What’s wrong with being a part-time Vegan?

[CookieDough2017]

Hi there,

I will give you a bit of background ... I have been a pescatarian for 5-6 years. I decided to become a vegetarian late October last year. I slipped up once and ate fish on holiday celebrating my 30th.

I’m now trying to do Veganuary ... In the first week I struggled to do it full time the second week I set myself a target of being a 2-4 times week I found this a lot more easier and I can see myself carrying on doing this throughout the year.

When I tell people I’m doing Veganuary but part-time they laugh and say what’s the point you might as well not bother.

What are people’s problem with me doing this part time? Would love to here from any other part-time vegans out there x

What you’re doing is brilliant, well done. If you’re not a vegan all the time, that’s absolutely fine. The word means something specific so don’t use it to describe yourself. If you’re asked, I’d say you were mainly following a vegan diet and you’ve made changes to use cruelty free vegan products.

Who cares, eat what you want and when. reducing the amount of meat and dairy you eat is good for the planet, so it's great you are doing it sometimes.

@Lougle What's wrong with nooch!? Haha. It's great.
But you can have plenty vegan breakfasts without it: beans on toast, tomatoes on toast, (vegan) sausage barm, (vegan) bacon barm, crumpets, (vegan) criossants/pan au chocolate, cereal...

I realise you didn't ask for suggestions lol, sorry. Nooch is lovely though.

I think veganuary was probably marketed as a challenge for new year where people are keen to punish deprive themselves after the excesses of Christmas with the plus side that if people could survive it for a month they may adopt it for a permanent lifestyle, or even if it's only for the month, change peoples thinking about where their food comes from, and probably try more vegan food.
For a lot of people it will just mean trying a greater variety of vegan food (as lots of shops and outlets are increasing their options) rather than fully embracing a vegan lifestyle. That's not to say it should be all or nothing but it doesn't really need a label.

My next meal today will likely be technically vegan, but since I ate a bacon sandwich to start my day, I would never claim the word vegan. I am an omnivore who can enjoy a variety of foods.

Do you eat any animal products at all? Ever?

If yes you're not a vegan full stop.

And you've not offended anyone. It's just a ridiculous statement.

Part time vegan

I, myself, am going to be a vegan for the next three and a half hours.

I do tell people I’m trying to reduce my dairy consumption as my new year’s resolution. I think I said part-time without vegan, sorry. I just thought some days I eat like a vegan would on typical day that’s why I said it.

I went out for a curry with my friends the other day I asked the waiter if I could have it without ghee included and have it cooked with vegetable oil instead. My one friend said what’s the point you are not vegan just have a normal curry. I did say if everyone started doing that Indian restaurant will start cooking with vegetable oil instead of ghee (I know that’s not very likely to happen) I can only try.

That’s the aim if I cut down my weekly egg eating consumption from say 6 to 2 a week times that is a lot less eggs! Same goes for milk and cheese ... I will be a very proud lady

That will have zero affect on animal welfare. Good for your health but nothing else.

That will have zero affect on animal welfare

But the op has reduced her meat and dairy consumption, as well as changing some of the products she uses for cruelty free ones. How is that doing nothing for animal welfare?

Reduction still creates a demand.
The hens will still be required. The males chicks will still be destroyed and all the other meats will still be there.

She can do what she likes. But don't preach when it's not factual.

Have a vegan based diet several times a week is absolutely fine. It’s a dietary choice, your choice.

And those who make comments about not bothering just goes to show that vegans don’t care for any of the health risk of benefits, it’s purely a lifestyle choice.

So when a vegan tries to ply you with how much iron they can get from a floret of broccoli, they actually have no valid point to make, or they would respect the fact you in fact do follow that diet several times a week.

@Nomorelaundry isn't something better than nothing though? There is never going to be a point where everybody is vegan, but there is a chance that most people will be happy to cut down a bit, isn't that better for the planet overall?

ridiculous that people are putting others down for trying to reduce.

part time vegan - part time plant based whatever you want to call it. bottom line is you are reducing your intake and that's a positive, if only more people could follow in your footsteps

Sure. But it's not part time vegan. It's just a better healthier diet.

So it helps OP. That's great. But still. Part time vegan does not exist.

I would suggest that very, very, few people are actually "Vegans“

Agree.

However i find if you don’t declare yourself officially vegan or Veggie, you get animal
options presented, and you are being “difficult” if you request veggie or vegan options.

I do find the attitude is “all or nothing”. Personally i think more people would eat plant based if there wasn’t such a stigma.

Fortunately i do think veganuary and the like is making vegan and veggie food more prevalent- sometimes there’s more than one choice on a menu!!

"SkyfallBrown

ridiculous that people are putting others down for trying to reduce."

Nobody is putting anyone down for trying to reduce, but clearly eating a steak on Sunday and then saying you're 'part-time vegan' on Wednesday doesn't cut it. Either you have given up all animal products (vegan) or you haven't. I haven't.

i think it's a lot better than most people manage. I'm not a vegan or a veg or anything but i do consciously try to limit my purchasing of dairy and meat and try to buy locally produced farm shop etc. and we keep our own chickens who are certainly far from exploited or suffering. if everyone did this instead of a minority percentage of people who can commit to hardcore veganism talking down to us doing what we can that would be a big improvement in the impact!

I don't think it's putting anyone down, but as someone who is a vegan, who doesn't wear wool/leather etc, doesn't consume animal products including honey or vit d derived from sheeps wool. We don't visit zoos, we don't have any animal products in our house etc someone who eats occasionally some plant based meals cannot just throw being vegan out there. Well done for cutting down on dairy/meat/etc that's such a positive step but that does not make someone a vegan.

I am moving to a plant based diet, so I guess I'm nearly vegan. But it's not for ethical reasons, and I'm never going to refer to myself as vegan.

So, if you must refer to what you eat, just say you prefer plant based meals.

I did say if everyone started doing that Indian restaurant will start cooking with vegetable oil instead of ghee

I thought most did use vegetable oil now anyway?

Vegan is a lifestyle choice, you cannot "mostly eat vegan" it is a way of living, an ethical choice.

Which is why veganuary is a load of toss. Just eat less animal food, all year round. There is no virtue in 'being vegan' for a month, and then going back to normal. Especially, as it appears from other threads that all that involves is buying processed crap food that looks like meat, fish, eggs and dairy.

All the hand wringing about the vegan burger in Burger King being cooked in meat juices. Just eat more vegetables, tofu, nuts, seeds, grains, beans, lentils.

Or don't. There is no need for a label, other than omnivore. ( unless you are actually vegan or vegetarian obs)

I don't think veganuary is there for people to just do it for a month and then go back.
It's there so people can try it for a month with the support of the other thousands of people who are doing it and with help from the campaign and also there's lots of help from shops in jan. Commiting for a month isn't so scary, you can give it a go but if it doesn't work you don't have to do an embarrassing u-turn. Also it stops lots of those 'who are you vegan?' Convos which are awful at the beginning. I would imagine lots of people who complete veganuary stay vegan.
I know I did: tried veganuary four years ago, still vegan.

There's nothing wrong with what you're doing, it's great that you want to reduce your consumption of animals and animal products!
I think that what people are pointing out is that it's not really veganism/Veganuary as per the meaning of the term, which sort of implies no animal products at all. It's really flexitarianism that you're doing, or just reducing your consumption of animals and animal products. Which is totally great!

Think of it like this - if someone told you they were doing Dry January, but just part-time, it wouldn't make any sense would it? Nothing wrong with it, and it is great that they are trying to reduce their alcohol consumption...it's just not Dry January as we think of it.

It's just the phrasing, like when someone says they're 50% vegan - it means they're not vegan. They just don't eat animal products with every meal but they're still omnivorous or vegetarian.