How far to take veganism?
I've recently decided to become vegan again after about a year of just vegetarian. I was vegan for about a year before that and have been vegetarian for years before that. Basically meat is always out and will always be out. I'm kind of struggling right now as to just how far veganism should go though. When I used to be a vegan I checked EVERY single ingredient, never ate at other peoples houses, never ate at resteraunts unless I asked if the food was specifically vegan, and wouldn't touch something if whey was the 800th ingredient. I stopped being vegan that time because I was completely broke and Pasta Roni is a heck of a lot cheaper than vegan cheese and healthy food. This time around though I'm not really sure how far to take it, is eating whey alright when it's the 10th ingredient, or is that cheating? If I avoid products that are purely eggs, milk, cheese, etc but allow stuff that contains them in small amounts is it just not even worth it? I'm really confused about it all and I'd love to hear anybody and everybody's feedback or ideas about this.
Thank you!!
-A confused girl
zoos make me so incredibly sad, as does sea world and the like :'(
i now have to be strict about my diet. i accidently ate 2 veggie dogs that i had been told were vegan when they were handed to me. i started getting some stomach irritation, so i read the vegdog lable. woops! egg whites! my tummy was pissed about the matter for a little while. i didnt emotionally beat myself up for it : it was handed to me, i didnt know. but my digestive system, which was sensitive to begin with, now will not allow me to consume animal matter. not even a "modicum" which is the current buzzword. its difficult to think of a reason good enough to make me want to eat another being. i would have to be very very poor again, and unable to get a meal unless someone handed me flesh.
hmm.
it's the thought that counts.
I'm not into being some kind of vegan nazi.
the point is to do what I feel right.
I cook and buy all vegan stuff
some commercial foods and such you can't be a 100 percent sure of their being vegan but that doesn't matter...it's more about the message and the idea and doing what makes you feel good.
i mean.
this reminds me of a while back when I was talking to my veg boyfriend and said something about being older and being vegan and something about having vegan kids...and he looked at me incredulously and said " you think you'll still be vegan by THEN?" that was very depressing.
and I'm thinking...of how far to go vegan or whatever the topic was, and it's not about being a fad or something that's going to wear off eventually....it's doing what's right, it's a part of you
I am really glad that I came across this post (and website) as this is the exact question I have been asking myself.
I have been a very strict vegetarian for 15 years. For the past year I have been eating very few dairy products. I've never really liked cheese or milk. And prefer rice milk and soya yoghurts. The problem for me in becoming vegan was the thought of giving up all my favourite sweet foods.
Two weeks ago I decided to give veganism a go and so far so good! I have been feeling increasing guilty about the plight of dairy cows over the past few months. But I think it will still take a lot of commitment and will power to stick at it.
I am still not clear on all the things that are derived from animals but my copy of the animal-free shopper should be in the post.
When I became vegetarian, I stopped eating all meat and fish and gelatine etc as well as wearing leather and suede. I've never compromised on that.
But with being vegan I think I am going to have to do it gradually. I can easily be 100% vegan at home but I think it may take me a while to get used to what things I can buy and where I can eat out.
I am sure I will be back with 101 questions ;D
What do you guys do about food at functions? I have found it increasingly hard, working and going to college no campus, to not be rude at functions and to actually EAT! The problem is I am not home very often and while I can cook my own food ahead of time, it’s hard to take food with me, especially when someone else is throwing us a dinner or a party. I feel so ungrateful but there is rarely anything there I can eat, and sometimes I end up eating something buttery or milky and it turns my stomach! I wish instead of feeding us they would just give us, you know, some TIME OFF, but that’s not going to happen. I am not sure if it’s rude to call the catering staff ahead of time and ask for just some extra salad or plain veggies.
Vegan on college campus=hard.
Vegan on college campus=hard.
I'm a college student also, and it really isnt that difficult to be a student and vegan at the same time, even if you work/live on campus. I dont buy my groceries where I go to class - or where I work, and I don't cook in those two places either. Just make an effort to cook for yourself. Eat a biiiig breakfast (go all out - pancakes, muffins, biscuits, juice, whatever, just make it a 1-woman feast) if its a lunch thing at work/school - and if you live/work on campus, you can always stop home in between to grab something to eat before a catered dinner if you dont think there will be anything there. I think it is more convenient than grilling everyone about ingredients - but then again I am on a budget and to me it is more inconvenient to eat out at every meal. Even when I have very little time for cooking, between classes, working, and transportation between the two (I take public transportation when I can) I try to cook ahead for the week. 2 or 3 days out of the week you should have enough time to devote to cooking food - then the rest of the week you wont have to worry about it except for a few minutes to 'nuke the leftovers.
For functions @ work or school, I either eat a big meal beforehand so I dont feel left out (a full stomach is the best way to beat that feeling!) and if its at work and there is catering (or even if the boss' wife sends him in with a meal for everyone) they are usually accomodating (my boss is very thoughtful of my veganism, more so than most of my family actually - he is also a celiac so he understands having to avoid certain foods and minute ingredients) and at the very least I will have some rice & veggies made with veggie broth instead of meat broth - but if there is an actual catering company, call ahead and dont worry about stepping on toes - they get paid to send in food that people want to eat. Use the "allergy" card if you must - they'll be accomodating!!
I'd agree with playing the allergy card. If they think they could make you sick or even worse kill you, they are more likely to make sure they are giving you egg and dairy free food! :D
I've been vegetarian for ~3 and a half years and vegan for about a year. I am 100% vegan at home, reading labels and avoiding everything possible, however when eating out I am relatively lax -- I always go for vegetarian things w/ no chz etc and things I am relatively sure are vegan, but if they screw up and put cheese on my salad, or I forget to ask, I just suck it up and eat it, or pick around it if possible. I feel like to send it back where it will just be thrown away is a waste and the animals that have suffered for my cheese will have suffered in vain.
I also eat at a local indian place (the very BEST indian place around!) that i am pretty sure uses ghee on their rice and in their dishes, but i am playing the ignorance is bliss/guilty indulgence card and just eating there without asking ::)
Also I don't give a damn about shared equipment -- at our dining hall at school they have a stir fry place where you choose ingredients and they cook it on the big mongolion grill table. If you tell them your veg, they put it in a pan on a stove off to the side. While i appreciate the thought, and appreciate not having any stray meat parts flicked from someone else's dish, as long as it is one of the guys i know that are good at what they do (i.e. are not clumsy at mixing peoples food up) i just have 'em do it on the grill because it tastes better. Stuff I get from there is still probably more vegan than a lot of the questionable prepared things that I just guess at.
All in all, i'm as vegan as I can be, without inconveniencing too many people.
Oh, and if someone like my aunt buys veggie burgers for a grill out specifically for me and gets regular instead of vegan, I just appreciate the thought and eat them; it's not worth upsetting her to decline them. Ditto if somone offers me questionable food (cookies, etc) and I know they'll be hurt if I decline. I just eat as little as possible without giving offense.
whew, i feel like i just confessed all of my deep dark vegan sins. luckily the vegan gods are forgiving ::)
we're forgiving too secretspicy15. welcome to vegweb!
we all do our own thing. no one is "veggier than thou" here,
BTW anyone know who came up with that? Was it Yabbit or Duck?
How far to take veganism? Your life is your own journey. You take veganism to the place that's right for you.
For me, that means not eating animal products. Period.
I don't worry about offending people by not eating their animal products. I also don't judge them. They are on their own journey. If they have a problem with it, then they have anger inside themselves that they are projecting onto me. I'm not responsible for their anger or hurt. I'm responsible for living according to my moral and ethic system.
I was starting to worry (because I am psychotic, sometimes) and reading this board and hearing all the input definitely helped me chill out a bit. I'm sort of an "all or nothing!" individual, but you lovely folks made me realize how self defeating that is in the sphere of veganism.
Thanks guys. :)
I was actually thinking back to this thread at work. Now, diet-wise, I'm very strict vegan. But in life in general, I can't be (except with clothing, and I don't wear make-up or perfume). I work in a machine shop with "God-knows-what" kind of oils. But it pays good and I have a house to keep. I'm also married to an omni.
I am very lax compared to some vegans (in everyday things, not diet), but I have to be. I just can't be strict vegan other than doing my part. As in, not eating or wearing dead animal.
How far to take veganism? It's totally up to you and how far you can take it. I liked the post about the vegan nazi thing. I totally don't want to be one of those, but every little bit helps, like Davedrum said. On Vegweb, there's no vegan police. This place is great. You can ask advice without getting "yelled" at. So, just do what you can.
I say try to avoid those products as much as possible as a vegan. But you got to do what you are comfortable with. It's very hard to live up to someone else's principle.
Plan your meals in advance get tons and tons of recipes. I only now buy some veggie stuff at the health food store. And I'm going to start making my own stuff.
Eating at a friends house- make sure they know you are veggie or bring your own stuff.
At restaurants look up their meals on the computer beforehand.
we're forgiving too secretspicy15. welcome to vegweb!
we all do our own thing. no one is "veggier than thou" here,
BTW anyone know who came up with that? Was it Yabbit or Duck?
I used the quote, but it IS a quote, from Dharma and Greg. Dharma's mom is a hardline vegan and her husband...is not. (anyone who's seen it knows Larry and knows what I mean!) He tells her as they're walking up the aisle during the country club "re-wedding" to stop being so "veggier than thou."
I only quote from the best. It's an occupational hazard as a lit tutor and movie buff. I finally have my epitaph: "You may quote me." I figure I've spent my life quoting other people...And in itself it IS a quote, from "Harvey" (Jimmy Stewart):
"Ohhh doctor...you know, my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "Elwood" (she always called me Elwood)--"Elwood, in this life you can be oh, so smart, or oh, so pleasant." For years I was smart--I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."
we're forgiving too secretspicy15. welcome to vegweb!
we all do our own thing. no one is "veggier than thou" here,
BTW anyone know who came up with that? Was it Yabbit or Duck?
I used the quote, but it IS a quote, from Dharma and Greg. Dharma's mom is a hardline vegan and her husband...is not. (anyone who's seen it knows Larry and knows what I mean!) He tells her as they're walking up the aisle during the country club "re-wedding" to stop being so "veggier than thou."
I only quote from the best. It's an occupational hazard as a lit tutor and movie buff. I finally have my epitaph: "You may quote me." I figure I've spent my life quoting other people...And in itself it IS a quote, from "Harvey" (Jimmy Stewart):
"Ohhh doctor...you know, my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "Elwood" (she always called me Elwood)--"Elwood, in this life you can be oh, so smart, or oh, so pleasant." For years I was smart--I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."
I LOVED Dharma and Greg. So sad it's not on anymore.
Lotus, the first season just came out on DVD. And, there's always Emule... :-X
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