My main reason for wanting to become a vegetarian is because I think agriculture and the meat industry are what is killing the planet (or at least the main cause). All the trees cut down to make way for fields to raise cattle as well as to grow hay which needs an incredible amount of water in some areas really disgusts me and I was hoping that converting to a vegetarian diet would at least make me part of the solution and not the problem. However, after reading a bit on the issue, I found out that due to the increasing demand for soy products in the world, the planting and harvesting of soy has actually become another cause of destruction around the planet. So know I'm wondering what is worse when thinking about it this way, eating meat or eating soy. I don't know if what I just said made much sense but does anyone have any thoughts on this? Much appreciated...
Magical Fire Lady's got a point - you don't HAVE to eat soy either Of course then you'll read about how much land is taken up for wheat/rice/corn production - it's a bit of a balancing game really. People do have to eat something - and that something has to take up space too. So you choose what you feel will be the least harmful and go with it. love, mom
i am a vegan and i almost never have soy. maybe i'll have some tofu once a month and soymilk in coffee, but not all veg*ns are soy junkies. i am, however, a banana junkie.
I am pretty sure that a lot of that soy is grown for animal feed. So by not eating meat you are helping this situation. If you are really worried about this why not grow your own? If you have any yard space at all you can grow some of your own food. What is that grass doing for you? Or if you don't have a yard you can grow a few plants in pots. I think the best solution to this problem is for us to spread out our food production on smaller scales, such as in our own yards, as opposed to concentrated large scale that needs to destroy forests.
Exactly, the majority of that soya is to feed cattle. I have some vauge recollection of reading that you can feed nine people on the amount of grain/soya it takes to feed an animal. So it's just another facet of the problems with meat consumption.
I remember reading something similiar, but for some reason I remembered 6 people instead of 9. According to those numbers, if everyone stopped eating meat there would be plenty of food for everyone in the world. We as a society wouldn't have to constantly breed, feed and slaughter billions of animals. Thus no more world hunger. Not entirely sure whether this is true or not, just remember reading it somewhere. Any thoughts?
Now to post more on topic... It is ultimately your choice and your happiness that matters. If you feel eating soy is better, or eating meat is better it's your choice! Of course on the vegetarian forum, we would love for you to stop eating meat! (hint hint, wink wink) I second the idea of a little garden! What good does the grass really do?
The fact of the matter is, we cannot live without some agriculture. As a species, humans cannot live without some vegetable, fruit, grains, beans (in other words, PLANT LIFE). By not eating meat it seems to me that you are helping, to a point, to give less support to the fctory/animal farming industry (if you still eat dairy you are still contributing to factory farming though). As has already been said, a huge portion of the soya and grain fields in this country are planted for the purpose of feeding livestock. (For more info, an OLD title to look up is "Diet for a Small Planet" - I'm sure there are more current titles to look up as well...) If you want to become more conscious of where your plant life comes from (which you will be consuming whether you eat meat or not) there are several things you can do... grow your own food, buy only from local, small-scale farmers, etc.
