Revolted by seeing others eat meat

[hibbledibble]

I am struggling with this a little, and wondering how to deal with it.

I am just starting being vegan with veganuary, but have been a lifelong veggie. Never eaten meat and have no desire to. The idea of eating flesh disgusts me.

I however realise that others have different beliefs and respect that. I don't expect others to be veggie around me.

Last night I went out with a friend for dinner. He got a huge plate of meat (pretty much 2 dead birds) and was pulling apart at it with fingers. The smell and sight was revolting for me. I didn't say anything or do anything as I don't think it would have been right, but honestly it bothered me a lot, and it is still bothering me the next day.

Any idea how I can best manage this? I accept most of my friends aren't veggie. Should I not go out for dinner with them? Is it acceptable to suggest veggie places?

Lonicera, fair enough if she does, though it would be along the lines of eating 3 meals of avocadoes a day, every day. I would think most would get bored of it!

@Anatidae
You are wrong I'm afraid, my comment about B12 is entirely correct.

Evidence please. Peer reviewed in reputable sources. Ie not PETA propaganda or mercola

I have to say that I think it was, at the very least, thoughtless and insensitive of @hibbledibble’s friend to choose the quail as his meal - if I were eating out with a friend who was vegan or vegetarian, I wouldn’t choose something so obviously carnivorous - and if I knew it would upset my friend to be around someone who was eating meat, I’d happily choose something vegetarian.

”so the only reason you get b12 from animal consumption is because they received it as a supplement! ironic, isn't it.....”

Can you explain how human beings survived in the millennia before routine B12 supplementation in cattle feed (if that is indeed the case), @Peggy 2479? I doubt you can.

eerainuh.com/supplementation-of-vitamin-b12-in-cattle-and-sheep-to-prevent-deficiency/
This is an Australian site.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius
Yes.
Previous generations did not over wash their veg, meaning there was still B12 from the soil on the food, there were no pesticides either...

Farmers also did not used to farm so intensively and frequently as the population was lower.
Now that they do, the amount of cobalt in the soil had decreased as has the soil quality.

Pervious generations used to drink from streams that contained bacteria found in soil.

@Anatidae
baltimorepostexaminer.com/carnivores-need-vitamin-b12-supplements/2013/10/30

But, cattle no longer feed on grass Well that's not actually true. It certainly isn't true of sheep in this country.

Crikey! There's so much drivel on this thread. Good on you @hibbledibble for being a considerate friend and asking for advice about how you maintain relationships in what is a difficult situation for you. You have every right to feel and think how you do. Putting wine between plates sounds like a good idea as well as does avoiding certain places. Hope you manage to find a good compromise x

Peer reviewed, peggy. Peer reviewed.

science, innit.

Ok I’ve gone through that article. How do you read that and say that carnivores all need b12 supplements? That’s not the conclusion of the article at all

It’s saying some people have b12 deficiency, NOT that you don’t get b12 from meat and animal products. There are all sorts of genetic pathways that can have mutations in that result in differential metabolism of nutrients.

You’re picking up a piece of work and drawing entirely incorrect conclusions from it. It’s intereating doublethink (by the way you’re still abusing your dog.) perhaps a career as a science advisor in the Trump administration would be right up your alley? You could say that it was warm last Wednesday thus global warming is bollocks.

Please stop trying to push the humans didn’t evolve eating meat nonsense. It’s demonstrably false. Focus instead on the genuinely factual reasons less meat per capita is beneficial for people and planet, there’s no need for all the pseudoscience

@Anatidae Huh? I never said all carnivores need B12 supplements.

cows are not carnivores, but they are given B12 supplements....

Whether or not we've "evolved" for a particular diet isn't that relevant when you bear in mind that evolving for something only means it allows you to reach reproductive age successfully. It doesn't mean that thing is the pinnacle of human perfection.

I realise that everyone on Mumsnet eats only the best cuts of meat, no more than once or twice a year, farmed organically from an animal to which they personally gave a back massage before cuddling it to death painlessly, but that is far from true for most people. The "Standard American Diet" which we are rapidly emulating in the UK is very heavy on meat and especially processed meat. It's unlikely to create much of an evolutionary disadvantage given that it will get people past reproductive age but it's not very good for individual (or collective) health, not very good for the planet, and really pretty shit for the animals. I don't think you need better arguments for veganism than that. Although as the OP has repeatedly said, it's not for everyone and that's fine too.

I realise that everyone on Mumsnet eats only the best cuts of meat, no more than once or twice a year, farmed organically from an animal to which they personally gave a back massage before cuddling it to death painlessly, but that is far from true for most people.

So true on these threads. You never hear anyone on mumsnet say that they eat cheap chicken from Asda and that awful ham every day!

Well, not on these threads anyway

I realise that everyone on Mumsnet eats only the best cuts of meat, no more than once or twice a year, farmed organically from an animal to which they personally gave a back massage before cuddling it to death painlessly, but that is far from true for most people.
You never hear anyone on mumsnet say that they eat cheap chicken from Asda and that awful ham every day!

I eat the ‘ham’ with a smiley face on that they sell in Tesco. It’s lush.

@WiggyPig ❤️❤️❤️ So funny,
Excellent post and username.

wiggypig cheers!

I agree with you that the argument if what we hace evolved for and b12 is pretty irrelevant, since it is possible to be healthy eating a vegan diet and taken a multivitamin or eating fortified foods.

I notice that the is an awful lot of criticism and judgement on mumsnet. Vegetarians are labelled as 'hypocritical', 'pointless' and 'not goinf far enough'. Vegans are 'extreme'.

I applaud whatever anyone does to reduce their environmental impact, and aid animal welfare, whether that is reducing meat, being vegetarian, or vegan.

Incidentally, I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to be vegan nowadays. There are so many alternatives available easily, and restaurants are starting to cater so much for vegans. It really is a positive change.

Sorry for the multiple typos, I am on my phone.

Doesn’t seaweed contain B12?

Doesn’t seaweed contain B12?

Apparently some varieties contain an analogue of b12 however should not be relied upon as a source of b12 since they also contain high levels of iodine.