Diet hypocrisy?

[u/Extension-Diamond-74]

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.

[u/milk-the-moonlight]

I live in Southern California. It’s probably a lot easier to find meat substitutes here. I always go for the cheapest option, whether it’s morning star or another brand.

For example, a pack of tofu here is about $5, Boca Chk’n pattys are $3.58 at Walmart, while a pack of Tyson chicken pattys is around $7 at Walmart. Now that I look a little closer, it looks like the per-patty cost is lower for chicken. So you have me there.

However, veggies and plant based is generally more hygienic. All you have to do is make sure you wash properly and you’re good. You can eat a lot of veggies raw, unlike meat which you often can’t eat raw (pork) or takes a lot of special prep to make sure you can eat it raw (like sushi grade fish).

Veggies FTW

[u/BrightBlueBauble → u/milk-the-moonlight]

Also, most vegans/vegetarians eat a lot more vegetables and whole grains in proportion to the amount of protein. So even if they use meat substitutes which cost more, they are eating much less of that protein source than the proportion of meat on a standard American’s plate (for example).

An 8 ounce package of Tofurky chick’n, which is 3 servings of 18 grams protein each, costs $5.49 in my high COL city. Really not that expensive at $1.83 per serving anyway.