Vegans!!

[littlemissgrumpi]

I have a friend I've known for years and years. She's great, but the following is recently seriously getting on my nerves:

Myself and DH are regular half marathoners / love exercise / athletic builds / no health conditions / omnivores. We eat lots of veg, chicken and fish about twice a week, red meat about once a fortnight. Cow's milk in coffee and tea everyday. Pretty average. Said friend has always struggled with being overweight, not helped by the birth of her DD2 and is currently quite overweight and doesn't like to exercise. No judgement, each to their own. She's recently become vegan and is obsessed with telling me how worried she is for my health because I drink milk and eat red meat. It's almost laughable because I'm the fittest I've ever been & felt! I don't comment on her choice of vegan cakes etc so I really feel this is unreasonable.

The other day on a walk, she was huffing and puffing walking up the hill whilst telling me how unhealthy it is to be drinking cows milk and I really shouldn't have the beef burger for lunch. AIBU to think it's ridiculous??

Yep. Being vegan does not make you more healthy than a healthy carnivore!! Absolutely not. Especially all these meat alternatives some vegans eat, they're full of shit and processed to the max - it's NOT healthy.

She'll get over it. I think it's a shock when you realise the truth about the meat and milk industry (and I say this as a carnivore!). I'd just gently change the subject when it starts getting personal....

She's an idiot, ignore her.

Just because you're vegan doesn't make you healthy automatically. Same as if you eat meat and drink milk you're not unhealthy automatically.

Not at all! Being vegan doesn't mean you are healthier, and it's an individual choice to eat whatever they want. I think she's the one who is being unreasonable for judging others' life choices.

this is not a thing that all vegans do, maybe some of them do and your friend is one of them.

I think if it was me I would say as neutrally and politely as I could "I don't feel it's my place to comment on your health and lifestyle choices and would prefer if you don't comment on mine, please. Let's just enjoy our lunch shall we?"

FGS, this isn’t a “vegan” thing, this is a “your friend” thing.
“Vegan” doesn’t = “healthy” and no vegans claim that it is unless they’re following a strictly vegan whole food plant based diet.

Enough with lumping all vegans in together, theyre not a hive mind, other than not eating meat/dairy for animal welfare reasons…

I used to care for a teenager who was vegan, their diet consisted mostly of vegan desserts, vegan ice cream, chips and crisps! I don't eat meat and am very health conscious but no way is just "being vegan" a guarantee to a healthy lifestyle, just like eating meat doesn't mean your diet is automatically bad

Bit annoying that you’ve lumped all vegans under one exasperated word.

@ThroughThickAndThin01

Bit annoying that you’ve lumped all vegans under one exasperated word.

Exactly. (and no I'm not vegan) It just seems like an invitation now to attack and mock a group of people for something that one person you know does

It works both ways. Years ago, a colleague of mine told me he’d ‘never met a healthy vegetarian’. He was overweight, washed out-looking and, to top it all, when I’d shown my mother pictures of our Christmas do, she’d pointed him out and said ‘Is he the one you said was retiring soon?’ He was 48 at the time.

But yes, I was the ‘unhealthy’ one because I’m vegetarian…

I think I am the best type of vegan. Although Puritans would say I am not a vegan. Left to choice I don't eat animal products and don't eat meat. If invited out I eat what I am given if its meat stock, dairy in the food and when I am ill I have to have bovril and bone broth. I don't want to support the meat industry but know I won't change the world alone, I have shares in beyond meat and support plant based start ups. But life is too short to let it take over your life and even though the industy repulses me, there's no doubt that the odd bovril, oxo, butter and cream (not together) just makes food taste nicer.

As someone trying to be vegan, I am the first to admit it isn't automatically healthy. Especially for people that eat lots of fake meat products.

Same as eating processed meat products, they aren't healthy either.

Vegan is healthier if your diet is mainly fruit, vegetables and things like tofu and pulses.

She shouldn’t be commenting on your food choices, it’s rude. I have a different problem - my youngest DD is vegan and people keep saying she can’t be getting enough nutrition! She cooks every meal from scratch and has a varied diet. I’ve just had a bowl of her tomato and leek soup for lunch and it was amazing. People should keep their opinions to themselves unless they want to invite scrutiny of their own lifestyle choices.

@ThroughThickAndThin01

Bit annoying that you’ve lumped all vegans under one exasperated word.

Navalt?

I’m vegan and currently the unhealthiest I’ve ever been! (Too many vegan cakes!!) Being vegan can be done healthily and unhealthily just like omnivore diets

This isn't a "vegans are like this" thing. It's a "your friend is a cunt" thing.

I'm a vegan and i'm fat as fuck. I am under no illusions I am healthier than any chicken munchers.

She's being a tool. I've had colleagues jump on all sorts of wagons, thinking gluten free/ high protein writing on a pack made it healthy. I see it now with vegan being plastered on cakes/ treats and people think that makes them healthy. Fine as part of a balanced diet but not the definition of healthy!

Tell her that would don't want to talk about it and change the subject.

Having a vegan diet doesn’t make you a dick, she’s naturally just a dick.

I find the relentless vegan bashing on MN really tiresome.

@ThroughThickAndThin01 @AryaStarkWolf @Strokethefurrywall Yep I realise that all vegans aren't like this - rushed typing of a post and I don't mean to stir up hatred for vegans!

@HereComesTheSum absolutely, one of my fave treats is vegan and it is packed full of additives and very processed!

@Bigboysmademedoit yes it's a ridiculous assumption that vegans can't get enough nutrients- I've heard this one over and over again and it's just not true.

That sounds really annoying. I would just tell her "Nobody has a perfect lifestyle I feel the fittest I have ever been I am not worried. Let's not talk about cows milk again."

ALTHOUGH I must add that I have experienced judgement from vegans about my lifestyle choices (which I believe are pretty healthy) quite a few times... whereas I wouldn't find it appropriate to comment on their choice of diet 🤔

Well yes she's being a bit of a nob. But as others have said, she's one person, your mate. You picked her to be friends with.

It's interesting though to see the discussion of unhealthy vegan food. I agree it was only a matter of time before the food industry hijacked vegan eating and stuffed it full of refined sugars and ultra-processed crap.

Fuckers.

NAVALT love it!

Vegans vary a lot just like everyone else but your friend is an opinionated git.