Is going vegan too big of a sacrifice?
Why do so many people overlook the possiblity that a simple change in diet can make a bigger impact than ditching your car or even living without electricity? And the benefits reach even farther than the environment, to personal health, animal rights and the economy. I don't see a downside here.
Answer:
It's not at all too big of a sacrifice. I've been vegan for 15 years. The reason I became vegan was because I found out how cruelly animals are treated in factory farms. I also read about the water pollution caused by the waste from farms, as well as deforestation of tropical rainforests to make room for cattle ranching.
Becoming vegan is not as hard as it seems. When I went from typical American omnivore diet to vegan, I relapsed with one meal about 2 weeks later, but never again. You can try and stick to the foods you are used to eating, but substitute vegan versions.
Examples
Breakfast:
-granola or cereal with fruit, use soy/oat/almond milk in place of cow's milk, and add peanut butter for extra protein.
-Tofu scrambler seasoning mix with tofu (easy to make, just stir fry & serve with toast). Add veggies to your liking. You can also make tofu omlets.
-Vegan pancakes are easy to make. Add maple syrup, vegan margarine (available in most stores), blueberries, strawberries, etc.
Lunch:
-Try a vegan bologna sandwich, add lettuce and tomato, plus Nayonnaise (egg-free Mayonnaise alternative). Try Smart Deli brand. You can still eat potato chips.
-Good old PB&J.
-Hummus sandwich. You can buy ready-made hummus, or make your own fresh.
-Pasta salad. Add olives, cherry tomatoes, beans, etc.
Dinner:
-Spaghetti with really delicious veggie meatballs (available at health food stores). Add olives and have some garlic bread on the side.
-Vegetarian burritos, enchiladas, taquitos, etc. Vegetarian chili. Yum Yum!
-Chinese food...Rice with stir fry vegetables and tofu; Eggplant with spicy garlic sauce; Miso soup; etc.
-Veggie burger with vegan tater tots or french fries.
Desert:
I have a major sweet tooth for a vegan (still manage to stay in shape with regular walking and biking!)
Soy Ice Cream - my favorite flavor right now is So Delicious brand's Cookies & Cream... it's vanilla with chunks of Oreo-style cookies inside. This brand shows a "Vegan" label on the back. There are many other brands and flavors out there.
Uncle Eddie's Vegan Peanut Butter chocolate chip cookies. Simply the best - taste homemade! Also available in Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Molasses, etc.
Chocolate soymilk. Almond Breeze chocolate almond milk tastes wonderful.
For you cheese lovers, the one brand I've tried that actually has a good flavor is Tofutti brand. They have American and Mozarella style flavors in individual slices - great for sandwiches.
It is a major transition, but is not beyond the realm of possibilities! I realize some people are allergic to legumes, so that can be an issue. I always recommend people see a doctor before changing their diet, of course. But if everything's okay, just try substituting a couple of vegan (or vegetarian at first) meals per week? Try and stick to the things you are used to eating, but substitute vegan options instead.
If you are worried about getting enough vitamins, try Pangea's Multivitamin formula at the link I'm listing below. Two books on vegan nutrition I recommend are Vegan Nutrition: Pure and Simple by Michael Klaper, M.D. and Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. Check them out along with a couple of vegan cookbooks from your local library and you'll be set.
I know I wrote a lot, but just think...as long as we are healthy and well fed, it is not too big of a sacrifice to become vegan. I have not had to go to a doctor in all the 15 years I've been vegan (hope I don't jinx myself here).
Not me, but feel free to do so if you want to as it means more meat for me to eat.
It's Retarded, They Just Need Attention...
"I don't see a downside here."
In that case knock yourself out.
It is sad to say, but many peoples today have never learn to make sacrifices in their life. So many are living over their income may permit and have very little savings. But I do have notice that it become a ''fashion'' to eat vegan few times a week, as many peoples feel that it clean them to do so... But I do agree that industrialized farming is not really helpful, and with the madcow disease, the bird flu and on spreading from this food habit, I guess, that our society will aim little by little torward becoming more and more vegan, for economic purposed only. As you know, economy is at the heart of our society, so it must become economically non viable for most peoples and industries, before switching to another source...
Also, many are not really educating themselves about vegan food, as it is still seen as marginal. Yet, more and more people try it! You should help, by converting some of your friend to your food, by making them taste it... Eating it is adopting it! ;)
No sacrifice. Eating at restaurants can be very challenging.
Many people claim to be pro-environment thinking that all they need to do is throw some things in a recycling bin. I think lots of people don't change their diet because they have been told that they need meat and dairy, also because they were raised eating that way and they just don't want to change because of what their family, friends and neighbors think. My sister and I have been vegan much to our parent's disappointment. We do our own cooking so our mother who hates to cook is happy about that.
it's really not a sacrafice bc if you do go vegan that means the more livestock and if the whole world goes vegan then that means the world would over populate with livestock and we would have to cut down trees (harming our air) to make all of them fit bc they would overpopulate! it's already happening bc tons of ppl think its for animal rights not to eat meat. im a big animal supporter but when u think about it, it just sort of makes everything worse! but its good for u that u have a heart and want to protect animals!! :)
i am not vegan, i am a lacto vegan though. it is a very easy way to live. i feel better now than i did when i ate meat. i will be vegan when i turn 21. and it isn't really a sacrifice... well... once you get used to label reading... lol... the only downside i see here is a lot more farmland being used to produce fruits and vegetables... yeah... i don't see how anyone who isn't a sociopath could eat meat though...
Very good point. Another bonus is that livestock demands a lot more surface to be raised then plant life. It normally requires ten times the amount of energy to rasie herbivores, such as cows, then crop. This is simply because of the steps in the eco system. Herbivores use roughly 10% of what they eat to grow. We could instaed get 100% by eating the crops directly.
Yes. The world has too many f*cking rabbits.
If it is our choice, it is not a sacrifice. Suffering only exists when we do things against our will.
Great idea, you got there! Especially if we go into Organic Agriculture.
Where did you get your erroneous information? You said: "Most of the animals on factory farms are at the brink of death by the time they are ready for slaughter." Are you kidding? The food processors cannot afford to have half-dead or sickly animals! It's sheer economics! Your premise is wrong.
It is your choice whether to lead a vegan life. It is not "a simple change in diet" as you asserted. For those of us raised on the American diet of meat & potatoes, it is a radical change.
Rather, you should be asking how to promote awareness that will urge people to substitute at least one vegetarian meal per week for one meal containing meat. Start small. You are on the right track.
A couple of erroneous statements you made:
1) Livestock farming is not the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases. Among human emissions, deforestation is by far #1 at over 18% of our emissions worldwide. Cars and homes are tied for second at about 10%. Livestock only account for about 5%.
http://cait.wri.org/figures.php?page=wor...
2) Livestock farming isn't the greatest overall polluter either. Cars, for one, create more overall pollution.
3) Livestock are not on the brink of death before slaughter.
The meat industry is certainly environmentally harmful, particularly since we've moved to factory farming. Thus veganism certainly has environmental benefits, but as humans are omnivores, it's difficult to get all the nutrients necessary (particularly complete proteins) from a vegan diet. Plus frankly meat is tasty.
Anyway, a vegan diet is not inherently healthier than an omnivoric diet. Either way you have to eat the right foods.
I mostly stop eating beef because of factory farming and mad cow. It's mostly due to concerns of my health rather than the environment. I live in California where we are the numberone milk producer, but our cows don't graze. THey are kept in larbe buildings and makes huge areas in SOuther California smell like a dung heap. It's known that COws is the number one polluter of our water. When gas prices went up I told my father that beef would follow. It takes many barrels of oil to produce a cow. I think Vegan is extreme. People are healthier eating atleast a small amount of meat. We AMericans just eat way too much. I think meat prices are too cheap. I'm not sure and have asked how Vegans get the missing amino acid that vegetables can not supply. I have a friend who just turn vegetarian, and I told her atleast eat some egg whites. Beef is the most environmentally damaging. They require the most food to produce a pound of beef. Trout requires less, but I think the problem is the feed is made up partly of other fish. Chicken is a good compromise as well. Even Pork requires alot less feed than beef.
The abolishment of factory farming would be a huge step in the right direction for environmental, ethical, social, and health reasons. I'd like to see an increased focus on non-meat foods, a reforestation program, rebuilding habitats, and relying on wild harvested game meat to provide for a small portion of the diet of those who still chose to eat meat.
The Novel, "Ecotopia", lays out a pretty good vision of what human diet could become if we worked towards a more sustainable future.
Couple of facts to help with the arguement:
Beef and dairy cattle are responsible for 37% of methane output - methane has a 23 times global warming potential of CO2
Lifestock manure is responsible for 67% of nitrous oxide emissions. NO2 has a global warming potential of 296 times CO2
Not some hair-brained biased website- these are UK government statistics from June 2007 - a goverment which has a better record on climate change responsibilities than some othere swe can mention around here.
i have 186 acres, i could feed 5,000 people on a healthy balanced vegan diet indefinately. Or a 100 people on cows with an unbalanced diet.
Is it just me, or is this all obvious ?
no, im vegan. the food is actually prettty good. try MORNING STAR prodcuts.. theyre really good, and made only of soy and lots of protein, and essentail 'good-fatty acids' good luck!
The answers post by the user, for information only, FunQA.com does not guarantee the right.
More Questions and Answers: