To say that being a vegan is no better for the environment than being a meat eater?

[OnlyInYourDreams]

Unless you eat only home grown, locally sourced products?

Obviously some people are vegan because they don’t like the idea of using any kind of animal products. But all too often people say that they’re vegan because “it’s better for the environment when this is categorically not the case.

Lots of fruit/veg have to be imported which is actually worse for the environment because it involves pumping man-made substances into the environment.

Products like almond milk are terrible for the environment because e.g. it takes 1600l of water to produce 1l of almond milk. Coca-Cola is practically a green product in comparison…

If people want to be vegan, why not just say you want to be vegan. Coming up with reasons such as “it’s better for the environment” which are just rubbish and laughable is only going to increase the amount of people who don’t take vegans seriously.

I misunderstood the question, as someone was banging on about it being unhealthy for x group.
To be honest, I don't know. However, it's interesting that vegans are the only ones expected to never eat any imported food isn't it? You'd think from the dialogue on here every one else lives on grass fed beef and turnips.
But as I said previously, I am not vegan for the environment, so any reduction in my carbon footprint is a happy coincidence.

I do own an Alaskan vegan cookbook, so presumably the author who lives there is doing it there.
There's another awesome soup recipe in that one which is a personal favourite.

@RebeccaOfSunnyHellFarm

I misunderstood the question, as someone was banging on about it being unhealthy for x group. To be honest, I don't know. However, it's interesting that vegans are the only ones expected to never eat any imported food isn't it? You'd think from the dialogue on here every one else lives on grass fed beef and turnips. But as I said previously, I am not vegan for the environment, so any reduction in my carbon footprint is a happy coincidence.

It absolutely wasn't my intention to imply that vegans should never eat any imported food. I was just curious.

I think the ethical dimension of this question will fade away anyway within the next decade-two or so, with artificially grown meat becoming the preferred means of production, and the environmental will gain more importance.

Yeurch, not for me thanks. Meaty like textures are not my bag.
DH was very interested in that programme where they cloned a chicken nugget. Much more his thing.

Didn't read the whole thread, but the argument about pigs taking up resources and giving little food is ridiculous. A generation ago in my country almost everyone had pigs or had relatives who rised one or two pigs in little barns/sheds and large part of pigs feed was leftowers from human table. In warm season also grass and dandelions (pigs love dandelions! ). One or two pigs latter would provide a whole family with meat for a year. City relatives often received goods from countryside - I grew up on them. People used all they could get from pig - all the organs, all the cuts, must admit - even head (sorry vegans!). My judgy oppinion is that modern vegan philosopy comes from how distant we are today from food production. Many of their arguments are not the only truth there is nor the only way.

@RebeccaOfSunnyHellFarm

Yeurch, not for me thanks. Meaty like textures are not my bag. DH was very interested in that programme where they cloned a chicken nugget. Much more his thing.

Well, there's also insect based diets, which are argued by some experts as even more ethical than pure veganism.

"Plant based", that's what. Have you noticed the increasing number of packaged foods now labeled "plant based" or "vegan", even stuff that has never seen an atom of animal products grin. Hilarious. They're all getting in on the racket.
Also "Non-GMO". I bought some posh table salt last year purely for the reason that it was labelled as "Non-GMO" and I wanted it for evidence of human stupidity.

I actually think the spiced insects in Myanmar looked quite interesting. Crunchy.
I'd give the spiders on a stick a miss though.

artificially grown meat becoming the preferred means of production

No health conscious omnivore will touch artificial meat with a bargepole. I certainly wouldn't

Care for an earwig?

I wonder whether those who are so militant about the vegan world 'they would like to see' have stopped to think for a second the implications of what they are promoting.

Their utopia would result in a two-tier society where those who do well on a vegan diet would enjoy optimal health. Whereas those who need animal products would be condemned to a life of malnourishment and ill health.

Do you understand why your insistence could be annoying to some? With this in mind, do you still feel smug and virtuous?

Please eat what you want and leave others alone. Stop talking about reducing x, y and z and artificial meat. It's disturbing

@mustlovegin

artificially grown meat becoming the preferred means of production

No health conscious omnivore will touch artificial meat with a bargepole. I certainly wouldn't

Why not? I cannot say I am exceptionally health conscious, but I don't have strong objections.

Please eat what you want and leave others alone

Coming from the most judgemental, sanctimonious person on this thread.

It's been you who's been attacking the vegan diet not the other way round.

Thankfully, most omnivores are reasonable like @Pumperthepumper and @forinborin otherwise you'd give them a very bad name.

Honestly the projection is astounding.

@RebeccaOfSunnyHellFarm

Care for an earwig?

I tried food made with cricket flour, did not notice any significant difference. Somewhat similar to gram flour taste wise. I don't mind it becoming a staple in my diet, but at the moment it is quite expensive, more a niche product, really.

Would probably still say no to a naice roach cooked au naturel. It is largely cultural, as objectively other invertebrates like prawns are not much more aesthetically pleasing, but I still eat them.

Also, it was an omnivore who suggested artificial meat. Try to keep up.

Good analysis here:

Trying to work out if DH would be onboard with cockroach flour or not. They're his nemesis'. When we lived in Asia they used to seek him out and fly at his head. I think he'd possibly like a little non vegan revenge haha.

A cockroach mill would certainly be very niche. Perhaps will go on dragons den.

@RebeccaOfSunnyHellFarm

A cockroach mill would certainly be very niche. Perhaps will go on dragons den.

You can get it on amazon, there are quite a few suppliers already. I have a colleague who is a big fan (biomedical scientist, so hopefully knows his crickets from his cockroaches), thus tried all of the latest quirks. Not the lab grown meat yet, I think it exists for retail sale only in Singapore atm, but have zero objections to trying.

Aww damn, all my inventions are already invented.
Not vegan related bat all, but I had an idea for a squatty skirt the other day. Like a normal skirt, but when you want to have a wee in public it has a cleverly hidden she wee and pull outable sides. I will save that for the dragons.

You can get it on amazon, there are quite a few suppliers already.

That's gin's Christmas present sorted then ;)

That's gin's Christmas present sorted then

I've seen something like this at Selfridges. There appears to be a market for them.

As long as we agree to leave ladybirds alone. DS would weep.
Also very hungry catapillars