Should u be a vegetarian if u cant afford it?!
Should u be a vegetarian if u cant afford it?
Answers:
Unless you shop for only organic veggies at Whole Foods, being a vegetarian is much cheaper than being an omnivore, or a carnivore. You are confusing me. tf
Only you *know* what you "should" do. If you want to be a vegetarian, then be one!
Items that are cheap (cheaper than eating a meat-based diet, in fact) are dried legumes which you can soak and boil yourself, lentils, split peas, whole grains, such as barley, rice, millet, polenta, couscous, stuff like that. You should also be able to get fruits and vegetables that are in season for good prices. Some stores sell nuts at decent prices.
be a vegetarian if u wanna be. am sure its cheaper than eating meat and stuff
i am not a veggie,but i would have thought it is much cheaper to buy the majority of veggie foods than meat?.
If it is something you believe in then yes. Being a vegitairian shouldnt be about the cost.
But Im sure that you can find good vegitarian food regardless
Meat is more expensive than vegetables.
If you invest the proper time in selecting your vegetables and fruits, and milk products(if you will be lacto-vegetarian), combine them with the correct mixture of carbs like rice and pasta, you will not only have wonderful dishes, but you will see that they are pocket friendly dishes as well.
Well, yes. On average I think that it is agreeable to say that a carnivorous diet is more expensive than a herbivorous diet. It really depends on the value of your taste. But, think about it, what costs more the grass to feed the cow or the whole cow?
I've found that being a vegetarian or vegan is cheaper. I think it is a misconception probably because people assume we all only buy organic foods, but we don't.
if you can afford meat, surely you can afford vegetables if you quit buying meat.
Afford what?
alot of times, it is less expensive... it was for me anyways =)
try to find a farmer with fresh fruits/veggies
u usually can get it cheaper from them... ALOT cheaper ^^
Egg laying chickens
Observers tell us that egg-laying chickens are kept under what are called “intensive” or “factory farm” stoking systems. In one common type four hens are squeezed into what are called battery cages. In this confined area they spend most of their brief lives. The cages have no perches and are made of wire mesh to allow the feces to fall through the bottom. With no solid floor to scratch on, their toenails grow very long and sometimes become entangled with the wire mesh, even causing the toe flesh itself to grow around the wire. In addition, lights in these places are kept on 18 hours a day to encourage the hens to lay constantly. Each hen averages an egg every 32 hours for 14 months and then is slaughtered.
They alert that with no room to scratch the ground, build a nest, dust-bathe, stretch their wings or even move about, the chickens every instinct is denied. The inevitable stress arising from such wretched conditions drives the stronger birds to attack the weaker ones, who, with no way of escaping, may become victims of cannibalism.
To combat cannibalism, birds are de-beaked, a mutilation process whereby the beak, a complex of horn, bone and sensitive tissue- and the chickens most important member is severed with either a hot knife or a guillotine like device. Sometimes in the course of the animal’s life this is done twice. This method is also used on turkeys.
Pigs
Observers say that pigs that are kept in unsuitable, overcrowded conditions, on the factory farms, respond by biting each other’s tails and fighting in general. Because this causes a reduction in their weight, farmers take oppressive remedial measures, like cutting off the pig’s tails. All this brings about the Porcine Stress Syndrome, described as rigidity, blotchy skin, panting anxiety and sudden death.
According to observers sows (female pig) are first mated when they are 6-8 months old. Most of them are artificially inseminated. Pregnancy lasts 16.5 weeks and a sow will give birth to between five and twenty-five piglets. Piglets are prematurely weaned (start feeding with solid food) after 2-4 weeks (weaning would naturally occur at 12-14 weeks) and a week later the sow will be serviced again.The natural life span of a pig is 10-150 years. Sows spend at least two thirds of their life in pregnancy.
Farrowing crates are metal crates barley larger than the sow, giving no room for turning around. Any attempt to movement means the sow will unavoidably rub herself against the crate bars causing sores, abrasions and swellings. Lameness, other leg, back and hip problems are common. Sows also show stereotypic behaviour such as gnawing and biting stall bars.
The strong instinct to build a nest out of leaves, grass or straw is completely frustrated. The floors are concrete or slatted and do not have any bedding.
Intensification has lead to increased disease problems, particularly amongst piglets. Viral pneumonia, meningitis, swine vesicular disease, blue-ear disease and scours are some of many diseases that can affect pigs.
Some male piglets are also castrated without anaesthetic. This is to avoid a strong flavour in meat from sexually mature male pigs. However, pigs are generally slaughtered before reaching sexual maturity.
Modern pigs have been selectively bred for fast growth, leading to lameness and other leg problems. The pigs are unable to support their own rapid weight gain. Mothering pigs have the added problem of coping with rapidly growing suckling piglets. This can cause the sow a loss of bodyweight and loss of bone tissue leading to hip or spinal bone fractures.
Cruelties
Observes tell us that nearly all cattlemen dehorn, brand and castrate their animals.This inflects severe pain on the animals. Even worse than dehorning and branding is castration, which most farmers admit causes shock and pain to the animal. In the United States, where anaesthetics are usually not used, the procedure is to pin the animal down, take a knife, and slit the scrotum, exposing the testicles. Each testicle is then grabbed in turn and puffed on, breaking the cord that attaches it.
Male lambs are castrated before three months old. The method consists in the application of a tight rubber ring cutting off the blood supply. This causes severe pain. The use of a knife is also common.
Ewes (female sheep) generally lamb once a year. If an ewe has only a single lamb it may grow too large to pass through the narrow birth canal. Many farmers choose to cut the front legs off the live lamb whilst still in the womb. This is carried out to avoid having to pay a vet to perform a caesarean. This practice is very common and many lambs are killed this way during the lambing season.
Transportation to slaughter
Observers tell us that one of the greatest sufferings inflicted on farm animals takes place during their transportation to the slaughterhouse. Their mistreatment begins with the loading, a task often done roughly and hurriedly. Animals that fall off the loading ramp are sometimes left unattended to slowly die of their injuries. Inside overloaded trucks the animals suffer from crushing and suffocation as a result of pile-ups. Many times the tucks travel at high speed, some animals succumb to motion sickness.
They explain that cattle often spend twenty-eight to seventy-two hours inside a truck without food or water before being unloaded. To their despair of thirst and hunger is often added the bitter winds and cold of winter that can cause severe chill, and the heat and direct sun of summer exacerbate the dehydration caused by lack of water.
Methods of slaughter
Observers explain that farm animals are stunned by electricity or percussion and killed by cutting the blood vessels in the neck, causing exsanguinations. Other methods involve cutting the neck without stunning the animals
Stunning is also used it consists in producing unconsciousness of head in carbon dioxide, gas, electrical shock, all of them aiming to allow the animal to bleed out while it is still alive. An animal that is dead before it has bled out will be unsuitable for marketing.
In some countries carbon dioxide stunning is used, this is strongly criticised by scientists as inhumane, pigs suffering from breathlessness and hyperventilation while trying to escape.
They inform us that large numbers of animals are slaughtered rapidly in an assembly line. They leg lift chickens and turkeys when they are fully conscious. Their heads are immersed in water to make electrical contact, but some flutter and are not stunned. Chickens, turkeys and pigs are subjected to scalding water to remove their feathers and hair. When stunning is not done properly or exsanguinations has not progressed enough, a significant proportion of animals are burnt before going unconscious.
They point out that the slaughter of fish has received little attention. Fish die by asphyxia when they are taken out of the water, or when they are ground up in vacuum fishing. If they have been caught in nets, they may be exhausted from the attempts to free themselves. Sometimes fish are gutted while their hearts are still beating, and the beating is prolonged when they are put into ice. Fish feel pain, and suffer stress in the nets and during asphyxia.
Sometimes fish is thrown back after withdrawing the hooks, fish may then die of the inability to eat, or microbial or fungal infections.
Meat and fish production is damaging the environment
Researchers point out the harmful effects that meat and fish production cause on the earth:
Livestock contribute massively to the ”Greenhouse effect” and global warming as they emit high levels of methane.
Aquatic and plant life are destroyed by acid rain that result from ammonia in animal waste and agricultural fertilisers.
Livestock farming uses limited resources inefficiently. Millions of people suffer from hunger and thirst in the developing world while grain and water are used on rearing animals to be slaughtered for food in the developed world.
Millions of hectares of life sustaining rain forest are destroyed each year to create grazing pasture putting at risk animal species and indigenous human populations.
Intensive grazing causes soil erosion and nutrient depletion.
Over fishing has decimated fish populations to the point of near extinction of many species. Dolphins and whales are killed by drift nets while massive amounts of dead fish are thrown back into the sea or used as pig and sheep feed.
Sorry to say but if you can't afford it , nope.
Ive found that being a vegetarian is a lot cheaper than eating meat. Beans and rice, as well as grains and most pastas are really cheap. I dont think you should stop just because you have money issues. Look at you budget and what exactly you are buying. Living on fresh fruits and veggies, and mainly grains are a lot cheaper than pre packaged meat replacements and whatnot.
how is being vegetarian expensive at all? i would say it's cheaper. just do your regualr shopping, but skip the meat aisle.