Any Fellow Vegans?

[my-boy-jasper]

Hmmm, well I know Cooper's beer is vegan. Not sure if that's only sold in Australia though. There's lots of 'boutique' beers around now and I would be willing to bet a few of those are vegan. There's a couple of alcoholic ciders I like that are vegan. Can't think of the names right now, but you can tell the difference - the vegan ones have the sediment in the bottle. I've seen it written in tiny print on the bottle, "suitable for vegetarians/vegans" as well.

 

[djoe]

I was reading about in vitro meat (meat grown in labs) and been thinking it would be a good - futuristic - alternative for those who find it difficult to give up on meat.

Hmmm would you eat it?

 

[pocho]

I was reading about in vitro meat (meat grown in labs) and been thinking it would be a good - futuristic - alternative for those who find it difficult to give up on meat.

Hmmm would you eat it?

I am very glad I could give up meat! That is grotesque. Many I believe wouldnt have such a hard time giving it up if they were forced to have direct contact with the animals life and especially its death. It has been said everything is a acquired taste with the exception of breast milk for humans. I like the idea of humans evolving to a place where they no longer have the 'taste' for meat.

Personally though, If I had no other choice and to survive had to eat meat I would go the route of a hunter. To live in that life/death reality with respect and approach it like a native american would have. but that is just one of those 'what if' mental intrigues...

 

[djoe]

What's the difference between in vitro meat and vegi meat... it is all substitutes.

I wouldn't eat it. simply because I live well off without meat AND all of its substitutes. I like my vegies beans and seends and sprouts and so on....

but ethically speaking, why not invitro?

 

[pocho]

 
What's the difference between in vitro meat and vegi meat... it is all substitutes.

I wouldn't eat it. simply because I live well off without meat AND all of its substitutes. I like my vegies beans and seends and sprouts and so on....

but ethically speaking, why not invitro?

The ethics would fall in an area concerned with putting parameters and limits on science interfering with the natural world i suppose. Afterall, it is science that has come up with the wonderful idea of GMO. And here in the States we dont even get to choose because they dont have even label it. Also it still takes an animal to make that meat...that could be ethically questionable.

 

[furperson]

I'm not vegan at all, though my sister tried it for a while and could not keep it up since she wasn't getting good enough nutrition. I believe humans as a species are meant to be natural omnivores. That said, I DON'T eat pre-packaged, processed, factory-farmed meats. I am a hunter and a trapper and I eat what I shoot or trap. Venison, raccoon, opossum, squirrel, etc - it's all free range, naturally fed, free of all antibiotics/steriods. And to me, it tastes a lot better than any meat that can be bought at the grocery store. Sure, it takes more time, effort and the willingness to kill & butcher to procure your own meat, but in my view it is entirely worth it, as I feel a lot healthier when I eat wild meat!

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I'm not vegan at all, though my sister tried it for a while and could not keep it up since she wasn't getting good enough nutrition. I believe humans as a species are meant to be natural omnivores. That said, I DON'T eat pre-packaged, processed, factory-farmed meats. I am a hunter and a trapper and I eat what I shoot or trap. Venison, raccoon, opossum, squirrel, etc - it's all free range, naturally fed, free of all antibiotics/steriods. And to me, it tastes a lot better than any meat that can be bought at the grocery store. Sure, it takes more time, effort and the willingness to kill & butcher to procure your own meat, but in my view it is entirely worth it, as I feel a lot healthier when I eat wild meat!

I have tried venison and squirrel. I also have eaten dove, quail, goose, ducks, bear and frog legs. I do like meat, but I love my vegetables even more. I wouldn't miss the meat, but I would be concerned about getting enough nutrients if I only ate the veggies.

 

[furperson]

I was reading about in vitro meat (meat grown in labs) and been thinking it would be a good - futuristic - alternative for those who find it difficult to give up on meat.

Hmmm would you eat it?

I would not eat it. Much of the nutrition and flavor in meat comes from the animal's own diet and nutrients that it consumes throughout life - the reason, for instance, that deer meat is so much more healthy and flavorful than farm-raised beef: the deer eats more natural, nutritious foliage in its short lifetime than does a grain fed cow which has roughly the same lifespan before it is killed. 

 In-vitro meat (basically just "flesh cells" grown in a lab) would be sterile and flavorless, and also very dry, because from what I've read, it has no real fat content. I would not even feed it to my pets!  I will stick with deer, wild hogs and small game for now

 

[rubysmama]

I dredged this thread up from a couple months ago.   I'm vegetarian, not vegan, but still struggled with my decision to get a cat, since it would mean bringing dead animal meat into my home.  It wasn't until my lifelong love of cats and my need to rescue a shelter cat grew too strong to ignore that I finally went to the SPCA and fell in love with my Ruby.    I know I've made that one feline's life so much better, but I still feel twitches of guilt when I buy her food.    Especially now that her hypoallergenic food contains duck.

Any other vegetarians or vegans ever feel this way?

 

[david's steph]

I have thought alot about this too over the years, but since we have chosen to love and care for these little carnivores, then I am responsible to respect this, and feed them meat.  Cats DO require animals in their diet, but I know I do not.  Choosing for myself a plant-based diet is what I can do, to alleviate needless suffering, and that is the best I can do.  But since science (and nature) points to the fact that to truly give cats a healthy body, they need meat, I can not go against this fact.  It certainly is a dilemma for many ethical veg*ns, but one I have made peace with a few years back..  

 

[rubysmama]

David's Steph:   Thanks for your reply.  It's good to know I'm not the only one who's had these thoughts. 

 

[thevegancuddler]

Sorry I haven't posted here in awhile! I've been very busy, and also not feeling too well. I'm Bipolar, so, you know, sometimes are good, sometimes not, hence the inconsistency. =P

Anyway, as to the concern about buying meat for cats. I am a VERY serious vegan. But I feed my cats homemade raw. Two years ago, I used to say I'd never have a cat, because I couldn't deal with that ethical quandry. I have always accepted that cats need meat to survive; that was never in question for me. And I believe when you adopt an animal, you do right by him/her. So for that reason, I was prepared not to adopt. But then a fellow vegan convinced me that these animals were going to be fed meat one way or another - by a shelter, by a potential adopter, wherever. So if I adopted them, I wouldn't be adding any purchasing power to that market, AND I would be giving a cat a great home, because I view animals as my equals, not just temporary home decorations. So that's how I reconcile it.

That said, I HATE the smell of raw chicken in my kitchen. I don't even have a great sense of smell, but it's there. Gag-worthy. These babies are lucky I love them.

I also feed my dog raw. I tried to feed her vegan for awhile, because some dogs, being omnivorous, do quite well with just the veg food. But in her case, it just wasn't working, and she was eating poop out of the litterboxes (a sign of malnutrition). I do hear that some people feed their cats vegan, as the taurine added in is a synthetic supplement as much as it is in commercial cat foods (that's true - in shelf foods, the taurine actually has to be added back in synthetically), but I just don't think cats can digest plant matter very well. Their digestive tracts, stomach acidity, everything is geared toward meat. I know some cats have survived it, but some people survive smoking. Doesn't mean it's good for you. And with cats' systems being so delicate and with decline happening so fast should a cat become ill, it's not something I'd try.

 

[rubysmama]

thevegancuddler:    thank you for your reply.   You made some good points.  In particular, that the cats would be fed meat one way or another, so we don't add additional sales to the meat industry when we adopt a shelter cat.   And as I consider pets family members, I know I'm giving Ruby a good home.   Unlike you, though, I don't think I'd be able to feed her homemade raw, as I hated touching / cooking meat when I ate it.   I don't even like walking through the meat department, so I think it will just be canned food for my girl.

 

[muffy]

 
After talking with other vegans, I thought I'd make a thread for us to socialize! Please feel free to hop in and introduce yourself!

Boy, this thread is pretty old. I became a vegetarian when I was 9 years old and I'm now 64 years old. I was vegan from 2000 to 2012 but gave it up because it was just too hard. I've gained a lot of weight so maybe I'll go back to it someday.

 

[alyssam]

I am neither vegan or vegetarian. I tried being vegetarian when I was younger, succeeded for about a year and a half then reverted back to eating meat. I have never really "enjoyed" meat. The texture more than anything bothers me, however I do eat it anyway. 

I am completely supportive to the vegan and vegetarian communities! What you guys do is great. And even though I eat meat and am technically "evil" in hardcore vegan's books, I am 100% against animal cruelty and do my best to purchase cruelty-free products! 

 

[rubysmama]

 
I am neither vegan or vegetarian. I tried being vegetarian when I was younger, succeeded for about a year and a half then reverted back to eating meat. I have never really "enjoyed" meat. The texture more than anything bothers me, however I do eat it anyway.

Although I always felt killing animals was wrong, and didn't enjoy meat (it was the texture thing for me too), I ate meat for a long time because I didn't know what else to eat.  About 7 years ago I was eating such small portions of meat I realized I needed to find something else to eat.   So I started trying vegetarian recipes.  And October 2008 I officially became vegetarian.

AylssaM:  not sure how long ago you tried being vegetarian, but it is much easier now, than even when I made the switch. There are tons of vegetarian/vegan foods in the grocery stores now, more options at restaurants and endless recipes online to search for. 

 
Boy, this thread is pretty old. I became a vegetarian when I was 9 years old and I'm now 64 years old. I was vegan from 2000 to 2012 but gave it up because it was just too hard. I've gained a lot of weight so maybe I'll go back to it someday.

Muffy:  Did you go back to vegetarian from vegan?  Or back to meat?

 

[muffy]

No, I'm still vegetarian. I could never go back to eating meat.