weastie

I'm a vegan and I actually partially agree with your sentiment about "quick death + no pain = maybe not too unethical", and that's actually the justification I used for a while to defend why I wasn't vegan.

Just know that this view is not inherently incompatible with veganism. Go vegan because of the way the animals are treated while they're alive. Also, most animals are not killed without suffer.

Cows for meat are possibly the only animal we eat that actually sometimes get decent treatment, if they're pasture raised with no growth hormones. But non vegans act like this is significant. Only about 3% of cows get to live their entire lives on a pasture. I would commend someone if they actually held a strict rule that they only ate pasture raised beef, but I've never met anyone like that. That would mean you could never order beef from a restaurant, you could never eat beef your friends made, etc. unless you're 100% sure it was pasture raised. Because just about every other cow had to live it's entire life in a space so small it can't even turn it's head and doesn't get to see outside.

That being said, virtually every other animal product does not have that going for them. Chicken is never pasture raised (too expensive), their lives are absolutely atrocious and the vast majority of the time they are killed by being hung on an assembly line upside down.

I'm not going to go into all the details but just know that, even if you do hold the belief that it's okay for an animal to die if it is quick and painless, that you can still recognize that veganism is correct.

Please don't let your experience with vegans push you away from it. There's plenty of reasonable, kind, and understanding vegans.

Also btw, rescuing a shelter animal = vegan, buying a bred animal = not vegan.

Him hitting you out of nowhere with a passive aggressive "are you vegan?" was not the move, but you have to recognize a bigger picture here.

When animal abuse happens, and people see it, they are disgusted by it. It makes you feel awful inside, it makes you empathize with the animal.

But when animal abuse happens and you don't see it, people don't seem to care. I mean, what this fellow did to his dog is absolutely atrocious, but frankly it's mild compared to the 25 million chickens killed daily (USA alone), who are often hung upside down in assembly lines for hours, not to mention the atrocious living conditions they had beforehand. And that's just the surface.

Rather than passive-aggressively questioning your ethics like the other user here, I instead urge you to explore these feelings you have about animal cruelty, and think about what happens even when you don't see it.

Lol I figured that out shortly after typing my comment, hence deleting it

Your very slightly incorrect internet comment has ignited me with a passion to correct you. The interval in Killing in the Name is not nine half steps, but rather a minor 9th, which is 13 half steps.

Do you ever "hang out" with her, like play games or chat about life? Are you supposed to try forming a relationship with her, or are you supposed to just assist her with her tasks quietly and politely.

I haven't managed to "convert" anyone to veganism, but I have at least helped to dispell stereotypes and spread awareness. Most people's experience with vegans is just the extremely vocal and perhaps extremist ones you find online, calling everyone rapists and murderers. And look, I understand that there is some logic behind that, but if your goal is to try to bring more people towards veganism, you won't do it by insulting people.

I've managed to convince most people that vegan food isn't gross. I offer people little bits of vegan food that I make or eat and they're often impressed.

I've dispelled myths about imitation meat being really unhealthy (not arguing it's healthy, but some people act like it's the worst thing you can eat). You'd be surprised how many people think it's some lab made nasty chemical.

I've dispelled a lot of myths (always respectfully, of course) about vegan nutrition. Most people aren't trying to be harmful, but they've heard a line or two online about how vegans can't build protein, can't get certain vitamins, etc.

Mostly, I think by just being a respectful and amicable human being, I've shown people that you can be vegan and not make your whole life about it. Most people don't even know I'm vegan until we eat together and I have to explain it. I don't want veganism to be some kind of religion or cult you have to join, I want it to just be a normal thing that people choose to do for the animals.

That being said, I do hope that I can eventually convince at least one person to become vegan, but I think trying too hard will just have the opposite effect. I'll continue to live by example and hoping people follow.

The most popular take among vegans (and this is coming from a vegan myself) is that breeding animals is awful, but adopting an animal from a shelter is great.

There's a lot of reasons that vegans are not fans of pet ownership, mostly because there are very minimal regulations in place regarding their treatment. I'm sure everyone knows someone who doesn't treat their pet well.

However, once an animal is born into this world, it already exists, and there's only two options. Either we can care for it, or let it die.

That's why vegans are okay with adopting pets but not with buying animals from mills. Buying animals from mills incentives the breeders to make more, taking them from shelters doesn't profit / incentivize anyone. Let's stop making more animals but take care of the ones that already exist.

This is an absurd take. Vegans have to sacrifice a lot. I absolutely love animals and it's insane to me that someone can't see the amount of torture and murder of animals there is out there.

I decided to cut out, as much as is reasonably possible, anything that was made by or is these animals. I don't do this because I want to feel superior, I do it for the animals. Most vegans don't do this for attention. Just because you see some vegans shouting online doesn't mean we're all like that.

Sometimes I just wanna wear an outfit that makes people laugh and smile...

Prenote

Congrats on trying out veganism!

First off, based on your message, I think you might have a couple misunderstandings about veganism. Understand that veganism isn't a diet nor is it inherently healthy. You can be vegan and eat processed food and imitation products all day long. Veganism is primarily an ethical stance - choosing not to partake in the industrial scale abuse and torture of our animal friends.

I hate to say something that goes against my own beliefs, but I don't think it really makes sense to go fully vegan just for health reasons. Yes, virtually all nutritionists would say that people need to cut down and significantly reduce the amount of meat and animal products people eat, but for purely health reasons there aren't many reasons to go down to absolutely 0. Plus, although there are plenty of benefits to outweigh the negatives, it is important to recognize that vegans can have a slightly harder time getting some nutrients, like vitamin D, iron, zinc, omega 3 fatty acids (most people struggle with these nutrients anyway, it's just that vegans struggle a little more). And uniquely, there is virtually no vegan source of B12, so you need to take a supplement, or eat fortified foods.

I'm saying this because people who go vegan only for health reasons almost always quit eventually. Do it for the animals, but also enjoy the health benefits that come along naturally.

Don't make these mistakes

Going vegan, especially suddenly, can take a toll on your body, just as making any sudden dietary change can.

• Make sure you are eating enough. A lot of vegan food isn't as dense as animal products, usually because it contains a lot more water. The actual "volume" of food that you eat should increase quite a bit. Although I'm normally against it, I actually recommend calorie counting for a bit when you first go vegan (but do understand the dangers of calorie counting long term).
• Understands symptoms of suddenly eating a lot of fiber: One of the healthiest aspects of veganism is the high intake of fiber, which is fantastic for your digestive system. However, most people eat way too little fiber, and the sudden change from little fiber to lots of fiber can actually be a bit uncomfortable: bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea. Long term healthy, but maybe short term take it slow.
• Eat satiating foods: Vegetables and fruits are great for your health, but you have to eat foods that provide long term energy and make you feel full. If you are feeling hungry all the time, that's not good. The overarching categories here are grains (preferably whole), legumes (beans, lentils, tofu, fake meat), nuts, seeds.
• Get your vitamins checked 3-6 months after going vegan: I just think this is too important after any dietary change.

Onto your actual question

The main breakfasts I eat are:

• Granola or cereal and plant milk
• Tofu scramble (can meal prep this easily) and toast, sometimes impossible breakfast sausage. To make good tofu scramble you need some unconventional ingredients you might not find at a grocery store, like black salt (kala namak)
• Beans and toast
• Leftovers from last night's dinner
• Skip breakfast (or just eat a small fruit) and instead have a big lunch

I will occasionally have toast with peanut butter and banana on it, but that's so calorie dense, I only eat it on days I know I'll be doing a lot of physical activities.

This is actually a great breakfast. I understand your concern about it being calorie dense, but recognize that this is very satiating, and will keep you full and energized for a long time.

Also, don't be afraid to eat some vegan imitation products. I promise they're not nearly as bad as people demonize them to be, just don't eat them all the time. I love impossible brand breakfast sausage, bratwurst, burgers, and chicken nuggets. In modern day, you can be vegan and still indulge in some tasty foods occasionally.