What would it take for you to become vegan?

[Strivetobe]

A genuine question after a conversation some friends and I were having. They said that they'd become vegan if the ready meals and prepackaged vegan meals were cheaper. It got me thinking, are there any conditions under which you would consider veganism and if so, what are they?

Only if animal products weren’t available- Ie: I had no choice.

If I could always eat food that is intrinsically vegan and meant to be vegan.

I can't stand any 'substitutes'. So if I could eat in a S Indian cuisine all the time with the full range of skilfully cooked food on offer, I would be happy enough.

But for now, ice cream, cheese and eggs and butter, are things I find very hard to do without.

Watching documentaries about the animal cruelty in the meat, dairy and egg industries did it for me.
I love meat, fish and cheese, oh god I love cheese, but there is no excuse for torture. If I'm tempted I make myself watch video footage of the cruelty again. I wouldn't let my dog suffer so I shouldn't allow something to suffer for my food.

If cheese were banned. I can give up everything else but that's the one I'm struggling with!!

I would need a chef to come over every day and prepare balanced meals my small children would eat.

I’m not cooking different meals for different people, I have neither the time or the patience nor the money.

A regular source of protein that had a decent texture and flavour and was easy to cook. I quite like pulses and beans but can't stand tofu. I just can't work out how to stay healthy on a vegan diet. I eat vegan food about 3-4 times per week by choice - veg soup and seed bread or humous and rye crackers with salad, or pasta with spring veg, olive oil and lemon zest. It can taste good. But day in day out, I'd need something that gives you iron.

I agree with above, vegan convenience food wrapped in packaging is hardly going to save the planet.

I rarely eat meat now and I use coconut milk instead of dairy but I am not sure I could give up cheese or chocolate! None of the vegan substitutes come close get. Vegan cakes can be delicious though.

Good question.

For me it comes down to it being a lot harder to balance macros on a vegan diet and I feel better when I eat quite a high protein diet (1g per kg body weight). To get the same amount of protein on a vegan diet would imply a LOT more calories. Therefore, if soy were more versatile then I could probably do it.

I'm certainly open to persuasion. Not crazy keen on meat.

The documentary Land of Hope and Glory sealed the deal for me. It features footage all from U.K. farms. I found I couldn't continue to justify my steak and cheese consumption after watching that.

If it was cheaper

A full time chef for free and even then, I'd probably sneak in cake, chocolate and ice cream.

Diet wise I mean. Veganism is a giant thing isn’t it - clothes, home products, makeup products, furniture etc all needs to be animal-free

That's what boggles my head a bit when people preach. Isn't it just as far as you can be bothered to take it? Do vegans source animal free parts for their cars for eg? Is there such a thing as a totally vegan car?

As a pp just said, I'd need an imaginative and highly skilled chef making all my meals and making sure I got enough protein.

Otherwise too much hassle and planning involved.

Oh, and I love meat, fish and seafood, cheese, eggs and chocolate!

Also, I'd like to see more unbiased research on the environmental impact. So for example, a lot of the research implies that all land used for grazing could be turned over to arable, which isn't actually the case. There are also huge simplifications on water usage.

Also, is veganism more important than food miles? Because in the UK, you can do seasonal local, and you can do vegan, but unless you like turnips and potatoes a lot, you cant do both.

I do happen to eat in a vegan way quite often, eg hummus, beans, tofu, etc, without consciously labelling it.
Happy to stop eating beef, lamb and etc die to their heavy impacts on the environment.

I'm extremely suspicious that the people who say they are vegan are actually fully vegan, seems incredibly difficult to me.

Nothing. Maybe if the price of all animal based products was really high.

Nothing.

Vegan alternatives are not as enjoyable. Someone at work brought a cake in and served it up. It was fucking awful. Bland with a really weird texture. Everyone said it was lovely (being polite) and she crowed all afternoon at how we didn’t know it was vegan and couldn’t tell.

Yep. We really really could. I feel like people are lying when they say they can’t

I think if my kids would do it, then I would, but what specifically puts me off is lack of decent vegan cheese and also I really like eggs. I also think falfel and hummous sandwiches get really boring when eating out.

Knowing pus is in milk 🤢 and the suffering of the animals, increased cancer risks, and what it’s doing to the environment was enough to turn me. Watching Forks Over Knives etc

Vegan cheese is actually really nice too, so I don’t feel deprived.

I never thought I could go vegan, my dh even used to call me a cheeseatarian as used to have so much

ThereWillBeAdequateFood, which oat milk are you using? I use Oatly Barista edition. It’s delicious in coffee.

I’ve been vegan for nearly 30yrs. Hardcore ValleyoftheHorses.

I don't think there is anything.

I'll happily enjoy the odd vegan meal but I won't be eliminating swathes of food groups any time soon.

Nothing. I like eggs, cheese and leather shoes.

It would have to be the only option available. Sorry but I like the taste of animal products.

If you take it all the way to the extreme, then there’s no such thing as a cruelty free life. I’m totally vegan in my diet, cleaning products, toiletries, etc, but I’m also aware that there are animal products used in the production of phones, plastic bags, car and bike tires, glue in woodwork, and so on.

I still consider myself a vegan, but am realistic that I can only do my best.