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.

To be honest, a lot of the ecological benefits of being vegan also apply to just having less people. There are too many of us. If going vegan allows the possibility of more people, maybe that is not good.

While I am here I would like you all to know that I came across this government petition today.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/223338?fbclid=IwAR0gC2AifYJdemv3CkhY4uxzbWsYHx3_sicDVxg15vfLg_AxexXl1yQiU2g

It has been up for months and it expires on the 5th of January 2019 so if you support the idea of parliamentary debate on the packaging of meat then best sign up!

I support it because I have experienced a radical change in culture in the last 20 years in regards to smoking.

One of the consequences of this change has been to ensure that the product (in that case fags and tobacco) is clearly labelled as harmful. A lot less people smoke because of it.

The evidence is clear that meat eating is directly related to heart disease, and environmental destruction. One may choose not to read the evidence but that does not mean the evidence is not clear. One acronym.

IPCC no less!

I reckon that illnesses such as cancer that my dog could get from meat would outweigh any gain from eating raw but that’s just my opinion not fact based.

Because my favourite vegetable is pork.

if I remember rightly there is an island in Japan which is vegan. They are the oldest people in the world.

Okinawa? If so their diet isn't vegan, they eat less rice then the mainland, replacing it with sweet potato, but still eat meat and fish.

I have a low tolerance to dairy and DS was allergic to milk, eggs and soya for a couple of years so I do use oat milk instead of cows milk. I never found an adequate substitute for cheese, and I'm so grateful that I can eat moderate amounts of cheese.

I'm not phased by the idea of cooking vegan food, but it's hard enough feeling inspired to fill up an omniverous family without adding significant restrictions of meat/ animal products.

Environmental consequences are so complex and it's difficult to genuinely mitigate one environmental concern without exacerbating another. I can see merit in reducing consumption of animal products, but I'm not sure that a mass take up of veganism is such a great concept in terms of air miles and localised food supply chains around the world. The benefits will differ according to climates and landscapes. The UK has significant amounts of land that are only suitable for pastoral grazing and not for efficient arable use. Other climates will be less suited to plant based diets and historically diets in some parts of the world are mainly based on nomadic grazing or hunting because dependence on arable agriculture is unsustainable.

Go for it OP! There are so many good reasons to do it. (The detox period can take a couple of weeks or more though, so if you feel rubbish to start with don’t assume it’s your body not coping with a vegan diet.) Once you get in the swing of it you will love it and discover so many amazing new foods.

The food miles some ppl have talked about is interesting and one I hadn't really thought much about. I like lentils and lots of different veg so I often eat veggie or vegan means but I also eat meat (more fish and chicken than red meat). I'm interested in cutting down on meat rather than going completely vegan.

My DD has been vegetarian for about 9 mths now. I really worry about her getting all the right nutrients. She does eat pretty well but I don't think she's getting enough calories (she doesn't like onions, peppers for example) and is filling up on rice and pizza! She is a 1st yr uni student cooking her own food now so I don't really have control over what she cooks anymore.

Now she's home for the hols, it is a bit of a pain. I even did an Allplants order to have some good ready prepared food as backup - and she didn't like the 1st dish she tried! 😩

I wouldn't eat meat more than once a week but if I cut it out altogether I do feel weaker over time and my IBS gets worse because of what I fill the void with. I am dairy free. Also I think faddish eaters are a bit of a pain.

I’m a dairy farmer. It drives me insane that most of the information vegans use to promote their cause is either outright lies or sourced from other countries with much lower standards than us or more intensive farming systems. They say milk contains pus and is bleached white, or that it contains hormones and antibiotics. That is simply not true. Our milk is tested before it leaves the farm and if it doesn’t pass it isn’t allowed into the tanker. We face regular inspections and have to report quarterly to our milk buyer information such as the number of lame and skinny cows we have. If they aren’t happy they can terminate our contract. It is illegal to give growth hormones to farm animals in the UK. Most vegan claims are totally unsupported by evidence. They talk about converting farm land to arable to grow crops but much land is only suitable for grazing. Without animal manure the soil would require so much more artificial fertiliser. Plenty of animals (rabbits, deer, mice, hedgehogs, insects) die to produce cereals and vegetables. There’s no such thing as a 100% vegan diet. And if you fly in aeroplanes, drive on roads, use electricity from wind turbines, and pretty much any other human activity, you will have at some point directly or indirectly caused the death of animals. It would be much better to support sustainable, seasonal, local agriculture including meat and dairy, than import avocados and quinoa from the other side of the planet.

Busylizzybee123 very well said!

My body hates wheat and acidic fruit. Stomach cramps and diarrhoea are no fun.
It has no problem with meat, eggs and cheese.

cheegan...I eat meat, eggs and vegetables produces on local farms. Is rice produced locally? Of course it isn’t, but it’s ok isn’t it because it’s vegan? Please think about this carefully and buy your foods from local ethically produced sources.

Busylizzy well said !

"eating disorders and malnutrition is a ridiculous thing to say and frankly makes light of actual eating disorders and malnutrition"

Orthorexia is considered an eating disorder.

And malnutrition is quite often the result of a vegan diet. It is very difficult to get everything your body needs when you exclude animal products from your diet. "Ooh there's lots of iron in broccoli so I'll be fine" - No you won't because your body doesn't take it out as efficiently as it does the iron in meat.

@BusyLizzyBee123 - that post is brillian. Educated, experienced and informed. Thank you.

Busylizzzy Well said.

There are already companies looking at growing huge numbers of insects to make into a source of protein. This is to help feed mankind in the future. Does anyone want to eat this ?

Well said Busylizzy

Vegan propaganda is so very frustrating. I think it’s gigantic massive virtue signalling all round. An instant hit of moral superiority.

When the truth is it’s bad for your health

The evidence is clear that meat eating is directly related to heart disease

Where is the evidence that steak gives you heart disease?

1. I like meat
2. I don't like the taste of veg. Any veg. I have about 4 that I tolerate but I don't like any.
3. Humans did not evolve as herbivores and presumably this was for a reason.
4. Convenience. I have enough problems, I don't need to be reading packaging. Fuck that shit.
5. Pigs in blankets. So good they get their own bullet point.

I am vegetarian but like cheese and eggs too much 🙈

Life is directly related to heart disease! Almost anything in excess will eventually kill you. You can die from drinking too much water. Something has to take me out, it might as well be bacon.

*The evidence is clear that meat eating is directly related to heart disease

Actually that is WRONG.
Some studies have shown that the consumption of red meat AND processed meat increases cancer rate.
Other studies have shown that lean red meat has no impact in cancer rates but processed meat has.
In the same way, studies have shown that lean red meat has no impact on cardiovascular disease. But processed meat does and so is red meat+processed meat (aka the ‘fatty meats’).

Press coverage has been very good at making very wide statements such a ‘eating meat is increasing heart attcak’ Which are very far from the truth.