28 Excuses Stopping You From Going Vegan
You want to go vegan, butttttt you’re just not ready yet. Sound familiar?
I understand completely. In fact, I’ve been where you are and I still stand by my claim that I wish I had gone vegan sooner.
You might be experiencing hesitation or worries around a few last things before you take the big leap into veganism.
Or, you might have some solid questions as to why you can’t cut out most animal products, but keep a few.
Ah, the bargaining phase.
I’ve also been there.
During my bargaining phase, I was vegetarian for about 15 minutes until I googled, “What’s so bad about eating cheese?”
Once I dug into the answers to my many keeping-me-from-fully-going-vegan questions, I couldn’t look back.
I’ll be honest with you, your hesitations, worries, and concerns are 100% valid.
You’re looking to change your whole lifestyle, of course you’ll have questions and things holding you back from taking the leap.
Most people say they love change, but in fact, when presented with change, most of what humans cling onto is what’s being lost.
It happens all the time.
If we can focus on what we’re gaining in the process, instead of what we’re losing, the whole transition would be much more rewarding.
Of course, it’s totally normal to miss the past and the way things were, but as Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change.”
The sooner we can accept that change is good, normal, and helps us grow, the sooner we can let go of the past (it doesn’t mean you don’t have to hold it in a little capsule in your heart’s memory bank, but don’t let it rule you).
So, my hope with this article is that if you’re teetering on the edge of going vegan, but have a few questions, concerns, worries...and dare I say, excuses...I’ll help you shatter them in order to bring on your new, fulfilling lifestyle.
Here goes!
1. “But I love cheese”
Oh yes, this was my favorite excuse. Absolute favorite.
Who could ever or would ever want to dream of a world where you can’t eat cheese?
Not my past self -- that’s who!
If you’re saying the same thing, friend, I 100% validate that excuse.
Cheese is amazing.
Cheese tastes incredible.
Cheese is the best way to make yourself feel better.
Cheese is life.
Yes, I get it. I promise.
And, as a former cheese addict (I have no problem admitting it), I can fully say that life is even better once you give it up.
I SWEAR!
Here’s a quick fact that fully put me off cheese once and for all.
Cheese is actually as physically addictive as crack, if not more.
Cheese contains a mother cow’s endorphins and adrenaline that she’s injected into her milk to keep her baby calf coming back for more so it grows big and strong. It’s a trick of mother nature.
We, humans, then eat the cheese with these endorphins and adrenaline and get fully hooked on it like the baby cow would.
So, basically, we’re physically addicted to cheese.
Personally, when I heard that my own words “I’m addicted to cheese” actually meant I was physically addicted to cheese, it kinda shook me to the core.
Here’s another fact that might seal the deal for you as it did for me.
Because cows are mostly factory farmed, they’re impregnated one calf after another to keep their milk flowing (yes, dairy cows don’t actually just keep making milk on the reg like I once thought).
When they’re subject to involuntary pregnancy and constant milking, their udders tend to get infected and they wind up with mastitis.
Know what that means?
Puss and blood and infection can end up in your cheese.
That amazing cheese platter with a glass of wine…
Full of puss.
That grilled cheese made of smoked cheddar…
Infected with mastitis.
That bleu cheese dressing on your salad…
May have cow blood in it.
Okay, okay, you get it.
Look, I don’t want to be the bad guy who bursts your cheese-loving bubble…
HOWEVER, now that you know the truth, doesn’t it make you look at cheese differently?
There are TONS of vegan cheeses coming out all the time that are more and more similar to the real thing, but without the gross puss, blood, and infection in them.
You can still enjoy a cheese board, a grilled cheese, and bleu cheese salad dressing, but now you can do it with a vegan option that tastes pretty dang good.
Knowledge is power, friend.
You’ve got the knowledge, now it’s time to use your power to finally take the leap into veganism.
P.S. If you want to learn more about cheese and how I broke my addiction to it, check out this article: The Truth About Cheese (A Love Letter)
2. “I don’t even know where to start”
YES! Great and totally fair excuse.
If you don’t know where to start, well, how are you going to start!?
You wouldn’t set off on a road trip without directions and just guess the turns you need to make, would you?
And, you wouldn’t try to put together a new piece of furniture from IKEA without those handy photo instructions, would you?
Without instructions, seeing the final result is going to be pretty difficult.
Like anything new, you’re going to need a step-by-step guide so that you can follow a tried and tested set of instructions that will guarantee your success.
So, to combat that confusion and excuse of not knowing where to start, I created something called Kelsey’s Vegan Start Up Kit to help you navigate the new world of veganism.
It’s everything I wish I knew before I leapt into veganism.
Check it out and then get going.
When you sit in uncertainty, you won’t change your life.
Veganism changed my life forever (in the best possible way) and I want you to experience that, too.
3. “I won’t get enough protein on a vegan diet”
If you’re a proteinaholic aka you love your big piece of chicken, steak, or eggs at every meal, please rest assured that vegans have TONS of sources of protein.
The most common misconception about protein is that you can only get it from meat or animal products.
Here’s a mind blowing fact I didn’t realize until I dug deep into learning about veganism.
All proteins originate from plants.
That means, when you eat an animal, you’re actually eating the middle man.
Animals get their protein from the plants they eat and then pass it onto us in a second hand form.
So, if you want to get some clean protein, go right to the source!
Rachel, my awesome assistant and kick ass co-content contributor, wrote this article: Where Do Vegans Get Their Protein?
She included various sources of vegan protein that you can swap out for animal products and have a more direct route to the best protein sources.
Don’t be fooled that you can’t get enough protein from a vegan diet, because Germany’s strongest man is vegan and he is dispelling the myth every single day!
If he can do it, if I can do it...you can definitely do it.
Patrick Baboumian. photo credit: David Cooper | Toronto Star
4. “I can’t live without bacon”
Ah, the ol’ bacon conundrum.
Okay, let me admit upfront that I used to eat LOADS of bacon.
I LOVED bacon.
I legitimately was that person that used to mock vegans and say, “But bacon tho,” as if I believed they were missing out on something and I had a better life.
Here’s the truth.
Bacon tastes absolutely amazing.
Yes, it’s a crowd favorite at nearly every event, family gathering, BBQ, and buffet.
I get it, every vegan gets it.
(Get ready for the big, however)
HOWEVER, bacon is not only unbelievably bad for you -- like carcinogenic bad -- but the process of killing a pig to make it is one of the most cruel things you could ever, EVER imagine.
Pigs are smarter than dogs.
Pigs are as smart as 3 year old children.
Pigs can solve problems.
Pigs recognize their own names.
Imagine putting your dog in a factory farm and making bacon out of it.
You wouldn’t do that, would you?
No, because dogs are beloved pets and pigs are treated as food.
Friend, there is no difference.
The sooner you wake up to that, the more empowered you’ll become in navigating the bacon world.
Life goes on without bacon.
In fact, life is better without bacon because you aren’t contributing to the torture, suffering, and slaughtering of an animal that doesn’t want to die.
You also aren’t putting carcinogenic foods into your body.
When you wake up to the horrible, gruesome process that brings bacon to your plate, you’ll never look back.
I promise you.
As long as you have some empathy and compassion in your heart, bacon will never be what it once was.
That’s when you’re really free.
5. “I will one day, but just not yet”
GUILTY AS CHARGED!
This is what I said to myself over and over again before I finally took the leap.
Most of us know veganism is right.
Most of us know what happens to animals in order to make them into food, but we choose to distance ourselves from that reality in order to enjoy our meals without guilt.
We tell ourselves...one day I’ll go vegan, but…
One more holiday season.
One more birthday.
One more overseas trip.
One more year.
I did that for ages until finally I had had enough.
I wrote this article: The Truth About The Moment I Went Vegan and it really explains the emotional roller coaster that happens when you finally make the decision to try veganism.
I think you’ll be able to relate to my experience if you’ve been putting it off for a while, but know “one day” you’ll do it.
Trust me when I say it’s one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
You just have to trust that once you leap, we’ll catch you on the other side.
6. “I don’t want to miss out on anything when I travel”
Yes, I said this, too.
When you travel, if you’re like me, you want to experience EVERYTHING.
You want to try everything, smell everything, taste everything, meet new people, see new places, and just experience the new feelings of being in a new place.
If you feel like you have restrictions, you’re not going to feel like you’re really getting the full picture experience on your trip.
That’s what I believed.
Plus, you also want to leave the possibility for when people kindly offer you, perhaps, their only goat...or, a culture’s most iconic meal...or, when you don’t want to offend someone by saying no.
There is total validity to those concerns, because the last thing I’d want to do is offend someone from another culture who has offered something amazing to me by saying no either.
There are several options as to how you can navigate the travel scene as a vegan.
Here are my suggestions:
Make it a fun scavenger hunt to find vegan options wherever you go
Use an app called “Happy Cow” to help you locate vegan and veg-friendly restaurants
Prepare your own food in the morning before you go out and adventure
Practice graciously declining when someone offers you an animal
Practice being proud of yourself for not opting into animal cruelty no matter where you are in the world
Inform someone offering you an animal practice that it is against your beliefs to eat animals (when people hear it’s part of your moral compass, they likely won’t push it on you)
Research the culture and their beliefs around eating animals before you go somewhere to help you better navigate the various situations you’ll find yourself in
See if there are local vegan bloggers who make suggestions on what veganism looks like in the area
Veganism is spreading far and wide across the world.
Vegan options are in places you wouldn’t even expect.
It will take practice and sometimes a temporarily hungry belly to travel as a vegan, but when you commit to the morals and values of a vegan lifestyle, it becomes normal and almost like a badge of pride.
You don’t have to miss out on the amazing flavors, smells, and experiences of travelling because you’re vegan.
All it means is that you have a different way of doing things when you’re on the road.
Your memories will still be amazing and you’ll still have the time of your life.
Veganism will not hold you back from that.
7. “I can’t imagine not having my Grandma’s cooking”
Grandma’s special spaghetti bolognese sauce.
Oma’s famous stew.
Nana’s homemade cream pies.
If you’re afraid of these two things:
Offending your grandmother because you’re vegan now
Missing out on her amazing cooking because you’re vegan now
Then, don’t worry -- you’re a normal human person with a kind heart.
No one wants to upset their grandma.
And, no one wants to stop eating her amazing culinary creations.
However, as a vegan, you can navigate this one with grace without upsetting your grandmother.
When you go vegan, I’d recommend having a talk with your family members to let them know about your newly adopted lifestyle and, more importantly, why you’re doing it in the first place.
At first, they may be resistant or even make fun of you.
They’ll likely have questions and concerns about this new lifestyle and what it’ll mean for you.
Before you have this talk, educate yourself as much as you can so you can answer their questions well.
Instead of getting upset if they don’t agree or understand, speak to them how you would’ve wanted to be spoken to before you went vegan.
Don’t be angry at them for not understanding.
Don’t judge them for not going vegan yet just because you’ve made the connection between your food and an animal’s life.
Have grace and show them kindness.
If they love you, they’ll likely support you and your decision.
When they hear that you’re trying to be healthier, that you’re trying to lower your carbon footprint, and that you don’t agree with the practices in the world of animal agriculture, they’d be silly to not support you.
You don’t have to expect them to go vegan.
You don’t want to force it on them.
You are on your own journey.
Plus, when you present it as a new challenge that you’re willing to learn with them, they’ll likely be excited to try new things with you.
If your grandma has cooked special meals for you for years, she’s probably not going to stop.
Spend an afternoon showing her what vegan mince looks like and how she can use it in the same recipe you’ve known since you were born, but with a vegan alternative instead.
If she makes a unique dish, show her the closest vegan option and see what she thinks.
Grandmas are inherently caring individuals.
They usually want to support you, love you, and take care of you.
If that means trying vegan replacements in their cooking, I bet they’ll take it on board.
And, if you don’t have a grandma who supports you in this decision, then you don’t have to let it tear you apart.
Just agree to disagree and protect the love you have between you.
Her journey is her journey.
Yours is solely and completely yours.
8. “I hate the label ‘vegan,’ it’s just too much”
This was an excuse my boyfriend, Nick, struggled with for YEARS.
He didn’t mind eating vegan with me at home.
He didn’t mind calling himself “plant-based.”
He didn’t mind me talking about veganism 24/7.
But he did not want to call himself a vegan.
Yet.
The term “vegan” is often dubbed as preachy or extreme.
People who don’t fully understand veganism only associate it with the annoying things like vegans telling you what you’re doing wrong and preaching to you like you asked for it.
I get it.
I never, ever want to be seen as a preachy vegan.
I talk about veganism to help educate people, but I only do it when I’m invited to do so.
I model veganism as a great lifestyle.
I have this blog that people can come to voluntarily.
But preachiness ain’t my thing.
From my perspective, the vegan label is sexy.
The word actually gets me excited because it represents SO much goodness.
I see a vegan label on something and I think “Hell yeah.”
I meet someone new who’s vegan and I’m like “You’re my people.”
I find vegan options on a restaurant menu and instantly have more respect for them.
Veganism stands for:
Better physical health
A cleaner environment and more sustainable world
Justice for animal lives
If people have a negative connotation with the word vegan, it’s because they focus on all the things you “lose” when you go vegan.
It’s also because veganism talks to your guilt of eating animals that didn’t want to die and no one likes to be told what they’ve done wrong.
If you don’t like the label “vegan,” that’s okay.
Start off calling yourself plant-based.
Then, educate yourself more on what the difference is between the two and why labelling yourself as vegan actually draws a line in the sand with your stance on animal cruelty.
Then, find friends who love calling themselves vegan.
Their confidence will rub off on you.
Their purpose will rub off on you.
And, their dedication to their morals will rub off on you.
Don’t force it if it doesn’t feel right.
But don’t be afraid to stand up for something when everyone else around you is sitting down in a state of voluntary ignorance.
Be brave. Remind yourself that you’re on the right side of history. And, be proud of the good you’re doing in the world.
Vegans are awesome.
P.S. Nick calls himself vegan now and he’s finally proud of what it represents.
9. “Vegetables aren’t as nutritious as they once were, so I’d be worried about getting all the vitamins and minerals I need”
I’ve never thought this, but I’ve had someone say it to me before and it made me stop in my tracks.
Practices like mono-cropping and pesticide usage is definitely a valid reason for people to worry about the nutritional content of their produce.
However, if you’re worried about the vitamin and mineral content of your fruits and vegetables, research the source and dig deeper.
You can also buy organic to ensure you’re getting well looked after foods that contain less or no harmful pesticides.
The main fact to debunk this excuse is that fruits and vegetables are life.
They have so much nutritional value that they out rank animal products in almost every single way.
Please do not think that fruits and vegetables are not nutritious enough to keep you from going vegan.
If you want help transitioning your diet to a vegan one, please email me at kelsey@cravingapeace.com. I’d be happy to help you.
10. “Oh, I just couldn’t do it”
Too many people think that going vegan is just too hard, too far fetched, too extreme, too different from what they’re used to so they don’t even try.
When you approach veganism with a closed mind, of course you’re not going to want to change.
It’s not until you actually start to accept that there are parts of you that will have to change that you’ll begin to be more open to the idea.
No one is forcing you to go vegan.
No one is making you do it overnight.
And, no one is expecting you to do it perfectly.
All you have to do is be open to learning and trying new things. That’s it!
Start with one documentary or one YouTube video.
Dip your toes in the water and see how it feels.
If you’re constantly living in a state where you’re unopened to change, you’ll never grow as a person.
Take it one step at a time, but just keep going.
Change is good, my friend.
11. “Veganism is too extreme for me”
A lot of people see veganism as an extreme way of living.
I get it.
When you see ads on every billboard, in every magazine, and on every TV debuting how delicious and tasty meat is, of course you’re going to think it’s weird, bizarre, extreme to not eat it.
It’s more normal to eat animal products than it is to not.
We don’t live in a vegan world...yet.
Veganism is becoming more and more mainstream in society today.
Famous athletes, actors, and politicians are going vegan in support of all the good things it stands for and does.
When you really learn all the facts about factory farming and animal agriculture practices, you’ll hopefully realize that that’s actually an extreme way of life.
There is nothing normal about shredding day old baby boy chicks alive.
There is nothing normal about artificially inseminating (or raping) a cow just so it has another calf in order for us to steal its milk that was intended for the calf.
There is nothing normal about killing sharks, whales, turtles, dolphins and exotic fish for the sake of one person’s sushi platter.
Believe me when I say animal agriculture is far more extreme than eating fruits and vegetables.
I’ll just leave that one there.
12. “It’s just too expensive to be vegan”
This is a totally normal concern when it comes to a vegan lifestyle.
A piece of meat and a vegan alternative aren’t exactly comparable in price.
Vegan alternatives are pricey, I’ll admit that.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s more expensive to be vegan.
If you shop in season, for example, buying the cheapest fruits and vegetables, I can guarantee you’ll be living cheaper than on a meat-heavy diet.
If you buy canned goods, it’ll be cheaper than fresh meat and it’ll go farther on your plate.
Here’s the best part of it all…
By buying plant-based, vegan food, you will save TONS of money on your medical bills in the future.
Eating meat is killing you. It’s not good for your body no matter what you tell yourself.
When you replace your animal-product-filled plate with fruits and vegetables, you’ll see your body transform and you’ll feel the difference.
The reason vegan alternatives are more expensive is because they’re relatively new and they’re not 100% in demand.
The more these products are purchased, the demand goes up. When the demand goes up, the production will go up and the price will come down.
It’s basic supply and demand principles.
That’s why farmers are seeing a significant drop in meat sales, because people are waking up to the realization that a vegan lifestyle is far better for you, it’s better for the planet, and it saves hundreds of animal lives each year.
Plus, it’s better for your wallet in the long run.
Going vegan is a win-win-win.
13. “Isn’t being vegetarian enough?”
This, my friend, was exactly where I found myself bargaining with veganism at the start of my journey.
I wasn’t ready to take the leap 100%, but I didn’t want to not change.
So, I thought, “Isn’t being vegetarian enough?”
That’s when, just to be sure, I googled:
Is it bad for people to eat cheese?
Why don’t vegans drink milk? (here’s an article I wrote later: Why Do People Ditch Dairy?)
Is yoghurt good for you or bad for you?
Is it bad to eat ice-cream on occasion?
What is the dairy industry like?
Boy-oh-boy did that send me down a rabbit hole into the world of dropped jaws, teary eyes, and imagined punches in the gut.
Once you see why the dairy industry is so unbelievably horrible, you will fully understand why “ignorance is bliss” is a saying.
PLEASE don’t let me saying all of that scare you away from learning the truth.
Just like ignorance is bliss, the truth will set you free.
14. “Isn’t being pescetarian enough?”
Similar to the previous question, but related to fish.
If you’re cutting out animal products, but only eating fish, you’re definitely starting off well.
Cutting out meat from land animals altogether is tough, so when you’re just down to eating fish as your only source of animal product, you’re certainly headed in the right direction.
I also toyed with the idea of being pescetarian instead of going full blown vegan just to cling onto a few last favorites like sushi, fresh salmon, and shrimp cocktail.
While I can be fully transparent that I don’t know of any shrimp alternatives (I also haven’t looked), I do know that you can still make sushi and you can still find imitation salmon.
Vegan sushi is one of my favorite things to make (recipe coming soon!), so rest assured that by going vegan, you don’t have to worry about letting go of a favorite food group just because you’re thinking about giving up fish.
Here are a few things I also googled to learn more about why I can’t just be pescetarian instead of full blown vegan:
What happens in the fishing industry?
Is fish actually good or bad for you?
Can fish feel pain?
First, let’s tackle the health argument of eating fish.
While I can’t deny the health benefits of eating fish, I can assure you that you can still get the omega-3s and protein from other sources.
Just like cows are the middleman for your animal-sourced protein (remember, all protein originates from plants), fish are also the middleman for your omega-3s, which originate from seaweed and algae.
You can get the same nutrients from vegan products and supplements that you would otherwise get from fish.
Next, let’s talk about the environmental impact of eating fish.
We are in a crisis of overfishing our oceans.
In order to get you that tasty swordfish, oceans are being depleted of exotic fish, dolphins, whales, turtles, sting rays, and sharks on a regular basis. They’re called by-catch.
By-catch is a byproduct of the fishing industry.
In order to catch that tuna you want for lunch, it means big nets capturing loads of wildlife.
You’d never kill a dolphin for your meal, would you?
So, by going pescetarian, you are actually voting for dolphins to be caught and killed for the sake of your meal.
Doesn’t sit right, does it?
Last, let’s cover how fish feel about being eaten.
Fish feel pain.
It’s been proven. It’s a fact. It’s a thing.
Fish are sentient beings that don’t want to die, so when they’re caught and chopped up, they are experiencing pain and suffering just like a land mammal.
People often mistake them for not feeling pain, because they can’t scream and yell and make sounds like land mammals can.
Please don’t just go pescetarian.
Here’s one last fact that may gross you out.
Because our oceans are being used as dumping grounds for our waste.
Fish across the world have been tested for plastic in their system and it’s been found that because there are approximately 51 trillion microplastic particles in the ocean, the chances of it ending up on your plate are extremely high.
I hope that answer helps.
Photo credit: Scubadiving.com | The Ugly Face of Bycatch
15. “My friends and family will judge me if I go vegan”
Yes, it’s probably true that at least a few of your friends and family will judge you when you go vegan.
But, like your grandma, all it takes is a compassionate conversation about your decision and a willingness to answer any of their questions.
They may not agree with you and your stance on going vegan, but that’s okay.
You know why you’re doing it -- the ethical reasons, the health reasons, and the environmental reasons -- so you don’t have to convince them of why you’ve made this choice.
I’ll admit, it isn’t easy when your family doesn’t support your decision, but it hasn’t deterred me from sticking true to the morals and beliefs I have.
All you can do is live by example, educate them when they’re curious, remember you were once not vegan one day, and to accept that they’re on their own journey.
Once we make the connection with our food and an animal’s life, it’s hard to not want to shout what you’ve learned from the rooftops.
It’s also hard to not be angry at your family for having taught you it’s okay to eat animals when you know now it’s not moral.
If you feel angry during your transition, I wrote this article: The Angry Vegan Phase: When It Happens, Why It Happens, and How to Deal with It
It’s very normal to be frustrated that people aren’t on the same wavelength as you, but again, their journey is their journey and yours is yours.
Trust that by living as an example, they’ll see what you’re up to and eventually they’ll soften up to this new lifestyle you’re leading and recognize how confident you are because of it.
Please don’t let their judgement hold you back from adopting a lifestyle that can change your life, save animals, and help the planet.
16. “God says that I can eat animals”
As far as I’m aware, there are no religious texts declaring that it’s a requirement to eat animals to be an accepted member of that religious sect.
When the Bible was written, the time Jesus lived in was entirely different from today.
Today, we have factories producing a lot of our food and we have a plethora of vegan options we can choose for our meals.
Religion is a choice and a personal belief system; it’s not a requirement.
While religious texts may talk about eating animals, we can still choose to interpret that message in a compassionate way in our evolved world.
Another point is that animals experience pain and suffering when we torture and kill them for food.
A kind, benevolent God likely wouldn’t want us to inflict pain on a sentient being if we didn’t have to, especially in a world with cruelty-free options available.
If you think about it, a slaughterhouse is a real-life hell.
We torture animals there, we kill them, and we eat them when we absolutely don’t have to.
Plus, the land required for all of this animal-product consumption is destroying the beautiful planet that God has created for us.
We are destroying the rainforest and other wild land.
We are causing severe animal extinction.
We are polluting the air, the oceans, the rivers...
And, we are mutilating the Earth to look like something far different than what God intended for us.
Finally, we are treating God’s animals in a way he never designed them to be treated. For example, cow’s milk is intended for a baby cow, not for our cereal, cheese, or ice-cream.
We steal from a mother cow for our own benefit; I can’t imagine that’s what God wants us to do.
According to the Bible, we’ve been given freedom of choice.
If we have a choice, why wouldn’t we choose kindness, benevolence, and compassion as God teaches us?
17. “I have canine teeth, so isn’t it okay to eat animals?”
While your teeth may display sharp canines, that isn’t the case for everyone, and, it doesn’t mean they’re intended for tearing meat.
Canine teeth in humans weren’t actually used for tearing meat by our ancestors.
They were, in fact, used in battle against rivals when fighting for mating rights.
When you look at our close relative, the gorilla, they use their fangs for warding off competitors in the fight for female companionship.
The male with the longest canines often wins the troop of female gorillas.
We have our canine teeth as a byproduct of evolution, but they weren’t intended for tearing off meat, so dig into those vegetables, friend!
18. “If we don’t eat animals, they’ll overrun the planet”
This is a personal favorite of mine.
I love that people’s brains jump to the idea that if we all stop eating meat one day, cows, chickens, and pigs will just grow these powers to take over everything.
Here’s the long and short of it.
We breed animals into existence for our food.
The less people demand that food, the less it needs to be produced.
The less meat that is produced, the less animals will need to be bred.
In fact, if we all stopped eating animals at once, we’d help the planet revive to a state it was once in where farmland can return to nature and land for crops can stop being manipulated in ways mother nature never intended.
19. “I prefer an everything-in-moderation type of life”
If this is something you believe, you’re not alone.
The everything-in-moderation mantra is great, but not if some of those everythings are causing massive destruction to the planet, your body, and animal lives.
It’s like saying, “I only rape in moderation,” or “I only murder people on weekends.”
How does that sit with an everything-in-moderation mentality?
I don’t mean to be harsh, but killing an animal that doesn’t want to die in moderation isn’t exactly moral.
If your morals are against animal cruelty, then they’re against animal cruelty.
Being wishy washy and choosing the times you want to uphold those morals when it best suits you is like teaching your kids to be kind 90% of the time, but the other 10% you tell them to go beat up the neighborhood kids.
You can eat sweets in moderation. You can eat chips in moderation.
But you can’t be a vegan and a meat eater in moderation. That’s not how morals work.
Pick one, accept it as part of your identity, and stick with it. Having a foot in both camps isn’t good for anyone and it certainly isn’t a way to live a fulfilled life.
20. “Isn’t eating free-range and organic good enough?”
When you see labels that say “free-range,” “cage-free,” “organic,” and “grass fed,” you are looking at a marketing ploy of the most convincing kind.
In many countries, free range means that a chicken, for example, only has to walk 100 meters ONCE in their life to get that label.
Cage-free could mean they’re not in a cage, but they are in a small 1m x 1m area their whole lives.
You can still be grass fed and in a cage.
You can still be organic and live a miserable chained up life.
Read past the labels.
Just because an animal has the label of living a happy, free life, doesn’t mean it’s real.
And, if you do know the source of your meat and it is truly free range, do you think the animal wants to die prematurely just because it’s had a bit of time amongst the grass?
Animals are smarter than you think.
They can feel, they can show emotions, they have families, they know when they’re in danger.
An animal that is killed when it doesn’t want to die -- you can see this when they squirm, struggle, try to run, scream out, squeal, and cry -- is not a happy animal.
Please don’t be fooled by clever marketing.
21. “Eating animals is a part of the food chain”
While many people believe that humans are on top of the food chain, I wouldn’t want to go head-to-head with a lion or a panther or a bear.
Yes, we have developed weapons, which does make us more capable of defending ourselves against wild animals in nature, but that still doesn’t mean we should eat an animal just because we can.
When we can get all of our nutrients and vitamins from plants, why would we choose to eat an animal that doesn’t want to die.
If we can grow more than enough food for ourselves in our backyards, why would we need to go out and hunt?
We all cried when Bambi’s mom died in the Disney movie, so why are we becoming that poacher and following through on his actions we all shed tears over as children?
We may be capable of dominating the food chain, but that doesn’t mean we have to.
We can choose compassion.
We can choose kindness.
We can choose plants over blood.
22. “Our ancestors ate animals, so it’s in our DNA” / “It’s always been done this way”
When you hear about human remains being found from thousands of years ago and the anthropologists/paleontologists declare they had meat remnants in their teeth, we take that as a pass to eat animals too.
Here’s a question for you…
Is it okay to do things because that’s the way it’s always been done?
If your ancestors ate meat, it’s okay for you to do the same, right?
Well, let’s pose that question in another frame.
Our ancestors enslaved other humans.
Since they did it, it’s okay for us to do it, too, right? Because that’s how it’s always been done.
At one time in history, slavery was the norm. It was the way of life; it’s what everyone was doing. It’s what we’ve always known.
Just because your ancestors ate animals, does that mean you are going to follow in their footsteps when you have modern-day replacements for just about every single animal product ever made?
If we don’t have to eat animals, then why do we still do it?
Here’s one more quick fact about our ancestors and their meat eating habits.
In the early days of humankind, eating meat was a once a month (at most) type of experience. It was not an every day, with every single meal, all-the-time kind of thing.
Our ancestors ate loads of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes every single day until they got lucky and succeeded in killing a wild animal.
In today’s society, we eat animal products in nearly every single meal.
We have come a long way from how our ancestors once lived.
When those paleontologists/anthropologists found the meat remnants in the teeth of those human remains, they didn’t find remains of fruits and vegetables because those would’ve had a higher decomposition rate than any animal products would have.
It’s all about putting it into perspective.
23. “But I love the taste of meat”
Duh! Every vegan will admit that they once loved the taste of meat too (unless they were vegan from birth).
The taste of animal products is amazing; we all know that.
But...of course there’s a but...vegans have chosen an animal’s life, the sustainability of the environment, and our own health over our taste buds.
Let me quickly insert that vegan food includes some of the most amazing flavors on the planet.
I didn’t know much about spices and herbs until I went vegan, and once I did, it was like my world opened up to another dimension.
I figured out a comparison to explain to meat eaters and animal product lovers how great vegan food actually is.
When you eat animal products and you have a normal carnivorous diet, you are living in a black and white world watching an old black and white TV.
When you go vegan because you’ve made the connection between your food and an animal’s life, you start seeing the world in color.
When you learn about the world of spices, herbs, and flavors available to you, it’s like seeing the world through a high definition 8k TV.
Wouldn't you prefer the HD TV instead of an old black and white TV?
Until you make the connection between your food and an animal’s life and you learn about vegan cooking, you might be perfectly content with your KFC, one piece of grilled chicken on a salad, or your meat pies.
Once you take the leap and fully commit to the lifestyle, your life, your tastebuds, your view on the world will never be the same.
24. “It’s part of my culture to eat animals”
Eating animals is a part of most cultures across the world, but as with the this-is-how-it’s-always-been argument, that doesn’t mean it’s moral or just to kill and eat animals that don’t want to die.
I grew up in an American steakhouse.
My parents ran an all-American restaurant that served ribs, wings, steaks, burgers, chicken caesar salads, chicken strips, buffalo chicken wraps, seafood, clam chowder, popcorn shrimp, and so much more.
Eating meat was and is a part of the culture I grew up in.
Going vegan went dramatically against everything I knew during my upbringing.
It caused me to have to unlearn everything my family and friends taught me and relearn from an educated and informed position.
Just because my family is rooted in eating animal products doesn’t mean I had to be.
I’m not going around telling my family what to do or not do, I’m designing my own life, which is aligned with my morals and sticking to it.
I want to be a part of a new culture.
A culture of open-minded, aware, compassionate, well-informed individuals who choose what’s right over what’s always been done.
Cultures change all the time.
It’s just a matter of what side of the cultural fence you want to sit on.
25. “It’s my personal choice to eat animals”
Instead of covering this whole topic here, I’ll encourage you to read this blog post: But What I Eat is My Personal Choice.
In a nutshell, your choices are your choices.
That’s correct.
But the impact of your choices extend past your existence.
When you choose to eat animals, you are choosing cruelty, pollution, and health implications.
Just because you’ve chosen it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect others.
The way you eat, the way you shop, the way you spend your money is a vote for the future you want.
Whenever you’re about to make a “personal choice,” think about how it could affect others besides yourself and then make the decision from an informed point of view.
We’re more connected than you think.
Please consider me, the planet, my future children, your children or future children, and all of the amazing animals when you make a personal choice to eat meat.
26. “At least the animal’s had a good life”
This reverts back to the topic of free range, organic, grass fed, and cage-free, but some people see it a little differently.
If you have a backyard farm and raise your own animals or you know the source of truly free range animals or you hunt wild animals that have been roaming and grazing on the land, you may be inclined to believe that “at least the animal had a good life” before it was killed.
Not to be blunt...but to be totally blunt, how would you like it if you were killed when you were 40 because you had at least had a good life until that point?
As previously mentioned, animals show signs that they are sentient, meaning they have an understanding of what’s going on around them.
That’s why they run from threat, scream in fear, wriggle out of your arms when captured, kick, buck, cry, and try to escape when they sense imminent danger.
They have a goal of surviving.
No matter how good an animal’s life is, if it’s taken by us humans when we feel like eating, then it’s still ending the life of an animal that didn’t want to die.
Even if the death is quick, like a bullet to the head or an arrow to the heart, that doesn’t mean it died compassionately.
If you can eat plants (and, damn, plants can taste good) instead of killing a sentient being, why wouldn’t you choose that option?
27. “I don’t like the idea of ‘fake meat’ or ‘milk alternatives’”
Yeah, fake meat and milk alternatives are weird. I’ll give you that.
It seems against nature to eat and drink a synthetic version of the real thing.
Your concern over some vegan alternatives to animal products is totally valid, but I encourage you to learn more about how and why they exist.
Some vegan alternatives are jam packed full of preservatives, chemicals, and agents to give it the flavor and realness of the animal product.
That doesn’t mean they’re healthy.
Some vegan alternatives are made solely of plants aka fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes and they are extremely healthy.
As long as you’re learning to read food labels and you can navigate the “fake meat” and “milk alternatives” world, you’ll become a more empowered and confident vegan
These alternatives exist so that when people are transitioning from a meat-eating lifestyle to a vegan lifestyle, they have options to swap out what they once used.
I recommend not eating the fake meats too often and finding ways to recreate them out of fresh produce -- yes, it’s possible!
When it comes to milk alternatives, they are definitely healthier than cow’s milk. I promise you that.
It will take some trial and error-ing to find one you like and that suits your body/taste preferences.
You can also make these milk alternatives at home with less ingredients and preservatives for a healthier version.
28. “It’s just more convenient to be able to eat everything”
You are totally right, my friend.
Being vegan can be a total inconvenience.
Restaurants don’t always have vegan options.
Your friends might not have a vegan dish at a party.
You might be road tripping and can’t find a vegan snack anywhere.
Being vegan is not always easy, but our convenience is a privilege that we have to put into perspective when it comes to the effort of saving our planet, saving animal lives, and saving our health.
Just because meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, and fish are more widely sold, doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with whatever vegan-friendly options you find or be prepared in advance.
If we, vegans, have to put up with the inconvenience of finding vegan food in a non-vegan food world, then we’ll do it to stand by our morals and our dedication to the many causes this lifestyle benefits.
The more we ask for vegan options in restaurants, delis, cafes, and take out spots, the more likely they’ll be to add them to the menu. They don’t want to miss out on the demand or the chance to make more money.
The world is changing. Humankind is changing.
Embrace the change and all that comes with it.
By doing this, you know you’ll be on the side of humanity that works towards a better future.
Plus, you’re not alone and you never have been.
Join my free Facebook community: Craving a Peace Insiders and be amongst a group of other like-minded people transitioning into a vegan lifestyle.
If you ever want to talk about this blog post, comment below or email me at kelsey@cravingapeace.com
