Shamed by vegan friend

[catsarelifetome]

I'm a vegetarian, and I have been since early teens. I know many vegans view vegetarians as hypocrites for still consuming animal products, and I do feel guilty about that. I buy vegan whenever possible, but due to having anaemia and a busy lifestyle it would be very hard and restrictive to adopt a vegan lifestyle 100%.

A friend I hadn't spoken to in a while messaged me to catch up the other day. She is a very strict vegan and we used to have lots of conversations about animal welfare etc. She asked if I have turned vegan yet. I said not quite, but I buy vegan as much as possible. She messaged back shame on you, please think about the poor cows and hens when you next go shopping.

It's played on my mind and I feel guilty. I haven't responded yet

i think the only sensible reply to that was "Fuck the cow, fuck the hens and FUCK YOU TOO" and block her ass

@JKScot4 - not everyone has minor anemia that can be sorted by eating spinach. I have major anemia and it’s a scientific fact that iron found in fish and meat is better absorbed than eggs and veg

Ask her if she worries about the crows and rabbits shot, the environmental impact of polytunnels, the insects crushed during harvest, in order to feed her selfish lust for plant-based food.

Why do people feel they can go around controlling what others eat? I'm so bored of it all, particularly when people start on about what they eat. I just don't care.

just carry on as you are and ignore her - she has the problem not you

@koshkatt I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what happened. I have a friend who has been a vegetarian since she was a child. Her mother in law went vegan a few years ago and absolutely berates her for still eating cheese etc. Funnily enough she seems to have no problems with her son eating meat.

I have major anemia and it’s a scientific fact that iron found in fish and meat is better absorbed than eggs and veg

The op is vegetarian though. Going vegan from vegetarian isn’t going to make anaemia worse.

It's impossible to have a healthy diet as a vegan, particularly for women unless you supplement with vitamins and iron out of a bottle and calcium fortified bread or vegan milk. Even then there is an issue with absorbing b12. It's not sensible to embarque on a wholly vegan diet without a lot of research and planning.

Total crap. The vast majority of bread is calcium enforced anyway, so that is not an issue and I’ve had my blood tested on a few occasions in the 30 odd years and not ONCE had an issue with my calcium, b12, iron or any other nutrient levels. Some vegans that have bad diets will have deficiencies, as will those that have a crap omnivorous diet.

“Fuck off” is the only appropriate response here.

Anyway, isn’t the farming of almonds and soy etc horrendous for the environment?*

*I don’t know but I remember an article about how bad veganism is for the planet!

@GrumpyHoonMain
OPis vegetarian so doesn’t eat fish or meat, so her argument is pretty invalid, neglible amounts in dairy.
My bug bear is the ignorance surrounding food, all the right on mummies on MN yet see no wrong in drinking another mammals milk whilst their calf is slaughtered/removed at birth, to me it’s basic human compassion to find this abhorrent.
We do not need to consume cows milk.

I'm sorry you had this experience OP. I've been vegan since January (there we go @Dubdubdubtub!) and I can honestly say that we're not all like your friend. I would never judge someone's choice to eat meat or dairy, considering I did for nearly 30 years!

Tell her to piss off.

@Totallycluelessoverhere
Have you always been a nasty bully?
That’s a vile attitude.

What on earth has it got to do with her?

Although now I've seen someone above say there's not very many nice vegan things I'm a bit worried about the vegan sausages I bought DH. TBH he'll probably cover the vegan sausages in peri peri hot sauce so hopefully they'll taste fine!!

[heads off to google a recipe for bean burgers/sausages]

And in the 4th year ? Could you survive if there were no food imports too ? Think Mesolithic /Neolithic times !

jkscot4 no more so than people trying to make others feel guilty about what they eat.
I like lamb.

Does she not have jabs then either? Or take any medication or use cosmetics...

All humans have a detrimental effect on the existence of animals/wildlife. So no one has the right to be so sanctimonious.

I worked with a moany vegan (who ate a spectacularly appalling diet). Her lecturing had the opposite effect, I don’t even eat much meat, but it used to make me want to!

I’ve said this before, that it would be more achievable if everyone cut down on their meat and diary, rather than expecting people who don’t want to be vegan to be guilted into it. I’ve tried some really nasty vegan alternative food as well.

I think you displaying a dead lamb is helluva lot worse than someone talking about veganism.

Have you always been a nasty bully?

Don’t be so ridiculous! How is she a bully? Don’t dilute and serious issue, please.

Taking about Veganism is very different from berating people and guilt tripping them for consuming animal products.

JkScot4, I don't think you quite understand what bullying is.

@ohcaptain
As I said, I think someone talking about veganism, doesn’t merit being sent a photo of a butchered lamb, do you?
That is nasty.

No one should be rude to others about their diet. People like me with genuine food intolerances are limited in what we can eat any way, especially wheat and all the various beans/pulses and more. You shouldn’t have to explain to all and sundry.

Oh another vegan bashing thread