[See bottom of the page for more/extended information about each subject]
This FAQ doesn’t pretend to answer all questions about veganism. It’s only a guide containing the subjects I’m faced with most of the time.
I like the taste of meat.
Once you consider your own pleasure (the taste) and the suffering and murdering of sentient beings, it’s obvious how irrelevant anybody’s palate is compared to the life of an animal. Apart from being completely unnecessary, most of what you taste is what is added to your food. And so, you can make vegan food taste the same. If it’s the texture you like, try seitan, for example. You won’t notice the difference.
There are plenty of tasty vegan dishes out there. It could be that you have been taught to culturally believe that flesh is tastier than any other thing. After all, the meat industry is there to make a profit.
You need meat for all your nutrients.
Actually, you can find all your body needs in a plant based diet. In some cases, plants are even a better source!
Furthermore, eating animals is linked to a number of illnesses like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, to name a few.
The only vitamin that you can’t find naturally in a plant based diet is B12. However, this is easily covered by taking a vitamin supplement or B12 fortified products.
Finally, meat production is destroying our home, Earth. It uses 70% of clean water for the animals you will eat, pollutes water bodies, cuts trees… Remember, if the planet dies, you die!
Not eating meat makes you weak.
There’s nothing in meat that cannot be found in a plant based diet. In fact, in general, the only thing meat eaters get in excess is saturated fat. Obesity is a real problem and, as we mentioned before, a vegan diet is much more healthy. By following a proper plant based diet, you can achieve your right weight and feel much better not only mentally, but also physically.
Our brain evolved thanks to meat.
True. However, that happened thousands of years ago. Nowadays, we know alternatives to keep our organism functioning properly without the need for killing animals for meat. Moreover, back in the day, our ancestor only ate what was necessary for survival. Now, mass production raises and murders many more animals than people even eat! The lifes of billions are taken every day. By keeping meat consumption, you are just getting stuck in a past long gone. Neanderthals were a thing of a different time.
It’s natural.
Many people say that it’s natural to eat meat, that that’s what lions and other animals do. Well, we have 2 things to argue here:
Firstly, biologically, lions and other carnivores cannot survive by having a plant based diet. It’s the only way their bodies can keep working.
Secondly, mentally, they do not have a choice. We have the capacity of choosing what we eat, both biologically (as omnivores, we can live without meat) and mentally, meaning that you are the one who chooses to murder an animal for his flesh. You can let him live with no problem, and you would continue to live as well with no fuss. If you decide to kill that animal to eat it, you are choosing to take a life away needlessly, for simple pleasure. Does it sound right to you to choose torture and murder?
What’s wrong with eggs and milk?
What do you think that happens to chickens when they can’t lay eggs anymore? Yes, they are killed. Did you ever wonder what happens to male chicks that cannot lay eggs? They are killed straight after birth, since the industry can’t get any profit out of them. For each female chicken, a brother will be murdered.
Same goes for milk producing cows. Cows produce milk to feed their babies. Milk cows are continuously being forced to be pregnant in order to have babies and keep producing milk. However, these baby calves are taken away from their mothers so their milk can be stolen for human consumption. How does that make sense? As in humans, cows produce milk with the necessary nutrients to satisfy the needs of a particular baby calf. We don’t need their milk, only the calf who was murdered after birth needed it. In fact, in humans, milk and dairy products cause heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis; funny how they taught you that milk was good for your bones! Yes, another trick of the milk industry.
I only eat free range products.
That doesn’t change the facts. Animals will still be killed unnecessarily only to satisfy your palette. Male chicks will be killed since they cannot lay eggs, the same with male calves. Chickens and cows not able to give products for your consumptions will be killed, since they are not profitable. The horrors of slavery and murders for your own pleasure are still there.
What about wool?
Sheep are awfully treated. Forget the romantic vision of a gentle farmer lovingly rubbing a sheep while cutting away wool. Sheep are roughly handled and wounded in the rush of getting as much wool as possible in the less amount of time. Remember that, for those people, sheep are not sensitive sentient beings, but products to process. If those individuals thought differently, they wouldn’t exploit these animals for money. Unfortunately, in the search for more profit, people have selectively bred sheep to produce more wool than naturally needed, and so certain sheep need to be shorn, since these domesticated animals don’t lose their winter coat by themselves anymore (another human created obscenity). However, this is no excuse to mistreat any animal or trade with their lives. Mulesing is another horrible practice: ranchers cut large strips of flesh of lambs to prevent flies laying eggs in the overgrowth wool and the hatched maggots eating the sheep alive. Holding pens and transportation methods, like in any other animal business, are also terrible. And, of course, when wool production declines, sheep are simply killed.
And honey?
In order to produce 450g of honey, bees fly more than 88513km and visit 2 million flowers. Honey is their only source of food during cold weather and when other alternatives are not available. Bees are killed and harmed in the process of collecting honey and other products (royal jelly, beeswax –to build their hives-…). To prevent the queen bee from leaving the hive, honey producers cut off their wings. These are only a couple of examples in the business of stealing the hard earned food from these insects.
It’s my choice.
Some people feel that they have the right to choose if they want to eat animals, go to bullfighting or wear a fur coat.
Well, did you hear before that about your freedom ends where mine begins? The animals you are killing have a life on their own, they don’t exist for you to decide their destiny. And so, it’s not a matter of what your choice is, but how you are forcing your will on another. Not only that, you are murdering them without any real justification!
What do you eat then?
In fact, much more than animal eaters. People who eat meat tend to base their diets on eating chickens, pigs, cows and fish.
Although it’s impossible to list all the foods that vegans eat, some examples are: potatoes, carrots, lentils, chickpeas, mushrooms, seitan, tofu, peppers, lettuce, broccoli, spinachs, bananas, apples, grapes, beans, soya, rice, millet, bulghur, cous cous, spaghetti, corn, peas, almonds, turnip, sweet potatoes, nuts, buckwheat noodles, stir fry vegetables, quinoa, gnocchi, falafel, samosas… Plus there is a whole range of prepared food especially for vegans in health shops, such as pizza, cakes, sausages, etc.
Animal testing is necessary to have safe products.
Wrong. Not only there are plenty of companies which don’t test on animals and have great products, but companies that tested their products in the past keep doing it! Why would anybody wanted to keep creating suffering and killing animals when they have already done the same test on millions of victims in the past? Some would excuse this in new products. Is a shampoo that supposedly makes your hair more shiny or a floor cleaner with a new fragrance a real valid excuse for this? I don’t think so. We all know that we live in a society where money has more value than life. However, it’s up to you to support this.
Animal testing in necessary for medical progress.
Animal experiments are not only horrible for the animals, but also very unreliable. The enormous physiological differences between humans and other animals is the reason. Test data cannot be accurately extrapolated from one species to another. Many drugs tested on animals and judged safe had terrible and mortal consequences for the humans who used them. And viceversa: drugs that seemed lethal for animals have been lifesavers in humans.
More accurate and less time consuming alternative research methods include computer simulation, studies of human populations, in vitro research and human cells (tissue cultures).
Animal research, or vivisection, hold back real medical progress. And, more importantly, there’s no real justification to destroy the life of millions of animals every year with the excuse of trying to save our species when alternatives are available. The only reason for which this continues is simple, and the same for which any other form animal exploitation exist: selfishness and greed.
Being vegan is difficult.
Not at all. Once you get through all the brainwashing society put you through to support animal exploitation, the rest comes easily. There is information on the internet regarding the transition to a vegan life. I’m sure any vegan is glad to help you with it as well.
Veganism is a very extreme thing.
How is protecting life extreme? Have you seen what the animals you eat or wear had to go through before being killed for your own satisfaction? Watch some of these videos, read the stories, and then tell me what it’s extreme here. We live in a system that keeps real extreme things locked away so the individual doesn’t have to see the truth. When was the last time that you saw what’s going on inside a slaughterhouse, or heard the cries of pain of a cow who was just separated from her babies? Just because you can’t see blood in your hands, don’t think that it’s not there.
And remember, organic means better, in all senses!
MISCELANEOUS:
Where to find your nutrients (just a few examples):
Protein: Soya products (tofu, tempeh, soya milk), Hemp, Quinoa, Buckwheat, beans, chickpeas, lentils, almonds, nuts, wholegrain products
Carbohydrates: Wholegrain pasta, brown rice, fruits and vegetables
Fats: Olive oil, nuts, avocado, coconut *Omega 3, 6 and 5: Hemp (it got the right ratio!), flax seeds
Vitamins:
A: Brightly colored vegetables and fruits, like carrots, sweet potato, red peppers, spinach, tomatoes, pumpkin, kale, apricots, peaches, mango
B2: Mushrooms, green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach), watercress, cabbage, broccoli, pumpkin, tomatoes, soya, almonds
B12: Foods fortified with B12, B12 supplements
C: Fruits (Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pears, bananas, melons, strawberries, kiwis, pineapples) and vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, green and red peppers, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, turnips, onions, corn, pumpkin, carrot, parsley), garlic, watercress
D: Sunlight! D-fortified products
E: Nuts, seeds, wholegrain, vegetable oils
Folic Acid: Green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach), nuts, peas, green runner beans, oranges, dates, avocado, wholegrain
Minerals:
Calcium: Brazil nuts, chickpeas, green leafy vegetables, parsley, watercress, broccoli, tofu, swede, molasses, quinoa, almonds, apples, grains
Iodine: seaweed, organic green leafy vegetables, watercress, pears, wild rice, Iodine supplement
Iron: seaweeds, raisins, dates, prunes, sesame and pumpkin seeds, legumes, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, parsley, mango, kiwi, pineapple, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, miso, molasses, beans, peas, kale, watermelon, bulghur
Magnesium: pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, almonds, peanuts, quinoa, spinach
Phosphorus: beans, peas, cereals, nuts
Zinc: pumpkin, sesame and sunflowers seeds, wholegrain, brown rice, lentils, almonds, oats, nuts, peas, miso, parsley, tofu, pulses
Selenium: Brazil nuts, mushrooms, lentils, sesame and sunflower seeds, walnuts, wholegrain, potatoes, avocado
RESOURCES
General information:
http://happyvegetable.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/vegan-pyramid-1024x768.jpg (See bottom of the page for detailed info)
Becoming a vegan:
Vegan products:
Where to eat (and drink!):
http://www.veggiesontheroad.com/ Restaurants around the globe
http://www.barnivore.com/ Vegan wine and beer guide
http://researchkills.org/ The truth about animal research
http://researchkills.org/ The truth about animal research
Some vivisection facts:
Arthritis painkiller Vioxx, which was withdrawn in 2004, caused over 140,000 strokes and heart attacks (almost 60,000 fatal), even though it appeared safe when tested on animals.
In the 1980s, thousands of people were given HIV-contaminated blood, which was deemed safe as it did not affect chimpanzees (as chimpanzees are essentially immune to HIV).
Blood transfusions were delayed by 200 years and corneal transplants delayed by 90 years, as a result of animal studies.
22 drugs to treat spinal cord damage were developed on animals - all failed when applied to humans.
The notoriously dangerous drugs thalidomide and DES were tested in animals and released for human use. Tens of thousands suffered and/or died as a result.
In 2006, TGN1412, a new drug for leukaemia, cancer, multiple sclerosis and arthritis, caused disastrous side effects in the first human volunteers - even though it had passed tests on monkeys who were given doses 500 times greater than those given to the volunteers.
Rats and mice are the animals primarily used in cancer research. They never get carcinomas, the human form of cancer, which affects membranes (e.g. lung cancer). Their sarcomas affect bone and connecting tissue: the two cannot be compared.
Even a former director of Huntingdon Life Sciences (which is one of Europe’s largest animal testing facilities) admitted that animal tests only correctly predict effects in humans 5-25% of the time. Compare that to the fact that human cell culture tests have proven to be 80% accurate.
Vegan pyramid rations explained:
[From bottom to top of pyramid]
Cereals (6-11 rations) - 1 ration (each line is 1 ration):
1 slice of bread
1 bowl of breakfast cereal
1/2 bowl of cooked cereal (rice, pasta...)
[Better wholemeal/wholegrain]
Vegetables (3 or more rations) - 1 ration:
1/2 cup (120 ml) of vegetables
1 cup (240ml) of salad
3/4 cup (180 ml) of juice
[Include raw vegetables every day]
Fruits and dried fruit (2 or more rations) - 1 ration:
1 and 1/2 apple, banana, orange or pear
1/2 cup (120 ml) of fruit
3/4 cup (180 ml) of juice
1/4 cup of dried fruit
Calcium rich food (6 to 8 rations) - 1 ration:
1/2 cup of fortified soya milk
1/4 cup (60 ml) of fortified tofu
1/2 cup of fortified orange juice
1/4 cup of almonds
3 spoons (45ml) of almond butter
2 spoons (30 ml) of sesame
1 cup (240 ml) of cooked calcium rich green leafy vegetables (broccoli, couliflower, spinachs...) or 2 cups (480ml) if they are raw
1 cup of calcium rich legumes (soy, white beans, lentils...)
1/4 cup (60ml) of seaweed
1 spoon (15ml) of molasses
5 dried figs
[Many of these things are common to other groups, like vegetables and legumes]
Legumes and similar alternatives (2 to 3 rations) - 1 ration:
1 cup of cooked legumes
1/2 cup of tofu or tempeh
1 vegetal burger
3 spoons of almond butter or of other seeds
1/4 cup of walnuts or seeds
2 cups (480 ml) of soy milk
[For the best result, eat a variety of food rich in protein. Eating vegetables or fuits rich in vitamin C with these foods increases iron absorption. Walnuts and seeds give vitamin E and minerals]
Other essentials (1 to 2 rations) - 1 ration:
-Fatty acids-
1 teaspoon of flaxseed oil
4 teaspoons of rapeseed oil
3 spoons of walnuts
1 cup of soy beans
Suggestions: Use the water from cooking vegetables for soups or creams, taking advantage this way of minerals and vitamins
Drink 6 to 8 cups of liquid every day
Make some physical activity every day
