How did people become vegetarians in the first place?

Question

How did people become vegetarians in the first place? Were some vegetarians born like that? CAN a vegetarian eat meat? If so, what would happen? Can people just "become" a vegetarian whenever they want to stop eating meat?

Hehe. Sorry for the questions. It popped up. :]

Answer 1

My Mums A Vegetarian AND SHES NOT BUHUDIST She Was 16 When She Decided She Didn't Want To Eat Meat I Think Vegetarians Are Quite Normal But Vegans Are A Bit Off The Top!

Answer 2

I had heard of vegetarians as a child because I am well educated.  In my teens, I saw some videos of factory farming and that was it for me.  I've been a vegetarian ever since (almost 20 years now).

Obviously it's not an "unhealthy" lifestyle like so many people say because I'm an extremely healthy person and I have yet to starve to death.

Answer 3

We evolved...

Answer 4

I was born to vegetarian parents so naturally they raised me on a vegetarian diet. I am probably one of the very few people who live in the city who has never eaten meat or junk food. My siblings are also vegetarian though my brother once ate a burger just to see how it tastes.

Answer 5

Three passions have governed my life:

The longings for love, the search for KNOWLEDGE,

And unbearable pity for the SUFFERING of [all kind].

Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.

In the union of love I have seen

In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision

Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge.

I have wished to understand the HEARTS of [all kind].

I have wished to know why the stars shine.

Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,

But always pity brought me back to earth;

CRIES of PAIN reverberated in my heart

Of children in FAMINE, of victims TORTURED

And of old people left helpless

Hopeless beings are being dominated.

I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,

And I too suffer.

This has been my life; I found it worth living.

Because I have loved life,

Now I shall have no sorrow to survive by making others to suffer.

Answer 6

they massacre poor vegetables

think about it. animals have a chance they  can run away, but with corn and crops no way their left their to get scythed =(

Answer 7

Vegetarians are people that choose not to eat animals. If a person can't eat animal protein but wishes that they could, they wouldn't really be vegetarian. They would just be on a plant-based diet for medical reasons.

Vegetarianism has been around for at least thousands of years. Many Hindus and Buddhists and most Jains have believed in ahimsa("no harm")

since long before the birth of Judaism

There are very very real issues at hand here. The food-animal industries are out of control and they care of nothing but profit.

If you are genuinely curious in seeing why most vegetarians make the choice in the Western world, the film, Earthlings would give you a thorough explanation.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...

http://factoryfarming.org

Answer 8

Think of it like religion. Some people are raised vegetarian. Some choose it later in life. Some people are raised Buddhist/Christian/whatever. Some convert.

A vegetarian is certainly capable of eating meat, they just elect not to. (Some vegetarians might have allergies, just like some meat eaters do.)

Depending on how long someone has been vegetarian and how much meat they get (and what kind), either nothing will happen or they'll get a little sick. Some people think that this is a psychosomatic response, but speaking from experience, it definitely doesn't have to be.

But to get to the root of what I think your question is, vegetarianism is a choice. It's not something you're born with, or have some biological need for.  

Answer 9

First, there is a difference between "vegetarian" and "herbivore".

See, humans are herbivores.

A vegetarian is a human that tries to live a herbivore lifestyle in a society that imposes culturally generated non-herbivore food rituals etc. onto the people.  Essentially, a vegetarian is a person (human) that refuses to believe that they are either an omnivore or a carnivore.

At the moment, only humans can be vegetarian, as all of the other animals on the planet (outside of captivity or other human involvement) eat what they are meant to eat and do not go against that.

Yes, many many people are born and raised 'vegetarian'.  For many thousands of years -- back before history started.

Sure, a vegetarian 'can' eat meat.  A vegetarian 'can' eat dog poo, cardboard, or a tin can.  Being a vegetarian is a totally personal thing and there are no rules or laws governing such.  If a life long vegetarian ate meat... What would happen?  They would likely feel a bit backed up digestively.  Maybe some indigestion or 'funny' feeling.  And sitting on the toilet, they'd find that it wouldn't come out very well (easily) and would stink to high heaven [see flesh needs to be digested very quickly, as in carnivores, because flesh rots. Human digestion is slow and long to allow for the breaking down of plant matter, and thus meat would fester and rot inside a human, and it does. This is obviously bad for the health].

Yes, anyone can just stop eating meat and all other animal products, immediately, and without even thinking about it.  Humans are not designed for the consumption of animal flesh (or animal milk), thus humans do not need it.  Do not need it at all.  Not even a little.  Humans are best designed for eating fruits.  Our whole digestive system from our mouth, teeth, saliva, all the way down to the a**s... fruit digests very well for us humans.  Leaves coming a close second.  Then there are nuts, seeds, beans, roots, and many other things that are not really that well digested, but with lots of chewing and even cooking or other processing, they can become good food sources.

Answer 10

my parents decided to follow a Hindu religion when they were teenagers. So me and my brother are vegetarians from birth. To answer your question people can just become veggie when ever they want if you love or like meat it would be hard to do for some people. If I eat meat i get sick because i cant digest it. I guess a vegetarian could eat meat...but then theyre not vegetarian

Answer 11

Our closest biological relatives, the chimpanzees and gorillas, eat mostly (chimps) or entirely (gorillas) plants. While our ancestors hunted for meat, they also gathered fruits, tubers, berries nuts and other plants.

Hindus have largely been vegetarians for over 2000 years. Buddhists have also advocated vegetarianism for even longer, as much as 2600 years.

Some ancient Greeks philosophers, circa 2500 years ago, led vegetarianism in the west. The mathematician Pythagoras was vegetarian, as was Epicurus.

"For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love." - Pythagoras

Later in Europe, Leonardo da Vinci was vegetarian.

Answer 12

> CAN a vegetarian eat meat? If so, what would happen?

I am also interested in this question. A biomedical student friend proposed that the enzymes used to digest meat and milk and such may go away after long periods of not eating such foods. I am under the impression that lactose intolerance has a higher incidence in cultures which do not tend to consume milk-based products because after weaning the enzymes to digest such things are no longer needed and thus tend to disappear.

Answer 13

There are children in the Western world that are raised vegetarian. Many Buddhists and East Indians are also vegetarian from childhood. Some people educate themselves on the state of the food industry and decide to stop eating meat for moral reasons and some find that animal products do not agree with their digestive system. So there are many reasons why people live a lifestyle free of animal based foods and products.

Answer 14

i became a vegetarian because i suddenly became afraid to touch meat even through a container thinking about it makes me shudder DX

i know its a weird way to become a vegetarian but that's how it happened for me.and no vegetarians can't eat meat they can eat eggs and fish though.but i don't eat fish cuz that freaks me out too.

also i like animals

killing them is wrong although i have to admit i did enjoy dissecting a frog in my biology class last year..........

but i did it in the name of science ^^

hope i helped answer your question =)