Any Fellow Vegans?

[my-boy-jasper]

I am never the kind of person that preaches or tries to convert people. Because this is an obvious issue and you either are part of animal slavery and abuse or ur not...so I think it is not about preaching it is about knowing and setting your bar.

Anyway, I just thought you should know that most of the yogurt and cheese you eat, unless you make it yourself is NOT vegetarian.
Unless it says vegetarian, it is absolutely not. It contains animal fat and animal gelatine and much more.... not as processing agents (like in white sugar processed with bone char), but as ingredients that are not clear to you.

I have a friend who is highly allergic to porc...she is in no way vegetarian but just allergic to porc. She can never have over the shelf yogurt, she basically makes her own at home.

And even when I was vegetarian I considered that there was nothing vegetarian about eggs. They are not byproducts. They are eggs! And foetuses to be....

Yep, I've long been aware that cheese and yoghurt and well, lots of products, have other ingredients derived from animals. I always buy cheese without animal rennet and check other things for gelatine, animal fat etc. Lol, it can take a while to get around the supermarket.

Eggs I'm sitting on the fence about. Having kept chickens in the past, I guess it seems ok to take the eggs as long as it wasn't fertilised. They go clucky and you can let them mate and leave them alone for a while. I buy free range and do some research about where I'm getting them from because often "free range" doesn't mean what you think. But even in buying real free range eggs, I'm supporting an industry where the chickens welfare is down the list of priorities somewhere after profit. Things like killing the chickens after their egg laying days are over, killing male chicks in the hatcheries etc.

 

[my-boy-jasper]

 
what is not vegan about alcohol? I have hard cider here and there.

A lot of alcoholic drinks are clarified to prevent that build-up of sediment that forms at the bottom. To filter it out they use things like gelatine, isinglass, and egg albumen. Some drinks say they are suitable for vegans.  If I don't see that sediment and it doesn't say vegan, I assume it's been filtered using one of those things.

 

[pocho]

 
A lot of alcoholic drinks are clarified to prevent that build-up of sediment that forms at the bottom. To filter it out they use things like gelatine, isinglass, and egg albumen. Some drinks say they are suitable for vegans.  If I don't see that sediment and it doesn't say vegan, I assume it's been filtered using one of those things.

Thanks, Didnt know that but glad I have just found a new beverage called Kava. Pretty nice stuff.

 

[my-boy-jasper]

 
Besides the fact dairy in of itself can be seen as cruel I believe. What a life to be a milk slave with engorged mutated utters... But I understand it is difficult to be pure vegan and even people eating less meat is an improvement.

Milk is the one I have the biggest problems with. I try to find producers that actually care about bobby calves. And also places that don't kill retired milking cows but put them in the 'retirement' paddock. But at the end of the day, I know that milk is intended for calves not humans. It's cruel to keep milking them after they're calf is taken away. I don't buy cartons of milk but it's in the cheese, yoghurt and chocolate I eat. I would like to try making vegan cheese, but it seems expensive and a lot of work.

 

[pocho]

 
Milk is the one I have the biggest problems with. I try to find producers that actually care about bobby calves. And also places that don't kill retired milking cows but put them in the 'retirement' paddock. But at the end of the day, I know that milk is intended for calves not humans. It's cruel to keep milking them after they're calf is taken away. I don't buy cartons of milk but it's in the cheese, yoghurt and chocolate I eat. I would like to try making vegan cheese, but it seems expensive and a lot of work.

what about goat cheese? 

 

[ldg]

I am considering going totally raw for my health. Any input would be appreciated.

PM Wolcar. She is a raw vegan.

 

[pocho]

But anyways, diet aside....I do believe the old paradigm is crumbling. The constructs of hierarchy are dissolving, dominion over nothing, please and thankyou. The growing concern for the freedom of other beings/species and people reclaiming from big business the earth as their own is a sign. Cats, tnr, veganism, vivid dreams and living on a vibration higher than previously known are all colliding in my world. 

We are ushering it in and i say let the old world fall apart a new one awaits. 

 

[my-boy-jasper]

 
what about goat cheese? 

My boyfriend is lactose intolerant and it's the only cheese he eats. So I've tried it and it's good. But it usually has animal rennet. I don't know that goats are treated any better either. I usually have a block of cheddar or similar, and it lasts me ages. I'm not a huge cheese eater.

 

[pocho]

 
My boyfriend is lactose intolerant and it's the only cheese he eats. So I've tried it and it's good. But it usually has animal rennet. I don't know that goats are treated any better either. I usually have a block of cheddar or similar, and it lasts me ages. I'm not a huge cheese eater.

There are some pretty simple and inexpensive ways to make cheese from tofu. Some involve adding nutritional yeast, vinegar, garlic...I find green onion with tofu mixed in tahini and a splash of soy sauce and some yeast create a cheezy taste. I crumble it on my bean tostados and it does the trick.

 

[pocho]

and then there is vegan chocolate and then there is also just the plain fact those days are over

I have surrendered to the fact chocolate cake, real pizza, fried cheeze sticks...are simple gone. Maybe in a life beyond they wait and will magically be cruelty free. But I had my days with here and especially as a child..

 

[my-boy-jasper]

 
There are some pretty simple and inexpensive ways to make cheese from tofu. Some involve adding nutritional yeast, vinegar, garlic...I find green onion with tofu mixed in tahini and a splash of soy sauce and some yeast create a cheezy taste. I crumble it on my bean tostados and it does the trick.

Thanks. I hadn't actually thought of 'cheese' made with tofu. The recipes I have seen were made with cashews and they are too expensive. I've had soy and tofu cheeses before and they are pretty good for a sandwich, crackers etc. There is a soy cheese my boyfriend buys called mini-chol, but even that often has animal rennet in it. I don't like a lot of the processed soy stuff - the list of additives is scary. But making it seems like a good option. I recently bought a new blender so that should be perfect.

 

[pocho]

 
Thanks. I hadn't actually thought of 'cheese' made with tofu. The recipes I have seen were made with cashews and they are too expensive. I've had soy and tofu cheeses before and they are pretty good for a sandwich, crackers etc. There is a soy cheese my boyfriend buys called mini-chol, but even that often has animal rennet in it. I don't like a lot of the processed soy stuff - the list of additives is scary. But making it seems like a good option. I recently bought a new blender so that should be perfect.

actually you dont even need a blender. It ends up being like crumbled feta. I do miss the real thing though

 

[djoe]

Oh chocolate cake is not long gone! It is the easiest cake ever!

I do like the variety of cheeses that I make. Very very much. And my meat eating family enjoys it as well. But indeed the days of melty cheese, rambol, brie, camembert and roquefort are long gone

 

[david's steph]

 
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My reason for wanting to go back to being vegan is the inhumane treatment of animals. It's against my beliefs to harm other living things and I struggle with my failure in that area.

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Like i have mentioned before my cats brought me to veganism. The love just spread to other animals. I had always felt not right about eating meat but thought there was no alternative for a human beings survival. I was wrong thank god...

 
But anyways, diet aside....I do believe the old paradigm is crumbling. The constructs of hierarchy are dissolving, dominion over nothing, please and thankyou. The growing concern for the freedom of other beings/species and people reclaiming from big business the earth as their own is a sign. Cats, tnr, veganism, vivid dreams and living on a vibration higher than previously known are all colliding in my world. 

We are ushering it in and i say let the old world fall apart a new one awaits. 

Love this thread - so much to say! My rainbow bridge dog Ginger brought me to a plant based diet in 1998.  As pocho said, the love I had for her completely opened my eyes to other animals, truly, I was a HUGE meat eater, then one day, it hit me:   Why do we treat some animals differently than others? Why do we eat pigs who have such high intelligence, and not eat cats? dogs? horses? Epiphany.  I did extensive research on vegetarian diets, and it completely changed my whole world and outlook since then.  

Here is the thing - sometimes this is easy to do, but sometimes in your life this will be difficult, but  so  well worth it.  And, I say to us who are transitioning to a plant based diet - do your best when you can  to eliminate the suffering.  If you slip up- we all do sometimes, - go back to your what your conscious is telling you, in your gut lol,. It is never too late to try and make this world a better place for the Earthings/Animals we share our lives with.  

 

[pocho]

I use to think having pets was maybe a luxury or indulgence of sorts that developed. I would think of hunter gatherers as understanding the world of humans and animals in more possibly true ways?. Like I said I love finding stories of unlikely bonding between different species. This is a short video and completely fascinating. 

 

[pocho]

I guess a lot of these animals are orphans and they deal with the contradiction of eating some and not others in terms of whatever they take from they forest they feel they must give back...

 

[freeradicals]

My reason for wanting to go back to being vegan is the inhumane treatment of animals. It's against my beliefs to harm other living things and I struggle with my failure in that area.

Any suggestions for making a transition easier?

As some mentioned, some went to vegetarian/vegan right off the bat, and I pretty much did the same. When I was an omnivore, I was contemplating on going vegetarian, but it took me about 6 months to actually act. On a random day, I decided that's it...vegetarianism starts now, and threw away all the little meat products I had in the fridge. I realize this is a bold way to do it for most people, but it worked for me. For most people, I think it's easier to slowly start eliminating meat from their diet, but I think it's important to find a replacement for that meat so people don't wonder "okay, I got rid of the meat, but what will I replace it with?". In this case, I think a veggie burger patty would do great. So I'd say do some research for meat replacers or any other product for that matter. Are you familiar with brands that target vegetarians/vegans? I can, as many here as well, provide you with brands/products to consider.

 
I became vegetarian when I was 13, and I'm 31 now.

 And then, of course, there is alcohol - most of which is not vegan or vegetarian.

Wow that's a while. My girlfriend has been vegan for about the same time as you. But now to the point: What vegan beers do you recommend? 

 
I think it's the "all or nothing" that makes it such a challenge for me. By that I mean, if I'm going to be vegan then I have to do it 'perfectly'. And that's when I start focusing on all the hidden animal derived ingredients in food, household products, etc. For some reason, I don't mind being a vegetarian in ignorant bliss about those things. But if I'm going vegan I think I have to be super aware and diligent. Then that gets overwhelming and I give up. The last time I gave it a shot, when I gave up I ate more eggs and cheese than ever and then started eating fish again as well.

One question that has crossed my mind before is how diligent do vegans need to be with their food, household products, clothing, etc. I mean, there's no defining line of how much research needs to be done before you can say it's safe to use. For household products, I either look the cruelty free symbol or the leaping bunny symbol, which tell you right away. Or some just say not tested on animals and no animal ingredients have been used. One huge problem I'm having now is I'm in the market for a car and trying to get one completely leather free. 

I was a HUGE meat eater, then one day, it hit me:   Why do we treat some animals differently than others? Why do we eat pigs who have such high intelligence, and not eat cats? dogs? horses? Epiphany.  I did extensive research on vegetarian diets, and it completely changed my whole world and outlook since then.  

Here is the thing - sometimes this is easy to do, but sometimes in your life this will be difficult, but  so  well worth it.  And, I say to us who are transitioning to a plant based diet - do your best when you can  to eliminate the suffering.  If you slip up- we all do sometimes, - go back to your what your conscious is telling you, in your gut lol,. It is never too late to try and make this world a better place for the Earthings/Animals we share our lives with.  

I really dig your philosophical insight regarding the different treatment of animals because I look at the issue the exact same way. Being conscious and taking small steps at a time is the way to go for most people, If you do too much change too quickly, you're bound to go back to your old routine. And that goes with any behavior change really.

 

[djoe]

I bought a Smart which was all fiber and non leather fabric. But some of the glues and lubricants and possibly paimt in cars might not be vegan.


I became vegetarian overnight. I had not even thought it through. .. I was 13 or 14 I can't remember and then I thought about the fact that eating mear = killing an animal for food. Brutally. - for some reason I had not just thought about it in that sense... and the next morning I said no mom. Ill only have the rice and the yoghurt. I am no longer eating meat.... I did not ecen think of "vegetarian" since we don't speak English at home and the local word for it is so unusual. It means herbal!


While I also wanted to be vegan but I had so much pressure and arguments that its ok (because most of our dairy amd egg was not industrial but free range anyway)...until I moved to europe and started digging and came across earthlings and spent weeks googling facts... and my new year resolution for that year was BAM! IM vegan

I must admit though. The last month I ate more of my favourite deserts than I would normally eat in a year!


For those wjo are in transition, just gppgle stuff. There is tons of info there. There's also many vegan forums. And look up vegans in your locality and try to meet up and ask questions.


It's really so easy to be vegan. U have challenges if you travel a lot but you epuld quickly get used to it amd remember to pack your snacks.

My long story short for not eating animals is "who would want to eay dead bodies anyways" because thats what meat is.

 

[freeradicals]

While I am looking for a smaller car, a Smart is way too small for my liking. I did find out that the Honda CR-Z and VW Golf have no leather. Leaning towards the Honda at this point. I don't think there's no true vegan car out there. I think the best we can do is leather free.

I don't think it's necessarily easy to be vegan. It must seem that way for us since we already are. But from an outsider's point of view, they have so many questions. If they research enough and ask vegetarians/vegans, they'll get all their answers. But from a behavioral point of view, any routine change is difficult for most of us, and keeping that change.

 

[pocho]

 
While I am looking for a smaller car, a Smart is way too small for my liking. I did find out that the Honda CR-Z and VW Golf have no leather. Leaning towards the Honda at this point. I don't think there's no true vegan car out there. I think the best we can do is leather free.

I don't think it's necessarily easy to be vegan. It must seem that way for us since we already are. But from an outsider's point of view, they have so many questions. If they research enough and ask vegetarians/vegans, they'll get all their answers. But from a behavioral point of view, any routine change is difficult for most of us, and keeping that change.

It wasn't  too hard for me. But I live in an area that has alot of indian, mexican and arab restaurants. On any of these menus you can find really tasty food that qualifies as vegan. So as a treat when first switching to totally vegan I took myself out to eat alot. I still do research on nutrition and try to hit all the bases. 

I am now researching the alcohol issue which i was unaware of till this thread. I don't know a good vegan beer but also went gluten free anyways. Another thing veganism did was get me interested in herbs and plants more. The concept of plants wanting to communicate to you through ingestion is very compelling. There are many many herbs that can give you a feel good time, they want to help! So I am not too sad about not having my guinness.