Thoughts on this? Is there ''no point'' being vegetarian?

[AbandonHopeDarr3n]

Friend A; let's call him Frank has gone vegetarian recently. His reasons are mainly for the environment, but also for the animals and his health. Friend B; let's call her Jane, says there is no point at all becoming vegetarian for either the planet or for the animals, as dairy is worse than meat for the animals and because cheese and butter are apparently worse for the planet than chicken or pork...

Frank intends to go vegan eventually, but is in no great hurry to do so, but he does eat vegan quite a lot and always goes for non dairy milk when we're out for coffee etc. FWIW, June is neither veggie nor vegan.

I honestly don't know what I think, except that I would've thought veggie was indeed a bit better than eating meat, for the animals and the planet..?

But maybe I'm mistaken and actually local chicken / pork and no dairy is better?

I know there are a lot of vegans and veggies on here, so thought I'd ask you, if you don't mind.

I wrestle with the 'bigger picture' and feel depressed sometimes that unless I live naked on a mountain top drinking stream water (and even then a fly may have blown into the stream) that I cannot avoid creatures being harmed.

I was veggie for 30 years and became vegan in Jan (for the reasons cited by Rabbit upthread).

Then I discover some foods like my peanut butter contain palm oil or that they have travelled half way across the world.

My main reasoning for being vegan is for animal welfare - the dairy industry especially.

I'm a hypocrite - my used car some leather trim, my hairdresser's dye won't be cruelty free. Nor the dye in some of my clothes. I keep pets. They eat meat. I keep kids they eat meat. When I move my washing line pole, the ants scurry. I'm pro choice. The dishwasher tablets in my favourite restaurant may have been tested on animals. I take medicine when needed.

Sometimes it feels hopeless.
But if me doing my 'bit' means one less animal suffers, then great.

I am a vegetarian, I have never consumed meat or fish, I have consumed a small amount of ghee as a child, I do occasionally eat eggs from a friends chickens.

I could however if I wanted cause damage to th environment without eating animal products, peop who consume palm oil cause deforestation in Borneo, people who eat avocado cause drought.

It isn’t about being an omnivore, veggie or vegan, all three can be environmentally responsible and all three can be environmentally damaging.

It’s all about perspective. I think people care too much about other people. As a general rule all people, regardless of their food consumption label, Should focus on lowering their animal consumption. It all helps.
I was vegan for many years, rescued milk cows that were too old and not producing much milk and were going to be up for slaughter. I consumed dairy since it was available (if you don’t milk a cow that needs milking they can get infections similar to mastitis).
What people/farmers that raise cows should do is give their cows digesters like seaweed that greatly reduce the methane gas they produce. Also having enough grass to offset the methane gas that is being produced should take care of the rest. Not sure why it’s not common practice everywhere! In my area everybody uses digesters to reduce methane.

@SimonJT totally agree. It’s not about a label at all. It’s all about how you personally are treating the environment. Many harmful things out there!

I am vegetarian, I could go vegan quite easily but I do eat eggs occasionally.

I don’t really eat cheese or dairy so just because you are vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean you eat dairy.

Jane needs to do her homework before spouting her mouth off.

FWIW I don’t eat meat because it makes me ill.

Revelation when I went veggie. No more stomach aches

I have a question. Are there people who don't eat dairy for ethical reasons but who still eat meat?

And do they have a name?

Interesting, all this. I've recently become 'vegan' or mostly vegan at least... i don't cook meat or fish at home, I'll eat a piece of toast that my husband's put butter on if he forgot i don't want butter, don't eat much cheese. If I'm out though, I might eat meat- is it true that it's better to eat chicken than cheese? So if I'm having a curry don't be veggie unless it can be cheese free too? I've been wondering about this lately - just because I thought may be chickens do less harm than cows.

Isn't it also portion size dependent. So gran for gram chicken might be better than cheese but people tend to eat a lot more chicken in a meal than they would cheese - 4oz chicken is fine, many people would rather 6oz, whereas 4oz cheese takes more eating.