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An Announcement

In the coming few weeks, I will be releasing a series of posts on veganism. 

(The first piece will come out on Sunday 🙂 so look out)

If you are against veganism, think it is crazy, something for people to be “cool” or “different”, or some weird hippie nonsense, this post is for you!

Because I believe that despite what many of us often think of veganism as, it is not some edgy trend that people do to be cool.

I know I certainly saw it that way for a long time, likely because a lot of the information I had heard in the media and in everyday conversation was really negative about vegans, without ever delving into the specifics other than “they’re weirdos”. I think part of the reason I had a negative impression of vegans was because I didn’t really know much about them; why they actually did what they did and what they actually represented were unclear to me. I am here today because I would love to share with you what changed my mind: some of the legitimate environmental, health, and ethical reasons for making this dietary switch. I hope that you will consider listening to my perspective and engaging with some of this upcoming content.

If you disagree with my perspective and what I have to say, that is totally okay! I don’t mean to shove my morals and views down the throat of the reader; I simply want to present an alternate perspective that you may not have heard and then let you come to your own conclusions. I will also link some documentaries and cite the studies for my statistics, so you can research and verify for yourself.

Image from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44488051)

Speaking of choice, I would like to acknowledge here that it is often not a choice for many people. This is a problem I see with a lot of veganism and vegan messaging: they say “everyone can and should go vegan and you are a bad person if you don’t.” And I don’t agree with that. You aren’t a bad person if you don’t go vegan, and a lot of people also, quite frankly, don’t have the equivalent opportunity to go vegan. It is fairly easy for me, a privileged well-off American cis white dude, to go vegan. Blanket applications of veganism and subsequent accusations fail to account for the fact that other people have other shit to worry about. People who are struggling to feed their families won’t have the same time, energy, and money to invest into switching to a plant-based diet that other people will. People who live in food deserts without access to fresh produce won’t be able to make that switch in the same easy way that those who live in areas with access will. Those with digestive issues may find the switch more challenging than those without. Additionally, certain areas of the globe simply don’t have reliable vegetable access at all and are thus heavily reliant on meat, such as the Arctic circle, home to the Inuit people. All these groups and situations must be taken into consideration.

We must be aware of all the other intersecting facets of life, which are legitimate reasons why the switch to a plant-based diet may not be easy or viable for some people. We can instead attempt to share the reasons a plant-based diet is beneficial environmentally, nutritionally, and ethically, and be understanding of both those who can and those who cannot realistically implement such a change at this point in their life. Any proper approach at veganism as a means of bettering the world, in my opinion, must be intersectional, recognize that sometimes blanket change can cause harm, and acknowledge that to really better the world we must consider all issues and their intersections, and subsequently we must be understanding and nuanced in our approach.

And to those who still think veganism is stupid and are annoyed with a friend/family member who went vegan:

If you don’t agree with their choice, that is completely okay but please don’t shit on them for their decision to stand up for something they believe in. I understand their dietary habits may inconvenience you, but know they aren’t doing it for the reason of inconveniencing you or “to be different”. They’re doing it because it is important to them for some particular reason, and even if it isn’t important to you I ask you to respect their decision and dedication to their beliefs, even if you don’t agree with them.

And to answer an important question I get really often: Yes, a vegan diet is healthy at all stages of life. Here is a statement the American Dietetic Association issued:

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.” [1]

Feel free to reach out to me in the comments if you have any questions or concerns. I am more than happy to discuss them with you and to point you to resources. 

A few FAQs/resources:

And I promise you it wouldn’t nearly be as bad as you think it would — we still eat what y’all eat! Pizzas, fries, mac and cheeses, burgers, cakes, ice creams, lasagnas, enchiladas,  …. there is a vegan version of everything these days, and a lot of them are pretty good! I would encourage you to try out a shift to a diet consuming less animal products for a few weeks or a month. You would form your own opinions in the process of such a change and your likely subsequent research would teach you more than I ever could.

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Resources Cited

[1] “Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 109, no. 7 (July 2009): 1266–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2009.05.027.

By Jamie

8 thoughts on “An Announcement”
  1. I definitely agree that veganism is not a good moral litmus test. The thing about the Inuits and similar cultures is that they’re very aware that they took another life to supply their own, something that we become disconnected from when shopping at the grocery store.

    Can’t wait for more of these!

    1. Well said! Totally — buying meat at Albertsons is very different than the respect these other cultures often have for the taking of life. And well said about it not being a good moral litmus test. This is something people who go vegan often overlook, thinking it absolves them of all other moral imperatives. Like, avoiding buying leather for ethical reasons is great but if the synthetic leather you buy is made in sweatshops, you’re just trading one form of exploitation for another. There are always ways we can be better.

      Glad you are enjoying them! 🙂

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