Whether we like to admit it or not, our country is heavily dependent on meat and dairy products. Within the last few years, however, we have seen a change in the awareness that people have of different dietary restrictions: lactose-free, gluten-free, etc. When people admit that they have these restrictions, people tend to be very understanding. But when you throw the idea of veganism around, there seems to be a lot of backlash, at least for me. It can be a struggle to go against the “norm,” especially when the majority of people around you have a negative idea of your dietary habits.
Here are a few of the comments that vegans get when we're around vocally active meat and dairy consumers:
“But where do you get your protein?”
This, by far, is the cult favorite of questions that meat-eaters like to bring up. But what many don’t realize is that you can get a sufficient amount of protein from solely plant-based foods. The RDA recommendation for women is 46 grams per day, and for men it is 56 grams. Peas, sprouts, mushrooms and beans are high in protein, and let’s not forget to mention foods like tofu and tempeh. One cup of tempeh actually contains 31 grams of protein -- that’s almost all of your daily requirement. I often hear people say “I could never go vegan/vegetarian; I need to get my protein.” But that’s the wonderful thing about veganism – you can get your protein from whole, plant-based foods without contributing to animal suffering or land destruction.
“Oh c’mon, just try a bite.”
I am actually surprised by how often this happens to me, and I'm honestly also offended. There have been times that I was with someone who was eating meat or dairy, and they chose to wave it in my face to try and get me to eat it. This actually hurts my feelings because I would never wave my sweet potatoes in front of someone, especially if it was against their ethical viewpoint. I don’t actually know where the stigma came from that “vegans are miserable with what they eat, and therefore they need to convert back to meat,” but it is very hurtful when people think that they should try and shove meat in our faces. Not to mention, the smell of meat is repulsive.
“But how do you survive without cheese?”
Cheese, from what I’ve found, seems to be the most common thing that meat and dairy eaters said they would miss if they went vegan, which is totally understandable. Before I went vegan, I used to be addicted to cheese. I used to want to put it on everything because it tasted so good. But since I’ve done my research and found that it is not only ethically wrong, but also very bad for our health, it was so easy to cut that product out. Not only is it high in cholesterol, fat and often times sodium, it also contains the pus and product of another species’ milk. The milk of a cow is meant to help its baby calf grow rapidly right after birth. The baby drinks the milk, just like we humans do with our mothers, in order to grow healthy and strong. To me, this alone makes me not want to eat cheese. I actually find it extremely odd that one species is drinking liquid from the breast (udder) of another species. But the beauty of the vegan message growing, is that you don’t have to cut out cheese from your diet. There are plenty of non-dairy cheeses on the market, made from soy, almond and coconut milk.
“Plants have feelings too.”
This always makes me laugh because it’s inaccurate on so many levels. For one, plants do not actually have a central nervous system, which is what's responsible for our feelings. And two, even if plants had a nervous system for some odd reason, meat and dairy consumers would be just as guilty as vegans. I think that when people throw this idea out, they don’t realize that the meat they have on their plate was once a cow/pig/lamb that was being fed some type of fodder that consists primarily of plants. All vegans are doing is taking out the middle-man, and saving the lives of many innocent, tortured animals.
There are so many other reactions to veganism that make our heads spin, but these are just a few. Often times vegans are considered to be “preachy" or "judgmental," but what I’ve found is that it is the meat-eaters who are far more judgemental than I have ever been. Someone will always have a problem with what you do, and it’s something that you just have to get over. However, it is unfortunate that we are doing nothing but trying to better the planet, the lives of animals and our health, and we receive so much backlash. For those of you reading this that notice you may have said one of these things, just know that you are hurting the feelings of someone who cares on a very deep level, and try to think twice about what you say.
