Eggs: Vegetarian or Not?

ElcaB · April 2015

My BFF & I have an ongoing debate about whether or not eggs are vegetarian. I've done some (very light) research & there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer. I'm curious, what do you all think?

thisismynickname2 · April 2015

Here's my logic. Being vegetarian (not full out vegan) is about not eating meat, for whatever moral or ethical reason the person possesses. Eggs are produced by living animals, just as milk is. You don't have to kill a chicken to retrieve eggs or kill a cow to get at its milk. To me, if you don't have to kill an animal, you can eat the product.

There are ways to ethically source eggs and milk of course, but that's another debate for another day.

EDIT: I just re-read the question. Maybe the question could be more clear. Do I think vegetarians can eat eggs? Yes, yes I do. Vegans cannot.

southernbelle0915 · April 2015

I'm not a vegetarian (currently), but it's literally an unfertilized chicken fetus, so I voted no.

It's a great source of protein and most people I know who call themselves vegetarians eat eggs, so what do I know...?

[Deleted User] · April 2015

.

JCbride2015 · April 2015

By definition, vegetarians do not eat meat. Eggs are not meat. Therefore, eggs can be eaten by a vegetarian.

Vegans would not eat eggs, because eggs are an animal product like honey or milk.

ElcaB · April 2015

pinkrevenge said:
I do think they're vegetarian. Specifically ova-lacto vegetarian.
I thought eggs and dairy is what separated vegetarians from vegans?

Not just eggs and dairy; animal products. Vegans do not consume or use anything with animal products, i.e., Jello, which contains gelatin.

plainjane0415 · April 2015

Vegetarian? yes. Vegan? no.

redoryx · April 2015

This isn't as easy as yes or no, it depends on what type of vegetarian you are. I was ovo-lacto vegetarian for six years so, yes, to me eggs were okay to consume, along with dairy products. Other vegetarians might disagree, I think in part because an egg could become a chick. Milk isn't going to grow up to be a cow. I love eggs and I could easily have given up cheese but you'd have to pry eggs from my cold dead hands.

That being said, the main defining characteristic between vegetarians and vegans is whether or not the person eats animal by-products. Neither eats flesh (meat) but most vegetarians eat by-products, that is products that come from an animal but can be sourced without killing the animal. Vegans won't eat by-products, such as dairy and eggs, even if humanly sourced.

ashley8918 · April 2015

Yes.

novella1186 · April 2015

I'm not a vegetarian, so I've never really thought of this before. I decided to do some googling, and came across the fact that apparently my people consider eggs to be a "neutral" food by kosher standards-- AKA "Pareve."

"A pareve (neutral) product is made from inherently kosher or kosher certified ingredients that are neither meat, nor dairy. Some examples of pareve ingredients are raw fruits & vegetables, flour, sugar, kosher fish, and eggs. (Even though eggs are found in the dairy section of your supermarket, kosher law dictates that they are in fact pareve.) A pareve product can be used with meat or dairy products."

So I would have originally said no to the eggs (just my guess) because in my mind, they're too close to being an animal (like if they had been fertilized, they could have ended up as chickens). But eggs are not meat. Vegetarians eat other animal products (like cheese), so it makes sense that they can eat eggs.

Learned something new today.

ETA: and I know that Kosher and vegetarian are two completely different things. I just mean the Kosher standards thing put it in perspective for me that an egg is not considered meat, as some PP have stated.

Maggie0829 · April 2015

I would say yes, vegetarians can eat eggs because eggs aren't meat. But vegans would not because eggs come from animals and vegans do not consume or buy products that are made from or come from animals.

ShesSoCold · April 2015

I like turtles.

ElcaB · April 2015

I personally do not believe eggs are part of a vegetarian diet. Here's why:

First of all, eggs are animal matter. That's an immature chicken in there, folks. Chickens = meat. Meat = not vegetarian.

Secondly, while inhumane treatment of animals is not the only reason for adopting a vegetarian diet, it's probably the most popular. Aside from free-range eggs, the chickens who lay eggs are de-beaked and kept in tiny cages in windowless factories. What's more, if they get sick or stop producing eggs, they get slaughtered. That doesn't sound very humane to me. I'd think any vegetarian who's vegetarian due to ethical reasons would never touch eggs that come from those chickens.

But, that's just my opinion.

ElcaB · April 2015

redoryx said:
This isn't as easy as yes or no, it depends on what type of vegetarian you are. I was ovo-lacto vegetarian for six years so, yes, to me eggs were okay to consume, along with dairy products. Other vegetarians might disagree, I think in part because an egg could become a chick. Milk isn't going to grow up to be a cow. I love eggs and I could easily have given up cheese but you'd have to pry eggs from my cold dead hands.

That being said, the main defining characteristic between vegetarians and vegans is whether or not the person eats animal by-products. Neither eats flesh (meat) but most vegetarians eat by-products, that is products that come from an animal but can be sourced without killing the animal. Vegans won't eat by-products, such as dairy and eggs, even if humanly sourced.

You make a good point. I feel like there are a lot of vegetarians that don't specify what kind of vegetarian they are --- my BFF is actually a pescetarian who calls herself a vegetarian, which drives me bonkers.

huskypuppy14 · April 2015

novella1186 said:
I'm not a vegetarian, so I've never really thought of this before. I decided to do some googling, and came across the fact that apparently my people consider eggs to be a "neutral" food by kosher standards-- AKA "Pareve."

"A pareve (neutral) product is made from inherently kosher or kosher certified ingredients that are neither meat, nor dairy. Some examples of pareve ingredients are raw fruits & vegetables, flour, sugar, kosher fish, and eggs. (Even though eggs are found in the dairy section of your supermarket, kosher law dictates that they are in fact pareve.) A pareve product can be used with meat or dairy products."

So I would have originally said no to the eggs (just my guess) because in my mind, they're too close to being an animal (like if they had been fertilized, they could have ended up as chickens). But eggs are not meat. Vegetarians eat other animal products (like cheese), so it makes sense that they can eat eggs.

Learned something new today.

ETA: and I know that Kosher and vegetarian are two completely different things. I just mean the Kosher standards thing put it in perspective for me that an egg is not considered meat, as some PP have stated.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but those of you that say an egg is almost a baby chick, to me is like saying an unfertilized human egg is almost a baby.

Thoughts?

emmaaa · April 2015

I said yes, vegetarians "can" eat eggs (but really it's up to every person what they can and cannot eat).

Eggs that you eat, yes come from a chick and have the potential to become baby chicks. However, a chicken has to be fed certain a certain type of feed to them to be able to lay eggs. Then, in order for them to become chicks and to be fertilized, there has to be a rooster. So if the chickens laying eggs aren't in the pressence of a rooster, there is so viable way they can be fertilized to become baby chicks.

redoryx · April 2015

ElcaB said:

redoryx said:
This isn't as easy as yes or no, it depends on what type of vegetarian you are. I was ovo-lacto vegetarian for six years so, yes, to me eggs were okay to consume, along with dairy products. Other vegetarians might disagree, I think in part because an egg could become a chick. Milk isn't going to grow up to be a cow. I love eggs and I could easily have given up cheese but you'd have to pry eggs from my cold dead hands.

That being said, the main defining characteristic between vegetarians and vegans is whether or not the person eats animal by-products. Neither eats flesh (meat) but most vegetarians eat by-products, that is products that come from an animal but can be sourced without killing the animal. Vegans won't eat by-products, such as dairy and eggs, even if humanly sourced.
You make a good point. I feel like there are a lot of vegetarians that don't specify what kind of vegetarian they are --- my BFF is actually a pescetarian who calls herself a vegetarian, which drives me bonkers.

"But you eat fish, right?" was the bane of my existence for those six years.

southernbelle0915 · April 2015

;

huskypuppy14 said:

novella1186 said:
I'm not a vegetarian, so I've never really thought of this before. I decided to do some googling, and came across the fact that apparently my people consider eggs to be a "neutral" food by kosher standards-- AKA "Pareve."

"A pareve (neutral) product is made from inherently kosher or kosher certified ingredients that are neither meat, nor dairy. Some examples of pareve ingredients are raw fruits & vegetables, flour, sugar, kosher fish, and eggs. (Even though eggs are found in the dairy section of your supermarket, kosher law dictates that they are in fact pareve.) A pareve product can be used with meat or dairy products."

So I would have originally said no to the eggs (just my guess) because in my mind, they're too close to being an animal (like if they had been fertilized, they could have ended up as chickens). But eggs are not meat. Vegetarians eat other animal products (like cheese), so it makes sense that they can eat eggs.

Learned something new today.

ETA: and I know that Kosher and vegetarian are two completely different things. I just mean the Kosher standards thing put it in perspective for me that an egg is not considered meat, as some PP have stated.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, but those of you that say an egg is almost a baby chick, to me is like saying an unfertilized human egg is almost a baby.

Thoughts?

This could get very Jonathan Swift...

amelisha · April 2015

Eggs are unfertilized, therefore the egg is not a chicken embryo, therefore an egg is an animal by-product rather than a meat product, so in my mind they are vegetarian but not vegan, as the chicken isn't killed to produce eggs (even a potential chicken, if we're going there.)

However, I agree with one of the points made above that factory farming chickens (whether for meat or eggs) is one of the cruelest industries out there for animals, so I also believe that anyone who's a vegetarian for ethical reasons probably should be thinking pretty hard before eating eggs unless they're humanely produced.

novella1186 · April 2015

huskypuppy14 said:

novella1186 said:
I'm not a vegetarian, so I've never really thought of this before. I decided to do some googling, and came across the fact that apparently my people consider eggs to be a "neutral" food by kosher standards-- AKA "Pareve."

"A pareve (neutral) product is made from inherently kosher or kosher certified ingredients that are neither meat, nor dairy. Some examples of pareve ingredients are raw fruits & vegetables, flour, sugar, kosher fish, and eggs. (Even though eggs are found in the dairy section of your supermarket, kosher law dictates that they are in fact pareve.) A pareve product can be used with meat or dairy products."

So I would have originally said no to the eggs (just my guess) because in my mind, they're too close to being an animal (like if they had been fertilized, they could have ended up as chickens). But eggs are not meat. Vegetarians eat other animal products (like cheese), so it makes sense that they can eat eggs.

Learned something new today.

ETA: and I know that Kosher and vegetarian are two completely different things. I just mean the Kosher standards thing put it in perspective for me that an egg is not considered meat, as some PP have stated.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, but those of you that say an egg is almost a baby chick, to me is like saying an unfertilized human egg is almost a baby.

Thoughts?

That's a really good point. I hadn't thought of it that way at all. And an egg being close to a chicken is a major "what if" scenario, because it will never be a chicken regardless, because it was never fertilized.

ElcaB stated above.

JennyColada · April 2015

ElcaB said:
First of all, eggs are animal matter. That's an immature chicken in there, folks.

But...it's not.
A regular chicken egg will never turn into a chicken. Ever. It is unfertilized. It is not an "immature chicken in there". I mean, sure, you can buy that stuff, and there's a whole dish based on fertilized chicken embryos. That is not what they sell for $2.99 a dozen in Ralphs.

Dreamergirl8812 · April 2015

JCbride2015 said:
By definition, vegetarians do not eat meat. Eggs are not meat. Therefore, eggs can be eaten by a vegetarian.

Vegans would not eat eggs, because eggs are an animal product like honey or milk.

Vegans can't eat honey?

Maggie0829 · April 2015

Dreamergirl8812 said:

JCbride2015 said:
By definition, vegetarians do not eat meat. Eggs are not meat. Therefore, eggs can be eaten by a vegetarian.

Vegans would not eat eggs, because eggs are an animal product like honey or milk.
Vegans can't eat honey?

Nope because it is made by animals. Anything that is made by or from animals is a no-no in a vegan lifestyle.

amelisha · April 2015

Dreamergirl8812 said:

JCbride2015 said:
By definition, vegetarians do not eat meat. Eggs are not meat. Therefore, eggs can be eaten by a vegetarian.

Vegans would not eat eggs, because eggs are an animal product like honey or milk.
Vegans can't eat honey?

That's a point of debate among vegans, but most don't.

JennyColada · April 2015

Dreamergirl8812 said:

JCbride2015 said:
By definition, vegetarians do not eat meat. Eggs are not meat. Therefore, eggs can be eaten by a vegetarian.

Vegans would not eat eggs, because eggs are an animal product like honey or milk.
Vegans can't eat honey?

It kinda depends on how strict they are I guess. Many of them consider honey to be an "animal by-product" since they'd consider bees an animal.

I get a lot of vegetarians confused when I ask if they eat cheese (a common curdling enzyme is dehydrated animal intestine) and vegans if they drink wine (fish liver is commonly used to filter it).

[Deleted User] · April 2015

.

lurkergirl · April 2015

ElcaB said:

pinkrevenge said:
I do think they're vegetarian. Specifically ova-lacto vegetarian.
I thought eggs and dairy is what separated vegetarians from vegans?
Not just eggs and dairy; animal products. Vegans do not consume or use anything with animal products, i.e., Jello, which contains gelatin.

I believe gelatin comes from cows though, so vegetarians would not eat jello, gummy bears, etc...

I say yes, they can do eggs for the other already-stated reasons.

mikenberger · April 2015

JennyColada said:

ElcaB said:
First of all, eggs are animal matter. That's an immature chicken in there, folks.

But...it's not.
A regular chicken egg will never turn into a chicken. Ever. It is unfertilized. It is not an "immature chicken in there". I mean, sure, you can buy that stuff, and there's a whole dish based on fertilized chicken embryos. That is not what they sell for $2.99 a dozen in Ralphs.

This. The eggs that are produced by chickens that we eat have no chance of ever being a chicken or an immature chicken or a baby chicken. But yes, you can buy the fertilized eggs and are a delicacy in some parts of the world. Please be careful when clicking this - might be gross for some.

JennyColada · April 2015

lurkergirl said:

ElcaB said:

pinkrevenge said:
I do think they're vegetarian. Specifically ova-lacto vegetarian.
I thought eggs and dairy is what separated vegetarians from vegans?
Not just eggs and dairy; animal products. Vegans do not consume or use anything with animal products, i.e., Jello, which contains gelatin.
I believe gelatin comes from cows though, so vegetarians would not eat jello, gummy bears, etc...

I say yes, they can do eggs for the other already-stated reasons.

A lot of commonly used gelatin is actually made from vegetables nowadays due to specifically this issue.

But it doesn't work as well ime. Same with the vegetable rennet.

Maggie0829 · April 2015

amelisha said:

Dreamergirl8812 said:

JCbride2015 said:
By definition, vegetarians do not eat meat. Eggs are not meat. Therefore, eggs can be eaten by a vegetarian.

Vegans would not eat eggs, because eggs are an animal product like honey or milk.
Vegans can't eat honey?
That's a point of debate among vegans, but most don't.

I find that being a vegetarian or a vegan has a lot of debate to it. In those dietary communities there are different levels and some vegetarians/vegans don't think that other vegetarians and vegans are vegetarian or vegan enough. They can get down right vicious with each other.

For example I read a vegan (well no longer vegan, but rather plant based) blog and she was stating that she was not going to raise her child vegan but rather let her child choose how she wants to eat when she grows up. Her H eats mostly plant based but does eat meat sometimes so she doesn't think it is right to limit her child when her Dad doesn't follow the diet fully as well, etc, etc. Well people got nasty telling her that she wasn't a true vegan and that how dare she allow her child to eat meat because if you are a true vegan you would never allow that and you would never allow your husband to eat meat, and on and on and on.

ETA: And no I am not a vegetarian. I love me a good steak and burger. But I read that blog because I find her life interesting.

JennyColada · April 2015

I'm a level 10 vegan. I don't eat anything that casts a shadow.

Eggs: Vegetarian or Not?

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