There is a notion I have read of that vegetarians and vegans like to lord it over people who eat meat. It is true that organisations like PETA infuriate me, but that’s by-and-by to the point of this post.

Are vegetarians inclined to act superior to meat-eaters? I’m sure some do, but then again, you often see posts on social media of haughty meat-eaters, bragging of how poorly they treat vegetarians, so it’s A: hardly a one-way street and B: not as common as some would have you believe.

My wife is a vegetarian, as is my brother-in-law, as is my step-daughter. Two of my colleagues at work are vegetarian. These decisions may have come around for various reasons (including personal ethics and dietary concerns), but none of them treat me, or any other meat-eater they know, in a derogatory fashion, and none of them leave posts on social media decrying meat-eaters. None of them pretend to be superior to me or to meat-eaters, and guess what? I don’t behave as though I am superior to them.

There’s the idea that vegetarians and vegans (especially vegans) cannot be as healthy as meat-eaters, yet this is entirely a mixed bag, and some top athletes are vegan (Formula One star Lewis Hamilton is but one example, and won five of his seven world titles as a vegan). To quote from a website on the subject:

Without meat in the diet, humans cut out vitamin B12 and limit DHA/EPA (active forms of omega-3 fats), nutrients which promote brain health. In contrast, a vegetarian diet is shown to have a lesser risk of certain diseases.

https://www.kqed.org/education/304621/is-it-healthier-to-be-a-vegetarian-or-an-omnivore#:~:text=Without%20meat%20in%20the%20diet,lesser%20risk%20of%20certain%20diseases.

More and more opportunities exist for vegetarians and vegans to supplement their diets to get all the vitamins and nutrients they require. It is not necessarily superior to a meat-eating diet, but it certainly isn’t inferior either. There is no need to demean or deride vegetarians or vegans, and to attack them on religious grounds is meaningless (how many vegetarians or vegans even consider God when deciding whether to drop meat from their diet? Very few, and rightly so, it’s a non-consideration).

Do I eat meat? Yup. I enjoy various forms of meat. That being said, I have happily eaten meals made from meat-substitutes, especially in the form of roasting joints and spaghetti bolognaise. I won’t judge someone for being a vegetarian or vegan; after all, let they who are without sin cast the first stone.