Over a year ago I converted from vegetarian to vegan. Since then I have had to explain my choice to countless people. Even after my explanation, many of them still seem perplexed about why I would refuse to eat meat. They treat veganism as a thing of mystery, as though those who freely adopt a different diet have decided to live silently with Buddhist monks on a mountaintop. Not all omnivores treat vegans with such scrutiny, but I defend myself more for my choice of food than for my low-paying career choice as a writer. Something is wrong with the popular perception of veganism, so I would like to briefly clear the air on our mentality and habits. Vegans are a motivated bunch, and we should explain ourselves in no uncertain terms.
The Food and the Myths
Vegans eat no products from a living thing possessing eyes. This means no dairy or eggs, so no ice cream, no regular cheese, no traditional baked goods, and very few visits to popular restaurants. Still, we love it all the same. Going vegan encourages a person to go back to the basics of fruits, vegetables, and grains. I eat pasta frequently, making spaghetti or my own custom recipes for lunch or dinner. I often mix oil-based butter with nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and garlic salt, and stir that mixture into angel hair pasta: I call it “sticky noodles.” Vegan cheese (Daiya brand is best) allows for Mac ‘n’ Cheese and pizza, as well as mouth-watering Tofurky sandwiches and cheesy potato casseroles. Some of my friends believe veganism limits my choices to raw vegetables and rice, but with all the options and cookbooks available, variety is the least of my concerns.
Critics claim that the vegan diet lacks important nutrients, but this popular claim shows a lack of research. Yes, some people do fall ill on a vegan diet, and some have died from poor planning, but so do omnivores. As long as people don’t balance their diets, no matter the diet, they will certainly have health problems. I once had to visit my doctor for lightheadedness and discovered I had a vitamin D deficiency. I now make sure I get enough vitamins, and I have felt healthy ever since. Also, consider Annette Larkins, a 70-year-old woman who has lived on a home-grown vegan diet for 28 years and looks as old as 40. Some people have reported the remission of certain diseases when they went vegan. Those who eat right regret nothing. Perhaps small children do need more than a vegan diet to grow, but if that proves true, that does not imply anything for the rest of us who know how to make it work. It’s a shame people will blame a widely diverse diet for their lack of proper planning. First and foremost, understand your individual needs.
Once you know what you need, it takes very little effort to eat a balanced vegan diet. I have heard many rumors that vegans lack protein and B12. On the contrary, tofu, baked beans, bagels, peanut butter, and soy milk come fortified with protein. Various milks (soy, almond, rice, coconut) also contain B12, which otherwise only shows up in a few vegan-friendly foods. Of course, most health food stores sell protein and various vitamin supplements that can make up for any deficiencies. In fact, those vegans who get all of their vitamins often boast greater energy levels. A balanced vegan is a healthy vegan. I am happy to subscribe to that.
We Respect Our Cousins
Of course, if it were all about eating healthy, then many vegans would keep their animal-based options open. However, most vegans swear off animal products entirely because of their strong moral sense. The “save the animals” argument saturates the vegan debate every day, but it remains an important point. Vegans sympathize with animals as fellow creatures of nature. I agree. I’m not so sensitive that I hug trees or protest fly fishing, but give me a slab of ham and I will see a young piglet raised in cruel conditions for my convenience. I cannot think of this reality and clear my plate at the same time. My sympathies cause comparisons to violent PETA activists, but I don’t throw buckets of blood on people wearing fur coats. For man and animal alike, I live and let live.
Some think pigs (and other sources of our meat) do not have the mental or emotional capacity of cats and dogs, but I beg to differ. A few months ago I heard a local news story of a woman in Colorado Springs who suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her doctor suggested adopting a pet pig. The woman, willing to try anything to resolve her depression, took her doctor’s advice. It did not take long for her to see the benefits. Some days, when her PTSD bothered her most, she would pace around her home, crying. Her pet pig would stop her and push her toward the couch, forcing her to sit down and relax. This empathy surprised the woman. In time her symptoms lessened, and I doubt that she ever parted—or ever will part—with her snout-nosed friend. Even those buried in the depths of the meat business have noticed this friendly nature. A slaughterhouse worker once testified, “Pigs down on the kill floor have come up to nuzzle me like a puppy. Two minutes later I had to kill them.” Why do we reduce this emotional species to glazed ham?
I can say the same of cows. These docile creatures feel pleasure like the rest of us. They also feel pain. Factory farm workers have reported countless incidents of botched killings, in which they do not cut the throat properly and the cow does not bleed out quick enough. These workers observe a slowly dying cow, kicking and groaning in agony as the butcher pushes his knife into the neck, slices from head to tail, and then tears away the skin from the flesh. This cow becomes part of a Happy Meal and a snazzy leather jacket. People in India (the #1 vegetarian country in the world) respect these cows, forming bonds that go much deeper than appetite and style. We in America have the means to respect cows and live with them peacefully, but we don’t yet have the moral conscience to do so.
While I try not to attack those who do not think as I do, I will not apologize for my opinions. I try to think more about my food than many omnivores care to, and so I feel a moral responsibility that I cannot ignore. Humans evolved from simpler creatures, and so other animals could have that same potential. Apes can learn sign language, and chickens can already count. We should nurture this development, not snuff it out entirely.
Before modern times, we relied on hunting for our own survival. I can understand this, given the context, and would certainly have done the same; however, we no longer live in primitive and savage conditions. We have the means to go vegan, to stay vegan, and to finally nurture the animals we have freely abused. Why should we continue to torture and consume our evolutionary cousins?
Yes, We Care About People Too
While vegans care about the animals, many of us care just as much about our fellow man. This again leads us into the heart of the factory farming industry. Factory farms produce virtually all of our country’s meat. These farms, struggling to meet demand, cram thousands of animals at a time into small spaces. These animals see little sunlight and have no opportunity to develop naturally. Because of poor sanitation standards, they spend their lives walking in the collective feces and disease of this confined community.
Monsanto, the largest contributor to factory farms, genetically modifies the corn and soy used to feed the livestock. Monsanto also produces various steroids, hormones, and antibiotics that accelerate the growth process. Pigs that produce ham a few months early will create greater profits than naturally-grown pigs. The business model makes sense, but as a public service this practice is morally abysmal.
Injecting these steroids and hormones into our food will have detrimental effects on our own health. As Michael Pollan says in his book In Defense of Food, “you are what what you eat eats too.” Some research has suggested that consumption of steroids could contribute to various health issues, like early puberty, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. I imagine the hormones cause birth defects and encourage mixed genders. Although we do not consume these steroids and hormones directly, the animals do, and it changes them. How does that affect the meat, and how much does that meat affect us?
Jonathan Safran Foer reports in his book Eating Animals that representatives from the industry admit to injecting 17.8 million pounds of antibiotics into livestock, compared to the 3 million pounds of antibiotics used to fight human sicknesses. These factory farms would not need this plentiful supply of drugs if they did not create conditions primed for disease. Consider a pig raised for glazed ham. After a factory employee injects the hormones and steroids into the baby pig, it will grow so fast that its legs will not develop properly and may even break under the pressure of a prematurely-grown body. The pig will then lie in its own feces—and the feces of its companions—unable to stand. Laying on its stomach its whole life, this pig will develop lesions and wounds that become infected and spread germs and diseases. Now, rather than clean up their farm, the factory’s employees inject the antibiotics into the pig, hoping to keep it alive long enough to sell a few pounds of ham. This situation does not apply to pigs alone, however; all factory farms operate under these conditions, whether they raise cows, chickens, or anything else people call “good eating.” I can’t help wondering what I really ate, back when I enjoyed ham sandwiches.
Injustice
Whatever bacon aficionados may say about us, vegans are not senseless rebels against society. Actually, we promote society whole-heartedly, encouraging the peace and well being of man and animal alike. We vegans go into comically angry fits occasionally—fueling unfortunate stereotypes—not because we are irrational, but because we are rational. We see a society voluntarily blinded to its own horrific habits, feeding its endless hunger for convenience and complacency. We see inexcusable injustice, to the pigs, to the cows, and to ourselves. We just want to end this cycle of cultural sadomasochism.
I want to amend something I said. “Before modern times, we relied on hunting for our own survival.” Someone talked to me today about this paragraph, and I realized that modern hunting has become something entirely different than simply killing and eating an animal. It has evolved into a system of animal conservation in which hunters regulate the population so it does not grow beyond the ecosystem’s carrying capacity. Regulated hunting actually allows healthier growth and prosperity to a community of animals that might otherwise die off or multiply so much that they starve from a lack of food.
That being said, I did not mean to imply that hunting in general is as despicable as factory farming. I merely mentioned hunting to make a point, not shoot it down (sorry for the pun).
I enjoy hearing about how easy it can be to eat vegan.
To many, people say being vegan is easy. Then they never say how or where to start even.
That is the part that intrigued me the most.
Great piece sir.
Great article, by the way. I’m gonna be testing out a few of those recipes you mentioned, especially the sticky noodles. That being said, I greatly respect and love (almost) all animals, but I didn’t become a vegan for any moral reason or some sort of human guilt. That, to me, is a little ridiculous, but I suppose that I can see how someone can feel that way. I know that factory farming is disgusting, but I think it would be insane if we imposed our dietary choices onto anyone else. People complain about religion being shoved down our throats, but, to me, it’s almost the same situation as a vegan getting angry that their friend eats meat. For me, I wanted to eat healthier because red meat greatly upset my already fragile stomach and that just turned into me giving up meat in general and I haven’t really missed it, except for a club sandwich…ughhhhhhh club sandwiches. They haunt me in my dreams.
You’re right, veganism functions much like a religion, and people respond to it in the same way. That is why I never push the subject onto people. I do want more people to try it, but if I push people to convert, I will make the diet sound extreme and unattractive, and I will alienate everyone.
By the way, I found out today that my sticky noodles recipe works well with couscous, too. Boil the water, mix everything in the water, then pour the couscous. Delicious.
I don’t believe that vegans should have to explain themselves. To me, it’s just a different level of compassion. Some people have it so engraved in their brains that eating the meat from animals is simply the natural cycle of life. Others feel that it is an abomination and immoral. Being a vegetarian is hard enough as it is, let alone being a vegan. You have to believe with all of your heart in what you are doing, and there is nothing wrong with that! This was great incite into how animals are treated before being killed for human sustenance, as well. I think it was fantastic as well, the light you shed on the unhealthy aspect of growing the animals. How the steroids can affect the human consumers too. I can bet that almost all of the people that eat meat don’t ever think about those things.
I beg to differ. People still misunderstand veganism, it seems, and so we need to make a better effort of explaining ourselves without confusing or alienating everyone. Also, while most people need to feel strongly about animals to even try veganism, some do it just for their diet. Once you’re in the thick of it and learn some handy recipes, it’s not that hard to maintain at all. I don’t think much of it, day to day; I don’t consciously consider saving animals as I eat, and I don’t think to myself “damn I’m healthy!” All I think is, “What do I want to eat for lunch?” and “Why didn’t I buy more bread when I was at the store?” It’s just everyday life stuff for me now.
Of course, I’m sure it’s harder for some people, but assuming it’s always going to be difficult…well, that’s not going to help, if you want to give it a fair shot.
Thanks for commenting, and for the compliments.
I am a vegan as well and I completely agree with you, I have defended my choice of being vegan more times than I have defended anything in my life. You’re paper is fantastic. One of the things that made me go vegan was a documentary called Earthlings, and it goes over how disgusting and terrible the factory farms are and brings up a lot of points that you made in you’re paper. Well written and an all around great paper I hope more people read this and decide to make the switch, because it really does feel great being a vegan and I don’t feel bad anymore that my meals were brought to me through an immense amount of pain and suffering. Thank you for writing this really great paper.
oh there is also a village in Japan or Okinawa that is primarily vegan and there was an interview with a woman who was like 90 and still working with no health problems and looked like she was 40-50 years old
I just switched to a vegan diet a week ago, and my body’s immediate response was total rejection. I feel sick to my stomach even as I’m typing this. Contrary to the popular attitude, which might insist that this is proof a vegan diet is not sufficient, I’d rather side with the evidence that suggests that I’m in the process of detoxing. The chemicals that we use to “enhance” our foods are as addictive as they are harmful.
It’s also worth noting that meat, at its basest form, is entirely bland. What gives it the taste that we crave are the sauces in which we drown our dinners and the spices (entirely vegan) which go into the cooking process. You can create the same rich flavors using vegetables that you can using flesh, and in an even wider variety due to the many different types of vegetables that farmers are able to grow. Taste does not hide within the bulk of the dish, it hides in the cardamom, the basil, the coriander- and acknowledging this gives us a greater investment in the things that we eat.
I have heard many cases of certain bodies rejecting the vegan diet (Angelina Jolie claimed it almost killed her, but I have to wonder about her methods). I believe some people simply NEED meat, for whatever reasons, but I think they represent the minority.
We do not all require identical amounts of nutrients, so, as I said in this article, you must understand your individual needs. You may very well be in the detox stage, but I never experienced any of that when I made the switch (although I tried vegetarian first). If you want to continue the diet, keep a close eye on yourself, and make sure you are eating the right stuff. You may just be lacking a certain vitamin, so, if this continues, I suggest getting a little blood work done to see where you are at. It’s worth it.
Best of luck.
Good point. The other thing that makes meat (especially bacon) so craveable is salt, something we all would do well to consume less of.
Here’s an interesting list of nine foods that are supposed to be bad for you, to include soy milk and soy-based meat substitutes. I guess this means Big Macs are even worse for you than most people imagine.
http://www.trueactivist.com/nine-foods-you-should-never-eat-again/
Thanks for the link. I looked at the list, searching for other foods I eat, but I seem to be okay. I started eating whole wheat food even before going vegan, and I’ve heard bad news about everything else there. And yes, I’ve heard some rumors about soy causing problems, but so far nothing concrete. I’ll admit I haven’t look into it myself yet. I HAVE cut back on soy, though, just in case, and only use it for the occasional tofu scramble or Silk coffee creamer. I try to eat healthy, but I have to treat myself a bit, once in a while. We all do. Food gets boring otherwise.
Another ingredient concern that aspiring vegans may want to consider. A lot of energy drinks contain taurine, an element found in bull testicles. From what I’ve read, the energy drink companies (Monster, Red Bull) use only synthetically created taurine, so no animals were harmed in the making of this drink. But I don’t know this for sure.
I’m curious about how you get enough fat and protein. Is it mainly beans, or do you have other protein sources you use? Most folks don’t realize that fats are critical for maintaining health, as is protein. It’s carbs that are primarily the energy source. I would do well to cut down on my meat consumption, mainly for the expense and the unsustainable practices you described. I don’t have a sweet tooth, though, and I don’t really go in for baked goods, so…there’s that.
I get most of my protein from soy (soy sauce, tofu, milk), vegetables, and fruits. I don’t eat as much beans as I used to, but I should. The black beans I have in my pantry right now provide 9g of protein per serving, compared to the 1g per serving in the frozen blueberries I used in my smoothie this morning.
As for fats, I’ll admit I’m not sure what I eat that provides fat. I’ve always been a scrawny guy, so I don’t see much of a difference in my weight, but I do need to pay closer attention to my fat intake. It seems that my butter provides a bit of fat, and I know a lot of nuts contain healthy fats. I may have to get back to you on this one. Some athletes have gone vegan, and I know of some heavy-set people who have been vegan for a long time, so it’s not like we’re all wasting away from a lack of fatty foods.
I’m starting to sound like the physician who doesn’t heal himself, but I’m not prescribing any concrete routines with this article, merely informing.