Would you ever consider becoming a Vegan?

No I dont think I would as it is just too limiting as to what you can eat - might as well be dead if I cannot eat anything that I like which is how I would describe a Vegan.
There are those who live to eat and those who eat to live - a Vegan would have to be the latter!
I am on a restricted diet due to high sugar levels, anyway and would not want to further reduce what I am able to eat.

by Finy

It's a bit narrow minded to assume vegans don't enjoy or care about food. You've only to to look at some of the great vegan food blogs out there to see that that isn't true. This site is a great one http://ohsheglows.com/

I totally get not wanting to further restrict your diet when you already have things you can't eat though. I feel the same way when people try to talk me into going paleo. Vegetarian/vegan paleo would be very, very limiting, so no thanks.

I love food , in a healthy way. Unless I have some health condition that would stop me eating any animal products then no way. Moreover, veganism means no dairy, honey, leather, wool and such. I really can't be bothered with all that.

by dwatk

Absolutely not.
Life is for living and i enjoy being able to eat a variety of foods that taste GOOD!

I don't know enough about Vegan-ism? to say whether it is healthy or not.

All I know is that it is NOT for me :)

by BritishStorm

well spoken, British! I agree

Most likely not. Finy and myself are in the same boat and pretty soon we will be eating half a boiled egg and a leaf of kale, the way things are going.

by Rice

haha Rice! I made a chia pudding with no sugar almond milk and it is SO bland...will publish it eventually on RecipeYum, and you too could make it! hardly a calorie in it apart from a spoon of honey which is 2 tsp sugar.

Oh. yum. *choke* . . . . although I quite like chia. I guess we'll have to become "eat to live" now. boohoo.

I'm not into meat much.....but being a Vegan means more than that, so I guess
no
is the answer to that.

by jonaja

Unless you have a medical condition which precludes you from eating meat, I cant see the need to do so. For most vegans, it is more about animal rights than dietary need. My husband and I did try being vegetarian for a while there, just to see what it would be like, but we missed our meat in the end. At least we gave it a go. There are many sources of protein and iron apart from meat, but they are not the good quality sources you need in a healthy diet. Even Paleo Pete likes a bit of protein.

by Lluxi

No. No. No. No. I am too big a fan of dairy for that. As to whether I think veganism is healthy, I haven't got a clue. But, judging by the kind of teeth we have, I'd say we were made to eat meat.

by Vee

I don't get that you think we have teeth for eating meat? I mean no disrespect, but if you compare our teeth to a dog, lion or other carnivore they are very different. One obvious thing we don't have that carnivores have is long canines for ripping.

definitely wrong to this! our teeth are not sharp and pointy like lions! they are fro crunching on celery and apples. And veganism is far more healthy. Dairy products leach calcium from your bones and has been proven there is far more protein in PLANT based foods rather than meat which causes heart attacks from all the fat in it.

I don't get that you think we have teeth for eating meat? I mean no disrespect, but if you compare our teeth to a dog, lion or other carnivore they are very different. One obvious thing we don't have that carnivores have is long canines for ripping.

I hear that line about teeth a lot from omnivores. I would say we evolved to eat meat, but that's really not relevant to whether we choose to eat it or not now that we actually have a choice about it. We do a lot of things in the modern world that our ancestors didn't or couldn't (live indoors, wear clothing, develop sophisticated technology...). Those of use who are lucky enough to afford food to eat every day and have so many options as to what we eat are pretty different from wandering hunter gatherers who had to eat whatever they could get. We don't have to eat meat or animal products unless we want to. It comes down to whether you're cool with animals suffering so you can eat what you want. I ate dairy myself until relatively recently, and for a long time I honestly didn't realise the suffering it caused, as I think most people don't. But if people do know and make an informed choice about it that's up to them of course. I just commented because I often hear people throw out that same line flippantly when don't seem to have really thought about it.

We have canines. No, they are not like that of a lion's, but we have two nonetheless. And, I am not "cool" with animals suffering so that I can eat what I wish. I hate it, but seeing as I have children and do not wish to cook two meals (or give up milk), I will continue consuming my omnivorous diet.

No, boring!

by Miro

Miro, about the trout fishing, at times my hubby will throw them back.
As for vegan, yes, it would be boring because of being limited to certain foods.

I try to eat healthy meals. I have cut down on eating red meat, although, a scatter time I will eat a very small piece. Being a vegan is strict and omits certain foods, so, that would not be for me.

by little trout

Yes I would. Considering it , and choosing to do it are very different things. Just by answering the question we have considered it...but I think I am being pedantic. Sorry.
I love dairy and eggs, but I could give up meat.I keep chickens for eggs and know they have a happy secure life.
I don't like the way we treat animals for our food, generally speaking. If animals were treated humanely the price if our food would rise and people would eat a lot less of it. Many people choose to ignore the suffering of pigs because they love bacon for example. I couldn't imagine my pet dog being treated the way pigs are and yet pigs are of equal intelligence. If I became vegan it would be for humanitarian reasons.

by annfi

how are pigs treated annfi?

Thanks for asking Finy. Sows are confined to very small pens, so small they cannot turn around and kill their babies, they are on concrete, for ease of cleaning and never see the light of day.
There is a lot of information on the net. I have the link to RSPCA article which explains different levels of pig farming. Seeing how RSPCA approved chickens are kept, I still think their standards are too low. It is a start.http://kb.rspca.org.au/?View=entry&EntryID=109

It is a very good question which Finy has put forward. I think it has made all of us who responded, really give it a great deal more thought that we first believed we could do!!! I feel even more positive now, that I could never live a fully vegan lifestyle and not just because of the food side of things. Although I do agree with a great deal of what they feel is the best way to live, it would never truly suit me, as I have a rare illness which just does not allow me to do many things I would like to try, let alone continue with if I was to find them to be lifestyle changes I may like to go through with. My health is my real priority no matter what these days!!

Would if I could, but I can't, so I don't. Apart from the fact that having no milk would kill me, the rest can be summed up in one word - bacon! Mmmm, bacon...
And most vegan's I've seen are quite unhealthy looking - pasty, sallow skin, limp hair, no energy etc.

by poppy

oh poppy, LOL at your description - I guess there is not really much left they can eat! I know you can make some great things with raw food but I agree, could not forego my milk and bacon!

Almond milk & oat milks are really yum, if more expensive than cow's milk. I also know a woman who is a vegan & she is almost anorexic in her thinness. In someone in her 60's surely that can't be healthy, especially when it comes to bone health? Veggo yes but eggs & dairy are important in my diet so being vegan, nyet!

These vegan athletes seem pretty healthy. http://metro.co.uk/2015/08/26/13-vegan-athletes-smashing-it-on-a-meat-free-diet-5349835/

Vegetarian yes, Vegan NO!! I do not eat huge amounts of meat anyway, so I could cut this out without much difficulty; but Veganism is going too far for me, as it involves anything at all which has its origins in animal life!! Even honey from the little bees is not allowed!!!! No! Veganism is way too restrictive for me!! I definitely could not live without cheese as I love it in so many different ways.... even with a fruit platter! The whole Vegan lifestyle impacts in so many different ways apart from just the food which is eaten. It is a complete way of life with very strong beliefs. I do not agree with all of their reasonings, so I would not ever be able to be a Vegan. I believe in using moderation and common sense for my own health, and this is how I am able to remain cheerful and sane!!!

by Jules

Yes JulesI forgot about that. Cosmetics ,cleaning
products etc have to be animal product and animal
testing free..

Sure. I'm kind of headed that way. I avoid animal products where I can (not just in food), but I haven't been too strict about it yet regarding the less obvious stuff (additives in some foods and things like silk). I want to avoid causing suffering when I can. I'm not sure how much further I will take things but I want to try.

The only way I've found it limiting is with fast food- usually places like McDonalds etc. don't have anything much I can eat, but the food they sell is mostly rubbish anyway. Otherwise it's fine. I can still eat things I love. If I'm going to someone else's place I will let them know my needs and offer to bring someone to share. Mostly people are understanding and keen to try something new. I made a vegan chocolate mud cake to take to class a couple of weeks ago which seemed to be very well received judging by how quickly it disappeared. People didn't know it was vegan until I said. There are a lot of great vegan cook books out there (Isa Chandra's Veganomicon and Oh She Glows) and tonnes of websites with great recipes and there are more commercially available substitutes for animal products (like vegan "cheese", ice cream etc.) than there used to be. My favourite vegan comfort foods at the moment are cashew mac and cheese, vegan "butter chicken" (spiced like a butter chicken recipe, but contains neither butter nor chicken), vegan Puttanesca (I use kalamata olives, diced artichoke hearts, chick peas, semidried tomatoes etc.) and Pana chocolate (it's made with raw cacao, there are a few flavours but I love the sour cherry one). I actually stopped in the middle of typing this to go and get some vegan muffins (banana, apple and brown sugar) out of the oven.

As to whether it's healthy, well it depends. You could eat a diet that was totally vegan but bad for you, the same as you can eat an omnivorous diet that's bad for you. A lot of people have a perception of vegan food being automatically lower in fat, but it isn't necessarily. You need to use a bit of common sense in choosing what to eat. It's easy to get enough protein, iron and calcium from vegan food. Some take supplements for B12. I haven't had to do that because I'm not vegan yet, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

by Jennifer Muirhead

We are not big meat eaters and have many meals without meat but no will never become a vegetarian let alone a vegan.

by njsan

I'd never survive. Like Finny, there are vegies I cannot tolerate and don't like so I'd starve. We eat a lot of fish and chicken but not much beef. I prefer mine in casseroles as the meat is tender so definitely no limited lifestyle for me if I can help it.

by helga

No I wouldn't
I don't know that vegan is unhealthy. I know two people that are vegan. They take supplements but I don't know what the supplements are (maybe iron). But they seem healthy enough. I just think it is too much work. S'pose it's OK if you are home all day and don't have kids but I couldn't get my head around it every night for kids and husband. Or dinner parties. I'm just a meat and 3 veg girl.

by fran.

I could never be a vegetarian. I love my meat too much. Most vegetarians look pasty and anemic. My daughter who is nearly a vegetarian needed a blood transfusion when she gave birth as her iron levels are low. She is still the same now, so tonight I'm making her spanikopita to take to her tomorrow. Spinach has iron in it. Mums' always worry.

by nat_c

no, unless there was a need to become vegan I have no interest in doing so. I want to eat the food I want to eat and not feel bad for doing so.
Vegan may or may not be healthy, just as not being vegan may or may not be healthy. It all depends on what you do and don't eat - remember that vegans have "treats" too and if you solely eat treats you can still be unhealthy regardless of whether or not you are vegan

by Belinda

No, not if I didn't have to, for health reasons. I don't know if being a vegan is healthy or not, but if it suits some people, then so bee it.

by Miro