Vegan for January

A couple of very radical vegans I know think that people shouldn't keep animals as pets. They also say that the dairy business is as cruel, if not worse than the meat industry.

Just pointing out that so far on this thread vegans have been called 'miserable', 'weirdos', 'extremists' and their lifestyle choice described as just a 'fad'.

There's a lot more aggression from directed towards vegans by meat eaters than the opposite, in my experience...

MissAdventure I'm sorry to say that the dairy industry is pretty awful, it's just that most people don't know about it. I won't go into the reasons on here or I'll be accused of preaching . But here's some info if you're interested at all: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/30/dairy-scary-public-farming-calves-pens-alternatives

oops, that should say 'directed towards', not 'from directed towards'!

Apparently, cows bottoms are responsible for huge clouds of methane, which is damaging the ozone layer? I think! Something like that, anyway. Worth a thought.

Thanks downdale. I will have a read.

I would be interested to know if anyone on this thread thinks that it is possible to eat a nutritious and interesting vegan (or veggie) diet on food produced in this country.
I concerned with food miles and try to eat seasonal and local food as much as possible. I grow my own vegetables for the summer and I try not to eat imports; buying in farmers markets when possible.
I make exceptions of course for fruit and salad from Europe in the winter. I am worried by the massive increase in imports of products such as soya and nuts for dairy substitutes.
Also the popularity of quinoa, (probably a fad!) which I understand is now being exported instead of feeding the population of South America where it originated?

The dairy industry has promoted the idea that humans need cows milk to obtain calcium. That’s a pretty weird idea in itself when you think about it, and it makes no sense in evolutionary terms. There is no other animal that drinks the milk of another species and no other animal that drinks milk beyond infancy.

There is quite a lot of research that does not support this notion, and some that indicates that too much dairy is actually bad for bones. The countries with the highest consumption of dairy products have the highest rate of osteoporosis.

Totally agree nightowl.
I wanted to add (in case it helps anyone) having tried all the dairy free milks that I think Hemp milk is the most palatable.

I became vegan 6 months ago along with my husband. I started thinking I would try it for a month and see how it went, but we both enjoyed the tasty food we started eating so much we have continued. I am 63 and a normal person. Well a bit weird I guess!! - it am happy healthy and have a good job. I feel better knowing I am no longer contributing to cruel animal practises and am doing a bit more for the environment.

My vegan niece is a wonderful cook. She is definitely not skinny, miserable or wierd and nor is her husband.

DN says that if you want to be meat and dairy free then you need to make sure that you eat meals with balanced proportions of protein and and other vegetables.

Although DH and I are omnivores we always love to go for a meal at DN's as the food is always delicious.

My d is a veggie and she always does the vegan month in January. She is lactose intolerant and gluten as well. So I think it’s not so hard for her.
She and I went out for lunch today and she a beetroot and avocado salad which she said she really enjoyed.

I have been vegetarian for many years but it is only in recent times that I have become aware of the cruelty involved in dairy, so I avoid dairy whenever possible although I'm not strictly vegan when we eat out. I found it easy at home and the vegan cheese is now available at Sainsburys so easy to get hold of. Equally meat production is not sustainable in the long run so for the sake of the planet it would be a good idea to cut down (or out) consumption of meat. I like coconut milk alternatives or almond milk so I dont feel deprived or hungry. I do take a multi vitamin with B12 which I believe is the one thing that might be missing from a vegan diet. But it is growing in popularity as people become more aware of the issues.

I think saralou has asked a good question, though nobody has yet commented. Does the transportation of foodstuffs for a vegan diet outweigh any of the environmental benefit claimed?

I became vegan about 1 1/2 years ago and its the best thing I have ever done. Apart from feeling liberated psychologically (i.e. doing no harm or contributing to any), my conscience is clear and my health has improved dramatically. I had thyroid problems and was taking medication daily for a few years and when I became vegan I did some research and found out that dairy can contribute to thyroid problems. Five months later with no medication and my thyroid has normalised. Before you say you couldn't become a vegan, try watching some informative films like Earthlings or more recently Land of Hope and Glory about intensive factory farming. There are many other documentaries out at the moment about the health benefits too, a lot can be found on Netflix. For those who crave cheese, it is a fact that cheese contains casomorphine, a which is an addictive substance designed by nature to encourage the calf to return to its mother for sustenance. Dairy products are for baby calves not humans but because we have been conditioned to think it is normal, many of us don't believe we can live without it. There's so much information out there and if you care about the environment, our planet and the animals that share our home with us, then being vegan is the only way. BTW I am 64 years old (nearly 65), go to the gym regularly and have never enjoyed cooking so much in all my life. On top of all that, I have met the most amazing people too. Nice to meet you all !

saralou18Quinoa is now being grown in the UK ?

Watermeadow, if you are vegetarian, how comes you've got bacon and sausages? I don't see how anyone can be vegan for one month only - do you stop wearing leather shoes, stop wearing woolly jumpers, etc?

I shall just eat sensibly after eating far too much over the Christmas period.

Watermeadow said she’s been vegetarian for long periods in the past Aepgirl, not that she’s vegetarian now. As for leather shoes etc etc, one step at a time is better than sitting still. I think that kind of criticism is called ‘whataboutery’.

Why do people feel a need to pour cold water on to anything others do just because it’s not their choice? Why not just say ‘good luck’.

Hubby and I are Pescatarian. We would never eat any meat, but do have some ‘responsibly sourced’ fish. I have tried to give-up dairy (more cruelty in that than in RS fish), but I found it too tough. I am going to try again. We keep a couple of very happy garden hens, so we have no misgivings about eggs.

I eat a varied diet, bit of everything but not a lot. A health care assistant banned me from eating cheese, milk, butter, eggs because my cholesterol was just over 5. The result? Broke two bones. I now eat what I feel is right in small doses. Love almost all vegetables but love meat, poultry and fish equally.

Same here catterygirl all things in moderation.
Definitely need calcium for our bones as we age.

I’ve been veggie most of my life and turned vegan around 4 months ago after watching forks over knives. I love it!
Any ‘diet’ can be unhealthy if you eat rubbish (carnivores or vegan), however there is compelling evidence that a healthy plant based diet is much better for your health.
If in doubt I would compel you to read ‘How not to Die’ by Dr Michael Greger.
It is so easy being vegan now.

I thought I'd look up Dr Greger (because I'm interested in diet, though I can't say that I care much about what others eat) and was astounded to find that he is a mere three years older than my own eldest son. However, Dr Greger looks as though he could be my son's father - not a good advert for his diet!

This is a very lively debate, I was interested in the different and sometimes strong views of members.
I am a pescetarian, I eat fish but not meat or cheese. I am trying to keep to low salt/sugar/fat diet purely for health reasons.
I have a number of health issues changing my diet as made a big different to my blood results and I am very pleased.

Having been vegetarian for over forty years, I am mainly vegan now anyway, except for when we go out for a meal, and even that is becoming easier these days.
All my family are either vegetarian or vegan.
Either Aldi or Lidl are bringing out a vegan range this month and there are lots of vegan foods in all supermarkets.

Strange talking about foodmiles for vegan foods, but most of the animal feed comes from North or South America.

The thing about vegans is that they are usually more knowledgeable about food and food values. They have to be. They have to read all the labels.

For Christmas, to ensure I had enough food in, I ordered a lot from
www.ethicalsuperstore.com
Who sell vegan clothes, shoes, etc.
Vegans think of everything. They also sell lots of carefully sourced jewellery and household products.

Like many other gransnetters I have been a vegetarian for many years now and am doing my best to become a vegan. I think even if we can't do it all, it is still possible to instigate change a step at a time and I am delighted to read all the informative posts. Education is needed in some cases, e.g. I met a youngish woman at Christmas who had been give some choc covered insects as a gift. They are veggie aren't they? she said.......