Why do people say they can't live without meat?

I don't think they mean it literally. I think they mean "I think it would be very difficult to live without meat." I don't need my Wii in my life, but I still use it. I might say "I can't live without Wii", but I wouldn't mean it literally. In the same way, a person may not need meat in his/her life, but would be at a loss to not eat it.

I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without eating meat, especially since I will not import my vegetables and buy expensive supplements, which in Britain would make a healthy vegetarian or vegan lifestyle difficult.

You may personally feel that for you meat more than 2-3 times a week is excessive, and I believe that is probably true, but only for one type of meat. Every week I eat fish, chicken and bacon, two or three times a month I will have lamb and beef, and maybe once every other month (sometimes less) I will have pork. I certainly do not eat meat at every meal, but I would say at least five of my meals a week have some form of animal protein involved.

I am an omnivore and I know that my body has evolved to get some of its food from meat, so I give it meat. I also eat a wide array of vegetables (grown here in Britain) and fruit, and grains. Because that is what my body needs.

I don't agree with the idea of eating animals but your attitude isn't going to help.

If anything, you're making people want to avoid veganism.

I'm sure you can try reaching out to people with a more calm attitude as there are many methods of doing so.

RESP 1: I read your question but I chose not to answer it because when you stated "There are plenty of substitutes for protein and iron that are actually healthy for you" that means that you already have an idea of why people feel the need to eat meat meaning that your question was already answered. Also, did you eat meat before? If so, why ask this question? You should know that people are eating meat for the same reason you have in the past.

However, I chose to answer this question to give a feedback on your behavior.

RESP 2: Why are you even asking if you eat meat? What's the point of even asking? YOU EAT MEAT! They have the same reason as you do! There! Happy? I answered your question! Or are you going to keep crying until you get the answer you want to hear?

RESP 3: I think it is clear to me that you DID NOT read my response as I DID ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. THEY EAT MEAT FOR THE SAME REASON YOU EAT MEAT! What part of that did you fail to understand? I do not care if you know that you're already aware that you don't need meat. YOU STILL EAT THEM! Which means that you have no right to look down on others. In fact, you're probably too busy acting superior that you don't even realize your own flaws!

I'm done! You're clearly a waste of time and not even worth it!

We will be malnourished if we do not eat meat, because humans are omnivores, not herbivores, and PETA's many lies cannot change that biological fact. You should be able to live without dumb PETA lies and radical diets advocated by this extremist group of swindlers and terrorists. Meat is healthy, but eating only vegetables is not. So, you admit you are an omnivore, but you deny it as well. You contradict yourself. There is no logical reason not to eat meat at every meal. What are you trying to say?

EDIT-Ducky is wrong. There are some nutrients that we cannot have from eating only plants, e.g. it is quite difficult to have adequate protein. You must eat the right combination of grains and legumes. It is easier to eat meat. There is no good reason to make life more difficult than it already is.

When people say they "can't live without meat" they are clearly exaggerating. It just means that they really like meat.

Veg*ns exaggerate too, and with gusto.

In fact, you even exaggerate; for example, your claim that "other omnivores think that they need it and can't even go one meal without eating it".

Not even one meal? I highly doubt you hear that said very often, if ever.

90% of your family cannot skip meat for a single meal? Not even breakfast? Sorry but I just don't believe you.

What does veganism have to do with it? Well, this IS the vegan and vegetarian section, and your question concerns eating, or not eating meat- which is a frequent topic here.

Likewise, I don't care whether you care. You're the one trying to make an issue out of it using exaggerations and/or lies.

Having something tasty on your plate has become so important to our culture that nothing will stop us from eating ourselves or others to death.

Our obesity epidemic proves this. Individuals are literally eating themselves to death. They know that if they continue to eat fast food and unhealthy food they will kill themselves but even death is not a large enough motivator for a large portion of our population.

If their own death isn't enough of a motivator to give up meat, what makes you think that the death of others will?

@Bizhen,

We would not be malnourished without meat. Yes, our bodies are designed as omnivores but our primate relatives are also omnivores and the most meat they eat is bugs and insects! Just because we could consume meat does not mean that we should. THe mayo, harvard, american heart association, etc all agree that it's healthier to live a vegetarian diet.

Vegan are illegal That why people can die for without meat

They are exaggerating. They mean they just don't want to live without meat. It is easier, more convenient, and they are used to it and like the way it tastes. Why do you care so much

Red meat is the only NATURALLY occurring form of vitamin b6 which the human body requires to function. So technically the human body can't live without meat.

if i go with out meat i could die. or get really sick. BTW this is a rant, not a question. don't you mean b12 dave a?