meat).
I don't recommend going "cold turkey" cause your body has to adjust. I say go slowly and step by step.

I am not shocked by the food industry. I know what is going into my meat and veggies. You be surprise that mass produce veggies has a lot of chemicals too. So the only way to do it is to grow a garden (like some of my friends) or pay more for organic.
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
Nick, this is a journey which you must take alone, for I can not join you on this road.

I don't care if it sounds gay or not: I. Love. Meat.
 
C

Chibibar

Dave said:
Nick, this is a journey which you must take alone, for I can not join you on this road.

I don't care if it sounds gay or not: I. Love. Meat.
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Heh. It is a rough journey for sure. There are a lot of meat eaters than non meat eater in the U.S. (especially in Texas. We are steak country after all)
Now if you were in China where meat are expensive, it would be easier.

But to buy a salad, or have 2 cheeseburger (99 cent each vs 3.50+) that is gonna be a tough call.
Or eat at home a lot.

The veggie burger at many places are expensive (black bean burger at Chili IS tasty but you are spending like 6$ for it)
It would be harder to eat out with friends and pay a lot of money for salad where you can save by eating salad at home.
There are veggie meats out there (again cost more) they are pretty tasty and good substitute, but again, more money spend on it.

now pure vegetarian don't even do meat substitute. They just eat beans, fruits, veggies and grain for suppliments.
 
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