What should I do INSTEAD of becoming a vegetarian?

Question

I have always had a great love for animals and felt terribly guilty about eating meat - and yet there must be something evil in me somewhere - because I just don't think I could give it up. I enjoy eating meals with meat in them. I often feel ashamed to admit it, but I do! I hate to think about the animals that have been killed for my own cooking - but I suppose I justify it to myself with ideas about "humane" killing (stunning first, etc.) and ideas about the cycle of life (i.e. animals eat other animals in the wild, and I am an animal etc.) - eurgh - but thinking about it in too much detail does make me feel ill.

What can I do? Any suggestions for what I could do instead of becoming a vegetarian? (I.e. in terms of my life etc. - I know this is vague but I'm interested to hear your opinions.)

Answer 1

If you can buy free range/organic beef, chicken etc:

I believe everything in moderation is wise as far as eating well and healthy

Answer 2

just eat LESS meat ;]

Answer 3

Your a weak person. A year ago I became Vegan, loved meat and Dairy. I remember I used to dip nachos in cheesy sour cream, but anyways that's besides the point. I read some Articles by a brilliant man named Vernon Coleman, he had some good points on people eating meat and dairy. So I looked up some of his points out on how horrible these products are and found it to completely true. I quit the next day, it was a little hard at first but I handled it, and it eventually it became quite easy. Their is mock meat, and mock dairy foods so eat those. If not I hope you get slaughtered by a family of animals and eaten.

Answer 4

if you stop eating meat AND dairy (vegan lifestyle), you desire for meat will be gone in less than 3 weeks. I have been vegan for about 5 weeks now, and i dont even think about meat. Sure if i smell a bbq i might think about it, but it has yet to cross my mind to go buy it. And now, even going into the meat section of a store almost makes me want to vomit from the smell (i used to love the smell knowing that before long it would be a tasty steak).

But anyway, it is a food addiction. Your body is addicted to the high concentration of calories found in animal products. Only way to break it is to stop using it, and eating dairy is just another form of getting that high concentration of calories.

BTW, did you know these few facts:

2% milk is around 48% fat by volume. Every 2 glasses you drink is 1 cup water, 1 cup fat.

Dairy products have morphine in it. It is developed by any animal that can produce milk, and the higher concentration of dairy (cheese, butter) the higher concentration of morphine.  

Answer 5

just eat chicken and fish.that will help you some what.

Answer 6

You could try becoming vegetarian slowly. I started by cutting out foods gradually. LIke red meat was first, then poultry, then seafood.

I had it hard too, my family has a hunting camp in mississippi and commercial fishes. So we always had FRESH meat around. And, in a way, hunting deer was also humane. As no one would shoot anything under 8 points, which means they only shot the older male deer. They shot them once and they were out. But I still did it. Trust me, you can enjoy vegetarian options just as well as you can meat. Its all about will power.  

Answer 7

There are many, many animal care and rescue associations that could use some manly arms! For some reason, all of our volunteers are women. Same with the local humane society or shelter. Drive around where there are dogs chained outside to a doghouse, and ask the owner if you can supply some food, water, straw (in the winter), a better doghouse, check those too-tight collars- and bring some treats. These dog are literally ignored. Boycott the circus and the rodeo and animal experiments that aren't even required at places like Proctor and Gamble. As the Buddha said, it's not what goes in to your mouth that counts, it's what comes out of it. See a local high school hold a donkey basketball game? Write and protest. We got one stopped. In a city that's a suburb of Detroit, they were still gassing animals to put them down. 10 of us went to their city council meeting to explain how cruel a death that was. They had no idea they HAD a gas chamber. They voted to get rid of it that night.

Margaret Mitchell said, " a small goup of people can change society, in fact, that's the only thing that ever does".

So you eat a little meat. I'd rather have YOU dedicated to the animal cause next to me, then the "society vegan".

Help out! You and the animals will feel better!

Answer 8

why don't you go to your local animal shelter and volunteer?

Answer 9

Helping with a humane society is a good idea.

You could do a little research on animal welfare.  Making the animals' lives better while they are alive, is a much more logical approach in my mind.  "Everyone" is never going to become vegetarian.  Support your local extension office or government farmer's organization, they deal with educating farmers on welfare friendly methods.  You may even be able to help.  They always need volunteers.

Answer 10

Go vegan.

Answer 11

Why don't you try eating LESS meat? Or try going vegetarian for a week? Not long after I went vegetarian, I stopped craving meat all together. It's a shift in your thinking and your lifestyle. Plus, with all of the great vegetarian restaurants and meat substitutes out there, you may find yourself missing meat less than you think you will.

And, as others have said, support animal welfare causes. Volunteer at animal shelters or donate money to wildlife funds. Every little bit that you do for the animals helps!

Answer 12

I'm a vegan and it's not as hard as you think just like Veggie said eliminate one kind of meat each week or month in till you get down to your fav then just eat you fav meat for a year if it takes that long at least then you'll only be eating one kind of animal  

Answer 13

How about every week subtract one meat product from your diet untill you have subtracted all of them!!

Answer 14

get a dog.

volunteer for an animal shelter

volunteer to serve food in a soup kitchen

volunteer on anything!

or eat more portion of veg than meat.

:D

the meat that you don't buy and eat today will expire tomorrow.

Answer 15

Just because people eat meat doesn't mean they are not animal lovers. Nearly everybody I know who has a dog or a cat treats them like their children.

In countries like Spain they find that incredible. The Spanish tell me that in the UK people treat their pets better than their children and old folk, but in Spain they treat their children & old folk better than their animals. I've lived in both countries and that's basically true.

Answer 16

buy a variety of the fake meats and try them in place of meat with your meals.  it's not that hard to be a vegetarian if you want to be.  you'll feel better eating that way and not feeling quilty all the time :)  it'll be a relief to enjoy a burger or wahtever it is and know nothing was harmed :)  you could start by reducing your intake of meat.  even that helps.

Answer 17

Being a “top contributor” u’re not a simple guy and I don’t think many answers will meet your expectation. I doubt u already knew the solution.

Anyway, Feral adds, “By becoming vegan we work at the roots to refresh our world, ensuring respect - and indeed a future - for our planet and all of its inhabitants.”