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.

Are you somehow incapable of saying meat?

I think the idea is that either (a) only vegans have had the amazing educational advantage required to realise that beef is dead cow muscle or (b) although we realise this, we are ashamed and a few reminders will change our hearts.

We haven’t yet had the bit where vegans who think meat eaters are squeamish about meat start to list either parts of the animal they think will revolt is or, alternatively, show how wasteful we are. As a committed offal eater who also delves into the rarely translated sections of Chinese restaurants, and keep andouille in the freezer, can I preempt that one and say I cannot think of any part I don’t eat.

A local 'vegan activist' 🙄 (self proclaimed) refers to meat eaters as corpse munchers as a matter of course. Not sure what she thinks it will achieve, vegans aren't the only ones who know where meat comes from.

It is funny reading all of these replies mainly because I was exactly the same before I really looked into the truth about animal products and our health. I truly thought meat and dairy etc. were necessary for our health and animal suffering was just unfortunate collateral damage.

Because I was where most people on this thread were, I know people rarely change their behaviour by being shouted at and shown graphic pictures. I think it just forces people into a deeper state of denial.

I think people need to see others they can relate to to make the change. At the moment pro meat/dairy/egg propaganda is too strong. That’s what did it for me anyway.

Taking your kids to stroke farm animals at your local petting zoo and then putting that same animal on their plate for diner that evening is all kinds of messed up, yet because most everyone else does it we think is ok.

And it’s not about being unable to say the word meat it’s about being able to speak the truth.

Taking your kids to stroke farm animals at your local petting zoo and then putting that same animal on their plate for diner that evening is all kinds of messed up,

Genuine question: why?

Children that eat meat should learn that animals provide their meat. And they should see them up close, and develop compassion for them so that they are aware that animals should be treated as humanely as possible in the food chain. The alternative is to divide animals into nice fluffy ones we keep as pets and nasty ones we eat. And that is a much odder concept.

Most children who grow up on farms etc are able to handle having a pet lamb and having lamb chops. It teaches them how to care for animals, that animals are valuable resources etc.

I see the alternative as not eating them though.

I do understand I get the concept that it is way better for people/children to be more connected to where the food comes from, much better than complete ignorance.

But your point of separating animals into into different categories we do do that already don’t we? I know this has been said so many times before people eat cats and dogs in Asia and most people are horrified by that and would not accept that here. Yet we do for other animals.

It is all cultural most people have not made their own decisions on this. We mostly keep on doing what our parents, family and social circle does. Change takes a long time for society’s.

To go vegan you have to admit you have been doing the wrong thing for all your life. It’s really hard. Socially it’s really really hard! So most people keep on keeping on, not really thinking about it.

I do think things are changing, the fact that young people have access to more information now than ever and that is only going to get better.

I have got my fingers crossed anyway!

Not rtft
Op I’m not vegan because I have 2 seperate qualifications in nutrition. I can tell you all the rda’s of essential amino acids & recommended percentage of full protein in a persons diet & how difficult it would be to fulfill both of these on a vegan diet.
I also know how differently the body processes natural food & processed food which impacts the level of neurotoxins you have. (Which inturn impacts your chances of developing depression, anxiety etc) I would never substitute meat for some synthesised overly processed, nutritionally inferior vegan food.

Personally I could very easily be vegetarian, I do rely a lot on dairy products so not vegan. But, I have a daughter with Sensory Processing Disorder who has an incredibly limited diet, and just cannot stomach fruit and veg or any variety for that matter. My son has, in contrast a vey good diet, he loves grains, fruit, veg, eats a variety of meat and given a choice between a bag of sweets or a pot of fruit he chooses fruit every time. His favourite day is the day I refill our massive fruit bowl. And to top it off a very fussy husband, who it has taken me 11 years to get him to enjoy peas! Meal time in our house is chaos and rather than do another meal for me, I eat what I cook my husband.

I think it just forces people into a deeper state of denial.

You are assuming people are in a stare of denial. Suppose it turned out that there was convincing evidence that my diet (Waitrose shopping middle class, low fat, low ish carb) were costing me qualys. It won’t be much - my cohort has a median life expectancy of about 88, and I have every reason to believe I am on the high side of that. But let’s say meat eating is the difference between living to 88 and 90 - and it really isn’t. But if it were, fine, that’s a deal I will take. And if that were a sure-kill heart attack versus a more gradual decline, then I will take that deal even more enthusiastically.

The only meat I like is lamb. As a single widow the opportunity to cook myself lamb is minimal.
I do like vegetables, eggs and cheese.
As the UK is heading towards being a third world country, it might be prudent to consider different dietary choices. Luckily I escaped about 30 years ago.
Merry Christmas.
PS. And this is very outing, I HATE turkey, but my mother insisted on me eating a slice of breast meat until I was 26!!!

I know this has been said so many times before people eat cats and dogs in Asia and most people are horrified by that and would not accept that here.

Horse is equally shocking in England but is routinely eaten in France; you can even buy it in supermarkets. And very lovely it is too.

The vegan diet is bad for you
Especially a western vegan diet relying on convenience.

Plus, 50% of my diet is meat, fish, egg or dairy based and the other 50% is vegetables (including tubers) and fruit, or plant based such as nuts, seeds etc.

Eg.

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs and grilled tomatoes
Or yoghurt with berries and flaked almonds

Snack
Apples, grapes and cheese
Or a banana and some peanut butter

Lunch
Cold meat and salad
Or tuna and bean salad
Fruit

Dinner
Salmon, new potatoes, peas and carrots
Or sausages, mash, cabbage and gravy

I do eat pasta or bread maybe 1-2x per week but that's it
So as a vegan I would basically die 🙈

Its up to everyone what they eat or their diet.
I don't agree with judging others

To go vegan you have to admit you have been doing the wrong thing for all your life.

But I don’t think I have been. I respect that you don’t want to eat or use animals and I have no problem with anyone wanting to eat that way. What I have an issue with is the attitude that eating meat is immoral and being told I’m doing the wrong thing. I personally don’t think it is. We are part of the food chain. We are omnivores. We have evolved eating meat and shellfish and animal products.

There is no one ‘rught’ Human diet - humans are really adaptable and populations around the world live on everything from vegetarian to almost exclusively animal products. None were exclusively vegan before supplements were available because you can’t get b12.

I think we have a duty to use animals ethically, but I don’t have an issue with using them for meat, milk, leather, honey etc.

The I my thing that concerns me about cat, horse and dog is that because those animals won’t have been bred legally for food purposes here we have no way of knowing if they are safe to eat. Actual species doesn’t bother me as long as there is some kind of safety controls in place.

The only thing that concerns me ^^

Many of the vegans I've met recently have also been anti-vaxxers and/or MLM sellers.

Just saying.

I'm not vegan because of the sanctimonious "better for the environment" attitude that some profess, despite the fact that having the option of being vegan is because of capitalist globalisation, that and ignoring the whole science of humans as a species being omnivores and trying to rewrite all of that.

I can get behind the idea that we consume too much meat, and with China waking up to beef it's going to become more apparent, but it's the moralisation of veganism even on this thread shows that the memes and stereotypes are true

I like, meat, dairy eggs etc and don’t really care about animals enough to stop.

I'm kind of half way between vegetarian and vegan - I don't eat meat, fish, or cows milk unless its in something else. The main reason for not going vegan is it would make life much harder, I just don't have the time right now to think about being creative with meals. Plus there are lots of veggie foods (Quorn) but not enough vegan alternatives. And the ones they have are dire.

Can I ask a question? If a hen lays an egg and it’s not fertised (because they do just lay eggs) is it ok to eat it?

Itssosunnyout

Spot on I wish more people whatever their dietary pref or lifestyle choice would just accept and respect that it's each to their own.

I live in a rural area and rent land from a farmer whose animals are very well cared for and every spring we help when lambs are rejected and need to be bottle-fed and given 1-1 care.

Nature is cruel and the fate of animals far worse if we left them to it. Every year ewes and cows need physical help to safely deliver calves or lambs and even with help some are still sadly stillborn. Others are rejected and sometimes violently attacked and killed so we have to step in and separate them from others then bottle feed and hand rear them.

We couldn't simply leave animals to live freely without any intervention because they would continue to breed and die and become a serious health risk through lack of veterinary care and treatment and we'd end up killing them anyway to control the population, manage and ensure safety and prevent transmission of infectious diseases.

I have no problem what people choose to eat or not whatever the case may be but I do have a problem with people that think they have the right to lecture anyone else.

Many of the vegans I've met recently have also been anti-vaxxers and/or MLM sellers

I find that too and I'm not having a pop or implying it's the case for all but it is a common thing which is a shame because they give the term "vegan" a bad name.

A friend of ours fostered a young girl whose former foster parents had told her it was wrong to have pets and when she arrived at my friend's the poor girl cried and asked to be moved somewhere else because they have a dog and she believed it was cruel.

She stayed and eventually returned to her normal diet and even entered some shows with the dog but that was a disgraceful thing to do

I'm perfectly well informed on nutrition etc, but I like meat and as such will continue to eat it. 🤷 It isn't about 'knowing/speaking the truth'... patronising so-and-so's.

I find that too and I'm not having a pop or implying it's the case for all but it is a common thing which is a shame because they give the term "vegan" a bad name

They do give vegans a bad name. I have a couple of vegan friends who are not like this at all, who can give good reasons for their choices whilst not lecturing others on theirs.

The "new-style" vegan antivax/MLMers tend to be vegan for show, almost, to promote their shite products or to validate their antivax stance by claiming to be holier than thou. They also tend to believe anything they read on the internet or see on YouTube and can't seem to tell the difference between fact and anecdote.

Forgot to add, that's so sad about your friends foster child @Normalnorman

Glad she's in a better place now