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.

@kateandme but there's no difference! Why does a cat or a dog have more right to life than a cow? Or a pig?

You're getting very emotional about it but still happy to keep eating meat and pay for the murder and abuse of animals. It says a lot about you! Have a nice weekend.

kikisparks. You're right on both counts now I think about it. My husband has started a crusade against bacon in our family. He's a pointy headed science PhD and has read the research. It's very clear. Bacon is very bad indeed.

mydogIs oat milk better environmentally than almond milk do you know? I'm guessing yes so I've recently swapped from almond to oat but I wasn't sure.

Actually I love bacon but I do have a problem with it. I too grew up on a farm - v much a non-intensive one so had no issue with the lives they lead. However the conditions some pigs live in is terrible - and they’re intelligent, easily as intelligent as cats and dogs. This thread has reminded me to track down that free-range bacon I intended to source.

Lots of vegan convenience food contains palm oil.

Vegan leather is plastic - we are already drowning in plastic.

I try to cook meat free meals twice a week, bulk out other meals with veg and pulses and only use free range outdoor reared when we do have meat.

@kikkisparks mostly yes, straps, roots, grass. They live on the paddocks my horse’s are on- 6 acres. They come in at night for a pellet to give them the nutrients they don’t get from the veg scraps/off- cuts and general vegetAtiin from the paddocks. We usually have 3-4 turkeys and 10-12 chickens some meat some egg layers. Their poultry house waste creates the majority of the compost for our poly tunnel. It’s a circular ‘economy’ and along side with the horse manure it was worked well for the past 3-4 years. We don’t eat any other poultry or eggs. We do but need from down the road- is pasture raised organic and we know the owners so I feel our choices are good compared to some of the alternatives- not caring at all and eating factory farmed meats or vegan high processed products.

Before anyone asks we don’t eat the horses! (Although I did eat horse when we went to Iceland)

*buy meat

Because I don't feel bad for animals. Also because I'm not going to save the world by becoming vegan. Finally, because meat and cheese are delicious.

anonymousss no love I think it says more about you that you should say something like that to someone you don't know and make the assumptions on who they are or what they think or what they might be going through .and what your words leaving them crashing around them like that might mean to them. Because like most vegan Warriors you've just turned fucking spiteful well done you a great person you've made me feel good this morning with your sarcastic tirade of shit

@kateandme I think you're over reacting massively. I told you it's not possible to love an animal if you're happy to kill them. I also said I wouldn't do that to my pets.

I'm sorry that those comments have upset you.

@kateandme I'm also not sure where I've been sarcastic as I've just read through my posts to you and not one was (intentionally) sarcastic

I was genuinely wishing you a nice weekend. I don't mean to argue with you, I was just curious as to wether you'd feel the same about your pets as you do with cows and pigs etc. I'm sorry to have upset you so much!

Balance basically. Never liked extremes, always dodgy. With an omnivore diet you eat a little of everything so get a variety of nutrients and spread the risks of the growing of the food. Veganism seriously reduces the types of food available to you and thus makes a varied diet more difficult (though obviously not impossible).
A lot of the meat/dairy substitutes appear, to me at least, heavily processed and I prefer my food natural, or as unprocessed as possible. Also I dislike nuts, and none too keen on beans.
Like a fair few others, my body struggles with iron, so eating meat is easiest way to sort this
Do not agree that all animal farming is cruel and certainly does not have to be (I have always maintained it is foolish to ill-treat something that your livelihood depends on, can't deny that it happens though). Sheep particularly seem to have a pretty good time out on the hillsides. Chickens seem to get a raw deal though. Would like to suggest more people kept their own animals, then they could treat them with care and respect, but regulations and red tape in this country makes it fiendishly difficult. Also overpopulation in this country is, I suspect, leading to the need for more battery type farms, either here or abroad - too many people, land used for housing, not farming, of either type (particularly in south east). Seems really short sighted.
Am all for eating ethically, although this means different things to different people, depending on their priorities. Lots of interesting points of view on this thread!

Too many rescources used to maintain animals. Eat the direct source, it's not rocket science.

My sheep are grass-fed only. A natural resource that grows all by itself. Even if I wanted to (which I don't) my body is not capable of digesting grass properly!

For anyone that is thinking of becoming vegan:

Oat milk is definitely the best milk. DD is a meat eater and she prefers it to cows milk and will only drink that now. If I ever decided to go back to being a vegetarian again I would still drink this instead of cow's milk because I prefer it.

Violife is the best vegan cheese I've found. It has the texture and smell of cheese but not the taste. But it's fine in small doses.

Nearly all meat dishes you can imagine can be made with tofu. Tofu is my favourite food, it's so versatile, you just need to learn how to cook it.

Asian supermarkets are very good for finding cheap vegan foods as a lot is dairy free. In my city there is a completely vegan store which sells homemade healthy vegan quiche, sausage rolls, pizza, pies and pasties, plus all kinds of cakes. There are also regular vegan festivals in my city. I imagine most cities have similar.

There are lots of videos on YouTube that you can watch on vegan foods available in supermarket. There are quite a few accidentally vegan products that are very cheap. To keep my shopping bill down I eat lots of cheap vegetables and fruits, lentils, beans, tofu, rice, pasta, corn, cous cous, bread and then just a small amount of the substitutes which tend to be expensive.

I find I have a healthier diet and a lot more energy and more of a sense of calm as a vegan. I would recommend people try it for a month and see how they feel.

Forgot to add - quite a lot of dark chocolate is vegan. And Vego bar is is milk chocolate and nuts and tastes amazing.

I think we are probably healthier as omnivores. But I do think our diets can also be poor due to commercial pressures to eat too much of certain foods.

I have no moral objection to killing animals for food. But if we farm them, we should look after them well. I would personally be happy with only a small amount of meat. Like others, I have difficulty absorbing iron, and supplements don't work.

I couldn't easily give up on well matured cheddar or Parmesan. I doubt if any cheese substitute would be acceptable.

"I'm sorry to have upset you so much...I was genuinely wishing you a nice weekend". Sure you were, @anonymousss. Let's take a look at what you said again:

"You're getting very emotional about it but still happy to keep eating meat and pay for the murder and abuse of animals. It says a lot about you! Have a nice weekend."

Like many omnivores, I am aware of the contradiction inherent in considering oneself an animal lover and yet eating meat. However you are doing your beliefs no favours here - if anything, you've reinforced people's prejudices against vegans. You won't change anyone's mind by trying to make them feel ashamed, no matter how much you deny that's what you were doing. Shame is a terrible motivator.

anonymousss you may think you're being subtle/clever...but you're really not. 😂

Anyone who wants to see what goes into your omnivore diets should watch land of hope and glory on YouTube it’s all U.K. information from 100 different places, showing industry standard footage of where your food is from.

My sheep are grass-fed only. A natural resource that grows all by itself. Even if I wanted to (which I don't) my body is not capable of digesting grass properly! mine too scatter Lamb is the best. Sheep have a good life.

@Neverunderfed not trying to be clever, I felt bad about getting so heated and aggressive and was apologising for making them upset

For me I don't care that much to give up meat. I definitely won't give up dairy.

Food is enjoyable and removing many things from my diet would impact my enjoyment of such a basic thing of eating.

Because we have got to where we are as a human race by eating a varied diet and because I object to a diet based on food travelling thousands of miles to get to my plate- you won't get much variation if you live off what is only available locally.

I can buy my meat from my local farm shop and try to eat veggies and fruit according to what is in season.

And also, fundamentally, I don't trust any food fads and food substitutes. Until I see evidence-based proof, I'll stick with an omnivore diet thanks.

Have you watched cowspiracy on Netflix ? It is not gruesome, but has some great info on the environmental impact of the meat and dairy industry. I have been vegan for 3 years and although I really missed cheese for a long time I could never go back now. My last baby was conceived and breastfed whilst I was vegan and she is very healthy. I have also found my friends and family really supportive. I am not a pushy vegan though, I do what I think is best for the planet, the animals and me and I let everyone else make their own choices. Veganuary would not be a bad start if you want to give it a go, xx