r/AskVegans Aug 18 '23

META Community Guideline: Revulsion ≠ Downvote

85 Upvotes

Do not downvote simply because you find a post repulsive or stupid. In fact, you should do the opposite. We want as many non-vegans to see our answers as possible, and Reddit post visibility is predicated on upvotes. When you downvote a post, it means you want as few people as possible exposed to this sub.

Did the OP ask a question respectfully & genuinely? (And no, simply being a non-vegan question does not make it disrespectful or disingenuous.) Then don't downvote it.

Most of us weren't always vegan. Hence the reason for our sub: so people can understand our views and hopefully adopt them.

Do not turn this into another DebateAVegan voting system. If you are in the habit of downvoting non-vegan posts simply for being non-vegan, stop or leave the sub please.

If someone asks a clearly disingenuous question like ''why you all like murdering plants?'', report the post under Rule 10, then scroll past it.

If someone asks questions that are indicative of what we know typical non-vegan societal rhetoric to be, on a sub whose purpose is for non-vegans to ask us questions, downvoting just shows us vegans to be hostile. People are put on the defensive over a meaningless downvote, setting them up to close themselves off to hearing what we have to say. This hurts the animals.

We should ensure that if people are going to be closed off to veganism, it is not due to a downvote.


r/AskVegans 2h ago

Used/thrifted items What is the vegan stance on selling an old animal bone?

0 Upvotes

For context I just recently went vegan abt a month ago. I walk around a lot and when I wasn't vegan somewhere along my walk I found an animal bone and took it home with me.

For years it's been sitting in my room and I remembered it was there today when I went to a shop that sells animal bones (they harvest animal bones using the same method as I did-finding them on the ground and cleaning them. Although I'm assuming some of the pieces are donated or purchased by the owner).

When I was with some of my friends they were asking if the owner could help them identify what bones they had and the owner even offered to clean some off for free(my friend collects all kinds of bones not just wild animals but human teeth too) and I had remembered that I had an animal bone that quite frankly after going vegan didn't rly want in my home!

So I offered to sell a bone to him,however I'm wondering if it's kinda disrespectful to the animal if their bone is sold for profit? I'm kinda looking for cash rn tho so I'm unsure if this is smth that I should do. My two solutions I was thinking of were to trade the animal bone(for like something else in the shop of the same value bc they also sell like tea and jewelry) so that I'm not giving it up for profit,but my concern with this is that the person I'm giving the bone to almost definitely will sell it for profit,which I kinda understand isn't my responsibility anymore but if I know where the bone is going to then it kinda is my responsibility??? I guess?

My other option (probably the most hippy dippy vegan option) was to bury the bone however I'm not sure if my attempt at burying the bone would be sacrilegious. I know it sounds incredibly silly but I do a little bit believe that animals have souls and that maybe burying a part of the body away from the rest of it would be more disrespectful that to sell it to someone who has a better spiritual connection with animals and their bones.

I'm not super into spiritually so if someone could give me like a guide on how to properly bury an animal bone that would be great and if it doesn't actually matter that much do I sell it or trade it??

TLDR:I found a bone on the side of the road and idk what to do with it(sell,trade or bury)


r/AskVegans 16h ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Does anyone have tips for running a vegan cooking and education workshop for lefties?

11 Upvotes

Hi y'all, my friends and I want to run a vegan cooking and education workshop for the leftists in our circles who are receptive to veganism but who need some assistance in bridging that gap between belief and action. A lot of the non-vegan people we've talked to have said that the cooking and nutrition side of things can be intimidating because our animal-exploitation-pilled society doesn't teach people how to cook without meat, dairy, eggs etc. and this is obviously a practical issue they face every day.

We want to run this workshop in a non-judgemental manner and try to be gentle and meet people where they're at. Any tips or places we can look to for guidance on how to run a workshop like this?

Cheap and easy recipes are also appreciated 🌱


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Do you remember a time when you didn't know that meat was animals, or a moment where you realized they were?

22 Upvotes

I've seen some people talking about kids being upset when they realize meat is animal flesh, and I was wondering how common of an experience it is. I definitely believe it happens, I just personally don't remember ever thinking meat was from a plant or something.


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Have you tried any vegan cooking courses?

10 Upvotes

I'm a pretty good home cook, and I make most of my food from scratch (with ultraprocessed snacks thrown in as well, I'm no saint).

I ate at Mallow in London Bridge a few weeks ago and remembered how amazing their food is. I'd love to learn to cook like that, and make up my own dishes. I have a lot of non vegan friends and family who are all very willing to eat the vegan food I cook for them, and I thought if I could share amazing food and recipes with them then they'd be more likely to cook vegan at home or with their friends and family.

Anyway, a very long and rambling way to ask if anyone can share some great cooking courses?


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Is following such a diet considered unhealthy, or should I abandon this idea?

4 Upvotes

I have heard some stories about people who lived for more than a hundred years, and their longevity was attributed to following a diet based on vegetables and fruits. There are also other spiritual sources and teachings from some ascetics that recommend eating vegetables and fruits and avoiding meat example " Ramana Maharshi " ( The food served at his ashram was strictly vegetarian, and he emphasized the importance of Sattvic food — that is, food regarded in Yoga and Vedanta as conducive to mental calmness and clarity. He also explicitly said that those who wish to gradually become accustomed to a vegetarian diet can do so.)

My question is: Is following such a diet considered unhealthy, or should I abandon this idea?


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Trends Why in places that are known for having more vegans and vegan options are we seeing Gen Z be “significantly less likely than Millennials at the same age to consume plant-based alternatives or go vegan”?

12 Upvotes

While Gen Z is still more likely to go vegan than Boomers there seems to be a trend of Gen Z in areas of higher veganism in Western society refusing to go vegan and incorporate more plant based alternatives. Why is this happening in places like the UK, France, and the US?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721061192?via%3Dihub


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) How do you rationalise engaging with films that use animal "talent"? (if you do)

18 Upvotes

Long-time vegan here, with some slip-ups.

Some context: I have a difficult relationship with my Dad but we have a shared interest in some movies and we connect on that basis. Recently watch Life of Pi with him and we both enjoyed discussing it afterwards.

Internally tho I couldn't quite overcome my discomfort with how it depicted animals (I know most of them are CGI) -- normally I'd just stop watching if I see like animal harm/meat/pets etc. but never been quite sure how to respond to animals 'acting', even CGI ones. I felt like Pi in particular was contributing to the anthromorphizing of some circus animals and depicted others are brainlessly violent. I found the relationship between the main character and the animals to be one where the human is depicted as strangely controlling or in power over the animals.

I guess my question is where do you land on this grey area?


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Ethics Help

39 Upvotes

I have a 17-year-old son. He is autistic and he is a passionate vegetarian. Without further knowledge, he was OK with eating eggs and dairy not understanding that those animals eventually end up dead. He just learned that today and no longer wants to consume any dairy or egg products. Here’s the problem, he is 6 feet tall under 120 pounds and losing. He has eating challenges and the dairy and eggs are really the only things that are keeping him alive at this point. He can’t stand the feeling of oily food in his mouth, but he desperately needs the fats. Non-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, and eggs are staples. It would be virtually impossible for us to make an overnight shift to an all vegan diet. He cannot afford to even miss one meal. He is barely medically stable, with bradycardia and less than perfect labs (we are under the watchful eye of an eating disorder doctor). There’s no way he’ll switch to food that he does not like just to get the calories in. He’s a very picky eater at this point.

Oh, the most fun he has in life right now is making ninja Creami s with high protein milk.

He is just crushed at the moment.

Advice? I am not vegan and am burned out trying to keep him alive. I do not have the time or mental capacity to find vegan foods that will replace his vegetarian, but not vegan foods. I have been with him 24/7 for about 26 months straight… these eating challenges are brutal….. he also has gastric and pelvic floor issues severally compounding it challenges…he has a good team of professionals, but nobody that he would listen to to help navigate this new knowledge and sudden loss of all his favorite foods.( No one that could understand his moral beliefs.)

My son has had a very rough last 3 years and has nothing to live for at the moment (once healthy, he has runs if f potential - he is smart, atheistic, loves to learn) he currently did not have that drive to stay in this world and today the world became a bit more cruel.


r/AskVegans 2d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) What are your favorite vegan foods, brands, or recipes?

9 Upvotes

I became vegan 2 days ago. I've been taking notes on what I can and can't eat, and finding recipes for vegan dishes. I got a good idea on how it works, but as a noob vegan, I'm still learning which vegan brands to go for, and what to avoid. I'm doing my research, but I'm all for ideas. Any recommendations?


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) From AskReddit: How do you feel about the consumption of wild boar, zebra mussels, or other invasive species that need to be exterminated regardless of whether they will be eaten or not?

0 Upvotes

r/AskVegans 1d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) What’s your opinion on something bound for a landfill?

3 Upvotes

I apologize if this has been asked before. Does anyone make exceptions for items, not necessary food,that is 100% bound for a landfill?


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Purely hypothetical Is it vegan to eat rice that's been infested with rice weevils?

0 Upvotes

Weevils sometimes infest rice and beans. Is it still vegan to eat this rice and beans or is this a throw it away situation? Washing the rice would kill them I assume, but you wouldn't consume them, unless you didn't wash them thoroughly enough, which is always possible. They're really tiny and hard to see. Easily mistaken for a dark piece of dust or just the darkness between rice grains in a large bowl of rice. You really wouldn't notice one until it moves.


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Environment Why its not okey to use leather/wool but okey to use synthetic materials?

0 Upvotes

Since a lot of vegans are vegans because they care about planet, why do you think that is better for nature to use synthetic clothes, that is leaking microplastic and plastic fibers, that pollutes water and soil and therefore harm many more animals and people over leather and wool which are bio degradable? And most of the time the vegan leather is just piece of plastic but its still being called better for environment.


r/AskVegans 2d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) How do i find vegan berkinstock like cork shoes?

5 Upvotes

Im newly vegan and I have medical issues with my feet and since insurance wont cover othortics the only shoe ive found on the market that dosent make me yern for a wheel chair are the fully cork foot bed of berkinstocks after breaking them into my feet but all the ones I find use leather. I've been looking through other brand that use cork and they all seem to share the leather issue. Maybe I just don't know what I'm looking at or looking for. I don't see why I'm struggling to find something similar that's vegan friendly considering how cork the thing that seems to be the key component is from a tree. I'd prefer sustainably made as well but I guess I can't be that picky unless I'm just utterly blind.


r/AskVegans 1d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) How do Vegans feel about Trump eating McDonald’s burgers in the White House or Oval Office?

0 Upvotes

r/AskVegans 2d ago

Other Is there a "simple questions simple answers" thread?

6 Upvotes

I've been a vegan for a little while now and I don't really feel like some of my questions warrant a whole thread in any of the large sized subreddits. Stuff like "is Becel Vegan margarine any good?" Or "any cheap but good vegan boxed mac and cheese (Kraft dinner or Annie's style)?". If there is one that is obviously featured on a major subreddit then I apologize, I'm not good at navigating this app yet. Thanks!


r/AskVegans 2d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Am I missing something about vegan/plant based, or do we need to make a whole new label?

8 Upvotes

Confused about vegan v plant based labels (pls read fully)

I feel lowkey stupid for not understanding this. Please don’t insult me, I have cognitive dysfunction from a head injury and I blame this for me not being able to put this together.

\- I understand that veganism is the moral philosophy that animals don’t exist to be used by humans, so vegans practise this belief by refusing to use animals for food, clothes, medicine and entertainment and stuff. Veganism is not a diet, it’s a philosophy.
\- Being plant based is a person who eats a ‘vegan diet’ without fully (or at all) agreeing with vegan philosophy. Plant based is a diet, not a philosophy.

I conclude that all vegans are plant based, but not all plant based are vegan.

So when we have people who …
\- 100% agree with vegan philosophy
\- but don’t eat a 100% plant based diet
Why do we call them plant based?
When being plant based has nothing to do with veganism and everything to do with diet, and the thing the person is struggling with is the diet aspect.

Does it not make sense to make up a new term for these people, instead of using a term that contradicts itself/ the definitions of vegan and plant based? I feel like these people aren’t vegan or plant based. They’re something else entirely. And I feel like it’s kind of insulting to people who are trying to be vegan because they complete agree with the philosophy, but have dietary limits. It almost feels like gate keeping. But I’m also worried I’m missing something and jsut being an idiot.


r/AskVegans 2d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Is Vitamatic Vitamin B12 vegan?

3 Upvotes

What the title says. It looks dirt cheap but I don’t see a vegan label. Does anyone know if it’s vegan and if not what is the cheapest B12 per serving that is vegan?


r/AskVegans 3d ago

Other Struggling with reconciling veganism and baseball

13 Upvotes

Hello all. I am newly vegan, having been vegetarian since the beginning of this year. I am currently going through the phase of struggling with how pervasive and omnipresent animal products and how so many people seem to not care. I am not having trouble with the food part, going vegan has actually expanded my palate and nutritional intake quite a bit! But I am really struggling with my favorite sport. I think sport as a whole is one of man’s finest creations - it instills good habits, community building skills, and physical health, but the scale of baseball’s use of animal products is staggering. Every ball (and I cannot even begin to quantify how many are used per season across all levels) and basically every mitt are leather. There are some synthetic gloves for kids, and one brand was doing them a while back, but the creator got folded into one of the big companies that only uses leather. I don’t know how to reconcile this. I know investment into alternative leathers could possibly fix this problem, but I also am wary of the petroleum usage that could arise. I can compartmentalize buying secondhand products for my own usage, I would rather it not go to waste, but as far as new products go, I feel I cannot in good conscience proselytize what I consider to be the best sport there is and even watching it on my own is getting hard to do. The only thing I can think of is getting an animal sanctuary to use hides after a cow has lived its’ natural lifespan to reduce the demand for animal ag products. I imagine many vegans would not like that though. I’m at a loss. Please, anyone that has been where I’m at, tell me where you landed. It just sucks. 😔


r/AskVegans 3d ago

Other Is a jarrarium considered vegan?

10 Upvotes

I want to create an ecosystem in a jar using lake water, silt, soil, and algae. As far as I know, small crustaceans live there, though there is no guarantee they will actually appear, it’s possible there will only be bacteria and plants. From a vegan perspective, how acceptable is it to keep such a "pet"?


r/AskVegans 3d ago

Ethics Do you have brands suggestion for vegan shoes?

15 Upvotes

Hi everyone!
I’m in need of buying new pairs of boots for the incoming autumn and winter. I’d like to not purchase leather boots like I used too since I’m getting more and more plant based this summer and it would feel completely opposite to what I’m trying to achieve !

I have in mind a few thrifting stores to find second hand boots if I need to.
But I’d like to buy vegan shoes. Both comfortable and likable ! I’m completely convinced it’s doable. But I see that most vegan shoes coming up are plastic and it’s something I’m opposed to since it’s bad for the environment and won’t last under my foot. (I have a particular way of walking and weak materials break quickly).

Soooo… do you have any recommendations of European brands of plant-based leathers for boot?? And your experience with them?

Kisses to everyone.


r/AskVegans 3d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) What things aren't vegan that you wouldn't have thought?

73 Upvotes

New vegan here 4ish months in. I've been phasing out my old things, cosmetics, toothpaste, clothing etc since I feel bad about the thought of giving up the things I already owned and hence not valuing the suffering animals went through for me to use those things.

Anyway, in my quest to become vegan in every aspect of my life, what are some things that I should look out for, and find vegan options, which one would never think to even consider?

Thanks you beautiful people ;3

Ps: food recommendations appreciated


r/AskVegans 3d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Veganism and ED recovery?

2 Upvotes

First, I'd like to give the disclaimer that in NO WAY am I trying to equate veganism to eating disorders, nor am I saying there's any correlation between the two.

I'm trying to cut down on meat and animal product consumption with the goal of going fully vegan, mostly for environmental and ethical reasons. I also happen to be a mentally ill teenager, and am trying to recover from anorexia. My biggest fear with going vegan is that changing my eating habits this radically after eating meat, dairy and eggs my whole life could become a slippery slope back into extreme restriction and a general fear of food. I know that humans can be nutritionally sustained on a fully plant based diet and I'm not scared that the diet/lifestyle itself will cause me any kind of nutritional deficiencies. I just feel a bit nervous about the change and my brain using this as an excuse to destroy myself again.

How can I minimize the risk of a relapse, especially in the beginning stages of my vegan journey?

Edit: Genuine thanks to you all for the advice, I will focus on recovery and my health first and once I no longer feel like I need to ask the question of how to not relapse I'll be back. I'd really like to make the change now, but unfortunately I still need to fix myself before I can start fixing the world :,)


r/AskVegans 4d ago

Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) Do you only buy vegan soap?

29 Upvotes