This Is Why I Am Vegetarian. What About You?

I was just reading Steve Pavlina’s blog (a great way to kill some time) and I came across some of his reasons for being a vegan. This made me think about my own reasons for being vegetarian. And, I guess, then - why I am not vegan (in a way).

Like Steve - I am definitely not on a mission to ‘convert’ anyone, and thankfully my friends have always known and understood this. In fact, there are very few things that get my goat more than when people try to goad me into an argument. Having said that, I always take great smugness and pleasure in not rising to their bait - partly because some of their quips are often funny.

The actual post from Steve that inspired my own ‘why vego’ post is actually a random one entitled How to Build a High Traffic Website or Blog, where he says:

It’s no secret that I’m a vegan ex-Catholic. Do I alienate people when I say that torturing and killing defenseless animals for food is wrong? Perhaps. But truth is truth. I happen to think it’s a bad idea to feed cows cement dust and bovine growth hormone, to pack live chickens into warehouses where the ammonia from their feces is strong enough to burn their skin off, and to feed 70% of our grain to livestock while tens of thousands of people die of hunger each day. I also think it’s a bad idea to pay people to perform these actions on my behalf. It really doesn’t matter to me that 999 people out of 1000 disagree with me. Your disagreement with me doesn’t change what went into producing your burger. It’s still a diseased, tortured, chemical-injected cow, one that was doomed to a very sad life because of a decision you made. And you’re still responsible for your role in that cow’s suffering whether you like it or not.

That last paragraph is a good example of the kind of stuff I write that makes people want to put me in a cage, inject me with hormones, and feed me cement dust. It wouldn’t surprise me terribly if that ends up being my fate.

It kinda made me laugh and question my own reasons at the same time! So here they are. I have been vego since 1996 (when I was 16) but - why?

• Health - definitely my first reason, although it didn’t used to be. I have never been an out and out animal rights kinda guy - and I don’t really intend to get into that here - but although I truly do love animals and would much rather see an end to the conditions that a worldwide carnivoros diet brings to them this was never, and has never become, part of the reason why I am a vego. Health is certainly one of my top, top values in life - and I strongly believe that my diet as it is (as a vegetarian) is greatly more healthy than it would be if I included meat.

  That is not to say ‘vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters’ because in a LOT of cases this just isn’t true. But I eat a LOT of vegetables, a lot of pulses, a LOT of nuts and seeds and I live on raw, fresh, crispy salads. I get approx. 1g of protein for every kg of body weight (I work out a lot too - this isn’t a recommended amount if you don’t work out) - so that kinda blows the whole ‘where do you get your protein’ b****cks (one of the lamest anti-vegetarian rhetorics, by the way). The govt. recommends 5 servings of fruit and veg per day - I get over that amount before 8am.

  Being healthy or not is not determined by your dietary preferences (be it vego, vegan, raw, herbivore, omnivore, carnivore etc) - BUT, for me - being vegetarian, with my diet is without question more healthy for me than if I ate meat too.

• Taste - comes second. I just don’t like the taste, texture or smell of meat. Especially minced beef. Man, it makes my stomach turn! This must sound absolutely ridiculous to most of you - but it is true. The down side was that it made for a very uncomfortable couple of months while I realised that I was going to be a vego and for me to tell my folks that they would have to start cooking bespoke meals for me! But the up side was that it made is very easy to be a vego. I know many people who make the commitment to being vegan or vegetarian and then pine for bacon sandwiches. OR (and I am going to name no names here - you know who you are!) you’re a vegetarian for 6 days a week - but then order a meat feast pizza when you’re drunk.

  But I LOVE being a vegetarian, I LOVE vegetables, I LOVE the different tastes, textures, smells and the challenge of always keeping meals varied and delicious.

  It helped that my Dad has a vegetable garden, so I grew up eating veggies that were literally in the ground 3 hours before they were in my tummy. Very lucky I know. Even when I was at Uni my Mum would post me parcels of freshly grown asparagus!

• Money - meat is VERY expensive! And vegetables are so cheap! Especially if you buy them at your local markets. This was definitely a good 3rd reason when I was at Uni - because it left me lots of cash for my other interests at the time - namely drinking beer and buying music.
• Fitness - I found that as I got more and more serious about fitness, everything I read, experienced and felt further reinforced my beliefs about vegetarianism. Sure, it can be a challenge ensuring that I get enough protein as a vego who doesn’t really eat eggs or dairy either, but the general protein requirements are overblown marketing hype anyway. I aim for 1g per kg of body weight and it suits me just fine.

  And being a vegetarian has suited my fitness regardless of my changing goals. It took me from being a couch potato to running a marathon in less than 5 months, and now it has taken me from being a post-marathon 10 stone to being a lean and more muscular 12 stone (without adding hardly any body fat at all).

  I really feel that my diet as it is supports my goals far more than if I were a meaty. Sure it would be more convenient if I were a fan of meat and dairy - but then I would rather have the cleaner diet I have with a bit more effort than not.

And by the way - I’m officially a lacto-ovo vegetarian) but my definition of vegetarian is that if it has a face, I don’t eat it.

So - what is your dietary preference, and why?

Note: This blog is only my opinion. It is not medical advice or diagnosis. Only opinions based upon our own personal experiences or information detailed in medical/academic journals or other publications is cited. WE DO NOT OFFER MEDICAL ADVICE or prescribe any treatments. Please consult with a medical professional before making any diet or nutrition changes. Refer to our full disclaimer for more information.