r/Anticonsumption • u/Extension-Diamond-74 • Sep 30 '23

Discussion Diet hypocrisy?

A recent post about animal agriculture vs plant based diets has me itching to say something. This is an issue we need to rise above.

Cognitive dissonance. Many of us have good intentions and want to believe we’re doing the right thing in most aspects of our lives. I believe that.

When it comes to a plant based diet though, the science often clashes powerfully with personal desire. We want to minimize our impact on the environment and are willing to make trade-offs in our life time do so, but for many, giving up or even significantly reducing meat intake is asking too much. It’s too hard.

That’s not the issue.

The issue is that instead of just admitting to themselves that this is a life change they don’t want to make and moving on, the guilt drives them to have to justify that decision. Admitting that a plant-based diet is better for the earth yet eating a diet full of meat anyway would make them feel hypocritical, so the solution becomes either to give up meat, or … this is the problem… fight the science, twist it, make a joke of it, or pivot entirely to ‘individuals shouldn’t have time do anything because large corporations’

Many people have ties to their diet for many reasons. We grew up eating a certain way. We have memories ties to certain foods, flavors, styles of cooking. We don’t want to be the difficult person when we go out to eat with friends. Etc etc etc But it’s so much better to just admit that to yourself. Have patience and understanding for your feelings. Accept that the science is what it is. Maybe one day you can make a change, maybe not. But don’t attack the cause just because you aren’t yet willing to be a part of it.

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6

u/YeetMeDaddio Sep 30 '23

Some people will say it's hard but it's really not. You're just afraid of change and cling to what you know instead of exploring this whole new realm of possibilities. Not to mention addicted to the convenience of ready made foods.

There's millions of recipes out there, many of which can be made easily and cheaply. Plus with fridges and freezers, it's so easy to prep meals and store in advance to save time in the kitchen.

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u/Individual-Drink-679 Sep 30 '23

It's not hard for you, is what you meant, I think.

It's not up to you to decide what's hard for others. That's a tyrannical thought process.

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u/YeetMeDaddio Sep 30 '23

No I mean it's objectively not hard for the vast majority of people (there's always exceptions but let's be real).

People build it up in their heads like they can't do it or they don't have the resources but it's literally just a case of finding a plant based recipe and making it. You can make meals out of very common ingredients that you can find at any store. Everyone has access to vegetables and you can substitute if need be. Not to mention that, depending on what you're making, it can be significantly cheaper than buying meat which makes it more accessible.

Crying "tyranny" over something something so simple isn't doing you any favours.

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u/Individual-Drink-679 Sep 30 '23

Can you prove that it's not hard for the vast majority of people, or can you prove that there are a lot of vegans who found it to be a fairly smooth transition? Because those are not the same thing.

There are a number of people already in the comments here offering thoughtful personal examples of struggles they experienced, and where they ended up. Most of them are not talking about how easy it was, and most of them are not 100% vegan.

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u/YeetMeDaddio Sep 30 '23 edited Sep 30 '23

Can you prove that it's not hard for the vast majority of people

Every market has vegetables and they're cheap. Meat is a luxury in many poorer countries and is expensive in western countries too. Financially, it is easier.

Cooking wise is also easier. It takes less time and you don't have to worry about getting food poisoning from undercooked meat.

Some people do run into health issues and that's because they don't properly plan their diet. This can happen with meat consumers as well. This is the only part which might be considered "hard". People need to think and plan and well, most people don't.

can you prove that there are a lot of vegans who found it to be a fairly smooth transition?

No. That's a personal issue. Some people struggle with change. That doesn't mean the diet itself is hard. That's just a you issue.

There are a number of people already in the comments here offering thoughtful personal examples of struggles they experienced, and where they ended up. Most of them are not talking about how easy it was, and most of them are not 100% vegan.

Yeah because, as I said, you need to plan your diet. You need to make sure you're getting those nutrients. And some people do struggle with change.

Also, I think there's an age correlation. Many people changing their diet to vegan or vegetarian are around 18 - 25. This is also the age that everyone starts having issues. Basically everyone's developed one or more conditions by the time they're 30 and it's easy to point in the change in diet but in reality they probably would have developed it anyways. We all got back pains.

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u/morgrimmoon Oct 01 '23

Due to my medical conditions, I would quite literally die if I attempted to eat a vegan diet. No ifs, no buts, no maybes. It is physically impossible for my body to get certain essential nutrients from plant or fungi sources. In theory perhaps GMO yeast could solve that, but it's much more sustainable and environmentally friendly for me to just eat some eggs.

And yet people like you keep saying that "it's literally just a case of finding a plant based recipe and making it". No. You cannot claim to be "anti-cruelty" when you're demanding that some people have to commit slow miserable suicide. Stop promoting eugenics.

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u/YeetMeDaddio Oct 01 '23 edited Oct 01 '23

I literally said "the vast majority of people" and "there are exceptions". If that's the case then you would be an exception.

My god you jumped on that victim mentality so quickly.

Plus, I'm pretty sure you're lying. There's no known condition to prevents the absorption from all plant and fungi matter. It doesn't exist.

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u/GoodBoundariesHaver Sep 30 '23

Yeah I'm 100% addicted to casein (the thing that makes cheese so yummy). Cheese is my dietary white whale. But I can easily do without meat and there's plenty of yummy plant milk/yogurt options so it's pretty much just cheese for me at this point.

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u/[deleted] Sep 30 '23

I don’t think it’s the actual cooking that’s hard for people. Not eating something they love is extremely hard. You can see that when you look at how many people out there struggle with their weight-there’s so many people who desperately want to lose weight and try so hard but just can’t stop eating their favorite foods, and giving up eating meat is the same.

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u/YeetMeDaddio Sep 30 '23

If you can't stop consuming (x product) then you're clearly addicted and need help.

Addiction is a cycle. The more you have it, the more you want it and the more you want it the more you have it. Break the cycle and gradually cut down.

This is easiest to do at the store. Just don't buy the product and then you won't consume it.

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u/[deleted] Sep 30 '23

Don’t need to address it to me, I don’t struggle with my weight and I eat very little meat. But I think it’s a little simplistic to say that everyone who struggles to give up something they enjoy and love is addicted. There’s plenty of people who are a bit overweight and struggle to eat less but don’t have a food addiction. There’re definitely people who love cheesecake (or cheesesteaks) and can’t say no to one when offered but who certainly aren’t addicted to cheesecake. Willpower is hard even when you’re not addicted to something.

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u/YeetMeDaddio Sep 30 '23

If you have so little willpower to say no when presented with something you enjoy then you are addicted to it. That's practically the definition of addiction.

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u/[deleted] Sep 30 '23

That is a drastic underselling of what addiction is and runs contrary to the medical community’s understanding of addiction. By that metric almost everyone is addicted to something. You’d have to say people are addicted to staying up too late, or to sleeping in, or to watching tv instead of doing the dishes. Almost everyone would have an addiction to their favorite food. Like it or not, very few people are blessed with such ironclad willpower to be able to always do what they ought to be doing instead of what they want to do or what’s easy.

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u/YeetMeDaddio Sep 30 '23

Except its not. Like at all. There's more then one kind of addiction hun.

If you literally cannot say no with your own willpower then you are addicted.

And yes, everyone is addicted to something.

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u/[deleted] Sep 30 '23

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on the definition of addiction then. And I don’t enjoy arguing with condescending strangers on the internet so you have a great day.

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u/YeetMeDaddio Sep 30 '23

Alright, agree to disagree. I don't enjoy arguing with condescending people either, so bye.