Questions and Answers About Veganism
Ga Maleven
What’s the difference between plant-based and vegan? Vegan and vegetarian?
Veganism is a lifestyle of peace and compassion for all. A vegan does not support nor does anything that harms another living being, whether it be from not eating animals, wearing animals, abortion, slavery, vivisecting, hitting children, raping, killing, etc. If something harms, kills, rapes, or exploits another living being whether human or non-human animal a vegan will not do that nor pay someone else to do it for them.
A vegetarian simply does not eat meat, but still consumes dairy and eggs, which supports the meat industry since the cows, calves, chickens, and chicks born to be used for dairy and eggs are all killed in the end.
Plant-based is when you do not eat anything from an animal, no meat, dairy, eggs, or honey. But, you still may support something that harms others, from wearing animals, vivisecting, abortion, etc. Plant-based eaters may support many kinds of cruelty or only a few. Many are “mostly vegan,” but still support something that causes great harm.
How do I order food at a restaurant?
If you ever find yourself at a restaurant that doesn’t have plant-based only options, you can customize your order. Restaurants must cater to your needs. It’s the law. If the restaurant doesn’t, they can risk killing someone due to allergies. So, if a person says to not give them something, the restaurant must ensure they do not get that item. Sadly, hateful people may purposely get the order wrong to hurt you. While this is illegal, hateful people don’t care. So, to truly be safe go to plant-based restaurants only, or ones with a lot of vegetarian options since they are open enough to understand not everyone eats meat.
If you are at a restaurant without vegan options, order what you want and simply tell them to not put the cheese, meat, or whatever on it. You can also ask what is in the dish. So, if it’s bread, ask if dairy is in it. There is nothing wrong with asking. restaurants must know all the ingredients in their meals to ensure not giving someone with allergies something that could harm or kill them. And you can customize a meal as must as you want. It doesn’t have to be exactly as described in the menu. Many restaurants allow you to just order anything you want such as a salad you can customize depending on the ingredients they have. If they have pasta, ask for a simple pasta meal with sauce. You can take control of what you eat.
And if the restaurant refuses to accommodate, find another business. But, I caution to simply avoid non-vegan restaurants because of the risk of cross contamination, or mean people trying to harm you. Better safe than sorry.
Best way to get all my nutrients?
Plants create nutrients, so they are the best way to get them all. Leafy greens have three times the amount of protein and iron than any meat. B12 comes from a bacteria in the dirt, so plants that grow in or on the dirt, such as broccoli, are loaded in B12. Plant-based milks are fortified in B12 so simply drinking that or consuming foods that use it (such as breads) will ensure you get your B12.
See this link for a complete list of foods to eat to get all your nutrients: https://inourishgently.com/every-single-nutrient-vegan/
Is veganism expensive?
No, veganism is not expensive. In fact, it’s cheaper because it uses less resources to grow plants than to raise livestock. 80% of the world’s crops are fed to livestock, which in turn produce less food. If all the grain, soybeans, and other crops grown every year for livestock was instead fed to humans, it would end world hunger 14 times over.
Veganism may seem expensive if you don’t shop right. Just like with anything, some stores sell produce cheaply, some very expensive. Find the best prices by doing some exploring. And the best way to save is too make meals from scratch. On average, vegans save $1,000 in groceries every year.
Where do I find vegan food?
Anywhere! So long as there are no animal products in it it is vegan! More and more stores are stocking vegan specific foods, such as Gardein, Tofurky, So Delicious, Hampton Creek, etc. These products are now available at Target, Wal-Mart, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and local grocery store chains. You can also order food from online sites such as Amazon, or if your local grocery stores do delivery. You may also special order items. Which is when you ask a store to stock an item for you, and you don’t pay any shipping.
Won’t animals take over if we stop eating them?
No, animals will not “take over” if we stop eating them. The only reason they are overpopulated is due to humans forcibly breeding them. As humans eat and use animals less and less the population steadily decreases. The drop of demand lowers the need to breed as many animals. And once they are at a manageable population, they can live their lives as pets. Bovines, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and other animals used for food or exploited make terrific pets, or may live in a sanctuary, or remain wild (such as turkeys who are in the wild and domesticated). There is no need to worry about any “take over.”
What would happen to those who work on factory farms?
People who work on factory farms are exploited themselves. Most factory farm and slaughterhouse workers are forced into the jobs because they are poor immigrants. And because no one checks on animal agriculture, they are exploited and abused as well. Workers report having to use diapers because they are not given breaks, and forced to work up to 14 hours a day.
Those who work these jobs must rather not. Some people are sociopaths, yes, but most are not given a choice. They would be able to work any other job, especially jobs a rise in veganism would create, such as installing and making solar panels, working to make vegan specific foods, or anything really. And once human population lowers, there will be more jobs. With high over population, when someone retires there’s a hundred people who apply for that same job. Once population goes down, it will be steady having once a person retires, another person takes it without hundreds also desperately needing that same job.
You can read more about the abuse of factory farms on employees here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/05/11/i-had-to-wear-pampers-many-poultry-industry-workers-allegedly-cant-even-take-bathroom-breaks/?utm_term=.b925fb7668e0
http://www.trueactivist.com/exposed-american-factory-workers-forced-to-wear-diapers-and-stay-dehydrated/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/08/exploitation-and-abuse-at-the-chicken-plant
Don’t vegans kill animals, too?
No, vegans do not. Vegans do not pay for nor commit to the mass slaughter of several billions of lives every year all for the mere taste of their flesh or to wear their bodies. With 80% of all farmland used to grow crops to feed livestock, any animals accidentally killed on these lands would go away once everyone is eating plant-based, as well as deforestation which kills millions of wild animals and is causing species extinction of hundreds of species.
The mass genocide that carnists cause is nothing compared to rare accidental deaths that growing crops alone causes. Furthermore, buildings that will be able to grow hundreds of acres of crops without the risk of insects or wildlife being around are in the works.
Comparing vegans killing animals to the purposeful genocide of carnists is simply an attempt to fight against something good. The number of animals killed every year for food outnumbers the number of humans killed in every single war documented.
This is how many animals carnists are killing: http://thevegancalculator.com/animal-slaughter/
See this as well: http://www.bitesizevegan.org/bite-size-vegan-nuggets/qa/do-vegans-kill-more-animals-than-meat-eaters/
Are service and working animals vegan?
Yes, service and working animals are vegan. Service animals help their humans in ways no other human could. They can detect low blood sugar, when a stroke in coming, help with anxiety, and lead the blind. Humans can’t do all of these things, nor do they want to. And disabled people don’t have the money to hire anyone to care for them, nor do they want someone else around them all the time, or humans are the cause of their disability so being around them makes it worse. A service animal helps their humans and are loved, well cared for, and love doing their job.
Therapy dogs provide comfort to the sick and elderly, which they love, and search and rescue dogs help save lives of humans and non-human animals by finding them when they get lost or during a disaster.
While military and police animals are at risk of being killed or harmed, the reality is we need their help to not only protect humans, but other non-human animals as well. A police dog can help the police catch a dangerous criminal who would kill others. And military dogs can help stop dangerous enemies who would kill the innocent.
It is a necessary evil to have police and military period, since both occupations are dangerous and are the direct result of needing to stop evil people, but we need soldiers and officers to protect the innocent, whether they are humans or not. And the horses, dogs, and other animals used in the army and police force are loved and cared for. Yes, some departments and soldiers may not treat them with love, and that’s where evil humans being everywhere comes to play. And that is why we need all animals to have their rights. But, for the most part, the police and soldiers love their dogs and other four legged partners and keep them living with them after the animals retire.
In fact, when a police or military animal dies, especially in the line of duty, they are given funerals as a human in the police or military is given. They are buried in a casket after hundreds attend the military style funeral, and a flag given to the animal’s human partner. Even search and rescue dogs will receive this kind of treatment. The last of the 9/11 search and rescue dogs had police stand at attention and be there for her before she passed away at the vet.
These animals are not “thrown away” or abused. Those who truly care for them see them as their equal police officer, their equal soldier, their partners. And they all would take a bullet for each other. And have.
Is the military vegan? Are vegans pacifists?
As said above, the military is a necessary evil. Sadly, there are evil people, evil countries who would harm others to spread their hatred and control to harm others. And an army is necessary to protect the innocent. While true veganism is about not harming others and doing your best to be kind to all, sometimes the best way to love and protect others is to be a warrior. To go out there and kill the evil to protect the innocent. A necessary evil that true veganism seeks to end. But until that threat is gone, we must do what we can to fight it.
So, yes, vegans are technically pacifists, we want no war or harm. But if we must fight to defend others, we shall.
Are human rights part of veganism?
Yes. Human rights and animal rights are connected. You cannot have one without the other. 95% of those who harm non-human animals turn and harm humans.
See these links for more information and my journal on abortion and the other on human starvation:
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/vegan-human-rights
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-33419-6_4
https://www.wordsinthebucket.com/how-veganism-fosters-sustainability-and-human-rights
Cambodian Girl Video: http://tinyurl.com/jlrwy9x
Shrimp Worker Article: http://tinyurl.com/jtpo6r3
Shrimp Slaves in 2016: http://tinyurl.com/grqmomc
Whole Foods Denies Slave Shrimp Allegations: http://tinyurl.com/z9trcrj
65-70% of Amazon Destruction from Animal Ag: http://tinyurl.com/zw7qd2b
Tribal Leaders on Deforestation: http://tinyurl.com/jr47srt
Al Jazeera – Amazon cleared by slaves (2015): http://tinyurl.com/h5gerjb
Transcript of Miami Herald Article with Cargill Quote: http://tinyurl.com/z5gaov5
Human Right’s Watch “Systemic Human Rights Violations”: http://tinyurl.com/guofou2
30% of Factory Farm Workers have Respiratory Illness: http://tinyurl.com/jnk4dn7
Children Near Factory Farms Increased Asthma: http://tinyurl.com/l6dwfq9
Death in Manure Lagoons CDC: http://tinyurl.com/cetex4o
Slaughterhouses are Ultrahazardous: http://tinyurl.com/gpwabye
Slaughterhouses Increase Crime: http://tinyurl.com/h97f87e
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Babies Study: http://tinyurl.com/j6e8zeu
PAH: Living Near Restaurants Grilling Meat Study: http://tinyurl.com/gu9zcae
Am I vegan if I accidentally hit an animal while driving?
Unfortunately, accidents that cannot be avoided happen. If you are driving and accidentally hit an animal, despite trying your best not to or had no time to react, that doesn’t make you an intentional killer. If you accidentally kill, you are still vegan since it was not your intention, you never planned to kill, you don’t want to kill. If you kill on purpose and go out doing so, then you are not vegan.
The best we can do it avoid killing anyone. We’re not perfect, but at least we’re trying our best.
Are certain sex acts vegan?
So long as it’s consensual it’s vegan. Yes, oral sex is vegan if it’s consensual. What is not vegan in regards to sex is bestiality (which is committed in animal agriculture to get them to breed), crush, rape, necrophilia, and anything that harms or kills a non consenting victim. And, no, even if a person consents to being killed it’s not vegan. No one should be purposely killed unless out of self defense, or if they are immensely sick and dying, and are humanely euthanized to end their suffering, for their last few hours or days are complete misery.
What about fish? What about bugs? Oysters?
Fish and bugs are animals and feel, think, are sentient, and want to live. They are not to be harmed or exploited either, and without them life on the planet would cease to exist because of the important tasks they play in balancing the ecosystems of the world.
Oysters are animals and feel pain, and consuming them harms our bodies since we are not omnivores. We’re natural herbivores.
Are vaccines vegan? Medicine?
Yes, vaccines are vegan because they save lives by preventing deadly diseases. As well as medicine since it is saving lives. We do not need to test on animals to learn more about medicine, so modern medicine no longer has to conflict with veganism.
See my journals on vaccines and vivisecting to learn more.
Is having children vegan? Can I raise them vegan?
What’s not vegan about raising children?
Yes, children are vegan. Humans are naturally born vegan, not wanting to harm others. We are taught by the corrupt society and parents who don’t know better, which turns children violent, into carnists, racist, specieist, etc. Hatred is taught. We aren’t born hateful. Humans being natural herbivores posses no prey drive, so no child wants to hunt and kill any animal.
Yes, children can be raised on a plant-based diet. In fact, it’s healthier for them since we are natural herbivores. It’s actually abusive to force them to eat animal products since it harms their health, teaches them to exploit and harm others, and upsets children knowing they are eating an animal.
While humans are overpopulated, the best solution is to simply not have more than two children, or simply adopt. Killing babies is not the answer, nor is abortion vegan since it simply is murdering a child, harms women and can even kill them, harms fathers, and is simply exploitation of the female reproductive system for profit. Birth control is vegan since it doesn’t harm anyone and actually provides health benefits.
Hitting and yelling at children in any form is child abuse and not vegan. Furthermore, denying children proper medical care is imply neglect and abuse, so therefore not vegan. This is why not vaccinating your children or pets is abuse and therefore not vegan since you are causing them to get sick and die rather than preventing it.
Read more about raising children in my journal about abortion, human overpopulation, and vaccines.
And see these links:
Nutrionfacts.org on Pregnancy: nutritionfacts.org/topics/preg…
Feeding an Infant a Plant Based Diet: www.onegreenplanet.org/natural…
Vegan Diets Good for Pregnancy and Babies: nymag.com/thecut/2016/12/are-v…
Food Tips for Vegan Children: www.vegansociety.com/whats-new…
Is it Dangerous to Raise Vegan Children: www.earthchildren.world/articl…
Students do Better at Vegetarian School: www.forksoverknives.com/studen…
Plant-Based Fertility: www.forksoverknives.com/plant-…
Raising Children to Eat Meat is Extreme: www.independent.co.uk/voices/v…
Are Vegan Diets Healthy for Babies and Pregnant Woman: www.thecut.com/2016/12/are-veg…
Vegan Diets Good for Children: www.thecut.com/2016/12/are-veg…
Raising Kids to Eat Meat is Abusive: www.independent.co.uk/voices/v…
5 Ways Vegan Diets Help With Pregnancy: vegnews.com/articles/page.do?p…
Vegan Diets Good for Adults and Kids: www.reuters.com/article/us-hea…
Food Tips for Vegan Children: www.vegansociety.com/whats-new…
Are pets vegan? Are pets ethical? What about fixing
them?
Microchipping? Training and using leashes?
Yes, pets are vegan. Due to domestication, many animals cannot live in the wild so have no choice but to be cared for by humans. SO long as they are loved, kept indoors, and properly taken care of and loved, they are happy and it’s vegan. It is only not vegan if they are being abused, exploited, raped, and killed.
Dogs are true omnivores so can be fed a plant-based diets, and some cats need it due to medical conditions. But, for carnivorous pets like snakes, cats, etc. the best option would be lab grown meat to give them. No one is killed or harmed for lab grown meat, and it also will not cause deforestation, human starvation, species extinction, nor climate change.
Fixing pets actually provides many medical benefits, such as less chance of certain cancers, as well as better behavior. But most importantly it helps reduce overpopulation of pets, lessening those killed in shelters and those left homeless. spaying and neutering pets causes no harm to the animals, and benefits them greatly.
Microchipping is vegan since it causes no harm to the animal and ensures they can be brought back to their humans if they ever were to get out and get lost. Microchipping has saved thousands of lives by ensuring the animals were returned and not killed at a shelter.
Training pets, such as dogs, is beneficial since it’s simply teaching the dog manners, which could save their life. A dog knowing to come to you when called can ensure they don’t run out into traffic, and teaching them not to jump can keep them from knocking over a child or elderly person. It is simply teaching manners and ensuring safe behavior. And agility training can offer a fun activity for you and your dog to do if the dog loves running and jump, as most dogs do. Dogs benefit from having a task to do, just as humans do. It keeps them occupied, entertained, and provides a fun bonding experience with their human.
Leashes are very important because they ensure your pet won’t run away and get hit by a car or lost. While some collars are abusive, a nice harness causes no discomfort and the pets can explore safely.
See my journals on pet overpopulation and pet health tips to learn more.
Best way to turn family and friends vegan?
Family can be harder to turn vegan because family can be immensely nasty. Family members tend to believe that just because they are family they can get away with being selfish and ignoring you, and expect you to still pay attention to them and do what they want. So, I caution dealing with family, but encourage you to educate friends and strangers.
As for educating people about the truth, the best ways is to “attack” what they care about. If they seem to care about animals and want to help them, explain to them what happens to animals on factory farms, fur farms, etc. And always show images and videos. Some people may change with just being told, but many will have to watch the horrors to truly understand how bad it is.
If people don’t care about the animals, educate them on how animal products harm our health, how animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, species extinction, climate change, and human starvation. And show them the sources, documentaries, etc. My Educational Journals have wonderful sources you can check out.
Most importantly,, educate yourself! When you know all the answer and how to explain them, then that shows just how serious it is for people to know, and that you’re not making this up.
Watch videos by Gary Yourofsky, James Aspey, Earthling Ed, Bite Size Vegan, and other activists to see how they explain things, word usage, and facts they emphasize. They have experience and have been doing this for years so have honed their debating and education skills. Most importantly, don’t sink down to the level of an idiot. Avoid screaming, cussing out, and never threaten. That is what people in the wrong do since they have no scientific or moral basis for their selfish living. And learn what type of people to block when arguing online. If someone just wants to insult and threaten, they aren’t there to learn or debate. They are there to harass, insult, troll, and bully. And must be avoided. Block them before they can cause emotional stress. Which, is also important when dealing with people. Fighting the idiots who just want to bully can stress you out and make you depressed. Focus on those with an open mind and actually have a heart. Once all the caring people have gone truly vegan, then the selfish people will have no choice but to do the same as well.
Great documentaries to show are these: https://www.livekindly.co/15-must-watch-vegan-documentaries/
As well as sharing these youtube videos:
Doctors on Veganism:
Dr. Klaper: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvlaQJ…
Nutritionfacts.org: nutritionfacts.org/
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: www.pcrm.org/
Dr. Barnard: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnHYHj…
Dr. Kellner: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O40q8r…
Dr. Campbell: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEkQCe…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsklVx…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTf0z…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfsT-q…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEkQCe…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktQzM2…
I’ve been told I can’t process plant-protein so plant-
based diets would kill me! I’ve been told that I “have” to
eat certain animal products for “health.”
This is not true. The human body is naturally herbivorous. The human body has an easier time processing plant protein, iron, and other nutrients than what is found in meat, milk, and eggs. What actually is killing you is eating animal products. The myth that you need animal products has been pushed by the meat and dairy industries in order to profit off the continued ignorance of the general populace. It has no scientific basis at all.
Am I a bad vegan for working a non-vegan job?
No, sometimes you have to do what you must to survive. So long as you aren’t working in a slaughterhouse or a place that is directly causing animal or human abuse, you are not directly involved. Working in a place like a grocery store that sells animal products isn’t making you contribute to the abuse. Only the people who are buying the animal products and directly abusing and killing animals are the ones causing suffering and death. But, education is key. Educate people at your work. Never be silent.
Is veganism a religion? Can you be religious or not
religious and still be vegan??
No, veganism is not a religion, but religious texts do tell us to live a vegan lifestyle. The Bible, for example, is filled with passages telling us to not harm or eat animals, be kind to everyone, and to live a peaceful lifestyle. You don’t have to be religious to be vegan, but most religions want you living a vegan lifestyle of peace and compassion, and to not be eating or harming animals.
Is veganism extreme?
No, veganism is about peace and compassion for all, and it also benefits our health and the planet. What truly is extreme is humans pretending to be omnivores and causing the unnecessary suffering, rape, abuse, and death of trillions of lives each year, resulting in making us sick, destroying the planet, killing off other species, and causing human starvation.
Nothing is “extreme” about being kind to others.
Plants have feelings and won’t veganism cause more to
die?
No, plants do not feel pain and less plants are harvested for plant-based eating. 80% of all farmland grows crops to feed livestock which gives us LESS food. In fact, if all the crops grown to feed livestock in ONE YEAR was instead fed to humans it would end world hunger 14 times over.
Plants cannot feel pain. They lack a central nervous system. Plants may sense the presence of other plants and of animals (why plants can close leaves if touched, etc.), but they cannot feel pain. They don’t have any organ to process the physical sensation of touch and pain.
Furthermore, fruit is specifically created by plants to be eaten in order to pass along seeds. No animal lives to be eaten. They fight for their life while fruits’ purpose is to be eaten to benefit the plant and the plant’s species. Nuts also are meant to be consumed because while they are the seeds of new plants, they can only travel if an animal wants to eat them. So, most may be eaten, but those forgotten after being buried by squirrels and birds will be able to grow in a new location, fulfilling their purpose. And plants also benefit having old leaves removed. It is much like getting your hair trimmed because it gets rid of the old and damaged parts and allows new and healthier parts to grow. This is why gardeners always advise you to trim bushes and other plants to encourage new growth.
https://www.livekindly.co/plants-feel-pain/
https://mercyforanimals.org/heres-why-youre-wrong-when-you-say-plants
https://theveganspeak.com/plants-feel-pain/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mikko-alanne/plant-feelings_b_932305.html
https://www.care2.com/causes/no-meat-eaters-plants-do-not-feel-pain.html
SATIRE http://www.eatplantsdrinkbeer.com/readup/2017/9/7/plants-have-feelings-too
What if I found meat/a dead body and ate it without
paying for or killing the animal? What about getting milk
and eggs without hurting the animal or forcing them to
produce those?
Veganism is a lifestyle about not harming anyone. So, while finding a corpse that you didn’t harm and eating it is not going against the fundamental values of veganism, the fact humans are herbivores remains. If you found roadkill and ate it, you are still harming your body and making yourself sick since the human body cannot process the fat, lipids, amino acids, etc. that is found in animal flesh. We simply are not made for being omnivores. We’re herbivores. This is why lab meat, while not harming any animal, still is not good for humans. But, it would be a perfect solution to feed our carnivorous pets, such as cats, and carnivorous animals who cannot live in the wild, such as a lion in a sanctuary who is unable to be returned to the wild.
As for milk and eggs taken from an animal without harming them, again, humans are not able to process animal products. Furthermore, taking eggs away from birds causes great stress to them for they are not sure if the egg is fertilized or not. So, removing their egg they are scared you just stole their baby. This causes them to lay more, which uses up calcium and causes them to suffer osteoporosis, brittle bones, and other health issues. It is best to leave eggs with the birds until the bird realizes they are not fertilized. And it is best for your health to simply not consume animal products.
Please see my journals on meat, dairy, and eggs to learn more about health.
Is fur and leather better than plant made leather and
faux fur?
No, it is not. Faux fur and leather actually lasts longer, no one dies, smells better, and performs better. Faux fur and leather has come such a long way that now it is almost impossible to tell the difference without testing the product. Faux fur and leather also simply lasts longer. Faux leather can be made from pineapples, tea leaves, and so many other plant materials that are often thrown away. Such as the outer skin and leaves of a pineapple that is not eaten.
Faux fur lasts longer due to being plastic, and of course no animals were harmed. While plastic may have some environmental impact, the primary reason with that is simply due to not decomposing. But, with better plastic coming out in recent years, now plastic is biodegradable and faux fur will be able to break down just as anything else.
See my journal on fur, leather, and wool.
What about expanding and making buildings? Can we
build businesses and homes and it be vegan?
The primary reason so much land is being taken away is due to animal agriculture which requires a ridiculous amount of resources. As for the land used for infrastructure, this is significantly less, and the drive for that is due to human overpopulation. Simply having less children or none, and adopting will lessen the need for more houses and businesses.
Another problem with housing and businesses expansions is new land is constantly being taken and used rather than recycling already touched land. There are countless abandoned malls, apartments, even neighborhoods that were left abandoned due to financial issues or left behind after a natural disaster. Instead of destroying nature for new land, we must simply repurpose and fix these old structures, or tear them down and recycle the land. This will save thousands of acres of woods, forests, and wild land. We do not need untouched land for every new business or neighborhood.
What about pesticides and trying to grow organic? Won’t
that be killing animals? What about GMOs?
Pesticides do more than kill just the bugs that eat plants. They also kill the bugs that help plants, such as bees, and poison the water, birds, mammals, reptiles, and even the plants they are sprayed on. While keeping bugs from eating crops is good, pesticides simply don’t solve the problem due to creating more problems with poisoning other animals and the ground. Instead, keeping the ecosystem of the crops healthy is important. Have plenty of natural predators for the plant eating insects will ensure numbers don’t over grow. While some plants may get eaten and some of the fruits and seeds with them, the problem of losing food only arises when too much is eaten by bugs and other animals. Plenty of natural predators will ensure numbers stay low therefore less insects to eat the plants.
Growing organic in large amounts is possible. Multiple farmers have been able to do it. The dependency of pesticides has mad many forget how we have been able to grow produce for centuries in abundance without harsh chemicals.
As stated above, animals are not killed by growing organic. Pesticides do kill, but we must cease using them for the damage they cause on other species, the water, and ground pollution. When harvesting the crops, sometimes animals can be killed accidentally, but the numbers are still nothing in comparison to what animal agriculture kills every day. More animals are killed by animal agriculture in an hour than all humans who have been killed in every war ever documented. Harvesting plants is nothing in comparison to this.
GMOs (Genetically Modified Plants) have their pros and cons. While having plants produce larger or more fruit is beneficial, some GMOs have taken things too far and made plants produce fruit with less nutrients, or the plants don’t live as long. Most plants now harvested today have all been genetically modified in some way by selective breeding of the plants. This is not a bad thing. It’s bad when the selective breeding begins to damage the plant by changing it to the point it doesn’t function properly.
Take domesticated canines. While selective breeding of wolves has given us healthy domesticated dogs, such as greyhounds and Irish Wolfhounds, going further away from the original source (wolves) and breeding so selectively to make something completely different has dire consequences. Now, English Bulldogs are so sick they can’t even procreate without human help when they have sex or for when they give birth. They can’t even breathe without surgeries in their noses.
Plants can have this same issue. Selective breeding to the point the plants are now sickly or entirely different has caused them to produce fruit with less nutrients, they are not as hardy to extreme weather, etc. We must ensure that when genetically modifying plants they stay close to the original plants, but simply with beneficial improvements, such as larger fruit that isn’t grossly ginormous (excessively large fruit rots on the inside due to not having enough water), or the plant produces more fruit but not too much to the point it drains itself of nutrients and the fruit has less nutrients and the plant doesn’t live as long (such as apple trees that can live for over a 100 years, but use up all their nutrients so don’t grow enough and die much sooner from nutrient loss).
Plants may not feel pain or think, but they are alive in regards of requiring special nutrients, care, and not being pushed to limits of genetic modification.
What about animal welfare? Humane slaughter?
Welfare simply is when you keep your slaves, but make things a little nicer for them. Rights is when you release your slaves. Slave owners also tried to reason with welfare for their human slaves while abolitionists fought for the rights of the slaves.
There is no “right way” of owning a slave. Instead of looking for the “right way” of doing the wrong thing, we must stop the unnecessary cruelty, abuse, murder, and exploitation of all living beings. And once we respect the lives of others can we begin to end the cruelties done to our own species.
Humans have also fought for welfare for children, and yet child abuse is still at large and allowed to continue despite being reported in thousands of cases. This is because the “slavers,” the abusive parents, are giving ownership to their “property,” their children. And being owners they can do whatever they want to their property. This is what welfare has done. This is why children are beaten and it simply called “parenting” or “discipline” when it’s simply abuse. And this is what is happening with non-human animals. They are viewed as “property” and their slavers get away with everything. We must free our slaves by giving them rights, not limiting how much abuse they can legally receive.
Humane slaughter is a myth created by animal agriculture. There is no “humane” way to kill someone who doesn’t want to die. Animals know they are going to be killed. They scream, they cry, the fight, they struggle until their last breath to not die. Stun guns don’t keep them from feeling pain and most of the time don’t work. A bullet to the head is not an instant kill. Most of the time you are alive minutes, even hours, and some cases completely survive a bullet, arrow, or other weapon to the head or heart. Many cases of this exist, most famously Abraham Lincoln who died hours after being shot in the back of the head point-blank.
Euthanasia, while painless, can’t be done since it injects a poison into the body, making it dangerous to consume. But why bother looking for a better way to kill when we don’t need to kill at all? And on top of this, the human body is herbivorous and consuming animal products harms us. So, even if there was a magical way to kill someone without them being scared or in pain, it still harms us.
And animals who may have lived a “good life” are still all killed the same way. Scared, choking on their own blood, hanging upside down, dumped in scalding water, and often times still alive by the time their limbs and skin are being removed from their bodies.
If it’s so “humane,” would you choose to die that way?
What about PETA? Animal rights organizations?
PETA has improved greatly over the years. It used to fight only for animal welfare, but now fights for animal rights and even been promoting veganism. More and more PETA members are making the connection and switching to truly being compassionate and kind.
The myth that PETA kills more animals than it saves is a lie fabricated by haters of animal rights.
https://www.peta.org/blog/euthanize/
http://www.petakillsanimalsscam.com/
Even if you don’t like PETA, they still do much for animals, such as filming slaughterhouses, fur farms, labs, etc. and exposing cruelties so the world knows what truly goes on in those horrible places. They also are the first responders to saving animals after a natural disaster, such as hurricanes. So, please support the good they do and understand that all the reported bad is mostly made up, or happened many years ago when different people were running it.
But even if you want to avoid PETA, there are MANY other animal rights organizations to follow and support. Mercy for Animals, Sea Shepherd, RSPCA, Humane Society, Animal Liberation Front, One Green Planet, Anonymous for the Voiceless, 269life, ADAPTT, SHARK, Compassion Over Killing, In Defense of Animals, Last Chance for Animals, Animal Legal Defense Fund, The Gentle Barn, Soi Dog, No Dog Left Behind, and many others exist. Please, support and donate to them or local animal rescues.
But Humans have always been killing animals, so why
can’t we continue? What about animals who kill other
animals?
Firstly, humans are herbivores so we don’t need to consume animal products. Secondly, humans also have been raping and murdering children and each other for centuries. Just because something has always been done or is “tradition” does not mean it’s right nor necessary. Tradition for many cultures also dictated that women be killed with their husbands or be slaves to their husbands. Tradition has also dictated that sick babies be killed, or a child sacrifice. Tradition is not something to hold onto when it causes someone to suffer, die, be exploited, or raped. Most traditions simply are cruel and unnecessary.
And our ancestors actually didn’t eat animals. The only times they did was out of extreme necessity.
https://mic.com/articles/170731/some-of-our-paleo-ancestors-ate-100-vegetarian-new-study-finds#.CYlQQqOcJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8o6q294vXUhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/neanderthals-vegetarians-natural-penicillin-aspirin-medicine-prehistoric-homo-sapiens-a7619081.html
https://nutritionfacts.org/2016/11/15/the-natural-human-diet/https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2015/08/10/starchy-carbs–not-a-paleo-diet–advanced-the-human-race.html
As for animals who eat meat, true carnivores and omnivores kill and eat because their bodies actually are designed to process animal amino acids, lipids, and everything else in flesh. The human body cannot. Carnivores and omnivores also possess a prey drive, while humans do not. And even if humans were omnivores, we can still easily get all our nutritional needs from plants which require less resources to grow, enabling us to feed everyone in the world and be healthy.
But Hitler was vegetarian!
No, he wasn’t. All of his personal chefs and people who knew him confirm this.
https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/myth_check_was_hitler_a_vegetarian
https://foodrevolution.org/askjohn/hitler-a-vegetarian/
https://vegsource.com/berry/hitler.html
I don’t care about animals. Why should I not eat them or
use animal products?
Even if you don’t care about non-human animals, veganism is about human rights. Animal rights and human rights are connected. We cannot have one without the other. 95% of those who harm and kill non-human animals turn to harming and killing humans. The first form of hatred we are taught is specieism, which then spread to racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. If we cannot love and respect a dog, cow, whale, bear, or any other non-human animal, how could we ever respect out own species?
Animal agriculture and exploiting animals also causes human abuse and exploitation. Animal rights and human rights must work together if any are to be achieved.
Humans are natural herbivores, so even if you don’t like animals, not eating them, dairy, or eggs will vastly improve your health. Animal agriculture is also destroying the planet with being the leading cause of deforestation, climate change, human starvation, and species extinction. You save the planet and other humans by not supporting meat, dairy, eggs, and other forms of exploiting animals and resources.
You don’t need to love animals to not hurt them or respect them.
What about protein? I got sick when I went plant-based.
Did I do something wrong or can I never be plant-
based? I can never stay full eating plant-based foods.
Plants are the original creators of protein. You can get all of your protein needs by eating plants which contain more protein than any animal product. Leafy greens and broccoli contain 3x the amount of protein than any meat, and more iron as well. The only foods that do not contain protein are salt and sugar. Humans also are obsessed over protein that now they are getting too much. The average adult takes in 90 grams of protein a day, but only uses 1 gram. An apple has 3 grams of protein. In fact, you need so little protein that simply giving a woman oral sex every other day will give you all your protein needs (but of course the amino acids from animals is harder for us to process because we do not have the enzymes for it, so don’t depend on cunnilingus for protein!). And if you had a protein deficiency you wouldn’t even be able to get out of bed.
It is so easy to get all your nutritional needs from plants and more since plants produce these nutrients. See this link: https://inourishgently.com/every-single-nutrient-vegan/
As for getting sick when going plant-based, this is normal. When you live your entire life or many years eating animal products you force your body to be in a constant state of fighting, of tension as it deals with things it cannot easily nor naturally process. When you switch over to a natural, healthy diet the body finally relaxes and begins to detox. This is not the “detoxing” that anti-vaccers or other crazies talk about when they claim drink fruit drinks only and soak onions in boiling water, or whatever. This detoxing is actual detoxing of the body. It’s when the body removes the animal fat, the animal amino acids, the lipids, the feces, the excess estrogen, etc. from the animal products that you had been consuming and cleans it out. Throws it out with your urine and begins to clean itself.
It’s normal to get sick sometimes while the body is cleaning. This sickness usually lasts a week or two, then it’s done. It may last longer if you were a heavy fast food or junk food eater due to all the harsh chemicals used to preserve those foods. To help your body during this time, drink tea, especially green tea. Tea helps the body clean itself, hence why it’s great when you have a cold, and forces you to urinate more, which is how the boy removes most toxins and waste.
Another way to avoid the detoxing stage is to transition over a period of days, weeks, maybe a couple of months. This allows the body to slowly adjust over time and not rush through detoxing all at once.
And as for not staying full, humans are natural herbivores and when you eat a natural diet your metabolism rate increases. This means you burn through carbs, fat, etc. quicker giving you more energy. It’s normal to need to eat more because that’s natural. Herbivores naturally eat throughout the day. We should be snacking more rather than gorging ourselves 2-3 times a day. Carnivores gorge after they hunt, and then they go a day, several days, weeks, months, maybe even a year between meals. But herbivores do not. We must be eating throughout the day with several meals and snacks.
But, if you still feel hungry despite eating more often, eat more foods that take more time to digest, such as beans, breads, pasta, fake meats, etc. The nuts, beans, grains, etc. in these foods, while easy to digest, just take a bit longer to do so than fresh fruits and veggies. This will help you stay full longer.
What about organ and blood donations for humans?
Pets?
Donating blood and organs is vegan since it saves lives and is consensual. It only is not vegan if you take it from someone by force and/or murdering them for it. What most important is that donating blood and organs save lives. Dogs, cats, horses, and other animals can donate blood and help their sick counterparts, and it’s best you let your pets donate once a year if they are healthy enough to do so. As someone who has needed a blood donation for my sick cat, it is the best thing in the world knowing someone let their cat donate blood so mine would have a chance at life.
And as for organs, they are donated upon the death of someone. So, if your pet dies without euthanasia and they were not sick when they died, please consider donating their organs for an animal who may be in need of a new heart, a new kidney, anything they need. And please donate your own organs upon your death to help those who may have been injured, born with a bad heart, or suffering from some other medical condition.
What about euthanasia for pets? For humans? What
about the death penalty?
Euthanasia for the sick is something I had to do for three of my daughters who were dying of cancer, internal bleeding, and barely able to breath from being so anemic. They were in pain, they couldn’t be saved, and they had only hours left at best. And they weren’t feeling well at all. It is the worst, the hardest, the most painful thing a mother or any parent has to do for their babies, biological or not, but it’s better than them suffering for hours longer, scared, and barely able to breath.
If you end up having to euthanize your dying family member, human or not, the best thing to do is to stay with them and never leave their side. It’s hard, it’s the worst feeling ever, but stay with them while it happens. Give them the best last minutes, last hours, of their life that you possibly can. And hold them during it all and after. But, please, never take their life too early. Wait for THEM to tell you when they are ready to go. Don’t do it before. (I also recommend watching “Ask a Mortician” on Youtube as she gives ideas and helps you process losing a loved one, whether human or non-human.)
While euthanasia is rarely used for humans, it should be done more for so many people are in so much pain from an illness or awful injury and they know they will never feel better or recover, so they do ask for this option rather than being in pain for hours as they wait for their bodies to finally give up. It is only right that we help them no be in pain.
While death is not part of veganism, doing our best to not cause others to suffer is. And if a peaceful death a few hours before their body gives up is the best option, then we should do that. But we must listen to the person dying and understand their needs, whether they are human or not.
But, euthanasia for perfectly healthy individuals is just murdering them. No one should be killed all because they were unwanted or they made a mistake.
As for the death penalty… While the act of killing someone is not vegan we must consider what will be saving lives and helping others. Is it better for a dangerous, cruel person to be locked away forever or for them to die? What would be a better punishment for them? Too many are sentenced to death for crimes they either didn’t commit or were not that severe, while many who have murdered and raped humans and non-human animals go unpunished or barely serve jail time. The law is not right in how it handles justice for the victims. And we must always put the victims first. What would be best for them? Is killing their killer/abuser the right answer or is that beneficial to the perpetrator?
Killing is not vegan, but perhaps we shouldn’t leave that be the answer when handling those who only wish to murder, rape, and kill for their own beneficiary pleasure.
Why eat fake animal products like fake meats and plant
milks? Isn’t that supporting animal agriculture? Isn’t that
against the point of veganism? Why do it if you are
against eating real meat, dairy, and eggs? Or against
real leather, fur, and wool?
The reason vegans eat fake meats, use plant milks, and ingredients similar to animal products is for the same reason people eat animal products: Taste. While animal products do harm us, since we’re natural herbivores, the primary reason people consume them is for the taste. Salt and seasoning is added to flesh before cooking it to make it have a certain taste, and dairy is used to make cheese, butter, or to add a bit of taste to baked goods. And eggs are eaten for their taste or to help keep baked goods together. All of this, the taste and baking needs, is easily done by plant-based foods instead, and actually provide more options in doing so. And the best part is they are healthier, cheaper, and use up less resources to produce.
It does not support animal agriculture in any way, and because no one is being hurt for it it does not go against veganism.
We do it to enjoy tasty food, to help transition from eating animal products to plant-based, and to eat the same foods as before only without the animals involved. Plant-based meats and milks taste very similar or exactly the same as actual flesh and dairy. This lets you enjoy the taste you like while not having to take anyone’s life or cause damage to the planet.
Should fashion mimic real leather and fur? What about
recycling leather, wool, fur, or other animal products?
So long as it’s not actual real leather, wool, fur, or skin, it’s okay to mimic it with faux products. So long as no one is being harmed to produce a product, it’s vegan and fine for the planet. The only issue comes when someone is being killed, raped, abused, and exploited for something. But, to enjoy a leather jacket made of sturdy faux leather or socks made from faux wool is perfectly fine.
As for recycling animal products such as leather, wool, fur, and skin… Since the animals were killed already and reusing them isn’t causing more to die, that’s fine. It’s okay to reuse the came leather jacket you had before going vegan until it’s all worn out. The only time it’s not vegan and it harming someone is when you buy a brand new animal product which directly supports the industries that are exploiting and killing animals. So, buying leather or fur from a thrift store isn’t supporting the cruel industries since thrift stores run on donations and don’t give their profits to the original sources.
But, if you were making money buy selling things with animal products and encouraging people to buy animal products, then that wouldn’t be vegan since you are telling people it’s okay to support animal products.
Isn’t soy bad for you? What all can I eat vegan? Are
plant-based alternatives tasty?
No, soy is not bad for you. Sadly, this was a myth created long ago that many hold onto. Soy does not contain estrogen at all. Dairy, on the other hand, has so much estrogen that it causes prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers, along with “man-boobs,” severe acne, eczema, and many other medical conditions.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1480510/
https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/eat-to-live-blog/137/dont-fall-for-the-myths-about-soy
https://www.riseofthevegan.com/blog/the-truth-about-soy-busting-the-myths
https://ucdintegrativemedicine.com/2015/06/the-startling-truth-about-soy/#gs.phspnXY
https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/040114p52.shtml
You can eat ANYTHING vegan! There is literally vegan of everything from pizza, burgers, hotdogs, bacon, cheese, milk, egg, honey, baked goods, everything. Simply Google your favorite food with the word “vegan” and see all the recipes that pop up. Go to your local grocery store and read the ingredients on everything. Most things you eat already are plant-based, and many products you may not have thought were vegan are. Oreos are a perfect example of this. They are 100% plant-based! And plant-based foods are very delicious, more flavorful, and with over 2,500 edible plants in the world the possibilities are endless of what you can eat and what you can do with them. Just start Googling recipes and look at some vegan websites and starter kits for ideas!
Is animal agriculture really like the Holocaust? Isn’t that
comparison insulting to Holocaust survivors?
Animal agriculture does very similar things as what the Holocaust did to Jews during WWII. Animals are locked in small cages, not fed properly, gassed to death, killed, experimented on, castrated without anesthesia, and many other horrible practices done to Jews are done to animals today. This isn’t insulting to Holocaust victims, merely a fact that the same thing is being done. The people who pointed out this similarity actually were Holocaust survivors. And many Holocaust survivors are vegan because they don’t want to support what was done to them being done to any other living being.
Here are some videos of Holocaust survivors explaining why animal agriculture and vivisecting is similar to what they and others experienced during the Holocaust:
http://ethicalvegan.net/read/animal-holocaust
https://www.jewishveg.org/schwartz/holocaust.html
But it’s my personal choice to eat meat!
It is no longer your “personal” choice the moment you bring another life in the picture. A personal choice involves you alone. Another being being killed, raped, or otherwise harmed is forcing your beliefs, your agenda on them and therefore no longer applies only to you. It’s a personal choice to eat what you want, but it’s not a personal choice to eat <i>who</i> you want.
It’s a racist’s “personal choice” to be hateful towards people of color. It’s a rapists “personal choice” to rape someone.
I’m only one person. What could I do to help by going
vegan? It won’t make a difference.
“I’m only one person, what difference can I make?” ~ Said a million people.
You can make a difference. Every person who goes vegan stops the slaughter of an average of 300 animals per year. Every vegan saves thousands of gallons of water each year and reduces the demand for animal products, hend reducing the killing, the abuse, and destruction on the planet. And everyone who goes vegan they in turn turn others vegan. This endless cycle has caused hundreds of dairy farms, factory farms, slaughterhouses, labs, fur farms, race tracks, zoos, circuses, and other forms of animal exploitation, abuse, rape, and murder to come to an end.
While it may seem hopeless, you are helping. And while some people may not be ready to listen, others are so go speak to those. Once all those who are ready to be compassionate are vegan then those who fight against compassion will soon find they have no other choice when only vegan products are being sold in stores.
Keep fighting, keep educating, and be vegan always. For the animals, for your health, for the planet, for equality for all.
What activism methods are best? What can I do to help
stop animal and human cruelties?
When it comes to educating people about veganism, it depends on the person. Some people will respond better when they learn how animals are treated. Tell them what happens to animals on factory farms, how they are killed, etc. and show them footage and images from those places. Some people may not care as much about the abuse, so explain to them about why eating plant-based is better for their health and that they can still eat good food just without the animals. And explain to people about how animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, human starvation, species extinction, and climate change.
Most importantly, be well educated yourself. Always be researching, have links to articles, studies, doctors, scientists, and experts at the ready, and know the answer to as many things as possible so you are always prepared. Never stop educating yourself on what’s happening, on science, and facts. Watch documentaries, read studies, listen to doctors, and stay up-to-date. If you know the answers to everything and explain it in detail with sources people will take you more seriously.
Don’t waste time with idiots or trolls. If someone rather scream about “mmm, bacon!” and nothing else, block them and move on to someone who is willing to listen. Some people take more time than others to accept the truth. Never give up on anyone.
The best thing you can do to help animals and humans is to live the vegan lifestyle of peace and compassion for all. Never support abuse, rape, murder, or exploitation of any kind. Always be kind to others. Just follow the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”
Never throw a tantrum, throw insults, or act childish when educating about the truth. You are the bigger, better educated person so act it. Even though it’s nice to tell someone to go fuck themselves, this doesn’t make them want to go vegan. If they just want to harass block and move on. There are others who will listen.
Share documentaries, articles, graphic images, and call things what they are: Murder, rape, exploitation, dead flesh, corpses, breast milk, menstrual cycles, etc. Don’t sugar coat things.
Look at how other activists educate and learn from them. Gary Yourofsky, Earthling Ed, James Aspey, Bite Size Vegan, Mic the Vegan, etc. are a few to learn from.
Is fishing vegan?
No, fishing is not vegan. Not only is eating fish just as bad for us as eating any other animal, but fish have just as many pain sensors in their cheeks as we do. It hurts the same for them having a hook through their mouth as it does us. They may not have eyelids to widen or make sound on a frequency we can detect, but they are in pain and they are screaming.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fish-feel-pain-180967764/
Ga Maleven