Vegan ask me anything

[Zeze247]

Ask away

@GerdaLovelesLili So I ask Where is your evidence that Veganic methods don’t work or don’t produce the numbers of vegetables needed? And your reply is “they will never produce enough edible plant material for an entirely vegan exponentially growing human population.” That’s not evidence, that’s just your opinion. Far fewer plants are going to be needed anyway as most of the world’s plants are fed to animals. Even if Veganic farming doesn’t work it’s still the least harm to eat plant based.

From the way you put your replies it seems to me you just want to put down vegans, people trying to make more ethical choices and be more compassionate and make a more sustainable future. It’s really strange that that’s what you want to put your energy into rather than going for the people eating factory farmed animals or those eating animals fed from soybeans that have been grown in cleared rainforests.

Good thread
Can you advise how to get iron and b12 from foods rather than supplements? And also complete (sulphur containing) proteins?
I would really like to expand to a more plant based diet but I would prefer not to be unhealthy about it!

@GerdaLovelesLili So I ask Where is your evidence that Veganic methods don’t work or don’t produce the numbers of vegetables needed?

I could summarise over twenty years of research into a fluff piece like the original veganic article I was asked to read, or I could respectfully ask for someone who has better knowledge than me to point me in the direction of some academic research that proves that it can be done. I'm not the one defending Veganism, please prove to me that it works.

I have already said that a largely vegetarian diet is probably ecologically preferable to the meat-based industrial production diet we are currently eating in the West.

I've spent years researching "kinder" farming methods, with the intent of becoming largely self-sufficient and eventually having a ecologically sound small-holding. Sadly nothing I have read convinces me that veganic production can work on a large scale, or that it can produce a locally produced, carbon-friendly well balanced UK diet.

Please give direct me to the unbiased, well researched data that will convince me otherwise.

Sorry I’ve been offline but I’m back to answer your questions though looks like others have in my absence.

Do you use plastic, the consequences of mastic are killing birds and fish. like lots of people I’m trying to minimise my plastic use.

Do you have a mobile phone and drive a car? yes but I buy second hand and try to do the least damage I can.

how it is that vegetarians confuse you. You don't know their reasons for not eating meat so how can it confuse you. It might be environmental and if so being a vegetarian is a very logical decision.
They confuse me because I can’t understand how you can not eat meat from an ethical point of view but eat eggs and milk with the misery that those animals are subjected to.

"What do you think should happen to pests like wild rabbits, deeer and pigeons that eat vegetable crops?" there are ways of keeping them out that don’t involve killing them but it’s more time consuming and expensive.

What's your view on the destruction of the rainforest in order to grow the pluses that provide you with protein
The majority of the planets rainforest is being destroyed to feed other animals.

Would you eat eggs from my chickens? no but I do keep rescue chickens myself and feed some eggs back to them and give some away.

what do vegan mothers do when they can't breastfeed? luckily I was able to feed my baby some use donor milk some use soya formula and some use cow breast milk formula.

Whilst it might seem a bit tongue in cheek, how do we know that plants don't feel pain? what do you do if you touch something hot? What does a cat or a horse or a cow do if it touches something hot? What does i tree do?

No I'm not a vegan, I like meat too much. Yes, I'm probably selfish for that, and I imagine to change my meat eating habit something pretty drastic would have to happen. you could have been me until I visited my friends dairy farm and met a baby cow who was trying to latch on to my arm and trying to cuddle in to me and my four year old started talking about how the cow had sad eyes. She was on her own in a pen cry8ng for her Mum who was crying for her on the other side of the yard so we could have the milk. I went dairy free from that instant and meat free soon after

Can you advise how to get iron and b12 from foods rather than supplements? And also complete (sulphur containing) proteins? A quick google will answer those questions but as I understand it we should all be substituting b12 as the soil is so depleted in it and what we get from animal flesh is given to the animals as substitutes and most is lost in cooking.

honey has been mentioned a few times if you keep your own bees and only take the extra then good on you but sadly most honey isn’t made like that.

How long have you been vegan? 4 years

Are those you live with vegan? my daughter has just chosen to go vegan and I’m a single parent so that’s us in a vegan house.

What made you go vegan (i.e. documentary, veganuary, book, conversation)? I’ve told the story more fully up thread basically visiting a dairy farm then watching a couple of documentaries.

What’s your favourite recipe? Oh that’s a hard one fajitas probably

Is your city/ town vegan friendly? It’s getting there

Do you do any advocacy for animals? Is it something you’re considering? Only a wee bit not as much as I’d like

Do you take vitamin B12 and D, iodine and omega 3 or just use fortified products/ seeds? I take b12 but as mentioned up thread we all should.

Has your health improved since making the change? Yes stomach, allergies, asthma all improved.

Just going to leave a few links here.
Land of Hope and Glory (uk based)
101 one reasons to go vegan
Vegan schools talk
Also; What the health
Forks over knives
Earthlings
Cowspiracy
Vegucated ( I really like this it’s the documentary that made me change fully and not as graphic as others.