Ways to encourage vegans

[runrevolt]

This is an AWESOME and grounded post from a rad vegan dietician.

http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/08/7-way ... mment-1031

[LMM]

Yes, it's very good. I'm particularly glad to see that she discourages the making of unsubstatiated healh claims about veganism

The idea that going vegan will produce a better complexion, more energy, protection from cancer, and a sense of “well-being” is pretty farfetched.

[beforewisdom]

Yes, it's very good. I'm particularly glad to see that she discourages the making of unsubstatiated healh claims about veganism

The idea that going vegan will produce a better complexion, more energy, protection from cancer, and a sense of “well-being” is pretty farfetched.

I have trouble with this idea. I felt much better going vegetarian and then vegan.

I do agree about the exaggerated claims that some newbies make, they are a bit nauseating.

[Linnéa76]

Avoiding additives like sodium stearoyl lactylate because it might possibly be animal derived doesn’t reduce animal suffering or further the cause of animal rights. Most of the tiny animal ingredients in foods are cheap byproducts of factory farming. When factory farming goes away, so will these products. The energy and time that go into researching, creating and sharing long laborious lists of non-vegan ingredients is kind of mind-boggling when you consider that their overall effect is more likely to be harmful than helpful. If anything, they add a layer of (unnecessary) complexity to going vegan and reinforce negative beliefs about the difficulty of being vegan. I know that some people like these lists because it is personally important to them to avoid every possible animal ingredient. But is it worth doing something that makes us feel good if it is counter-productive to outreach efforts?

This is interesting and perhaps a bit controversial. Where do we draw the line? Is vitamin D3 in soymilk ok? Milk enzyme in plant-based cheese? Or maybe 0,5 % egg white in some Quorn-products..?

[XkillerX]

This is interesting and perhaps a bit controversial. Where do we draw the line? Is vitamin D3 in soymilk ok? Milk enzyme in plant-based cheese? Or maybe 0,5 % egg white in some Quorn-products..?

Exactly, we draw the fucking line right there, no animal derived shit anywhere, please!

[Linnéa76]

Yeah, that's how most of us feel (even if I think many vegans buy the D3-plant milk).

What if she has a point though, that it can be counter-productive to be very strict?


There's been one or two cheese brands in Sweden that were said to be vegan, they were very tasty

and quite cheap. I'd buy 2-kilo pieces, treat omnis to it and they'd be really impressed by how it was

exactly like the real thing and even ask where they could buy it. Then it turned out that a milk protein was

used as an enzyme in the production and the cheese could contain traces of it. I stopped buying it... and

do miss it. People aren't exactly impressed when they taste my expensive little soy cheese pucks, either.

My point being, wouldn't less milk be produced if 5 people switched to 99,99% vegan cheese than if 1

person switches to soy cheese? I don't know, but I sometimes think that treating veganism like it's a

matter of "purity" deters people from it.

[fredrikw]

On the other hand, if it's one thing most omnis often do when I talk about my veganism with them is to try to point out inconsistencies, and when I point out all these small tiny parts of animal products in stuff I won't buy the main reaction I get is understanding and an agreement that it makes no sense to "cheat". All this talk about scaring away people seems a bit theorectical to me, because people who seem to get scared away is probably using that as an excuse for something else rather than it actually being the hair that broke the... ahem.. tofu's back

[xrodolfox]

Yes, it's very good. I'm particularly glad to see that she discourages the making of unsubstatiated healh claims about veganism

The idea that going vegan will produce a better complexion, more energy, protection from cancer, and a sense of “well-being” is pretty farfetched.

I have trouble with this idea. I felt much better going vegetarian and then vegan.

I do agree about the exaggerated claims that some newbies make, they are a bit nauseating.

I think that talking about the specific individual experience and how it makes a person feel better is fine.

However, going vegan didn't make me feel any healthier, or give me more energy, or improve my complexion, or or lower my teenage cholesterol or lower my BMI or improve my "well being". What it did do is to allow me to live consistently with *my* ethics.

Like with anything else, the problem is when we extrapolate the personal as something universal. As long as personal experiences are qualified as "personal", then that's fine.

[Gelert]

^^

+1

Personally I felt a whole load better. But as a wise man once said, the plural of anecdote ain't data, so I would be hesitant to couch the perceived health benefits of veganism in those terms.

[Linnéa76]

On the other hand, if it's one thing most omnis often do when I talk about my veganism with them is to try to point out inconsistencies, and when I point out all these small tiny parts of animal products in stuff I won't buy the main reaction I get is understanding and an agreement that it makes no sense to "cheat". All this talk about scaring away people seems a bit theorectical to me, because people who seem to get scared away is probably using that as an excuse for something else rather than it actually being the hair that broke the... ahem.. tofu's back

Yeah I like being able to say I'm consistent. But then I usually get "wow, it seems so HARD". It's like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. When people talk about inconsistent vegans I ask them if they think it's better to be consistently destructive than trying and sometimes failing to be constructive. They always have to admit they don't..

Besides, I think she's wrong about complexion not benefiting from veganism. All long term vegans I've seen have had skin like a baby's bottom.