AIBU to ask ‘what would make you go vegan’?

[Bastetcat]

Tangentially inspired by another thread, I wonder if there are specific obstacles standing in the way of people choosing to go vegan, and if so what they are?

I tend to presume that if perfect, indistinguishable replicas for meat / dairy / eggs etc could be created then virtually everyone would go vegan, but I would be interested in finding out if that’s actually the case!

KatharinaRosalie that graph is facinating!

Frontal lobotomy

Nothing, honestly. I've always had a keen interest in food and nutrition and I don't feel that the vegan diet is one that would be good for my health. I'm comfortable with animal slaughter, having seen it live where I grew up.

I don't want to go vegan.

"I tend to presume that if perfect, indistinguishable replicas for meat / dairy / eggs etc could be created then virtually everyone would go vegan"

I wouldn't. I tend to find "replica" food repulsive. I would still prefer the natural over the artificial.

I am mostly vegan already I suppose. We only eat meat or fish one day a week. Only have plant based milk as I am lactose intolerant and hardly eat cheese except for Christmas. The one thing I would really struggle without is eggs as I use them so much for cooking and baking.

Tricky, I don’t think I could be vegan ever. However the U.K. diet is very meat and processed food heavy, which is not healthy for us or the environment.

I think cheese and icecream are god level foods.

And cheese and cured meats are part of our cultural heritage. So are dishes like Sunday roast, haggis, stew... food is identity and I don’t buy into the vegan identity. And that holier-than-thou puritanical attitude doesn’t sit well. Makes me cringe when religious people get so extreme about being right and everyone has to agree with them or face their wrath... with vegans you feel like often they like to feel like they are right and others are wrong.

I do believe that farm animals should have exceptionally high welfare standards and I vote with my purse to that extent. It is pricy though so unfortunately it is a privilege to be able to buy meat which has higher welfare standards. So we only have meat twice a week. Cheese once a week... the rest is more plant based, dal, roasted squash and nightshades etc

Fashionable vegan food is also very expensive. All those plant milks are £££ As it’s part of this wellness lifestyle fashion thing. I suspect some people like to be vegan because they are masking a form of orthorexia. It is easier to be thin if you don’t eat icecream, barista coffees, cheese, fatty meat etc.

I like to enjoy food and struggle with the “food is fuel” and nutrition box ticking. It’s a bit puritanical, it is ok to enjoy what you eat, whether that’s bolognese or broccoli. Neither is actually more virtuous from an enjoyment point of view.

And let’s be honest no plant milk substitute will ever replace blue top milk in a barista coffee.

I’m vegetarian and would struggle with the restrictions, is there a good cook book someone can recommend I’m thinking of doing it slowly that way I’m more likely to stick to it.

@KatharinaRosalie thank you so much for that, that’s really interesting!

I do get annoyed when people act as though vegans eat nothing but imported foods. That graph just proves that even if it were true, it still doesn’t come close to the impact of eating beef. It’s hard to see any moral justification for beef consumption (I appreciate people have many non-moral justifications, such as taste / convenience etc).

@FAQs I really recommend the Bosh! books. They’re really informative and have lots of great recipes. It’s also worth trying a few alternatives to get the ones you like - I tried about 6 plant milks before finding one that I enjoy.

FAQs I love the Green Roasting Tin. Simple recipes, and also suggetions how to make up your own combinations. Has taught me to love several veggies I used to despise - boiled cold beetroot was the stuff of my nightmares, but the chickpea and beet roast from that book is heavenly.

That graph just proves that even if it were true

I suspect the GHG emissions on that graph for beef herds is going to vary a lot country by country, as beef is produced in different ways. Massive feed lots in the US? Cleared forest in South America? Long established pasture in the UK?

nothing. I am a member of a species that needs B12 and I don't fancy getting it the medieval way. Would rather eat real food than supplements.

Complete lack of availability in some form of apocalyptic event. Nothing else.

I already rear and slaughter my own meat (and a part of me feels that if you couldn't do it yourself , perhaps you shouldn't eat it) and am happy snaring rabbits and catching fish. I don't think we are meant to be vegan, and it has its own negative impact upon the world alongside the negative impact of the over production and consumption of meat etc. But I respect everyone's choice no matter

I’m moving to a plant based diet. Over the last 3 months I’ve gone from eating meat twice a day everyday to 3/4 meat free days a week and only the main meal having meat for the others. I’ve replaced about 50% of my milk with oat milk too. I hope to reduce further over the next year. I’ve found that by making small changes and reducing animal products slowly I’ve not found it a massive change.

believe it or not to artificially inseminate a cow farmers do go elbow deep into her rectum to push her cervix down to the right position to inseminate

Well I happily stand corrected then.

Also

Still don't believe it's sexual assault though!

I have ARFID, so I can’t go vegan as I wouldn’t eat anything!!

But I wish I could

@HenHarrier yes, it would be interesting to see if there is a big difference. I suspect it isn’t significant based on the study linked to in that one which is specifically focused on the EU and shows the same pattern. It also seems that the biggest source of CO2 emissions is the methane produced by the cows. But I expect the effect on land usage is worse in the US than here. It would be interesting to see a comparative study if you can find one.

@mencken just so you know, these days B12 is in animal products because farm animals are fed it as a supplement. If you want it naturally you would need to eat a lot of game or wildfowl, a lot of unwashed organic veggies, or drink a lot of untreated water. The latter two options obviously have significant drawbacks...!

I don't currently intend to go vegetarian or vegan BUT we have cut right down on meat and cheese, for health and environmental reasons. Myself and OH generally have one meal per week at home containing meat, usually with the kids at the weekend. We've been cooking more out of books like the Green Roasting Tin, and I've been going for some dairy-free alternatives in my porridge etc.

For the DC, if I cook a big batch of bolognaise for the freezer I'll put loads of veggies and some red lentils in it, and one pack of mince will do 12 kids' portions. They also love sausages, so I buy chipolatas from our posh butcher.

But I don't personally feel the need to be all-or-nothing about it, and for the reasons we do it, I feel that we're at the right level.

I love meat and I loathe most vegetables, so only if there is a substitute that is actually indistinguishable from meat would I do so.

I would welcome that, however, as I'd like to go vegan, I just know my own limits.

Cheese. I've had to be df for years for my cmpa kids and there is no replacement for cheese. Vegans tell you that the replacements are nice, this is all lies. These vegans clearly never tasted a good extra mature cheddar and presumably lived on dairy lea before they went vegan.

Nothing, as I don't want to.

Oh, and you might have to pry cheese from my cold, dead hands.

@Bellesavage this vegan agrees with you. I’ve yet to find a vegan cheese I like. Most are vile. I don’t miss real cheese though, even though I loved it once! I do think your tastes change once you’re not eating certain things anymore.

Nothing. I'd have permanent gut cramps.