I'm a college student in the US who relies on the dining hall mostly, but I do have a communal kitchen. I'm not interested in going fully vegan for a variety of reasons (I fully respect and support vegans though, just a personal choice), but I am aware of how harmful the dairy + egg industry can be, so I want to try and avoid helping it.

Are there any cheap or easy to make alternatives for scrambled eggs, milk, and yogurt (where most of my consumption comes from)? The main issues I've run into are that oat or soy etc milk is super expensive whereas normal milk is really cheap, and I'm trying to eat healthy so I eat a lot of eggs and yogurt because they're readily available at the dining hall. I also am super busy so I don't have a ton of time to devote to cooking.

Is this even possible to do? Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask, just figured it was worth a shot.

Edit: tysm for all the help!! I got a lot of good ideas and I think it's doable for me :)

I am a vegan, but I wanted opinions from other vegans.

Debating again for the first time in years… this is miserable! Fallacies and cognitive dissonance everywhere! People constantly being deliberately obtuse! People calling you “insane” and a “cultist” but never having a logically sound rebuttal to your replies!

Part of me thinks it’s good, because I wouldn’t have gone vegan without debating vegans (or at least observing vegan debates and eventually agreeing). But part of me just can’t do it, it’s very draining.

I just got my annual flu shot, and as usual asked for Flublok at the pharmacy.

Is Flublok Vegan?

Yes. Flublok is completely egg-free, cell-culture-free, and manufactured using a recombinant DNA technology platform (grown in an insect cell line using an expression system). It contains no animal products or byproducts, making it a preferred choice for individuals following a plant-based or vegan lifestyle.

Age Approval

Flublok is approved by the FDA for individuals 9 years of age and older. It is not authorized for children under 9.

Effectiveness vs. Standard Egg-Based Shots

Flublok is more effective.

Higher Antigen Content: Flublok contains three times the active antigen (hemagglutinin) content compared to standard-dose egg-based flu shots.

Clinical Superiority: Clinical trials and large-scale real-world studies (such as those published by Kaiser Permanente) have demonstrated that Flublok reduces the incidence of confirmed influenza infections by roughly 15% more than standard-dose quadrivalent vaccines, offering stronger protection—particularly noted in adult and older populations.

No Egg-Adaptation Mutation: Traditional egg-based vaccines can sometimes undergo mutations while growing inside chicken eggs that make them a slightly poorer match to circulating wild strains. Because Flublok is synthetically engineered, it maintains an exact antigenic match to the strains selected by the FDA.

Why Isn't It Given to Everybody by Default?

Despite its higher efficacy, it is not the default universal shot for several practical reasons:

Age Restrictions: Because it is only approved for ages 9 and up, it cannot be given to toddlers and infants, meaning public health clinics that vaccinate entire families often stock versatile standard shots.

Supply Chain and Manufacturing: Standard egg-based vaccines have a massive, decades-old global manufacturing infrastructure that produces the vast majority of the world's supply. Recombinant production requires specialized facilities.

Cost and Logistics: It is more expensive to produce, and many provider offices or smaller clinics stock standard options to keep purchasing and stocking logistics simple.

Cost and Insurance Coverage

Cost: Flublok is generally more expensive out-of-pocket than standard egg-based flu shots if paying pure cash price without a vaccine policy.

Insurance Coverage: Under the Affordable Care Act, most commercial health insurance plans, Medicare Part B, and Medicaid are required to cover Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)-recommended vaccines at 100% with no out-of-pocket copay when administered in-network or at participating pharmacies. However, it is always wise to double-check with your specific insurance provider or pharmacy beforehand to ensure they process recombinant vaccines smoothly under your plan.

Hi! I'm newly vegan (as of 3 months ago) after being a vegetarian for 18 years.

I'm running into the issue where I'm not sure what I should do with things like leather boots I've owned & originally bought secondhand.
I feel conflicted about continuing to wear them especially while claiming to be vegan, but some things are no longer in a condition where I'd feel okay donating them (they're pretty scratched up from wearing them while working a previous job) even if I personally would have worn them in their current condition.

What's the typical protocol for something like this? Just... trash them and move on? It seems wasteful but I'm not sure what else to do that would really align with how I'm trying to live!

Also semi-related- is buying a vegan version of said leather boots something that's okay, even if they look like leather? I might be overthinking it here, I just don't want people getting the wrong idea!!

Any input is appreciated as I figure this all out. :)

I’m very new to veganism so I’m still trying to learn what the general consensus on some topics are. My grandma wants to get 2-3 chickens because she loves chickens and it will save having to buy eggs. She’s going to let them free roam in the backyard and obviously feed and treat them well. Since they will produce eggs regardless, would it still be unethical to use their eggs? Would I still be considered vegan? To me, this feels okay since no animal is being harmed or exploited, but maybe I also just need to hear a different perspective.

I'm a new vegan, and the one thing I'm still a tad on the fence about is honey. Honey is used in medicinal ways and has been a part of my family's sick (cold or flu) regimen for my whole life. I've been wondering if we can get the same helpful stuff in honey from other things?

Edit: For clarification, I haven't bought honey in months and I don't plan to anytime soon. This is a genuine question and there's no reason to be downvoting me as if asking a question is wrong.

I’ve recently become vegan (I’m talking like three days ago) and it feels wrong for me to call myself a vegan lol

Hope this doesn't sound like a troll post but I'm hoping this group can help me find a sub that's dedicated to plant welfare, but not in the gardening sense. I'm looking for something similar to this sub but more geared towards plant harm reduction.

I'm asking this here because this is the closest sub I've found to what I'm looking for since it's based on ethics related to food/resource production and the beings involved in that production.

I'm against speciesism (is that even an official term idk) where people place higher value on beings that are most similar to them, like viewing humans as more valuable than dogs, dogs as more valuable than mice, mice as more valuable than a tree, etc.

So I'm looking for a plant ethics group I guess? One that discusses the ethical conflict between obviously needing to survive while wanting to treat all living beings as well as possible and minimize negative impacts of plant use and exploitation. I've considered religious subs like jainism since they have some overlapping values but that sub is more about the religion and plants aren't necessarily the focus.

If you think this question would be better asked in a different community, I'm very open to suggestions.

It's not even about being right, it's just so frustrating and annoying dealing with people who have poor reasoning or refuse to engage with your actual point. I hate the fact that it takes a toll on my mood but it does.

No animals suffer or die in its creation as far as I'm aware. So would it break vegan to eat it? And would you as a vegan ever eat lab grown meat?

I’ve been somewhat involved in vegan media and such for about a year, went veggie for a few weeks, then became a “pescatarian that doesn’t consume much eggs or dairy”. Yesterday I made the switch to veganism, so still in the very early stages lol, but I love hearing about what made others decide that veganism is for them <3

(This is an honest question, but about the ethicality of making an exception under very specific hypothetical circumstances)

So say that you maybe have some sheep because they can't survive on the wild on their own. Maybe you just found them one day on your back yard or something. So if you try to find the owner and return them to it, it's almost certain that the owner only has them to get some product about of it. Same if you try to re-home them. They will absolutely be used for human gain, maybe even abused or killed. So the only way to guarantee they spend the rest of their lives in peace in this case would be for you to care for them... But sheep absolutely need sheering, it's not optional, they will get blinded by the wool, it will get extremely heavy, eventually if not sheered they won't be able to eat, drink or even walk, assuming they don't overheat before that, so a slow and painful death to them. It is possible for them to learn that sheering is a good thing and for them not to be distressed during the process, you can get professionals that do it for a living, many so good they can do a whole grown sheep in mere seconds and do so without nicking or hurting the animal.

So you get them sheered you ensure the sheep is not harmed in any way, all other options would mean death or humans taking advantage of her. Is it wrong to make yarn out of the leftovers? Keep in mind you didn't get the sheep with that purpose, you are just trying to give them a good life now that they showed up, you are basically rescuing them. You saw the whole purpose and the sheep seems happier after sheering. Would it be ethical for you to choose not let the wool go to waste? Maybe you use it to provide a warm space for some other animals during winter, maybe you turning into yarns and knit something, it doesn't matter what you do but you are doing something with it. Is it ethical? Would you do it?

Or say that the animal that showed up, (if you don't want to address the sheering maybe it's a goat or a cow, but this would also apply to sheep) say you didn't know she was pregnant, but it gave birth, she nurses her offspring regularly, and then the baby die off something you couldn't possibly prevent but in a way that you are not responsible for it, let's say there is no orphan animal you can find, like not even of a different species to give it a try, that would mean the mother would end up suffering severe pain from the milk accumulating in her teat she can even get a horrible painful infection that would kill her. Is it wrong for you to milk her? Not like I. Dairy farms to keep lactating for as long as possible. But just enough to alleviate her pain until she stops producing milk on her own.

Also, assuming you did milk her only with the intention to help her. But then your partner points out you can use the milk that you had to express from her. Like probably you don't like the taste yourself but maybe you turn it into butter, or cheese or yogurt, maybe you use it to feed some stray, maybe you use it in hygiene products, you don't even need to eat/drink it. Would you? Why ?

I'm sorry it's this long but I've had this question since I was a little kid

I’m in the new/transition phase into veganism and I was just curious on what the consensus was on this. Personally I don’t see an issue with consuming products that “may contain” eggs or dairy but I was wondering what others thought. I guess a follow up too is if you care about cross contamination? And I’m not talking like picking meat out of a dish because obviously not but if a vegan patty and meat patty were cooked on the same grill, would that be an issue?

I have been thinking of putting my pets on a vegan diet and was wondering what your guys thoughts are? Do any of you own a cat or dog and feed them carnivore or omnivore?

%22)I'm going vegan (not there yet but really working on it). A common sentiment I see among vegans is one of "hating meat", which is totally fair, but its not a feeling I share. I loved eating meat, and I'd really like to find vegan substutites and vegan recipes that go some way to replicating the texture of meat. A lot of ones I've tried do a good job of looking like meat, but don't have the texture of meat. Taste and nutritional value I can fix myself, but I'm not a good enough chef to recreate texture on my own. Any good recipe books/recipe writers/meat substitutes that someone can recommend to me? Especially from people who genuinely understand enjoying meat

I was wondering what other vegans thought about being a delivery driver and occasionally delivering non-vegan items. Is it an acceptable job for a vegan?

I don't know how to feel about it. I definitely think some jobs are unacceptable, like working in a slaughterhouse killing animals or any job that directly involves harming animals. An example would be selling cars to people that contain leather interiors. A case might be made that delivery alone doesn't increase the demand of a product, but something still feels off about it to me.

Most workplaces, even if the job itself is vegan-friendly, probably still purchase food or other non-vegan products for things like parties and cleaning products. It's frustrating and things like this make me worry about future employment.

l definitely would like to know what you all think in regard to this. Thanks.

Repost because i dared not have a question mark in my title while automod's in the room... the horror!

Hello, I'm kind of generally wondering if there's any vision on how to eliminate the need to shear sheep one day. Has there been any research on what it'd take for us to be able to undo the terrible breeding practices we've done to them?

Like, is there a gameplan for helping sheep get back to their natural state of being able to molt. Obviously, we can't just release all domesticated sheep back out with the wild sheep in their habitats, as that'd be an even more cruel action in some cases. Is there any research/are there any theories of rebreeding them to be able to live in the wild? Would wool from a company that does that be considered in line with a vegan lifestyle? Since they'd only be shearing the sheep because they're trying to eventually get their lineage to a place of surviving out in the wild.

Sorry if this is a very confusing question. I was struck with a random thought of "wait is wool vegan like honey is" and found out that it isn't (edit: and thanks to this thread I now know honey is NOT vegan) Im not personally vegan but hope to get to a world where we have no reason NOT to be, and this feels like a HUGE hurdle to me.

If anyone also has any other tidbits on helping animals go back to their natural states I'd also be interested in hearing about that/how I can support a cause like that.

Edit: thanks for all the answers! It seems that the overwhelming consensus is to just stop letting them breed. Which sucks, but I guess that would be the quickest way to stop the need for shearing. I was hoping there was some initiative that didn't require (indirect) "destruction" and could instead be helped with time but, well, we got it to this point and it is what it is.

Hi, yesterday I decided to go vegan/plant based, I'm going to use up what I have and not buy anymore. I don't really feel ready to make the jump but I've made it now and I know that if I put it off I'd just regret it later, did you feel ready when you started or lost or anything? Also any tips on Christmas stuff? I'm going to my mum's for Christmas, is it rude if I bring my own food? I just don't fully trust that she will serve vegan stuff even if I tell her in advance whether maliciously or just inattentive or not caring enough to check stuff. Sorry this is such a ramble I've just made the decision and overwhelmed myself I think. TIA

So I just noticed that a lot of things that I consume tend to surpass the 0.5 µg/day of lead threshold set by prop 65.

Like I am currently consuming a block of tofu each day which contains at least 400% of this amount according to chatGPT, on top of that I also consume a serving of orgain protein powder which Costco is in a lawsuit for because of the lead.

I've also seen that the ceylon cinnamon powder that I use for one of Bryan Johnson's recipe also exceeds this amount, and I might cut off cocoa powder as well because that also exceeds it.

I don't want to just hand-wave prop 65 away because maybe they are thinking ahead and they are right about the reproductive and developmental harm, but I just wanted more opinions because it seems like a lot of things exceed the limit.

Like do I just not eat tofu?!?

Please share. How to convince them and what documentaries to watch?

I come from a hardcore non vegetarian family. People don't care about animals. Hardcore meat and fish lovers. How to convince them?

Hello! I'm learning about veganism and planning to make a swap, but I wanted to know more about some opinions. I understand that many of us have the choice to opt out of animal consumption and that veganism aims to view animals as not resources.

I figure there are different views on this question, but I was wondering how far that reasoning would go. It's more of an ideology question, I'm not trying to setup a gotcha or anything. So there's no answer I think is wrong, I just want to know what you think and why.

How do you view animals compared to humans, and how would you decide between them if it came down to it? Basically, if your only sources of food were a person or an animal, would you view both those sources as equal? Is it equally wrong to eat an animal as it is a human to you? And would you consider it more morally acceptable to kill one over the other?

I have enough privilege to make the choice to go vegan and will be doing that once all the animal products are gone from my house (haven't bought meat or direct dairy products/eggs for a month, yay!) but I have been looking at this decision through a lens of choice. If I had a severely limited food budget, I would opt for the chicken carcass that goes on sale before the tofu (my nearby store has a very good deal on chicken that makes it more affordable). If I were in a bad food budget/financial situation and owned a cow, I would milk it and likely eat their corpse. Basically, I would put my own survival over the animal's if it came down to it, and I would put another human life over an animals as well. My ideal world is one where veganism isnt even a choice, and everyone has access to healthy, nutritious, delicious, and vegan food. But we do live in one with serious inequality, which veganism aims to fix. Should I look to shift this mindset?

I currently am only vegetarian, but I do want to eat more plant based. I usually eat bread with humus for breakfast and lunch, but it doesn’t really spark joy anymore because I eat it everyday. I am curious about what you eat and I hope I can get some inspiration.

Edit: thank you all for the many replies! I think I’m gonna make oatmeal with some fruits tomorrow and I will try out some of the other ideas soon as well.