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!

Nothing. I don't give a rat's arse that animals die for my food. I care about how they live, and how they die, but the fact that they die? Nah, I'm not bothered.
I don't particularly care about artificial insemination either. So a farmer sticks his arm up a cow's arse. Oh well. So what

There is this thing called compassion. It’s a quality you appear to be severely lacking in. It is possible to empathise with others even though you’re not going through the same hardships. I’m wondering if you have a vested interest in the animal agricultural industry (is it your livelihood or something) because you sound quite bitter and twisted! Failing that perhaps you’re just psychotic.

Sorry if this is a dim question, but what vegan food do you want to be available that isn't?

I'm not even vegan, but if you want to grab a sandwich or eat out in a non-veggie restaurant, then you are lucky if there's at least something available. 100 meat sandwiches and one sad falafel one..

@KatharinaRosalie that definitely used to be the case but not so much any more thankfully. Loads of grab and go vegan options from boots, M&S, Tesco wicked range and Pret A Manger and some options at Greggs, Starbucks, Costa and cafe Nero.

It is possible to have more compassion for people than for animals (and, in particular, more compassion for my DCs than for animals). I'd like my DCs to be able to eat a wide range of food they like. I would, in fact, like the animals we end up eating to have a pleasant life, too, but I don't think us eating them after they are dead is incompatible with that.

Nothing really. I cannot be bothered with trying to find alternatives for everything. I don't like a lot of the dairy alternatives - vegan cheese is horrible, I can't stand almond/oat milk. We eat a lot of mince based dishes at home as it's something that fussy DS is guaranteed to eat - bolognese, chilli. I tried using quorn mince before and it was horrible, mushy and tasteless.

Nothing. Soya is unhealthy and does weird things to my periods, and I get anaemic without heme iron sources. My body really doesnt do well on a vegan/vegetarian diet. I have much more vitality and energy when eating oily fish and red meat

I suppose if I had to kill and butcher animals myself I might go vegetarian again, but I can't imagine anything that would make me a vegan. Certainly not the prospect of eating heavily processed fake animal products.

but I can’t move past the fact that the cows are artificially inseminated Do you think that cows and bulls have wonderful sex lives?

lol right? many female animals in the wild are effectively "raped" by their male counterparts. Its not exactly like animals having sex "naturally" involves dinner and a movie!

@FET2020 which dietic or health body says a plant based diet is not suitable for pregnant women, teenage girls and children?

British Dietic Association- well-planned vegan diet can “support healthy living in people of all ages”

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics- It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes.

NHS- “With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you can get all the nutrients your body needs.” includes specific information on how to have a healthy vegan pregnancy and raise a vegan child.

I wouldn't unless I physically had to slaughter the animals myself. I can't imagine eat enough meat for it to be an issue though, and if it were affordable, I would restrict myself to meat from local farms and butchers only.

Cutting out milk, cheese, butter, eggs, and honey would also be an issue for me. The massively processed alternatives are likely even worse for the environment and will certainly prove to be worse health-wise.

With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet,

AKA with extra work and effort, pregnant or not
Bugger that

Someone coming to my house and teaching me to cook vegan meals properly.
I work FT (partly from home), have 4DCs, 2 dogs and difficult older relatives.

We cook from scratch for 7 or more a day (batch cook for WoH days) and need to carve some time out to learn how to throw together healthy, tasty food for tinies, teens and (bloody fussy) retirees.
We’ve cut our meat intake down to around three times a week but I only have about 20 reliable and realistic (not dinner party or weekend) veggie meals and I’ve plateaued..
I need someone to physically come here, see how I cook and who for, and show me how to do it in a plant based way.

I’d love that.
The spirit is very willing, The flesh (😳) is flailing about and exhausted.

I went veggie a few months ago, and was starting to cut out eggs and dairy. But because I am new to it, when I have found myself pregnant, sick and no energy, it turns out chicken is the only thing that stays down.

So for me- not being pregnant

If my severe IBS and food allergies went away 🤷🏻‍♀️. Coeliac, dairy, peanut and coconut allergy to start and IBS triggered by beans/pulses, most fruit and many veg. I'm vegetarian and eat a lot of eggs as they're a safe food for me, and my friends free range rescue chickens provide the bulk of them!

@squeekums honestly a bit of research at the start was all it took, not that much work and effort and I’m still here nearly 10 years on, my aunt is perfectly healthy in her 60s after decades as a vegetarian and 15 years as a vegan, all my immediate family are vegan, nobody has had any deficiencies (actually my parents were anaemic before they went vegan and not now). For me the slight extra work and effort was not more important than doing the least amount of harm to others.

And tbh any diet should really be well planned and everyone should understand what makes up a healthy diet, whatever they’re eating. Most people with deficiencies are non vegan.

@SleightOfMind challenge22.com/ was set up for people like you, who want to make the change but don’t know how.

It’s free as it’s predominantly volunteer run, and as well as in group resources like recipes, meal plans, nutritional advice etc you can also get a trained personal mentor if you choose who will direct message you. They can give you the time to help tailor your meals, using the expertise of other mentors or registered dieticians as appropriate. Lots of people who sign up are struggling with feeding others who are fussy and they often gradually get results. There’s also absolutely no judgement, blame or shame, it is kept as a positive and gentle environment.

Good luck, sounds like you have a lot on your plate but I’m sure you’ll eventually make it work

with extra work and effort

Yes but you need extra work and effort to eat a healthy balanced diet as an omnivore as well. Mash and sausages is not a healthy balanced diet either. What was the number, I think around only 20% of people in the UK eat their recommended fruit and vegetables?

Most people with deficiencies are non vegan

99% of the UK population is non vegan, so statistically this will be the case

@Bellesavage galaxy do a vegan chocolate! It's apparently really nice but I've yet to try it. The packaging is all recyclable/compostable too.

@HenHarrier so therefore non vegans also need to make sure that their diet is healthy, being my point.

@kikisparks

Nah, you’re implying that a vegan is less likely to have a diet deficiency than a non-vegan. That’s not the case.

Plus it is proven that Vitamin B12 deficiency is much more prevalent in vegans than in vegetarians or omnivores.

galaxy do a vegan chocolate! It's apparently really nice but I've yet to try it

Try the M&S dark chocolate with tangerine, it's lovely

I much prefer the label "Plant-based" to the horrible term "Meatless" - ick!

I shall give the M&S chocolate a go!

I was veggie at first, then I got into a deep dive of videos from inside UK slaughterhouses. I watched one video where a man was screaming and shouting at a cow, hitting her in the face and over the head with a metal bar, and chasing her. The poor animal was so terrified that she just collapsed onto the floor and cowered away from him.

It was by far the tamest video that I watched but it just made me sick to my stomach. It really affected me how the cow had just given up. What a horrible life.

I know these people who behave like that are degenerates and don't represent the whole of the meat /dairy industry but I just decided then that I don't want any part of it anymore.

I'm not vegan in the sense that I don't follow the lifestyle - I cook meat for my partner and I probably have some second hand real leather boots. I just avoid eating animal products.

I eat fake meat, vegan cheese and dairy substitutes but I'm okay with that, it means I can eat the same as my partner but still feel okay with my choices.