What destroys more life, eating meat or veggies?

It’s a great question, isn’t it?

As I’ve said before, I love hearing how and why people connect with their food…and vegetarians have some of the most interesting answers.

(And even though my wife is a vegetarian, I am not.)

My friend Waylon Lewis, publisher of Elephant Journal, is having a great discussion about whether it is “better” to eat lettuce than a chicken. The criteria for “better”, in this conversation, is the pontification on how much sentient life is destroyed in the eating of those two things.

I’ve used this same question to play devil’s advocate with vegetarian friends from time to time…only in fun, mind you.

Waylon and the EJ crew are mulling this topic over from the perspective of sentient life lost through the process of eating one thing over another, but I usually bring up the idea of suffering (because the ending of one life must happen for all creatures to eat).

To a vegetarian that is such because of animal rights values, I would ask,

“Isn’t it possible that the process of ripping a live vegetable from the ground and allowing it to slowly die so that it may arrive on my plate causes that plant more suffering than a chicken who’s neck is rung to bring about a quick death?

Isn’t it possible that because that vegetable isn’t animated in a manner similar to a human that I can allow myself to disassociate from its pain?”

If the vegetarian can discern my spirit of good, clean fun, the conversation takes a light-hearted turn…but sometimes defense mechanisms rise.

I don’t believe that one way of eating is “better” or “worse” than another…but do truly enjoy hearing why people connect with food in the ways that they do. So what do you think? Which death is more painful? The death of the vegetable or the chicken?

[Photo: Village Voice]

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Anonymous

Which death is more painful? The death of the vegetable or a human?
It seems ridiculous now but there is no reason to believe that animals (at least those who are normally eaten) feel less pain than humans.
http://sustainablepersonalfinance.com/ Sustainable PF

There is no way to know for sure – that’s all we know …
Dobosh

How about this question: if eaten exclusively by a human, which one of these two foods would cause the most pain and suffering? my guess is that eating exclusively lettuce would be more painful/kill you sooner.
- http://green.thefuntimesguide.com/ Jeffrey Davis
  
  Interesting question and perspective Dobosh. Care to share how you arrived at it?
Lisa

I’m wondering if both are just as bad.
Jacob

Suffering aside, it is much “greener” to eat raw vegetables versus plants. You’re usually losing >90% of available consumable energy whenever you choose to eat meat over vegetables. Read up on energy pyramids if believe I’m making false claims.

I primarily became a vegan for this fact. The PETA videos I’ve seen just reinforce my choice.
Avaelanon

Plants don’t have a central nervous system. Vegetarians get enough shit from other people for making intelligent choices. Things like this shouldn’t be said, even in jest.
Guest

Yeah, that’s fantastic. Still, what about all the vegetables that needlessly suffered only to be fed to the animal that you’re now eating? An average of ten times as much plant matter is used to feed livestock as a human would eat.
- http://www.EcoSnobberySucks.com Jeffrey Davis
  
  That’s an interesting statistic. Do you have a link that tells more?
- http://www.EcoSnobberySucks.com Jeffrey Davis
  
  That’s an interesting statistic. Do you have a link that tells more?
- http://www.EcoSnobberySucks.com Jeffrey Davis
  
  That’s an interesting statistic. Do you have a link that tells more?
Nita Page

I’ll have the Chicken Caesar Salad please…
Spadefungi

Regardless the plants suffer or not they are meant to be eaten, humans are what is called heterotrophs we cannot synthesise organic molecules eg carbs . Only plants can and a few bacteria who are autotrophs, every living thing relies on plants to use CO2 and water to make something tasty without them the cows,chickens and anything that eats them and gets eaten by something else will not exist. (i also don’t belive plants feel pain and also if it did feel pain (which its doesnt) once uprooted isnt that the death of that plant, very quick if you ask me) i am not a vegetarian too difficult
Amelia

Plants don’t have feelings, but that doesn’t mean vegetarian eating doesn’t destroy life or cause suffering. Abusing animals via factory farming is unsustainable, not that nutritious, and especially since it’s unnecessary, I think it’s ethically unjustifiable. Still, my understanding is that eating vegetarian kills more animals than eating from pasture-based farms or sustainable hunting.

The “other” kind of factory farming grows wheat, corn, and soybeans. It entails total death of the preexisting habitat – animals, including insects; other plants; even the bacteria. Since there are no perennials remaining, it rapidly depletes topsoil, on which land life depends. Plus, fertilizing the plants requires animal products or petrochemicals (technically animal products anyway, and with their own geopolitical & sustainability issues).

As you can imagine, I looked into vegetarianism. It’s better than supporting CAFOs, but still not sustainable and certainly not best for animals.
- http://www.EcoSnobberySucks.com Jeffrey Davis
  
  Very cool points Amelia. Thanks so much for sharing!
Anonymous

Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that plants suffer fifty times as much as
Anonymous

Sorry… I accidentally posted before finishing.
Anyway, as I was saying, let’s say, for argument’s sake, that plants suffer fifty times as much as animals do during death. Meat-eaters would still be held accountable for between five and ten times as much suffering (not including the pain of the animals) using this logic, because for one pound of meat to be produced, an animal must consume between five and ten pounds of plant matter.
Vegetarianism for the win
dirty88

do you really waste dinner time conversation (which has potential to be filled with great/inspiring/interesting conversations) with your ‘plants and pain’ display? I would be pretty dumbfounded if you brought this up with me over dinner. a plant doesnt have to capacity to experience pain. where is its nerovus system?
dirty88

and who really gives a fuck? you bringing up that question seems like a meek effort to pass some time. is there not something else you have to say? and knowing there has been suffering to bring a meal to the table makes it all the more delicious