we were not meant to fly but we wanted to and we found a way to do so.
i don't think we should keep doing something just because we used to or because it looks like it's what we were meant for. i don't think we're meant for anything else than adapt & survive.

now, is it a good idea not to eat meat ? personally i don't know.
for the record : i do eat meat and i'm not planning to stop in the near future.

I must agree.

We are biologically designed to eat a combination of meat and vegetation.

So we have incisors... OK... Where does that make a difference?

We can healthily survive on non-animal products these days... So what reason can you give someone not to?

It's really refreshing to hear you say this, Wybiral. Too many vegans make it into an 'all or nothing' thing which actually puts people off, because it sounds too difficult and too much time spent reading ingredients etc. I think veg*ns that put people off the veg*n lifestyle - people who might otherwise have considered it - have a lot to answer for and actually might be harming the cause for the sake of their own feeling self-righteous.

And for the record I've been basically vegan myself for the last 6 years, although I occasionally eat things that have milk as a lesser ingredient when I am somewhere where there are few alternatives.

I absolutely agree. I'm disappointed when I see P.E.T.A. or other organizations doing ridiculous things trying to "force" people into being vegan... It's a choice. And people are just going to look at it like it's some cult, spaced-out, irate choice if vegans continue to be so demanding about it.

Despite my strong atheist persuasion, I view religion the same... I have no problem with religious people (of any religion) provided they don't hate me for not sharing their belief. But when people try to tell me it's the only way, it really turns me off.

But I could say the same thing about meat eaters... The only difference is that they're in the majority, so they can't look irate (even if they argue invalid points). But yes, I agree... Educate people who want to listen, don't force your beliefs onto others.

Whether you believe in Evolution or Creationism, the same conclusion is that our body is designed the way it is for a reason. In this case, our dental formation is designed to handle both meats and vegetation.

Biologically, we're supposed to eat meat. That's why, for example, cows do not have incisors.

Few people, vegan or not, would argue against this point, but it is very reductionist. Obviously the process of evoltuion has culminated in our being an omnivorous species, I suppose the OP was simply suggesting that given we are supposed to have freewill and freetime enought to think about issues of animal welfare, why don't we combine the two and reconsider what we chuck down our necks . . .

Because meat is also healthy for us?

We should be able to just eat whatever we want. Just eat, drink, and be merry...in moderation.

I live in a rural area of Australia, where both the beef & dairy cattle are well cared for by the farmers, they have good grazing land & are well watered here. Their life basicaly goes to hell as do other grazing animal's who suffer the same fate, when they have to be put on the truck & taken to the abattoir.

The poultry farms keep their animals in the same horrendous conditions through much of the western world I believe. Off the ground with not enough space to turn around! That must be the poultry industries motto!

Pigs, oh no! Don't get born as a pig, boy are you in for a hell of a life.

Watch this 1:30 hour long movie if you want to become informed?

I used to like eating meat, but I can not in good conscience ever do it again, after seeing the movie Earthlings.

I have no idea. I personally enjoy dog meat. People who frown upon eating certain animals while greedily wolfing down another's meat are simply hypocrites.

Yes. While I greatly respect your ideals and your self-control, I don't think I can ever give up eating meat or any other animal product simply because I love the taste. I'm not too worried about my health, as I also eat a diet rich in grains and vegetables (I'm Asian) and it's worked out pretty well for us for the past 5-6000 years or so. Moderation is key.

To give an example, my breakfasts usually consist of a bowl of rice, assorted vegetable side dishes, a small fish, and some doenjang jjigae. I don't know what the nutritional value of that meal is, but it's probably healthier than the average eggs, bacon, and sausage.

would you like to check your facts this has since been proven as an over embelishment of the facts.
as is the same with a lot of the foods that 5 years ago they said were no good for us they did not understand the true nature of colesteral.
a lot of the foods (no not all) that they said were bad for colesterol ,are now on the do eat because they now know it is good colesteral.

i could go on for some time about this but i will stop here with this little foot note

i eat meat fat and all,at least once a day
i drink 5-6 litre of milk a week
i occasionally eat deep fried foods
i in fact eat most things they say are no good in copiouse amounts.
i am 47 ,5'8" and weight a tad under 15 stone
what is my cholesterol level ..... 4.5
of which 3.2 is good cholesterol,1.5 of the bad stuff well under the national average of 4.4 (for the bad stuff)

you are here for a short time you may as well enjoy it to its fullest.

Dude, that's a BMI of 31.9. Anything above 30 is obese.

ah but ther you have it,just by putting my hieght and weight it is assumed that i am obese,lol ,i am quite fit and of a very solid build.i do have a tad of middle age spread but nothing to bad.

It is true.

Cholesterol & eggs is no longer a problem according to the eggspurts!

Some of the issues brought up are the same old silly questions that Vegan's hear every time a meat eater finds out they are Vegan.

'But we have incisors'/'we are omnivores' etc...

Well how can you explain the huge explosion of heart disease and other meat related illness in countries that regularly eat meat? Take a look at How humans are not physically created to eat meat for a good analysis of our omnivorous body's.

The simple fact is that if you look at our history as a species, we developed in such a way that the majority of our diet was plant based whilst supplimenting it with animal meat. The other bits, such as milk and egg are just plain odd (who the hell thought of drinking the breast milk of a cow?!).

'Don't force your views on me/us'

I saw what appeared to be one poster getting upset by the comments made by those advocating veganism/vegetarianism. Why? As this is simply a discussion, the only plausable reason for this is guilt. People feel guilty when the overall weight of evidence is against their viewpoint but they don't wish to change.

Now, with that said, the poster who mentioned that those vegans who do the whole 'all or nothing' form of pursuasion is correct. Those who say 'you must go vegan else you are killing X' are simply alienating people from the entire concept. There was a GP on BBC Radio 2 discussing healthy living and heart disease a year or 2 ago and someone asked him 'if going on a vegan diet can help solve many of these problems, why not suggest it to the patient rather than drugs?' his response was that forcing a major change in someone's lifestyle just won't happen for most people. They fight it, because it is what they know.

Someone mentioned why killing animals is a moral thing - it is an obvious one. Animals are alive - they think, they feel pain, they are generally accepted to be sentient. We are moral beings, we make decisions based on what we think is 'right' and 'wrong'. Is killing an animal, which has a family, which feels pain right or wrong? This is simply a moral question.

I like to eat meat, but I cannot be a part of the mistreatment of animals so I don't eat them.

I eat free range eggs that a friend's well cared for chickens lay. Oat milk, goat's milk from another friend's goat & tiny amounts of cheese, both local goat's & cows from where ever? Still working on refining the diet re, cheeses.

This choice was not made for my health, but for the animals. That said, 2 months down the track, I feel physicaly better from not eating meat! So, that is just a personal bonus.

I would not tell someone else what they should eat, just like I don't want someone to tell me.

We do what we think is best, or we just do what we were bought up to do?

The article you linked was so ridiculously biased, and in some areas patently wrong, that it's not even worth addressing.

On top of that, it's based on some rather dubious research that's nearly 40 years old.

all the time anamals are eating anamals for food, not just humans. its natural and the way things are spost to be. if you dont eat any red meat you will be short of ion.

Check out this link:

The Cholesterol Controversy

There is little evidence to support the idea that eating meat raises blood cholesterol. The whole diet is important. Vegan is not a particularly healthy way to eat, although I will admit that it's better than the fast-food and twinkie rich American diet. Personally I think (and there is a lot of evidence to support this, though it's not conclusive) that the problem with Americans is the high intake of starches and sugars with very little fiber. Whole grains help, and vegetables help. This doesn't have much to do with meat.

If you're a vegan for moral/ethical reasons then I respect that, however I disagree. If you're trying to say that vegan is the healthiest way to eat, then I suggest you do more research because you're just plain wrong.