While veganism has grown in popularity over the last few years, there is still a lot of ignorance around what veganism is and what it means to people. I have been vegan now for 8 years (and was vegetarian for 6 years before then) and unfortunately there are still people out there who think that veganism is a 'phase' or is some 'hippy nonsense'. I've heard it all before!
Even with my years of experience behind me, sometimes people's comments do hurt and I can completely understand why people would be put off of a vegan lifestyle purely due to the punt of comments you get from other people about your personal choices. Here are a few tips I have learnt that have helped me sweep aside any comments people make to me about veganism and I hope this helps you all in your own journeys.
'But what about all of the farmers that will lose work and business due to veganism?'
So this is a new one that's recently started popping up and for the life of me I have no idea why. If someone doesn't want to drink, you don't hear people complaining about the poor liqueur companies losing money. If someone doesn't want to work out you don't he'd people complaining about the poor gyms or personal trainers losing money or business. So why are farmers suddenly such a concern?
My response to this is that all businesses need to adapt in order to remain relevant. The reality is that people move to a vegan lifestyle gradually over time, and it will still be a considerable amount of time before the entire world ever went fully vegan. If a farmer cannot adapt during that period, then they clearly don't run a very good business. Surely veganism would be a good incentive for farmers to get into the market early too? If one farmer noticed that oat milk sales are on the rise, what's to stop them from making their own line of oat milk? Or selling their own fruit and vegetables? If this was any other industry, businesses that do not adapt will be left behind and lose out on money due to the changing market and farming should not be given special treatment.
'How do you live without bacon/cheese/insert any other animal product here?!'
'Very easily' is usually my response. While there are some products I miss eating (French macarons mainly), none of these are things fundamental to my survival as a human being. There are thousands of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, pulses and now meat replacements that allow me to have a balanced and healthy diet and I feel great because of it. There may be some products that you miss but with so much on offer these days, it is actually quite easy to find a replacement for the non vegan favourites.
'People were made to eat meat though'
This falls into the same line of comments as 'but our ancestors ate meat' and 'lions eat meat'. Our ancestors also died before they reached 30 and last I checked, humans are not lions. Lions also eat the young of any competing males in a pride so perhaps they are not the best role models for modern day living? As with most things in society, times change. There is a whole heap of evidence out there now that show that eating a vegan diet is one of the healthiest and most sustainable diets out there. If humans were really designed to eat meat, then surely we wouldn't have made it this far without it? As someone who hasn't eaten meat now in about 15 years, I can guarantee that people do not need meat in order to survive.
'Where do you get your protein from?'
Probably the most common. Now when I was vegetarian, no one ever really questioned where i got my nutrients from. Yet as soon as I went vegan everyone around me seemed convinced that I would die of protein deficiency within the hour. Obviously, I did not. I would like to think that in this day and age most people know that you can get protein from a whole heap of different foods (tofu, seitan, lentils, beans, nuts) and that this question is asked purely to try and get a reaction. I usually just respond with the facts - I get my protein from tofu and beans mostly, but also from meat replacements. While there is an argument that processed foods may not be the healthiest option out there, in moderation they can make the entire transition to veganism easier and more enjoyable.
'Why do vegans make their food look and/or taste like meat?'
For the majority of vegans (at least those I have met) they stop eating meat because they don't like the idea of eating another living being, be it a chicken, a lamb or a fish. The taste has nothing to do with it. Many vegans enjoy the taste of meat but not where that meat has to come from or the suffering that the meat industry (and all areas of animal agriculture for that matter) causes to the animals, to the planet, to the local environment and even to the farmers. Veganism is a moral choice, not a question of taste. Now I am one of those vegans who never really enjoyed meat - I always found it tough, bland and pretty disappointing as a meal. But that being said my favourite food used to be duck pancakes. And guess what my favourite animal was back then? Yes...ducks. Once I made that connection that the ducks I loved to watch at my local pond were the same (or at least very closely related to) the duck on my plate, I stopped eating them. Not because I hated the taste (I really did love the taste) but because I hated the fact that there was a dead animal on my plate. It is this realisation that causes many people to go vegan.
What are some bizarre questions you have been asked as a vegan/vegetarian? Let me know in the comments what your best responses are to them too. I am sure this will cause some giggles....
T xxx
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