Vegan Q&A
“Arrogant, stupid, privileged, vegan millennials,” is a term I’ve heard more times than I’d like to have. Where this may be the case for some, it is not the case for all. Although I personally do not support a voluntary vegan diet, it is important to note that just because someone is a vegan doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. In order to prove the point to agriculturists that “vegans are people too,” I reached out to Twitter to find some vegans who were willing to be interviewed about their specific diet. Questions were gathered from active followers of the Activists vs. Agriculture Facebook page and my personal instagram.
- M. Purviance
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1. Please explain your dietary preference in detail (vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, etc.) and how long you have eaten this specific way.
Subject 1: I eat mostly vegetarian currently (since August), because I live onsite for my job and most meals are provided. It’s just more convenient for me to eat vegetarian than vegan here, because the kitchen staff don’t usually have to make me a whole separate meal. When I cook for myself, I use eggs from the chickens in our garden, rather than store-bought ones. I do buy plant milk rather than dairy milk, but I buy regular butter. I also love cheese, and that was something I missed when I was vegan. I have been out of college for almost a year now, and stopped eating meat in October of my freshman year of college, so I have been vegetarian/vegan for about 4.5 years. I started off trying to be vegan, but living on campus with limited options made it difficult. When I moved into an apartment sophomore year, I ate vegan for about a year.
Subject 2: I have been a pescatarian for 5-6 years now due to allergies and an immune condition.
2. Why do you follow this specific diet? Was it a choice? A dietary restriction? Did you watch a movie or read something that inspired you to become vegan?
Subject 1: I first decided to go vegan because I saw a documentary about the environmental impacts of factory farming and the physical/psychological suffering farmed animals endure. Of course, not all farmed animals are treated badly or to the degree that the most horrific cases show, but it still made me feel bad to think that an animal had to die in order for me to enjoy the food they created. I also believe that if you’re going to eat something, you should know how it’s made and be able to do what it takes to make that food. I would take have a moral/ethical problem harvesting plants, or milking cows/goats, or collecting eggs from chickens, but I don’t think I could bring myself to slaughter and animal for food outside the most dire circumstances. I do realize that eating cheese contributes to some suffering on the part of the cows that produced it, but I also really enjoy it and view things as “doing something is better than doing nothing.” Additionally, I have struggled with disordered eating in the past and am fortunately in recovery now, but one of the things that triggers my ED is restricting foods. This makes it hard to be vegan because I slip into obsessing over food in an unhealthy way. So, I just focus on doing what I can to eat less animal products while still being healthy myself.
Subject 2: My diet restrictions are based on allergy testing results and GI lab results. My body just doesn't digest meats, milk, and some other items well. What I was eating to give myself energy and nutrients was actually bogging my body down with extra processing and I couldn't utilize the nutrients in the food. After figuring all this out and eating a pescatarian diet for several months I noticed a lot of changes:
My skin was clearer, I wasn't dealing with acne practically at all any more. My eczema that covered my face and scalp was much better. Sometimes I would still have small flareups, but it was sooooo much better.
My eyes didn't burn anymore. My eyes were so inflamed from my diet that they literally started producing a protein to eat my contacts.
My chronic lethargy got better. Before I changed my diet I was sleeping almost 24/7 and could no longer think or function normally. It is much better now but one of the drawbacks of this diet for me was when I first found out that I needed to change my diet I cooked 1-2 hours for every meal for a year before I gave up. I was trying so hard to give my body what it needed that I was expounding more energy preparing the food than I would get from the meal itself. This was highly frustrating and got to the point where I would look at what I need to eat and decide not to eat at all because I would be saving energy that way. Most vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian meals can require a lot of preparation even salads when you add in all the veggies, etc... In the U.S. it is so easy to get poor quality food that isn't good for you when you need something NOW or are too tired to make your own food. If you don't live in the bigger towns or cities you can't normally go out and buy a meal that adheres to your diet, and even when you find something that does, it is usually expensive and not an affordable option. I really had to rethink how I was approaching my diet. It needed to be simple to make, something I could make one time and have several meals from, and something that was more energy dense. Smoothies became a go to, apples, some nuts, salads; onions realllyy perked me in my salads. My diet was very basic and bland for a long time to start building up energy reserves so that I could live life again.
Depression. I had been dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts for around 15 years. Long before my health went out the door, and my health issues only fanned the flames. After several months to a year of not eating meat I noticed that I wasn't really depressed anymore. It was a slow, gradual change, but 90-95% of my depression is gone. And I've tested this theory that it was because of the meat and if I eat a meal with an american sized portion of meat, the next day I will be right back where I was for 2-3 days before the depression will start to go away again. Medically it doesn't make much sense why it so profoundly affects my depression specifically, but I am absolutely convinced that it does.
Weight. This is going to be one of the drawbacks to this diet for me. I have a hard time maintaining a healthy body weight, and getting in enough food to provide me with enough energy throughout the day, especially because I prefer a more active lifestyle.
3. Where was your information about your diet gathered from?
Subject 1: I gathered information from vegans on twitter, friends I had who were vegan, including the vegan/vegetarian club at my university, and from YouTube. One of my favorite vegan channels is The Unnatural Vegan because she is reasonable and bases her opinions off of real science.
Subject 2 declined to answer question 3.
4. After going on your diet, how did your body change?
Subject 1: My body has not changed noticeably because of my change in diet. Other things, like my mental health and the medications I’ve been taking/changing since I went veg have had a much greater affect than the lack of meat in my diet.
Subject 2 declined to answer question 4.
5. How long did it take to become accustom to your diet?
Subject 1: Maybe a month? I wasn’t eating much meat, aside from chicken, before I switched, so it wasn’t a drastic change.
Subject 2: I am still becoming accustomed to my diet.
6. What do you eat in a day?
Subject 1: I try to have some sort of carb, protein, and fruit at breakfast, whether that’s avocado toast and veggie bacon or an egg, or pb toast with a banana. Lunch and dinner are usually provided by my work, which is something like a veggie burger and fries, nachos (sans beef) with beans, or some cheese pizza with corn and fruit on the side. There’s always salad available but I don’t like salad very much, so I usually go with the hot side veggies if they have some, or try to grab a piece of fruit (apple/banana) to add some produce to my meals. I also have quite a sweet tooth so I always have some kind of sweet at night, and usually something during the day as well. About once a week, we have a campfire so I usually make myself a s’more then.
Subject 2: In a work day I will typically eat peanut butter and cheerio toast on gluten free bread for breakfast. For lunch I have a salad with onions, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, sometimes tomatoes, and a protein source (nuts, eggs, or fish). For dinner I will drink a fruit smoothie with some sweet potato fries or something.
7. Do you classify your diet as healthy? Do you still eat unhealthy foods (junk food and sweets)?
Subject 1: I don’t like to classify foods as healthy or unhealthy, but I would say I eat a moderately healthy diet. I do eat “junk foods” and desserts, but I also try to eat several servings of fruits and veggies a day, if I drink soda it’s always diet soda, and I drink a lot of water/seltzer.
Subject 2: I think my diet is pretty healthy, I know that some people probably eat even healthier than I. I don't normally eat unhealthy foods because they don't give me anything. Again throughout typing up these answers for you I am seeing that I really am an energy conservationist when it comes to eating, if it is not going to give me energy or anything useful, it isn't worth my time. On rare occasions I will eat a small amount of chips or a jolly rancher or something different for a different flavor because my diet can get boring taste wise, but I don't particularly crave those foods. The longer I had been on this diet the more I didn't want foods like that because my body learned that they were worthless. When you eat a typical american diet your body thinks you need those foods because it doesn't know anything better. When I started eating more "healthy", my body learned the difference and does not want those foods anymore, and will feel bad if I feed it those kinds foods. I would sometimes get a food that I loved that I had not had in ages only to take a few bites and want to throw it away.
8. How did your friends and family react when you decided to change your diet?
Subject 1: They were supportive of me, though my mom was concerned that I wasn’t going vegan because of disordered eating and she wanted to make sure I’d be able to have a balanced diet living on campus at a school without a lot of options.
Subject 2: My friends and family have some difficulty with this diet. They want to be kind and considerate but they just don't know what to feed me. It is hard and frustrating because I NEED specific restaurants or more expensive foods from the grocery store and it makes me feel picky, annoying, and burdensome. With most people and in most situations I let them know I have food allergies/diet restrictions and tell them not to bother about it, that I will provide for myself.
9. Would you ever date someone with a different dietary preference?
Subject 1: Yes, my girlfriend wasn’t vegetarian at all when we started dating. As our relationship has gone on, she’s been eating more and more vegetarian with me, and I think when we move in together she’ll eat vegetarian with me. However, she is currently living with her parents to save money while she’s in school, and they eat meat, so she usually just eats whatever they make.
Subject 2: I don't know if I would ever date someone with a different dietary preference, I haven't really given it much thought. I don't think it would be much of a problem as long as they know that I will not be able eat what they eat and we plan accordingly.
10. Does it offend you when others around you do not follow suit?
Subject 1: No, it only offends me if they try to make fun of me for my choices or belittle my choices.
Subject 2: It does not offend me when others around me don't eat the way I eat. My body is weird, different, and unique from theirs. Their body could very well need different things nutritionally than mine. However I do think it would be nice for us to eat less meats in our diets because I don't like how certain animals are just seen as meat and how we just seem to take and take, not only in killing animals for meat but in life in general. I would like people to become more aware of what their lifestyle costs, not just monetarily but in resources. I would like for them to acknowledge that they have to take a life for their meal and I want them to be more thankful and respectful about it.
11. How hard is it eating out on your diet? How about social gatherings such as birthday parties and holidays?
Subject 1: It’s not too hard to eat out vegetarian. Most places usually have at least one option. As for parties and other gatherings, the people I’m close to know my diet and usually provide food I can eat, or I’ll bring a vegetarian dish if it’s a potluck situation. I did have more trouble eating vegan in these settings, which is why when I ate mostly vegan, I decided to make exceptions in these situations to avoid skipping meals.
Subject 2: It can be very difficult eating out on my diet like I mentioned earlier, in smaller areas there aren't normally a lot of options and it is more expensive eating this way. For social gatherings such as birthday parties and holidays I sometimes don't mention it, I will go to the event/function and just eat what I can. With people who are closer to me I let them know and we plan accordingly.
12. How is your energy level on your diet? Was it always this way or did it take some getting used to?
Subject 1: I haven’t noticed a change in energy based on my diet.
Subject 2: As I mentioned before, my energy level with this diet fluctuates and can be very frustrating. I am still getting used to it and figuring things out.
13. Do you have a community of people who follow your diet?
Subject 1: There are other vegetarians in the world, of course, but I don’t have such a specific diet that I’m part of any clubs or online groups dedicated to my diet.
Subject 2: I don't know if I have a community of people who follow my diet. I am not into social media much and am a bit of a recluse.
14. What is your opinion of Agriculture? Why?
Subject 1: My opinion is mixed because I hear such conflicting information from vegans/vegetarians and from animal agriculture professionals that I don’t know who to trust. It seems like both sides have heavy biases and it’s hard to find out what’s the truth in the middle. In general, I have a very positive opinion of small and medium a operations. Living in Texas, I drive past ranches a lot and I know people who raise livestock in some way or another, and I know how much care and love they have for their animals. However, I do not trust agriculture mega corporations to treat their workers or their livestock with the same high amounts of care. Agriculture requires incredible amounts of physical labor and I would like for the people who grow and harvest and prepare the food we all enjoy to have access to healthcare and to be properly paid.
Subject 2: My opinion of Agriculture is that we can do better, again back to the american lifestyle and manner of thought, we tend to do whatever we want that we think is most beneficial for us instead of working with nature so that we aren't taking more than it can give or destroying the balance of things. Several native american tribes would do controlled burnbacks in forests to help them stay healthy, or rotate crops as needed to allow the soil to replenish, there is a balance to life and when we work against it nothing good will come of it. With "food animals" I don't like that we just think of them as that, they are just like the other animals God placed on this earth with us. They have feelings, and fears, I don't like how some of them are treated, and how people will sometimes think of them only from a money standpoint or a food standpoint. I think that again we need to be more appreciative and have more compassion. Not everything is about money or doing whatever it is that you want to do at the expense of others no matter how inconsequential they may seem.
15. What advice would you give to someone who plans to go vegan? Please, spare no details!
Subject 1: I would recommend they start by phasing things out of their diet. Eat the food that you have in your pantry, instead of wasting food by throwing it all out. Also make sure that you plan out your meals so you’re getting the same balance of nutrients and macros as you had before you switched. Also, if you’re going 100% vegan, you will need to supplement for B12 so make sure you get that. Most importantly, give yourself some grace. Don’t focus on being perfectly vegan, and allow yourself some mistakes. Your goal should be to be better not to be perfect, and placing too-high expectations on yourself can be self-sabotaging.
Subject 2: My advice for someone who plans to go vegan is to be in tune with your body's needs. Don't just follow an idea or do whatever you think you want. Listen to what YOUR body needs, make the changes you think are best. Sometimes I may take a while to get to where you see and feel any difference, but keep at it.
