Vegan/Plant Based Do you ever wonder about the animals you eat eat.

Sadly, although BlueBelle says:

I don’t remember ever questioning, poking fun or being hostile about differences until the last 20 years or so, now everything has to be them or us why can’t we all be accepted for our various beliefs and reasons without snide put down.

As I wrote earlier I do remember this. Those of us who ate muesli in the 1960s and 70s were ridiculed for eating "rabbit food" - when I moved out of my family home and was in charge of my own kitchen I had become "weird" because I was vegetarian - though I just told people I "don't eat meat". Even so I regularly had ridiculous and uneducated comments about diet - beans (and wind) in particular though I (unsurprisingly) didn't ever have this problem.

I chose to eat wholegrains and started to grow vegetables for the table and was made fun of for that "oh, you'll be wearing orange next" "when do you leave for Pune?".

There has always been a desire to rise up by putting others down it seems to me.
How absurd and petty it all is.

Later, I had friends with a smallholding who were ridiculed behind their backs at toddler group for something as tiny as making their own butter (wasting their time when they could buy "perfectly good" food at the supermarket)!

If you are "different" - especially if you have chosen a different path rather than had no choice, you will always be "othered".
It's not all new "BlueBelle*.

volver I do not object to anyone's eating pattern, never have, never will. What I object to is people who think that there eating pattern is so special that it should be lauded above all others and have food acceptable for them specially labelled with the name they give themselves.

Surely just describing food as 100% plant based or animal product free in the same way food is described as gluten-free is sufficient. Most supermarkets have 'free from' sections which have foods simply labelled with what is excluded. I use them when DDiL visits as she is unable to eat soya or nuts.

M0nica this almost pathological objection to the use of a word is over the top.

I would guess that most people know that "vegan" means "without animal products", so why shouldn't manufacturers say so? I suspect that your comment about vegans thinking that they are special and think they should be lauded above all others tells us more about the root of your objections than you think it does.

MOnica, what’s wrong with labelling food ‘vegan’ rather than this long-winded expression you want? I’m inclined to agree with you volver.

We tend to purchase ingredients, not foods already mixed up, so the one word descriptor 'vegan' isn't much looked to by us - however, one clear word is surely better than a phrase.

Same with Kosher. Seems easier than explaining that a food has milk, meat, together (or whatever the unacceptable may be), fish with fins, proper animal care. Easy peasy: Kosher.

Nut Free
Dairy Free
Allergens in production

volver3

Mollygo

If you want to hand those out, I’m sure your vegan buddies would love one.

Ooohhhh....

The only vegan I know personally is an "Iron Man".

He could put it with the medals he's won.

Like these? 👏👏👏

I just don't understand the moral panic about seeing foods with a vegan label on them. Many people may not care, but for those who do, it is tedious reading the label on everything you buy, and it can be quite a surprise to see where animal products 'lurk'. This can also be an issue for muslim or jewish people.

HousePlantQueen

I just don't understand the moral panic about seeing foods with a vegan label on them. Many people may not care, but for those who do, it is tedious reading the label on everything you buy, and it can be quite a surprise to see where animal products 'lurk'. This can also be an issue for muslim or jewish people.

It's not 'moral panic' - unpopular opinion, shared by IDK who.

Brought up on a farm I was used to and appalled at our treatment of animals .

But we used to go foxhunting , but I was haunted by seeing the throats of an entire flock of lamb ripped out by foxes .

As we entered the 1970's an alternative vegetarian diet became popular and I embraced it wholeheartedly .
My friends were a mixture of different faiths and serving them vegetarian food became an easier option .

Unfortunately for me a purely vegetarian diet compromised my health . So I reintroduced some meat and fish .

Childbearing done - I tried vegetarianism again , but ended up having to reintroduce animal proteins again .
These days , I eat both as I feel I need .

Clumsy English -too many buts - sorry !

Norah

HousePlantQueen

I just don't understand the moral panic about seeing foods with a vegan label on them. Many people may not care, but for those who do, it is tedious reading the label on everything you buy, and it can be quite a surprise to see where animal products 'lurk'. This can also be an issue for muslim or jewish people.

It's not 'moral panic' - unpopular opinion, shared by IDK who.

i disagree. There are a few posters who seriously object to foods being labelled as 'vegan', inferring that there is some sort of favouritism or even cult like behaviour involved. Foods marked 'Vegan' are not only for those who wish to follow a vegan diet, and I really don't understand why anyone would be bothered. Perhaps 'moral panic' was an exaggeration Norah, but flustered indignation was there

HousePlantQueen

Norah

HousePlantQueen

I just don't understand the moral panic about seeing foods with a vegan label on them. Many people may not care, but for those who do, it is tedious reading the label on everything you buy, and it can be quite a surprise to see where animal products 'lurk'. This can also be an issue for muslim or jewish people.

It's not 'moral panic' - unpopular opinion, shared by IDK who.

i disagree. There are a few posters who seriously object to foods being labelled as 'vegan', inferring that there is some sort of favouritism or even cult like behaviour involved. Foods marked 'Vegan' are not only for those who wish to follow a vegan diet, and I really don't understand why anyone would be bothered. Perhaps 'moral panic' was an exaggeration Norah, but flustered indignation was there

I agree. Labelling it vegan really is only to show that it is suitable for vegans, not ONLY for vegans. It is definitely NOT to make vegans seem superior, just a very useful label if you want to avoid eating animal products!

I know several Jewish couples who eat vegan when they are away from home as they know that anything suitable for vegans will also be suitable for them.

choughdancer

HousePlantQueen

Norah

HousePlantQueen

I just don't understand the moral panic about seeing foods with a vegan label on them. Many people may not care, but for those who do, it is tedious reading the label on everything you buy, and it can be quite a surprise to see where animal products 'lurk'. This can also be an issue for muslim or jewish people.

It's not 'moral panic' - unpopular opinion, shared by IDK who.

i disagree. There are a few posters who seriously object to foods being labelled as 'vegan', inferring that there is some sort of favouritism or even cult like behaviour involved. Foods marked 'Vegan' are not only for those who wish to follow a vegan diet, and I really don't understand why anyone would be bothered. Perhaps 'moral panic' was an exaggeration Norah, but flustered indignation was there

I agree. Labelling it vegan really is only to show that it is suitable for vegans, not ONLY for vegans. It is definitely NOT to make vegans seem superior, just a very useful label if you want to avoid eating animal products!

I know several Jewish couples who eat vegan when they are away from home as they know that anything suitable for vegans will also be suitable for them.

Oh, I agree, really I do - stupid to worry about simple labeling that should not offend anyone who isn't imperious.

I think the "vegan" label is fine. What about "Kosher" or "halal" food labels - are they to be banned as well? They are made up names targeting a particular group toto.

You don't have to be vegan to buy products labelled vegan btw- vegan sausage rolls are tasty and less greasy than the animal fat ones.

I am an omnivore, but very careful of origin of the meat I eat.

My sister has been a vegetarian for decades, mainly because she does not like meat. Her current complaint is that it seems to be a trend in a lot of restaurants to take vegetarian choices off the menu and replace with vegan alternatives. Whilst we can appreciate that there are some economic reasons for this, she, like many other vegetarians, often does not like the vegan options.

What do other vegetarians on here think about this?

Well said. I have never been vegetarian or vegan and I'm sure neither are healthy, well rounded diets. Mostly have to be supplemented in one way or another so what is the point? I think quite a few of the supplements are packaged in plastic. We have evolved to be meat/fish eaters - ancient man made his way around the world following the coastlines and eating shellfish and molluscs and even our teeth are designed for us to be omnivores. Apart from that, I like meat and fish!

I've been vegetarian 30 years and I've never had to supplement with anything. Check your facts, nannybarb.

Has "I'm a vegan" taken over from "I'm a born again christian"? lol

What’s funny?

Germanshepherdsmum

What’s funny?

Indeed. Why do people persist with the 'othering' of vegetarians and vegans? Why should anyone care that I don't eat meat? I am not doing them any harm.

Tweedle- I'm a vegetarian, and nowadays I'm often offered the vegan choice. This makes me very, very sad as I get an apple for dessert when my neighbour has a chocolate cake ( sigh).. oh I'm a Christian, too ..( just saying)

I am another vegetarian who is fed up with the only offering being meat/fish/vegan.
Mainly because so many places don't do vegan well.
Annoying really as vegan can be interesting and delicious. It doesn't have to be a cauliflower "steak" or a mushroom burger.

Humans were not meant to eat plants and we do not get all the nutrients from them that we need to be healthy. Meat, fish, dairy and eggs provide every nutrient the body needs (organic and free range if possible). There is a change in thought now that we should have these important animal fats in our diets and the previous low fat recommendations are wrong. The main culprit for poor health is sugar, highly processed foods and high carbohydrates in our foods. Reduce these and the nations health would improve greatly saving the NHS millions on unnecessary medication. I am in my seventies, eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy and some leafy greens, I am healthy and on no medication at all. Just about to tuck into streaky bacon and eggs.

Is it the first of April again, so soon?

Humans were not meant to eat plants