Plant Milk Comparison

My dad (77, a lifetime carnivore), my elder daughter (24, an opportune eater who tolerates my non-foods) and myself (41, vegan for several years) sat down last weekend with a whole lot of shot glasses to taste test 8 different plant milks.

Our taste test comprised (in alphabetical order):

• Almond, unsweetened (13kcal/100ml) Alpro
• Cashew (23kcal/100ml) Alpro
• Coconut, unsweetened (14kcal/100ml) Alpro
• Hazelnut (29kcal/100ml) Alpro
• Hemp (26kcal/100ml) Good Hemp
• Oat, unsweetened (40kcal/100ml) Alpro
• Pea (34kcal/100ml) Sproud
• Walnut (25kcal/100ml) Valsoia

OBVIOUSLY there are loads more - rice, soya, macadamia, tiger nut, blended, flavoured, sweetened, organic...

I use almond as my go-to all-purpose non-milk because it's the lowest calorie and has virtually no flavour. My mum drinks a glass of milk plain and prefers cashew as it's creamy but is okay with oat (which is good as cashew isn't so easily available).
I have been asked many times for my opinions on the 'best' plant milk but it comes mostly down to individual taste so I really recommend trying as many as you can. Also, I would recommend anyone new to plant milks to do the following:
A. If you use large quantities would it be a more economical idea to make your own? Especially if you want to reduce your waste or live in an area that doesn't offer carton recycling... Incidentally we use plastic shot glasses for my mum's meds so they will be reused many times. You can always use glass or paper cups.
B. Think how you use milk. Do you drink it plain, have a dash in coffee, pour it over cereal? The difference in flavours can make a huge difference and you will need to taste test the milks as you use them - especially for hot drinks as some separate and *TMI alert* I vomit with hot soya milk.
C. Where are you at in life? Look at the calorie counts, sugar or protein content depending on what matters to you.
D. Alpro milks are frequently on offer (3 for £3, usually) so stock up for a taste test economically.

Our rankings went as follows:
Dad
1. Hazelnut* / Walnut*
3. Pea - as the only one who could tolerate Pea milk he took it home!
4. Cashew*
5. Oat
6. Almond
7. Hemp / Coconut - which he dubbed "arsenic and cyanide"
Daughter
1. Cashew*
2. Hazelnut*
3. Walnut*
4. Oat
5. Almond
6. Pea
7. Coconut
8. Hemp
Me
1. Cashew* / Walnut*
3. Oat
4. Hazelnut*
5. Almond - despite being my go-to it is bland, nothingy and not nice on its own
6. Coconut - watery and white, didn't even realise how much I disliked it, shan't buy it in future!
7. Pea - with the comment "bloody weird NO" definitely not worth the 2nd highest calorie count
8. Hemp - with the comment "bleuuuu socks ICK"

*As the same three milks made all of our top 4 I will discuss those in a little detail.
Cashew (Dad's # 4, daughter's #1, my joint first)
As someone who hasn't had cow juice in over 7 years it's not the easiest to say but to me Cashew is the closest to dairy milk. Coconut is very white; hazelnut & walnut are rather brown. Coconut & almond are rather watery but Cashew has a hint of creamyness. Also, unlike hazelnut, walnut, coconut the flavour is pretty neutral meaning it's a great all-purpose choice. (For the record, almond milk doesn't taste of almonds. Before I first tried it I was terrified it'd be like liquid marzipan!)
Hazelnut (Dad's joint 1st, daughter's #2, my #4)
As above, hazelnut is a bit on the brown side and tastes, unsurprisingly, of hazelnuts. Hazelnutty coffee or hot chocolate would probably be just fine but in tea? Probably not. Fortunately I loathe tea. Actually, I don't like hazelnuts but I like this milk. Weird, huh?
Walnut (Dad's joint 1st, daughter's #3, my joint 1st)
Again, brown. Again, strong walnut flavour. I have since tried this as a latte and it was DELICIOUS. Like hazelnut I think it'd work better in particular contexts: with muesli? Great! To make a strawberry blancmange? I kind of think the pepperyness of the walnut would make that pretty gross but I could be wrong.

On Ethical Veganism as a Protected Philosophical Belief

On January 3rd 2020 a UK court decided Ethical Veganism can qualify as a philosophical belief protected under law https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50981359

Jordi Casamitjana believes he was sacked for being vegan; his former employer cites gross misconduct. Before the case could be heard the status of veganism as a belief system had to be established. 

Some people are purely dietary vegans - they don't eat animal products for health reasons for example - but most are, to some extent, ethical vegans - they don't eat animal products because they believe it is wrong to do so, and avoid animal products in all aspects of their life. To even the more relaxed of ethical vegans it is blinkin' obvious that veganism is a philosophy to live by, not a 'diet' or a 'fad' or a 'cult' http://theconversation.com/veganism-has-always-been-more-about-living-an-ethical-life-than-just-avoiding-meat-and-dairy-129307

Short version:

What makes YOUR belief more important than MINE?! Basically, that mindset is the entire problem with religion.

Full-length version:

Each human being lives their life by some sort of moral code, even the seemingly immoral will (usually) hold some kind of belief that they are entitled to live as they do. For many, the moral code is rooted in religion - even those whose code is founded on the laws of the land and the social norms of their era can trace those fundamentals back to religious doctrine.

I have seen a bunch of deeply unpleasant comments about this but the remarks here, by people who've declared themselves to be deeply spiritual or allied to a certain faith particularly appal me (https://www.themonastery.org/blog/veganism-ruled-protected-class-in-uk-comparable-to-religious-belief?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=Agriculture+Shock&utm_campaign=January+8%2C++2020) 

The comment from Annie Macleod begins:

I have no problem with some vegans considering themselves 'ethical vegans'

and having it recognized as a religion.

That is, as long as they don't try to impose their religion on anyone else,

just as Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam etc

should not try to impose their beliefs on others.

Right, let me nit-pick this a moment... All faiths impose their beliefs on others. Religions are, at their core, a set of rules by which to live and why most societies have or had a religion as their foundation. By setting laws we impose one set of core values on others.

Most religions also seek new members - from Sunday schools and Boy Scouts, to evangelism and propaganda - various methods are used to bring in new people. In this way a belief system maintains its hold on a society.

And most of us accept this fairly willingly. This blog will focus on 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' - whether we adhere to a faith or not, most people will accept that killing another is fundamentally wrong. We impose this belief on others. Sometimes we might hold a particular view on abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment or war that is at odds with someone else's interpretation of 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' - and we will argue our point, often heatedly, regardless of which side of the line we stand. This is an important issue most take exceedingly seriously. Our respect for the right of others to hold their own belief is sorely tried.

One key point of Veganism is that 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' applies to all life, not just humans. Vegans often term this mindset as 'speciesism' and liken it to past times where Christians saw infidels or whites saw blacks or men saw women as 'other' - not entitled to the same rights and privileges. Vegans see all sentient life as fundamentally equal; Vegans see this as no different to telling you not to kill and eat your neighbour. The difference is most people don't even consider eating their neighbour if it's a human...if it's a cow, on the other hand...

Carnists (people who believe it is their right or even obligation to eat animals) often say 'you live by your principles, I'll live by mine' and this 'live and let live' argument is really galling to Vegans. The point is that YOU can live AND let ANIMALS live too.

This one from Daniel Grey is hilariously stupid:

Lolol what a bunch of hogwash! Being vegan is now like a religion in England? 

Are they mad? There is no such thing as a Vegan or Vegetarian and never will be.

It's a medical fact that the area around your face sheds dead skin cells

when you sleep. Now these cells get on your pillow and blankets

and when you move they get stirred up. And you still have to breathe as such you ARE breathing in dead skin cells,

which are considered meat; and your body is digesting them.

So unless you sleep with a vacuum over your face to suck up the skin cells,

then you DO eat meat no matter if you want to acknowledge it or not.

Jeez, dude - how DUMB are you? Who, exactly, considers naturally shed skin cells as 'meat'?! Meat is defined as the flesh of animals, flesh is defined as a soft substance consisting of muscle and fat...not as its individual constituent cells! Whatevz. If you are so stupid as to believe that inhaling your own dead skin cells is equivalent to a cheeseburger then you deserve to be killed and eaten by a peckish neighbour.

A vegan mother might well devour her placenta after giving birth as a means to ward off post-natal depression. This is 'flesh' but no animal has died / been killed to provide it. This is effectively eating your own flesh and has no ethical problem tied to it. In the same way, breastfeeding is vegan because it is your milk to do with as you wish (including wet-nursing / milk donation) but a cow's milk is not yours to take. The whole problem with meat-eating is the taking of a life, the causing of pain & suffering to assuage your own desires.

Some Vegans will even eat meat if it is naturally occurring roadkill or meat that has been thrown away and will otherwise rot. This is because their interpretation of their moral code is that they are not taking a life (directly or by supporting the industry). And before you start - Jews are protected whether or not they keep kosher, Muslims are protected for wearing hijabs despite it being a cultural and not a religious requirement - faith is protected regardless of the individual's interpretation of their faith.

Honestly though, this guy's opinion gets on my tits - how can you possibly suppose that a moral argument against killing something to eat its corpse can ever be nullified by inhaling dead skin cells?! Ludicrous! Just as a vegan is no less vegan if there's a fly in their soup - no one killed that fly, its presence is a tragic accident. The choices and deliberate actions we make are what matter.

You might imagine that religious people would be the most understanding of the rights of others to have their belief systems protected but is seems this is not the case. Many wars have been fought on a 'my-religion-is-better-than-yours' principle but bashing on veganism?! Given that many faiths have dietary restrictions in their texts it seems a bit cheeky to say the very least.

People seem very insulted by the idea of veganism having the same status as a religion...and very much unable to differentiate between faith and philosophy!

Veganism is not a religion, it has pretty much one rule which is virtually the same as the medical profession's 'first do no harm', it does not require you to pray or to build special places to worship vegetables, it is never going to encourage you to go to war with anyone, it doesn't tell you who you can or can't marry...in fact, it doesn't impact how you live your life at all beyond not harming animals to do so.

Jordi Casamitjana, by the sounds of it, is a bit of an extreme vegan - apparently he won't use buses in case bugs die on the windshield. Most vegans use public transport, drive, live perfectly ordinary lives virtually indistinguishable from anyone else's...they choose not to eat meat, dairy and a host of other animal products; they choose not to use wool, silk and leather; they choose kindness over convenience.

Yet people call Veganism a cult because their precious cheeseburgers are threatened?! And the endless asking of "but what about bacon?" like strips of salted smoked pig flesh are godly. Honestly, y'all will believe in some supreme, omnipotent yet curiously absent deity but not that animals have feelings.

People are too damn weird.

But what about the piggies and the cowsies and the absolute units???

I know I really need to lay off the vegan-themed blogs BUT I saw this comment on a post via Facebook about Richard Branson supporting alternatives to meat and I just HAD to respond-slash-rant. Here it is:

"But my worry is what will happen to all the animals. 

I am vegetarian and love animals but if no-one makes a profit from farm animals, 

will anyone look after them or will they be left to roam wild. 

It's such a dilemma but animals do need to be protected"

And this response from another complete idiot:

"Exactly my concern. If there is no profit in raising cattle, pigs, etc., who will raise them? What will become of them? 

If everyone becomes vegan, then chickens, goats and more will also become too expensive to feed and provide veterinary care. It's not that simple."

WHAT??? Honestly, the stupidity here is mind-boggling, especially from someone who already identifies as vegetarian, but sadly it's an argument I have heard time and again.

Who is 'looking after' the animals now? Animals are BRED to be used and abused and slaughtered for our 'needs'. Is that 'looking after' them? We feed them so they can grow. We give them medical aid so their flesh is safe to eat. We address only our needs not theirs.

Farm animals exist not because they were provided for our use because God or nature created them that way but because of animal husbandry. The selective breeding of animals which originally existed in the wild changed them beyond all recognition. They would most likely not survive in the wild although I think rehabilitation would be possible. As and when meat production ends they will simply not be bred anymore. Just as since motor vehicles came in people breed far less cart-horses! It is AMAZINGLY simple.

The meat industry will, sadly, not screech to a halt overnight leaving millions of farmed animals to starve. IF it ever ends completely it will fizzle out slowly, become a niche market and only THEN will the industry die out, with comparatively few animals left within it. And what would most likely happen is that show animals, petting zoos and regular zoos would prevent certain breeds and species from going extinct. Hopefully existing agricultural laws would protect any farmers' unwanted livestock from being left to starve or whatever these idiots imagine will happen...

Seriously, how do people not understand this?!

"That's like saying you're vegan and..."

Although I know I've touched on the subject of elitist veganism before, today's thought piece comes from a tweet by @WeAreVeganuary:

The tweet links two articles:

The first is their own blog post on cosmetics - https://veganuary.com/blog/vegan-cosmetics/

the second is an article from the Metro on what it means to be a 'proper' vegan - http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/06/using-animal-tested-products-negate-vegan-credentials-7327907/?ito=cbshare (6th March 2018)

Just as a reminder, The Vegan Society's definition of veganism is:

"A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude

—as far as is possible and practicable—

all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals

for food, clothing or any other purpose;

and by extension, promotes the development and use

of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals

and the environment.

In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with

all products derived wholly or partly from animals."

(https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism)

Meanwhile elsewhere the word 'vegan' is either a noun meaning a person who does not eat or use animal products or an adjective for using or containing no animal products. (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/vegan)

So I'll start with two points here - "possible and practicable" and "products". Despite my tendency to blog on the subject being vegan isn't my main thing in life...just with eating three meals a day it comes up a lot and with Veganuary, Februdairy and now #MeatyMarch it's something very much in the public eye. I am nothing if not an opinionated potato so I tend to share my thoughts. HOWEVER, I do not want to spent my whole life researching companies and products to assess their level of...veganness? Veganity?! To me, that is not "possible and practicable". Then there's products. To what extent should I (or any other vegan) care about products OTHER than the ones they're buying? There are, I hear, extreme vegans who will only shop at vegan stores so as to keep their economic footprint as far from the carnist footprint as possible. That *may* be an option if your community has that but it really is taking things too far.

Now OBVIOUSLY I am against animal testing, including in most circumstances for medical purposes (see my Cancer Vs Morality blog from 2016) BUT there are huge issues with cutting it out. Particularly THIS:

Companies that sell in China by law have to test their finished products on animals. So, if you’re buying from a company that operates there,

even if your product isn’t tested on animals,

some might think that you’re still indirectly contributing to the practice.

(from the Metro article link above)

Now, how many companies operate in China? How do you untangle the web of linked companies and their umbrella organisations and is that "possible and practicable" to find out??? Also, this is basically saying you can't be a vegan and live in China. Grossly unfair.

There's also the point that a product created using animal testing is, in most instances, the result of the society surrounding it. If most vegans consider medicines exempt from their ethical stance why are they so harsh about something most of us find almost equally hard to avoid?!

Here's my take.

The idea that you lose 'your vegan credentials' for not being up to someone else's standards is incredibly stupid. We all make mistakes - miss check a label, forget to ask at a restaurant, some micro-ingredient we don't know the origin of. I heard Guinness was going vegan...unfortunately I hadn't realised the change wasn't coming into effect for TWO YEARS! I was drinking the black stuff happily the whole time. When I realised my mistake a vegan twitter account kindly assured me that it was okay - my intentions had been good.

This is what it should be about IMHO. Intention. The possible and practicable bit again - doing what you can with what you have.

I buy some household cleaners vegan - all my spray cleaners are now from Method - but others are traditional, like toilet bleach and drain cleaner. That's mostly because (I find they work better and / or cost less. Some products seem nigh impossible to buy in an assured cruelty-free variant.

I buy vegan shampoos, conditioners and shower gels wherever possible (I get caught out from time to time - my handsoaps currently contain lanolin) but I use very little by way of cosmetics - I own one eyeshadow palette, one eyeliner and one powder and I maybe put some on once or twice a week at most; I don't use face creams etc. Also I am on a low income do that's a constraint too. It is simply not something that is a priority to me at this time to do the research and (probably) spend a lot of money replacing things I barely use anyway. If I used a lot of these things I'd probably feel differently.

The bit that causes me issues in the Metro article, and the reason for this whole blog, is this quote:

Plant-based chef Lauren Lovatt told Metro.co.uk,

‘You wouldn’t be vegan if using a product that was tested on animals

– its an all around lifestyle.

That’s like saying you are vegan and eating eggs.’

The idea that veganism is all or nothing, that you're not a vegan if you're doing your best, that you're not a vegan if certain products aren't available or affordable where you live, that you're not a vegan if you're not living up to someone else's standards is highly detrimental. It's elitist, it's divisive, it's judgemental. For a movement that's already got a rep for being

‘preachy’ or ‘holier than thou’

taking such a stance is entirely counterproductive. Take the issue to the companies, to the policymakers, rather than blaming consumers who have very little choice. Products are not even clearly marked for conscientious decision-making so blaming people who are TRYING to live more ethically...well, it's just nuts!

I do like the Metro article for this particular line

"there’s a need within the community to be mindful

of discounting people who aren’t perfect"

I think the vegan who attacks other vegan, vegetarians, flexitarians etc does more harm to the cause than the activist shouting "MEAT IS MURDER!!" in the supermarket - because they're alienating people who are already willing to make changes.

Education and encouragement, not criticism and condemnation.

PLEASE stop with the in-fighting. 😔

Februdairy Roundup

For each day of February I have posted to Instagram (and linked to Twitter and Facebook) a picture of an alternative-to-dairy food. The one exception was day 4 where I shared a Metro article quoting farmer James Robinson "to show what actually happens on dairy farms and not give way to militant vegan propaganda"...nah mate, vegans and animal rights activists are showing what actually happens on dairy farms countering decades of carnist, speciesist propaganda.

As I accidentally posted my MeatyMarch blog earlier than intended I wanted to sum up here what my anti-#Februdairy posts included. I am putting brands in bold for their first mention only, products I hadn't tried before are in bold red.

I kicked off the month with four cartons of plant milks, representing the stash I keep in. Unsweetened Almond for everyday use, Cashew for milkshakes, Oat for lattes and Chocolate Oat for my dad.

There are lots of different plant milks on the market and many different brands and I wanted to show a range. These were Oatly and Alpro milks; on day 6 I shared Alpro chocolate and strawberry lunch box size cartons and on day 24 it was Rude Health's Tiger Nut milk.

But obviously the dairy industry is a whole lot more than JUST milk. For me the hardest part of going vegan was giving up cheese so it made quite a few appearances during the month.

On day 2 it was vegan pizza with Tesco's mozzarella-style. The mozzarella-style appeared again on day 13 with nachos...and also featuring an Asda soured cream topping. Another serving suggestion appeared on day 5 - Tesco's peppercorn style with kale as a toasted sandwich.

Yet another Tesco's cheese alternative featured on day 12; their chili jalapeno cheese has to be my favourite. Violife slices were day 23's offering.

Then there are other basics. Many margarines are actually dairy free but rather than scanning the ingredients I tend to go for Vitalite (day 19) because it is clearly marked vegan. Flora's new Avocado Lime spread was a product I tried for the first time this month (day 10).

Oatly and Alpro custards shared the spotlight on day 9 and Alpro long-life creamy desserts were featured on day 27.

Alpro blueberry yoghurt was my offering on day 17, Rebel Kitchen's coconut vanilla yoghurt appeared on day 22 and Tesco's Fromage Frais were featured on day 3.

There's a false idea that veganism has to be healthy but junk food vegans are definitely a thing and treats featured regularly throughout the month. 

Swedish Glace is a great everyday ice cream (day 18) whereas Ben and Jerry's is an all-out indulgence (day 7).

Sainsbury's chocolate soothed me on St Valentine's Day (day 14), Vego was a treat on a difficult day at work (day 25) and my final post of the month was my Choices Easter Egg (day 28).

Eve's Tree fudge (day 15) is a newer product to the dairy-free market but like I showed in a Throwback Thursday post you can always MAKE whatever you're missing - day 8 was homemade toffee apples made with coconut cream.

Making things without dairy isn't especially arduous and I also included ingredients for doing just that: Nature's Charm coconut condensed milk (day 21) and Oatly single cream (day 26).

Obviously making your own, especially using plant-milks for coffee, is the easiest option most of the time but obviously you're not always in a position to do so. Hence day 11's Costa coffee - coconut vanilla latte - and a convenience ice coffee from Califa Farms - Cold Brew Cocoa Noir - on day 16.

Favourite for the whole month though had to be day 20's Honey Mustard Dressing from Follow Your Heart. Yes, that's a VEGAN product emulating a honey flavour creamy dressing.

Seriously, answers on a postcard (or in the comments) on what people are 'missing out' from being on a vegan / dairy free diet. DO NOT GO THERE WITH THE CALCIUM ARGUMENT - look up kale and other leafy greens!

Admittedly, even in my 2.5 years veganism has become a whole lot easier. As veganism becomes more mainstream life as a vegan or lactose intolerant person is only going to get more straightforward. Get onboard now and help us all along! ;)

Hashtag MeatyMarch

Obviously I have blogged about my veganism before and this'll probably cover a lot of old ground but, if you know me, you'll know I love to give my opinions...repeatedly.

Personal backstory for those of you new here:

I was ill for YEARS. My symptoms probably started around 1997 and I was diagnosed* with IBS but as a stay-at-home mom the idea of my gut problems being stress-induced never seemed right. Symptoms hit when I was calm and relaxed; I'd be stressed out of my gourd and NADA. On top of that none of the medications I was given did me any good.

*Diagnosis of IBS is basically made if you have a number of a set of symptoms. There is no diagnostic testing. I was not comprehensively tested to rule out other conditions. I never saw a dietitian or nutritionist despite serious weight issues alongside my life-impairing diarrhoea and constipation.

One day in 2012 I was at the GP...about my knee, I think, and I overheard two mums talking. One was detailing her kid's symptoms. I thought "he's got IBS like me" but instead the other mum said "I bet he's lactose intolerant like my kid". AND IN THAT MOMENT MY WORLD CHANGED.

I went into my appointment, I presume. But even at the time I could remember nothing from it. I went home, cleared out the kitchen cupboards and started an experiment. It took time - my bowels were a terrible mess after 15 years - but four months later I was symptom free. My GP still refused to have me tested or amend my records. They REALLY don't like admitting they're wrong.

The next problem was my willpower. I don't have any. I knew I SHOULDN'T eat dairy but I kept giving in to temptation. By late 2015 the solution was obvious: I had to go vegan. I was already vegetarian and my mum is allergic to eggs so it made perfect sense to me. Life has been far easier ever since (although I admit eating out can be a bloody nightmare!)
This is why veganism was the right choice for ME, not gonna assume it is right for anyone else but I strongly recommend trying it...not least cos it's easier than you think. I wish I had done it 'for the animals' but I didn't. I need to be honest about that.

Context backstory for this blog:

I wrote a blog last month called 'Veganuary Validity' which explains a lot of it but for those of you living under a rock... The Veganuary campaign is a year-round campaign but its main focus is to encourage people to try veganism as a new years' resolution for the month of January - to raise awareness and encourage people to at least reduce their animal-product consumption.

It is doing well and is helping veganism to become an increasingly mainstream lifestyle choice.

This, of course, pisses of the industries that produce animal-based products.

The dairy industry attempted to fight back with 'Februdairy' - cute pics of cows in fields etc...naturally, we countered this with tangible facts or as they chose to put it "extremist vegan propaganda". My personal thing was to post to Instagram (linked to Twitter and Facebook) one vegan dairy substitute product per day for the entire month. Fell out with my kids' grandfather over it and had to unfriend him. If he thought *I* was being extreme god knows what he'd make of rape racks and slaughtered newborn calves!

...Now the meat industry are trying their own hashtag campaign - MeatyMarch. I swear, this is so stupid you can't make it up. Our culture has carnism so ingrained that I can't imagine why they think more propaganda would convert us back to meat-eating. 
*Carnism - "the prevailing ideology in which people support the use and consumption of animal products, especially meat" (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnism) usually involving the false belief that humans NEED milk and dairy in their diet, and speciesism - believing that humans have innate rights to use animals as a resource.

This blog is to accompany my own anti-MeatyMarch 'campaign'. 

Just like with Februdairy I'm not going to push veganism as such, I am not going to post graphic images from slaughterhouses; there are loads of people / organisations posting those things. I'm just gonna share a bunch of alternatives to meat.

Y'all don't have to quit meat, y'all don't have to be offended by my veggie burgers - I'm just showing what I eat and trying a few new products along the way. For me, this is about AWARENESS; if I can inspire anyone to try meat-reducing that's just a bonus.

Now for the important point: 

Veganism doesn't HAVE to involve mock meats. There are a whole load of *ahem* certain vegans who say you're not even vegan if you eat mock meats. There are also a whole load of people who give you hassle if you eat these things because they're not super healthy.

Let me make this perfectly clear: the principle of veganism is about eliminating cruelty to animals. Mock meats are not hurting animals ergo mock meats are vegan. You can be a raw food vegan or a junk food vegan - IT DOESN'T MATTER. Or at least not to anyone but yourself.

I eat quite a lot of products intended to replace meat in a meal. Partly because that is what I am used to and partly because I enjoy them. I am not 'promoting' the use of mock meats as such...just showing that just cos you go vegan doesn't mean you can't have a Christmas Feast or a Burns' Night Haggis or whatever. Most carnists are all "I couldn't live without bacon" or something equally inane so naturally enough I have chosen to show that yes, we too have bacon.

I do actually want to cut down my dependence on comparatively expensive, processed, premade vegan foods including mock meats but I don't anticipate ever giving them up. I enjoy food and I don't subscribe to the idea that veganism is about going without. That was the whole point with my Februdairy posts...it  was all about saying "Look! I have milk, cheese, yoghurt, Ben and Jerrys, chocolate, custard, fudge, ranch dressing and EVERYTHING! Veganism ISN'T all raw carrots and tasteless cardboardy shit and self-denial" and that's the attitude I'm taking into MeatyMarch.

If people want to eat fully raw, raw till 4, wholefoods whatever that's entirely their choice and I don't have a problem with that but I will never be okay with those people hassling junk food vegans or saying sh*t like eating something that looks like meat is as bad as killing a cow. It literally makes no sense and makes all vegans look like psychos.

The infighting between vegans is really concerning. Everyone has their own way of doing things - their own preferences and lifestyles. For someone who can spend a couple of hours preparing a meal from scratch to criticise someone who lives a busy commuter lifestyle is grossly unfair. As someone with an eating disorder the idea of complete strangers feeling they have the right to tell me if they feel my dietary choices are healthy or not is terrifying. 'Live and let live' should be for other humans as well as farmed animals.

Oh yeah, and if you don't think there are vegans who are a problem in and of themselves there are videos such as this explaining just why it's an issue:
"The Problem With Crazy Vegans" by What Mia Did Next
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkfRKHPJwhY
...and I quote: "militant, insulting, offensive vegans". Alienating potential vegans is just such an incredibly dumb tactic. I may not know marketing, and TBH I don't care, that's not what I'm here for. I'm into the leading by example thing: 'if I can do it you can too, if you want to' and...'this is what I eat, feel free to give it a try'.

Postscript
Another thing I want to touch on here is veganism and pet ownership. There's the PETA type lot who think that having a pet is tantamount to slave ownership; and there's the ethical vegan lot who think that you simply can't have a pet (like a cat) which is an obligate carnivore and buy meat for their consumption.
Meat is necessary for a cat; it's not for a human. That shouldn't mean a human who eschews meat can't have a cat.
Here's my take: pet ownership can be cruel. Keeping one animal in isolation is TERRIBLE. Animals have rights. END OF, okay?! But...I have a cat. He has his personal freedom. Yes, he is neutered but as the 'owner' of a male cat I feel that is a responsible decision. I wish there was another option but...you know, if I'm not the owner of the momma cat I can't take responsibility for that.
I buy my cat meat because he needs it, biologically. I don't buy meat for myself and my homo sapiens family because we don't. We get an ethical choice; he doesn't. I love my fur-baby; I am confident he has a good life; he was adopted, not bought from a breeder. I feel ZERO guilt here.
Of course NOT having a cat and NOT buying meat would be better but I LOVE my cat...it feels to me kind of like my 'choice' to be a teen mom. It was a choice in a sense but in another it wasn't...like, this cat would have been born if it wasn't for me so I feel no guilt giving him the best life I can; my kids have a life because of me and I do my best by them, even if 'society' disapproves.. All I do is look after him the best I can. Just as my kids were a choice of sorts and I stepped up to do the best I could by them. Saying the world would be better if my kids weren't here is just as much bullshit as to say the same of not adopting a fur-baby. Does that even make sense??? Do the best by any lives which depend on you.
An animal lover who won't offer food and shelter to a living creature is a strange contradiction to me. Love your pets, treat them well, don't deny them what THEY need.

Veganuary Validity

I was packing up my vintage Pyrex - yes, I know I just moved in but my dad has decided to construct a kind of built-in sideboard for me - and an article in one of the old newspapers I was using caught my eye. My dad is a Daily Mail (AKA The Daily Fail) reader but you can't choose your family *sigh*. This particular article was about the Veganuary campaign and missed the point by such a large margin I laid it aside to rant about later.

Unfortunately, being me, I can't find the ruddy thing now. However, after much googling (the keywords are so damn common lol) I found it online here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5240825/DR-MAX-MIND-DOCTOR.html - quoted red in this blog.

This is gonna be a long one so grab a coffee and a snack and make yourself comfy...

INITIAL STATEMENT: This is a rant about bad journalism and an attack on a group of people just trying to make a positive difference. This is not about saying that vegans are better than other people or that you should participate in Veganuary. I don't care about your choices half as much as I do about you using false logic to justify them. Just say that you really like bacon and you don't care about the pigs that died for the benefit of your taste-buds.

WHAT IS VEGANUARY?

'Veganuary' is the name of a registered charity (1168566) which promotes veganism. Veganuary acknowledges that people choose veganism for a variety of valid reasons such as concern for animal welfare, environmentalism and health:

"Veganism is one of the most effective choices a person can make

to reduce the suffering of animals, help the planet

and improve personal health"

https://veganuary.com/about/

Veganuary promotes eating vegan* for the month of January. It is a time of year when, after the overindulgences of the festive period, people commonly make (often short-lived) resolutions to improve their lifestyle and diet, fitness and general health. 

*Veganism is so much more than diet but dietary changes are easy to implement and carry the most impact. See my waffling about veganism here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ-Wh56MqNg

People often think that eating vegan is difficult, expensive, arduous, problematic...Veganuary aims to dispel these and other concerns; the hope being that after a month people will want to continue being vegan or at very least cut down their animal-based consumption long-term. Unlike a lot of pro-vegan groups (which tend to be all or nothing, even to the point of hating on vegetarians cos they're not doing 'enough') they take a gentler stance that any changes from carnist / omnivore to a more ethical lifestyle is a good move.

After the month is up Veganuary continues to support and encourage people to continue living vegan year round. 

DO I DO VEGANUARY?

No. An overheard conversation (in early 2012?) led me to believe I may be lactose intolerant. I had been ill for over a decade, medicated for IBS which did nothing to help - and have been refused testing for lactose intolerance by several GPs - but cutting out dairy WORKED so I'm gonna say that's what was wrong with me all those years. Then I went vegetarian (again) at the start of 2013 because I just felt 'fed up' with meat. 

Unfortunately many vegetarian foods contain dairy so after several years of struggling with that (and my total lack of willpower to binge on Ben and Jerry's...I also have an eating disorder) and also with concerns that I might become allergic to eggs like my mother I transitioned to vegan in the second half of 2015. 

So as I am already vegan year round I do not 'take the challenge' of eating vegan for a month. I do however follow Veganuary on social media.

SO WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE DAILY FAIL ARTICLE I STARTED OFF THIS BLOG POST TALKING ABOUT?

Right...titled "There's no need to be smug about your vegan 'detox'" it was written by Max Pemberton and published 6th January 2018.

First off, where has Pemberton got this idea that veganism, or more specifically Veganuary, is a 'detox'? Over and over "The idea is that by going animal-free for a month, you 'cleanse' your body" ...er, no it really isn't. The idea is that people will become vegan or at least eat less meat or dairy after trying it out for a month. It's like companies fishing for business offering free trials or reduced rates for an 'introductory period'. Going vegan permanently might feel huge but a month is an easier commitment.

"Veganuary, like any detox programme, is appealing because it's designed to be broken" ...no, it's really not. I repeat: it's not a detox, and whilst you might be "free to eat as many kebabs as you want" come February the idea is definitely that by then you won't want to.

Secondly, where has he got these ideas about detoxes? Admittedly most are faddy but the principle of 'clean eating' to allow your body to remove impurities is straightforward enough and backed up by science. And again stressing that veganism is not a detox veganism also doesn't equate to 'clean eating' - you can easily be a junk food vegan. 

Pemberton claims "we ingest and produce toxins all the time but our body is perfectly adapted to remove them itself" which is fair but not accurate. We are not perfectly adapted; our bodies are fighting an endless battle to keep balance against encroaching toxicity. He claims that we "go a bit bonkers and throw our biology textbooks out of the window" yet any number of campaigns have been run for people to cut out drugs, drinking, smoking, fats, sugars etc claiming that your body will naturally purge these "sins of yesterday" allowing the body to heal. That's not to say that the damage is fully reversible or that you can live however you want so long as you 'detox' occasionally. Who would quit smoking for example if there wasn't the incentive to undo a proportion of the damage? 

"I say this as a former vegan myself: it's incredibly, mind-numbingly dull." Dude, I have no idea what you were doing but you were definitely doing it wrong. Yes, checking labels is tedious as hell but  it's not EVERYTHING, and obviously the more you cook from scratch with unprocessed ingredients the less that's an issue. Does he mean the food is dull? No way. I've always been a bit...experimental in cooking but I have tried so many more new things since going vegan, especially in terms of world cuisine. There'll be more on this point later on.

What does Penberton mean that "basically every food that is nice has been near an animal in some way or another"? He can't possibly be arguing that potatoes, pineapples or peanuts are 'not nice' because, at some point while they were growing, an animal has been in PHYSICAL PROXIMITY to them?! According to the Vegan Society (https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism) "Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicible, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose" there's nothing in that about food's nearness to an animal. One assumes that what he ACTUALLY means is that the foods he personally likes have animal products in them. But that's still nonsensical because pretty much whatever it is you enjoy eating there's a vegan version available. Pizza Hut do a splendid vegan pizza, Fry's meat replacement products are great, the vegan version of Ben and Jerry's is divine. Veganism isn't ALL about raw veggies and no fun, or at least it doesn't have to be. If he was bored being vegan it's got to be because he ate too fussily or didn't make the effort.

How about the claim that vegan diets are "incredibly restrictive - and in many ways reminiscent of an eating disorder"...oh, I am gonna have fun with this one...carnists and general anti-vegans do love to compare the lifestyle with eating disorders, often drawing your attention to statistics which link the two. However, there is an important chicken-and-egg* issue here. People may go vegan because they are pre-disposed to food issues OR they might adopt veganism as a method of recovery.

*The egg came first. Eggs existed before chickens. The first chicken would have hatched from a chicken egg that was laid by a proto-chicken -an animal very like a chicken itself but not quite. That's how evolution (and selective breeding) works.

"Veganism does not cause eating disorders. Poor mental health causes disordered eating" 

http://metro.co.uk/2017/09/07/why-do-so-many-eating-disorder-survivors-turn-to-veganism-as-part-of-their-recoveries-6910356/

The idea of a link between veganism and eating disorders is especially ludicrous if you consider it the other way around. Many people with eating disorders lean toward veganism, especially during recovery, but the vast majority of sufferers are or were omnivores but no one suggests eating meat or dairy causes these problems! There is also absolutely nothing to correlate an omnivore diet with a better prospect for recovery.

The appeal of veganism to people like me who suffer from eating disorders is the control it allows us by automatically cutting out a load of things which are decidedly problematic. Most animal-based foods are high calorie, cheese and butter are just fat, red and processed meats are linked to cancer, eggs contain loads of cholesterol.

The above cited Metro article quotes Dr Julia Coates, a clinical psychologist, also as saying veganism is restrictive...BUT IS IT? In and of itself, I would say not really. Obviously the principle is that you can't eat a whole bunch of animal products but that leaves EVERYTHING ELSE: fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, pulses and a whole bunch of processed products from vegan cheeses to Oreos! There is waaay more that I can eat than I can't. 

'Restrictive'...my kitchen is full of food, I used to have hardly anything in the fridge to the point I even doubted it was worth having one but now I struggle to find space in it.

"A whole new world of food and a new way of cooking are opened up to you.

You start experimenting with ingredients you've never used before,

or sometimes never heard of, like nooch or seitan" 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/26/vegan-diet-lifestyle-health-animals

My eating disorder involves bingeing and purging which leads me towards the junk-food vegan side whereas an anorexic might lean toward raw veganism, that being far more restrictive obviously. Then there are personal preferences and I eat damn near everything, being a fussy eater would make it a whole lot harder. It comes down entirely to how you're living as a vegan - it's the personal choices which matter, not the principle.

Pemberton compounds this idea of a restricted diet with the statement that "the healthiest diet includes a little bit of everything" but what is a well balanced vegan diet missing out on? Contrary to beliefs expressed on social media bacon is not a food group! We get plenty of protein, vitamins, fats, sugars etc. and also more fibre on average than omnivores. That IS a little bit of everything.

What about the 'smugness' referenced in the article's title or "being a vegan at least allows us to demand special attention" or "this 'I am special' mentality"? GAH! No. all the no. Yes I do talk about being vegan a fair bit but that's because we eat three meals a day plus drinks and snacks (on top of the other impacts, but how often do carnists buy leather goods or whatever?) so it's quite a 'present' thing in my day-to-day life. If veganism was a cultural norm it wouldn't be such an issue.

Do I feel 'smug' about being vegan? No. I feel good about myself cos I know it's good for me and the planet and that I am no longer causing suffering to animals but not 'smug'. If anything I feel a little guilty I didn't do it sooner and that I'm doing it from a position of lactose intolerance and personal preference rather than from the ethical standpoint. Do I feel 'special'? No. Do I 'demand special attention'? HELL NO! I'll ask about vegan options or whatever but it makes me really uncomfortable to bring attention to myself in any way at all. I have a lot of social anxiety and that's a thing I absolutely do not want.

Every few months I go for a meal with my extended family and we eat at a Toby Carvery which is great as they have vegan options for me. The last time however it was closed because of unforeseen circumstances so we moved the party to another restaurant. The restaurant was super nice and accommodating and the chef offered to cook me something especially but that kind of 'special attention' was more than I could cope with and I'm ashamed to say I pretty much ran away cos I was verging on a panic attack. Obviously SOME vegans will think themselves special snowflakes and enjoy being the centre of attention, causing a fuss, making people accommodate their needs etc but I am not one of them.

"With veganism there are the arguments about animal welfare and the environment. But you can care about both without going to such extremes" but HOW? How can you profess to care about animals AND condone their slaughter for your food? Even if you are vegetarian rather than vegan you're condoning the forced imprgnation of cows and the resulting slaughter of their calves and the crushing of male chicks which are of no use to the egg industry. How can you care about the environment when the resources used in meat production just don't make sense? The land use - to keep animals on and to grow plant food for their consumption - pollution, emissions of greenhouse gases and the incredible amount of fossil fuels and water it takes to produce relatively little food (both in terms of physical volume and calorific values).

And how is veganism "going to extremes" anyway? As I set out before, the whole point of Veganuary is to show people that it isn't extreme or difficult. It's all a matter of perspective anyway. Different time periods and different cultures would view a modern British omnivore diet as extreme. A huge chunk of the 'obesity problem' (which I think has a LOT to do with eating disorders) is easy access to cheap calories we eat to excess - a single fast food meal that is more than a day's calorie allowance - now that's extreme surely?!

Which leads me to my final point...

EXTREME VEGANISM

There are always people who will take a thing too far and they should not be taken especially seriously.

I have heard so-called-vegans say you're not a real vegan if you eat sugar (some countries filter sugar with bone char, the UK does not), if you drink coffee or alcohol (cos mind altering substances are animals???), if you don't eat all organic (because natural and no pesticides - unattainable but makes some sense) but also if you eat anything organic (because organic food is grown with animal fertilisers...yeah, that's not...please stop) and so on and so forth. it's pretty insane.

"When you're being called murderers and rapists,

that is overstepping the mark, for fairly obvious reasons"

- Alison Waugh, trainee farmer

Source for all purple quotes in this section:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42833132

Hello??? This is taken as a statement of extreme veganism but lets look at it shall we? Murder is only considered a crime when applied to humans but that is not particularly logical:

• Humans are sentient creatures capable of experiencing pain and distress.
• Farm animals are sentient creatures capable of experiencing pain and distress.
• And whilst we're at it, fish in the sea are sentient creatures capable of experiencing pain and distress.

Taking the life of a sentient creature causing it pain and distress 

Similarly, rape is only considered a crime when applied to humans but violating an animal sexually - not forgetting sperm retrieval as well as forced insemination, many vegans describe the movement as feminist as they rarely acknowledge the violation of males in farming - is just plain WRONG.

I am personally not interested in being a 'vegan activist' because I feel that can be particularly off-putting to people who might otherwise be open to the idea. 

"activists hold vigils outside abattoirs and aim to turn the world vegan

by sharing images on social media of the animals' treatment"

and

"cases of activists standing in the meat aisles of supermarkets

with graphic images and noises of animals being slaughtered"

Are these extreme vegans? It might not be my choice but I can't argue against the point they're making. People consume meat and dairy without facing the reality of the suffering their consumption causes.

Joey Carbstron of Save Movement "denies being an extremist,

saying that people have to understand that what is happening to animals is extreme"

People may not want to be educated on these matters but it's like not wanting to see graphic images on the news or bear witness to human suffering. It's not about what you want; I've seen people object to being educated about war, famine, slavery, the holocaust, all sorts of things that they don't want to hear about because they find them distressing. However, the consensus is that people need to know about those things anyway. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" - George Santayana (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana)

"I don't think they can understand, or differentiate between the fact that

different animals have different purposes.

We have these companion animals and we have our livestock

and there is a line drawn there" - Alison Waugh

WHAT EVEN???

1. Animals may be bred for specific reasons - to be eaten or to be pets - but they do not exist for those purposes. It is just how we choose to use them! This is the sort of non-logic used to validate slavery; that black people existed to be subservient to whites.

2. The different animals, the 'line drawn'...this a social construct. Westerners who will happily eat pigs are appalled by China's consumption of dog meat for example. Dogs and pigs are both intelligent animals which make good companions. There is literally no difference except what is culturally deemed as 'normal' and 'abhorrent'. Again, the division of how animals are to be treated down the lines of species smacks of racial segregation or the holocaust; one variety of human being worth less than another. If that is false logic how can we use the same argument for animals? Even if we try to say our need is greater that's pretty much bullshit cos plants feed humans a damn sight better than animal carcasses do! The only real 'need' is in terms of bottlefed babies and tube-fed individuals where dairy is kind of necessary. Other formulas exist but are not without drawbacks.

She's literally justifying her position using the argument that other people think it's okay. Yeah...that's not really how it works. 

FURTHER READING
Blog on the Daily Fail's ongoing campaign against vegans:
https://thecrumbyvegan.com/2017/01/30/what-did-vegans-ever-do-to-the-daily-mail/
Channel 4 offends vegans by branding Veganuary participants as 'asswipes': http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/channel-4-veganuary-post-instagram_uk_5a65950ee4b002283004287a

Veganism, Heggie-style

I don't have a specific date because these things tend to happen gradually but... I have been vegan for about a year now. I know next to no one will read this cos "OMG NOT ANOTHER PREACHY VEGAN?!?!!" but I wanted to write about some of my thoughts and experiences.

#1 Why????
In 2012 I got a hint that my YEARS of ill health could be due to lactose intolerance (not the IBS several GPs had asserted) so I immediately started cutting out dairy. Amazingly it worked and I started getting better but I soon realised my system couldn't tolerate any dairy at all and my will power is rubbish so I still wasn't properly well.
This got worse when I went back vegetarian in 2013 - not for ethical reasons, just totally fed up with and grossed out by meat. I quickly discovered that just about every vegetarian option whether at a sandwich counter or a restaurant - involved cheese. For a long while I just accepted this as unfortunate but eventually, wanting to get properly well and decided I had to cut it entirely. My mum similarly can't tolerate eggs so the sensible thing seemed to be to presume veganism was my future so I'd best just get on with it.
So yes, my choice is more about my health than animal welfare but you don't have to be overly fond of cows to see that there's a lot of animal cruelty in the world so doing my bit for that is a bonus.

#2 Why are vegans so damn preachy?
Because it's good and we'd like you to share? Now obviously you can eat many types of vegan diet - you can have all mock-meat burgers and fries or a fully raw health-freak diet or anywhere in between - but over all eating plant-based is likely to leave you feeling good

• Better for the environment
• Better for animals
• Good for your health

I wasn't 'ill' from being morbidly obese back in 2012 and losing weight hasn't made much impact on the state of my overall 'wellness' BUT giving up meat and animal products HAS made me feel better, and yes, there is a nice little self-righteous glow of knowing I'm doing my bit for animals and the planet. So that's why we like to share.

#3 Why do vegans get a bad reputation?
Cos we can be a tad too enthusiastic, as above.
We also get very pissed off by people putting animal products where they have no business being and about poor labeling and about Costa coffee shops where not one of the three members of staff on duty even knows what 'vegan' means!!! Seriously, it should NOT be so hard so yes, sometimes we get vocal about it cos others deliberately make our lives more difficult than need be.
We also get a LOT of flak from meat eaters (carnists) who love to belittle us, hate on us and be generally shitty because somehow us eating vegetables offends their 'right' to torture animals in order to eat their flesh. Yes, vegans like to point out to carnists the holes in their thinking, such as:

• "I am not an animal" - really, are you a mineral or vegetable???
• "Humans are designed to eat meat" - wrong
• "Humans have to eat meat" - wronger
• "You can't be healthy and vegan" - wrongest
• "Animals are put here for us to use" - people use to say the same about black people and women...yeah, you can shut up with that.

The important thing is MOST vegans only make such comments when carnists start on us for sharing our views or whatever. Like, I am not forcing my opinion on you by posting a photo of my lovely vegan dinner but if you want to make an issue of it I will argue my point.
Also there are some really vocal psycho vegans out there giving the whole lot of us a bad name. Thinking about going vegan? Don't look at YouTube cos 99.9% of those vegans are crazier than the nuts they eat.

The REALLY big thing with YouTube is going to be my final point:

#4 How to be vegan
Now it seems like everyone and their vegan-fed dog has an opinion on this one and some are especially vile about it. The vegan-on-vegan hate out there is astounding.
Being a dietary vegan is, on the face of it, pretty basic - don't eat animal products. But while passing on the cheeseburger and milkshake combo the issue is, as I hinted above, a whole lot more convoluted.
It means reading every damn label and knowing exactly what is an animal product. Some vitamins are derived from animal sources, some alcohol is made with fish or milk...it can be a real minefield if you want to do it 'properly' but, just for the record, I'm going to say that 99% vegan is just fine. So long as you're minimising animal suffering and doing whatever you can it's all good. That includes vegetarians, demi vegitarians, meat-free Monday enthusiasts...hating on people cos they forgot to check every last item in their shopping cart is not okay.
The same goes for the non-dietary aspects such as cosmetics, toiletries and medicines. Obviously some of these things are easier to avoid than others. Because I'm lactose intolerant I try my best to find painkillers and so forth where lactose is not the bulking agent which is, sadly, very common, I am less fussy about avoiding shellac coatings. So far stuff that I do not physically consume is lower on my list of priorities but I do make some effort at least. I am on a low income and I have issues of whether I can afford the super vegan eco friendly alternative at 15 times the cost. Similarly if your essential medications are animal based or only available in gelatine capsules I'm not going to tell you to eschew them - cos that's insane.

Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, 

as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, 

and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose

Possible and practicable. Very important distinction there.

That brings me to my cat. Some people try to feed cats an all vegan or mostly vegan diet. Cats are OBLIGATE CARNIVORES. Humans do not need meat, cats do. TBH dogs don't need meat but I'd feel decidedly iffy about feeding a dog an all vegan diet - maybe a mix of vegan and meat to salve my conscience but to me making a dog vegan is kind of mean. Like if I was a mum over again now I'd probably want my kids to be vegan too but if they ate pizza and ice cream at a friend's party that'd be their choice. Dogs don't get a choice so forcing them seems somewhat doubtful on a moral scale. So no, I don't have any problem buying meat for my cat.

Also, I personally have recently bought two pairs of leather Doc Marten boots and my mum has bought two leather chairs for my new house...all are second hand. That's not supporting the leather industry. That's not supporting animal cruelty. To me that's bog-standard recycling.

At the end of the day - if you want to be vegan, be the vegan it is right for you to be. don't accept hate cos you're doing it a little differently. Don't hate on others cos they're not living up to your standards. To be honest, if someone calls them self a vegan yet eats the occasional chicken burger it's not on you to criticise their hypocrisy either, although I can certainly see why you would...

The most important thing is to be a HEALTHY vegan. Good dietary advice is sadly lacking and healthcare professionals are all too often brainwashed carnists who believe meat and dairy are essential. They're not. Unfortunately too many people fall victim to faddy over-restrictive variants of veganism extolled by people who know nothing about nutrition or health...so do the reading and do it your way!!!

Cancer Vs Morality

I was vegetarian in my teens (age 13-17, 1991-1995) - as I have been again since 2013, and now vegan - and, perhaps in consequence, formed particular views on the subject of animal testing, including in medical contexts. I simply do not place humans above other animals to such an extent. Mortality is a fact of life; causing animals to suffer in the vain hope of prolonging human life is, to me, both reprehensible and futile. For once one disease is conquered another appears - the balance always must be maintained. Despite my eating meat for many years in the interim my views on animal testing did not change; to me killing an animal to eat it is far less cruel than the prolonged suffering experienced by lab animals. I freely admit I am not as good as I should be about buying cruelty free products but I certainly won't donate to charities that perpetuate animal cruelty.

Back at secondary school (1989-1994) my 'house charity' was for cancer research. I caught a lot of flack for refusing to contribute on the grounds of animal cruelty. One thing I got a lot was "you'd feel differently if cancer affected someone in your family" which is the most incredible bullshit in my humble opinion. Do people really have such shallowly rooted morals that they only hold high ideals whilst it's in their favour? People can and do and should be able to change their stances on things as they learn and grow and experience life...but only believing in that which is of personal benefit is pretty low. This is something I came up against in my OU Philosophy module and to be honest I was astonished that even Slytherin types like myself would just chop and change their belief system so easily.

I feel the need to revisit this due to recent events. My family has been touched by cancer several times:

• My nan (d. 2003) was, in the 1960s, one of the early survivors of bowel cancer (I did not know this until after she died of unrelated causes)
• My stepdad also survived bowel cancer in recent years
• I have had two cancer scares (1998 & 2007 - both ovarian), my parents have both undergone investigations too (for various potential cancers)
• One of cousins lost her husband to lung cancer in 1996
• Another cousin died of brain cancer this past Thursday

And you know what? I still feel the same. I respect that other people will feel differently but I still do not hold human life as so intrinsically valuable as to warrant that kind of suffering to many, many animals. I am deeply sorry for the human suffering involved but people die. Cancer is often considered a particularly cruel disease but there are few nice ways to die. People talk about 'dying of old age' like it's some kind of ideal...I'm fairly sure it's not from what my parents have told me about watching their parents die. Death is rarely painless and dignified. Personally I'd rather die of something than nothing, not decomposing alive as my body craps out - I can only hope my brain would be mush by then and 'I' would be oblivious to the indignities of an extreme old age.

Cancer survival rates have improved largely due to improvements in diagnostics and awareness meaning more cases are caught at an earlier and more treatable phase. They have also improved due to the trial and error of treating HUMANS. Doctors have best learned how to treat people by treating people.

The latest cancer research news stories suggest that cancer cures will be found in the individual patient's genetic make-up (http://www.news-medical.net/news/20160420/Genetic-markers-may-influence-how-breast-cancer-patients-respond-to-treatment.aspx) or in the genes of the specific cancer itself (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160414082124.htm). In other words, decades of hunting for a miracle drug as a cure-all may well have been entirely pointless, especially in terms of animal testing if we are the key to our own disease.


SEE ALSO:-
http://animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/experiments//2574//
http://www.peta.org.uk/living/health-charities-are-they-spending-your-money-on-animal-testing/