What's Your Experience Of Veganism?
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Are you a vegan? If so, how long for, and how is it going?
I was vegetarian for 13 or so years, and I tried veganism for perhaps a few months in the early days of vegetarianism, but it didn’t suit me. I also found it near impossible to stick to wholesome vegan friendly products, as everything at the time was contaminated or contained some kind of non vegan friendly byproducts
But I guess these days, the vegan market has grown
I'm not vegan, but do enjoy vegan food. There is so much more choice now and new vegan places are opening all the time.
I know, they seem to be popping up everywhere! We had our first vegan chicken shop a couple of years ago and they’re always super busy. So now we’ve got a vegan chippy, and a vegan kebab place. And I thought vegans were trying to be healthy lol
Inquestorguk cheers for sharing your experienceS. There is a lot of negative press about veganism atm, so it’s always good to hear the positives about it - it may not be everyone’s choice, but it’s certainly a choice that people make to help add the yang to the yin in the world
and here’s the link to the vegan chip shop I was referring to https://www.suttonandsons.co.uk/vegan/
There is absolutely no way I could ever give up my meat, but I do think that Quorn does some good vegetarian stuff, and Linda McCartney is quite good too. 
x
Same here - since returning to eating meat, I’d never give it up. I can notice and feel the difference. The meat free options are better than before, but they can’t replicate meat proteins
There was a bit on the news this morning about veganism/vegetarianism. It was saying that people now eat less meat than a few years ago and that 1 in 10 people now say they are vegan/vegetarian. I couldn't give up meat entirely.
yes it’s become trendy to do so, amd with the evidence to suggest that meat eating isn’t sustainable, I can see why the meat alternatives are popping up. But I won’t be crevetying back myself - having done it for over a decade of my life, I can say from experience that I prefer the meat diet 
hspexy It does indeed! I am on iron tablets too. I eat the green leafy veg too and all the other non meat items that give you iron but the biggest amount comes from red meat. Never tried veggie bacon, I have had turkey bacon before which is actually rather nice, same texture as bacon, just a different taste.
MrsCraig the veggie bacon I had just tasted of nothing but salt - it’s like the manufacturers just use a lot of flavour enhances to replicate the flavours of meat, but obviously failing miserably. And I’m not entirely sure why they’d want to do that - I enjoyed eating vegetable-like vegetarian food when I was veggie, so not convinced that making vegetarian food look and taste like meat is a desirable thing (perhaps it’s applicable for this who are veggie for health reasons)
MrsCraig I’ve been reading a bit about boosting the nutrients in food and this might be helpful:
Pairing iron-rich ingredients with foods that are high in vitamin C actually enhances the absorption of iron. It’s as simple as adding bell peppers to your stir fry, topping a baked potato with sautéed spinach, or eating cashews with strawberries for a snack. (Just skip the Greek yogurt because calcium can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb iron)
snoogans888 I'm no longer on iron tablets now as it was just for during my pregnancy but I did add iron rich foods and added vitamin c to my diet. Don't need the iron tablets anymore but still try to have plenty of foods rich in iron and vitamin c.
MrsCraig that’s great news you no longer need the iron tablets! Pregnancy is so draining on the body in so many ways that aren’t obvious. I was shocked when my teeth hurt!
I'm trying to cut down on meat products but it's difficult to do as my daughter is such a fussy eater and the vegetarian meals I make my husband doesn't like 
so I'm trying to work out swaps I could make. I swapped to almond milk but my husband hated it so had to swap back 
I used to be very keen on meat but with my health problems and personal beliefs, I turbed vegetarian. Tried to go vegan too but not a very pleasent experience. Too moody..
If the meat options for me were only cow, donkey and lamb.. I'd probably prefer to eat pasta and soup instead. 
Being vegetarian or vegan is ok BUT there is no substitute for a proper bacon buttie imho
I agree. No veggie version of bacon can quite come close to it. Even my arteries know the difference 
Lol, yes red meat rules! There is nothing veggie tgat can quite replicate the taste or quality
RegularComper90 yum! I can almost taste it and smell the beef juices dripping away as it sizzles 
There's always some sort of meat or traces of it in what we eat so even vegans can't escape it, either. I couldn't kill a chicken myself but I do like to eat them roasted though if I really had to? Well, okay, I guess.
I've seen pigs and chickens being killed in front of me and then have its meat being divided to each party, it surprisingly didn't shock me nor did I feel sorry for the animals but suppose I have gotten desensitized at this point, eh.
Love me some chicken and pork but cow meat.. has an odd taste for me. Cows are the sort of animals I'd rather have alive if I had a farm, so I'd always have milk around.
I am a firm believer that if people had to hunt, kill and prepare the food they eat, most would become vegetaria. A lot of modern day people do not fully understand the make up of their foods, as the act of popping to the shops and ordering what they want is so simple, no extra thought needs to be put into looking at the ingredients, the provenance, etc. We are all mostly concerned with price, which is nothing I’d expect to change anytime soon
AgnesFaludi perhaps, although that’s more applicable to animals that are farmed or bred, like pets, for example. There’s a load of animals on the endangered species list that would be better off if us humans weren’t dead set on poaching them Either way, I won’t be going back to vegetarianism again
AgnesFaludi Pigs, roasters and the likes would probably be in that situation. Pigs for meat.. chickens, sort of.
These two animals sort of look like just chickens, right? There's a difference. The 'white' chicken isn't meant to be kept alive for as long as one wants but to be fed and then chopped to pieces, otherwise it'll just drop dead before you know.
The 'normal' chicken is meant to be kept alive for as long as possible so that it can reproduce, pop out eggs and keep them eggs coming.
I'm no expert on this but got used to knowing this stuff.
AgnesFaludi Livestock animals have been selectively bred and modified by humans to be profitable. They suffer all kinds of health problems because they are bred to be much bigger than their natural ancestors. Continuing to breed them serves no purpose, even if everybody was vegan there would be no logical reason to keep breeding these animals, knowing they will suffer health problems due to the manner of their selective breeding.
But if we really wanted to keep pigs, chickens, cows and the animals we eat alive, we can conserve them in the same way endangered species are, i.e. not by slitting their throats. There are many animal sanctuaries that exist today where farmed animals are rescued and live their entire lives, so they wouldn’t go extinct.
AgnesFaludi In all farms, regardless of how the lives of animals are before slaughter, the animals die at a fraction of their lifespan, mostly infants. Animals get killed as soon as their purpose is served, or as soon as they reach a profitable size. The definition of grass-fed / organic / free-range animals is very loose and can vary wildly. It doesn’t mean that the animals have any kind of quality of life necessarily, it just means the farm has to meet some arbitrary requirements to earn that title.
For example;
A free-range egg farmer can legally house 16,000 birds in one building, meaning that they can house 9 birds per square metre of space. This means that many free-range hens live out their entire lives in what is essentially an intensive, overcrowded indoor farming unit.
venomousorange does not change my mind about eating meat...this whole thing is ridiculous, make animals more important than humans...who set the limits? What is enough place for a human to live on? Chickens need to have square meters to live on....
I saw cage chickens before and they had enough place to move around and I did not see the problem with it, they are for the eggs and they were clean and did not step into their waste.
Also saw chicken house and there were a lot of chickens there and yes saw Granny's chickens and they also did not have a square meter each to live on...
But end of the day all of them taste delicious....yumm.....fajitas, fried chicken...roast chicken...
AgnesFaludi Asserting or implying that the establishment of certain moral rights for non-human animals is either analogous to or will invariably result in the establishment of other unrelated legal rights is either to misunderstand or misrepresent the issue of animal rights.
Nothing within the popular conception of animal rights, animal liberation, or veganism even suggests that non-human animals should have the rights to vote in elections, get married, run for political office, obtain driver's licenses, or form Super PACs. We believe that all animals, human and non-human alike, have the right to be free from unnecessary suffering and harm. We believe that animals are not our slaves and that we are not their masters and that they have the right to be treated with respect, compassion, and dignity. These are all moral rights, which are distinguished from legal rights, such as the rights to marry and vote.
Giving the same moral right of life and autonomy towards all animals as you would towards companion companion animals like car and dogs is hardly an unreasonable Suggestion.
Animal products are the result of suffering and killing of animals. If you justify eating animals and their secretions by saying that you like the taste, this means you believe that unethical actions can be justified by the personal pleasure you derive from such action. This is clearly problematic. Using this line of thinking you can justify stealing because it feels good to have more money, or raping because you enjoy it. Harming another sentient being for your own pleasure is morally despicable.
Most of the food humans eat is vegan. Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, pasta, bread, potatoes and soy. You enjoy these foods every day and you don’t think they’re unpalatable. The food your prepare is as good as you make it. There are award winning vegan food products and restaurants all over the world. You can easily find online recipes to veganise your favourite meals. There are plenty of dairy milk alternatives in the market.
An animal’s desire to live will always be greater than your desire to eat a them, and deep down you know this.
AgnesFaludi You’re not in a position where you have to. Do you eat other people’s companion animals because your rights outweigh theirs?
You don’t need animal products to live or thrive, so you’re making the choice of violence for food.
venomousorange yeah, you need....if u vegan u do not get enough vitamin B and also calcium and u need to eat lab made artificial vitamins to replace them
AgnesFaludi The largest body in nutritional science disagrees with you.
“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegan diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.”
AgnesFaludi There is absolutely no nutrient you acquire from animal products that you cannot get from elsewhere, in many cases plant based nutrition exceeds adequacy.
AgnesFaludi What’s taught and what’s facts are sometimes not in alignment.
The view I shared from the America dietetic association is the same view held by the British institution too.
Are you a studying nutritionist?
venomousorange I did....they list a lot of B vitamins, what is only from animal origin, you can get it from milk and eggs and cheese....but if you completely vegan, you need to eat these vitamins, because none of the plants have them.
AgnesFaludi farmed Animals are not magical reservoirs of protein and vitamin, get get everything they need from plants, indeed none of the 26 essential nutrients and vitamins we need are held exclusively by animal.
B12 is the only one to be concerned with, and that doesn’t come from animals either.
It is a common misconception that animals produce B12. In reality, it is bacteria found in animals, excrement, unwashed vegetables and dirty water that produces it. So B12 isn’t exclusive to animal products.
Vegans have to supplement B12 by an oral supplement or by eating fortified foods, but this doesn’t invalidate veganism. If the argument is “you can’t get B12 naturally as a vegan, therefore veganism is bad”, then this is a logical fallacy called “appeal to nature“. Not only this, but 99% of people that live in modern society supplement in one way or another.
The bread you eat is fortified with vitamins, juices are fortified, cows milk has vitamins added to it during the manufacturing process, table salt often has iodine added to it and breakfast cereals are fortified. All these foods are fortified because the vast majority of people (i.e. non-vegans) fail to get adequate nutrition without them. In addition, a B12 supplement is injected into livestock before slaughter to keep their levels up due to soil being too intensively used and lacking in certain nutrients.
So the question becomes: would you rather take a B12 supplement yourself and be vegan, or supplement animals with B12, and then kill them to obtain B12? The former choice is clearly more desirable.
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