Actually, you can get tons of protein from plants as long as you know what plants to get them from. It does benefit you the same, exact way, too, most of the time. In fact, there are some pretty good athletes that are vegetarian or vegan.
Yeah, my friend is a vegetarian and she has almost ate numerous food products with gelatin in it; crushed animal bones. They're starting to add gelatin to ice cream so it takes longer to melt. It doesn't make sense to do this, while they should be knowing that there are vegetarians. At least it [i]sometimes[/i] says it on the box.
I just wanted to throw out there the disadvantage of not being able to eat a Caesar Salad. Irony.
I don't think being vegetarian is a healthy lifestyle because you don't really get all of your nutrients and protein. Especially protein! My friend always says she gets that from soy, but that's not good enough and doesn't make you strong. I think that vegetarians should at least eat fish for protein, but most seem to abstain from it.
[b]erin.whatserface.[/b] -- my girlfriend and I have been discussing this, and we've concluded that one's definition of vegetarianism probably depends on one's reasons for being a vegetarian. If you only do it for health reasons, you probably wouldn't have a problem with leather or silk. If you do it because you think killing animals for human consumption is morally or ethically wrong, I have no idea why you'd knowingly and voluntarily wear either one, unless you believe silkworms don't count or something. Non-leather shoes, belts, purses, and all that are available, it just takes a bit of looking. I'm a biochemistry major, so my instinctive reaction here is that anything classified in the animal kingdom is an animal, i.e. bugs count too. On the other hand, if a certain animal component is impossible to avoid, it's clearly not your fault, and it doesn't invalidate your self-identification as a vegetarian.
You're right that a vegan absolutely wouldn't wear leather or silk, but there are plenty of vegetarians whose reasons for being vegetarian make it difficult for them to wear leather or silk in a manner consistent with their beliefs.
[b]vaginasaurus[/b] - It's awesome that your girlfriend sticks to that. All I meant to say was that there is a huge difference between vegetarianism and veganism.
Your girlfriend sounds more to me like a vegan, even if that's not necessarily what she calls herself, what with the whole not using leather and stuff. That's awesome; I'd never be able to do it, so kudos to her, you know?
I just wanted to point out that one could be considered vegetarian without being a vegan. They're two different things, and this article leans far more toward the vegan side of things (btw, I liked this article- except the rudeness, but I don't need to reiterate a point already made :] ). Vegetarians don't eat meat; vegans don't use/eat animal products. A vegetarian might still wear leather or silk, or things like that, whereas a vegan wouldn't.
I know that was redundant, but I'm trying to make my point. No harm intended, just aiming to clarify. :)
I tried being a vegetarian, but failed. But I have incorporated vegetarian foods into my diet. I only eat meat about once a week. I realized when I was on my vegetarian streak, I had more energy and was losing weight.
I liked this article. It informed me of things that I didn't realize were in certain foods.
As many, many other vegans have told me, it is almost impossible to live absolutely animal-product free, whether it be from food, utensils, objects, et cetera. The best that you can do is to continue educating yourself, as this article helps to do, so, thank you. Most of the people I know don't know about the truth of what they eat, such as gelatin, cheese, et cetera. Honestly, if a person eats cheese, or uses toothpaste, they "shouldn't" be considered a "vegetarian," because cows are used in both cheese and toothpaste. (Not the milk; actual pieces of the body, such as with "rennet," as you described.) I'm a vegan. I obviously don't eat cheese, nor do I brush my teeth with toothpaste (I have a special animal-free way of doing it). The best tool that we can give the world is education. Education gives each and every one of us the knowledge, so that we have the choice on what to eat and use in our daily lives.
As for the fries thing, many fast food restaurants use animal fat as an actual ingredient for the fries, and/or to fry them in, yes, but there are a few fast food places that do no. There are a few in my city that personally do not use any animal products in their fries, nor their onion rings, which is really great for me! XD One of the best things that a vegan/vegetarian can do is educate themselves, like I've said... Also, ask restaurants, people you get your food from, et cetera. There are ingredients in foods that people pay the government to have not listed (hmm, wonder why?). I tend to limit my food to "official" vegan food from vegan markets, because just about everything out there is infested with animal parts. Even a lot of vegetables are given blood meal or bone meal as a supplement.
Like I said before, and many vegans have said before me, it is almost impossible to live absolutely animal-product free. So very many cows need "recycling," because my country of America, in general, consumes so much cow meat that land-fills would overflow with bodies if they didn't do something with all of them. If people didn't eat so much meat, people probably wouldn't have the need to shove so many animal-products into just about everything they make.
This article, I think, helped people become more informed about especially gelatin, I'm sure, of course, you did not mean for the article to sound rude, but that is how it came across to some readers.
Try re-reading it to yourself out loud before posting, maybe?
I'm a vegan of seventeen years, going on eighteen, and I think you covered a lot of the points that people miss quite well. :)
I agree that I should've been a little bit kinder about the whole "don't call yourself a vegetarian" thing. I'm sorry to say it, but maybe the rudeness shouldn't have been as over-exaggerated as it was in the comments. I realized I messed up a bit, though, and I take the blame for that. I guess I'm just sick of people calling themselves vegetarians when they [u]knowingly[/u] consume animal flesh, and I was a bit unnecessarily rude. I admit to that 100%, and I'm sorry if I offended anyone who should not have been offended.
It's not that they're [i]cooked[/i] in beef fat. There is beef fat [i]inside of them.[/i] Actually, it might actually be beef extract that they put in them. I should've checked.
my cousin says she's vegetrian but shes not. she eats organic meat and fish and venison. my family just calls her a picky eater.
i wouldn't last as a vegetarian though. i don't like most vegetables and fruits because they have weird textures. i can't eat stuff with weird textures. i hate bananasand tomatos!!!!!!!!!!! tomatos taste weird. but does it make sense that i drink tomato juice, eat tomato sauce, and use ketchup??
i'm a picky eater.
"There is no special name for someone who eats no red meat but still eats chicken. That is because dead chickens still count as meat."
THANK YOU.
Also, I disagree with people saying that it was rude. Gelatine is STILL ANIMAL. Thus, its the same as eating the flesh of an animal.
Also, onewaytogo, people who don't eat red meat for health reasons ARE NOT Vegetarian. They are simply people who don't eat Red Meat.
The last bit was just perfect. :D
People, if you eat fish/chicken, consume animal products and have "I'm Vegetarian" as a fad on your myspace page, then you should just stop. :/
[i] There is no special name for someone who eats no red meat but still eats chicken. That is because dead chickens still count as meat. [/i]
...Yes. But you do realize a majority of these people don't eat red meat purely for medical reasons. Some believe red meat to be unhealthy so they don't eat it. It's not a moral thing. You should have put that in there instead of being rude and just assuming.
[i] If you consume gelatin, please don't call yourself a vegetarian. [/i]
Common mistake for new vegetarians. Give them a break, not everyone is as well-informed as you.