In some ways, it’s good news when someone writes another article about “why we should eat meat.” The arguments are so weak that it just reinforces the truth: meat eating can’t be defended.
The most recent of these pieces lists seven reasons why writer Christina Sterbenz “refuses” to stop eating meat. So, let’s look at them.
1. Meat has heme iron which is more easily absorbed.
Vegetarians do have lower stores of iron—which may be to our advantage—but the evidence suggests that meat eaters are just as likely to develop outright deficiency. And, the fact that iron in plant foods is sensitive to both enhancers and inhibitors of absorption is no doubt a good thing since iron may be bad for us in too high amounts.
2. Vegetarians don’t get to tear meat from bones with their teeth.
Seriously? I guess we could come up with some veggie meats that are attached to faux bones if people really wanted that. It’s hard for me to imagine that this is an issue that truly deters people from going vegetarian, though. I suspect that the writer couldn’t come up with a seventh reason for eating meat, and latched onto this silliness.
3. Plants Don’t Provide Vitamin B12
Yes, vegetarians need to take supplements. So do many meat eaters, including most people over the age of 50.
4. Eating meat helped our ancestors get enough calories.
Maybe. But who cares what Australopithecus habilis ate and what the effect on her evolution was? Modern vegans and vegetarians have access to a huge variety of foods. Getting enough calories is not an issue in the modern developed world.
5. There would be no fond memories of family meals, apparently, if those meals hadn’t included meat. And vegetarians feel left out on holidays.
I’ll let Jonathan Safron Foer respond to this one. Here is what he said in Eating Animals.
“There is no turkey. Is the holiday undermined? Is Thanksgiving no longer Thanksgiving? Or would Thanksgiving be enhanced? Would the choice not to eat turkey be a more active way of celebrating how thankful we feel? Try to imagine the conversation that would take place. This is why our family celebrates this way. Would such a conversation feel disappointing or inspiring? Would fewer or more values be transmitted? Would the joy be lessened by the hunger to eat that particular animal? Imagine your family’s Thanksgivings after you are gone, when the question is no longer ‘Why don’t we eat this?’ but the more obvious one: ‘Why did they ever?’”
6. You can be an ethical meat eater.
That’s debatable. And the argument that vegetarians kill more animals than meat-eaters is not correct.
7. We have the digestive tracts of omnivores.
This is true—we have digestive tracts that allow us to eat a wide range of foods. That doesn’t mean we have to eat all of those foods.
As Sterbenz herself says in the last line of her article, “humans have a choice.”
Yes, we do. So, why not choose compassion?
Love this! Well done!
I don’t get why a vegetarian diet shouldn’t provide all the nutrients we need. If eating plants doesn’t give us the B12 we need, that says to me that the diet is incomplete. I’m not saying meat is necessarily the answer. But needing to pop a supplement says something is not right. Anybody….anybody?
Here is a good site to read about whether B12 is an actual animal product or not: http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?6856-Where-exactly-does-Vitamin-B12-come-from
i agree! most of the websites i’ve read were just false facts! this is one of the only websites that faces true facts
Spot on Ginny, thank you for getting this up so quickly.
Note, the Davis claim in #6 has been refuted:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/matheny.html
Thanks, I just saw that. I updated my post to include it.
I also like to point to this visual refutation of Davis’ claim: http://www.animalvisuals.org/projects/data/1mc which references the paper you’ve linked to, amongst others.
Thanks Ginny!
Well said.
Well done indeed.
Very well said.. tweeted. facebook’d, g+’d and blogged (in a post coming soon)! Thanks for sharing!
I debated this article you covered here with someone who posted it today. First off she mentions that she is an animal lover..!? I asked how can someone realistically call themselves an animal lover if they eat animals? Another argument, “we’ve been eating meat for thousands of years”. OK, there are lots of things we have done for thousands of years but this in itself does not mean it is what is best for us, how about continuing to evolve, especially given the science we have now? 3rd the environmental impact of animal farming is a disaster, if anyone says they care and are conscious about the their impact on the environment has to face the facts that animal farming is a major Earth polluter and wastes huge amounts of resources. Thanks, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who saw this article and thought it was crazy meat promotion! 🙂
Check our green social network, connecting healthy like minds in community http://www.CrunchyHippie.com
It amazes me how meat-eaters will use any argument to show you that you’re wrong not to eat meat. I am all for choice and I am not one to try and push veganism on others but neither do I tolerate or appreciate meat-eaters trying to prove that my beliefs are wrong.
Some of the reasons in the article are as absurd as my father, a self-proclaimed atheist, arguing with me that we should eat meat because it says in the bible that God created animals for human consumption. Really, dad?
Tam
The comment about not being able to call oneself an animal lover if you partake in the consumption of meat is an utterly flawed idiotic statement. Here is why: the logic of that concept is flawed which can be clearly applied in reverse to eliminate the unrealistic absolute that concept supplies. Pets, not our love for our pets(though of course we can apply that as evidence as well) but rather our pets ability to love us or other fellow companions of different species. Our most popular pet companions are dogs and cats. Dogs are somewhat omnivorous as we are but remain less biased predators than ourselves, and cats are strictly and efficiently designed full carnivores. Would you claim that no cat or dog could really be capable of loving other animals like their human owners because they kill and eat other animals? No, you couldn’t say that, it is in fact a preposterous statement or idea. There are herbivorous animals out there that are far more aggressive than carnivorous or omnivorous species. The hippo is a good example of this. Your choice of diet, as well as your cultural, and natural diet have nothing to do with ours or any other species of animal on this planet with the ability to care for others outside of your species. You must also understand that as modern humans, very few of us have to hunt and kill for our dinner. Out of site, it is easy for us to disassociate our packaged meat products from the living breathing animal it came from. Perhaps less people would consume flesh if they had to come face to face with their prey and slaughter an animal. Another interesting fact you have missed is that within many hunter gatherer cultures (such as native American tribes) after killing prey on a successful hunt, prayer was used to give thanks to the species of animal that was killed out of reverence that it’s flesh would provide life to be maintained by the humans who consumed the flesh. Clearly there was at least respect if not love even for the animal that served as food.
Well said,, I eat some meat, but I’ve always stated that if everybody had to kill their own prey for a bit of meat, most of the world would become vegetarians, can you imagine a human taking down a cow, ripping it apart to cut a steak out of it.. i don;t think so, If i was left to kill for my own meat I would become vegetarian. Without butchers and slaughter houses, there would be no burgers.. ha
Well, dogs need meat to live. That’s why it’s ok for them to eat it. However, we don’t.
Love this 🙂 My 10 year old vegan daughter said that this was awesome!
So cool. 🙂
Can you explain what you mean by, “Vegetarians do have lower stores of iron—which may be to our advantage…”?
I think this is what the author is referring to:
Of course, we all need iron to make hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying red pigment of blood. But iron is one of the few minerals we cannot eliminate, and accumulations in the body can rise to toxic levels. Iron is an oxidizing agent that can increase the risk of cancer and damage the heart and the arteries. High iron intake can be especially dangerous for persons with an inherited disease called hemochromatosis or iron overload disease, believed to affect as many as one million Americans. If you have any blood relatives with the disease, ask your physician about the screening test for iron overload, called the transferrin saturation test. Symptoms that could indicate iron overload include fatigue, heart palpitations, joint pain, non-specific stomach pain, impotence, and loss of menstrual period.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA74999
There is a flaw in the argument against humans having genetic adaptations for meat eating. It is correct we evolved from mostly vegetarian primates with a few omnivorous primates as well, but that doesn’t change the fact that evolution takes a great deal of time to work its magic. The reason we lack some important physiological adaptations to meat eating is because we had to independently acquire adaptations of predation almost in a vacuum of ancestors whom had already had such traits. This is not only something that occured in human animals, a large ancient line of predator mammals existed who’s line of decent came from the same family as sheep, not canines, not feline, nor related to bears or weasels, the modern day species of hyenas may be descendants of this line. Genetic differences of wild variety can exist and should not be judged as folly in this regard to human’s transition into carnivore augmented diets. All one has to do to be reminded of this is to research the mollusks, amazingly diverse animal kingdom with animals without brains like clams, to species like squid and octopus with brain neuron counts close to our own.
[…] Vegan RD, 7 Reasons to Eat Meat? Here’s Why They Are All Wrong. There are always people who say the humans need to eat meat. According to Ginny, here are the […]
Right on!
I am a long time vegetarian, living in a body that wants to be diabetic. I have been on the Omni diet for several months and my blood sugar is under control. But the Omni diet requires 1/3 of food to be Protein and I am not sure how to know the quantities of beans and nuts are enough for this requirement. (note: the Omni diet removes breads, pastas, gluten, milk products and soy) I am currently taking a vegetarian product called BrainStrong for a vegetarian source of Omega 3s.
How do I know how much and what is best protein?
How do I know if BrainStrong is giving me the required Omega 3s I don’t normally get as a vegetarian?
Thanks,
Gary
Vega makes an energy shake that may help you make up for the extra protein you want to get on that diet. It is sweetened with stevia, and relatively tasty, for a nutritional shake. Its based in pea protein.
I would carefully examine the idea of not eating soy. Some people do poorly on soy, and they should stay away from it. But the vast majority of us do just fine on soy. Its a great source of concentrated protein, and if you goal is to stay vegan and avoid grains, it can really make it a lot easier. I don’t know the Omni diet, but there is a lot of hoopla around anti-soy people these days that is based in the same few, reputed studies. There are some famous dietitians talking about them, so these non-facts keep making the rounds.
If you want to treat a condition like diabetes with nutrition, the best thing to do is find a vegan dietitian who can give you some real guidance. So much better than reading a book. They can provide you with real, human support, trouble shooting when things get tough, and sound advice. And most of them can work over the phone.
Gary, You have a medical condition that requires you eliminate pretty much all that you can eat as a vegetrian. I would say that it is time you ate meat. Regardless of your particular ethical stance, it is totally silly to disregard your own body’s health. I don’t know if you have children, but if you do, and if you are putting your own life at risk, I wonder whether you have considered the ethics of leaving your children without a father so that a chicken may live.
While your post is old, I still would like to comment. With respect, just because he is diabetic/borderline does not mean that he needs to eat meat, nor does it mean that he has to eliminate everything that a vegetarian (or vegan) would eat.
Vegetarians don’t need supplements. Vegans may, depending on what they eat.
Not so fast there! There is very little B12 in dairy, so lacto-veg*ns should also consider taking a B12 supplement.
Also, vegan meat lacks fascia, tendons, cartilages, tags of fat, haematomas… how can anyone enjoy eating it without those crucial elements?
I am a vegan and a proud one. My family is not (to my disappointment). Maybe for some, being a vegan is really easy but I must admit, that it is not easy for me. The balancing of the nutrients can sometimes be difficult. However…..when was anything worth doing easy? I choose not to eat meat because killing is totally not on my agenda and I am in love with animals.
These reasons for not giving up meat are senseless. They are excuses to carry on eating meat because it tastes good!!! 🙁
Richard Back in his excellent book, Illusions, wrote: “argue for your limitations and they’re yours”.
When meat eaters are willing to really look at what they are doing instead of blindly lighting the barbecue….. there will be less people writing and advocating for why we should eat meat and more people roasting cauliflower with tahini sauce. Delicious!!!!
It seems pretty clear to me that Sterbenz is reaching for even the most flimsy of excuses rather than being honest about the fact that she is selfish enough to cause others, lots of others, to suffer intensely and die for her own pleasure. Looking at just how ugly that truth is makes it no wonder that such silly rationalizations are needed.
Thanksgiving? Another case of Americans presuming they are the only country in the universe. We have no such celebration here in New Zealand, yet we manage to feel grateful around the dinner table any time of year – especially when we are eating delishious plant-based wholefoods!
Foer is American, as is Ginny. We should be able to speak about our own traditions.
Who is the one who is insisting that his culture be the center of the universe? I believe that would be you, Radha. Just because you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, the rest of us should never mention it? Really???
Ugh some of the “reasons” are so pathetic. They’re just looking for excuses. Thanks for shutting this article down!
Good reply! I have a comment on your B12 reply though: “Yes, vegetarians need to take supplements. So do many meat eaters, including most people over the age of 50.”
I feel that it is better to also spell out more how very easy it is to take B12. For example say: Yes, vegetarians need a B12 supplement – for example a tiny, very inexpensive, pill that you swallow super easily in a seconds time.
I am not sure that the rebuttal by Ginny goes far enough or is even accurate in some points.
This is my reply to the 7 points.
1. Meat has heme iron which is more easily absorbed. – Vegans easily consume and absorb enough iron. ‘Enough’ is the operative word here. Of course there are foods that have better and more easily absorbed sources. There are foods that have less. The important thing is that it is not a competition as to which foods are the best for a particular vitamin, but a way to find foods that supply us with what we need and a plant based diet does this for us.
2. Vegetarians don’t get to tear meat from bones with their teeth. – So what? A meat eater could not do this without the aid of tools to kill the animal, cut it up and cook it. Our teeth and jaw cannot do the necessary killing and tearing from a live animal.
3. Plants Don’t Provide Vitamin B12 – True but animals get their B12 from bacteria ON plants. We can do this as well. We have done it throughout our history before we ate animal flesh but because of modern farming practices with pesticides and more thorough cleaning of plants then there is virtually no B12 left on plants. Recent studies suggest that vegans actually produce enough B12 from their own bodies to supply their needs. Supplementation is fine also as all you are doing by taking supplements is getting the B12 you would normally have got if farming practices were the same as it used to be.
4. Eating meat helped our ancestors get enough calories. – Maybe, but only because it is more calorie dense than plants. We could still get enough calories but we had to eat more. Even modern day vegans know that they need to eat more than a meat eater. Not a problem. As for the claims that is made our brain larger – this is a myth and the theory has been retracted by its proponents as it appears that the introduction of cooking did this and it was the cooking of carbohydrates not meat anyway.
5. There would be no fond memories of family meals, apparently, if those meals hadn’t included meat. And vegetarians feel left out on holidays.
I’ll let Jonathan Safron Foer respond to this one. Here is what he said in Eating Animals.
“There is no turkey. Is the holiday undermined? Is Thanksgiving no longer Thanksgiving? Or would Thanksgiving be enhanced? Would the choice not to eat turkey be a more active way of celebrating how thankful we feel? Try to imagine the conversation that would take place. This is why our family celebrates this way. Would such a conversation feel disappointing or inspiring? Would fewer or more values be transmitted? Would the joy be lessened by the hunger to eat that particular animal? Imagine your family’s Thanksgivings after you are gone, when the question is no longer ‘Why don’t we eat this?’ but the more obvious one: ‘Why did they ever?’”
6. You can be an ethical meat eater.
That’s debatable. And the argument that vegetarians kill more animals than meat-eaters is not correct.
7. We have the digestive tracts of omnivores.- This is completely wrong and I was surprised that Ginny agreed to this point. Our entire anatomy has no resemblance to that of an omnivore or a carnivore.
Lets take a deeper look at the anatomical and physiological features of humans, and animals. Starting with the teeth, omnivores and carnivores teeth are spaced, and all are sharply pointed. Omnivores teeth are adapted to tearing through fur…, bones, muscles, organs, and flesh. Vision of omnivores and carnivores is mainly color-less. Herbivores and frugivores can see the full scale of color. Mammary glands of omnivores and carnivores have multiple teats for litters. Herbivores and frugivores only have one baby, and very rarely multiples (without med’s). The placenta of omnivores and carnivores are zonary shape, and herbivores and frugivores are discoid-shape. Humans spend about 8 hours sleeping or less, same as herbivores and frugivores. Omnivores and carnivores spend about 18-20 hours per day. Herbivores don’t have claws, and neither does frugivores. Omnivores and carnivores have tails, claws, and paws. Omnivores have very tiny salivary glands, whereas humans have well-developed salivary glands. Humans have alkaline saliva ranging about pH of 7.4. Herbivores is 7.0-7.5 pH. Omnivores and carnivores have an acidic pH. Omnivores and carnivores stomach pH is 1-2(and can be 1,000x stronger than humans). Humans stomach pH is 4-5. Herbivores is 4-5. Carnivores and omnivores secrete uricase to metabolize uric acid in flesh. Herbivores do not, and frugivores do not. Humans do not secrete uricase. Humans, herbivores, and frugivores all have salivary digestive enzymes and very little lysosomes in the mouth. Carnivores and omnivores do not have salivary digestive enzymes and they do have a large amount of lysosomes in the mouth.
This is where humans differ from herbivores and are more related to frugivores. Some herbivores have 3-4 stomach compartments, with a GI tract 20 times longer than the body length. Frugivores have a GI tract about 12 times longer than body length. Omnivores and carnivores have a GI tract 3 times longer. Frugivores have a convoluted colon. Herbivores have an intestinal canal both smooth and convoluted. Omnivores and carnivores have a smooth colon, short. Herbivores and frugivores can convert ALA–> DHA & EPA. Men convert mainly in their reproductive organs and brain tissue. Women convert in all of their tissues. Any studies stating otherwise failed to sample specific tissues such as the reproductive tissue and brain tissue. Herbivores and frugivores also can convert SCFA’s to LCFA’s. However, omnivores and carnivores are not capable of doing this. Herbivores live mainly on grass and plants, humans live on vegetables and fruits. Actually, we aren’t even capable of digesting meat but at a rate of 40%. Meaning, 60% is wasted, to sit in our GI tracts for 3 days. Carnivores and omnivores will defecate within several hours after consuming an animal. Humans it takes on average 3 days. This is why gastrointestinal cancers, and colon cancers occur! Herbivores and frugivores brain and B12 are fueled by glycogen (stored glucose). Carnivores and omnivores brains are fueled by fats and proteins.
If you were to compare humans to a certain species, I would say they are most similar to frugivores. Besides, after every single meal, what do you crave the most? Sweets, right? Well, fruit is the most sweetest food naturally grown, thus, in the wild we would be munching on fruit.
Just a question: How many humans do you know that have actually caught an animal with their bare hands, and bit into it’s flesh to consume the entire animal raw?? Get real with your anatomy and physiology ;D lol
P.s. Only in herbivores and frugivores does consumed animal meats (casein) draw calcium out of the bones. This doesn’t happen to omnivores!
Sources: Anatomy and Physiology 101 and Dr.Milton Mills study on comparative anatomy.
People insisting upon turkey being served at the Thanksgiving dinner often claim that they are re-presenting (spelling deliberate) the original Thanksgiving meal. In order to do that, then, they also should invite to dinner a group of AmerIndians, the people who brought most of the food to the feast in the first place.
The article under discussion sounds comedic in its writer’s ignorance.
Excellent points, Ginny! These articles ‘defending’ meat-eating are getting dumber and dumber. It actually hurts my brain to think that the writers believed they made any semblance of argument.
You may want to change the formating of this article and put the truth in bold and the myths in unbold font. 🙂
“2. Vegetarians don’t get to tear meat from bones with their teeth.”
Just the thought of doing that to a lifeless body makes me deeply nauseous. However, the author clearly doesn’t understand the sensory pleasure derived from ripping mango flesh from a pit with one’s teeth.. Oh heaven!
[…] 7 Reasons to Eat Meat? by Ginny […]
truth, but with a slight hostile tone towards those who eat meat (perhaps from perceived persecution?)
Right, my reasons for being a meat eater:
1. I do not differentiate between plant and animal food. Food is food.
2. For all the ‘religious people’ who call me a sinner for eating meat, plants have life too and many are uprooted for a single meal that could easily come from one animal life.
3. Meat is delicious.
4. I do not take any supplements at all (Omega 3, etc) and can live on a natural diet as opposed to artificially supplemented (without any valid reason to go down the veggie path)
5. All people should have the freedom to choose what they eat, whether from plants or animals should be immaterial. Not really sure why people judge other people for their food habits.
This is Priya, the vegan. My take on your responses..
1. I differentiate between plants & animals. Another being is another soul, not food.
2.Does this even warrant a response. Let me try…. which religion? The one I follow is not obsessed with ‘sin’. I chose to live the less harmful way. I feel much better and happy with myself.
3.Do you mean raw meat, fresh off the bone & dripping with blood? I don’t know about that, because I haven’t eaten raw… Even the cooked version made me question the worth of taking another’s life.
4.I eat wholesome vegan food, without much supplementing. Even meat eaters need to supplement at times. Please educate yourself.
5.Freedom comes with responsibility & accountability. Are you willing to take that on too? Your freedom ends when another’s life is at stake. Meat eating is not a choice. It is an uncivilized & barbaric practice. If you are a real meat eater, plan on capturing & eating your prey without any tool, like in the wild.
Also, I am annoyed that my name Priya which means Beloved in Sankrit is decorating a soulless meat eater like yourself.
That’s the thing. Plants don’t feel pain. Animals do. And number five is stupid. If we should have freedom, so should animals.
My dog brought me a squirrel head once. He had chased it down and ripped/shook the body in two. He was so, so, so proud of himself and thought I would be THRILLED. This was literally one of the most awesome moments of his life. Why don’t I see humans doing this instinctively, chasing down (on foot) and killing an animal with their bare TEETH, instead of picking berries off bushes and fruit/nuts off trees (people can’t keep their hands off these types of plants when they’re around them)? I don’t even really care if people choose to be meat eaters (though I disagree with it morally) but the justifications have gotten incredibly silly and dishonest.
[…] The Vegan RD: 7 Reasons to Eat Meat? Here is Why They are All Wrong. […]
Great ! Well written and I agree !
As a social person I respect every chosen lifestyle; is your choise to do whatever you want with it. But, I do have problems when someone claims meat eaters are “morally wrong”.
I’d like to ask to you how many of them have never killed a bug, a spider, a mosquito, a fly, a roach or any other not so beautiful animal.
As part of this natural universe, there are rules we must follow; energy can’t be created out of the blue, it only transforms, same with anything here, including life. We take life from plants, seeds and animals because is the only way we can keep life in us, otherwise we would be able to eat plastic without any bad repercusion in our system. Everything in this planet has life, so, good luck in finding something that doesn’t and still can be a benefit for the body.
An Australian University just pulled out an investigation about plants, having long term memory, and a totally different nervous system. They also communicate with each other and share their memory in their seeds and spores. This aren’t the qualities of a non-living creature, but just a very different way of life.
ALEX:
Your “choice” to eat meat involves the death of a sentient being who has no desire to die to end up on your plate. Your “choice” has a victim, and as such, it is most certainly NOT a “personal choice”. And if you actually think that killing and eating animals is “keeping life in you”, you are crazy. Scientific evidence is increasingly showing that diets based on animals are killing us. Plants are not sentient, but here is a thought: even if they were, you are killing more plants as a meat-eater than you would be as a vegan because the animals you are eating are consuming far more of those dear, precious plants you value so much than you would if you just ate the damn plants. Food for thought.
Also, yes, eating meat is MORALLY WRONG. If you think animals matter morally–would you walk up to your neighbour’s dog and just kick him? No? Why not? Because you would be causing unnecessary pain and suffering to a sentient being and THAT IS WRONG–then you cannot eat them. It really is that simple.
There is no moral justification for eating animals. None.
Give me a break… You clearly picked the dumbest list you could find and basically responded with “Yeah, but you don’t HAVE to do that”. If people want to eat meat let them, no ones stopping you from eating twigs and berries. And of course you got nothing but positive feedback, try posting your argument on a site other than one dedicated to vegans.
To me it’s simple: No deficiency will ever make me suffer as much as the animals whose meat would cure said deficiencies. Even in the worst of cases where veganism results in a 20 year life expectancy reduction I am willing to take that cost. I know I would because I wouldn’t eat human meat if it increased my life expectancy by 20.
Thankfully that’s not reality; reality is that vegans need to take a pill a day, the cost and bother of which is offset simply by the reduction in necessary wipes after we poop, if any. Dat fiber.
I am one of those vegans who only chose not to eat because of that bad karma crap, but because it is barbaric and is illogical, I would only eat meat in extreme conditions (it is only logical) but yes, killing animals just because it tastes great is bad and stupid habit, it is like artificial flavoring, you are killing yourself and a living creature because IT TASTES good. I wonder what aliens who are the only species on their planets would think of us.
So, ah, I’m a pescatarian, and I kind of hate all these “10 Reasons You Should Eat Meat!”s and “15 Reasons You Should Go Vegan!”s. Honestly, it’s not a matter of what you ‘should’ do. It’s what you feel is right. I’m not one of those non-meat-eaters that tries to persuade meat-eaters to go vegan or vegetarian or pescatarian, but I also hate it when meat-eaters bash on our diet and tell us why we’re wrong. Can’t we all just eat what we want to? Meat-eaters eat meat because, well, they enjoy eating it, and they see no reason to stop as many people have been eating meat since the beginning of time and they never had a problem. It’s not a reason why you ‘should’ eat meat, but it’s why they see no reason not to. As for me, I don’t eat meat because I like to think of all animals as my friends, or potential friends, and I’d feel slightly uncomfortable eating one of them, I guess. And I’d imagine they’d feel uncomfortable too. Even in video games I try not to eat animals that much. But meat-eaters can still think of animals as their friends. And there’s nothing wrong with that. There is, though, something wrong with telling people what they should and shouldn’t eat.
Thanks for reading that, sorry for the long ramble. I don’t think anyone really cares what I think XD