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View Full Version : Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?



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DavidT
May 14th, 2009, 10:19 AM
Why weren't you vegan before you became vegan?

Once you're vegan, good on you.

And the question doesn't matter!
;)

Ms_Derious
May 14th, 2009, 11:48 AM
Like most others here,

1) I thought vegetarianism was cruelty free, veganism seemed extreme to me
2) I liked cheese & milk, and the products they live in
3) I thought veganism was a lot harder than it actually is (Eat food, not too much, mostly plants)
4) I didn't know how to/want to cook proper meals
5) Laziness
6) Misconceptions over the price of veganism

In all honesty, I think point 4/5 was the sticking point for me. Prepared sauces, quorn and filled pasta are tasty and easy. Now I cook three meals a day, mostly from scratch, I find that I a) enjoy cooking and b) It's really not that hard. Really, spending the time stood in the kitchen while I stir up a can of chickpeas with some chopped tomatoes, veggies and spices to have over rice takes only a little longer than boiling some pasta and throwing in some sauce.

Also, I think I somehow thought it was very expensive and you *needed* all these specialist products in order to enjoy a meal. My Husband's fav meal of the week is Pizza, which we normally have at the weekend. This costs less than a £1 to make... I could very occasionally get a small, unpleasant, cheese and tomato pizza for about that when it was on special... and then I'd have to add extra cheese to make it palatable. Yes, there are probably a lot of vegans who live on fake cheese, expensive flavoured fake meats, and ready meals, but it's not a nessesscity. Even the cost of things like nuts etc which are the most expensive things I but are not that expensive if you shop about and go for specials. I think my grocery bill is about £30 a week for both of us, including our packed lunches. I honestly think I probably spend about the same if not a little more on feeding my three cats then I do myself!

DavidT
May 14th, 2009, 11:53 AM
That is a really good post, Ms D.

choptveg
May 14th, 2009, 01:05 PM
Yup, that summed it up for me too pretty much. The initial turning point for me though was discovering the impact of livestock farming on our planet; that was where my interest began.

Kate1978
May 14th, 2009, 09:54 PM
Why not vegan?

Ages 0-12 Ate what my parents ate, brought up that eating meat was normal

Ages 12-18 Wanted to be a vegetarian but discouraged by parents (you're still growing, it's not healthy...). Veganism wasn't even on the radar.

Ages 18-29 Thought vegetarianism was enough, couldn't see the point of veganism. Love of cheese (thought of it now makes me feel nauseous). Thought vegans were taking things a bit far (although I did avoid wearing leather and bought only cruelty free cosmetics). Didn't know any other vegans. Thought eggs, dairy etc were ok as no animals were killed (so innocent back then).

Age 29+ Finally became an adult and weaned myself off dairy!!

Tatiana
May 15th, 2009, 04:45 AM
I'm the same as many of you. All my life I was taught that milk was good for you and animal protein was far superior to plant protein and so on. I really didn't think it was possible to be vegan and healthy. So I have diabetes, inflammatory disorder of the connective tissues similar to lupus, barrett's esophagus, my c reactive protein is sky high and I have high blood pressure. Because of all these things plus family history, I'm a huge risk for heart attack and stroke, and my inflammation was so bad that I was in constant pain and barely able to work, plus I was desperately tired all the time and couldn't do anything at all outside of what work I could do. No energy for dishes, laundry, chores, let alone being able to do something fun.

So I went to a wellness doctor and he gave me "The China Study" to read. I had been an animal lover all my life and tried to go vegetarian several times, once going as long as 1.5 years without meat. I got severe anemia and started eating red meat again which cleared it up. I honestly thought that even ovo-lacto-vegetarianism wasn't healthy, and especially not for me who was already diabetic and didn't get proper use of my food.

When I read the book, my eyes were opened, and I tried it for a week and felt better than I had in a long time. Now it's only been about 2 weeks and I'm totally convinced. I have more energy, hurt much less, my inflammation is receding, I've lost some weight which I needed to lose, my skin feels softer, my vision is improving, and I feel great. I'm especially glad I don't have to hurt animals any more to live. I was very upset when I thought, before, that it was absolutely necessary for me to live. Now I know better.

It went against dietary rules that I've been taught my entire life, so it took a lot of evidence to convince me to try it. Now I'm so glad I did. I keep evangelizing everyone I know who has diabetes or inflammation or high cholesterol or any other problem like that, the diseases of affluence.

I get to eat as much as I want now and I don't crave food. I have no cravings at all. The food I eat is more delicious to me than anything in a long while. I really feel like it's a miracle and I'm going to get completely well. I'm so happy.

DavidT
May 15th, 2009, 09:43 AM
The meat and dairy industry subverts most information regarding diet. Vegans have made the break; question everything and stay free.

baby_vicuña
May 16th, 2009, 03:04 AM
...question everything and stay free.
Couldn't agree more.

BlackCats
May 16th, 2009, 11:14 AM
Why not vegan?
Ages 0-12 Ate what my parents ate, brought up that eating meat was normal
Ages 12-18 Wanted to be a vegetarian but discouraged by parents (you're still growing, it's not healthy...). Veganism wasn't even on the radar.
Ages 18-29 Thought vegetarianism was enough, couldn't see the point of veganism. Love of cheese (thought of it now makes me feel nauseous). Thought vegans were taking things a bit far (although I did avoid wearing leather and bought only cruelty free cosmetics). Didn't know any other vegans. Thought eggs, dairy etc were ok as no animals were killed (so innocent back then).
Age 29+ Finally became an adult and weaned myself off dairy!!

That is almost exactly what I did Kate. Except I was 17 when I turned veggie and 30 when I turned vegan.:)

LuVegan15
May 22nd, 2009, 09:26 PM
I was in denial, and weak... I suppose. I went vegetarian when I was 12, knowing no veg*ns, and then vegan at 14. To be honest, with no people to influence your actions, that age was pretty good all things considered. I've always loved animals, and been very aware of their suffering. I think that going vegan just seemed a natural step to take so I did. I found it quite hard though because my dad's a farmer, and my mum was very against it at first. Now my two brothers and dad are vegetarian, but my mum remains stubborn. Still, I think that converting a farmer to vegetarianism is quite an accomplishment! :D

Karmalife
May 27th, 2009, 06:16 PM
Too gluttonous and selfish to make the change.
Put my love of certain foods (cheese) over my love of animals.
Let my food issues get the best of me.

The list goes on...

everdream
May 27th, 2009, 09:16 PM
I never gave animal welfare a thought. I didn't think about it at all, not even to think 'animals don't get hurt...' (which of course I now know to not be true)

Also, I bought into the 'dairy is good - drink your milk!' I believed that we needed lots of calcium, all 1300mg of it. But now I know that by following a vegan diet, my requirements drop dramatically.

also, I believed it to be inconvenient. What would happen when I eat out? What about eating at home? I eat at home vegan very happily now, but eating out is still a bit of an issue. I do have to plan and bring food with me, which annoys the hell out of my mother.

ThatGreenGentlemen
Jun 18th, 2009, 12:47 AM
I wasn't Vegan before (just vegetarian) because I didn't have a job and my family threatened to kick me out for not eating the food they gave me. I determined to avoid animal products at all costs because it violates my morals though. I think things are getting a little better, and I'll be moving away soon.

Dr. Pink
Jun 22nd, 2009, 06:19 PM
I didn't even know what a Vegan was until I first heard the term back in 2002 or 2003. Growing up, I never really questioned or thought about what I ate. I just ate whatever was handed to me. I think that's how most of us were. We were all raised in a commercialistic world where it's rather easy to be blinded by what and how the world is sopposed to be. The way I was eating, I just thought everyone ate like that, never thinking we had a choice.

Chock it up to a naive child-hood too. When I was a little kid, I used to think you absolutely had to put Manonaise on a sandwhich. Otherwise you couldn't eat it.

People grow up thinking you're supposed to live one way and eat certain foods for so long that it becomes difficult to believe otherwise that one can live without. Take clothes for example. While they are definentally a minority when compared to Vegans such as us, nudists can and do live without clothes. The majority of people( Or, a more broader term, Society ) would say otherwise. Saying you absolutely have to wear clothes to live. If that were true we'd be born with them.

I firmly believe that if I had learned the truth about what I ate much earlier in life and learned of this lifestyle I would have embraced it back then with open arms. It would certainly have made my life so much easier. I'd never have gotten fat and I wouldn't be in the prediciment I am now, feeling extremely sub-conscious about my absolutely gross, loose, hanging stomach skin flap. And I would probably have embraced weight/body training sooner in life, and have had a much better time in High School then I did( Granted my High School life was still a blast, if I was also uber sexy muscular and star of the Football team on top of being a part of the Drama Department, it would have been much awesomer.

I'd also probably be taller then I currently am. Being currently into bettering my body and spirit. I'd probably have researched exactly what foods and nutrients stimulates body growth early on( As early as 7 or 9 ) and tried my best to optimize my diet to make sure that I grow to be at least 6 foot 7 or 6 foor 6. Not the weakly 5 foot 5 man I am now. And it's too late for me to grow. D:.

So, to recap. The reason I wasn't this way sooner was due to being blinded by mass commercialism and socialism.

kolo
Jun 30th, 2009, 05:59 PM
I just didn't care. I didn't care about animal welfare at all, hardly ever crossed my mind. It seems weird thinking back now, I feel like a totally different person.

Janet
Jul 5th, 2009, 11:07 PM
Vegan???? What's a Vegan? I thought we were here to chat about Star Trek!

*live*&*let*live
Jul 5th, 2009, 11:40 PM
^:D^

jasminschade
Oct 15th, 2009, 09:53 PM
Yes, I've always felt that way about names - they're misleading!!
If 'milk' was called 'Bovine Breast Milk', for example, it might put people off a bit, or if 'Eggs' were called 'Chicken's Menstrual Waste Matter Ovoids' or some such, the truth might out!! :D

Wow! Awesome! Excellently put!:thumbsup:

KariBerry
Oct 17th, 2009, 01:31 AM
I was uneducated and ignorant as to what exactly I was consuming. I regret those days greatly I wish everyday I would have done the research earlier. Being an animal lover and a meat eater completly contradicts in my opinion I wish I would have seen it sooner!

jasminschade
Oct 19th, 2009, 12:50 AM
Vegan???? What's a Vegan? I thought we were here to chat about Star Trek!

I LOVE STAR TREK!

But I love ANIMALS MORE. :)

Johnstuff
Oct 19th, 2009, 06:58 PM
When I was younger, I didn't think so much about the consequences of my actions. I was more care-free.

I was vegetarian for many years as I grew up (my dad was and is veggie) and kind of thought that was enough.

My best friend turning vegan inspired me to go vegan too.

He was inspired by a close friend too.

Before my friend went vegan, I didn't know any vegans. I often need someone to inspire me to do something or show that it is possible.

It seems to me that it is only vegans who will tell you the truth about how animal products are produced. Most consumers of animal products either don't know how they are produced or choose not to think about how they are produced. Because of this you can live without having to confront the reality of your ways because no-one (except vegans) else wants to confront it either. Our society is brainwashed and clouded by lies.

If I had my way Earthlings would be shown as part of school education.

made of sequins
Oct 31st, 2009, 05:22 PM
Main reason I hadn't gone vegan before last week?

I bought into the hype about dairy/eggs being good for you and essential. "If I don't drink milk I'll get osteoporosis!" "If I don't eat eggs I won't get enough protein and my muscles will waste away and my hair will fall out and blahblahblah..." But I really, wholeheartedly believed all that for a very long time.

green girl
Nov 7th, 2009, 12:45 AM
My mum told me that meat was artificially produced and contained no animals - I don't judge her for lying to me, her upbringing taught her that meat and dairy was essential to good health even though deep down she knew that wasnt the case. At 5 years old I believed her and ate very tiny amounts reluctantly until one day she gave me a sunday times article on battery chickens. I cried so much, she told me that she'd support me to become vegetarian. I became a vegetarian from that day - 15 years too late, but at least I became what I should have been at birth. Since then I am vegan and my children too. My mum supports everything I do and is proud of my position on animal rights and diet - unfortunately she will never be veggie or vegan but she has supports my family's veganism.

There is alot to be said for upbringing. We need to teach our children that they do not need to eat meat to be satisfied. A veggie and vegan diet is far superior for health, vitality and a greener world!

baby_vicuña
Nov 9th, 2009, 02:53 AM
^ Well I'm glad your mom is supportive. It helps so much.

jasminschade
Nov 10th, 2009, 05:48 PM
[QUOTE]

That's interesting. A similar thing happened to me too. On another board an poster (who I think was anti-Semitic) had posted that PeTA video of the Kosher slaughterhouse in which a hapless cow is moaning in agony over a long period of time before it dies. His point was that Jewish slaughterhouses were inhumane. I proudly joined the discussion saying that I was a vegetarian and had not eaten meat in seven years. So, even though I had not become a vegetarian for ethical reasons, I was not contributing to the suffering of animals. Well, this omnivore went on to tell me how the consumption of dairy and eggs contributed a great deal to animal suffering. For some reason he was OK with that. But I wasn't. He made me think, he made me learn.

About a year later I e-mailed him and told him that what he had told me had made a difference and that I had become a vegan. Of course, his intention was to inject some anti-Jewish sentiment into the discussion, but instead he helped me decide to become a vegan. Cool, huh?



I know. I did not feel I was giving anything up. I certainly do not miss meat, eggs or dairy. Well, I do feel very restricted when I eat out. But at home it's no problem. Heck, it's better!



I don't feel that my seven years of "vegetarianism" were a loss. I did not eat chicken, beef, pork, rabbit, venison, turkey, etc... It certainly was better than being an omnivore. Yes, going vegan would have been better still, but let us not forget that even veganism contributes to animal suffering. Every time we eat iceberg lettuce, we are killing lettuce mites. I don't think it is possible to completely eliminate animal suffering. All we can do is reduce it to the best of our ability, by making intelligent, well-informed choices. So, don't be so hard on yourself. You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. The past does not exist anymore. You cannot fix it. The important thing is that you did become a vegan and are making ethical, conscientious choices now and thus affecting the future. That is more than what most people do.



We all could probably do better. There is always room for improvement. And sometimes change is incremental. I always loved animals but animal suffering was simply not my concern when I decided to become a vegetarian. I had heart disease in my family and so I decided to start eating better. It wasn't until I was confronted with animal suffering that I began to think about it and how my actions were still contributing to it. It became an issue that was important to me. Until then it was simply not something I thought about.

"I once was lost, but now I'm found;
was blind, but now I see."

Can I get an "Ay-men"?


AY-MEN! :smile: