If vegetarians/vegans are committed to not consuming meat, then why is there a market for imitation (fake) meat products?

OK, now obviously I can't speak for all vegetarians, and you should know that I'm not even a total vegetarian myself - I cave in and eat chicken or turkey every great now and then, usually at a restaurant that doesn't offer any appetizing vegetarian choices. First, there's more than one reason for someone to become vegetarian. I did it largely for health reasons - I get plenty of protein from non-animal sources and don't need the extra fat and calories that meat tends to have, and a veggie diet is, in a general sense, more complete in terms of vitamins/minerals and has more fiber.(This is NOT going to turn into a debate over the health benefits and offsets of going vegetarian!

I'm just pointing out that after a very thorough education I decided this was the best path for me. ) So for someone like me, the semblance of meat poses no problem. Other people do it because of ethical reasons.

These people are concerned with eating actual meat, but since these products you're asking about are veggie-based, there's no problem. In fact, the only vegetarians that are not going to be OK with a faux-meat product are those that are veggie-only because they don't like meat. Which is fine, but there are enough fake meat products out there that there's probably something for everyone.

That all says why a vegetarian might be OK with eating it, but you asked why there'd be a conscious choice to have this kind of food over something that doesn't resemble meat at all. There are a few reasons: *Variety. I get sick of eating the same thing over and over again.

I think most people do. These products are a way to try new recipes and taste sensations. *Simplicity.

The fake meat products are a protein source all spiced and prepared and ready to go in a convenient package. Could I approximate the same thing with tofu and a spice rack and some other ingredients?Sure. But why should I?

*MSG. Some (not all) veggie meats contain MSG, which provides the "umami" taste. It adds complexity and satisfaction to whatever you're tasting.

Not everyone knows that it's there, though, and not everyone knows that you can buy it separately and add it - so there are plenty of people who just know the vegetarian meat satisfies them without being able to say why. *Cravings. Most vegetarians didn't start out that way.

Vegetarians get cravings for old favorites just like anyone else, and if using a faux meat product means getting to approximate mom's meatloaf or have a hamburger without feeling bad, either physically (if there's a health reason for going vegetarian) or spiritually (if there's an ethical one), then why not? *Peace and quiet. Vegetarians who have to cook for other people hear no END of complaining from people who think they're going to expire on the spot if they don't have some kind of dead thing smothered in gravy for every single meal.

Fake meat shuts them up. How'd I do?

Some people like me had no choice but to go vegetarian. After a gallbladder operation andthe start of pancreatitis, I lost the ability to digest meat. So for me, the imitation meat provides a protein that I could not get otherwise.

Many humanitarian vegetarians, who enjoyed or ate meat, miss that flavor. This is a way to go vegetarian without giving up the flavors that they are accustomed to. I for one did it the old fashioned way and the flavors and textures were bland and nauseating.

This way I can enjoy food. Plus what does it matter about the flavors, if a person decades to go vegan or vegetarian that’s what counts.

As a vegan for the past 12 years, I no longer consume the fake processed "meats" you talk about. However they really helped me transition over from meat eating to vegetarian and then to vegan. All of my cooking skills were based around meat.

For a few years I used a lot of those fake meat products, I used to like to put the vegan sausage in my pasta. After a few years though I learned a lot more about cooking with unprocessed foods. Chosing not to eat meat is such a personal decision.

There are many reasons why one would not want to eat meat. Generally the reasons people give. Include: Not wanting to take a life if you don't have to.(the moral argument) Not wanting to put extra burden on the environment (environmental argument) Not wanting to consume foods that are proven to cause heart disease and cancer (health argument) Some do it for religious reasons such as some sects of budhism I have a friend who is allergic to beef and pork so stays away from all meat just incase.

I also know someone who just doesn't like the taste/texture of meat. I personally found using fake meats a great way to transition into being vegan and still make sure I was getting proper nutrition as most of those products are fortified with be vitamins and are high in vegetable protein. The fake meats have helped me to stay healthy during the transition of learning how to get all my nutrition with simply using all natural fresh foods from local farmers markets.So the value seems to mostly be in giving vegan people a little way to have some comfort foods they used to like and a nice way to transition into learning ot cook without meat.

Some people are vegan merely for health reasons, they don't have an personal agenda against meat. They miss the flavor so they enjoy meat substitutes. Some people are vegan for philosophical reasons, they don't want to eat something with a "consciousness" - meat substitutes taste good and don't have a consciousness.

Some people are vegan became vegetarian later in life, so they miss meat and enjoy meat substitutes.

I think the main reasons are cravings plus they taste great. I buy this soy "fake meat" mixture for pasta and it is very good. Also, I buy soy "fake meat" slices and add them up to other meals.

They taste almost like real meat and come without cholesterol.

I think that even though they mentally convicted to not eating meat, they physiologically cannot get past the millions of years of DNA programming that we are meat eaters. Plus, the texture and feel of meat and meat like food cannot be experiences with raw unprocessed vegetables. Tofu still feels like tofu, portabello mushrooms will never give the same feel as a steak.

I'm no longer a vegetarian, because I honestly just don't have the willpower. I was for a time, however... about two years... so I think I might be able to offer some insight. I am an animal lover, but I don't think that there is anything wrong with eating meat.

That might seem contradictory, but hear me out. If you take a look at nature in general, animals eat other animals... it's just the way it is. I don't think that we're meant to be any different.

What I can't stomach, however, is how the meat industry treats the animals before they're killed. Even when I was a vegetarian, I wouldn't have had a problem eating chicken... if that chicken had come from a farm where it ran around, fat and happy, before getting its head sliced cleanly off in one chop. The animal was happy and was treated well.

The same would go for beef, pork, etc. The same can't be said for those animals in a traditional meat facility. But I went "vegetarian", because I didn't want to support an industry that treats animals with so little regard. I saw videos, read reports, and my heart just ached for those defenseless animals.

I didn't try to convince anyone else to feel the same way or to stop, I just couldn't live with myself if I gave my money to people who treated animals that way. I would feel like I was supporting them.So for me, I still loved the taste of meat. These vegetarian meat substitutes were the perfect way to still get the familiarity and the flavors that I was used to, without supporting what I viewed to be animal cruelty.

Once I got older and my priorities changed (as well as my budget ;), I stopped being quite so hardcore about it. I still buy free-range when I can, and will buy meat substitute products, but I will also have a McDonald's double cheeseburger if I'm on the road and short on cash.

Just because you think animals have got a tough shake doesn't mean bacon isn't delicious!

Well, obviously, vegetarians don't like eating meat. The main reason, I should think (and my reason) is because we don't like having animals killed and eaten. That's just cruel.So we don't eat meat and we are not part of all the people who keep animals locked in cages half the size of the animal itself, and then slaughter them... and eat them.

Sorry, I mean to disrespect to all the meat- eaters, because you are not the ones who actually do that to the animals, and it is obviously hard to stop eating meat if you've been eating it all your life. So if the vegetarians like me don't eat meat because we don't want to eat the innocent animals, we go to vegetarian aisles to buy the FAKE meat that give us some of the nutrients we don't necessarily get as much because we don't eat meat. Because, it doesn't matter if we eat fake meat, because we are not actually eating animals.

And if this fake meat tastes almost exactly the same as real meat (I do not know as I have never tasted meat in my life) then why don't we stop killing and eating animals? (Sorry, just a question that isn't really relevant) So if you understand all that, you'd understand my answer: We mostly do not eat meat because we don't want to eat animals. But if the fake meat is just made out of tofu and veggies, then we can eat it.

It's not a real animal, is it? Nope!

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The worst argument I've herd from vegetarians is the the environmental one. The truth is that mass scale farming is far worse for the environment than meat rearing. Not to mention all the carbon emissions from trucking their food in from around the world.

Then you hear about organic farming which is great but naturally raised meat is completely sustainable and great for the environment. I think there is a lot of disinformation being put out by the different vegetarian organizations. I'm all for organic farming and naturally raised meat.It's how we lived for thousands of years and it worked out pretty well before we got too smart for ourselves.

I'm a vegetarian . It doesn't matter about taste its about life why should I kill animals , why should I be selfish my opinion is it is good thing to save animals life I don't care about imitation (fake) foods (if there isn't any meat) and they aren't healthy than veg,aren't they?

While they may be giving up meat for personal/moral reasons, they still like/crave the taste of meat. I'm a semi-serious carnivore, so i'd be sad without chicken.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.