Imagine you go vegan and are all excited about your new diet and lifestyle. The people surrounding you, especially close friends, relatives, and co-workers, will definitely have questions on their minds. They will be curious to know what it feels like to become a vegan.
Many people have strange and funny opinions about being a vegan. Many would also like to know what forced you to turn vegan. Most people are looking for the right answers and want more information because they have never encountered a vegan or don't know anyone who has chosen the path of veganism. And of course, there may be some personal questions coming your way as well.
These may be how your kitchen looks, how you live, and even to the extent of what clothes you wear.
The best way to respond to questions about veganism is to be calm, controlled, and straightforward.
Here are the most frequently asked questions that you are going to come across from your friends, relatives, and even family members.
This is the most annoying and repeatedly asked question by vegans. Non-vegetarians believe that the only source of protein in the diet is meat.
Apart from meat, there are other alternative sources of proteins. These products taste just like meat, but are meatless and vegan in reality. These are soy products such as tofu, seitan, tempeh, edamame, and others. Soybeans and their products are considered to be a whole source of protein.
Also, there are healthy plant-based sources of protein as well for vegans. These consist of green peas, lentils, beans, seeds, oats, sprouted grains, chia seeds, almonds, and other legumes.
There is a huge difference between the pain and suffering of an animal when being killed and that of a beetroot or carrot being pulled from the ground. Animals suffer and feel the pain when being killed for their meat. But people don't feel bad for a carrot or a cauliflower as much as they do for a chicken or goat when they see it getting killed.
There is a difference between pulling a limb from a lamb and pulling a fruit from a tree.
Nature needs to balance itself in the wild. When we talk about the forests and jungles, carnivorous animals don't have a choice but to kill other animals to survive. Now, you can't tell a tiger, lion, or leopard to eat plants and survive. However, we human beings have a choice. We can survive on a plant-based diet without killing and eating animals. With a vegan diet, we may live a healthy, happy life without harming animals.
Honey is made by bees from the nectar that they collect from flowering plants. Honey and nectar are the primary sources of food for honey bees. They are stored by bees for the winter season as they don't find many flowers. Many commercial beekeepers who practice apiculture clip the wings of the queen bees to prevent them from escaping the colony. Bee keepers also artificially inseminate the queen bee to control mating. Because of all these malpractices carried out and the involvement of bees' labor in the production of honey, many vegans don't consume honey. A vegan is not just a diet, but a lifestyle that cares about animals.
Both milk and eggs are produced by young female animals. As the young female animals age, their milk and egg production capacity reduces. As a result, they are sent to the slaughter houses and replaced by other young animals who will suffer the same fate when they become old. Unless rescued, all cows and hens are killed for meat just before their life expectancy is over.
Not really. In fact, non-vegetarian products like meat and even dairy products are more expensive than vegan foods. There is a huge myth, especially in America, that healthy vegan food costs more. Research indicates that vegan food and meals are actually 40% cheaper compared to their non-vegetarian counterparts of fish and meat. Those who believe that a vegan diet is more expensive than a non-vegetarian diet must visit the market once and do the calculations.
Vegans choose not to consume meat based on certain health and environmental factors. It is a myth that vegans don't like the taste of meat or the smell of meat. For vegans looking for a meaty flavor, soya chunks, tofu, and jackfruit are nutritious and healthy meat substitutes.
This question is really funny, but people will still ask it because they have to. Just like with any other diet, vegan people come in different shapes and sizes. The thought that vegan people are thin and skinny and cannot put on either is not true. The cultural background, hereditary and genetics, and upbringing have a lot to do with how an individual appears, irrespective of him/her being a vegan or not.
One of the biggest myths in the minds of people is that vegans consume only salads consisting of leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, etc. So, if vegans don't eat only salads, what else do they eat? Popular dishes like pizza, soups, pasta, noodles, oatmeal, ice cream, sandwiches, and many others have a vegan version of them. So, vegans eat not only salads but also the other tasty, delicious, and mouthwatering dishes that are available in a plant-based version.
Both vegans and vegetarians don't consume meat and fish. However, vegetarians still consume eggs, milk, and dairy products such as cheese, butter, curd, and yogurt.
A vegan diet, just like any other diet, is healthy and nutritionally complete. Be it carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and even nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that the human body needs, everything can be obtained by choosing a vegan diet.
Vitamin B12 is essential for the human body to function properly. The best sources of vitamin B12 are meat and eggs. But there are some fortified foods that vegans can consume to get vitamin B12. However, it is still recommended that vegans should include B12 supplements as a part of their diet in order to avoid any deficiency at a later stage.
The main purpose behind becoming a vegan is to prevent animal suffering and slaughter. Also, a vegan diet replaces unhealthy food with healthy, delicious, and nutritious foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and beans. A vegan diet also contributes to saving the environment from a large amount of methane gas generated by livestock.
For those focusing on fitness and athletics, a well-planned vegan diet will provide the nutrition needed to become professional and competitive athletes. There are many athletes worldwide who follow a vegan diet. Scientific evidence suggests that a plant-based vegan diet can boost the performance of athletes due to reduced blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol levels, improved cardiovascular health, and higher antioxidants in the body that help neutralize the presence of free radicals.
I hope you now have answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about vegans. Answers to these questions will help you be more confident and apt when replying to questions about veganism from friends and relatives. You must keep in mind that you should not answer every question that is asked about you switching to veganism. You are free to decide not to. Ultimately, you are the person who decides to follow the ethics of not killing animals and reduce the suffering in the world.
