How can you justify eating meat?

You can get all the proteins you need from rice, beans, and spinach, or alternatively, you can take supplements. How do you justify the tens of billions of animals that are killed every year, after living horrible lives, just so that you can enjoy eating meat? Doesn't the animals' suffering outweigh your enjoyment of meat?

104 Comments
 

Also, it tastes good

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

I recommend veal. Eating baby cows seams like the way to maximize the savor from cruelty. Pate is more humane than people think. Geese are designed to store extra energy in their livers, and they really don't mind the force feeding too much, it's like being thanksgiving dinner full every day for a month before they are harvested.

(most veal comes from male dairy cows which would be offed anyway and otherwise discarded)

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

This may be selfish but for me it's about the taste. I gain nothing from knowing the food I'm eating comes from a dead animal, but the taste is hard to beat. If you really want to go down the whole "beans sustain you just as much" argument, then the most efficient way to sustain yourself with be via a feeding tube and occasional jaw muscle physiotherapy so the muscles don't go into atrophy. I realise from an environmental standpoint we should curb meat consumption and I (along with many others) are trying to do that. Since for me taste is the driving factor, I cannot wait for fake meat companies to get it right. The second fake meat matches the taste and texture of real meat to the point where I can't tell the difference, I'll make the switch overnight.

 

Problem is, the fake meat currently on the market (Beyond, etc) is actually a lot less healthy than real meat. Full of processed oils that raise heart disease and cancer risk. So you need them to get taste and texture right and then solve that little problem too.

 

I'm kinda the same way. Chickens are dumb af and are pretty much only on this planet to serve as food.

Cows and pigs are actually real animals and have some intelligence to them, so I try to not eat pork and beef as often.

 
"GoldenCinderblock" stupid fucking uninformed soyboy prosthelytizer

There's a solution for him: https://soylent.com/

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

I'm allergic to half of veggies out there, starting with anything soy related. Go fuck yourself.

Never discuss with idiots, first they drag you at their level, then they beat you with experience.
 
"thebrofessor" if I recall correctly, you're italian, so this shouldn't be a problem. if my diet only consisted of bisteca fiorentina, I'd be happy

Nah I'd get used to it and it'd be a waste. Certain things deserve to be savoured.

For variety purposes: -cotoletta alla milanese -risotto giallo allo zafferano -arrosticini di agnello -bucatini alla carbonara -carne alla pizzaiola -pollo arrosto -scaloppe

Those are the first on top of my mind I used to consume regularly.

Never discuss with idiots, first they drag you at their level, then they beat you with experience.
 

The truth is: lack of care. It’s so far removed and we can’t see it. Out of sight, out of mind. It’s also how we evolved, to hunt and eat animals. What goes on today is pretty horrible, but it’s separated from the rest of society.

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” - Nassim Taleb
 
"Malta Monkey" The truth is: lack of care. It’s so far removed and we can’t see it. Out of sight, out of mind.

I agree. No one sees the animal dying so people are less likely to care. I do not eat meat but I eat fish. The way I justify it is, fish is a very healthful food. And it it is good for me, I am not going to worry about it. Meat, to some extent, is also good for you because it has a lot of protein but there are other ways to get the protein without also getting the bad content of meat. It is well documented that a plant based diet has lots of health benefits.

At one time, I ate a lot of meat and it sure does taste good. I am going to guess that the main reasons that meat tastes good are the salt and fat content. Would I like to have some prime rib today? Yes I would but I am not going to do it. With that said, I am not going to pass judgement on anyone who eats meat.

 

And don't assume we all buy factory farmed meat, soyboy. I know which farms my shit comes from.

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 

I'm a fan of the Impossible Whopper. I can't tell the difference between it and a real burger. So make more substitutes like that and pack it with protein and I'll switch.

 
"AnOlympianGod" You can get all the proteins you need from rice, beans, and spinach, or alternatively, you can take supplements. How do you justify the tens of billions of animals that are killed every year, after living horrible lives, just so that you can enjoy eating meat? Doesn't the animals' suffering outweigh your enjoyment of meat?

It's ironic you bring this up.

When I was younger and in my 20s... man was I a real "meat head" Consulting "hot shot". As i've gotten older I've also realized, like yourself, that you can get the Protein from beans, spinach, eggs, etc. Or just take a shake if you really feel you need it. Your body really doesn't need 1g of Protein per 1lb of bodyweight... unless you plan on doing bodybuilding. Even when I was younger and did that, I felt the ratio was more like 2g of Protein per 3lb of bodyweight, so it wasn't even a 1:1 ratio.

I think for meat, certain "dishes" just taste better with meat. For instance, I LOVE Mediterranean based food. Although Falafel is great, sometimes i just have that "craving" for a Lamb Gyro with Rice and Tzaiki(sp?) sauce. It's just really good :)

How about Chicken Parmesean? Not the same without Chicken. Or just Salmon with Wild Rice?

These aren't incredibly "unique" dishes but pretty "staple" dishes for most peoples diets. I don't see most people giving up food like that.

That all said, people who OVER consume meat and eat it unnecessarily. Excessive burgers, hot dogs, steaks, etc etc etc. That's ridiculous and you're right. How can people justify that?

 

Yes, the nutrients that you need from animals can also come from plants, but they're not always "the same" especially for micronutrients. For example, you can get iron from plants, but this iron does not have the same "form" or "packaging" as that of animals. Sometimes, your body needs the form of micronutrient that is present in animals. On the other hand, you can definitely get the macronutrients (proteins, carbs, fats) from plants.

Of course, the main reason why people eat animals is the good taste, and when you eat animals, you don't really imagine them playing around and being cute like your pet. In fact, we gave them "food names" (e.g. pork, beef) instead of animal names (e.g. pig, cow) to distance ourselves from the fact that we kill other mammals for food.

I think we will eventually find a "real" alternative to meat. I think that will be cultured meat (lab-grown / factory-grown), which are made of real animal cells. Currently, the cost of production of this is too high, but this can rapidly go down as with other technology developments in the biotech industry. Just look up the cost of DNA sequencing from 2001-2011. The cost decreased by 99.99% in 10 years. That's a lot better than Moore's law.

 

I think there’s legitimate argument to be made, from both an environmental and health perspective, to eat less meat. Ideally, eating plant, nut, and egg based 3 or so days a week.

You cannot get all the nutrients you need, in the forms you need them in, from a vegan diet though.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 
  1. people have been eating meat for millenia, it's natural

  2. I eat organic, sustainable meat (wild caught, grass fed, all that shit, in reasonable portions), so not worried about my personal environmental footprint

  3. no food is guilt free, think about how many rodents and insects get chopped up in combines so you can have your produce, so don't give me that suffering argument, just because an animal is cute or large doesn't make its suffering more important than others further down the food chain

  4. if you go vegan, you will be nutritionally deficient without supplementation and supplements are just processed foods masquerading as health foods without RCT's to back their efficacy

  5. ever had meat? it tastes fantastic

  6. ag isn't as big of our environmental problems as people make out, it's 9% of greenhouse gas emissions, 1/2 of that is from meat, and only 2/3 of that is from beef (poultry is gross mostly), so if you're following, ~3% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by beef, and I'd be willing to bet a year's salary it's far lower than that if you only look at sustainable farming practitioners as opposed to bubba burger

  7. most of the medical journal articles about meat causing shit don't adjust for how processed it was, don't use healthy patients, and don't adjust for other shitty parts of their diets, and moreover, a lot of it's been disproven. that said, you should control portion size with everything, depending on your diet goal https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/upshot/red-meat-is-not-the-enemy.html

that said, if you want to go vegan/veg/flex/whatever, fine by me, but do it because it's your choice and it makes you feel good, just like it's my choice to enjoy grass fed steak with organic cage free eggs in the morning.

 
"thebrofessor"
  1. I eat organic, sustainable meat (wild caught, grass fed, all that shit, in reasonable portions), so not worried about my personal environmental footprint

  2. if you go vegan, you will be nutritionally deficient without supplementation and supplements are just processed foods masquerading as health foods without RCT's to back their efficacy

  3. most of the medical journal articles about meat causing shit don't adjust for how processed it was,

It is great that you eat organic products. I am not sure about the pros and cons about going vegan. One can reduce or eliminate meat consumption and not become a vegan. Vegetarians and pescatarians are not vegans.

The processed part of meat is only one factor to consider. In general, fat from meat is not good for you while fat from plants is very good for you. The saturated fat intake is less important when you are young but as one ages it becomes more important. I know several people who started taking cholesterol medication in their 30s. Of course, saturated fat consumption is not the only factor that contributes to high cholesterol.

 

the saturated fat argument has largely been debunked. unfortunately that was a lie perpetrated by ancel keys in our parents' generation that caused us to eat like shit. if saturated fat from animal products (and carbs, for that matter) was so terrible for you, cultures like spain, italy, and france would have similar levels of chronic disease as america does. if what you were saying were true, you'd have something, but the science has evolved,

saturated fat, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. the issue we have in america is people eat saturated fat, processed carbs, etc., recklessly, do not control portion sizes, and have tremendous caloric surpluses leading to obesity which is the root of all chronic diseases we care about. while it is certainly possible for genetic reasons to get clogged arteries and not be overweight (knew a guy who was vegetarian and had cholesterol of someone who butt chugged crisco), that's the minority.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/upshot/a-study-on-fats-that-doesnt-f…

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/upshot/are-fats-unhealthy-the-battle…

 

The label "organic" does not guarantee that the product has less environmental footprint. It can actually have a worse environmental footprint compared to its non-organic counterpart. Sometimes this organic labelling is just "greenwashing".

 

no argument there, see point #6 about the environmental impact. I can't be perfect, and I don't really care if something meets USDA organic labels, I just know that grass fed and small farms produce a better tasting and more sustainable product than big ag companies, so I go for that. organic sometimes is just a better label for people who haven't done their own homework like you have. like how free range chickens can live something like 90% of their lives in cages and then get let outside once before they're killed and therefore become "cage free"

 
  1. A lot of things were natural, but modern civilization allows us to develop our views. Rape and murder, in the lawless wild, are natural, but it doesn't meant that they are ethical. At one point, meat eating was necessary, and surely an ethical choice, but in a developed society with alternatives, it is no longer essential that we eat meat.
  2. That is better than farm factory foods.
  3. I think suffering is more important further up the food chain.. Or at least, animals like pigs and cows suffer similarly to humans, or more similar than that of insects. Their brains are developed enough to allow more complex forms of suffering. Cows' young are separated from their parents, hens are crammed into small containers and deprived of sustenance so that they produce more eggs...
  4. Not necessarily true. You need to get all of your essential proteins and vitamin B12, and there are a lot of ways to do this without supplements, like eating spinach and fortified cereals.
  5. To each their own.
  6. My main issue with meat is the suffering of animals, but I'm not well-informed enough to speak on the environment.
  7. I think there's a lot of truth that a vegetarian diet is probably marginally healthier than a meat eating diet, because there is some evidence that red meat has some correlation with cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol. But I don't think that meat eating is that unhealthy, or enough to warrant a change in diet based on health alone.
 
"AnOlympianGod" I think suffering is more important further up the food chain.. Or at least, animals like pigs and cows suffer similarly to humans, or more similar than that of insects. Their brains are developed enough to allow more complex forms of suffering. Cows' young are separated from their parents, hens are crammed into small containers and deprived of sustenance so that they produce more eggs...

I appreciate your reply, I still take issue with this point. this is an argument of logic, not statistics, so work with me here.

how do you know with certainty that a cow being slaughtered to make my steak suffers more than rabbits, rodents, and insects getting run over by farm equipment to collect produce? or how about the countless insects poisoned with pesticides to make produce (and yes, organic produce uses pesticides, just organic ones, so animals still die to make your vegetables)? I'd argue that death by poison is worse than an instantaneous death like getting your head clean chopped off (chickens) or being knocked unconscious and completely paralyzed before death (cows).

I understand that they have larger brains and therefore some make the argument for higher intelligence, but the nature of their diet prevents them from developing into complex beings, we don't even know if they have consciousness, we don't even know how to define consciousness. and what about ants, they have incredibly complex societies with hierarchies, division of labor, etc., so do they not suffer as well when they're trampled on?

I'm not saying I'm causing less suffering by eating cow meat, poultry, fish, etc., but what I am saying is that suffering is necessary for organisms to eat. you can say that "well thus and such animal doesn't have a developed central nervous system and therefore can't feel pain" as if a CNS is the only way to feel pain. I would just like animal rights people to admit that while you think, you have no idea what an animal is feeling unless it screams when you hurt it, and that alone is not enough to put their suffering above other animals. therefore, you should focus less on "suffering" just because an animal is large and focus more on sustainable farming practices, because in my opinion, the suffering argument doesn't hold water.

 

The only reason for me to ever stop eating meat is if an alternate diet results in significant improvement in my energy level and mental clarity. My friends have been recommending me to watch The Game Changers. Apparently, it's a fairly well researched documentary on vegan diet. I just love meat too much to ever stop but I might check that documentary out later...

 

Just because it makes zero difference, doesn't mean you can't have personal values.

Perhaps I feel better about myself if I recycle, rather than throw my trash away, even if it doesn't make any real, measurable difference in our climate.

 

Because it tastes good

Few players recall big pots they have won, strange as it seems, but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career.
 

For those that enjoy working out and gaining muscle, you simply have to eat meat. The supplements aren't as effective and I am not going to even begin to get into the side effects of protein shakes and steroids.

 

Because the animal slaughter is out of sight, and thus out of mind. In fact, in the US, we like to see meat transformed as far away from its original shape as possible. This is different to other nations/cultures that often have their meat resemble the original animal even more (think about the roast duck hanging in the window of a Chinese restaurant). People thus see only products - the delicious steak, chicken nugget, etc. If the consumer had to actually get involved with killing the animal, we would have far fewer people eating meat.

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarians."

 

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