I Am A Meat Eater. Sometimes I Feel Guilty Eating It. Do You?

Hi Janey Basically I am a vegetarian - rather the whole family always has been- and the whole family including distant relatives mainly because we are Hindus not that they do not eat meat, poultry & fish. But then when I went to Germany as a student in the cold winters there there were very few fresh vegetables available way back in 1968( now you get then round the year) and my class/hostel mates taught me to eat - first a little eggs then graduated to poultry, meat & lastly fish in that order- and I kept on developing that taste- mainly because these were cheaper there than veggies and that burnt a hole in our students' pockets then. After returning to India slowly gave up the non- veg stuff and now once in a rare moment do eat eggs either fried or as an omlette plain or stuffed omlette( the latter known in Geramny & Switzerland as Bauern-fruhstuck- a very heavy meal which literally means farmers's breakfast and there it is stuffed with ham & meat products besides potatoes - but I stuff them with veggies & potatoes, onions, garlics). I have completely given up the other animal products, yes, and even while eating eggs at times I do feel guilty but I do eat cakes and other sweets containing eggs- but sweets is my weakness!!!

I do sometimes feel bad about eating meat. When I am on the highway and pass a pig truck I get really sad. I see all the little pig snouts poking out, and I see the little room they have to move. I know where they are going and swear off meat. Sadly, I too hate vegetables. If I gave up meat I would surely die.

Hi Janey... Thanks for starting this discussion...It is a huge topic and will cover a lot! I love meat! I eat it once a day, I can't go without it. I used to feel the way you feel now, when I was a kid. Thankfully, don't feel that anymore... I think your experience with those two people has caused this effect. I mean, your emotional pattern must have got affected by the way they described the whole process of killing, skinning, cutting etc... I am sure you wouldn't feel too bad after some time... The stronger ones use the weaker ones for personal reasons, isn't new in nature, is it? I have read that all the animals raise some kind of such food, the way we (humans) are into animal farming... So there isn't anything wrong with it, I believe... I don't think it is a good idea to eat the same kind of food everyday... It is not good from the nutritional point of view and also, it might kill the appetite- the wish to eat! Yeah, it has happened to some; they don't feel like eating anything... So I would suggest you to eat meat, without any bad feeling... Have a nice time!! Happy myLotting!

I used to feel guilty about eating meat and as a result I chose to eat the meat the did not look like meat. Mince meat in other dishes and such! Pig meat is probably the worst that you can get in terms of health as well as cruelty to the animals. None of the industries are kind to the animals though. I never liked vegetables as a child and even as an adult I hardly ate them. I hated salads, but now I love them. Tastes change if we give the body a chance to adapt to it. As soon as you start eating more fruit and vegetables, your body then starts missing them and craving them instead of the meat. This is what happened to me and so many of my friends anyway. These days most of my friends are vegetarians or vegans. My friendship base has evolved with my dietary tastes as well. This makes it much easier to eat more healthy and ethically. You will get sick without fruit and vegetables. If you do not like them on their own, then try them in smoothies. I have at least one smoothie every day.

Good morning Janey, My Dad used to tell me that God created some animals for human consumption. So, I guess, we shouldn't feel guilty about consuming meat. I just want to make sure that when they slaughter the animals, they do it in a quick and painless way. We need red meat for the normal production of blood cells. Meat is a good source of proteins, containing all the essential amino acids. Beans also supply us with amino acids, but in some instances, it may not be provide us with all the essntial amino acids. Red kidney beans is the best and most nutritious, accompanied by other vegetables and fruits would be a really healthy meal. This and other kinds of beans and meat on other days, should satisfy our human craving for variety. This works for me. I guess this would work for you, too.

not every"body" is the same, your body maybe needs mean. buy freerange, thank the aninal for giving up it's life to help you stay healthy. It's all in how you look at it.

Not really I have to confess, although if I were to watch something on TV that pricked my conscience, I might change. I became a vegetarian sometime in the '80s for compassionate reasons, changed back to meat eating, and then remained more or less a total vegetarian for ages and ages. I only changed back again a short time ago, possibly a little over than a year ago or more. I did my bit! So, now I'm Ok to eat meat for the time being. But...who knows I could be moved back to vegetarianism...

I am an omnivore, in that I eat food from the vegetable, fruit, animal, bird, and fish kingdoms. What I get upset is that because I am not made of money, we cannot buy the organic meat or the free ranged chicken, although we are lucky enough to get eggs from a farmer outside of the city. We are trying to get chickens from him through our friends and that will be free range. I do not think meat eaters have a right to feel guilty, but they have a right to get angry at those factory farms and that if they are not rich, they have to eat meat that is fed on a stock yard instead of out in the field eating grass. My grandmother ate a lot of meat and stuff that was considered unhealthy, but then the cows were in the field, and the wheat did not have any additives, the lard was from natural pigs that did not have antibiotics in it, but I guess no one cared about us. Now I have to take chromium to make up for the lack of what is supposed to be in meat, but can only be found in free range cows and pigs. And that makes me angry.

Yeah I feel somewhat guilty, but not enough to go vegetarian. I do somewhat vote with my pocket book though, as I almost always buy organic meat. Mind you, I don't know how much better those animals are treated, but at least I know they're not shot full of anti-biotics and growth hormones!

Hi, Janey1966. I am a meat eater too. And after watching how the animals were slaughtered on an Youtube video, I became very sick and humiliated. And now, I still eat meat. It is just something that I can't give up. I am use to eating it because it is nutritious and delicious. When I think about what happens to the animals on the farm, I will become disgusted. I do feel guilty when I eat meat. But I can't help. Just as long as I don't think about what happens to the animals, then I will be okay.

I too love eating meat and I don't think I could continue without eating meat as I am so used to it now. I don't really feel guilty about eating meat although having said this I would not be able to kill an animal in order to relinquish my hunger! The very fact that everything is prepared for us now, this makes things so much easier in terms of just going down to the local supermarket and picking out what we want to eat. I think it's interesting that we are starting to see these adverts now on how chickens are brought up, their environment and so forth and I think this is a good thing. We can then make an educated decision as to whether to buy that chicken or not. I love meat and I feel that I will forever be a meat eater! Andrew

This topic was too hard to mis with my eyes when I saw the word meat. I am surprised I have not seen any topics about this before on myLot, but it's good we finally have one. I am in the same situation as you, and it's hard to quit, especially working at a restaurant for my job. I feel bad that animals are being killed for me to eat, but what I think is, there is no way that everyone would ever completely stop eating meat, and animals are killed for other reasons too. I don't think one person or even one thousand people could make a difference, but that's just my opinion. I cannot eat lamb or seafood, because it makes me sad. I had a pet lamb, but my dad sold him when I was a child for money without my consent. I loved Timothy.

Hi Janey Basically I think we human beings are vegetarians, if we consider lenth of intestine, nails, teeth etc it differs from, tiger, lion even cat, it is better to be vegetarian.. Cheers, have a wonderful day. Professor ‘^Bhuwan^’. .

I am too a meat eater and feel guilty sometimes. whenever i visit some slaughter house to purchase meat, the way they take their lives within a second and how their life comes out of their body second by second, really shivers me. I decided in myself not to eat all these stuffs, pure vegetarian is good, but as my friends never wants to sacrifice eating meats, me too is forced to eat all these. But also some saint say that don't take the killings of these creatures in negative sense for you or for the butcher, this is the way carved by god for their salvation, if you won't eat somebody else will eat, or if no human being then some carnivores will eat, and make them to take another life in another form. So, i thing Its all about how we take the things and its impact on us, and finally i decided when i'll be married i will have my own home,wife and children and my own decisions to make, and will become pure veggie.!!!!!!!!

Nope, I don't feel guilty at all. I can only imagine what probably does go on in slaughterhouses, but it doesn't make me feel bad. I eat meat every day! I don't feel like I could get by being a vegetarian. I do like vegetables, but not such a large variety that I could exist on them alone. I feel like everything in this life serves a purpose and has its place, and some animals are meant to feed us, pure and simple. I think some times the animal sympathizers take it too far. I wouldn't suggest you eating only beans and toast...that is a very unbalanced diet and your body will need more nutrients than what those two things can provide. This post has reminded me of a saying I've read over and over...there is room for all of God's creatures...right next to the mashed potatoes!

I have been vegetarian, but I now eat meat as well, although to be honest I'm not really bothered if I eat meat or not. About 16 years ago I was training as a chef and for the 2 years that I did so I went vegetarian, the main reason behind this was seeing how food was prepared in a kitchen where the chef's really did not care, it put me off meat for a very long time. After I left there though I started eating meat again...and as much as meat is very nice (and bearing in mind that the human body is designed to be a omnivore) I'm not really fussed if I eat meat and veg or just veg...or just meat!

I also feel bad for having non-veg sometimes, especially when I cut the meat and cook myself. I don't feel the same when I get meat in hotel as fried pieces. Sometimes I feel bad when I go to a typical boucher shop and get meat. It is mind breaking to watch them killing chicken, goat, and cows. But, we all forget things when it comes as dish on our dining table. I am okay with killing fish, but it is difficult to take when it comes to beef or chicken.

Hi Janey..Its interesting that you start this discussion right when I'm trying something different with my diet. I decided to eliminate meat from my diet for the period of one month, just to give it a try. Unfortunately, I am not doing it for the same reasons as you. I too, love animals more than anything. I can not deal with what goes on in these places such as slaughter houses, places where animals are kept in pens with not nearly enough room to even turn around, places where chickens and hens are mistreated, all that. I choose not to think about it. I don't watch the specials on T.V. that they show from time to time about it as I just cant stand to see it. I believe that we need some meat in our diets. There is, in my mind, no better source of iron that red meat provides and I too am always anemic so need to eat it. Iam also a chef as I have mentioned before and cook every single day, so meat is always in front of me in one way or another. I dont think that boycotting meat is the answer but boycotting the way animals are treated is. It is a fact of life that humans eat meat and always will and the animals that are raised for consumption need to be treated properly. I'm all for farm animal welfare in that respect. The reason I'm eliminating it for a trial period is for financial reasons. I am tired of the high price of beef (and everything for that matter) and am finding more and more difficult to afford it. So far I am really enjoying eating all vegetables and fruit. I have been experimenting with vegetables in all kinds of ways. Roasting them is my favorite way to eat them. When you roast them, they take on a completely different, sweet, wonderful flavor and the uses for them are endless. I've been roasting and pureeing into sauces for pasta, making things like eggplant and zucchini pancakes, eating all kinds of salads, (I have enough interesting salad recipes to last a year!) and experimenting too with homemade dressings. They are easy, fast and delicious and there is nothing in them that you can't pronounce as there are in bottled dressings.Homemade soups are another fun thing to play with and there is something for everyone whether you like mild comfort soups or zesty spicy soups like me! I've been doing omlets, simple cheese and tomato to everything but the kitchen soup omlets. Mushrooms are another thing that can be as hearty as meat. All in all, you get the picture and my food bill for the past 2 weeks is significantly lower with no meat in my basket. Granted, some vegetables are on the high side, but nothing as high as meat. I've also been using a lot of fruit and am looking forward to the summer fruit which is just around the corner. Fruit salads with great cheeses are great. If you are interested in any recipes, pm me and I'll share some stuff with you..I'm telling you right now that you too will be a vegetable lover..its all in the preparation..Simple fresh ingredients is what good food is all about and eating "vegeterian" to my pleasant surprise is a fun, healthy and delicious alternative..Also, its good for the waist line!! I'll keep you posted on how things go..I'm committed to this diet for a least a month, but its going so well that I can see it going on indefinately. If I could just eat meat a couple of times a month, that would be great..I'm being realistic in that that probably wont happen, but even just once a week would please me..and my wallet..J

I don't think about how meat gets from the animal to my stomach. Part of me wonders if I should give up meat, but another part is wondering what are the health benfifits of that? I have to make sure I have a lot of protain and I'm always worried without meat I won't be able to get enough. I know how its downe with some animals, but if I stop to think about it I get depressed. Not plesent let me assure you.

yes, i feel guilty but can't stop eating meat. i've been feeling even more guilty these days than before. maybe that's because one of my friends(haven't met him, knew him through the net) showed me videos of slaughtering animals and also told me about PETA. i also get emails from my friends from time to time about what's going on around the world, and some of them are about cruelty toward animals. seeing them i feel like becoming a vegetarian. but unfortunately, like you, i don't like many vegetables. sometimes i use to think about buying guides for cooking so that i can make the most out of vegetables. but as of now it's just a thought and i can't give up meat yet. but i've been feeling more guilty these days.