Thinking of going vegan

janejellyroll

nickssweetheart wrote: »

Speaking as an ethical vegan, I don't get offended when plant-based folks use "vegan" to describe their diets. It's an easy shorthand for describing your dietary limitations to others. If you don't eat meat, dairy or eggs, describing yourself as vegan seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Now if someone said they were "vegan" and then ate a steak I might call the vegan police on them.

I will say that while by and large I feel much better and have lost weight more easily since going vegan, it's not a magic cure all. I still get colds, and a big part of the weightloss is probably that being vegan really cuts down on "impulse" eating. I can't just grab a chocolate bar at the gas station when I'm filling my tank, for example.

I also think people eating fewer animals and more plants is awesome, whatever stage they're at. Part-time, most of the time, whatever you can do will be good for the planet, good for the animals, and good for your health.

Another perspective from an ethical vegan: I am not offended when people use "vegan" to describe a policy of avoiding animal products in foods but engaging in other forms of animal exploitation, but it does concern me because it can send the message that animals that are exploited for fashion, entertainment, health & beauty products, etc somehow matter less than animals used for food.

As veganism has a specific meaning (an objection to animal exploitation that includes, but isn't limited to, using animals for food), I would prefer that it continue to mean that. We don't have another good term to use for this position.

Sunnybrooke99

When, I followed a strict, plant based diet, as in no eggs in my cake, I would describe it as vegan, bc food wise, it was.

Someone jumped down my throat about the ethical veganism as a lifestyle thing. After a while of following a plant based diet, and Internet forums etc, I saw the difference in terms, but I truly meant no harm or disrespect. It still makes ethical vegans seem kinda mean to me. I mean, I know they aren’t, but that person really worked to give me a bad bias.

I’d be careful how I explained the difference to someone, bc chances are they just aren’t familiar with the lingo. I mostly stay out of it, and leave it to the dimplomatically gifted.

janejellyroll

Sunnybrooke99 wrote: »

When, I followed a strict, plant based diet, as in no eggs in my cake, I would describe it as vegan, bc food wise, it was.

Someone jumped down my throat about the ethical veganism as a lifestyle thing. After a while of following a plant based diet, and Internet forums etc, I saw the difference in terms, but I truly meant no harm or disrespect. It still makes ethical vegans seem kinda mean to me. I mean, I know they aren’t, but that person really worked to give me a bad bias.

I’d be careful how I explained the difference to someone, bc chances are they just aren’t familiar with the lingo. I mostly stay out of it, and leave it to the dimplomatically gifted.

I'm sorry that someone was unpleasant to you about it, but I think it's possible to explain the significance and meaning of the term without being unpleasant.

If someone doesn't have a concern with animal exploitation, it can sometimes be hard to understand people who do have those concerns and see the importance of a term that expresses those objections.

I wouldn't say that ethical vegans, as a group, are mean (although some individuals, of course, are), but sometimes you have friction because of the difficulty of expressing an ethical POV that is in the minority. Sometimes the perceived urgency and frustration involved in trying to connect with someone who is coming from a very different place can complicate communication.

If someone isn't familiar with the lingo, I want to help them understand instead of just waving it off and not saying anything. It's what I would want someone to do for me if I was using a term in a way that was misleading or potentially harmful.

Iamnotasenior

My best advice is to NOT tell people you are thinking about or trying out going vegan, just do it gradually. I've been a pescatarian (plants, dairy, eggs and seafood only) for over 20 years and I just tell people I'm a vegetarian who occasionally eats fish (but only if they ask me). People get very nervous when I come for dinner and I don't take any meat for my plate. They are so concerned that I "won't get enough to eat" or will "not get any protein" even though my plate is completely full with veggies and sides. Then they get concerned that I will "be offended" that there is meat on the table, etc. I have nothing against meat eaters. My husband is a meat eater and I cook meat for him at home.

I am vegetarian because of a book I read years ago when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The book is by Dr. Bob Arnot and is called "The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet". Although there is no proof that diet alone can prevent breast cancer, this diet focuses on reducing estrogen levels in the body. It make sense to me at the time, I figured it couldn't hurt to try it and I've been eating this way ever since. I'm 58 years old and have normal blood pressure, normal cholesterol and normal blood sugars even though I am a "fat vegetarian" and have been for years. Is it the diet that helped? Who knows for sure? But it certainly cannot hurt to eat this way.

callmecarina

I'm gradually switching to a "mostly plant-based diet" which seems to be about 80% plant based/ 20% milk and cheese vegetarian for the past 5 weeks. And I'm trying to phase into consuming cheese/milk only a couple times per month. I switched to 80/20 vegetarian cold turkey on September 19th.

If vegan/ plant-based folks want to add me, feel free! I'm very interested to see if I'll have more success losing weight and then keeping it off on a plant-based diet, and what other peoples' successes look like on a plant-based or even veggie or pescatarian based diet.