Most vegetarians do it to be healthy but most I know smoke. Isn't that a contradiction of the health part?

Question

Doesn't that contradict the being healthy part?

I always find it odd when I'm told being a vegetarian is healthy; and next thing I know I see them lighting up a cigarette.

Answer 1

Yes it probably is but i think what they mean by being healthy is 'eating healthy and eating right'.

LOL, i see what you mean though! :D

Answer 2

Aside from questioning the assertion that most do it for health reasons, the answer is, yes it does, but that doesn't matter because (almost) nobody does healthy things exclusively.  You pick and choose what things are important to you, and what you're willing to do without.

For example, I'm sure plenty of vegetarians watch television, or listen to music on headphones, or eat fatty meals, or any number of things that are pleasing or relaxing, but (technically) unhealthy for them.  Smoking is bad for you, but so is stress; so people select what they feel is the lesser of two evils.

In any case, someone who smokes and eats healthy is still better off than someone who smokes and eats burgers all day.  One step at a time.

Answer 3

We are all walking contradictions if you look closely enough but why does it really matter.  Most of us are just trying our best to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

I started smoking at age 11 and turnes vegetarian at age 21.  I was already heavily addicted to nicotine by that time.

Answer 4

It contradicts the vegetarian part.

Cigs contain animal ingredients, and cigarette companies perform horrible testing on animals.

Edit: Unless they roll their own, and it is just tobacco.

Answer 5

It is contradictory, but not entirely so. There could be many factors involved, such as being a smoker (and addicted) since before becoming a vegetarian.

Look at it this way; assuming being a vegetarian is healthier (not proven, imo, and my personal experience is the opposite), does that mean they MUST be super healthy in EVERY other area of their life? Isn't one healthy thing and one unhealthy thing better than two unhealthy things?

Just food for thought.

PS - I'm a meat eating (usually very lean healthy meat) non-smoker. I'm just offering some input.

Answer 6

gotta start some place, i guess for them it is one vice at a time.  :)

Answer 7

How do you know MOST vegetarians do it for health reasons..

How do you know MOST vegetarians smoke..

Answer 8

Most vegetarians I know are vegetarian for religious reasons. I don't know any vegetarians who are habitual smokers, none of them smoke cigarettes, but I know a few who will smoke an imported cigar once in a while.

Yeah, I think most people believe it's contradictory for vegetarians to smoke.

The late George Harrison may have been a vegetarian, but he couldn't give up smoking. I recall Vegetarian Times and some other vegetarian sources stating he might not be vegetarian (while he was still alive) and I think the doubt might have originated with his smoking habit.

Answer 9

I know plenty of non-vegetarians who smoke and claim to eat a "healthy diet" full of animal protein... I don't see the difference.

Answer 10

Would seem to be so, yes.  Kind of like the guy who drove his car to the "big oil" protest.

Answer 11

Not necessarily. Yes, a lot of veggies follow the lifestyle to be healthier but some do it for religious reasons, animal rights reasons or environmental reasons. If those are their objectives, then smoking is not contradicting their stance.

I know of some "gym rats" who are constantly in the gym, but drink like fish when they go out with their friends. It's like M-F they are all about being fit and well and eating clean, but then they consume a lot of empty calories on the weekend.

You'll find inconsistencies in every group who has claims of being health-conscious. We're all human. :-)

Answer 12

Like everyone else, there are smoking and non-smoking vegetarians.  We are no different from anyone else when it comes to that.  We make healthy decisions and not so healthy decisions.

Some people were smokers long before they went vegetarian.  I am not a smoker, but I have heard that it can be really tough to break the habit.

Some people do not even become vegetarian or vegan for health reasons.  I became a vegetarian because I found www.meat.org.  The health benefits were just an added bonus...as are the benefits to the environment.

I think it is better to be a vegetarian that smokes than a meat eater who smokes.  A vegetarian who smokes is still putting themselves at risk for cancer associated with smoking...However, they are drastically cutting their risk for other conditions that are more common for meat eaters than veggies.