Vegetarians/Vegans: Why did you choose to become one?

It IS natural for animals to eat each other. But it is NOT natural for us to pen, selectively breed and manipulate animals normal behaviour so we can eat them...that is not natural.

You want to go into the woods with a gun and kill a deer then take it home and eat it?? Good for you, you are a prey animal. You want to eat a chicken that lived its whole miserable 6 weeks packed in a barn sitting in ****...not so great huh??

But as well...we are NOT carnivores...we are omnivores...like pigs. Last I saw pigs did not stalk prey and bring it down with their lil' trotters, but if they find an egg they will eat it, if they find carrion they will eat it...so again...eat as much guilt free road kill as you like.

We are not (nor have we ever been) equipped with prey catching tools such as sharp teeth and claws...we have grinding teeth for vegetation...and the canine teeth we have? Horses have those too...not big on burgers horses ;)

Oh and milk...urgh...ever see a pack of wolves bring down a cow so they could suckle?? Its the most unnatural park of the "normal" western diet.

So...I am vegan(ish) because its cruel to farm, its bad for my health to eat farmed meat and when I am ill and need antibiotics they will work because I havn't eaten animals pumped full of them.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6361872964... This documentary, Earthlings, is a lot more detailed and longer than Meat Your Meet that was posted above. Definitely watch Meet Your Meat, and watch the link I posted if you have the time. It's about an hour long, but it's certainly worth watching and will answer your question.

It is natural for carnivores to eat other animals, yes, but we are not carnivores. It's debatable whether we're herbivores or omnivores, but the fact remains that we can be perfectly healthy without eating meat. If I don't need to end a life to life, why should I? Taste in not a good enough reason for me.

Animals raised for food (meat, dairy, eggs), are abused. That's not an opinion, it's a fact. They are abused, they suffer, they feel fear, and they are often not killed humanely as people would like to believe. I do not wish to support any of that, which is why I am vegan.

I became a vegan after putting some thought about how meat, dairy, and eggs are processed on a commercial level. It upset me to learn of the poor, inhumane conditions animals were living to be raised and bred for food. I also learned how much grain and water was being consumed to raise animals for slaughter. Then, I thought about how cruel and unnecessary animal testing was. I woke up one day and thought, " It's not right for me (personally) to know better and then continue to eat and buy animal-derived and animal-tested products."

I had been searching recipes for a good summer salad when I stumbled upon a website- www.vegetariantimes.com. I started reading articles about the benefits of vegetarianism on their website. I could not and did not want to believe how ignorant I was about the foods I ate. It was as if I had a blindfold on for years.

EDIT- ("Care"): Excellent documentary. I have never seen that video! Thx for the link!

First, I was fat and not fit. I missed a train to an important appointment. While waiting for the next train my brother talked to me about good health. He eats nuts,seeds etc. and found meat difficult to digest. Like him, I had experienced some health problems too. Then I went to college and had to write my own physical fitness program. By becoming vegetarian I lost at least 50 pounds. I went from size 18/ 20 sometimes 22 to size 10/12. This experience made me more health conscious. In addition, I watched the news[1975] in which tons of cancerous chickens with big lumps/boils were dumped. That convinced me to remain lacto-ovo- vegetarian. Socially and sometimes at home I eat fresh fish or tuna; but I prefer fruits and veggies-especially tomatoes- which we grow in our backyard.

I became a vegetarian because I do not like the taste of meat and not truly knowing what was inside of it. After I stopped eating meat I no longer felt sluggish.

I became Vegetarian for my health, and because I love animals and don't believe they should have to die a horrible death when there are other things out there for me to eat. As others have stated before me, ''Meet your Meat'', and also ''Earthlings'' changed my perspective and life. These 2 videos really opened my eyes.

I became vegan because I think that it is the right thing to do.

Yes it is natural for some animals to eat other animals, but not us. When you buy a hamburger, that is not nature. Other animals kill because it is a necessity and their prey are not born into slavery.

Hope you have learned something. :)

For me, it was because, yes, maybe there is a food chain, but that does not give me an obligation to take part in it. I personally just think it's gross to eat a corpse. It's better for my health, too. Plus, it helps the planet. And the way they treat animals in slaughterhouses is astounding!

It's natural for some animals to eat some other animals, yes. Its natural for predator animals to stalk and kill and eat prey animals. Sitting in your dining room eat hamburger from cows who died a month before in a slaughter house is...very very unnatural.

That said, natural or unnatural doesn't make something right.

We don't need meat or animal products to live. Billions of animals live lives of captivity to suffer and die because people like to eat meat. "I want".

For me, it was never worth it. I like animals. Why would I want them to go through hell so I could have an omelet?

Most people don't believe this story, but I actually became a vegetarian after I had a dream my freshman year of high school. I dreamt that my little brother had a fuzzy little yellow easter chick. He pulled it's legs out while it was still alive and then popped the rest in his mouth. It was freaky.

Of course, a dream isn't enough to keep me vegetarian for eight years. And you're right- it is natural for animals to eat each-other. The basic ethical facts of eating vegetarian though, or better yet, vegan, are devastating to me at least.

The land used to feed livestock, the land we use to grow their feed could be much more efficiently managed to grow crops that could feed people. The way animals in factory farms are treated is unspeakable., and is arguably not natural whatsoever.

All that being said, I still recently started to eat meat again. Turkey and tuna, thus far, but honestly my body has certainly thanked me. There's my story.