To ask everyone to eat less meat and meat products?

[Breadandwine]

There are 3 reasons I eat a plant-exclusive diet:

1. I feel I'm healthier (I became veggie to avoid BSE - and my osteoarthritis has been stopped in its tracks since I went vegan)
2. Animal welfare issues (I went vegan after looking at the inevitable cruelty involved in the meat and dairy industries)
3. Global warming/climate change (the single most important thing anyone can do to fight GW is to go vegan - the world's livestock industry contributes more to GW than does transport!)

Before global warming reared its ugly head, I was quite reticent about my veganism, only talking about it when I was asked. But now that our children's and our grandchildren's future is threatened, I'm a lot more vocal.

And now there's me and the Pope on the same side - who'dda thunk it?

You are not unreasonable to ask people to eat less meat, but not to suggest we should all be vegan.
Less meat, but from locally produced high welfare sources. We are so fond of our Danish Bacon and New Zealand butter.

Links on what? Links and the net can portray anything so I wouldn't get all high horsey about that. So it doesnt really say a lot does it?

You do your thing and I'll do what we've been doing for 100's of years.

Im not defensive at all Im just very meh about people like you

I was veggie for many years, I now occasionally eat good quality meat which I really enjoy. For the good of the environment everyone should drive less and eat less meat, I do try! ( ps don't do meat free Monday as economical and careful use of meat means Monday is often left overs day.)

Yes if you have kids veganism is hard and more expensive. Dairy alternate milks cost a fortune as does the quantity and variety of fruit and veg.

We eat meat but I use it to flavour or thicken sauces rather than as a portion per person I usually use around 100g/3oz to feed six people.

We eat fish as I don't feel there is a plant alternative.

We eat meat in things a couple of times a week, the rest of the week we eat pulse based dishes like dal, bean chilli, egg curry there are loads of veggies dishes but for me cost is an issue with veganism.

Cheese and yoghurt is important in my kids diets for fats and proteins.

My concern is also with processed vegan convienence food, the soya ifoflavins and other odd ingredients like carrageenan and oils. We eat a lot of whole food. I follow Michael Pollans simple approach to food which is if it contains less than 6 ingredients and grandma could tell you what it is then it's fine to eat - avoid everything else.

I think meat on occassion, dairy and fruit daily but not too much and plenty of fresh vegetables and whole foods is a healthy approach to food.

Im a carnivor though and its in my remit to be one.

A balanced diet is what its about. Meat, veg and a bit of carbo.

Excellent.

YANBU to ask but YABU if you kick up a fuss if people politely decline.

YANBU to try and tell people why you are vegan, but I don't think you can ask other people to conform to your way of thinking over their diets.

I am a very recent vegetarian, going strong at about three months now. I was only trying it out to start with, but in a very short space of time I've gone from thinking I'd leave my options open to feeling disgusted at the idea of eating meat. I'm really conscious of not trying to impose my new opinions of anyone else, and it's harder than I thought it would be to keep my mouth shut, but it has to be done.

No.

hahaha.. disgusted at eating meat, oh for god sake, go have a brocolli shake or something, then exercise till you need new knees.

I went veggie back in March, it's been easy so far, though I tried to cut out dairy as well and ended up settling for just reducing dairy intake (not buying bottles of cows milk, mainly).

The trouble is that I understand the responses on the first page, because I remember when I was younger if someone confronted me with the reality of meat and dairy I would dodge the issue by taking it as a personal attack on my lifestyle instead of actually considering the realities of the problem, if you see what I mean.

Yes. You are.

HTH.

I don't eat that much meat at all, maybe twice a week but yabu people can munch on what they like.

YANBU. There's a great deal of ignorance around

If I do become vegan or cut out meat.

Can I be one of the ones who keep it myself and not boss other people about. Please.

Sorry, SDT I can't work out how to quote you but I think you've taken my comment the wrong way. I wasn't cristiscing the replies (I posted quite early in the thread) all I meant was that from previous experience when people start threads telling others how they should eat (even when I agree) I don't feel it's the best approach to encouraging people. I think it's better just to live your life in the way you feel is most positive rather than coming at it from the point of view of telling people why they are wrong. It does tend to make people (in general) understandably defensive. I'm vegan myself but before I was I used to loathe being told why I should be. It's natural. I wasn't aiming my comment at this thread in particular so apologies if it seemed that way.

whats the reality of meat and dairy? that we have farms? that we kill to eat them? its what we do, its been going on since time began so its not anything new.

what if everyone went veggie? the amount of vitamins we would have to swallow would enable many a pharmaceutical company to profit hugely and you know what that would mean dont you?

I'm really conscious of not trying to impose my new opinions of anyone else, and it's harder than I thought it would be to keep my mouth shut, but it has to be done.

The thing is, and I'm speaking as a long-term vegetarian, that you will find that meat-eaters will often very ready to impose their opinions on you. I've had 40 years of hearing the kind of kneejerk responses that some people have posted on this thread tonight. I'm not suggesting that everyone should go vegetarian or vegan - although going veggie at least would make a big difference. But I do wish that people would realise that by cutting down on meat a bit and by choosing higher-welfare, locally-producing meat, that they could reduce some of the harm that they are causing to the planet and to animals.

Oh for goodness sake.

It's a totally personal thing. If you don't feel like it, then it's going to be super hard to do it and I don't judge anyone like that for it. I know that if I didn't have the motivation, I couldn't be veggie just because I had some notion it's the right thing to do. For some reason I do have the motivation. Maybe I'll get pregnant and start craving bloody steaks and I'll stop being veggie because it'll be so hard to resist.

Most westerners are brought up as meat eaters, it's more normal to stay that way.

I can't. I don't eat any meat or meat products. Eating less would be impossible. Dare to dream, op

YANBU to ask, but your links are ridiculous. I skim read the first until I got to the ridiculous 'rape' allegations - really???? Your second was a tiny reference to a Chatham House report, your third one didn't work, but how credible can someone be that devotes their life to fairy tales?

Your first reason is based on a 'feeling'?

Your second? People just aren't that bothered about animal welfare. If they were the market for free range would be greater, even though the free range standards are a joke.

And finally global warming isn't new. Right where I'm sitting now has been under the sea and under a glacier. The world is a lot bigger and more clever than we are. Man is merely the dominant species right now - a species moves in, becomes dominant, pollutes it's immediate environment/uses up resources, then dies back as something else becomes dominant.

You're not really bringing anything to the table. People know about vegetarians and vegans but prefer sausages and steak, milk and cheese.

What I can't stand is the preaching tone. I used to follow a completely vegan diet and managed to do so for years without trying to impose my views on others. Now I eat meat several times a week and I still don't try to impose my views on others.

Yanbu.
I think many more people are actually eating less meat now,because its so expensive.

I eat meat most days.

Not giving it up.

Omg another sanctimonious, self righteous, holier than thou vegan. Is it like Jehovah's witnesses, you have to preach? Do what you like and leave others alone

I take note of what people do and not what they say. I find it very irritating if they make a decision for themselves and then want everyone to follow.
Just quietly get on with it.