veganism: i've been a proud vegetarian for 1 year now & whenever i tell anyone (even my own family], they call me crazy && that i'm starving myself. it hurts. i have no support except for my own veggie fraans`. has this ever happened to you ? why?|||Honestly, before I became a vegetarian, I had no idea why people did it unless they were PETA freaks. I thought it was stupid and pointless to be a vegetarian. Then I randomly read Skinny ***** which sparked my interest in vegetarianism, I started doing tons of research, and now I think being a vegetarian/vegan is the smartest thing to do! Maybe when you tell people, they don't understand why people become vegetarians, so you could briefly explain. Here are the main reasons: 1. Animal rights reasons: http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/facto鈥?/a> 2. Environmental reasons: http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/envir鈥?/a> 3. Economical reasons: http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/econo鈥?/a> 4. Health reasons: http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/healt鈥?/a> I would try to explain it to them WITHOUT being preachy, because people hate to be preached to! I think that's one of the reasons vegetarians/vegans get a bad name, because of the people who try to promote it too strongly. They usually think we are all hippy PETA freaks, but it's really just a few crazies that give us all that stereotype.|||Western civilization comes from a herding culture that has been exploiting animals for meat and dairy for about 10,000 years. Food is such a huge part of this culture that it became ingrained and a therefore a taboo. For this reason people become threatened when the status quo is put under scrutiny. What they don't understand is that although human culture has evolved, homo sapiens haven't physically changed for about 100,000 years. Western diet now spreading all over the world, but most other cultures did not traditionally drink other species milk (for example). Humans have always had a wide range of dietary patterns. It is healthy for us to eat a plant based diet. The longest lived culture in the world (the Hunza of Pakistan) eat a 99% vegan and 100% vegetarian diet. We should also look at what is reasonable for today. Meat and dairy production use up vast amount of natural resources, create a massive carbon footprint and is extremely cruel. There is also nothing "natural" about the industrial livestock farming system of today! Is it normal to masturbate a bull and then artificially inseminate a cow, when he baby is born take him away, put the baby in a crate so he can't move and his muscles atrophy (so his meat is tender) and steal then the mother's milk? All the while she might never have seen the light of day, never have chewed on fresh grass, is injected with hormones, genetically modified and fed high protein feed made of other animals? I don't think so. PS. I also wouldn't underestimate the power of propaganda and the meat and dairy industry is very powerful! Got milk?|||There are a few reasons. One would be that most people never had experience with a non-meat diet and it strikes them as strange. Another would be that since they are less of them, vegetarians tend to be a more vocal group. It's similar to getting a lecture from an ex-smoker. Add to that the fact that a vegetarian diet needs B supplements and there is NO non-meat source for Vitamin B12 which the body needs. B12 can be made from bacterium. To me that is a living animal. It's alive, it moves under it's own power. It depends on how rational you want to be. As far as I know, it is not possible to create B12 from plants or synthetic sources. Every animal kills something to survive, it;s a fact of life. Humans are animals. It is very possible to lead a healthy life as a vegetarian. In my experience it was harder for me, so I gave it up. Plus I love a good steak and crab.|||They don't think it's wrong, they just don't understand it. Some people believe that since we're the "superior" species, we deserve to eat any other species we want. I don't follow this idiotic brand of reasoning. I've met animals weaker than humans, but then again, I've met humans weaker than animals. Does this mean they deserve to die for it? No.|||Everyone in my family was fine with it. I'm the bleeding heart liberal, gay, oddball of the family. Something tells me they were just kind of waiting on this to happen. I went to a birthday party not too long ago and my mom was as drunk as I've ever seen her (it's a rare occurrence, but always funny), trying to get me to eat something. She'd catch herself offering me chicken and shrimp and then would laugh to herself and tell my aunt that, "She's a vegetarian...*hiccup* she's...turning into *hiccup* a weirdo." I just laughed it off and commented that tequila was vegan so we might as well have a shot. Someone's always going to have a problem with it because they'll infer that because you choose not to eat meat, it's a judgment on them eating meat. But really, how much support do you need from people regarding your dietary choices? This isn't a lifestyle, it's just food.|||a lot of people, especially family members and those who care about you, may think it's unhealthy because of all of the propoganda the USDA has put out about how our bodies NEED meat, but really we don't need meat to be healthy. other people may think that us vegetarians/vegans think we are better than meat eaters because there are some vegetarians who are so extreme and rude about their lifestyle and try to force it on others, making them feel guilty about eating meat. these people give us a bad name. the best thing you can do is to not throw facts and statistics in meat eaters' faces about how many animals are killed, how they are slaughtered, etc. if you want them to respect your lifestyle, you need to respect theirs as well. ya, this has happened to me too. ive been veggie for a year now just like you :) and im still trying to find my place. it's hard grocery shopping because you always have to read the ingredients for gelatin, rennet, etc. and nobody likes to feel different or disliked, you just need to remind yourself every day why you are doing it and all of the animals you are saving through your choices.|||I've been veggie for 10 years and only ever had to put up with jokes about it, nothing serious. I know a lot of other veggies and even my mum, who never really understood it, went out of her way to make sure that a good healthy veggie meal was prepared for the whole family. I have been shocked at the amount of abuse some people have been giving vegetarians on this site.(you know who you are) I had no idea that people where so opposed to it.|||I think for the most part its just pure ignorance... Your "different" than they are and some people don't ever grow out of the "pick on the one that stands out" phase. My father-in-law calmly informed me that I would never be as healthy eating a vegetarian diet as a diet that has meat in it. I just smiled at him and said, "Oh dear, that's a shame!! I shall do my best though" I have noticed as well as another poster on this thread that there are a LOT of people who are quite rude and nasty about vegetarians & vegans on Yahoo! Answers!!! If they don't like us or our lifestyle maybe they shouldn't come to this part of the boards... You know what Momma always used to say, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!!"|||They just cannot give up eating meat & don't understand why anyone would. I get it from everyone I know because I am 99% vegan. I frequent vegan restaurants and I never cook meat or animal products at home. I always hear how unhealthy it is to not eat meat, but the opposite is true. My niece & nephew are true vegetarians because they do eat fish.|||most likely reason being that a meatless diet you'll have an 'imbalanced-diet', i've been a vegetarian for the last 20+ years & this is the most common remark i've recieved, you don't have to feel hurt, tell them that you're going 'green' literally & figuratively|||im a vegan and i find their just uneducated and ignorant as well as just straight up dense when what is wrong is killing and eating a animal and your enlightened when you realize what is going on in the world around you|||could it be because of the PETA crazies that seem to run with the veg crowd that think animals should have all the same rights as humans?|||because your presence makes them feel guilty about animals being killed for them|||cuz the human body is meant to eat MEAT YUM|||they just don't understand.