Aspies For Freedom

Are you vegetarian? Do people think having AS makes it more likely a person will be vegetarian?

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No, I eat meat. Although I'm not particularly fond of it and I believe that we should limit ourselves to how much meat we eat due to environmental reasons.

I'd consider being a vegetarian except for the fact that I hate most vegetables

Me. Carnivore. Mmm. Meat! Eat. Meat! Crunch. Gulp. Yum!!!

(Ugg)

Ijads,
I am a vegetarian, and I am because I find meat disgusting.
The truth is, though, I personally find ALL food to be disgusting.  The more stressed out I am, the more foods I will refuse to eat.  Meat just happens to be the one food I cannot tolerate at all, ever.  Most of the time I can handle fruit, certain vegetables, and other things.  Yogurt and sweet things are the first to go when I get stressed out, though- they make me gag.
It is so severe that the sight of a bone makes me gag.  Blood makes me gag (even my own).  Seeing roadkill or seeing a Thanksgiving turkey, it is the same, they make me gag.  I cannot describe exactly what it is that makes them so disgusting.  It has to do with rotting.  When I smell meat, it makes me think of things rotting.  The more stressed I am, the more I connect this with all foods.
This is probably some kind of bizzare eating disorder, but not one I've ever heard of before.

I’m not a vegetarian currently--but have been in the past.

I feel that many aspies have a tendency towards idealism--I’d classify myself as an idealist. And idealists are more likely to become vegetarian.

I am not a vegetarian.  If I do wish to avoid eating meat or limiting my intake of it, it will be due to environmental issues.   I do tend to value idealism but I have to live practically.  It is just not practical for me to be a vegetarian.  In fact, it is much more work and fuss to refuse all food with meat or animal products in it.  If other people want to do, go ahead.  

I just hate animal activists bothering me.  If no one ate meat then there would be no animal farms and domesticated animals would only exist in zoos.  The wild animals would be not much better off because we pollute the environment so much.  I doubt they would have more room to run wild because there would still be farms.  I just don't understand the whole reasoning of being a vegetarian because you love animals like dogs and cats.  Those animals are pets.  Who keeps a cow as a pet in their apartment.  I hope not.   Would someone explain all this to me?

...Which means a meal for the cubs.

I just wonder if growing vegetable protein and processing it and delivering it to consumers would pollute the environment any less than factory farming animals, processing them and delivering the product to consumers.  

I think people who hunt are more conscious of the environment and wildlife and want to preserve it.  People who want huge monster homes that eat up all the good farm land and drive big fuel guzzling cars from their commuter communities are not doing anything for the environment.

I just wonder if growing vegetable protein and processing it and delivering it to consumers would pollute the environment any less than factory farming animals, processing them and delivering the product to consumers.  

I think people who hunt are more conscious of the environment and wildlife and want to preserve it.  People who want huge monster homes that eat up all the good farm land and drive big fuel guzzling cars from their commuter communities are not doing anything for the environment.

That depends in both cases on the choices made in what processes to use. In both instances (with farms and with orchards) there are choices to be made which effect environmental viability.

I cannot stand people who are vegetarian for "moral" reasons. For health reasons, some people honestly do suffer bad effects from eating meat or else merely misunderstand the effects of eating meat (i.e you need the protein to be at optimal health) and this doesn't bother me. It also doesn't bother me when people have a phobia of eating meat or various other reasons.

What bothers me so much about "moral" vegetarians is they tend to give special privileges to other animals but not humans. It is ok for a lion to be a carnivore, but not a human. Why?

I also see absolutely no hypocrisy over not eating certain animals. Certain kinds of meat just don't taste pleasant, or the animal it comes from is one much loved as a pet. I have no love for cows, pigs, sheep etc and wouldn't keep one as a pet - I couldn't stand to eat rabbit as anyone who knows me will know about my pet rabbits and how much I care about them.

Regarding health - many of the amino acids found in animal protein simply do not occur in plants, the same goes for some of the B vitamins and in particular it is more difficult to get B6, Iron or Calcium from a vegetarian diet. People drink soya milk to try  and get the calcium but forget that soya contains phytic acid (a very efficient chelator of calcium, iron and zinc). This destroys any arguments about how "more natural" vegetarianism is. If you aren't careful to supplement the B vitamins and other nutrients then you will end up making yourself more prone to various diseases in the long run. Especially of note is how the synthesis of neuromessengers is critically damaged by lack of these nutrients. If you are a vegetarian and prone to depression then this is why.

I'm vegetarian. I love animals too much, and I'm absolutely disgusted by the way animals are treated in the making of meat. People want to find cheap ways to kill animals, so they can mass produce meat. I hear it doesn't even taste as good as humanely slaughtered animals. Wild predators have better ways of killing their prey by suffocating them first.

And i actually would love to have a pet pig or sheep. I've had a sheep before, and she was the most darling animal ever. She didn't seem much dumber than a dog, she always followed me around as she knew i was her caregiver, she came when I called her name (Bessy), she had a nice thick wool coat that felt like a rug, and i could use her wool to make yarn once it got really thick. But another lady wanted her, so that she could use her wool, and to add to her collection of sheep. So my mom let her have Bessy.

I don't even like the way some meat tastes anyway. I'm not too crazed about hamburgers, steak, pork, or even some chicken. Okay, i'm not really vegetarian, because sometimes i eat fish. Fish are a great source of protein, have the omega-3 fatty acids i need for my brain , taste good, and hopefully don't suffer the same way as some farm animals do. The downside to fish, however, is that people are overfishing and it is causing damage to ocean life. So i eat salmon about once a week and take fish oil pills every day.

My diet consists of mostly fruits, dairy products from non-treated cows, free range eggs, salads, oatmeal, and grainy foods. Sometimes i eat too much chocolate, though!

i would actually say yes, the percentage of aspie vegetarians is probably a little higher than NT vegetarians. I even know a few aspies in person that are vegetarian for moral reasons. Even though some aspies, like my dad and my boyfriend, would refuse to give up meat under any circumstances. At least they choose kosher meat because 1. The animals are usually handled better 2. Kosher meat tends to have higher quality. Many aspies are picky eaters and it would be impossible for some to get a balanced diet without meat. I don't go around telling people not to eat meat, i just mind my own buisiness. there are too many people eating meat to have any time to fight with them.

I prefer eating vegetables, I say no to moose meat (cuz I hate it) but will definitely accept chicken meat.