Veg(etari)anism

[Iza]

Are there any vegetarians or vegans here? Why did you quite meat?

Or, if you're opposing the idea, feel free to share your opinion too.

I am a vegetarian for about 2 years now and it's something I wanted to do since the beginning of my teenage years, but my family gave me a hard time. My reasons in the beginning were pretty simple: If I can live, and be healthy, without eating animals, then why do it? Then, as I was reading more about it, my reasoning became a bit more complex. I didn't want to contribute to factory farming because of ethical but also environmental reasons. I found it extremely unethical to grow animals which are as intelligent as our dogs and cats like vegetables in a row. Also, it's true that factory farming is very bad for the environment (greenhouse gasses, deforestation to grow crops for the animals etc). Of course just reducing my consumption would probably work for those, but I've been pretty healthy for so long without eating animals, that I don't find any reason to go back to eating them. Kind of the "live and let live" mentality. At this point I should confess that I've eaten fish 3-4 in these two years. I never liked meat that much, but I loved fish, and due to the nature of fish farming (not as cruel usually), I find it not as bad as eating land animals. I don't call myself a pescetarian because I don't eat it regularly, just twice in a year or so.

I'm not vegan, though, and I don't see myself going vegan anytime soon, to be honest. Alternatives to milk and various "fancy" vegan products are either non-existent in my region or very expensive. Also I find it difficult for social situations. I think that if I was in a country like Germany, which I visited recently, where it's considered quite normal to be vegan, it would be easier. Here, in Greece, there are some vegans of course, but they're considered crazy. I couldn't eat almost anything at many restaurants if I was vegan. In the excavations I participate as an archaeology student it's also a hassle; because of the group living it's more difficult to be vegan. I'm not saying "impossible", but to me it's difficult and I'm not yet that motivated, I guess.

Something I don't like about the vegan movement is the effort to make the act of killing or of consumption of certain things sound gross. Killing itself is not gross, blood is not gross, eggs are not the menstruation of chickens and honey is not the vomit of bees. And cruelty exists everywhere in nature. Sure, it's very unpleasant, and if you can survive without causing harm to other beings, why do it? But I can't compare it to human crimes, like murder or rape, like many vegans do. Cats do not "murder" mice, and if killing was such a gruesome act, this would mean that carnivores are born evil and they just can't do anything for it. I'm so tired of hearing that milk contains puss or that eggs come from the butt of the chicken. I don't care - I am a vegetarian for ethical reasons, not because I'm grossed out by anything.

I'm also tired of meat eaters telling me I'm not healthy. My blood tests come out perfect every time, and my protein intake is at least enough to fuel my dance, mountain climbing, cycling, swimming and everything.

This was a long text! I'm waiting for your intake.

 

[Jhud]

I'm not vegan nor vegetarian, and I have nothing against it as long as people who enjoy this lifestyle don't feed others any scaremongering or pseudoscientific "facts" about how their diet is better than any other. I know us omnivores do it too sometimes, but I'm all for both parties knowing pros and cons of their diets without claiming any surpremacy.

I'm not the kind of an omnivore that claims that he can't last even one day without any meat though, I do enjoy vegetarian lunches and dinners and I wish more people were open to having a bowl of string beans in olive oil and breadcrumbs for dinner. It's delicious.

I'm way too much of an adventerous eater to ever consider becoming one though. I love tasting new kinds of meat and I want to try everythiong at some point. Maybe after I try everything there is I might try changing my diet? Who knows.

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

Here, in Greece, there are some vegans of course, but they're considered crazy.

Aah, you're from Greece! I've been wondering where you were from. One of my neighbors is Greek and I call here "Yi-ya" (I think this: Γιαγιά) and she calls me something like "kook-a-lah". I don't know how this even started XD

My cousin is a vegan and it seems he originally wanted to become one after joining a group in school that was all for protecting animals. Although he is not a weirdo by any means or because of that, but he does have some peculiar habits. He was talking about not eating mushrooms because he wanted to eat things that support themselves, so even if they were mushrooms growing off of dead trees (as opposed to dead animals) he wouldn't eat them. I thought that was a sign his veganism was becoming more of an ideology, a religion than something as simple as "I wont eat animals because they are living creatures". My grandmother would complain how hard it was to find things he could eat and often he has to bring his own food. When I was talking with my father and remarked as simple observations - not a negative statement - that is seemed "like an allergy", my father agreed and emphasized this.

It's kinda interesting how some practices aren't found in other countries. In my ESL program (in Canada), there was a teaching assistant who mentioned she was a vegetarian in her class. During the break, two Chinese students came up to her and wanted to know why she didn't eat meat. They seemed very confused and I think they thought it was some strange allergy or she had some medical problem, because not eating meat was so odd to them. I got a similar puzzled reaction when I mentioned I was homeschooled to some Brazilian students. Those moments can be really funny, and I'm sure they happen to teachers as well, because someone just has a look of honest, total confusion.

I don't see anything wrong with being a vegetarian or a vegan since it really is a personal choice that doesn't affect me; I'm not the one eating. If anything, I like that people are thinking about if they are doing good or evil. But, as Jhud said and you have also said, I don't like when vegetarians/vegans/animal-rights people try to scare or attack people who eat meat. There is a great difference between living one's life in a certain way and also discussing moral issues in a rational manner, and outright insulting people. I feel any issue should be okay to discuss or even argue against if the person uses their experiences and observations to explain their point of view. Slinging mud is an immature and flawed way to argue for anything.

Well, I'm not a vegetarian and I like meat but I also like food so if there is good food, be it vegetarian or otherwise, I will gladly eat it. It seems some westerns are turned off by the idea of eating without meat but I know there are some tasty ways to cook vegetables and I love mushrooms, sweet peppers, and stir fries. That being said, it sounds confusing to say one wont eat animals that eat other animals to survive because eating animals is wrong.

Lastly, Iza, I like your level-headed perspective. It is so nice to see a balance :^) Also,

I'm waiting for your intake.

that's so punny XD Perhaps you know that "intake" also means "what one eats" as in "takes and puts in their mouth" ?

 

[Iza]

I'm not vegan nor vegetarian, and I have nothing against it as long as people who enjoy this lifestyle don't feed others any scaremongering or pseudoscientific "facts" about how their diet is better than any other. I know us omnivores do it too sometimes, but I'm all for both parties knowing pros and cons of their diets without claiming any surpremacy.

I'm not the kind of an omnivore that claims that he can't last even one day without any meat though, I do enjoy vegetarian lunches and dinners and I wish more people were open to having a bowl of string beans in olive oil and breadcrumbs for dinner. It's delicious.

I'm way too much of an adventerous eater to ever consider becoming one though. I love tasting new kinds of meat and I want to try everythiong at some point. Maybe after I try everything there is I might try changing my diet? Who knows.

Hm, this is partially due to the recent obsession with health and fitness. It's like everything has to have some benefit to the health. Even hugs are said to reduce heart rate and sex is a good form of excercise... What happened to doing things "just because"... You can be health either way, as long as you keep a balance (well, vegans have to also take a B12 supplement). As for occasional vegetarian lunches and dinners, I wish more people were open to them too. After all, while I don't tell everyone to become vegetarian, I do think some reduction of meat consumption would be good for the environment.

Aah, you're from Greece! I've been wondering where you were from. One of my neighbors is Greek and I call here "Yi-ya" (I think this: Γιαγιά) and she calls me something like "kook-a-lah". I don't know how this even started XD

Yes! I've mentioned it a couple times. Hahaha yaya, grandma. Kookala?... Koukla, maybe? That's "doll". I have cousins in Canada, it would be a great coincidence if you knew them.

It's kinda interesting how some practices aren't found in other countries. In my ESL program (in Canada), there was a teaching assistant who mentioned she was a vegetarian in her class. During the break, two Chinese students came up to her and wanted to know why she didn't eat meat. They seemed very confused and I think they thought it was some strange allergy or she had some medical problem, because not eating meat was so odd to them. I got a similar puzzled reaction when I mentioned I was homeschooled to some Brazilian students. Those moments can be really funny, and I'm sure they happen to teachers as well, because someone just has a look of honest, total confusion.

Seen this movie? It may be comedy but it's not too inaccurate.

But I didn't know this about China and Brazil. That's interesting. In Germany I used to say "well, I'm vegetarian" expecting people telling me I'll die or waving their steaks in front of my face etc, but they were very unimpressed, and I was like "what? that's it?". Also the university cantine had lots of tasty vegetarian food. I used to go ther and take a big plate of everything, every afternoon. Other countries have other habits. I've heard from a friend who went there, that in Nepal people don't share food or water, not because they are selfish but because they think that if you touch the food or water it becomes contaminated. So they have their own plates and when they have to drink from the same bottle they never touch it with their lips. I like learning those things. Maybe we should make another thread for intercultural dialog. xD

I don't see anything wrong with being a vegetarian or a vegan since it really is a personal choice that doesn't affect me; I'm not the one eating. If anything, I like that people are thinking about if they are doing good or evil. But, as Jhud said and you have also said, I don't like when vegetarians/vegans/animal-rights people try to scare or attack people who eat meat. There is a great difference between living one's life in a certain way and also discussing moral issues in a rational manner, and outright insulting people. I feel any issue should be okay to discuss or even argue against if the person uses their experiences and observations to explain their point of view. Slinging mud is an immature and flawed way to argue for anything.

Agree.

Another annoying thing for me is when I'm surrounded by meat-eaters who tell me how I should eat meat, but there's also a vegan in the group who tells me either that I'm uneducated, or that I'll get cancer, or that I have no soul (especially if I mention the part with the fish). You can never win.

Well, I'm not a vegetarian and I like meat but I also like food so if there is good food, be it vegetarian or otherwise, I will gladly eat it. It seems some westerns are turned off by the idea of eating without meat but I know there are some tasty ways to cook vegetables and I love mushrooms, sweet peppers, and stir fries. That being said, it sounds confusing to say one wont eat animals that eat other animals to survive because eating animals is wrong.

Here there are lots of traditional vegetarian dishes, so people are not turned off by the idea of eating without meat for lunch. It's a paradox cause logically they should be more open to the idea of vegetarianism because of that, but they also eat souvlaki all the time and roast whole goats on spits so... I've never heard this about animals that eat other animals... What bothers me is that vegans usually describe killing as this gruesome thing. Let's imagine that people were natural carnivores and could not survive without meat. If killing is a bloody murder then we'd be condemned by nature to be evil. The other thing I find irrational is the idea that eating another animal means you believe you're "superior" to it or that your life is worth more, as some anti-speciesists say. This idea of superiority is a purely human invention, therefore it's wrong to apply it to every being.

that's so punny XD Perhaps you know that "intake" also means "what one eats" as in "takes and puts in their mouth" ?

Yes, I know, I noticed it after I made the post.

 

[Iza]

I forgot to reply to the part with the cousin. It's the first time I hear that about mushrooms. What do you mean by "he wanted to eat things that support themselves"?

 

[sourcasm]

I'm currently being Vegetarian with a friend of mine, the plan was to do it for 6 months but it's turned out to be quite challenging so we cut it down to 1 month. I would be totally fine if I had a normal schedule but unfortunately I work shifts and they can be really close together which makes meal planning and prepping a nightmare.

I've had a lot of backlash from people stating that I'm going to make myself ill by cutting out meat but honestly, I've been less bloated and lethargic since I started. I've watched a lot of documentaries regarding Veganism and I'd like to say I'm quite clued up on it all, my boyfriend and I have swapped regular milk for almond and same with the butter too. We try to substitute where possible and it definitely does make a difference. Once January ends I have to admit I am looking forward to not having such a restricted diet but I will definitely be cutting down the consumption of meat (especially red) and including a more beneficial and nutritious diet of veggies instead.

Just tonight I made a delicious veggie stir fry and it was so filling, I never even noticed the lack of meat!

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

Sorry for the late reply.

Hahaha yaya, grandma. Kookala?... Koukla, maybe? That's "doll". I have cousins in Canada, it would be a great coincidence if you knew them.

Ahh, that word sounds very probable as she knew me since I was a kid, hence I may have appeared small and "doll-like" XD I think she's in her late 40's so she's probably too old to be your cousin, but yeah, that would be a great coincedence.

Seen this movie? It may be comedy but it's not too inaccurate.
But I didn't know this about China and Brazil. That's interesting. In Germany I used to say "well, I'm vegetarian" expecting people telling me I'll die or waving their steaks in front of my face etc, but they were very unimpressed, and I was like "what? that's it?". Also the university cantine had lots of tasty vegetarian food. I used to go ther and take a big plate of everything, every afternoon. Other countries have other habits. I've heard from a friend who went there, that in Nepal people don't share food or water, not because they are selfish but because they think that if you touch the food or water it becomes contaminated. So they have their own plates and when they have to drink from the same bottle they never touch it with their lips. I like learning those things. Maybe we should make another thread for intercultural dialog. xD

I'd never treat a vegetarian like that clip does - and not because I don't have a crowd of shocked people XD - but I could see why some people might take it like that. It might be equivalent to if someone in Asia said they didn't eat rice or if someone in the West said they didn't eat sandwiches. I feel though vegetarianism might be more normal in other parts of the world since I know in India there are some people who don't eat meat because of their religion but also because they can't afford it. Although the last one is different since I'm sure if a poor person was given meat they would gladly eat it, yet all the same they are living like a vegetarian.

Y'know, that idea about not sharing food and water is not too distant in my country, although here it is more of a personality quirk. It's not normal to eat off the same plate but I've met some people who will not eat food that someone else has eaten or use the same utensils - notably my brother. For water there is no barrier, although people usually drink from another side than the first person did and usually the idea is "get your own".

I've never heard this about animals that eat other animals... The other thing I find irrational is the idea that eating another animal means you believe you're "superior" to it or that your life is worth more, as some anti-speciesists say. This idea of superiority is a purely human invention, therefore it's wrong to apply it to every being.

Off the top of my head, two examples I can think of animals that eat other animals are vultures and lions. One never sees these animals eating vegetables or anything else but meat. Then there's the kingfisher which is commonly known to eat fish and, according to Wikipedia, eats a wide variety of living things. Yeah, I don't believe in "whoever eats it is superior" as it would constantly contradict itself, since people have been eaten by wild animals. But I do believe that humanity is more intelligent. I remember someone gave a definition of humanity as being "the only animals that blush" which sums up our key trait of self-awareness.

In line with this train of thought, I remember the scenario - obviously given by an animal rights activist - that if there was a baby and a fox drowning and only one could be saved, a person would be in a moral dilemma. For me there is no dilemma as I would save the baby - my own kind and not to mention has the potential to help animals (while the fox obviously does not). But if it was a scenario of two people drowning, there wouldn't be any time to start puzzling "who should I save?" but rather getting right to saving someone (and I'm not sure if that would turn out well since although I can tread water, I don't know if I could stay afloat with another person).

I forgot to reply to the part with the cousin. It's the first time I hear that about mushrooms. What do you mean by "he wanted to eat things that support themselves"?

He meant things that make their own food, basically they don't get food from anywhere but their own bodies. In the case of plants, by sunlight they make the food they need to survive in their own bodies (I think it's glucose, sugar but it's been a long time since I did Biology). For mushrooms, his reasoning was they got their food from dead things they grew on, thus not their own bodies. Yet for normal vegetarians, I imagine they'd be fine with mushrooms since mushrooms don't kill animals, they live off dead things. In a way their are part of the natural "clean-up crew", nature's janitors.

 

[Tinkalila]

I am not vegetarian myself, but I could definitely see myself becoming one for ethical reasons. However, it's just not possible for me right now because I'm a bit of a picky eater and I'm already underweight. I definitely would like to try being vegetarian in the future, though.

 

[Ragdoll]

Yup! I've been fully vegan for a year now. I honestly think it's one of the best life choices I've made so far ^_^

It all started when I happened to watch this speech of Gary Yourofsky. I feel like it completely opened my eyes. It's such a great and informative speech, I can really recommend it to everyone.

I decided to give veganism a try - I remember thinking that I could test it for a month or so at first. After that, I just googled what vegans do eat and what they don't, and found a very convenient list of all the basic market products that are suitable for vegans. After few days I was sure I'll stay vegan as long as possible since I was so surprised about how easy it was and how good I felt both mentally and physically. I also kind of learned to see the world and all living beings from a very new perspective.

The only bad thing I've experienced is that some people tend to have surprisingly negative attitudes towards vegans. I'm always ready to give information about this subjects if someone asks, but otherwise, I never "preach" to people about veganism. Still, so many times when I've politely refused eating meat, and someone has asked me why and I've told that I'm vegan, I've got some immature comments. For example, I've literally heard something like "that's just stupid and vegans just preach to everyone and don't respect others and you're going to die from protein deficiency" surprisingly many times from grown-up people I'm trying my best to stay patient, but man, it's annoying! Luckily most people aren't like that of course, I've also had some great conversations about this subject with other people, and also got very positive comments!

 

[Marzipan]

I became vegetarian two years ago, and then a vegan one year ago. Agreed with Ragdoll in that it is one of the best life decisions that I've made so far.

I stopped eating meat because of environmental and ethical reasons. The health benefits that I've had since then are an added perk, but was not the reason why I stopped eating animal products. For the record, I do believe that you can be healthy and eat meat, and I didn't notice any changes going from "regular diet" to vegetarian, but I did notice lots of health benefits going from vegetarian to vegan. Again, not saying that if you eat dairy that you are unhealthy haha, I was just one of those people who was lactose intolerant but just ignored it for the sake of eating ice cream and cheese and all of that.

I agree also with the negative attitudes towards veganism. People (a family member in particular) have slipped dairy in my food just because "I'm being picky" and I've gotten sick from it before which wasn't fun. I say I'm allergic to dairy (which, I technically am, but I won't die or anything, just abdominal discomfort exacerbated by not eating dairy for a year+) when going out to eat because people don't take me seriously if I say I'm vegan. Everyone worries about my protein intake all of a sudden.

It is frustrating that the word vegan is such an emotionally charged term. I told people I was vegetarian all the time when I was, and never got any flack, but now telling people I'm vegan (especially online) get's a variety of responses... some less than pleasant. I do a lot of work with environmentalism and sustainability, and it's really disheartening when I give all these great tips on how to recycle more, waste less water, etc, and everyone is on board, but when I suggest trying a meatless monday, or to try a plant-based swap, people get upset at me and tell me to stop pushing an agenda. Granted, it technically is, it's an eco-friendly agenda. But sometimes people equate my "hey, animal agriculture is killing our planet, here are some tips to reduce your consumption" with "go vegan or you're a terrible person".

@Iza, I do agree with you on the "r*pe" and "murder" terminology. As much as I love and respect all forms of life, I don't think it's right to equate those terms with animals. Human rights issues are more important at the end of the day, not to mention a lot of those words can be very triggering for individuals who have gone through those horrible things. There are intelligent conversations to be had without such emotionally triggering language I think.

 

[Breadcrumbs]

I dont oppose the idea, but I like bacon and meaty things too much so I could never dare become vegetarian, lol. I have some friends, and they are way healthier than me, so maybe if I had to because of my health, I wouldnt hate the idea.

 

[TheYatagarasu]

I've been vegetarian for a few years now! Call me selfish, but the main reason was simply because I've had a delicate constitution ever since I was a child, and vegetarian foods have always "agreed" with me way better than anything with meat in it. I think the environmental and health benefits are amazing and that makes me so happy I became vegetarian, but at the end of the day, it was my poor stomach that made the decision

It was extremely difficult to eat vegetarian when I was living at home with my family - to them, all of us sitting down and having dinner together was a super important part of the day, so cooking for only myself always earned scorn from Mum and Papa Yatagarasu, and there was always dear Grandma Yatagarasu telling me "YOU SO SKINNY BECAUSE YOU DON'T EAT MEAT." Refusing any part of a meal cooked by the parental/grand-parental units was also a fantastic way to earn myself a lecture.

The only reason I am not vegan now is admittedly out of sheer laziness - I'm sure it's not hard at all to find vegan replacements for the staples in my diet that have egg or milk as secondary ingredients, but I just can't be bothered and buy the same old brand of egg noodles that my family's used ever since I was four years old. I don't handle change particularly well. I basically have no excuse NOT to go vegan, as I hate nearly all dairy products too, including ice cream (the texture wierds me out something fierce), so it'll probably happen...in like a decade or so.

I think all the sensitivity surrounding veganism today is another classic example of a select few on the extreme end of a movement ruining everything for the masses, which is unfortunately very easy to do in this day and age where we can all yell real loud on the Internet and have it broadcast to basically everybody. It's like feminism - say "hmm, I think we should pay women as much as men for the same work!" and you get told "OH EM GEE STOP PUSHING UR SJW AGENDA!!!" simply because people are associating rational, progressive thinking with someone's viral Tumblr post detailing how all men should fall off the face of the planet or whatever.

I think it is very, very important to achieve a balance when it comes to how progressive ideas are presented to others - ignorance is a horrible thing, but radicalism can be AS bad. Marzipan, I think you hit the nail on the head when you suggest cool events and frame things in the context of sustainability - it's SO important to frame a progressive agenda in terms of the positives it can bring, rather than through building guilt and fear! Saying "if you DON'T do this, then look at the atrocities you are complicit in!" will put people on the defensive and won't endear anyone to your way of thinking, and that's unfortunately how many people choose to push their opinions and choices.

I have a few acquaintances from class who unfortunately do that. They regularly post horrific, graphic videos online of abuse of farm animals to "open peoples' eyes to the reality of animal cruelty and how eating meat supports that cruelty" - I'm talking at least one video per day, and to me, that's quite off-putting. We mustn't remain ignorant to these things, far from it, but these people need to understand that having this type of thing appear on an online feed without warning every day does constitute an affront to some.

Ragdoll, as a scientist I lol'd at the "protein deficiency" comments you got Did these people attend secondary school? Do they know what a protein is? Gah.

 

[Ragdoll]

It is frustrating that the word vegan is such an emotionally charged term. I told people I was vegetarian all the time when I was, and never got any flack, but now telling people I'm vegan (especially online) get's a variety of responses... some less than pleasant. I do a lot of work with environmentalism and sustainability, and it's really disheartening when I give all these great tips on how to recycle more, waste less water, etc, and everyone is on board, but when I suggest trying a meatless monday, or to try a plant-based swap, people get upset at me and tell me to stop pushing an agenda. Granted, it technically is, it's an eco-friendly agenda. But sometimes people equate my "hey, animal agriculture is killing our planet, here are some tips to reduce your consumption" with "go vegan or you're a terrible person".

I agree! It's hard to understand why so many people tend to have such strong associations with the term "vegan". TheYatagarasu had a good theory for this though.

By the way, you're doing very important work! I hope those negative comments won't bring you down ^_^

I think all the sensitivity surrounding veganism today is another classic example of a select few on the extreme end of a movement ruining everything for the masses, which is unfortunately very easy to do in this day and age where we can all yell real loud on the Internet and have it broadcast to basically everybody. It's like feminism - say "hmm, I think we should pay women as much as men for the same work!" and you get told "OH EM GEE STOP PUSHING UR SJW AGENDA!!!" simply because people are associating rational, progressive thinking with someone's viral Tumblr post detailing how all men should fall off the face of the planet or whatever.

Right, I think you've got a very good point here. This is why such negative stereotypes do exist in general, I guess!

Ragdoll, as a scientist I lol'd at the "protein deficiency" comments you got Did these people attend secondary school? Do they know what a protein is? Gah.

Haha, I've wondered the same I don't even need to be a scientist to know that there's protein literally in everything! The protein question is still surprisingly common. One person claimed that he could go vegan otherwise but he's afraid of not getting enough of protein. I showed him nutritional values of different vegan products, such as tempeh with 19 g of protein in 100 g. He still didn't believe me and kept telling that he couldn't get enough protein as a vegan

 

[Jemsey]

I'm vegetarian! I can't type up stuff atm, but I'll try to remember to come back after work.

[edit:]

I'm back!

I've always (since I was like 10, so almost 20 years) wanted to be vegetarian/vegan. When I was 18 (10 years ago), I was vegetarian for six months. A year and a half ago, I went to get bedding for my rats at Petco, and saw an employee dangling a mouse from its tail as she was getting it out of its enclosure. I immediately told her she shouldn't do that, as it can damage their spines, and she responded that that's protocol with feeder mice. I had to leave the store, as I was distraught, but the guy she was getting the mouse for made gross comments behind my sister while she paid for the bedding.

That night I stopped eating meat. It's one thing if you're eating meat after treating the animal with respect for its lifetime, and quite another to eat it with the way the industry is now. I would prefer to always be vegetarian, personally, as I don't like eating other sentient beings (plus vegan food is really good!), but as an overall concept that is my opinion.

I eventually want to go full vegan, but it's really hard for me right now. One step at a time.

 

[Soenattchi]

Vegan here; and well, I don't have a long answer to contribute as many of our more eloquent members above. For me it was a matter of mindset; I'm a minimalist first and foremost and have been for a long while despite being into collecting various things... going vegan felt like the natural thing to do. Do I need this meat and animal products? And more over do I even enjoy it? My answer was no, so I didn't have to mull much over it. Never mind that I'd rather live on a diet that minimises my waste (I haven't managed to go zero waste just yet, I'm trying) and footprint on this planet. If I can live in a more sustainable fashion why wouldn't I?

 

[N4LLLC]

We do eat mainly vegan at our house because we have property and grow our vegetables. However, we do have chickens, and eat eggs, and I do raise a couple of turkeys every year. We do have pets that are obligate carnivores (cats and ball pythons), so going fully vegan is not an option.

 

[bunbun]

I've been vegan for a couple months now, vegetarian for years prior. My reasoning for sticking to this diet is less about ethical reasons though I will admit slaughtering and the conditions of certain dairy farms encourages me not to indulge in animal products, but I don't think any diet is inherently evil or anything along those lines. I figured I didn't like meat or most dairy products enough for me to cut them completely off over time, meat just doesn't taste delicious to me (no matter how much I season it). The most difficult hurdle are sweets because I love sweets and there are very few venues that sell vegan desserts. But ultimately I stopped consuming that altogether because high dosages of sugar make me feel sluggish. It's about eating more greens and storing up energy as opposed to consuming food products that made me feel ill constantly. So overall my reasons deal with improving personal health, that's all. I respect everyone's personal choices in regards to the diets they want to follow, veganism is definitely not for everyone. In general I also wish the vegan lifestyle was more accessible, I know it can be super tedious especially in certain countries.

 

[Mametchimama]

I’m vegan but trying to be wfpb/eat to live. I do eat the odd fish so I’m not really vegan. Reasons being as fish intake has lower risks for neuro diseases. I can’t stand meat and eating it and dairy..eggs. It’s so unhealthy. 

 

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