To ask why you aren’t vegan

[Whereisthecoffee]

I’m not vegan , I know it’s good for the planet kinder to animals etc but it’s something I just can’t seem to get to grips with. I’ve been thinking about starting vegan January but I’m not sure. Thinking about my choices and it’s prevalence in the media has made me curious about others so tell me why aren’t you vegan? I think my main reason is convenience.

I'm going veggie in January I'm just a bit repulsed by meat now.

I can't give up cheese though

I was, for seven years. Then I got pregnant, burst into tears in the kitchen because I wanted cheese on toast so much, and my partner told me to just fucking eat the fucking fucking cheese on toast. So I did and that was that

I'm a veggie who doesn't take milk, or cream etc but does take cheese and some eggs. This is because milk makes me sick but cheese doesn't for some odd reason

I’m lazy, is the only (pathetic) reason. Agree with pp who said that the environmental effects of eating animal products are horrific. I know I should be, but the thought of convincing two small children to eat vegan food, and coming up with a balanced diet for them puts me off. And then preparing two separate meals, one for me, one for them... I have to do better though.

I love meat, simples.

I've been vegetarian for nearly 20 years. I'm not vegan as I need the protein from eggs and dairy. Being vegetarian doesn't adversely impact my health too much (now that I'm on iron supplements...) but being vegan would.

Because I like my current balance of eating vegan food 90% of the time but still retaining the vegetarian label to circumvent social awkwardness if it would be a particular pain/rudeness to get picky over trace ingredients.

I like eating meat, dairy, eggs, honey; wearing wool, silk and leather. I am, however, strongly opposed to industrial farming methods and try to source ethically farmed meat, eggs etc. Its expensive but I think our constant focus on buying cheaper and cheaper food is what has led to industrial farming in the first place.
I also think there are worse ways to die than humane slaughter in an abbatoir: many wild animals die a slow painful death from starvation or a violent one at the hands of predators.
It's a pity vegan campaigners seem to be the only people interested in animal welfare. I'm sure it's not actually the case, but as long as they are the only ones going undercover and posting videos of abuse, the overall impression is that the only choices are to be an evil meat-eater or go vegan.
No one is suggesting we stop having nurseries because every now and then a carer turns out be abusive - why should veganism be the only answer to cruelty in farming?

Not only for the food side of it, but I spin wool using real sheeps fleece. Won’t be able to do that if I am a vegan! And I don’t understand some of the reasons some people do it, e.g. won’t take eggs as they are not yours to take. The chickens don’t want them! Though saying that I used to boil up and mash eggs for my chickens when we had too many. I totally get not buying battery caged hens eggs though, and I refuse to do that.

I like eggs and cheese and can't stand the processed alternatives. Eating locally sourced meat infrequently is not going to do much. Plus what sarahj said as well.

I really enjoy vegan food, however I would never become vegan. I don’t believe humans are supposed to be vegans. It’s very difficult to get the micronutrients your body needs on a vegan diet. The nutrients in meat, eggs and fish are far more readily available to the body than those in plant products. So for me it’s a matter of health. Although I also like to eat good quality meat when and where I can afford it so that it is not full of antibiotics and grains.

FWIW of all the vegetarians I know, only 2 of them are what I would call healthy and ensure that they get a wide range of nutrients in their diet. The others live on simple carbs. Definitely not healthier than a meat eater imo. One is plagued by illness including chronic migraines and fibromyalgia and 2 others are overweight and constantly tired and run down, prone to catching colds and bugs. If you decide to be vegan you need to learn a lot about nutrition and ensure that your body gets what it needs. And that doesn’t mean just popping a vitamin pill.

Because dead animals taste fucking amazing!

Justification of choices is fine. Last time I looked this was a free country, no dietary restrictions or fasts or anything like that laid down in law.

It is a personal decision for each individual. And should stay that way.

Same reason I sleep with married men - I like it, it’s not illegal and I don’t bother thinking about who I’m hurting

I am vegan. It makes sense in all ways: environmentally, health wise, animal welfare.

Easiest way is to make a gradual transition. I thought I would miss cheese but a year later and I don't. I feel much better for it too.

Because I have a history of disordered eating, and it would be bad for my mental health to take on any diet or lifestyle which restricted what I could eat. I know vegans will say it's not restrictive, but it is, because by its very nature, you have to restrict yourself from consuming particular foods/ingredients.

I probably eat chicken once or twice a week as it is, and red meat more scarcely than that, but I do consume dairy and other animal products. I buy meat from a local butcher, and I buy locally produced dairy from a farm I have visited. I get my eggs from someone I work with's chickens. I'm not too concerned about my ethical footprint on that front.

Lots of misinformation on this thread: no meat is ethical, and all meat has a terrible environmental impact, including locally produced meat. Environmentally it is far sounder to have a vegan diet, even if it is not locally produced. Eating meat is a huge contributor to destruction of ecosystems, and food poverty worldwide.

Because I like meat.

I've tried and can be a selective vegan (can't we all!) but it comes down to milk, cheese and eggs for me. Plus the few I know are either hugely mental about it (Think evangelicals posting blood dripping from cows daily on fb) or have issues with co trolling their food anyway. In these latter instances a group of us are concerned but as long as they are eating something and not hospitalised we feel it is better all around. Both groypsjowever have nipped any "aspirations" around veganism for me.

Fillet steak/Roast beef
Ham on the bone
Bacon sarnies
Full cream milk
Cheese
The list could go on...

I know all the cons of eating meat/dairy, I have watched the documentaries etc. I am just selfish. And I don't want to give up the stuff I like.

I don't want to wear a badge!

lol st some of the comments. I’m vegan, have no problem having lots of friends and dinner invitations. Friends often eat here and enjoy it ( otherwise they wouldn’t come!)
I haven’t had a sick day in years, have loads of energy.
I don’t eat vegan cheese, or horrible substitutes for meat though. I think that’s where a lot of people struggle. They go vegan and expect it to be fine with using alternatives but most of them taste shit. You’re better off just getting into eating proper vegan food.. veg, nuts, pulses etc

I’m a pescatarian and that’s about as far as I can go as I love dairy and I’m also not giving up avocados!

I tried veganism for a couple years, but chronic low appetite means I simply couldn't eat what was needed from only plant sources and it really depleted me. I've never seen any help for low appetite that wasn't strongly animal-based - it's simply the easiest way to get the most nutrients and energy in the least amount of eating and stomach space.

Ethically and academically, there have been major issues with markets worldwide getting thrown into havoc over Western fads. Thankfully now many 'superfoods' like quinoa and chia seeds are starting to be grown in the UK which does make it easier to have a diverse diet but it's something that gives me pause for thought. When it comes to a sustainable diet, while the standard Western diet isn't and some meats are vastly more efficient and have far less emissions and concerns than others, as others have pointed out, veganism isn't top dog either. When looking at sustainable land-use and diet effectiveness in terms of people getting the nutrients and calories needed, as well as the usual tick list of green needs, a diet with ~20% meat and ovo and/or lacto vegetarian beats out veganism. I have no issue with people who choose to do so, but the push to make it appear as the solution to anything - especially when people call it the most humane diet which pretty much ignores the human costs involved in a lot of the agricultural industries - does get a bit frustrating at times.

While I encourage moves to help people reduce and carefully choose meat and diversify diets with more locally grown plants for both health and ethical reasons, I'm not going to push myself for something that just doesn't have the evidence I'd want to try that lifestyle again.